April Fox Talk
Digest
VOLUME 7, ISSUE 3 2001
Deadline for Submissions:
1st of each month
Editors: Maurice & Ruth Dean
147 Foxboro Drive

http://www.geocities.com/foxtalkbackissues/bann01.gif

Articles:
Homeowners Association
Manager's Duties
Grounds
Furnace Follow Up

Events:
Calendar
Garage Sale
Past Events
Upcoming Events
WELLNESS

Social:
S & B Club
Care Committee
Stigters

Notices:
Special Notice
Bird Atlas
Library News
Recipe
Donations

Spring?

Springtime once again. The temperature may not be quite where we would like it to be but the days are getting longer and, finally, the snow banks appear to be diminishing. At least we can now see up and down the street as we back out of the driveway.

By the time you are reading this issue of Fox Talk, we will have moved to "Daylight Saving Time". We are not sure who came up with that particular title, probably some high level bureaucrat who received a fat bonus for creativity, but we have a bit of a problem in determining how much daylight has been saved and where it is stored. In truth, it seems to us that we actually lose some time. To start, we get up at our usual time, except it isn't, it is an hour later. Then we have to scurry around the house adjusting the time on every clock and time recorder in the house. Well at least most of them. Some have the decency to automatically adjust forward in the Spring and back in the Fall.

It seems to us that this self-adjusting feature is a definite must for us when acquiring a new time reliant piece of equipment. We are only just now figuring out how to program the VCR to record one television program while watching another. You may not believe it but every now and again, you have to look very carefully at the guide, there are two good, or possibly good, programs at the same time. Actually we think this is a deliberate scheduling effort to encourage the sale of VCRs. Rather than figure out how to program the one you have, just pop out and buy another for the second TV. Did we say VCR? How quaint, we meant DVD.

By the way, for all those who expressed an interest in the "chip wagon" (nobody from the Investment Club) it is a non-starter. It seems most of the residents are watching their cholesterol and have to stay away from "fries".

Community Calendar

April 2001
Fri. 6th 4:30 p.m. Happy Hour
Wed. 18th 1:30 p.m. Alberto's Beauty Afternoon
Fri. 27th 9:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Wellness Day

May 2001
Thurs. 3rd 2:00 p.m. All About "Outings"
Fri. 4th 4:30 p.m. Happy Hour
Sat. 26th 8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Garage Sale

Upcoming Special Events
Secretary-Marg Macdonald
Alberto's Beauty Afternoon
April 18th - 1:30 p.m. in Salons A & B

Look for a great afternoon with Alberto! He will demonstrate creative hair design right here in our Recreation Centre. One of us will be the model!

Along with Alberto we will hear from David Slaver, physiotherapist and sports medicine specialist, who will discuss with us the health benefits of sport and how to exercise safely. He will be pleased to answer questions so save them up.

As a part of this entertaining afternoon Alberto will provide wine, cheese, coffee & juice. Please sign-up on the bulletin board.

Foxboro Green: Wellness Day Program
Friday April 27th

At last April is here and the months of planning by the Care Committees will come to fruition as we play host to you, our residents, at the Wellness Workshop.

On the final page of this Fox Talk you will find a copy of the program.

Please attend the programs of interest to you. If all, attend all!

We look forward to having your support.

All About "Outings"
Thursday May 3rd - 2:00 p.m.

Come to the Recreation Centre and learn all about "Outings". Carla McLennan will tell us about trips she arranges for groups. She will take us to theatre in Toronto and to butterflies in Niagara. Come and hear about her organization, how it works and bring your ideas for exciting trips you'd like to take. Mark your calendar now.

Yoga

There will be a sign-up for Yoga in May, classes to begin in June. There will be places for 6 to 15 people for the first series of sessions. The sessions will be held Thursday mornings from 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. for 8 weeks.

Cost will be $80 for the 8 sessions. Watch the Special Events Board for more information.

Shunpiking Tour

Next tour will be June 7. Mark your calendar now and look for details in May Fox Talk.

