DIY Green Projects. When the holidays are over, reuse or recycle
what's left. Save bows, containers, packing peanuts, and wrapping paper
for reuse next year. Make this year's holiday cards into gift tags for
next year. Recycle paper, boxes, cards, and peanuts that you can't reuse,
as well as holiday catalogs and magazines. The
Metro
Recycling website has an indispensable guide on to help you find
where and how to recycle these items.
Check out our
Sustainability page for more tips on
how easy it is being green!
Budgets & Reserves. January 1st began a new fiscal year for many
associations, which meant sending out their 2010 approved budgets and
thus, new assessments. Homeowners often have many questions about the
budget but the item on a budget that often causes the most confusion is
the Reserve Allocation. Just what is the Reserve Allocation and why is it
important?
Reserves are a way of saving for the future repair or
replacement of community assets such as fences, landscaping, pools,
roofing, and paving -- items that have a long useful life (between 3 and
30 years). When the costs of repair/replacement for these assets are added
up, it can add up to a significant amount of money and it takes careful
planning to ensure enough money is set aside to pay for these costs when
the time comes.
To assist your Board with creating a sound reserve plan,
they will commission a Reserve Study, which will catalog the community's
assets and predict the cost and timing of future repairs and replacements.
The Study is then used to create your community's reserve plan to
determine how best to set aside the savings by determining how much each
homeowner needs to contribute as part of their regular assessment. Thus,
the Reserve Allocation portion of your community's budget.
Northwest Community Management assists your board during the budgeting
process, including the reserve study and planning portion to make sure
those long-term costs are anticipated.
