THE PELICAN BRIEF
FEB. 2011
Serving the Community of Pelican Pointe
Board of Directors
Manager
Harold Davison, President
Steve Susman
Mary Mulholland, Vice President
8300 Fairmount Dr., #J-101
Glen Olmstead, Newsletter Editor
Denver,, CO 80247-6528
Marcia Helfant
Phone: (303) 394-0942
Frank Parker, Treasurer
Cell phone: (303) 668-2747
March Madness Month! It's basketball season! Begin your March Madness Month
with a chili dinner on Friday, March 4, 6:00 to 8:00, at the Lighthouse Clubhouse.
Wear the colors of your favorite team. Put that team on your nametag. Invite a neighbor
to join
you. Who do you think will win the tournament this year?
Put that name and
your name on a piece of paper to enter our basketball contest. Then watch the TV for all
the action. If your team wins the NCAA 2011 tournament, you'll receive a Starbucks gift
certificate. We will have Tournament Brackets available if you want to fill one out. You
don't have to be a basketball fan to attend. Just come to enjoy home-cooked chili --
made
once again by your Social Committee --
along with a glass of wine, beer, or lemonade.
Book Club.
Our Pelican Pointe Book Club will meet on Friday, February 11, 2011, at
6:30 p.m., at the home of Karen Damon, 2518 S. Tucson Circle, Aurora. To be
discussed:
Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson. This is a non-fiction book about
Mortenson's campaign to build schools in the most dangerous, remote and anti-American
reaches of Asia in 1993. Join this enthusiastic group of Pelican Pointe women and treat
yourself to an enjoyable evening. RSVP to Karen at (303) 338-0204 or
Lunch Bunch.
Why not join this interested and interesting group of Pelican Pointe men
and women for lunch at Piatti's Restaurante & Bar, 190 St. Paul Street, on Tuesday,
February 8, 2011, at 11:30 a.m. Treat yourself to a good meal and sparkling
conversation. New faces are cordially encouraged to attend! Requirements: (a) You
must breathe; (b) you must park (there are a very few spots in front of the restaurant); and
(c) you must be bored with buffalo wings. RSVP to Susan Million, (303) 316-7190.
Save these 2011 dates, too:
--
Friday, June 17, 6:00-8:00, for a TGIF with pizza, beer, and wine, at our Pelican
Pointe
Park.
--
Sunday, September 18, 5:00-7:00, for our Annual Picnic at the Lighthouse Clubhouse.
--
Monday, December 5 (subject to change), 6:00 p.m., at Augustana Lutheran Church,
for our Annual Homeowners Meeting.
SUSMAN UNLEASHED
by Steve Susman
Roof vents, roof pipes, squirrels, bees, and wasps. In two unrelated recent episodes at
Pelican Pointe, a homeowner determined that a squirrel had descended through the
microwave pipe vent, landing on her built-in microwave oven! That's quite a shock to
any unsuspecting resident. Squirrel aux champignons is not one of the delicacies offered
at Denver's finest restaurants. These intruders had chewed the wiring and fan blades
comprising part of the microwave operating system. In one instance, when the oven was
carefully removed from its housing above
the stove, the squirrel was apparently
unharmed and was freed outside. We won't describe the other incident.
More common, however, is the invasion in the summer of wasps and bees. Some
buildings and townhomes in our complex seem to attract these scary
pests; others don't.
In many cases, these flying insects have gained admittance through pipe vents. The roof
over each unit has several pipe vents and attic vents. The pipe vents serve as part of the
crucial ventilating apparatus for each furnace, water heater, toilet fan; sink, and toilet.
The attic vents are not pipes, but provide ventilation for the attics. Some of the pipe
vents are capped, by design. Others are simply open tubes, protruding through the
rooftop.
All such vents and pipes are part of the original construction of our buildings and
townhomes. All presumably conformed to local building codes when constructed. We
have no evidence that any of the attic vents, each of which contains a screen, has been
breached by animals or such insects. Can the pipe vents, including those with a cap, be
"screened" in a fashion that would enable the crucial ventilation to remain unobstructed,
but would prevent squirrels, wasps, and bees from entering? With respect to the pipes
most abused, in our experience, the answer is a qualified “Yes.” However, the cost of
materials and labor is not the responsibility of our Association (HOA). Yes, the HOA is
generally responsible for maintaining the roofs (which it owns), but is not responsible for
the cost of structural modifications to the original construction. Stated differently, the
HOA isn't the guarantor of the developer. Your Board and manager are considering a
voluntary program for our residents, whereby a skilled handyman would "screen"
selected
pipe vents for a reasonable price. Note: Without prior express Board approval,
homeowners cannot engage anyone to climb onto the roofs, which are the exclusive
province of the HOA. Stay tuned for further information.