Horseshoes

Yes, spring is here! Already Alberto Alves is preparing to organize community Horseshoe competitions. Please phone him at 634-5527 if you wish to join in this activity! If he is not at home leave him a message. He's waiting to hear from you. Horseshoes will not begin until all the snow is off the ground.

Garage Sale

Saturday, May 26th

Are you ready??
40-50 homes are participating
To those not participating we hope that this does not cause any inconvenience.

Past Events

Canada Blooms Marg Macdonald

What a wonderful day we had amidst the flowers, bushes and trees at Canada Blooms. There were three floors of beauty, restaurants, and booths with information about gardens, gardening and landscaping. Master gardeners answered even our most difficult questions. Some of us attended lectures: attracting wildlife to our backyards, tree selection for a backyard, growing clematis and, Italian Cooking with Herbs. The day offered such a variety of activities, scents, sights and sounds. Definitely an annual treat.

St Patrick's Celebration Marg Macdonald

A magical evening! All the Foxboro Leprechauns played, especially Tom Nairn and his group from the Twin City Harmonizers. They sang so sweetly-and so did we all!! We feasted on Kennedy's Irish stew. T'was the Leprechaun on Stacey's carrot cake (Ted's Bakery in Baden) which put us all in such good voice.

Many volunteers worked organizing this evening, decorating, setting tables, serving food and cleaning up afterward. Thank you all very, very much!

Donations

Joan Beveridge says that she will be going door-to-door collecting for the Cancer Society during the month of April.

Homeowners Association
Graham Macdonald
New Condominium Act to be Proclaimed

Yes, it's true! The new Condo Act will be proclaimed into law on May 5th, 2001. The regulations, for which we have all been waiting, were filed by the government on March 5. This paves the way for our community to restructure and to simplify the present unwieldy organization of multiple condos and a Homeowners Association. How this will be accomplished will require investigation, discussion and consultation. It will be possible to amalgamate all the condos into a single corporation, though this is not the only option. Other ways to deal with the situation are to form a Common Elements Condominium with the homes being simple freehold properties, or to form (say) three larger condos out of the final 19. There may be other options and the Executive Committee is gathering information to enable the pros and cons to be evaluated. Preliminary cost estimates of amalgamation are being obtained. We intend to hold open information sessions during the summer months on this matter. We do not want to rush into this process.

The new Act also imposes new procedures and bylaw requirements on the Condominiums. All directors are urged to attend the CCI/ACMO seminar on the regulations, to be held in Brantford on April 20. Cost is $25 for non-members. See the notice board in the mailroom or call Theresa at 742-3200 Ext 30 and she will register you.

Conveyance of Remaining Assets

An application to the Township of Wilmot Committee of Adjustment has been made by Foxboro Green Inc. for consent to convey all the common elements to the condos, while retaining easements for the servicing of the water and waste facilities. The hearing on this matter is on April 5, 2001 at 7 pm at the Council Chambers at the Township building at 60 Snyders Road, Baden. This is one of the essential steps in the process of setting up the conveyance.

FGHA presents at Walkerton Inquiry

Our Vice-Chair, Hanne Pedersen, spoke on behalf of the Homeowners Association at the Town Hall meeting of the Walkerton Inquiry, held at the Waterloo Inn on March 22. The brief highlighted our concern a) that the new regulation divides the responsibilities for water quality between two levels of local government and private sector organizations such as ours; and b) that the new regulation unfairly distributes the costs of water sampling, placing a higher financial burden on small water system owners such as ourselves.

Many groups, large and small, have echoed these concerns. We believe the Ontario government is listening and is prepared to make changes to the regulations, but is likely to maintain its stance of regulation, monitoring and enforcement rather than taking back the operational responsibilities that it has downloaded. The process goes on for at least a year.

Many thanks to Hanne for her work on this dossier.

