Volume 12
From the Property Manager’s Office… I wanted to give you an update of the work that has been happening here at the Braxton and what I reported on at the Board of Director’s meeting last week. I will comment on just a few items that will be of most interest to you: 1 Black Turkey vultures - I would like to think the Mylar tape we added to the roof helped to make the vultures go away, but it may just have been time for them to leave. So we are monitoring it closely. So far, we have not had any for about 5 weeks. 2 We have addressed a few maintenance issues with the HVAC system. Our new HVAC company, LEE Company, has really been doing a great job so far. 3 We initiated some work on fixing the Conservice billing issues, and phase I just got underway. We contracted with LEE Company, and they have already resolved the first issue. So we continue this work over the next 30 days. 4 Our new landscape service started March 1, and you can also see some of their initial work. 5 We had all the cloth furniture in the Common areas cleaned and they look much better. The Board has asked the Decorating Committee to bring recommendations and a plan to start replacing some of the furniture, focusing on durability and better wear factor in the Common areas. 6 The Board is reviewing several HOA Policies and Guidelines. Be on the watch for these as they roll out over the next few weeks. One policy I have submitted is an Emergency Contacts & Procedure policy that will include an evacuation process. 7 We will be installing panic bar and door closure hardware on doors in the Club Room, Library, Pool Table Room, and both Fitness areas. The door in the Club Room will be unlocked during the day when the Front Desk is staffed. 8 We also just awarded a new contract for trash removal to Queen City Disposal. They will begin service on April 28. 9 Security – We are very active in looking at all forms of security at the Braxton. This includes door security (codes, FOBs, keypads, biometrics), security cameras, manned security, police patrols, and more. 10 Committees –We have several committees in place, comprised of Braxton Owners. A few of them are meeting and providing good input to the Board and Property Manager. And yes, the list goes on… As always, I encourage your feedback and suggestions. I can’t always do everything in the timeframe you may desire, but nothing gets ignored or forgotten. They are all shared with the Board. Always include your name on the Suggestion Card at the Front Desk so I can contact you if additional information is needed. And, you can always schedule time with me in my office. Thanks!!! Ray
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YOUR BRAXTON COMMITTEES
Finance & Budget Committee Tom Boles, chair Don Cochran Robert Mallory Brenda Williams Johnnie Jackson, ex officio Landscape Committee David Coode Cindy Clowers Reba Armstrong Randy Smith Facilities & Infrastructure Committee Jerry Koch Phil Leftwich Doug Orear - Recycling Communications Committee Carol Yost, Newsletter Phil Leftwich, Media
Social Committee Reba Armstrong Roxy Roberts Brenda Williams Decorating & Interior Enhancements Committee Reba Armstrong Roxy Roberts Sandra Sprouse Brenda Williams
Legal Committee Gregg Treadway Sue Evans Bill Evans, ex offcio Safety Committee Randy Kennedy Amenities Committee Bob Schafer Bob Story
Notes from the Editor Just a note to share my thoughts on the terrific job that Ray Hibbs is doing for us at the Braxton! Our Board made a great decision when they brought Ray in, and our residents seem to be so pleased with the manner that he carries out the day to day operations requested by our Board. If you have suggestions, place them in the suggestion box with your name and unit number on it and Ray will present it to the Board at the next meeting. I am very pleased with the professional way we are headed at the Braxton ! Carol
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Congrats to Our Award Winners! On March 4 we held our annual awards ceremony to honor the many volunteers who make a difference at Colby’s Army. This year the ceremony was held at The Braxton Condos in Ashland City, which was fitting, as a wonderful group of people who live at the Braxton were awarded our Group Volunteers of the Year. We gave out more than twenty various awards to deserving volunteers. Congratulations to all!
Contact Information Lisa Wysocky, executive director Colby’s Army, Inc PO Box 90464, Nashville, TN 37209
[email protected] http://www.ColbysArmy.org http://www.Facebook.com/ColbysArmy http://www.twitter.com/colbysarmy
Press Conference! On February 24 Brenda Williams and Sherry Gading attended a press conference at Colby’s Army that announced a collaboration with Ellis Jaxon Farms in Georgia that will allow us to grow organic produce inside in aeroponic towers. This produce will then help us feed hungry men, women, and families who are homeless, as well as teach children and adults how to grow healthy food. We also plan to sell some of the produce this summer. We received great coverage from a number of media outlets, including WTVF News 5. View their clip here.
