The annual meeting of members was held Thursday,
September 24, 2015 to elect the Board of Directors
for the next year. The members elected Jeanne
Aulbach, Harry Frazer, Tom Cole, Armand Palla, and
Ardie Suddeth as the 2015-2016 Avocet BOD.
Congratulations to the new Board of Directors,
and thanks for volunteering your time and energy to
Avocet. Make a point to get to know your new
Directors, and add your support and input to their
efforts. They can be contacted by email at bod@avocet-hoa.org.
Thanks to Jeanne Aulbach, Harry Frazer, Tom Cole,
and Armand Palla who are serving another term. Your efforts
and contributions in the past year are greatly
appreciated!
Welcome to Ardie Suddeth for volunteering to support
Avocet!
Other meeting highlights:
- Chris Bricker presented the quotes he and Ashlyn
Hughes obtained for providing security cameras at the
entry
- Turnout was high which means that there was a lot
of social interaction, which was complemented by the
pizza and libations provided
- There was a Q&A session with the BOD that
was very informative.
Thanks to all those who attended!
It has been quite an event for the area with schools,
businesses, roads... closed for much of the week. The
support we have provided each other has been wonderful,
and the Avocet Forum has been in the
thick of it with 30 posts just on the 11th! Some posts of
note you have already seen if you are a subscriber:
Driving conditions around Avocet and where you
can go, should go, should not go
What businesses (banks, grocery stores,
restaurants...) are open
Plowing and salting of Avocet's
streets
Transportation assistance and
carpooling
Mail service
Trash pickup
That is what community is about, Avocet! As a
subscriber, you can view these and all
past posts on the the group web site.
The annual meeting of members was held Tuesday,
September 14, 2010 to elect the Board of Directors for
the next year. The members elected Elizabeth Chua, Alyson
Coffman, Glenn Hofmann, Manoj Madhavan, and Sri Sangodkar
as the 2010-2011 Avocet BOD.
Congratulations to the new Board of Directors, and
thanks for volunteering your time and energy to Avocet.
Make a point to get to know your new Directors, and add
your support and input to their efforts. They can be
contacted by email at bod@avocet-hoa.org.
Thanks to Jeanne Aulbach who is leaving the board, as
well as Elizabeth Chua, Alyson Coffman, Glenn Hofmann,
and Sri Sangodkar who are serving another term. Your
efforts and contributions in the past year are greatly
appreciated!
The pool opened for the 2010 season on May 1, and
closed for the season on Monday, September 27.
The company that provided the wireless portal for
Avocet has gone out of business, so unfortunately there
is no longer wireless access to the Internet in the
amenities area.
The Avocet BOD is happy to announce that it has
selected AMG to provide association management services
for the HOA. John Thisdale will be our property
manager.
We look forward to a long and successful relationship
with AMG!
Keystone Holdings LLC has applied for a buffer reduction for
the parcel at the corner of South Old Peachtree Road and
Peachtree Industrial Boulevard across from the Shell
station (case BRD-08-001). The plan included
depicts a restaurant with a drive through on the
property, including a full access driveway on South Old
Peachtree Road. A hearing is currently planned for
Tuesday June 17, 2008.
This flyer, detailing recent improvements
and improvements soon to come, was distributed to the
neighborhood March 24, 2008. Take a
look at what is to come!
The BOD is implementing plans to improve the safety
and security of the amenities area.
- Georgia Power has installed an additional street
light by the lower tennis courts. At night, after the
tennis lights were shut off, the area had been pitch
dark. By adding light, we are discouraging activities
that pose a risk to those in and around that area.
- The fence around the pool has been repaired. There
were two areas where vandals damaged the fence in order
gain access to the pool and clubhouse area. Both have
been repaired and reinforced. There are some who
continue to jump the fence. Please help discourage
people that you see going this, as it may result in
damage and injury.
- The locks on the gates to the tennis courts have
been repaired and the gates set to close properly. This
will help to ensure that only Avocet residents can
access the courts.
- The lock on the door to the bathrooms has been
changed to match the pool gate lock. This will
discourage intrusion by people who are looking for a
"private" spot like the clubhouse hallways,
particularly at night. This is an "always
locked" lock. Once closed, it will require a key
to open.
- New timers will be installed on the tennis court
lights, and the signage will be improved in the area.
It does take some time to get this all taken care of,
but both projects are in process.
We need your help as well to ensure safety and
security in this area.
If you are the last person to leave the area, please
check to make certain the pool and tennis court gates are
closed. Also, close the door to the bathroom area of the
clubhouse. If we all work together, we can make our
community safe for all of us.
