View this e-mail online at http://www.sherwoodforestneighbors.org/html/SFNA_Crier/SFNA_Crier_04-15-09.html Hear ye, hear ye, [FullName]! Here is your SHERWOOD FOREST CRIER APRIL 15, 2009 Happy Tax Day Neighbors! USC Belser Arboretum Open House, Sunday, April 19 Spring was slow coming to Columbia, but finally in late March it danced into town with a magnificent display of dogwoods, cherries, clouds of azaleas, and a host of other flowers plus the welcome greenery of the unfurling leaves. Perhaps the even, plentiful rainfall of 2008 encouraged such a scenario. Many of the shrubs and trees of the Arboretum have matured enough during the past three years to bloom for the first time. Especially rewarding were the native azaleas in the CANDO Gardens and in the Native Azalea Garden above the Outdoor Classroom. Come to the Open House on April 19 from 1-4pm. Read more at http://www.sherwoodforestneighbors.org/Article231.html. CANDO Gardens Work Day, Saturday, April 18 Join your neighbors from 8-11am to maintain the CANDO gardens at the Bloomwood and Wilmot gates of the Arboretum. Please contact Valerie Marcil (738-0682, 331-1138, arboretum@sherwoodforestneighbors.org) for more information. Sherwood Forest Garden Club and Co-op Since the March open house weather was so rainy, The Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Garden Club and Co-op will have another organizational meeting during the April 19 Arboretum Open House. We will meet at the Arboretum Classroom Shelter at 2pm. Contact Valerie Marcil at arboretum@sherwoodforestneighbors.org if you are interested in participating. See http://www.sherwoodforestneighbors.org/Article224.html for more information. Spring Lawn Aeration Co-op Deal Mark Gill of Spring Green Columbia has agreed to provide core aeration for Sherwood Forest for $55 per lawn. The aeration will be done in April or May. Core aeration can help reduce thatch and relieve compaction to provide a greener and healthier lawn. Contact Mark at 256-2444 to get your name on the list. You can also contact Mark at mgill@spring-green.net or through the web site at http://www.spring-green.com/Franchisee-Home.aspx?franchise_id=GIL010. Don't forget to mention you are in Sherwood Forest! Sox and Freeman Tree Service Co-op Deal Sox and Freeman has agreed to provide tree services at a discount for the neighborhood. Chris Freeman is taking appointments now to provide estimates for the work you need. If you are interested, contact Chris at 252-7294 or email chris@soxandfreeman.com. More info at http://www.soxandfreeman.com. Don't forget to mention you are in Sherwood Forest! Focus on Security SFNA encourages residents to take advantage of the City of Columbia Police Department's Home Safety Check or Burglary Assessment. You should call the Crime Prevention Unit at 545-3553 to schedule the home safety check. Here is the description of this check from the CPD website: Burglary assessments are conducted at the request of home or business owners or their designees. The assessment involves a Crime Prevention Officer responding to the physical location of the home or business and inspecting the physical security measures in place. Special attention is given to the most common points of likely entry for burglars and related hardware (doors, windows and locks), as well as lighting, overgrown foliage, security of outbuildings, and other correctable areas. Once the officer completes the assessment and records their findings on the standard form the owner/designee is furnished with the original copy of the form. At that time the Crime Prevention Officer discusses their findings with the responsible party, as well as outlining the recommendations for improvement, then answers any remaining questions. The carbon copy of the report is maintained in the records of the Crime Prevention Unit. In the event the property owner needs assistance in installing deadbolt locks or having windows pinned the Crime Prevention Unit will assist them with contacting the City of Columbia Support Services division to have these devices installed once the responsible party has purchased the needed hardware. This Home Safety Check will help the Sherwood Forest move forward on our Neighborhood Watch program. SFNA General Meeting May 12 The next General Meeting of the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Assocation is scheduled for Tuesday, May 12 at 6:30pm at the Sherwood Forest ARP Church. There will be a neighborhood Meet & Greet at 6pm. Contact Ed Tilden at president@sherwoodforestneighbors.org if you have issues or concerns to add to the agenda. Please mark your calendars! Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association, Inc. Columbia, South Carolina www.sherwoodforestneighbors.org © Copyright 2009 Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association. All rights reserved.