July Fox Talk
Digest
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 7 2000
Deadline for Submissions:
1st of each month
Editors: Maurice & Ruth Dean
147 Foxboro Drive

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

Articles:
Reverse Osmosis
Grounds
Rec. Centre
Condo Inst.

Events:
Golf Tourney
Past Events
Toyota Visit
Lawn Bowling
Canada Day

Social:
Gillian
In Touch
Storeroom
Calendar

Notices:
New Committee
Tennis Rules
Postal
Winners

THE BARBECUE HOST

Never knowingly seen in the kitchen, Keith becomes a "tinpot" tyrant as soon as a sausage hits the Broil King. Armed with a pair of tongs and a salacious apron, he is the hunter-gatherer of Foxboro Green, yelling instructions to his wife, Beryl, through the kitchen window about honey and balsamic vinegar marinade. She has asked the neighbours around to see the transformation of the garden. Unfortunately Keith lights the barbecue too late so that clouds of smoke waft over the assembled guests. "This is the real thing" he coughs heartily.

Beryl hands around the nibbles, handkerchief pressed to her mouth. The full benefits of the water falls are admired when the kebabs catch fire and are only saved when one of the guests dashes to the ornamental pond. "Well done" cries the host, expansively waving a charred piece of meat and his martini glass.

By 10 p.m. everyone is catatonic and all of the crisps have been eaten. "Now what I need Beryl, is some Soya sauce and crushed garlic. And while you're about it, bring the ketchup too. Flushed with heat, Keith is now "The Galloping Gourmet" of the BBQ, an "applier" of savory unguents to innocent strips of meat and a man who has a way with corn on the cob (or is that "corny"?).

Meanwhile, Beryl has put little nightlights on the garden furniture, in a last desperate delaying tactic.

"Come and get it, folks!" shouts Keith triumphantly. He has laboured mightily and brought forth two carcinogenic chicken breasts.

Ed's. Notes: Any resemblance to any Foxboro Green residents is really and truly meant. The names have not been changed to protect the guilty and the editors cannot be held liable for the contents of this missive.

Remember a picture is worth a thousand words. It seems that the BBQ season leads to the transmogrification of apparently normal males.

This article was originally written by Victoria Mather and has been altered quite a bit to make it more topical to this area.

Grounds Management Organization
George Walker

The Lake
A workshop dealing with the lake was held June 1st and more workshops are planned to help us understand this important asset which probably prompted many of us to move to Foxboro Green. Our first concern was the abundant growth of pond weeds around the island and extending further into the lake. This year is worse than it has been in the past. Many are offended by the weeds and would like to see them removed.

We have been advised by a neighbouring horticulturist, Gwen Brundrett, that the four water bodies on our property are in a very healthy condition. The weeds are a great source of oxygenation and they do inhibit the growth of algae. Gwen has offered to give a talk to the residents.

However, our crop of weeds is becoming too much of an eyesore and it was decided at the June 29th Grounds meeting that the weeds should be harvested at this time. Lou Hill is investigating a weed harvester that is owned by GRCA which we were told rents for $500 a day. Another weed harvester is owned by Puslinch Lake Cottagers and Lou Hill will investigate this too. To harvest the weeds we must apply for a permit from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Aquatic Plant Control in Guelph.

The GMO made up a Voting Ballot for the Settlement Ponds and Rules for the R.V. Compound. Both have been presented to the Executive for discussion at the July 6th Board Meeting.

Pathways
We have been informed that Foxboro Green Inc. are not prepared to add to the pathways. We have a very capable volunteer, Ron Bleier, who has examined the paths with other Homeowners and is willing to redesign and have the pathways improved to make them safer and more resistant to storm damage. A complete plan and budget request will be presented to the Board.

GMO Expansion
The GMO has concentrated mostly on horticultural issues affecting the appearance of our grounds. There are other areas which must be looked after and last year Lou Hill prepared a discussion paper suggesting a way to get these important jobs done. Workshops were held and the suggestion is to have another committee formed to look after services and equipment. Subsequent meetings were held and a final proposal is being prepared for consideration by the Board.

In July the Chairman will need input on figures for the budget meetings with the Treasurers.

Bill Hall shared the following answers to his memo questions that he sent to Doug Hutchinson.
1. Final street paving to be done some time in the fall.
2. Service road to Sun Valley Dr. will have some type of topping by June 15th, weather permitting.
3. No new pathways will be made by FGI.
4. Clean-up around the Sun Valley Dr. pond has been done.
5. Presentation Centre removal. No time has been set for the removal or on how it will be removed.