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RANDY SMITH AND LINDA RAICES Randy was born in a small Missouri town called White Church (population 58…we were not kidding about the small part). His parents owned the grocery store and feed mill in town, and Randy attended a one room school house! He later moved to Aurora, Mo. Randy joined a packaging company, and according to him, he successfully sold empty boxes for 37 years and no one ever caught on! Randy was the youngest president in the Elks Club and was also president of the Franklin High Booster Club when his kids were in school. Linda is also from Missouri (St. Louis) where her Dad worked for a car dealership. Linda’s Mother was a dorm mother for over 700 boys, who all lovingly called her “Mom”. Linda was a stewardess for Braniff Airlines and later became a special education middle school teacher. She started a girl scout troop for special needs girls and started a NEA movement for the special school district called the Missouri State School System. Linda also was part owner/manager of the oldest neighborhood tavern/BBQ restaurant in Springfield, Mo. called Pappy’s Place. It is still there today, and was rather like Cheers (everyone knew your name) Randy has two children, Jeff and Andrea, whose husband Evan was the host of a TV show called “While you were out” (I loved that show) They have two grandchildren, Garrison, 8 and Ford, 5 Although Randy and Linda attended the same college (MSU) they did not meet while there but found each other at a later date.. They share a love of travel and even had thoughts of living in San Miguel, Mexico at one point. The both golf (they just attended the Master’s Tournament this year…we are jealous). Both are giant Cardinal baseball fans. Randy and Linda love flowers and gardening and create a garden that supplies flowers that Linda turns into wonderful arrangements. They supply the local nursing homes (and our Braxton Lobby) with what seems like an endless supply of flowers to make us smile when we walk in the lobby. Linda is an avid reader and loves British novels and TV. Randy loves to cook, BBQ and walk. They are joined living at the Braxton by Emily (perkiest older dog you’ve ever seen) and their newest addition, Paws (cool cat). Randy wants to remind our golfing residents to sign up for the May 5 th Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing at the Highland Rim Golf course. Information is available at the front desk and in this newsletter. Marion Koch
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Three Reasons Why Joint Accounts May Be a Poor Estate Plan Many people, especially seniors, see joint ownership of investment and bank accounts as a cheap and easy way to avoid probate since joint property passes automatically to the joint owner at death. Joint ownership can also be an easy way to plan for incapacity since the joint owner of accounts can pay bills and manage investments if the primary owner falls ill or suffers from dementia. These are all true benefits of joint ownership, but three potential drawbacks exist as well:
1
Risk. Joint owners of accounts have complete access and the ability to use the funds for their own purposes. Many elder law attorneys have seen children who are caring for their parents take money in payment without first making sure the amount is accepted by all the children. In addition, the funds are available to the creditors of all joint owners, i.e., the son you place on your savings account could go incur significant debt or file for bankruptcy and his creditors could stake a claim on your money. What if you add your daughter to your accounts only to find out a month or two later that she and her husband have filed for divorce and that your money is part of their property settlement negotiation? And, assets held in jointly titled accounts could be considered as belonging to all joint owners should they apply for public benefits or financial aid with the result being that they are disqualified for being over resourced.
2
Inequity. If a senior has one or more children on certain accounts, but not all children, at her death some children may end up inheriting more than the others. While the senior may expect that all of the children will share equally, and often they do in such circumstances, there's no guarantee. People with several children can maintain accounts with each, but they will have to constantly work to make sure the accounts are all at the same level, and there are no guarantees that this constant attention will work, especially if funds need to be drawn down to pay for care.
3
The Unexpected. A system based on joint accounts can really fail if a child passes away before the parent. Then it may be necessary to seek conservatorship to manage the funds or they may ultimately pass to the surviving siblings with nothing or only a small portion going to the deceased child's family. For example, a mother put her house in joint ownership with her son to avoid probate and Medicaid’s estate recovery claim. When the son died unexpectedly, the daughter-in-law was left high and dry despite having devoted the prior six years to caring for her husband's mother.
