SHERWOOD FOREST CRIER NOVEMBER 6, 2009 SFNA General Meeting November 10 The next General Meeting of the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Assocation is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10 at 6:30pm at the Sherwood Forest ARP Church. There will be a neighborhood Meet & Greet at 6pm. At this meeting we will be electing officers to serve for terms of two years: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and three executive committee members-at-large. The nominating committee has proposed a slate of candidates, but nominations from the floor are welcome at the meeting. Columbia In Town Burglaries The State recently featured a front page article about the increase in burglaries in Columbia. (http://www.thestate.com/breaking/story/1012200.html). Crime prevention and safety have been a number one issue for the SFNA and the neighborhood. For us to be successful, we need all our neighbors' participation! SFNA president Ed Tilden has posted an article on the City of Columbia Residential Burglary Statistics and Prevention Tips on our web site at http://www.sherwoodforestneighbors.org/Article264.html Participating in our Community Watch by being an observant "nosy" neighbor in addtion to securing your own property is the best way to prevent crime. If you have experienced a crime perpetrated against you or your property, report it immediately to the police by calling 911. To report suspicious activity, call 911 or the non-emergency number 252-2911 or our neighborhood liaison Officer Folding at 354-2759. Columbia Police Chief Tandy Carter announced today the arrest of two burglary suspects who broke into a home at 412 Hampton Forest Drive this morning at about 8:00 am after a "nosy" neighbor called 911. Columbia Police were able to locate the suspects as they left the scene in a stolen vehicle after the witness gave a description of the vehicle and clothing. Inside the stolen vehicle was a laptop that was stolen from the Hampton Forest Drive residence. More information is available at http://local.nixle.com/alert/341249/ This new notification service called Nixle is available on the internet. After you sign up and enter your address, you can choose to receive email or cell phone text message alerts from the City of Columbia - Homeland Security Deptartment, the City of Columbia Police Department, the Columbia Fire Department, the Richland County Sheriff's Department and other agencies. The service is free. Sign up by accessing http://local.nixle.com/register/neighbor/12756/2d07d6a9340367fdcbbe24d491d35059/?ct=html or http://www.nixle.com USC Belser Arboretum Open Houses The Department of Biological Sciences will host a November Open House at the Arboretum on November 15 from 1-4 pm. Program will be opening of the gates at 1pm, a guided walk to the new bog garden in the Cypress Forest at 2pm, and light refreshments at 3pm. In addition, the Bloomwood Gate of the Arboretum will be open every Wednesday from 8am-2pm on a trial basis for visitors who wish to walk around the trail. Pat DeCoursey, the arboretum manager, asks that visitors first sign in on the Waiver of Responsibility sheet, and then let her or her helper Gene Linder, who both work in the Arboretum every Wednesday, know that they are in the Arboretum. Upon leaving the Arboretum, please sign out. SFNA Membership Changes At the August general meeting it was decided to change our current dues collection system of renewing anytime to an annual system, where everyone pays dues January 1 of each year. The current membership fee of $20 will be good for a calendar year. Current members who have not paid dues in 2009 can pay $10 to renew for the rest of 2009. You must be a paid-up member to vote at the November meeting. Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so dues are tax deductible! Please take a moment to download, print and fill out the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Survey located on the neighborhood website, www.sherwoodforestneighbors.org. Please mail the form and your payment to our treasurer Rhett Bailey at 511 Kalmia Drive, Columbia, SC 29205. You may also fill out an online version of the survey and pay your dues online using PayPal or your credit card or bank account. Renewing members need not fill out the survey. Please add webmaster@sherwoodforestneighbors.org to your approved sender list in whatever email client or system you are using to make sure you are able to receive the Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association Crier! Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association, Inc. Columbia, South Carolina www.sherwoodforestneighbors.org © Copyright 2009 Sherwood Forest Neighborhood Association. All rights reserved.