Fence Painting George Jones organized a group of volunteers who painted all of the white fences on our common grounds. They were scraped, the knots were sealed, it was undercoated with an oil base paint and painted with two coats of white latex. A job well done and they saved us thousands of dollars. Our thanks to all of them.

George Jones has agreed to take on the responsibility for the fences for the community.

A Day Well Spent On Your Behalf
Ron Wilkinson

The Canadian Condominium Institute was formed in 1982 as a national organization with chapters throughout the country. At the local level, the Golden Horseshoe Chapter provides education in the form of semi-annual Director?s courses, quarterly publications, an assistance hotline, information seminars, speakers for unit owner meetings, resource material and discounts on courses and seminars for members.

Two years ago, Condo #261 purchased a membership in C.C.I. to better understand the intricacies of condo management. Graham Macdonald, President of Condo #261, has regularly attended C.C.I. seminars and meetings and made the information available to the Board of Management and the community at large.

The Spring meeting of the Institute was held recently in Hamilton and I attended in Graham?s absence. There were fifteen sessions spread over four time periods, and I attended those that seemed most appropriate for us at this time: namely, RESERVE FUND STUDIES, MEDIATION, AN ATYPICAL A.G.M. and COMMUNITY STANDARDS.

I found the sessions to be well organized, professionally presented, informative and thought provoking, particularly in view of the new Provincial regulations that are to become law in September. We are required by law to carry out a Reserve Fund Study and develop a Reserve Fund Plan. We are required by law to follow a lock-step procedure of Mediation and Arbitration before we can engage in court action over the enforcement of the Declaration, By-Laws, or Rules. We need to be fully conversant with the regulations governing Special Assessments, Changes to Common Elements, Liens and Records, and a host of other things appertaining to condominium management. A properly accredited property management company would be conversant with these things, but it is important that the Board is also knowledgeable in these matters so that they can give direction to the property management company if and when one is approved by the community.

There were many other topics that would have been of interest, but without additional members to attend other sessions, the opportunity was lost.

Based on my attendance at this meeting, I think it would serve the community well if the Board were to purchase an additional membership, and pay the renewal fees of the existing one, so that two members of the Board could take advantage of the courses and seminars available through C.C.I.
I also feel that the executive of the Board should be made up of six condo presidents and structured so that two of them would stand down each year, thus providing some continuity. Initially, two members would serve for three years, two for two years, and two for one year.

The hiring of a property management company, with clearly defined duties and responsibilities, would greatly reduce the workload of the executive and particularly that of the President who is continually answering phone calls that can be very time consuming. A property management company, working at ?arms length", would encourage competent owners to get involved in the executive, in the knowledge that there was a ?buffer? between them and individual owners.

We should complete the Reserve Fund Study as soon as all property is turned over to us from Foxboro Green Inc., and consider using professional help in the process.

We have to understand and accept that there are costs involved in the development and maintenance of the community into which we have bought. Paying into a reserve fund for repairs anticipated some twenty years down the road may seem rather asinine to some, so would the planting of young trees, whose cooling shade we'll never enjoy, unless we're buried beneath them!

Recreation Centre Report
Ron Donaldson

WATER QUALITY
Rather than hold an information session at Foxboro Centre, the Region would prefer to invite our residents to an Open House, in September, at the Mannheim Water Treatment Plant. Further information will be provided when available.

WILLS' WEDDING

Bill and Maureen Wills have received permission to hold their daughter's wedding and reception at the Foxboro Centre on July 8th, during the morning and early afternoon. They will be using the gazebo, Salons A and B, kitchen and outside patio.

BOOKINGS

Brenda Churton will be taking Centre bookings until July 9th.

REPAIRS

Estimates are still being obtained for repairs to the pool windows, the outside stucco and front driveway, under the canopy.

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE

A recent emergency at the Centre pointed to the need for the telephone in Salon B to be left connected at all times. This telephone is also used to receive alarm calls from the security monitoring company. Please do not disconnect this telephone for any reason.

RECREATION CENTRE COMMITTEE MEETING

Please note, the next meeting date has been changed to Thursday, July 20th at 9:30 a.m..

Keeping In Touch
Care Committee Floris and Mike Kristoff (102 Golf Links Dr.) and Sandra and Paul Snell (145 Foxboro Dr.) were welcomed to our community in June.

Cards and plants were given to Floyd Golbeck and Al Smith following their surgeries and to Irene Inglis who is still recovering from her surgery. Best wishes were also sent to Mary Loker following her "wrist-breaking" accident.

