Who is my neighbor?

“Good fences make good neighbors,” wrote the poet Robert Frost. And in apartment buildings, good walls make good neighbors.

Apartment walls that are solid block out most of the noise from the neighboring apartments. When the walls are thin, that’s when it’s easy to hear what is going on in the unit next door.

Different people have different habits, said Rich Lucas, regional vice president of Resource Residential, owner of The Bingham. “What bothers one person may not bother another, and vice versa.”

The key is to get to know your neighbors so that you can address issues before they become a problem.

Invite your neighbors over

Many renters make a concerted effort to get to know their neighbors as soon as they move into an apartment. Once you have settled in, knock on the doors of the apartments that are near yours and introduce yourself. If the neighbors seem to be friendly, say that you would like to invite them to join you for a cup of coffee or a drink, whichever feels more comfortable.

If it seems awkward to invite someone you don’t know into your apartment, suggest that you meet in the building’s lounge or a coffee shop.

Sitting down with new neighbors and chatting informally over a drink is a great way to get to know each other. You may find that you have a lot in common. Or, you could have little in common, other than that you both chose to live in the same apartment complex. If that’s the case, focus the conversation on the building.

In addition to getting to know the people who live next door, you are also laying the groundwork for preventing a misunderstanding or harsh words in the future. It is much harder to get angry with someone that you know than with a person that you have not met before.

Start conversations

Another way to meet other residents is to start a conversation. If you see someone in the mailroom that you have never met, take a few minutes to introduce yourself and chat. You can do the same thing in the lobby, elevators, fitness center, laundry room, or wherever else you encounter other residents.

Resident relations

Larger apartment communities often plan social activities to help residents to meet each other. Resident events “help create a sense of community,” said Lucas.

They may include pizza parties, meet and greets, Super Bowl parties, and even resident appreciation events.

Appreciation, events enable residents to meet each other and at the same time allows the staff to meet the residents.

Some apartment communities organize social events as a way to promote their facilities. Residents are encouraged to invite their friends to these events with the hope that a few of the guests may be in the market for a new apartment.

Organize a building event

Perhaps you live in a smaller apartment building that does not have a resident relations program. You can always take the initiative to organize an activity that would get all of the residents together.

For starters, think about an event that focuses on food; everybody likes to eat. The event could be something as simple as a potluck dinner served in the building’s community room. Invite all of the residents in the building to bring a dish to share. It’s fun to taste other people’s cooking and easy to start conversations just by commenting on the food.

For an apartment building that doesn’t have a community room, how about organizing a potluck picnic on the front lawn or patio? Each person could bring a favorite dish, and you could ask the building management to provide the beverages.

If a potluck meal sounds like too much work, how about something as simple as an ice cream social on a hot summer’s evening? The building management could provide the ice cream, toppings, and beverages. All you would have to do would be to set a date and time and get the word out to your fellow residents.

Volunteering to help organize social activities is a good way for residents to get to know each other. Going door to door in a building, putting up signs, and decorating with banners and streamers are all little tasks that help contribute to the success of an event. It is important to have as many volunteers as possible to help.

Tips on getting to know apartment neighbors

When you are a new resident in an apartment building, there are several things that you can do to get to know your neighbors:

• Introduce yourself to the neighbors next door to you.

• Invite neighbors over for coffee.

• Start conversations with other residents in the building.

• Participate in organized social activities.

• Volunteer to help with social events or serve on committees.

Hot Air Balloon Festival

Friday, July 15, 4 to10 pm – Balloons & Festival

Saturday July 16, 7 to11am–Balloons & Breakfast

Saturday, July 16, 4 to10 pm—Car Show, Balloons & Festival

Sunday, July 17, 7 to11 am-Balloons

FESTIVAL ENDS AFTER SUNDAY MORNING EVENTS

Come for the weekend . . .

Hot Air Balloon Competition

Team Fastrax Pro Skydiving

Balloon Glows

Arts & Crafts

Variety Entertainment

Festival Foods

Carnival Rides & Games

Many new and exciting family experiences

Admission….

$8—parking with shuttle OR $3 walk-in admission (12 years and older) Morning activities—FREE admission Smith Park, Middletown

Contact….

513-705-1770

Www.MidUSAOhioChallenge.com 

Best Balloon Watching Tricks

The best viewing spot is at MidUSA Ohio Challenge in Smith Park. Even-ing flights will launch from Smith Park/Middletown Regional Airport and fly elsewhere to accomplish their assigned competition tasks. Morning flights will launch at a location away from the field and attempt to fly to targets at Smith Park/Hook Field. (The special shape balloons will fly out of the site in the mornings as other balloons attempt to fly in.)

To earn points, balloon pilots drop a 3 1/2 ounce bag of beans with their pilot number on the streamer as near as possible to the center of a ground target—a huge fabric ―X‖ at the target site chosen for that flight. There are many variations on the task(s) assigned at the pre-flight briefing—shortest flight, longest flight, multiple drop zones, hare and hound…. The site an-nouncer will explain the tasks during each flight time.

