HOA Meeting Today!

Reminder: The HOA meeting will be today at 6PM at Dubose Middle School in their cafeteria. For those who voted in the 2008 Presidential Elections, this is where our polling place was as well. Remember to bring your voting ballots for the HOA Board member elections with you, and remind your neighbors about the meeting. be prepared to discuss any issues or concerns you may have, afterall, the HOA can not help with anything that is not brought to their attention. If you are unfamiliar with Dubose Middle School the driving directions are provided below:

Leaving the Bradford Chase Subdivision on Nettles Lane, turn right on to Butternut Road. Drive to 4 way stop and turn Right on to Orangeburg road. Travel down past Pinewood prep and Plum Creek Subdivision. Take the next Right After passing Plum Creek. (You will see signs that will say William Reeves and Dubose Middle). Travel down Dubose School road and Dubose Middle is the school furthest to the back. The Cafeteria is on the far left side of the school. See you there!

3.6 Magnitude Earthquake Felt in Lowcountry

The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed that a 3.6 magnitude earthquake occurred in Dorchester County at 7:42 a.m. today. The epicenter of the earthquake was four miles south-southwest of Summerville, and was felt throughout the Tri-county area of Berkeley, Dorchester and Charleston Counties. For specifics on this Earthquake, CLICK HERE.

At this time, there have been only minor reports of damage. Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester County officials are working closely with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division and federal partners.

RESIDENTS SHOULD REPORT ANY DAMAGES TO THEIR COUNTY

Charleston County: (843) 202-7400
Berkeley County: (843) 719-4166
Dorchester County: (843) 832-0341

INFORMATION ON WHAT TO DO DURING AND AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE

What to do when an earthquake occurs:

If indoors:

Take cover under a piece of heavy furniture or against an inside wall and hold on.

Stay inside.

The most dangerous thing to do during the shaking of an earthquake is to try to leave the building because objects can fall on you.

If outdoors:

Move into the open, away from buildings, street lights, and utility wires.
Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops.

If in a moving vehicle:

Stop quickly and stay in the vehicle.

Move to a clear area away from buildings, trees, overpasses or utility wires.

Once the shaking has stopped, proceed with caution. Avoid bridges or ramps that might have been damaged by the quake.

What to do after an earthquake occurs:

Be prepared for aftershocks

Although smaller than the main shock, aftershocks cause additional damage and may bring weakened structures down. Aftershocks can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake.

Help injured or trapped persons

Give first aid where appropriate. Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. Call for help.

Listen to a battery-operated radio or television for the latest emergency information.

Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance - infants, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Stay out of damaged buildings - Return home only when authorities say it is safe.

Use the telephone only for emergency calls.

Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches or gasoline or other flammable liquids immediately. Leave the area if you smell gas or fumes from other chemicals.

Open closet and cupboard doors cautiously.

Inspect the entire length of chimneys carefully for damage. Unnoticed damage could lead to a fire.

Inspecting Utilities in a Damaged Home

Check for gas leaks - If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and quickly leave the building. Turn off the gas at the outside main valve if you can and call the gas company from a neighbor’s home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional.

Look for electrical system damage - If you see sparks or broken or frayed wires, or if you smell hot insulation, turn off the electricity at the main fuse box or circuit breaker. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box or circuit breaker, call an electrician first for advice.

Check for sewage and water lines damage - If you suspect sewage lines are damaged, avoid using the toilets and call a plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid using water from the tap. You can obtain safe water by melting ice cubes.

Helpful Links to track and report Earthquakes:
Earthquake Hazzards Program
Real Time US Earthquake Maps
Earthquake Notification Service

**Also, now would be a good time to review and/or update your homeowners policies to ensure you have the coverage that you need**

HOA Contact Information Now Available

Welcome Residents!

We have finally reposted the contact information for our HOA! Thanks to all of you who researched and provided us with the authorization information that would allow us to provide this to you. We hope that this will encourage all of use this information to keep in contact with our HOA, and participate in meetings and events that will come with the new year. The information is also provided publically via the Bradford Chase Official Website, and is as follows:

HOA Manager: Diane Hommel
Email: bradfordchasehoa@gmail.com
Phone: 843-529-9690
Fax: 843-529-9756

Business Address:

2154 North Center Street, Suite 204B
North Charleston, SC 29406

HOA President: Ray Walsh
Email: walshr@sc.rr.com

Please call or email with any questions or concerns about our community with the above information. This will also be anchored on our left hand panel of this page as well. Thank you for all of your support!