Property Manager's Duties Re-assessed

We have completed the first five months of service by our Property Manager, Theresa. This has been a period of "getting to know you" by both parties. We have come to appreciate Theresa's positive attitude and her "I can do that for you" response has become most welcome to all the executive officers and the convenors of the operating committees. Our load is being lightened every week, leaving us the freedom to do more of the planning, and soon, we hope, to address a golf ball or two! In the future Theresa will be handling all the interactions with our contractors and suppliers that keep our facilities in good shape. Regular inspections of the property will ensure prompt attention to problem areas and wear and tear. She will be the single point of contact for resident concerns and questions. She will be assisting with the preparation of the budget for next year and will help to reassess our insurance coverage as we take ownership of the Rec. Centre and other assets. At least until the end of our fiscal year we will retain the financial reporting and bookkeeping functions and all collection and payment tasks. The costs of the expanded management role are within this year's budget and the scope of Phase II of the current contract.

S & B Club

9:30 a.m. Thursdays-Salon A
Come Stitch and Knit

Help to tie cuddle/lap quilts, knit, sew or crochet. Finish those items you started ages ago.

Check our quilts display at the Centre in early April. These quilts will go to Wilmot Resource Centre in New Hamburg. To raise more money to buy fabric, we will sell some for $20.00 each.

Coming up, Coffee Hour on May 10th. Enjoy coffee and a treat for a donation of one yard of fabric or cash.

For more information call June Davies at 634-5724.

Congratulations
to
Paul and Catherine Stigter
They Celebrated Their
60th Wedding Anniversary
March 5th, 2001

Special Notice
Theresa Tewfik
This is our second request.

Please allow our mail lady to finish delivering the mail before you try to pick-up yours. There are some residents who "stand around" watching her put it into the boxes. We could lose this service, so please wait until she has gone, then come back to pick-up your mail. Thank You.

Grounds Management Organization
Betty Spencer
Let's hope that by the time this information is in circulation, winter will be behind us and thoughts will be turning to golf, tennis and summer activities, plus the overall appearance of our community.

The Presentation Centre has been sold and will be removed by mid-May. Restoration of the area around the pavilion will be completed by the end of that month. However, landscaping will be left to us and we wonder if we have a landscape designer among us, who could draw up a plan, or if anyone has ideas for this project.

Please submit in writing, to Theresa (Property Manager).

The parking lot will also be gone and will either be seeded or sodded. It's an important area as we come into Foxboro Green and must be landscaped to everyone's satisfaction.

We hope that residents are looking into alternatives for spraying lawns this year.

"Enviro-Masters" is a company using organic programs, using only "Biodegradable Ground Water Safe Products". Call Dave at 519-662-4933 for more information.

"Eco Lawn" is a project funded by Eco-Action Region of Waterloo Community Health Department. Call 519-5787-8508 or 519-745-8362 or e-mail to [email protected].

Greenway has the list of the annuals which will be planted by them, as per contract. These were chosen by the ladies of the G.M.O. Horticultural Committee last October.

The six flower pots by the waterfall that are looking a little forlorn right now, require a volunteer or two to plant and tend them over the summer.

Please direct your calls on anything to do with the common areas, Greenway Lawn Care, lawn damage due to snow ploughing etc. to Theresa.

Volunteers are an integral part of our community and everyone is welcome to attend G.M.O. meetings. Watch the board in the mailroom for upcoming dates.

Thank you to Mary Ann Martin for the two lovely displays of spring flowers at the entrance to the Village Centre. What a welcome sight!!!

Furnace Follow Up
Graham Macdonald
First, I wish to thank everyone who has taken the time to fill out and return the survey form. This response and the thanks and expressions of support that I have received are most gratifying.
To date I have received 77 responses. Of these:
� 36 report problems that have required a service call;
� 11 out of 36 have had multiple failures/service calls;
� At least 15 people have had primary and/or secondary heat
exchanger failures. Some have been discovered only as a
result of my warning article last month and have been
replaced before a furnace shutdown occurred. More are being replaced as I write.

� There are reports of 15 igniter failure/replacements;
� 12 gas valve replacements; and
� 4 ventor/motor replacements.
� Miscellaneous replacements include transformer, pilot, control board.
� Most recent occupancy date of a failure is March 1999
(Gas valve, after 2 heating seasons)

Many of you have since called Hogg to have your furnace inspected and in many cases Hogg have either replaced the primary heat exchanger, or, if little damage is evident, installed bolts to prevent the plates separating if the rings do fail.

