Tis the Season….to prepare for snow removal!

As we are all enjoying the colors of autumn, we must remind ourselves that winter is approaching. One aspect of the winter season is the chance of snowfall in Middle Tennessee. We have already had 1 small snow event this year! Snow is typically exciting but can also bring anxiety if your community or property is not well prepared. Here are some helpful tips:

1.)    Plan in Advance:  The sooner you prepare an action plan, the better. Late summer or early Fall planning is not too early, but rather beneficial. Pricing can be negotiated easier ahead of time, as opposed to when snow is predicted. Plus, your service provider will have ample time to prepare and stock materials & equipment.

2.)    Select a competent service provider… a company with enough snow equipment, knowledge & experience in providing snow services, updated and adequate insurance, and trained personnel.

3.)    Have a written contract in place which includes liability language, pricing, and scope of work. Having a contract in place, rather than a verbal agreement, solidifies your expectations and may outline liability details.

4.)    Develop a site map which highlights the areas of your community you want to be serviced, and share such with your service provider, so that there is no confusion. The map should convey any specific priority areas, and areas that are not to be serviced.

5.)    Stay in communication with your service provider when a snow event is predicted. Communication is key to a successful snow season, because every event brings its own challenges.

6.)    Meet with your service provider on site before the snow season begins, to walk the community while discussing pet peeves, safety concerns, obstacles to avoid, etc… A phone call is not usually adequate for this type of service request.

7.)    Budget your expenses for several snow events. The average snowfall accumulation for Middle TN is about 7 inches per year, which averages 3-4 events. Each of those type of accumulating events will require some level of service to keep your site tidy and safe. In addition, this area of the country gets multiple ice only events, which should be budgeted for as well. Snow & Ice service is expensive. Your property manager or service provider should be able to help with the budgeting process.

8.)    Unfortunately in today’s litigious society, lawsuits from slip & fall events are more common now than ever. As a result, it is critical that you protect your community by preparing for such snow events in every way possible, so that you are not held liable for negligence. Your property manager and competent service providers can help you through the planning process.

Early and proper planning will allow you to enjoy the beauty of winter without the concerns associated with keeping your community safe from old man winter!     

Written by: 

Scott Oldham - Business Development Manager with LSI. www.LandscapeServicesInc.com

Grow…Cook…Share - The Nashville Food Project

The Nashville Food Project was recognized as November’s non-profit organization.  Their mission is to bring people together to grow, cook and share nourishing food, with the goals of cultivating community and alleviating hunger in our city.  The Nashville Food Project embraces a vision of vibrant community food security in which everyone in Nashville has access to the food they want and need through a just and sustainable food system.

The organization was featured at Ghertner and Company’s annual trade show with a $500 check.  Many associates and HOA members also brought donations.  Learn more about supporting The Nashville Food Project at www.thenashvillefoodproject.org.

Harbour Town residents enjoyed fun, food, and fellowship at their community Halloween party. Kids and adults dressed up in costumes and celebrated a safe holiday with friends and family.

Oasis Center Serves Middle Tennessee Youth

Oasis Center annually engages over 3,500 youth and families with a wide variety of programs and services designed to help them reach their full potential.  Located in Nashville, Oasis Center has been positively impacting Middle Tennessee young people in areas of crisis intervention, youth leadership, community involvement and college/career services. Learn more about this meaningful non-profit organization at www.oasiscenter.org.  Ghertner & Company recognized Oasis Center’s success with a $500 donation as October’s “Giving Back” recipient.

Associates Celebrate Holiday with Team Building Event

Ghertner & Company associates enjoyed Halloween by dressing up and enjoying food and activities together to build camaraderie.  Contests were held for best chili and dessert prepared by volunteers.  The company provided sandwiches and drinks. Awards were passed out for a costume contest and best decorated team pumpkins.  Ghertner & Company greatly values its associates and regularly offers team building events as just one of the many benefits enjoyed by team members.  

Puckett Station Project for Hurricane Relief

When Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas, Puckett Station neighbors put together twenty-two Flood Buckets in just a matter of a few days. Unfortunately, Hurricane Michael followed quickly with catastrophic damage to the Florida panhandle. In just a little over 72 hours, Puckett Station neighbors put together another fifteen Flood Buckets and arranged for them to get to the Panama City area. Several homeowners participated in both projects with each providing two buckets.  The buckets are filled with specific cleaning supplies to be given to homeowners with flood and water damage. Puckett Station neighbors donated just under $3000.00 worth of Flood Buckets to the victims of recent hurricanes.

Ridgeport HOA Builds Community with Fall Fest

The Ridgeport Homeowner’s Association in Spring Hill, TN, kicked off the Fall season on October 20th, with a fun festival for all to experience.  Kids of all ages and their parents came out to enjoy bounce houses, balloon man, costume contests and games.  Food was brought in from Moe's Southwest Grill.  Board members and volunteers organized the event to allow the families a fun, safe event while also building a sense of community.