Picking the Perfect (and Safe) Christmas Tree

Now that you have been stuffed with turkey with all the trimmings, it's time to
prepare for the next big holiday... Christmas! One of the most exciting events of the season is picking out the perfect Christmas tree. We will give you a few tips
on selecting the perfect tree, maintaing, safe decor and disposal.Picking out a Tree. Before leaving home to pick out your Christmas tree, take measurements of thearea in which you will place the tree to ensure it will fit. If you wish to purchase your tree from a retail lot, there are a few things you should check for when selecting your tree:

Check to make sure that the needles and branches are flexible when bent. If
they snap, the tree may be dehaydrated and will not last very long. A dry tree may be a fire hazzard when decorated with lights.

Check the stump of the tree. Look to see if the stump is at least 6" long
and is sappy. A sappy tree is a fresh cut healthy tree.

Hold the tree up and tap the stump on the ground a few times. Observe to see
if needles are falling off. Run your hand down the needle branches. It is normal for a few brown needles to fall, but if an excess falls, avoid that tree!

Once you pick your tree, and get it home, prepare it by trimming stray branches and cutting 1" off the stump. This allows for better water intake. For easy disposal afterwards, open a tree sized disposal bag on the floor and place your tree mount in the middle. Select a secure stand that holds at least 1 gallon of water. It is normal for most fresh trees to consume 1-2 gallons of water during the first 24 hours.

There are several Tree Farms in the area in which you can pick and cut your own tree. You can visit the Lebanon Christmas Tree Farm north of Goose Creek at 843-688-5088 and Tomlison Farms in Ridgeville at 843-871-4223. Visit http://www.scchristmastrees.org for more information.

Decorate your tree with ornaments and lights that are safe for your tree and household. If you have little ones or pets, please keep in mind the precautions while selecting your decor. For lighting, it is safest to use UL listed mini lights with low heat. Never use candles or any open flame near your tree.

Keep you homes safe by checking all lighting, ornaments and other decor before using every year. Enjoy the wonderful holidays while picking your perfect tree!

HOA Letters Delivered & New Website!

Attention Residents: HOA Letters are Rolling in! We have received our letters, and you will find the following information inside:

Announcement and Proxy Submission Form

Voting Ballot

Annual Agenda

Letter to Homeowners Re:Websites

Please be sure to attend the meeting! We as residents can not expect improvements in our community if we do not attend the meeting. Your participation is very important.

Take a moment to visit the New Official Bradford Chase Website at www.bradfordchasehoa.info. Their site is definitely a work in progress. We have be notified that they have started copying parts of our website and pasting it to theirs (and without even asking us). Take a look at the contact lists on their site HERE . It's copied from us word for word. We have asked the HOA Manager to give our site credit on their official site since we authored the lists. They have ignored our request. We sincerely hope these actions are not a representation of what our HOA has for our community's future.

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We would like to say a few words about www.bradfordchasenews.com . This site is a resident run site to provide information and updates about our community. You are our voice. We are happy that the HOA has mentioned us in their letter. Yes, it is true that we have not disclosed our identity to the HOA. We did this for good reason. Our site is all about us.. the residents! We feel that the homeowners who volunteer to moderate, edit the site, take pictures, send out postcards, write the articles and reply to email have the right to remain anonymous. Many residents who submit articles and pictures do not want their names disclosed, and we fully respect that. Every member of our team is a Bradford Chase homeowner. We have paid out of pocket for everything we do. Our site and efforts are NOT HOA funded. Why do we do this? Because we care about our community.

As always, we encourage everyone to get involved. We welcome your comments, suggestions, and input. If you have questions about the HOA or need to get in touch with them, please refer to your HOA letter mailing, or contact us at Bradford.Chase@ymail.com and we can relay your concerns to the HOA Manager (or provide you their contact info). We would be happy to help out in any way we can. Thanks for your support!

HOA Meeting Update

We have contacted the HOA Manager, and have asked for a meeting before the turn of the year. They have worked out their schedules to have a meeting on Thursday December 18, 2008 at 6PM. It will be at the Dubose Middle School Cafeteria. The HOA will be mailing out letters Monday, November 17 announcing this new meeting. Please make sure that you make every effort to attend this meeting, and if you can not attend, be sure to submit your proxy vote. Let's start off the year with by-laws that will keep our community beautiful, and protect our investments!

