WATER METERS COMING SOON…WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR TENANTS?
The village of Mendon was one of the last villages in the state to have still have flat rate water and sewer billing, but that is about to change. By the end of summer, most places in the village will have outdoor meters installed. The village will only be installing one meter per building at Leisure Time. That means a meter will be installed outside of the A complex, the B complex, and the duplex at 337 and 339 East. The duplex at 334 and 336 East already has a meter. You will not get a separate bill for water. Water will still be included in your rent. You can still use water as you normally would, but be mindful not to leave the hose on too long while watering outdoor plants, etc. as we will not be on a flat rate soon. While the meter is being installed the water will be shut off for your building. The shut-offs will be during the work day and will be for no longer than an hour. Steve will let you know when those installations will be happening when he is notified by the village. LEISURE TIME TENANTS CAN SOON RENT STORAGE SPACE! We have been working hard to turn the metal storage barn out back into rentable storage area for our tenants. We will have a bay with many shelves available for rent for small items and stuff in boxes, and possibly a large bay for vehicle or large item storage. Right now, we are only considering renting space to our current tenants. If you are interested in possibly renting shelf or floor space in the metal barn, contact Steve at 269-808-0790 SPRING CLEANING With spring comes spring cleaning, both indoors and outdoors. If you have items that are too bulky to throw in the dumpster, they can be set in the back storage yard by the old metal buildings. Steve will make trips to the dump this spring to get rid of large items. If you need items hauled out of your apartment and you can’t lift or move them, call Steve and he can arrange a time that he or someone else can come over and get them out for you! Text or call 269-808-0790. WANT TO HAVE A SUMMER GATHERING OR COOKOUT? Feel free to use the horseshoe pit and firepit and firewood, along with the plastic folding tables and chairs near the storage barn for small outdoor gatherings you may have. We also have a small propane grill in storage to lend out for gatherings. Call Steve if you need something set up. THE FASTEST INTERNET IN MICHIGAN - AVAILABLE IN YOUR APARTMENT! Did you know that, due to having state of the art fiber optic internet service, Mendon has the fastest and best internet in the state. Leisure Time paid the set up fee for each apartment so that the internet cables are hooked up to your apartment. With high-speed internet, you can enjoy local and national television channels, movie services like Netflix, HBO, HULU and Disney+ and outstanding internet speed for your computer and home WIFI network, with the ability to set up an internet phone for your apartment if you like. All of this starts at a cost of just $65/month. Interested? Call Midwest Energy Cooperative at 800-492-5989 or visit them on the internet at www.teammidwest.com. KEEPING THE YARDS GREEN AND CLEAN As you probably know, you live in one of the nicest looking apartment complexes around. We take a lot of pride in keeping our lawns green and clean. That is why it is so important to be sure that spare items are not being stored on the lawns. As you may recall, our rental agreements say that you rent the patio and sidewalk, while we take care of everything else. This means you need to keep items like extra yard furniture, bikes, and the like off of the lawn areas. Thanks! DOES YOUR APARTMENT HAVE… A fire extinguisher? A working carbon monoxide detector? A working smoke alarm? Let Steve know if you need any of these. DON’T FORGET…RENT CHANGES COMING JANUARY 1
You were sent a letter in the summer outlining the changes in rent coming up in January. The new rental amounts will be due with January’s rent payment. Call Steve if you have questions ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR A STATE INCOME TAX CREDIT? Many folks don’t know it, but renters can get a tax credit and money back on their state income taxes in some cases. You may be eligible for a credit (called the “Homestead Property Tax Credit”) if you rent and you have less than $63,000 of money coming in each year (including social security). The amount of the credit varies but it can be over several hundred dollars. EVEN IF YOU DO NOT NORMALLY NEED TO FILE A RETURN YOU CAN QUALIFY, and you can get the refund with only filing minimal paperwork. Talk to your tax preparer to see if you qualify. WINTER PLOWING We are happy to say we have kept the same plowing contractor as we have had for the past two years, because they do a good job and plow us out early on. Zach Cipriano, will also be around to check on folks and see if they need sidewalks cleared out after large snow events. SIDEWALK SALT AND SAND If you find your front walk is slippery or has a lot of ice that will not come off easily, we can get you a small container of sidewalk salt and sand. If you use salt on your sidewalk, please know that you do not have to put a lot on to get it to work, and too much hurts the concrete. Use sand with your salt (or you can use just sand) to get a good grip in ice and snow. NEED SOMETHING FIXED? Need something fixed or looked at? For non-emergencies call or text Steve M-F during normal business hours at 269-808-0790. If it is an emergency that may cause harm/discomfort to you or damage to property, call Steve at any time and