Ballooning is a sport that does not adhere to the clock and launches happen when the wind speeds are best. Balloons fly in the early morning and early evening, just after sunrise and just before sunset, when the winds are lightest—5 to 10 miles per hour. A breeze may feel good on a warm day but it may mean that a balloon cannot fly. Sit back, relax and enjoy the day. Ballooning is a gentle sport that goes where the wind blows and only where the wind blows. If you find that balloons cannot fly today, continue to enjoy the enter-tainment and know that if they could fly, they would fly. Safety is the primary reason flights are cancelled.

4th of July Fireworks

Sunday, July 3 6:00pm to 10:00pm

at Colonial Park West, Lebanon, OH

Park opens at 6pm, live music, kid activities, food vendors and fireworks at 10 pm

Middletown Independence Day Parade Celebration

Monday, July 4 10:00am

at Downtown Middletown, Middletown, OH

Middletown Area Memorial Day Association presents the Annual Independence Day Parade Celebration, Monday July 4, at 10:00 a.m.

49th annual Fourth of July Parade

Monday, July 4 10:00am

at Butler County Fairgrounds, Hamilton, OH

Honorary Grand Marshall will be U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch. The theme chosen for this year’s parade and festivities is “It’s a Grand Old Flag!” Parade will begin at the fairgrounds, then to Ohio Route 4, and then to High Street, and will conclude just past the Butler County Court House. Parade is sponsored by the Michael J. Colligan Fund of the Hamilton Community Foundation and the 4th of July Committee. Fireworks display will be at 10 p.m. over the Great Miami River near downtown Hamilton.

Red White Blue Ash

MAIN STAGE ENTERTAINMENT
2:30pm – Exile
5:00pm – Blue Sky Riders
8:15pm – Kenny Loggins
ROZZI’S FAMOUS FIREWORKS
10:00 – 10:35pm

CITY OF BLUE ASH
PARKS & RECREATION
4433 Cooper Road
Blue Ash, Ohio 45242
513-745-8500

-During peak cooling hours, solar heat coming through unshaded windows can account for 1/3 of the load on your air conditioner.  Close the drapes on the sunny side of your home while you are there or close all window coverings if you are leaving for the day.

-Turn air conditioners to the highest comfortable setting.  We recommend 76-78 degrees when you are home and 80 degrees while you are away.  Adjusting your thermostat up a few degrees will have a significant impact on your cooling bill.

-Clean or replace your air filter monthly, or as needed.

-Turn off unnecessary lights and use energy-efficient bulbs that give off less heat.  Energy efficient light bulbs can use up to 75% less energy than standard bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.

-Humidity is a significant load on an air conditioner.  While it’s tempting to give your air conditioner a rest on cool nights, watch the weather forecast before you decide to open the windows at night.  If tomorrow is going to be hot again, keep the a/c on and your home closed through the night to keep the humidity out of the house.

-Shut all vents downstairs except kitchen.  Do not block return vents.  Keep closet doors closed and bedroom doors open.

Resident Appreciation Event  

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Visit our pool from 12-4 and receive a FREE Domino’s Pizza!

Hang out and play games!

B.Y.O.C. = Bring Your Own Chair

The Maple Oaks office will be closed on Friday, June 17, 2011 for our yearly company wide outing. 

We will reopen on Saturday, June 18, 2011.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

That’s right – it’s time!   The Maple Oaks pool is now open for the summer.  Pool hours are 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily during the season.

Please review our pool rules to ensure a safe and fun summer: 

1. Only 2 guests per household.
2. No toys/floats (except arm floats) permitted in pool.
3. No pets allowed.
4. Residents responsible for the actions and behaviors of their children and guests.
5. Management/owner not responsible for loss or damage to personal property.
6. If lighting approaches, leave pool area immediatley.
7. Proper swim attire is required.  No diapers allowed.
8. Management/owner assume no responsibility for your safety.
9. Glass, food and alcohol prohibited.
10. No running, jumping or diving.
11. You agree to follow the directions of the pool monitors.
12. The pool is for the enjoyment of all residents.  Disruptive behavior will result in your pool privledges being revoked. 
13. No life gaurd on duty.  Swim at your own risk.
14. Children age under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Mother’s Day is the time to give regard to our moms, to show honor and respect and to tell them know much we love and care about them.  Make your Mother’s Day filled with your own sweet memories by adding a little humor with some modern day sayings to the one woman who has  always tried to make you feel happy even in times of distress.

Modern Mothers Sayings

• Money does not grow on trees.
• When you have your own house then you can make the rules!
• Always change your underwear; you never know when you’ll have an accident.
• Do not make that face or it will freeze in that position.
• Be careful or you will put your eye out.
• What if everyone jumped off a cliff? Would you do it, too?
• You have enough dirt behind those ears to grow potatoes!
• Close that door! Were you born in a barn?
• If you cannot say something nice, do not say anything at all.
• Do not put that in your mouth; you do not know where it has been!

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.”           

~ Abraham Lincoln

Happy Mother’s Day from the Maple Oaks Staff!