If you need a key to the pool and courts, please
e-mail keys@avocet-hoa.org. You
will be contacted to arrange the pickup of a key. There
is a nominal fee of $7 to cover our cost. When selling
your home this key should be turned over to the new owner
at closing, along with all of your other house keys.
The county has agreed to assist us with the
installation of new landscaping at the entry to Avocet.
An inmate crew will be doing the installation on
Wednesday, May 9 from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm. There will be 9
properly supervised and guarded men on the crew. This
crew is used by the county for their own landscape
projects, so they are experienced, reliable, and will
save us a great deal of money that we can put into plants
and materials.
The landscaping will extend along South Old Peachtree
and around the corner for a short distance up Lou Ivey
Road. The necessary materials will be delivered at the
entry and along the area to be landscaped starting at
7:30 am. Members of our Landscape Committee and BOD will
be working to ensure a smooth installation.
Many thanks to the Kids
Club for the effort that they put into crafting a
proposal that will make our playground safe and fun for
years to come. The Avocet Board of Directors has approved
the proposal, and new equipment is expected to be
installed before the end of May. A depiction of
the new equipment and
the equipment layout is available for viewing.
In order to get the best results at the best price,
the teardown and installation is expected to be done
primarily by neighborhood volunteers. Please contact the
Kids Club if you
can help. Any help - even at the last minute - will be
appreciated, and food and drink will be provided to keep
the laborers going!
The teardown is scheduled for 8 AM - 1 PM on Saturday,
April 21, and is expected to require 5-8 people. The
installation is targeted for Saturday, May 19, and is
expected to take the entire day with 10-15 people
involved. Come and work as much as you can, whenever you
can. A supervisor from the playground company will be
overseeing the installation to make sure that everything
is done to spec.
Avocet has been working to insure that the retail
development at South Old Peachtree Road and Peachtree
Industrial Boulevard reflects the interests of the
neighborhood.
The vote on CIC2006-00034 was held at the BOC business
session on March 20, 2007. The resulting resolution is
available to view here. We hope you agree
that the results were generally favorable for Avocet and
the surrounding community.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to come and show
your support for the quality of life in our community.
The BOC always notices this. It has an impact not just on
this current decision but also on future decisions,
knowing in advance that a community is actively
involved.
Mitch Peevy has provided us with a
site plan and a list of conditions. The
site plan shows the drive through window situated on
the SOP side of the building with the menu along the back
of the building which would force anyone coming into the
site from SOP to have to circle the building to get to
the drive through. It would also channel the outgoing
traffic to PIB but not prevent outgoing access to SOP.
Per Wayne, this will help to control some of the concerns
we have.
History: The Gwinnett County Planning
Commission voted to recommend denial of the request (CIC2006-00034) at its
meeting on Tuesday, January 16, 2007. The Gwinnett County
Board of Commissioners will take up the request at their
meeting on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 held at 7 PM in the
auditorium of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration
Building at 75 Langley Drive; Lawrenceville, GA 30045.
They may agree with the Planning Commission, or disagree
in whole or in part. It is important that there is a
sufficient presence of concerned homeowners at the
meeting to support our position. Please plan to attend
this meeting, wearing the traditional red garb if
possible.
A recent site
plan that the developer provided to us is available
to view, although it is somewhat outdated. Note that the
plan is presented lengthwise in this document, so
rotating it a quarter turn counterclockwise is helpful
once it is displayed; you should find a tool to perform
this on the Adobe toolbar above the document, along with
a tool for zooming in or out.
There was a break-in in the 4800 block of Avocet Drive
on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 between 9:15 and 10:45
AM. The intruders forced their entry by kicking the
basement door until the deadbolt broke through the door
casing. (As you will read below, the deadbolt and screws
were not properly installed.) Nothing was stolen and no
one was hurt. No one was home at the time, and the
wife's return home may have scared them away.
Be alert for any suspicious behavior and report it to
the Security
Committee. Thanks to our neighbors for being so
observant and reporting their observations to the
Security
Committee and/or to their COPS block captains.
Three Avocet residents observed a suspicious car in
the 4800 block of Avocet Drive around the time that the
break-in occurred. One said that the car was stopped on
the common road near the house, and a person was in the
car with the window rolled down and may have been the
lookout. The description of the car varies some, but
there are similarities in the descriptions. One
description is a 2-door Saturn that is very dark in color
- dark forest green or black. Another description was an
unremarkable small black car without its headlights on.
The third description is a small grey sedan. One resident
observed an unfamiliar tall and thin man with short hair,
red pants, a red shirt, and a white jacket or
sweater.