HOA Meeting Postponed

During our last HOA Meeting that occured in September, it was proposed that we have a follow up meeting on November 12. This meeting date has been postponed, and will convene in the month of January 2009. The HOA will arrange door to door proxy voting, and have a quorum prior to the next meeting. It is very important that everyone participate. If you have any questions or concerns for the HOA or the community, please contact the HOA Manager Diane Hommel or President Ray Walsh (Contact info at top left of this page). We will update the website as more information becomes available.

Winterizing Your Home

The temperatures have started to fall and you have pulled out the winter sweaters and coats to keep your family warm and protected from the cold weather, but what about your home?

Now is the time that you start preparing and winterizing your home for the upcoming winter! There are several things that need to be done to protect your home from the frigid conditions.

1. Get your furnace/heat pumps/HVAC inspected. Have a HVAC professional inspect and clean the ducts. Change your filters monthly for optimum performance.

2. Get your fireplace and/gas unit inspected. Inspect the cap and ensure that is not missing. Have your chimney inspected and cleaned, freeing it of soot and other debris. Check the mortar for stability. When purchasing firewood, ensure that it is kept away from your home and covered to stay dry.

3. Inspect the exterior of your home/doors/windows. Check for loose or damaged siding and repair/replace. Check for cracks or broken seals in windows. Prime/paint any exposed wood that has been worn.

4. Clean and inspect roof gutters/downspouts. Clean out debris from gutters and downspouts. Cover gutter with mesh screen to prevent debris from getting into them.

5. Prepare Lawn and Gardening equipment for the winter. Drain lawnmowers of gasoline, clean and store. Clean gardening tools and store. Clean out garden sheds.

6. Check your foundations. Check your foundations for cracks and repair. Remove vegetation away from foundation and trim back shrubs and trees if needed. Remove bugs/foreign objects from window sills.

7. Replace batteries in smoke and carbon dioxide detectors. Check the status of your fire extinguisher and/or purchase a new one if needed in case of emergency.

8. Check your plumbing. Ensure that exposed plumbing pipes are properly insulated. Drain your water heater to remove sediment that settled over the past year. Drain/store water hoses if not needed.

9. Clean up your Landscaping. Trim back trees and shrubs. Remove dead vegetation. Winterize your lawn with the appropriate fertilizer.

10. Pack an emergency kit. Just like in case of a hurricane, it's important to have an emergency kit for winter. Ensure a few warm blankets, matches, water, canned goods, batteries and flashlights are available. Be sure to create a checklist of important items/information for your family in case of emergency.

Lost & Found : IPOD

We received an email from a resident that has found an IPOD in their yard today. If you or your child has lost an IPOD, please contact us at bradford.chase@ymail.com . If you have any lost items that you would like us post, please let us know. Thanks!

Update: The IPOD Owner has been located. Thank you so much for all who helped in the search!

Halloween Trick or Treating Tips

Wow! It's already that time of year again when children are dressing up in their halloween costumes and walk the neighborhoods, trick-or-treating for their favorite candy treats. To keep your little ghosts and goblins safe, just take a moment to read these great tips for this fun event!

• Carry a flashlight with fresh batteries to illuminate sidewalks, streets and pathways. This not only helps you see where you are headed, but also allows any vehicle traffic to see you coming. Glow sticks and reflective tape attached to the costumes are great as well.
• Be aware of how the costumes are designed, and use precaution when walking. Ensure that the lengths are adjusted to avoid tripping, and masks allow proper eyesight during the darkness.
• If a sword, cane, or stick is a part of your child's costume, make sure it is not sharp or too long. A child may be easily hurt by these accessories if he stumbles or trips.
• Always stay in sight of your little ones. Never allow them to run ahead or approach a home alone.
• Carry and extra bag for candy just in case your child's bag breaks or gets too heavy to carry.
• Only go to homes with a porch light on and never enter a home for a treat.
• Children should only cross the street with an adult.
• Do not cut across yards or driveways when trick or treating. There may be items in the yard that can not be seen in the dark that could injure a child.

Homeowners, try to do the following the day before Halloween:

• Make sure your yard is clear of such things as ladders, hoses, dog leashes and flower pots that can trip the young ones.
• Secure your pets. Some pets get frightened or are threatened by trick or treaters.
• If you use candles for your jack-o-lantern, place them a distance away from where trick or treaters will be walking or standing.

There are quite a few homes in our community that have some awesome Halloween decorations this year! Take a moment to walk through the community and enjoy these creative displays. If you live in Bradford Chase, we would be happy to feature pictures of your home on this site if you wish. Please send pictures to bradford.chase@ymail.com . Please specify how and if you want your name displayed. We look forward to your pictures and a safe and Happy Halloween this year!

