Alley Paving
I am pleased to announce that we have contracted with Pollen Construction to pave our alleys. They hope to start work in mid-June and hope to finish within 2 weeks. Thanks to Bert Simms for all his work getting to this point.
As we get closer to time for the start, we will remind everyone. It may have to be delayed due to weather or other circumstances. We will need to consider car parking and trash pickup once they start working the alleys. The rear west entrance will probably be closed for some time.
We are hoping this work will make our alleys good for another 20 years. We have that long to build our maintenance reserve account back up.
Jim Stettler
Mailbox Painting
In my last letter I offered a guy who will do our mailbox painting service for the neighborhood. The cost is $50 for painting of the pole, the mailbox and flag and renumbering on the box. He will probably start painting next week. I have 4 folks who have told me they wanted to take advantage of this, If you are interested in this also, please let me know ASAP. You can pay me the $50 or I will cover it until you can pay me, and I know where you live! You can also call Mr. Brock Shaffer at 238-7974 yourself.
Please check your mailbox and see if it needs to be repainted. A lot of them are looking faded and some have paint peeling off the poles.
Jim Stettler
Alley Paving, Funding, New Website
We held a meeting of your HOA Board and have planned on some areas we need to move on to keep The Laurels the premier neighborhood that it has become. I wanted to share these with you and seek any input you might have.
We are looking at paving the alleys in The Laurels. They have been patched many times, once professionally and many times by some of your fellow neighbors. They have not been totally done since the neighborhood was completed, almost 20 years ago, and they are showing signs of degradation, pot holes and cracks. This is not an inexpensive program, but needs to be done. We realize a little less than half of you do not live on an alley (about 44%) and may be upset at the expense for this, but we do feel it is important to keep all of our property values high.
In order to meet the payment for this job, it will take almost all of our Maintenance Reserve Fund. We hope to try and do half the alleys this year and the other half next year, 2025. The need for this getting done has been voiced for the last several years.
We are going to have the street and stop sign poles repainted. These have not been done in 20 years either. This painter does mailboxes also and he can do some of these while he is in the neighborhood. You will have to let us know if you wish to have your mailbox repainted and renumbered and we will get the painter to schedule it to get done. The cost will be $ 50 if you are interested (includes painting mailbox and flag plus new numbers). You can send me your interest, and your $50, and I will compile a list for him. Or you can contact him directly, Brock Shaffer, 238-7974.
Mark Howell, our new Webmaster, has been looking at upgrading our website,thelaurelshoa.com. We hope to be able to add more neighborhood details as to activities and schedules and make it easier to use. He has already made some changes, if you have not been on the site in a while.
The Board is considering having to raise our HOA dues starting next year. We need to replenish our Maintenance Reserve funds and the costs of many of our commitments are going up. After the fence replacement and the alley repaving, it will have used up almost all of the Reserve we have building for the past 16 years or so. We will remind you as we get closer to the end of the year about this.
The Laurels Care Committee asked us to send a memorial to the Trinity Cemetery in Brownsville, Tn, in accordance with the wishes of Patsy Powell’s family. We sent $75 to the cemetery in her name in lieu of flowers.
Everyone should have received the new directories by now. Please be aware that these are strictly for use by the residents of The Laurels and not to be used for commercial use at all. Please do not share your directory with anyone outside of the neighborhood!
If anyone has a friend looking to move into The Laurels, the Carsons, at 9830 W. Laurel Hollow and the Byrams, at 1903 E. Laurel Hollow, are moving and have not listed with a realtor yet. Bring some more great people into The Laurels.
Jim Stettler
House Fire, Byram Move, Funco
We held a meeting of your HOA Board and have planned on some areas we need to move on to keep The Laurels the premier neighborhood that it has become. I wanted to share these with you and seek any input you might have.
We are looking at paving the alleys in The Laurels. They have been patched many times, once professionally and many times by some of your fellow neighbors. They have not been totally done since the neighborhood was completed, almost 20 years ago, and they are showing signs of degradation, pot holes and cracks. This is not an inexpensive program, but needs to be done. We realize a little less than half of you do not live on an alley (about 44%) and may be upset at the expense for this, but we do feel it is important to keep all of our property values high.
In order to meet the payment for this job, it will take almost all of our Maintenance Reserve Fund. We hope to try and do half the alleys this year and the other half next year, 2025. The need for this getting done has been voiced for the last several years.