Lunch & Learn Seminars Wrap Up Successful 2018

Ghertner & Company offers free monthly seminars on a wide variety of topics to assist HOA Board Members in their efforts to offer quality leadership to their communities.  Offered the first ten months of the year, the October 9th meeting wrapped up the 2018 seminar lineup by addressing the topic of Vision and Mission Statements.  Many Ghertner & Company Community Association Managers (CAM) were present in support of their HOA board members.

Identifying Silverfish In Your Home

Identifying Silverfish May Be Harder Than You Think

Silverfish get their name from the way they look. They are small in size and do not have wings. Silverfish love dark, damp, wet areas. Think garage, basements, water heater closets, bathroom cabinets, and kitchen cabinets. Although Silverfish don’t cause harm to humans, they are still a household pest.

Did you know a Silverfish can live for 8 years?!

Finding and Identifying Silverfish can be tricky. Most home owners do not know they have an infestation until they see one or two silverfish behind a refrigerator or in a basement. Once you see one or two, there are always more. They may be hard to find during the day. Silverfish are nocturnal pests.  Like rodents, they have prolific reproduction rates.

Here are 6 Signs of Identifying Silverfish Infestations

·         You see one

·         Fecal matter that looks like pepper

·         Tell tale damage to paper products

·         Yellow stains

·         You find skins

·         Activity in cracks or crevices

If you see any of the Identifying Silverfish signs listed above you need to seek professional pest control assistance.

Partner Post Written by:

Absolute Pest Control www.absolutepestco.com

Rolling Up Their Sleeves

Harbour Town's Community Beautification event was held on Saturday, October 6. Volunteers signed up to come out and paint the pool fence, saving the HOA a great deal of money and had a great time doing it!

Winter and Water…a costly combination for irrigation systems

We all know that water and cold temperatures in late Fall and early Winter season can result in an adverse combination! Protecting your irrigation system via proper ‘winterization’ when the air temperature begins to drop below freezing is critical. Winterizing your system in a timely manner can help secure its operational capabilities for the next spring season, while avoiding costly repairs.

When is the optimal time to winterize? Well, every year is slightly different due to variables and fluctuations in our weather. As a good rule of thumb for the Middle TN region, the best timing is late October or early November, depending on when hard frosts become routine. However, there is a balancing act with the Winterization timing. You don’t want to winterize too early in order to utilize the supplemental water for newly sewn grass seed as well as to establish newly planted Fall flowers. If you winterize too late, freezing temperatures can wreak havoc and result in repair needs. So, the timing of winterization must be strategic in nature, while taking several variables into consideration.

The goal of Winterization is to remove all the water in the associated piping without damaging the mechanical parts in the process, prior to it freezing. Utilizing a professionally certified service provider can insure your system has been winterized properly and with the upmost care to protect your investment.

Another benefit of the winterization process is that it becomes an opportunity to diagnose deficiencies and problems within the system, while your contractor winterizes each zone. Typically, this is an optimal time to make necessary repairs or upgrades to the system so that it is ready to operate efficiently next Spring. Irrigation systems can be a valuable asset as they help protect your landscape investment, while promoting your landscape to mature gracefully over time.

Written by: 

Scott Oldham - Business Development Manager with LSI. www.LandscapeServicesInc.com

Investing in Professional Development Through Association Involvement

Ghertner & Company supports the growth of its Community Association Managers by encouraging membership and attendance in local organizations.  Few associations do as much to address relevant topics as the Tennessee Chapter of the Community Associations Institute.  This organization is dedicated to the enhancing the quality of community association living through education, legal advocacy, professional development and networking opportunities.

The September meeting featured Tom Jurkovich, Vice President of Strategic Communications, with the Nashville International Airport shared about airport’s current status and future growth plan. Many pictured Ghertner and Company associates are pictured along with some vendor members.

Pest Prevention Tips for Fall

There are 3 pest prevention tips for Fall that are very important to keep your home pest free. Because the weather is getting colder, bugs and critters want to avoid the changing weather too. Most of all, to continue blocking unwanted Fall visitors (aka pests), we have come up with 3 simple and easy tips that will help you.

 

 

 

What to Do:

1. Examine- Take some time to thoroughly examine the outside of your home. This includes all windows, doors, seals, crawl space entries, vents, etc. If there are any broken screens, now is a good time to replace them. Cracks should be sealed with new caulking and door gaps should be closed with quality weather-stripping. It is important to remove old caulking, scraping well to remove any debris while not making any larger spaces. Adding a rubber seal under the garage doors can keep water and pests out.

2. Seal Openings- Any place that you have an opening for utilities can be a super highway for rodents. Mice can squeeze through an opening as small as 1/4 inch. Spiders can get through openings as small as 1/32 inch. Those are tiny spaces. Take a flashlight (even in daytime) to full a full examination. To block those holes or cracks effectively we recommend using wire mesh, expandable foam or concrete.

3. Chimney Cap- Do you have a chimney in your home? They are amazing for beautiful fires during cold weather however they can be an open door for unwanted pests. Birds, bats, raccoons, squirrels and other critters can wreck havoc on your home via the chimney. By installing a chimney cap, you will be stopping their point of entry. Don’t forget any attic vents while you are on the roof. Use wire mesh to block rodents from entering your attic through your vents.