Have the Yellow Pages gone the way
of bridles, landline telephones, and the abacus?
We give permission to the publisher of the Dex White and Yellow Pages (successor to
the official White and Yellow Pages of Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph
Company, later known as US West, later known
as Qwest, soon to be known as Century
Tel) to deliver their annual White and Yellow Pages volumes at our three mail kiosks. If
you haven't yet done so, please take a copy of whatever is there, for your own use. Your
former editions can be placed in your
purple recycling barrel.
How Charles Atlas realized that he was no longer a 90-lb. weakling, and was now a man
of muscle: He must have resided at Pelican Pointe, inserted his mailbox key into its slot
on a cold day, tried too emphatically to turn it, and the key broke off in the lock! Over
time, these locks, exposed to the elements, essentially "dry out"; their internal moving
parts become stiff. Your key is no match for such reluctance. The tried-and-true
solution: Spray a tiny amount of WD-40 into the slot. Wait about 10 seconds. Insert
your key. Withdraw and wipe off the key (so that the interior of your new outrageously-
priced purse from Coach, or from Hermes, or from Cole Haan, will not be permanently
soiled). Your key will contain ever-less oil residue thereafter. Your lock will work
smoothly in any weather for many more years.
And the Lord exclaimed, "Let there be light," and there was light [King Canute version
14:92]. The electrical wiring serving the lights outside our entrance gates had corroded
over time. Much of it was replaced by Sonny recently. This enabled us to acquire a
better quality of floodlight, to illuminate the wording, address, and logo on our exterior
tile walls. The entrance now looks more inviting at night.
Nature lovers rejoice: we have found Bambi! On a recent, cool Sunday morning, a deer
was sighted at one of our patios, casually surveying the premises. When the homeowner
in that unit descended from his bedroom to take a closer look, the free spirit had
gamboled away. Later that morning, I spotted several deer near Pelican Pointe, on the
southern border of the Lowry golf course, on the north side of East Alameda Avenue.
Add that to the foxes, raccoons, squirrels, rabbits, and skunks that reside in or near the
canal and/or the Windsor Gardens wetlands. Hey, I thought this was an urban
environment.
They're coming out of the woodwork. No, I'm not talking about termites, bedbugs, or shy
pre-teenagers at a school dance. I am referring to politicians. Denver will have its next
city-wide election in early May. To be elected are a new mayor and new councilpersons.
Our present councilperson, in our District 5, will not be running for re-election. We are
told that several candidates for that position have already emerged. One candidate
introduced herself, by invitation, at our January Board Meeting. Our Rules prohibit any
yard signs, but do authorize window posters (inside) within 45 days of that election.
Your Board is vitally interested that our new councilperson has adequate concern for any
legitimate issues we bring to his/her attention. This District encompasses a large portion
of east Denver; typically, our councilperson can be torn in different directions by
competing District groups simultaneously.
We tried to find and hire Jack, of beanstalk fame, in view of his climbing abilities.
However, we were relegated to our contracted tree-trimming service for the winter
pruning of our tallest trees. Our own landscaping team cannot reach some of those
heights. Winter is the optimum time for such pruning, as the trees are hibernating then [I
must have missed that short course on forestry]. Regular trimming is said to reduce the
trees' exposure to disease; improves their appearance; and keeps them a reasonable
distance from our buildings.
"Walk softly and carry a big stick," as I recall, is a famous quote from President Teddy
Roosevelt (advocating his foreign policy). Adapting that admonition to our icy
driveways and sidewalks: Sonny and his crew have performed admirably in recent
snowstorms, plowing and shoveling through the night, when needed. However, in ultra-
cold temperatures, there is no way they can remove all icy areas from our complex. Yes,
we use the concrete-damaging "salt," usually magnesium chloride or a similar expensive
compound. But those salts don't remove ice; they raise the temperature of the surface of
the ice, fostering some melting. The bottom line is that each of us must take great care in
walking within our complex in other then pristine, dry conditions. Some driveways face
north, and melting there is more problematic than if south-facing, of course. Please:
focus on what you are doing; avoid slip-and-falls.
February trash pick-up:
February 2, 9, 16, and 24.
Recycling pick-up:
February 2 and 16.
Pelican Pointe townhomes For Sale: #GG-104, #RR-103, #AA-102, and #KK-102.
Pelican Pointe townhome For Rent: #S-103 (contact Debbie Segal, (303) 394-1224).
Weird behavior:
--
To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
--
Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others, whenever they go.
--
I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a great white
shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.
--
I always take life with a grain of salt, plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.
--
Two can live as cheaply as one, for half as long.
--
I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart.
February Board Meeting. This meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Lighthouse
Clubhouse, on February 21. ALL RESIDENTS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND.
.