We are going to have the street and stop sign poles repainted. These have not been done in 20 years either. This painter does mailboxes also and he can do some of these while he is in the neighborhood. You will have to let us know if you wish to have your mailbox repainted and renumbered and we will get the painter to schedule it to get done. The cost will be $ 50 if you are interested (includes painting mailbox and flag plus new numbers). You can send me your interest, and your $50, and I will compile a list for him. Or you can contact him directly, Brock Shaffer, 238-7974.
Mark Howell, our new Webmaster, has been looking at upgrading our website,thelaurelshoa.com. We hope to be able to add more neighborhood details as to activities and schedules and make it easier to use. He has already made some changes, if you have not been on the site in a while.
The Board is considering having to raise our HOA dues starting next year. We need to replenish our Maintenance Reserve funds and the costs of many of our commitments are going up. After the fence replacement and the alley repaving, it will have used up almost all of the Reserve we have building for the past 16 years or so. We will remind you as we get closer to the end of the year about this.
The Laurels Care Committee asked us to send a memorial to the Trinity Cemetery in Brownsville, Tn, in accordance with the wishes of Patsy Powell’s family. We sent $75 to the cemetery in her name in lieu of flowers.
Everyone should have received the new directories by now. Please be aware that these are strictly for use by the residents of The Laurels and not to be used for commercial use at all. Please do not share your directory with anyone outside of the neighborhood!
If anyone has a friend looking to move into The Laurels, the Carsons, at 9830 W. Laurel Hollow and the Byrams, at 1903 E. Laurel Hollow, are moving and have not listed with a realtor yet. Bring some more great people into The Laurels.
Jim Stettler
House Fire, Please Vote
If any of you are unawares, we had quite some excitement in The Laurels early this morning. Dr. Cap & Betty Herrington, on West Laurel Hollow, woke up to a house rapidly filling up with smoke. They were able to get out safely and the fire department responded very quickly. First reports are that it was some wiring in the ceiling that may be the culprit. Final details won’t be available until they complete their investigation. Cap said they may be out of their house for 6 months or more until repairs are completed. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
If you have not voted in the Presidential Primary election yet, your last chance will be this Tuesday, also known as Super Tuesday! Our voting station is at the Compassion Church, on Houston Levee, just before you get to Huey’s on Poplar. It is our privilege as an American to be able to select our candidates and vote for them, so please take it seriously and remember to vote!
It looks like Spring is springing around us. Enjoy the great weather and be careful out there.
Jim Stettler
Jim Paulsen Honored
I hope everyone is doing well and ready for a happy Valentines Day. It looks like the groundhog was right and we may be heading for an early Spring.
A reminder that early voting for the primary elections will open on Valentines Day, until Feb 27. The primary election will be on Super Tuesday, Mar 5. Please get out to support your candidate of choice!
Everyone should be receiving their new Laurels Directory in the next few days, if the rain ever stops. Please remember to thank Jim Paulsen for printing these for us.
Speaking of Jim Paulsen, he was recently recognized for his long time support of the University of Memphis.
Jim Paulsen
Ralph Hatley Silver M Award
Presented to a dedicated supporter who has given multiple years of exceptional service to Memphis Athletics.
Jim Paulsen is a Memphian through and through. Paulsen graduated from then Memphis State University in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical science. As a student, he was president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He served the United States Military from 1966-72 in the Army Reserve.
Prior to founding Paulsen Printing, he served as the District Sales Manager for American Express Company. In 1978, Paulsen and his wife, Judy, founded Paulsen Printing Company, a full-service printing company in Memphis, Tenn. Today, they have 37 employees. During the past 45 years and with the help of their employees, Paulsen Printing has become one of the largest printing companies in the Mid-South, focusing on customer service and quality printing. Clients include businesses, schools, churches and many non-profit organizations.
In the 1980's, Memphis Athletics and the University of Memphis became one of Paulsen Printing's biggest clients. They have printed media guides, game programs, schedules cards, posters, and many other items. In the past ten years, they began helping the Memphis Athletics Fund (formerly the Tiger Scholarship Fund) with renewal letters, brochures, invoices and many other items. Recently, they helped the Memphis Athletics Development team with a rebrand to the Memphis Athletics Fund by printing the first all-inclusive giving guide.
Paulsen is a lifelong, avid supporter of Memphis Athletics for over 50 years. He attended his first Memphis Tiger football game at Crump Stadium at the age of nine and has fond memories of attending Memphis State basketball games at the field house. Some of his best Tiger memories include the first win over Ole Miss in football in 1963, going to the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio, and the 2019 Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Paulsen and his wife, Judy, have three children and six grandchildren.
Jim Stettler