Caring for Your Vinyl Siding

Keeping our home's exterior in great condition is one of the great prides of being a homeowner. As time progresses, the physical appearance of our homes starts to deteriorate, but good maintenance habits and damage control will keep our homes appealing.


Care of your vinyl siding is an easy step you can take to keep your home beautiful. Some important tips to remember are:

- Wash it annually. Keeping it clean on a regular basis will keep you from scrubbing it harder when it becomes caked with dirt.
- Be careful with it. Keep lawnmowers, bicycles and lawn care items away from the siding so it doesn't crack or break.
- Keep hot things away from it. Grills, smokers, and patio torches can produce heat that can melt or warp your vinyl siding.

Cleaning vinyl siding is a snap with the right tools. If your siding isn't caked with dirt, mildew, or other foreign material, spraying it with a hose can wash away the dirt and grime that has accumulated throughout the year. If you need a cleaning solvent, some ordinary dish soap or laundry detergent mixed with water will do the trick. Where there are troubled areas, such as mildew, a mild solution of 1 quart of bleach, 1 gallon of water and a small amount of detergent. Scrub the areas with a soft-bristled, long-handled brush. You can also do this with Oxygen Bleach, which is a Green Product.

If scrubbing with a soft brush is going to be too much work, you can wash your siding with a power washer, which can be rented at your local home improvement store or other equipment rental business. If washing with a power washer, be careful not to spray into the seams of overlapping siding. This could cause moisture to get under the siding, causing mildew growth. Also, always spray from top to bottom, away from seams.

Try to avoid using bleach on the shutters. They fade extremely fast when bleach is used to clean them. This causes a horizontal streaking fade pattern on the shutters, as seen on many homes in our community. One resident had extreme fading on their shutters, and discovered an easy resolution to remedy the fading. It was ArmorAll, applied with a soft cloth. The shutters have now regained their luster, and look sparkling new! You can see the difference in the picture here.


If you have damaged or broken siding, shutters or other external finishing pieces, you can contact Lowcountry Renovations for repair. Their number is 851-1111. If you wish to do the repair yourself, you can buy the materials directly from our contractor for Bradford Chase at Revere Buiding Products at 745-5444. Their website is http://www.reverebuildingproducts.com/. The siding color palette and design used for our community is located here.

Bradford Chase Kids: Community Wildlife

We have just recently received an interesting article written by one of our young Bradford Chase residents! It is about the wildlife we see in our community. Please enjoy!

Bradford Chase Wildlife

As many of us have noticed, our neighborhood is teeming with a variety of animals and plants. As we become more curious about our native neighbors, we must start with the more obvious things, such as our trees. Every other house in the neighborhood has a maple tree. But some of these trees have been removed due to neglect from current or previous residents. These trees still left in our neighborhood, require simply fertilizer every year or so, and a good watering every week. Though they create brilliant colored leaves soon before going dormant for the winter, they can wreak havoc. While growing larger in such close proximity of our homes, the maple trees’ expanding roots may cause our homes foundation, driveways, and sidewalks to crack, or add to existing damage. And over decades, these trees roots may also find their way to the surface and expose themselves. These roots may cause injuries such as tripping and falling, so always be cautious.

Some of the wildlife sightings in our neighborhood have been really interesting! Some residents, including myself, have noticed a murder (No, not a death, a murder is the name for a group of crows.) that have been lurking around our neighborhood. The strange group is most likely here to feed off of insects and the small birds seen hopping around in our yards. Another common species seen in our community all the time, but hardily noticed, are bats! You can see these creatures from about 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. You can distinct bats from birds by noticing they never stop flapping their wings during flight. They also resemble triangles, with their pointed tails leading to their wing tips, back to their heads in a straight line. They often fly in aimless circles, because their eye sight is not very reliable. There are also ducks that wander into our yards and live around and in the pond area. As well as ducks there are also turtles that live in both ponds.

Do you know what this is? Well, this creature is a Gasteracantha-Cancriformis or spiny-Backed Orb Weaver spider. This spider is harmless and is known for making large webs, even for many other spiders five times its size. This spider has spines on its shell like back. They are commonly five to nine mm long and ten to thirteen mm wide from spike to spike. They are found in wood line areas during the fall and they only live long enough to reproduce. So these spiders may seem threatening, but they are only another friendly neighbor.

I hope this article has shed some light on your wanders of our neighborhood surroundings. Have a great day!