Foxboro Green Tennis Rules
Wally Morrison

1. The court is for the use of residents and their occasional guests.

2. Non-residents must be partnered by a resident.

3. Court can be reserved by signing the sheet no earlier than the day before the day of play. Reservations are for one hour. However, play may continue if the court is not reserved.

4. Court is reserved for Round Robin play on Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. All residents are invited to play. Check the board for format.

5. It is suggested that children and spectators should not be inside the court while play is in progress in order to prevent injury. However, players waiting to play may sit inside the court but do so at their own risk.

6. Proper tennis dress is required. Flat soled, non-marking tennis shoes must be worn. No sport, game, or activity other than tennis is allowed on the court.

Incorrect Postal Delivery
at Foxboro Green
There have been a number of incidents where mail has been put into the wrong box in our mailroom.

Recently we received three items in our box. Only one belonged to us. The other two pieces belonged to two other neighbours. Naturally we hand-delivered these items. That very same week someone else received our mail.

This could involve very important documents such as cheques etc.

The above two incidents are not unique. There have been several instances where mail has been put into the wrong box. We know of one household where the occupants were away for four months and when they came back there were some envelopes meant for other people here at Foxboro.

If you have had any problems with incorrect mail you should phone this toll-free number in London, ON - 1-888-550-6333. This is the only way we will solve this very unfortunate ongoing problem. We have tried other ways, all to no avail.

SERVICE AND EQUIPMENT COMMITTEE

NEEDS HELP

If you have a flair for things mechanical.
We want to write service manuals for the equipment we own.

Phone George Walker - 634-5232

Storeroom
Pat Tibbles
Have you noticed how tidy the storeroom off the kitchen is looking these days? Thanks to Beryl Boughey and Eileen Fairweather (and I helped a little) for making order out of the chaos.

Foxboro Green 2000 Golf Tournament

Thursday, August 10th, 2000

Application forms are coming in well. Should you need one please see the folder in the mail room marked TOURNAMENT or pick one up at the sales office.

A number of residents have contributed prizes. We still need more. Many businesses in the community around us have been approached. Any suggestions contact Don Ruppe, Eugene Leclair or Bruce Boucher. We will restrict golfers to 120 so we should have room for 30 spouses just for dinner.

Remember to always check the events calendar in the Mail Room for ongoing events such as swimming, bridge, line dancing, etc.

What a Great Canada Day We Had

Our thanks go out to the many volunteers who gave freely of their own time so that the rest of us could sit back and enjoy ourselves. They worked very hard to make it the great success that it was. It didn't "just happen" hard work went into making it "happen". THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS.

The food was great, the chicken just melted in your mouth. All the deserts were absolutely decadent. I know that I only gained about another 20 lbs.

Then we had our entertainment. This was done by a group of residents, led by their fearless leader Lil Good. The line dancing was great and the music set your foot "a tappin". After they had performed, the audience was asked to participate. WELLLLL there seemed to be one person who had a problem keeping in step. We won't mention his name but he provided the comedy. The Fred Astaire of Foxboro??

AGAIN THANKS VOLUNTEERS. Maybe next year some others would like to offer their time and not just leave it up to the same people all the time. Try to take your turn.

Community Calendar
July 2000

Sat. 1st All Day Canada Day & BBQ
Thurs. 6th 7:00 p.m. FG Assoc. Board Mtg.
Fri. 7th 4:30 p.m. Happy Hour
Mon. 10th 6:30 p.m. Horse Racing & Dinner

August 2000
Fri. 4th 4:30 p.m. Happy Hour
Thurs. 10th ?? FG 2000 Golf Tournament

Past Events
Pat Tibbles

Elsie Hall was the lucky winner of the 50/50 draw at the June Happy Hour. Elsie was "really pleased" with her $40.00 winning. Congratulations!!

Toyota Visit

A group of 47 toured the Toyota plant in Cambridge on June 7th. It was interesting to see how a car emerges from a piece of flat steel. The plant is squeaky clean with no clutter and fewer workers than expected. Who said she thought the robots would look more like people??? I'll never tell.

After the tour some of us went on to the Pioneer Bar-B-Q for supper. Delicious!. We're sure all the desserts were "low-cal".

Thanks to Jim Ainsworth for arranging the tour and the restaurant and thanks also to Ted Tibbles for his help in organizing us.

Some folk were disappointed because the tour was quickly filled. Perhaps another visit could be arranged if enough are interested.

Lawn Bowling and Pot Luck
May Aquilina Foxboro folk for a second year
Gave lawn bowling a try
And tho' we've had a lot of rain
The greens and we were dry.
The sun was glorious!

