Knottingwood Estates Homeowners' Association

West Chester Township is offering residents a free class on wildlife management.  Wildlife expert, Brett Beatty of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, will discuss coyote
populations in residential environments. Mr. Beatty will explain the habits of coyotes, steps property owners can take to co-exist with coyotes and other options property owners have for managing the coyote population.  The class will be held:

Wednesday, March 26, 2014, 7:00 pm
West Chester Township Hall
9113 Cincinnati Dayton Road

For more information, visit http://www.westchesteroh.org/ or call 513-777-5900.

As many of you know, last year a proposed Kroger Marketplace project at the corner of Ohio 747 and Tylersville Road was rejected due to opposition from many of the homeowners along Tylersville Road.  These residents were mainly concerned with safety and traffic issues.  Others believed a new, bigger Kroger was necessary for a better shopping experience, including a new gas station, restaurants, offices, and other retail shops.

The developer has made changes to its original proposal, replacing three proposed out lots with a five-acre green-space buffer.  The West Chester Township Zoning Commission has recommended approval of this revised project.  However, a zone change is necessary for the project to move ahead.  A final vote on this zone change and the development will go before township trustees this February or March.

While the new project shouldn’t affect traffic in our neighborhood, the proposed development is close enough to have an impact on our local economy and day-to-day lives. For more information visit http://www.westchesteroh.org.

As most of you know, Rumpke offers a weekly curbside pickup of recyclables.  They are now allowing cartons (milk, cream, for example) and aseptic packaging (soup, soy milk, juice) in with your recycling (see http://www.rumpke.com/docs/default-document-library/faq-about-cartons-rumpke.pdf) .  You will need to remove caps and straws before placing these items in the bin, but rinsing is not necessary.

Butlercountyrecycles.org  details instructions for recycling a number of other items locally, including:

• Appliances
• Latex Paint
• Computers/Televisions
• Prescription Medications
• Tires
• Fluorescent Lightbulbs
• Household Batteries

And believe it or not, many stores are accepting old Christmas lights for recycling.  This year Lowe’s has a bin out front to collect old lights.  Call ahead be sure it’s still there.

Finally, if you do not use Rumpke or CSI Waste for curbside recycling, three recycling drop-off stations are available to Butler County residents.  They can be found at the following locations:

• Beckett Park, 8650 Union Centre Blvd. (inside park between Muhlhauser barn & ballfields)
• Keehner Park, 7211 Barrett Rd.
• Voice of America Park, 8070 Tylersville Rd.

They accept the following items: newspapers, magazines, junk mail, phone books, brown paper bags, office paper, cardboard, paperboard (such as cereal boxes), plastic bottles and jugs, glass bottles and food jars, aluminum cans, steel cans and empty aerosol cans (remove tip).

The 2013-2014 Directory has been distributed via e-mail to homeowners who provided their e-mail addresses with their dues this year.  If you are a Knottingwood Estates’ homeowner and wish to receive a digital copy of the directory, please contact a member of the Board.

With Spring finally here, the HOA would like to remind our neighbors of the following:

• The weather is warm again.  People are spending more time outside and are less careful about closing windows and doors.  An overgrown lawn or newspapers piled on the curb can send a signal to a burglar of an inattentive homeowner or one who is not around much.  Homeowners can protect themselves from break-ins over the Spring and Summer by trimming bushes back so none of the windows are blocked, keeping windows and doors locked when they’re not home, and asking a neighbor to keep an eye on their home while they’re on vacation.

• Unfortunately, our neighborhood does not have sidewalks.  With the warm weather here, there will naturally be more walkers, bikers, and children playing in the street and cul de sacs.  The number of parked cars in the road can prove very dangerous. Parked vehicles can obstruct the driver’s view of approaching vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.  Cars exiting driveways also sometimes have trouble navigating the street when it’s crowded with parked cars.  We ask that, for safety’s sake, whenever possible, you park in your driveway.

• I think we’d all agree that we’d like to prevent attracting certain wildlife, such as coyotes, to our backyards.  To this end, we ask that neighbors please avoid feeding feeding pets outside. If you must, feed them only for a set time during the day and remove the food bowl as soon as your pet has finished his/her meal.  In dry conditions, water can be just as alluring as food, so remove water bowls set outside for pets and make watering cans unavailable.  If you compost, use enclosed bins and never compost meat or fish scraps. Regularly raking areas around bird feeders can also help discourage coyote activity near residences. In addition, keep trash in high-quality containers with tight-fitting lids.

• Finally, we’ve had some concerns about speeding in the neighborhood.  Keep in mind that there are plenty of children, pets, bikers, and walkers outside enjoying the weather, especially at this time of year.   You may be in a rush to get to work or finally get home at the end of the day, but traffic speed is absolutely critical to safety.  So let’s slow down out there!

Thank you for your cooperation.  Let’s keep our neighborhood and our homes safe and fun this Spring and Summer.