Partner Post by:  Absolute Pest Control, http://www.absolutepestco.com/

Golf for a Good Cause

The 2018 John D. Floyd Charitable Foundation Invitational Golf Tournament raised over $90,000 to support many local organizations and agencies, improving the opportunities and quality of life for many Rutherford County and Middle Tennessee individuals and families.   Ghertner & Company participated in the tournament held September 19-20 at Indian Hills Golf Club in Murfreesboro. 

Representing Ghertner & Company were Stacy Adams, Human Resources Director, and Community Association Managers Bob Welborn, John Knouff, and Jeff Campbell.

Complimentary Lunch & Learn Seminar for Board Members Is Well Attended

A Clothier of Hope

Since personal appearance is one of the main factors in the hiring decision, it is unfortunate that many qualified women cannot afford appropriate clothing for a job interview.  Amelia’s Closet provides professional apparel and hope to deserving women in making a great first impression in the hiring process.  Whether the client is an ex-offender or a veteran transitioning to civilian life, Amelia’s Closet empowers women towards financial security and emotional strength by one on one coaching.  Learn more at ameliascloset.org.

Each month, Ghertner & Company makes a $500 donation to non-profit organizations that are making a difference in our Middle Tennessee community. 

Pictured at the check presentation are Ghertner & Company associates Michael Ryckeley, Jaye Kloss and Bob Welborn with Amelia’s Closet founder Jody Powers and treasurer Gwen Turner.

Community Board Members Enjoy Seminar

National Night Out Promotes Community

Harbour Town Condominium’s National Night Out event on August 7th proved to be a success and a fun time for all who participated. The neighborhood residents had a chance to meet the law enforcement that support our community, receive a few safety tips, chat with neighbors and enjoy some good food. Special guests included police officers and detectives from the local Metro Nashville Police Department and fire fighters from Fire Department Station #33. Thanks to all who joined, brought a dish and made it a great time!

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. Learn more at www.natw.org.

Don’t Over-Spend when Over-Seeding

We all desire a great looking lawn! But after a summer like this one, even the best of lawns tend to struggle from hot & dry conditions. Due to the many variables that affect turf quality, there is no single remedy to get your grass back in the shape you expect, but rather a series of steps and treatments that can help revive your lawn. One option to consider is Aeration & Over-Seeding (A&O). Here are a few tips regarding the A&O process:

The early Fall season (Sept/Oct) is the optimal time to perform this task, as cooler temperatures promote germination and growth of fescue seed. As a result, the new grass is well established prior to the harsh summer months, which gives it a better chance for long term success. The Spring season is NOT the recommended time to perform A&O because any tender newly germinated grass will not have time to develop a mature root system to sustain itself thru our hot and dry summers. 

We recommend only performing the A&O process 1 time per year during the Fall, allowing you to focus on weed control and fertilization of your lawn throughout the balance of the growing season. Those who perform A&O in the Spring, will limit their ability to successfully control weeds while the new seedlings are germinating.

Applying too much grass seed can cause more harm than good, due to added competition for light and nutrients within the established lawn. Lawns that are over-crowded may result in fungal issues due to restricted air circulation and moisture retention. When conducting A&O, the recommended fescue seed application rate is 4-6 lbs. per 1,000 square feet. If your lawn is already full and lush, you may not want to A&O each year to minimize competition within your lawn, which saves you money!

If your lawn is predominately bermuda turf, the A&O process may be a waste of funds. Bermuda will typically out-compete fescue in full sun exposures. In addition, bermuda is a spreading type turf which fills gaps and bare areas naturally. I recommend that you consult a qualified service provider to help identify your turf type(s) (fescue vs bermuda) and determine the percentage of each, prior to engaging in the A&O process.

Most Middle TN lawns include a healthy mix of fescue and bermuda grass. When budget is a concern, we would recommend only ‘spot’ seeding in areas in need such as bare or thin areas, instead of blanket seeding the whole site. To save money, consider only seeding high traffic areas, thin partially shaded patches, or select focal areas. Being strategic regarding where to perform A&O on your property will help you realize real value while not overspending. A qualified professional service provider can help guide you through the process of spending your money wisely while protecting your image and investment.

Partner Post Written by: 

Scott Oldham - Business Development Manager with LSI.  www.LandscapeServicesInc.com

Supporting Autism Speaks

In celebration of our 50th Anniversary, Ghertner & Company’s “Giving Back to our Community” effort supports non-profit organizations within Middle Tennessee who are making a difference in the lives of those they serve.  Autism Speaks was the recipient of the August donation and emphasis.  Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions, across the spectrum and throughout the life span, for the needs of individuals with autism and their families through advocacy and support; increasing understanding and acceptance of people with autism spectrum disorder; and advancing research into causes and better interventions for autism spectrum disorder and related conditions.  Representatives from Autism Speaks shared with and fielded questions by Ghertner & Company associates on Friday, August 24th.  Learn more at AutismSpeaks.org.