Eight teams we were in total
And winners every one
But Wally M's and Ethel's
Were not to be outdone.
(**#@** son of gun #*&*)

Again we enjoyed our potluck.
All had a super day.
If you'd like to try lawn bowling
Just call the Groves or May.
634-1065 or 634-9977

Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Systems

The process of reverse osmosis (R.O.) is the finest level of liquid filtration available today.

Reverse osmosis works through a process called membrane separation. Raw water enters a module housing the membrane system. Normal water pressure or boosted pressure forces the water against the semi-permeable membrane and only clean water molecules pass through its tiny pores. Impurities are rejected and flushed away.

The performance of an R.O. unit is affected by the total dissolved solids (TDS) of the feed water, the water pressure and the water temperature.

BASIC R.O. COMPONENTS

Each component of an R.O. system serves a special purpose.

Pre-Filter

The first component is a five micron pre-filter. The pre-filter removes suspended particles from the feed water. This prevents these particles from clogging the tiny pores of the reverse osmosis membrane. The pre-filter should be replaced every twelve months depending on usage and the quality of the feed water.

Reverse Osmosis Membrane

From the pre-filter, the water flows to the reverse osmosis module which contains a semi-permeable membrane. The membrane separates water molecules from dissolved impurities in the feed water. The good water passes through the membrane and is saved. The impurities in the water flow to the drain.

Storage Tank

The filtered water flows from the membrane module to the storage tank. The tank's capacity is approximately 21/2 gallons (U.S.).

Shut-Off Valve

When the storage tank is full of filtered water the automatic Shut-Off valve shuts off the flow of water to the system.

Post Filter

When water is drawn from the R.O. faucet, the filtered water flows from the storage tank through the post filter and out of the faucet. The post filter contains granular activated carbon. Often referred to as a taste and odour filter, it "polishes" the water before it flows to the faucet. The post filter cartridge should be replaced every twenty-four months at the latest.

Flow Restrictor

A flow restrictor is installed on the reject (brine) water line. It is sized to allow the correct amount of back pressure to be applied on the membrane surface.

LONG TERM NON-USE

If the R.O. system is to be left unused for long periods (greater than 30 days), the following procedure is recommended:
Open the R.O. faucet to drain the storage tank and turn off the feed water valve. Wait approximately five minutes for the system to depressurize.

Remove all cartridges. Turn the cartridges upside down in a sink or container to drain out as much water as possible.

Place the cartridges in a plastic bag with an air-tight seal and store them in the refrigerator. Be careful not to freeze them as damage may occur.

When you are ready to put your system back into service, reinstall the cartridges and sanitize the storage tank. For sanitizing instructions see page 7 of your "Installation, Operation and Service Manual".

Editors' Note: - Many of our residents have asked questions about Reverse Osmosis. Mr. Bob Graham, who originally installed all of the units, has written this article. Hopefully it will answer some of the questions. If you have further inquiries feel free to contact Bob (893-6301).

Goodbye Gillian

Unfortunately most of us found out too late to say goodbye in person.

We'll miss you, your smile
and the great talks we had.
You always had time for everyone.

Please try to "drop by" sometime.

The very best of luck to you.

CANADA DAY WINNERS

Shuffleboard

Captains Audrey and Len Budden
Morning Champions Joyce & Wally Morrison
Afternoon Champions Isobel & Ken Smith
Runners up Heather & Al Keith
Runners up Nancy & Jim Arbuckle

Horseshoes
Captain Bob Price
Ladies' Champion Joan Beveridge
Men's Champion Alberto Alves

Tennis
Captains Ralph Adsetts and George Walker
Morning Champions Jerry Szeps and
Afternoon Champions Jim Cooke and Ellen Walker Marg Harris George Walker and Stan Harris and Brenda Churton Joyce Morrison Chipping Captains Isobel and Ken Smith Ladies' Champions 1st Aida Satchell Men's Champions 1st Brian McKelvey 2nd Helen Fraser 2nd Stan Harris 3rd Sharon Mitchell 3rd Bill Hall Euchre Captains Don and Marjorie Corker Ladies' Champions 1st Sandra Snell Men's Champions 1st Stan Harris 2nd Ella Dietrich 2nd Vince Aquilina Whist Captains Don and Marjorie Corker Ladies' Champions 1st Marg Wendland Men's Champions 1st Audy DesRoches 2nd Joyce Morrison 2nd Ken Smith Wally Morrison would like to thank all of the captains who did an excellent job of setting-up and running the various sports activities. Congratulations to all the winners and thank you for the great participation by all who attended. Remember, without the volunteers we would have nothing! Are YOU willing to serve?

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