September Newsletter, 1992

Next meeting of Homeowners Association, Thursday, September 17, 1992.  
Library, Thurston
School, 7:30 p.m.  Brad, from the sidewalk office of the City of Ann 
Arbor, will be a guest.

Sidewalks
     As of August 28, the following homes are covered by the Bromley 
Homeowners Association
extension for sidewalk repair/replacement (until July 1, 1993).  If you 
have called the City and
added your name, please let Sandy know.  If you have been away, just got 
back, and wish to be
added, call the sidewalk office of the City and then let BHA know.  The 
list (according to BHA
tally) is:  (please report errors to Sandy)
Aurora:  2720; 2721; 2740; 2750; 2761; 2847; 2858; 2883; 2920; 2953.
Briarcliff:  2762; 2765; 2771; 2778; 2782; 2788; 2790; 2806; 2814; 2824; 
2827; 2828; 2832;
2835; 2856; 2860; 2861; 2912; 2924; 2959; 2995; 2996.
Burlington:  2858; 2886; 2927; 2971; 2988
Burlington Ct.:  2931
Nixon:  2260; 2340; 2348; 2356; 2364; 2372; 2416; 2440; 2448.
Prairie:  2144; 2158; 2221; 2235; 2260; 2271; 2283; 2335; 2347; 2372; 
2435; 2515; 2536; 2551;
2560; 2563; 2615; 2624; 2627; 2636; 2648.
Prairie Ct.:  2460
Renfrew:  2813; 2814; 2819; 2820; 2826; 2832; 2838; 2850; 2885; 2892; 
2898; 2913; 2915;
2927; 2936; 2939; 2948; 2963
Sheffield Ct.:  2912; 2915; 2936; 2951; 2960; 2972.
     There were apparently 154 homes targeted by the City; many have 
responded.  Individuals
who volunteered to be block captains will be contacted so that we can 
proceed.  Look for
progress following the next BHA meeting.

From the urban forestry division of the Parks Department:
     Tree root pruning.  About one week lead time is required.  The 
sidewalk squares must have
been removed prior to the cutting, so coordination with the contractor is 
important.  The City will
do the cutting for free and is very concerned about the whole issue; a 
tree failure (tree falls over,
possibly on someone or on a house) is not a response they wish to see 
coming from fixing trip
hazards.  A discussion with the urban forester in the City revealed that 
root cutting is a tricky
business; apparently roots can be cut in a variety of ways, some of which 
are less likely to cause
tree failure.  Full grown trees have full root systems; if parts of the 
roots are planed and
subsequently redirected, rather than cut, they may grow somewhere else 
(toward the
infrastructure).  If they are cut, the tree may fail.  Please consider 
carefully the implications of
tree root pruning and discuss it with an expert (the information in this 
column is not expert
advice; only a rehash of a conversation).

Neighborhood fundraising
     Viviane Shammas was amazingly successful in raising funds for 
BHA--she raised $900 to add
to the treasury by selling ads for the Directory to local merchants.  The 
funds she raised will pay
for the publication of the Directory and for neighborhood projects to be 
determined.  A big thank
you, Viviane!!  Other efforts raised an additional $50 and some interest 
in future issues of the
Directory--thanks to Ken Reader, Viviane Shammas, and Priscilla Spencer.


Party in Bromley Park a huge success.
     About sixty people showed up for this second annual crime 
prevention/Neighborhood Watch
party in the park.  Jo-Ann Socha conceived, organized, and hosted the 
party; she got bags of
crime prevention flyers from the Police Department, arranged for an 
officer and Magriff, the
crime prevention dog (a human in costume) and their videotaper, to 
appear; she filled balloons
with helium for the children, made food, got name tags, and generally saw 
to it that all had a
good time on a lovely evening on August 4.  New and established Bromley 
residents had an
opportunity to meet each other; there were homemade cookies and brownies; 
fresh fruit;
peanuts; candy; a spectacular sticky rice and bean paste confection; and, 
a host of other treats
with lemonade and soda pop to drink.  If Jo-Ann is kind enough to do this 
again next year, be
sure to come!

MEET a Bromley resident
Featuring--Viviane Shammas.

     Viviane is a long-time Bromley resident, having moved to Bromley as 
a child with her parents
in 1965.  Residing in the family home next to Thurston, Vivane is now an 
attorney and sells real
estate.  Because of her 27 year association with Bromley, Viviane has a 
deep seated interest in
the well-being of the neighborhood and has a wealth of knowledge about 
the area.  She was
involved, as a Thurston student, in the original clean-up and 
tree-planting efforts at the Thurston
Nature Center in the mid-1960s under Lady Bird Johnson's conservation 
program.  She also
recognizes the immense value Dolfins Swim Club and Bromley Park 
contribute to the
neighborhood.

Dolfins Pool
     Only a few weeks remain to enjoy swimming in Dolfins Pool--HOWEVER  
keep an eye out for
events at the pool during the remainder of the season and for post-season 
activities.  Drive by
periodically and check to see if their large bulletin board is out, 
advertising good times to be had
at the Pool.  The Pool Board reports many new faces at the pool this 
year; total number of
households donating assessments is apparently higher than ever.  If you 
are new in the
neighborhood, join your neighborhood pool, Dolfins Pool, next year.  If 
you've been here for
awhile, join us and get to know your neighbors and your neighborhood better!

Thanks to BHA Newletter delivery people
     This past year saw 12 monthly Newsletters and a number of "specials" 
as well.  We have
been very fortunate to have a helpful board ready to pitch in when 
necessary.  Generally,
though, young people were paid a small amount to deliver to the entire 
neighborhood.  Their
contribution is greatly appreciated and BHA applauds their community 
spirit.  The regular
delivery person was Charles Westrin with an occasional assist from his 
younger brother Bobby;
supplementary delivery was provided by Olivia and Michelle Kilbane, and 
by Scott McConnell
and Joseph Gasiorek (the last two are both third graders at Thurston 
School).  They all did
excellent work--thanks!!