I urge all of you to have your furnaces inspected every year at the start of the heating season. In our previous older homes we have been used to ignoring our furnace that never seemed to need more than an occasional cleaning. Those machines had efficiencies ranging from 80% to 65% or less. Today one cannot buy a furnace with efficiency less than 80%. Our furnaces, new and clean, have efficiency up to 92%. To achieve this high fuel efficiency the water vapour formed in the combustion of natural gas must be condensed. The heat released by the condensation process is transferred to the ventilation air by the secondary heat exchanger and this is the reason your furnace has a water drain! Further efficiency is gained by not having a continuous burning pilot light. The igniter lights the pilot only when the furnace goes through its start up cycle.

As you can see, efficiency comes at the price of complexity. Complexity tends to decrease reliability and increase the cost of maintenance. So our wallets do not see much net benefit, but the environment does, because we burn less fuel more completely. With rising fuel costs we do contain our cost of heating by having a high efficiency furnace. An annual adjustment and cleaning of the furnace, including the secondary heat exchanger fins, will help to maintain its efficiency. Keep your air filters clean too.

A word about Warranty:

It is a condition of your warranty that you have proof of yearly service by a licensed contractor. My survey indicates that many of you have never had your furnace inspected or serviced, unless it has failed! (13 of 77 respondents indicated they had a service contract).

During the first 5 years after installation functional parts will be replaced if found defective in materials or workmanship. Both the primary and secondary heat exchangers will be replaced for as long as you, the original owner, own your house. Purchasers of resale homes have the warranty on the heat exchangers limited to 20 years from the date of original installation. Labour is not normally covered by the warranty.

I understand that there are manufacturer's Service Bulletins in effect on Primary Heat Exchanger and Igniter. The manufacturer gives their dealers a labour allowance on these

items. I have also reason to believe that there have been manufacturing defects in the Secondary Heat Exchangers and the Gas Valves. You should object strenuously to paying any labour charges for service calls caused by any of these components. If you have your work orders or invoices from previous repairs on which you paid labour charges, whether from Hogg (the installing contractor) or another contractor, you should send copies of them to Hogg (5 Hill Street, Kitchener, ON, N2L 3X4) with a strongly worded letter of dissatisfaction and concern over potential safety hazards, claiming a full refund. If this fails, send the same letter (or send it anyway) to:
International Comfort Products Corporation (Canada)
44 Elgin Street
P.O. Box 460
Brantford, ON N3T 5P4
Attention: Warranty Programs Manager.

Note also that both the Heil furnaces and the Keeprite furnaces are essentially identical. There may be some features or cosmetic differences, but the guts are the same, contain the same parts, built in the same factories by ICP with identical model numbers.

Second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas, 2001-2005
Graham Macdonald
The Second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas is being undertaken to develop an up-to-date and accurate picture of the status and distribution of all bird species throughout Ontario. The atlas is jointly managed by the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, Bird Studies Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ontario Field Ornithologists. It follows on the highly successful Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas carried out from 1981-1985, and is intended to help with conservation and protection of Ontario's birds through providing answers to key biological questions such as:
* What is the current distribution and relative densities of birds in Ontario?
* How have bird distributions changed in the past 20 years?
* Where are the "hotspots" of bird diversity in Ontario?
* What is the impact of human activities, such as rural development, forestry practices or wetland management, on bird populations?
* Have any species shown alarming declines that may require conservation action?
* Where are key locations for rare/threatened/endangered species in Ontario?

The success of this atlas, like that of the first one, will depend on the participation of volunteer birders to help collect data. Field work is being planned over a five-year period, from 2001-2005. Graham Macdonald is assisting in the survey of the 10km square centred approximately on New Hamburg. If you will be watching birds at any time during this period, you can help. Not only a bird on the nest, but observations of mating display, territorial behaviour, breeding indicators such as feeding young, nest building, broken eggshell, fledglings can all be used to confirm the breeding presence of a bird. If you see anything of interest, Graham will be glad to know (634-5633).