leave a message stating it is an emergency and he will get back to you. Heating Problems? - Call Steve and he will get someone out to take a look! ZACH CIPRIANO IS A KEY PART OF LEISURE TIME MAINTENANCE We are pleased to say that Zach Cipriano continues to be our “winter maintenance guy”. Zach will be keeping an eye on things and doing simple repairs and minor sidewalk snow removal when needed. Zach is a family member , but he owns his own handyman service and is also very familiar with Leisure TIme, as he has assisted Steve for years. Say hello to Zach should you see him around this winter. DOWN THE DRAIN (OR NOT)! Remember, what you flush down the toilet or pour down the sinks can cause problems for your drainage and that of other tenants. The biggest cause of blockage is from kitchen grease and “flushable” wipes. Even though they say “flushable” they do not break down and can get caught in the drain lines. Please dispose of wipes or hygiene products in the trash. Also, if you have a pan full of cooking grease, please let it cool and dispose of it in the trash. Thanks for helping us to avoid costly and inconvenient repairs. OUR HOLIDAY GIFT TO YOU Every year since Leisure Time started in 1976, our family has given a small gift to each of our tenants to say “we appreciate you” and to celebrate the year. In the early days, everyone was given a poinsettia, but the times have changed. This year, as we have for the past several years, we are enclosing a gift certificate to a local business. This year it is again the Family Affair Restaurant. Whether it is dine in or take out, we hope you enjoy the food and sense of community that Roxanne and her crew provide there. Happy Holidays! IMPROVEMENTS COMING THIS SUMMER
Since we got so much maintenance done last year, this year should be much quieter on the upkeep front. The only major activity we have this summer is a crew who will come in and put a new layer of black coating on the drives and seal the cracks. Steve will let you know what to do when that time comes. Thanks for your help and patience. SPRING CLEANING With spring comes spring cleaning, both indoors and outdoors. If you have items that are too bulky to throw in the dumpster, they can be set in the back storage yard by the old metal buildings. Steve will make trips to the dump this spring to get rid of large items. If you need items hauled out of your apartment and you can’t lift or move them, call Steve and he can arrange a time that he or someone else can come over and get them out for you! Text or call 269-808-0790. RECYCLING MADE EASY We know that many tenants actively support recycling. We want to let you know that Michiana Waste Disposal, our waste hauler, goes through everything put into their dumpsters and pulls out the materials that they can recycle, so much of the garbage you deposit is already recycled. if you feel the need to sort, your efforts do help! WANT TO HAVE A SUMMER GATHERING OR COOKOUT? Feel free to use the horseshoe pit, fire pit, and firewood along with the plastic folding tables and chairs near the storage barn for small outdoor gatherings. We also have a small propane grill in storage to lend out for gatherings. Call Steve if you need something set up. THE FASTEST INTERNET IN MICHIGAN - AVAILABLE IN YOUR APARTMENT! Did you know that, due to having state of the art fiber optic internet service, Mendon has the fastest and best internet in the state. Leisure Time paid the set up fee for each apartment so that the internet cables are hooked up to your apartment. With high speed internet, you can enjoy local and national television channels, movie services like Netflix, HBO, HULU and Disney+ and outstanding internet speed for your computer and home WIFI network, with the ability to set up an internet phone for your apartment if you like. All of this starts at a cost of just $65/month. Interested? Call Midwest Energy Cooperative at 800-492-5989 or visit them on the internet at www.teammidwest.com. KEEPING THE YARDS GREEN AND CLEAN We take a lot of pride in keeping our lawns green and clean. That is why it is so important to be sure that spare items are not being stored on the lawns. As you may recall, our rental agreements say that you rent the patio and sidewalk, while we take care of everything else. This means that you need to keep items like extra yard furniture, bikes, and the like off of the lawn areas. We can recommend nearby storage rental businesses to store extra items, but to keep things looking great, you need to keep your patio areas neat and the lawn areas free of spare items. Thanks! Our groundskeepers appreciate it. DOES YOUR APARTMENT HAVE… A fire extinguisher? A working carbon monoxide detector? A working smoke alarm? Let Steve know if you need any of these. LEISURE TIME GARDEN SET TO GROW AGAIN THIS YEAR This is due to the efforts of master gardener, Jonatha Johnston in A2. Want to help out and enjoy some yummy treasures of summer? Get a hold of Jonatha for ways to help. THE COA NEWSLETTER Over the past few months, Steve has been putting the county’s Commission on Aging (COA) monthly newsletter in your door as a service to you. It is chock full of information on senior activities, meal sites, transportation, and services. If you would like to have the newsletter mailed to you to make sure you get it each month,, fill out the form below and mail it in with payment for a subscription fee of $11/year. From mobility assistance and transport to Medicaid/Medicare programs and home care, St. Joseph County has multiple services on offer when it comes to helping you live to the fullest.