If anyone sees a car that is close to these
descriptions and is lingering around a house or the
common area, please call 911. Report that there are
suspicious people in the neighborhood and that there has
been a break-in where a similar car was observed. Try to
get the license tag number and state, but please do not
get too close to the car or take any risk.
Please warn people that you know in adjacent
neighborhoods about this break-in and describe the car.
It is possible that the perpetrator(s) may try another
break-in in one of the neighborhoods near Avocet.
Also, be sure to check all of your deadbolts and
catches. The deadbolt should completely extended until it
clicks, and the screws holding any of the face plates to
the door frame should be at least 2 inches long. Builders
do not normally do these things for you; you will likely
have to drill out the hole to make it deeper and replace
all of the screws.
Officer Wood
is our new C.O.P.S. liaison. To report non-emergency (non
911) problems/crimes to the Gwinnett Co. Police call
770.513.5100. For this and other information, please
refer to the Neighborhood
Contacts page and the
Security Committee page.
Please be aware that a new burglar alarm system has
been installed in the clubhouse. Also as a reminder,
unauthorized vehicles parking overnight in the parking
lots by the clubhouse, pool, and tennis courts are
prohibited.
The rezoning of the three
land parcels next to Avocet along South Old Peachtree
Road has gone through with conditions that are
generally favorable to Avocet. The developer is
proceeding with a townhouse development there that will
be called Berkeley Chase, and has provided us with a
preliminary site plan and a landscape plan for the project. The
development permit has been issued, the tree protection
fence is in place, and they are preparing to remove the
house. Construction is expected to start very soon; in
fact, they hope to complete the development sometime in
the summer - June through August 2007.
Thanks to everyone that voted in person or by proxy at
the meeting on Thursday, November 30, 2006. Quorum was
achieved with 113 Members represented and the special
assessment was passed with 85 (over 75%) in favor and 28
against. The projects scheduled through 2010 along
with cash flow projections are available for your
review.
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted
unanimously to approve the request for speed tables along
Avocet Drive at their meeting Tuesday, October 24, 2006.
Over 90% of our neighbors whose property is adjacent to
Avocet Drive joined together to petition the county in
favor of the speed tables. That is the way to work
together, Avocet! Anecdotally, the speed of vehicles in
Avocet seems much more reasonable these days.
For more information about the speed tables, see the
Gwinnett County Speed Table brochure and the
Gwinnett County Speed Hump Proposal
notice.
On a somewhat related note: On July 25, 2006, the
Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners adopted an
amendment to the Development Regulations to require a
traffic calming plan for residential subdivision streets.
The notice and Traffic Calming Design Guide are
available on the Gwinnett County web site.
Precision Design & Development, Inc. has
applied for the rezoning of the three land parcels
next to Avocet along South Old Peachtree Road (case
RZM-06-025).
Adapted from Jeanne Aulbach's account on the
Forum:
We had an awesome turnout at the Planning Commission
meeting on Tuesday, September 5, 2006. There were about
40 people from Avocet, Highcroft, and Apremont, most in
those beautiful red shirts! The looks on the faces of our
Planning Commissioners when everyone stood up was the
proverbial Kodak moment! The car pooling worked very
well. Thanks to all who donated their services and to
those who attended. You made a difference.
The vote at the Planning Commission meeting is to make
a recommendation to the County Commission on a request to
rezone. It is not a vote to approve or disapprove a
specific project. The final vote rests with the County
Commission and there is no appeal from that other than
legal action which rarely succeeds because our Board of
Commissioners follow a rigid rezoning procedure. While
there was support on the Planning Commission to deny the
request to rezone the property next door to R-TH, there
was serious concern that the County Commissioners would
overturn the recommendation from the Planning Committee
and vote to rezone the property to R-TH with an 8 unit
per acre density.
As a result of this concern, Jose Perez, one of our
District 2 Planning Commissioners, made a motion that was
approved to allow the rezoning to go forward as R-TH, but
with significant conditions. These conditions addressed
our main concerns: density, price point and privacy.
The condition with the greatest impact is to reduce
the density from 8 to 6 homes per acre. This has the
immediate effect of raising the price point of the homes.
Additional conditions were 4 sided brick and 9'
ceilings, further increasing in the price point. The
privacy issue was addressed by requiring a 30' buffer
with three rows of Leland cypress at least 8' in
height at planting.
While this is not the detached housing we might
prefer, it is certainly an acceptable compromise. It does
not mean the development must be 6 townhomes per acre,
only that it is the maximum density for the property. A
developer may come in and develop to a higher standard,
but would not be able to develop to a lower standard.
The BOD authorized joining the United Peachtree Corners Civic
Association. This will give Avocet access to many
helpful resources, but most imminently help with handling
the issues related to the proposed development adjacent
to the neighborhood.
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