Volume I, Issue IV WINTER 2004 Is Your Neighborhood Prepared? Developing a Neighborhood Communication Strategy f you had to get an important message to all your neighbors, how would you do it? Would you knock on their door? E-mail them? Call them, if so, do you know their names? I Good communication is one of the most important components of building strong neighborhoods and emergency response. Unfortunately, except for a few close-knit neighborhoods, most residents are only acquainted with a handful of folks scattered around their neighborhood. Reaching everyone quickly in the event of an emergency would be difficult, because most neighbors simply don't know one another. Why not develop a communication network capable of reaching all your neighbors? When creating a communication strategy, you may want to consider the following: Gather contact information. Ask for names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses. Create an electronic list. Many of your neighbors have personal e-mail addresses. By creating an electronic list of neighborhood contacts you can easily pass along information of interest to your neighbors. In addition to emergencies, you could quickly notify a large number of your neighbors about upcoming meetings or changes in service. Email is also a good way to pass around neighborhood news like a baby's birth. For those neighbors without e-mail ask a neighbor to print a copy of the message. e-mail useless. Create a neighborhood phone tree. A phone tree list can be used in the neighborhood to reach everyone quickly (to create a phone tree, see page 3). The City of Chandler has a Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) program in which participants are educated to respond in an emergency or a disaster. Determine a location for an emergency message post. Consider using a visible tree or a community landmark. Inform your neighbors that a red marker on the designated spot signifies that they should check the post for an important message. A waterproof sleeve is vital to make this work. This will be helpful in a monsoon when the phones and electricity are out, making phone and Drop a note at the door. Drop photocopied notes on your neighbor's doorstep. Please do not put notes in or on mailboxes -- the U.S. Postal Service disapproves. Some neighborhoods have a delivery team who splits up the area for fast coverage. After a storm or other emergencies, a fast and effective way to assure everyone is safe is for each neighbor to check on the families next door. For more information, or to register for training, please contact the Chandler Fire Department at (480) 7822120. FREQUENTLY VISITED WEBSITES Animal Care & Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.maricopa.gov/pets/ Arizona Corporation Commission. . . . . . . . . . . . www.cc.state.az.us/ Arizona State Legislature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.azleg.state.az.us/ Chandler Center for the Arts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.chandlercenter.org Chandler Fire Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.chandlerfire.org Chandler Museum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.chandlermuseum.org Chandler Police. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.chandlerpd.com Chandler Public Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.chandlerlibrary.org Chandler Tourist/ Visitor Information. . . . . . . . . .www.visitchandler.com/ Chandler Vision Gallery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.visiongallery.org City of Chandler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.chandleraz.gov Community Service of Arizona. . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.CSAZ.org Maricopa County Assessor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.maricopa.gov/assessor Service Arizona. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.servicesarizona.com The Leadership Centre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.theleadershipcentre.org Chandler’s Registered Neighborhoods Alamosa Estates Homeowners Association Arden Park Homeowners Association Arizona Country Community Association Arrowhead Meadows Neighborhood Barrington Estates Homeowners Association Bordeaux Homeowners Association Cantabria Shore at Ocotillo Condominium Association Carino Estates Homeowners Association Carizal Homeowners Association Inc. Carrillo Ranch Homeowners Association Chandler Crossing Estates Homeowners Association Circle G Riggs Ranch Homestead Homeowners Association Creekwood Ranch Homeowners Association Crestview Chateaux Homeowners Association Dawn Homeowners Association, Inc. Driftwood Ranch Evergreen Condominium Association Fox Crossing Homeowners Association Galveston Neighborhood Hacienda Homeowners Association Kempton Crossing Homeowners Association May's Pond Homeowners Association Mission Manor at Ray Ranch Homeowners Association Nantucket Village Homeowners Association Old West Manor III Property Owners Association Park Village Condominium Association, Inc. Pecos Ranch Estates Homeowners Association Pennington at Manor Premiere at Desert Breeze Homeowners Association Ray Ranch Community Association Riggs Ranch Meadows Homeowners Association San Marcos Estates Homeowners Association San Vincente Homeowners Association Sierra Point North Homeowners Association Silk Stocking Neighborhood Silverbrush Homeowners Association Silvergate III Homeowners Association, Inc. Sonoma Village Association Sorento Homeowners Association Springfield Lakes Owners Association Springfield Lakes Reflection & Discovery Sunbird Golf Resort Homeowners Association, Inc. Sungroves Homeowners Association Sunridge Townhomes Association Sunstone II Homeowners Association Superstition Ranch Community Association Symphony II Estates The Cove at Tiburon Association The Greater Corona Village Homeowners Association The Haven at Chandler Ranch Homeowners Association, Inc. The Island at Ocotillo Homeowners Association, Inc. The Ocotillo Community Association The Provinces Master Community The Springs Homeowners Association The Townes at South Meadow Homeowners Association Trade Winds at Twelve Oaks Owners Association Tremaine Park Neighborhood Trovita Homeowners Association Vineyards of Chandler Warner Ranch Phase III Association Wellington Estates of Gila Springs Homeowners Association Willis Ranch Unit II Homeowners Association Windrose East Community Association For more information on the benefits of the Neighborhood Partnership Program or to register your neighborhood, please contact Neighborhood Programs, at 480-782-3214 or on the web at www.chandleraz.gov. Successful Events By Judy Ramos, Planning and Development Research Assistant B uilding a community takes a lot of work and it can all begin with you. It takes a desire to want to get to know your neighbors and a dedication to keep your neighborhood active. close a street, you must obtain a temporary road closure authorization from the City’s Public Works division, at (480) 782-3340. The City will provide the necessary road barricades to an applicant upon approval. Neighborhood development can occur in many ways, such as conducting a block cleanup, a garage sale, a backyard get together, a potluck, a cookie exchange, a bake sale, a neighborhood garage sale, etc… Neighborhood events give neighbors a chance to meet one another in a relaxed, fun and friendly setting. Neighborhood events can be any shape or size. Recently, the Monte Vista # 37 neighborhood held a very successful party at one of Chandler's aquatic centers. The entire neighborhood of 278 homes was invited. It offered families the opportunity to get to know their neighbors To hold a successful neighborhood event you need to do some advance planning. Start thinking about dates, activities, and supplies months ahead of time. Enlist the help of your neighbors. Try to involve as many people as possible. Neighborhood events can be held in someone’s backyard, a neighborhood park, at one of Chandler's local parks and facilities, or on one of your neighborhood streets. If you wish to When planning a neighborhood event consider having a theme such as a harvest festival, 70’s party, or country western Ho Down. Let you imagination run wild. Tremaine Park, one of our registered neighborhoods, is planning a Halloween event that will include a 'jumper' for the kids, costume contest, cakewalk, snacks, and VIN etching provided by the City of Chandler's Police Department. Sunstone II, a registered homeowners association, is holding a Block Party, complete with food, drinks, and live music to celebrate their new lighting, which was partially funded through the City's Neighborhood Matching Grant Program. Whatever the nature of your event Neighborhood Programs can help you in your efforts, by assisting in the coordination of City services or distribution of flyers. If this will be your first neighborhood event, we can assist in assembling an idea that is right for your neighborhood. For more information, please contact Neighborhood Programs, at 480-7823209 and start planning your successful event." CREATING A PHONE TREE Phone trees have been used in the crime prevention arena for decades, as a way to expedite communication between neighbors. To create your neighborhood network, ask your neighbors to provide their name and numbers on a form. Anyone on the list can activate the phone tree. When information needs to be distributed, the person passing on the message can contact the person listed below their name and convey a short message. That person, in turn, calls the neighbor listed directly below them and passes on the message. And so on. If you cannot reach the neighbor listed below you, leave a message for them and contact the next name on the list. When the message gets back to the originator, the tree is complete. Make sure each participating household gets a copy of the completed form, and ask them to keep it in a safe place. SIMPLE PHONE TREE NAME Dick & Jane Wood ADDRESSES 112 Oak Road CELL # 555-1212 HOME # 555-2424 John & Joan Doe 114 Oak Road 555-3535 555-4646 Kaye Smith 116 Oak Road 555-5757 555-6868 Bill & Maria Ruiz 118 Oak Road 555-7979 555-8080 EAST VALLEY HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION SUMMIT "Creating a Great Community" OCTOBER 28, 2004 McQueen Park Activity Center 510 N. Horne Street, Gilbert, AZ 6:00 p.m. Neighborhood Programs Mail Stop 414 P.O. Box 4008 Chandler, AZ 85244-4008 Mayor Boyd W. Dunn Vice Mayor Phill Westbrooks Councilmembers Bob Caccamo Lowell Huggins Matt Orlando Martin Sepulveda Donna Wallace Front Porch News is published by Neighborhood Programs Editor, Crystal Prentice 215 E. Buffalo Street Chandler, AZ 85225 Ph: 480-782-3214 Fax: 480-782-3009 he Leadership Centre, a notfor-profit public-private partnership and Qwest are bringing together homeowner association board members, committee members, and professionals to share ideas and learn about creating "great communities." T Town of Gilbert Councilmember and President of The Leadership Centre, Les Presmyk will be joining Joe Johnston, Founder of Joe's Real BBQ, The Coffee Plantation, and the unique development Agritopia in sharing their challenges and experience. Arizona Great Communities, a project of the Gilbert HOA Leadership Forum, will present ideas for discussion on how to use your HOA to increase property values and community spirit. What: Community event for homeowner association board members, committee members, and professionals. When: Thursday, October 28, at 6 p.m. Where:McQueen Park Recreation Center located at 510 N. Horne Street, Gilbert, AZ. Who: Sponsored by The Leadership Centre a unique public-private partnership formed by the City of Chandler, City of Mesa, Town of Gilbert, Town of Queen Creek, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Mesa Community College, Sunbelt Holdings, the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension of Maricopa County, and Qwest. To Register: Contact Pam Meadows, at (480) 782-3249 or via e-mail at pam.meadows@ci.chandler.az.us. Cost: No charge.