Westmoreland.doc

Westmoreland

Oktoberfest

Saturday, October 8

7:00 pm

In the fantastic backyard of

Robert Beckwith and Steven Gola

1951 Richmond Road

The Association will provide brats and beverages.

Please bring a dish to share.

This Party may be canceled

due to inclement weather.

Party update will be posted Oct. 8 at

www.westmorelandassociation.org

Neighborhood Watch

As with most Toledo Neighborhoods we have recently experienced a spike in break-ins and thefts. Our vehicle was no exception BUT ours was unlocked. I know we all wish we could leave our houses and cars unlocked but the reality is that crime is based on desire and opportunity. While we cannot do anything about desire we can control opportunity. Here are a few refresher tips provided to us by the Toledo Police Department. By following some basic preventative measures, you can greatly reduce the chances that your vehicle will become a target this fall. Please read the prevention tips below and share them with friends and family.

CAR KEYS

• Don’t leave keys in an unoccupied vehicle even if the vehicle is parked in a locked garage.

• Don’t leave the keys in the car when you are pumping your gas or running inside to pay for it.

• Never keep a spare car key inside of your car.

• When walking to your parked car, remember to utilize the panic button on your key fob if you encounter a threatening situation. The audible alarm can bring unwanted attention to a criminal.

• Consider how easy it would be for a burglar to find your car keys if they broke into your home. After all, many households have more than one car and it is not unusual for one of the cars to be on the property or within close proximity of the residence when no one is home. If a burglar should gain access to your home and they spot the keys, they may access your car, load it up with your property, and drive off.

• Be mindful that burglaries can occur at night when residents are home. If items such as keys, wallets, and purses are observable from an outside window, a burglar may be tempted to enter your home to steal them. It is highly recommended that residents take these types of items upstairs or to their bedroom when they retire for the night. The panic button on your car key fob can come in handy if someone breaks in your home or is in your yard. The activation of the alarm will most likely scare them off.

LOCKING THE VEHICLE

• Always keep your parked car locked. Make sure your windows are completely closed as well as your sunroof if you have one.

• Keep your car locked when you are driving. This will reduce your chances of being car jacked or having valuables stolen out of your car when you are stopped in traffic.

• If your fuel tank can be accessed manually from the outside, considered getting a locking gas cap to prevent the siphoning of fuel.

• Even if your gas cap can’t manually be accessed from the outside, a locking gas cap can serve to limit the driving time of a car thief.

PARKING VEHICLE

• If you have a garage and available space, park your vehicle in your garage.

• Park in a well lit area whenever possible. Put motion detectors on your house or garage to light up the driveway.

• When given a choice, park in an attended lot. Thieves are less likely to commit crime when a parking lot attendant could witness an illegal act.

• When parked at home, don’t leave a garage door opener in your car if your car is parked in the driveway or on the street.

• Avoid parking next to large vehicles,

Remember call the police if you see anyone or anything suspicious. If anyone would like copies of the Toledo Police Quarterly Prevention Newsletter please just email me and I will forward it on. All the emergency and non emergency numbers are listed. If anyone is not on the Google groups and would like to be included for Neighborhood Watch updates please do not hesitate to email me-- Janna@howardmodels.com . Have a safe and wonderful fall.

Janna Lake

Here are some wonderful Fall Gardening tips reproduced through the courtesy of OSU-Extension

Fall Gardening by Kaye Clay, Guernsey County Master Gardener

Fall is a great time for planting trees and shrubs. Fall planting eliminates the worry of summer heat and drought. Any time the soil temperature is above 40 degrees roots will grow. September planting of trees and shrubs allow the plant’s roots to get established before the harshness of winter. Do not fertilize fall-planted stock. You still need to water the plants well, allowing them to recover from transplant shock and establish themselves before winter. A deep watering once a week is recommended. Mulching of the plant will help retain water and protect it from the freezing and thawing cycle. If not established before winter comes, plants have a tendency to pop out of the ground. This is caused by the constant freezing and thawing of the ground and you will lose the plant.

Basic fall maintenance of established gardens should include the following:

Knowing your plants and their habits will help you in making decisions of what to cut and when.
Remove seed heads from plants that you do not want more of next year. This is especially true of invasive-type plants, such as acanthus.
After a hard, killing frost, the garden can be cleaned out. Cut off annual plants at the soil surface, leaving their roots in the soil to add organic matter. Perennial tops can be cut off above the crown. Leaving a short piece of stem may help you locate the plants the following spring. Plants that have a tendency to emerge late in spring should be marked with a tag, in order to avoid destroying them when working the garden early the following spring.
Do not prune or cut back spring-blooming plants such as forsythia and lilac. They have already formed their flower buds for next spring.
Burn all diseased leaves and plants to prevent spreading disease. Do not compost diseased refuse. Fall clean-up is the best way to avoid recurring diseases.
Stake and mulch roses and tender plants to protect them from winter injury. An easy way is to place a tomato cage over the plant and fill it with organic matter. Mums are an example of a flower that will benefit from this procedure.
Plant bulbs for spring-blooming flowers.
Wind will dehydrate plants. If your beds receive lots of wind, re-hydrate plants with a weekly watering.
Rake leaves and add them to the compost pile.
Keep cutting the lawn until the grass stops growing. Now is a great time to control winter annual weeds, take a hoe to those dandelion, deadnettle, etc.
If you are planning a new flower bed for spring, fall is an ideal time to get started. Lay down a layer of organic matter (or use 7 pages of non-colored newspaper) and cover with mulch. In the spring the bed will be ready for planting.

Neighborhood History

WE’RE LOOKING FOR Westmoreland home tour brochures. The Local History Department of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library has agreed to house our tour brochures. Housing a collection of tour brochures at the library will preserve our tour records for future tour research and make them available for the general public to view.

Our records indicate home tours took place as far back as 1984 and we need additional brochures to complete our collections. We also need old Westmoreland phone directories from the 1980s for past tour participant reference only, not for deposit with the library. If you have brochures you would like to donate contact Mary Ellen Babich or drop them in her mailbox at 1911 Potomac.

Trick-or -Treat 2011

Westmoreland will celebrate Halloween on Sunday, October 30^th this year. Trick-treaters can visit houses between 5:00 & 7:00. Please leave your lights on if you plan on passing out treats.

The Annual Westmoreland Meeting

Our annual neighborhood meeting will be held on

Wednesday, November 2^nd

St. Francis de Sales High School

7:00.

We will meet in the school’s multi-purpose room.

There are three openings for board positions this year. If you are interested in serving on the board

please contact Ron Howell at

rhowell@buckeye-express.com

Mike Wielgopolski at