The St. Jo COA, located at 306 N. Franks Ave in Sturgis, is open Monday - Friday from 8 am - 4 p.m. You can call them at (269) 279-8083 for more information or visit their website at the link here: https://sjccoa.com/services/sjccoa.com/services/ The St. Joseph Transit Authority offers barrier free transport services and more for those looking to get out an about in the area. To see all that they provide, transport schedules, and medical escorts, call at 269-273-7808 or visit their website at the link: https://sjcta.info/# In reference to our recent newsletter, here is an informative video on why "flushable" wipes are not actually flushable and need to be disposed of instead. And wipes aren't the only things that cause problems with plumbing: paper towels, sanitary hygiene products, and napkins can be just as harmful too! So please remember to only flush toilet paper to keep your pipes running cleanly and smoothly. A BANNER YEAR FOR THE GARDEN AND GROUNDS!
They say that “teamwork makes the dream work”. That is so true when it comes to our grounds, which looked particularly sharp this year. Jonatha led the charge in the garden, while Carlena, Dave, and Bob pitched in to help with mowing, trimming and keeping things clean. Well done! WINTER PLOWING CHANGES AHEAD To provide faster plowing service during snowstorms, we have decided to change plowing contractors. This means the plows should be through at an earlier time than ever, allowing you to get out and about sooner. Steve will also be moving the yellow road blocks out of the way on the south drive, so that the plow truck has easier access to all of the drives. FALL CLEAN UP Remember your rental agreement states that you rent the concrete outside only and not the grounds. Please be sure to remove items off the grounds and clean up any plantings you have made that have died out for the year. Dead plant material can be taken to the burn pit in the back. Also, if you have large items that you need to dispose of but cannot or should not go in the dumpster (such as small appliances, TV’s, furniture, and the like), you can put them beside the metal storage barns in the back and Steve will dispose of them. Steve can also pick them up while he is around, so give him a call and let him know. FURNACE FILTERS If you did not get them yet, everyone in A and B complex should soon have their two furnace filters for the winter. Each lasts about 3 months, so be sure to change your filter in January. Steve will also be checking to see that smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries are changed. DOWN THE DRAIN (OR NOT)! Remember, what you flush down the toilet or pour down the sinks can cause problems for your drainage and that of other tenants. The biggest cause of blockage is from kitchen grease and “flushable” wipes. Even though they say “flushable” they do not break down and clog the drain lines. Please dispose of wipes or hygiene products in the trash. Also, if you have a pan full of cooking grease, please let it cool and dispose of it in the trash. Thanks for helping us to avoid costly and inconvenient repairs. NEED SOMETHING FIXED? Need something fixed or looked at? For non-emergencies call or text Steve M-F during normal business hours at 269-808-0790. If it is an emergency that may cause harm/discomfort to you or damage to property, call Steve at any time and leave a message stating it is an emergency and he will get back to you. Heating Problems? - Call Steve and he will get someone out to take a look! PLOWING AND PARKING - SNOW WILL BE HERE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT! In order to make sure that everyone in the A and B complexes has a main parking space and 1 guest parking space, we have drawn out this map. By following this, everyone has 2 spaces for their use, without blocking the other tenants. Please do not have guests park on the grass, as this tears up the lawn. When we get a big snowfall the truck comes to clear the connecting drives. During these times, try to keep the connecting drives clear of cars, so the plow truck can do the best job possible. Thanks! |
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