Joint accounts do work well in two situations. First, when a senior has just one child and wants everything to go to him or her, joint accounts can be a simple way to provide for succession and asset management. It has some of the risks described above, but for many clients the risks are outweighed by the convenience of joint accounts. Second, it can be useful to put one or more children on one's checking account to pay customary bills and to have access to funds in the event of incapacity or death. Since these working accounts usually do not consist of the bulk of a client's estate, the risks listed above are relatively minor. For the rest of a senior's assets, wills, trusts and durable powers of attorney are much better planning tools. They do not put the senior's assets at risk. They provide that the estate will be distributed as the senior wishes without constantly rejiggering account values or in the event of a child's incapacity or death. And they provide for asset management in the event of the senior's incapacity. All the best, Gregg Treadway Attorney & Counselor at Law
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Buffalo Chili & Music
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On Friday, February 17, our Braxton family was treated to a concert and chili supper by the hugely talented Jerde family and their band, Zeona Road. They played, sang, danced and, generally speaking, put on a great show – and it seemed as if they enjoyed it as much as we did! The chili was good too, and there was plenty of it, complemented by other dishes contributed by Braxton residents. Emily Jerde, can we do this again? It’ll be chili weather again in six months or so, and South Dakota is not all that far away, is it? Diane Skelton
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Most of us have been walking since we were a year old, but may not be fully appreciative of the incredible and valuable impact that it can have on our daily lives. I can’t overstate the positive influence it has had for me since I began in the late 70’s walking on a regular basis, using a variety of distances and techniques. A friend introduced me to the book “Heavy Hands Walking” by Dr. Leonard Schwartz and it not only made my daily walks less boring, but helped me increase tone and bone density. As we get older, it is easy to lose strength, and it is so important to do all we can to maintain that bone density. So often, we hear that someone fell and broke a hip, but doctors say that it is more likely that a hip broke, causing the fall (all due to diminished strength and bone density). Getting stronger by building muscles is the way the body says to the bones “you must get denser or you may break?” Other benefits of a regular, brisk walk are: *Maintain a healthy weight *Prevent or manage various conditions such as heart disease, blood pressure issues and Type 2 Diabetes *Improving your mood *Improving balance and coordination Over the years, I have been amazed at how many of life’s challenges have been resolved and/or figured out after a 30-45 minute walk. Maybe it was tackling family issues, raising children, problems with customers, or dealing with family illnesses; walking allowed not just a healing refuge but also solutions became clear so many times during these walks! We have such a perfect setting here at the Braxton for all of us to walk safely and immediately improve your mood and outlook, It is 2/10th of a mile around the parking lot so start with a comfortable lap or two and increase over time. Later, you may want to grab 2 pound hand weights and swing your arms as you explore our beautiful home on the river. I have learned that walking is even better when you least feel like doing anything. But gee, it is only a lap or two. Walk with a friend…you are more likely to get up and go if that friend is waiting in the lobby for you. I also think that more neighbors walking will allow us to meet more of our neighbors and heighten awareness of our property and it’s safety. Make walking a part of your future and you won’t regret it!!! See you out there……………….Randy Smith #607
Anyone interested in playing cards (or learning to play)??? Please feel free to join us for any of the following times in the game room: Tuesday. 7pm. Texas hold'em Thursday 1pm. Hand and Foot (a variation of Canasta) Sunday 2pm. Beginner's Texas Hold 'em
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Celebrity Chef Sandra Ray
SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON AND PINE NUTS Toasted pine nuts add a surprisingly rich and luxurious note to the usually spare oil and garlic sauce. Keep a careful watch on the nuts as they toast because they quickly turn from golden brown to burnt. Serves 4 1/4 cup pine nuts
1 pound spaghetti or other long, thin pasta
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaft parsley leaves
Salt
Ground black pepper
1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot for cooking the pasta. 2. Toast the nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until just golden and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.
Set the nuts aside on a plate. 3. Process the garlic through a garlic press into a small bowl, stir in 1 teaspoon water. Heat the oil, diluted garlic and 1 teaspoon Salt in the empty skillet and turn the heat to low. Cook very slowly until the garlic turns golden, about 3 minutes. Be careful Not to brown the garlic or your sauce will be bitter. Remove from heat. 4. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta. Cook until al dente, train, allowing some of the cooking Water to cling to the noodles. Return the dripping noodles to the pot and toss with the toasted nuts, oil mixture, zest and Parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among 4 pasta bowls and serve immediately.