Keeping In Touch
Care Committee
Jackie and Glen Reibling, (101 Foxboro Drive) have been welcomed to Foxboro Green in February.

Willie Lootens, Doreen Greig, Jackie Reibling, Bill Winterbottom, Archie Watt and Bob McIlroy received cards and plants or fruit baskets, following their hospitalizations.

Recipe Corner

Orange Fruit Squares Dale Bleier

1/2 cup butter 1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup sugar 1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. grated orange peel 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt 1 egg
2/3 cup mixed fruit (use peel) 1/2 cup nuts
2 tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate

Orange Frosting

2 tbsp. butter 1 1/4 cups icing sugar
1 1/2 tbsp. orange frozen concentrate

Sift dry ingredients. Put fruit in small bowl. Add some flour and dredge fruit in it. Measure butter, sugar, rind, egg. Beat for 5 mins. Add concentrate and extract and beat. Add flour mixture. Fold in fruit and nuts. Turn or press into 8 X 11 greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 mins. Then check.
Cool then ice. These freeze well.

Library News
Rosemary Schaaf
"Thank you" to all who have donated books to our library. At the present time we do not have room for any more hard cover, gardening or cook books.

The Canadian Federation of University Women is having a book sale April 6th and 7th. If you wish to donate your books, call 740-5249 (First United Church, King and William Sts., Waterloo). New Hamburg also has a book sale but not until the summer.

If you have any question, comments etc. about our library, please contact me, Rosemary at 634-8066.

Editors' Note: Thanks Rosemary for a job well done.

Care Committees
Marg Macdonald, Coordinator
A reminder that the Care Committees not only welcome new residents to our community and offer community greeting to those who have been in hospital but also exist to help residents when unable to perform their regular daily activities as a result of an illness or a medical intervention. The services we provide are supportive. We assist people with such things as grocery shopping, cooking, transportation. These services are provided by neighbours who have volunteered. We have many willing volunteers!

The community is divided into four areas (which contain at least 50 homes) with Coordinators for each area.

Area 1 Marg Wendland and Norma Fisher Coordinators
All Lakefield Court and Sprucegrove Ave., 100-110 and 115 Golf Links Dr.,
86-113 Foxboro Dr.

Area 2 Eileen Fairweather, Pat Tibbles and Rosemary Schaaf, Coordinators
115-155 Foxboro Dr. and 112-124 Golf Links Dr. (except 115 which is in Area 1)

Area 3 Faith Mundy and Marian Koehler, Coordinators 126-185 Golf Links Dr. and all Maue Court.

Area 4 Audrey Euler and Ellen Bowring, Coordinators 1-52 Sun Valley Dr. and all Woods Edge Court

One of the Care Committee Coordinators has visited you since your arrival in Foxboro Green. In the information your coordinator gave to you was a paper called "Care Committee Survey". The survey asks if you wish to volunteer and what services you would feel comfortable offering. Not everyone remembers to return the completed information to the Coordinator and some surveys may have been misplaced. We ask those who have not returned their form to complete it, and give it to their Coordinator. There are residents who are unable to volunteer because of work commitments, family commitments or other volunteer activities however we like to receive the information from everyone so that we know who we can call for assistance.

Marg Macdonald and Eileen Fairweather want to be informed about anyone who has been in hospital or who has suffered a loss of a family member. Your assistance is much appreciated!

When you hear of a neighbour in need or if you need some help or guidance, please call and let us know. We are here to help. Come and meet us at the Wellness Workshop!

WELLNESS DAY PROGRAM

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2001

9:15 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Introductions

9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Organization of Acute Care Services: Waterloo Region
Rob Donaldson, St Mary's Foundation

11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Health Break

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Fire Safety and Fire Prevention in our Homes Neil Davidson: Chief Education Officer, Wilmot Fire Department

12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Lunch

1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. Services of the Community Care Access Centre Waterloo Region Nancy Murray

2:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m. Hospice Care: What can they do for us? Kristen Porritt.

3:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Health Break

3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. Emergency Medical Services Waterloo Region Home Preparation for Medical Emergency Marg Wendland

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws