Christmas Potluck Party Dec. 13 - continued from home page
 If your last name begins with:
A-G, please bring salad / vegetable side dish;
H-M, bring a starch side dish;
M-T, bring beverage;
U-Z bring a dessert.
If you wish to drink spirtied beverage, please BYOB!
It is rumored that Starling will be dressed in the red Ho-Ho-Ho outfit...
Save water, save money campaign
 The cost of water continues to be SHOCKING and rates continue to go up. Sparrow's water bill is our single biggest expense, but we can do something about it and save money — our money. Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) measures our water usage for all of February (Feb 1-28) then uses that prorated figure to establish the cap, or maximum amount we will pay per month for the rest of the year. In other words, if we all cut our water use in February, we save money the rest of the year even if we use more water in other months. Keeping up water saving measures all year long saves much, much more, and as you'll see below in the news, tips and reminders it's not a hassle and you don't have to make sacrifices to save water!
Toxic Roundup - continued from home page
The deadline for this collection drive is February 28 , 2009. On the 18th collected items will be taken to the county disposal facility. Below is a list of household hazardous waste that can be brought to the collection area next to the Sparrow Maintenance building (Northeast of tennis court ) . If the pallet is full, place items next to the pallet . Do NOT place in the collection area any hazardous waste containers that are leaking — please call Alachaua County Hazardous Waste Collection Center at 352-334-0440 for safe disposal instructions. 
- Latex paint
- Flammable liquids (paints, solvents, gas)
- Used oil and oil filters
- Automotive batteries, rechargeable batteries
- Propane tanks
- Electronics (computers, TVs)
- Aerosol cans
- Antifreeze
- Fluorescent lamps
- Fire extinguishers
- Pesticides and other poisons
Wood rot repairs completed - continued from home page
Sparrow is committed to bringing all our buildings into top condition. Recently, the board approved the hiring of a pair of carpetners (Jan Homan Services) to tackle a series of complex siding repairs on three buildings. In some cases, extensive damage and wood rot was present, due to undetected water intrusion over a period of years. The photos directly below are of building 711, where water intrustion had weakened support beams and rotted extensive areas of siding. The repaired areas were primed with white paint by contractor Gerry Sheils (photo below right) on Dec. 6.. Photo bottom left shows siding repair made necessary by a plumbing leak inside the wall in bldg. 709.
 |
 |
| support beams replaced on bldg. 711 |
primed singing on bldg. 711 building after repairs |
 |
|
| siding replacement on 2nd story 709 |
|
Two tin roofs repaired on bldg. 715 - continued from home page
The tin roofs covering many of the second story patios on Sparrow
buildings have been problematic for a number of years; some have been
stepped on and bent, compromising the seals in the panels and allowing
rainwater to intrude into buildings. In other case balconies were built
with or acquired negative pitch, so that water instead of running off
to the ground, collected at the junction with walls and caused wood rot
and structural damage. The Sparrow Board hired a contractor to repair
two tin roofs on buildings 715, unit 204, at a cost of about $2000.
Additional costs were incurred for carpentry work to repair siding
damaged by wood rot behind the two balconies. The next balcony
scheduled for repairs is in building 605, unit 105.
Potable Water Saving Campaign
I confess, neighbors, that when I wrote you about the need to conserve water, I noticed I was not doing such a good job myself. Oh, I had good intentions! But its easy to forget about saving water while using the kitdchen, sink, toilet or shower. I needed reminders to develop this habit. If you’re like me, reminders — posted at eye level — will help. Print the reminders below and tape them at eye level in the kitchen and bathroom. The money you save will be your own - as well as your neightbors. Thank you for supporting this campaign! Thanks also to local artist Anna Horton, who drew these original tongue-in-cheek illustrations.
—Jim Burns, Sparrow Board VP
Click here to save, print and post these reminders in your kitchen and bathroom
|
|