Reduce the Risk of a Dryer Fire

While browsing through our community I have noticed several homes that have clogged dryer vents, which are a serious fire hazzard. The homes with a vertical venting system (vent on the roof top) are especially vulnerable to clogging and buildup. The picture to the right is a dryer vent on the roof top of a home in our community.



Over time, your dryer vent fills with lint that sneaks by your dryer's filter. Fires can occur when lint builds up in the dryer or in the exhaust duct. Lint can block the flow of air, cause excessive heat build-up, and result in a fire in some dryers. Isolated incident? Not at all. The Consumer Product Saftey Commission estimates that over 15,000 dryer related fires occur each year causing an estimated 97 million dollars in property loss.

What Can You Do?

Dryer vents should be cleaned at least twice a year or more often as needed. There is a kit available that most homeowners should find affordable and effective. This kit is called the LintEater® System by Gardus. The LintEater® was designed for the homeowner by a leading manufacturer of professional duct-cleaning equipment. This system was purchased for under $35 and tested by a homeowner in our community that has a vertical roof top dryer vent. The results were awesome! Drying time for a load of towels went from 1 hr 30 minutes to only 35 minutes after cleaning the vents. If you don't have a ladder or the capability of accessing your outside dryer vent, there is always the option of having a professional clean your dryer vents as well, for a cost of approx $80-$150.

To see a video demonstration of the LintEater® , please visit http://www.linteater.com/ , and also please take a moment to read on the safety tips for dryer use, lint maintenance, and safety at http://www.linteater.com/tips/ .

Annual HOA Meeting Minutes

Our Annual HOA meeting was held on Wednesday, September 24 at Dubose Middle School Cafeteria. There were not enough residents that attended to make community decisions, nor to hold the voting on new convenants or board members. We did, however, manage to ask questions and address some issues in regard to our community. Since a quorum was not met, I have t0 disclose that these minutes are unofficial.

Parking.
This is an ongoing issue in the community. The new convenants outline the specific restrictions on parking (No parking on the street/sidewalk at ANY time), along with detailed information about penalties for violations. Of course, it is not expected that there will never be an instance where you will need to park on the street/sidewalk. Some exceptions are when you have guests/visitors for a short period of time. Please inform the HOA of this, so you will not be issued a violation. If you have a single car driveway, you will need to secure your vehicles in your driveway and/or your garage. If your driveway/garage will not accomodate your vehicles, you are asked to expand your driveway (laying additional concrete pad). Please submit your requests for these types of modifications to the ARB before begining work.

The common areas.
There has been some considerable damage done to the tables and gazebo in our pond areas. Our table was concrete, and it was destroyed and dragged into the pond by neighborhood children. This table was purchased with the funds that the residents pay to the HOA every year. The Gazebo also had to be repaired. It is important that we take care of these items, as they were provided to the enjoyment of the entire community. It is not fair to everyone when the children of some residents damage or destroy these items. We encourage those who have information in regard to these activities to report the information to the HOA Manager Diane Hommel at 843-529-9690 immediately. The parents of the children will have legal action taken against them for these types of activities.

HOA Fees.
Every homeowner is responsible for paying their HOA dues every January. These are mandatory, and enforced by law. Those who do not pay these dues are subject to a lien on their home.

Predators.
There has been a report of an individual in the Bradford Chase Community that has been exposing himself in front of the homes of our residents. This individual is described as a black male in his early 20's, approx 6 feet tall, slim build, short curly hair, wearing basketball shorts and sometimes a baseball cap. The Dorchester County Police Department is actively persuing this individual, and will be patrolling the neighborhood regularly. If you happen to see this individual, please contact the Dorchester County Sheriff at 832-5111.

Boards/Commitees.
The HOA is in desperate need of members for the HOA board and commitees for our community. Social, landscaping, and event committees are just some of the groups they would like to establish. If you are interested in volunteering for a commitee or for the board, please contact The HOA Manager.

Future Meetings.
Due to the fact that we were not able to get enough residents to attend for our meeting on September 24, we will set another meeting date. This has been preliminarily been scheduled for Wednesday, November 12th. We will begin at 6:30 for submitting any voting, and 7:00 the meeting will comense. It is very important that we all attend this meeting, including renters, to discuss events in our community. Please be aware, in order to cast a vote, you must be a homeowner in good standing current with HOA dues.

Welcome!

Thank you for taking time to visit the Bradford Chase Community Blog. This is an informational blog for the residents and by the residents of the Bradford Chase Community in Summerville, South Carolina. I hope that you find the information here useful.