Happy Holidays. With significant holidays such as Diwali and Thanksgiving just behind us, we can anticipate the other festive days which are quickly approaching.
Hopefully, for all of us this month proves to be the “happiest time of the year.” To reduce the level of anxiety many of our guests will experience during this period, we have several suggestions. Ensure that our guest lists are updated, or for larger gatherings, the office has a list of the folks attending forty-eight hours before the event.
For people that haven’t been here for a while, give them specific directions on how to enter our community. For instance, if I were to query my wife’s GPS for directions to our house, from anywhere outside of Dana Point, it tells me to go to the Stonehill gate. I think I would get pretty flustered if I waited for someone to open it. Other such directional systems have been reported to send travelers to the Selva and Cabrillo gates. As a disproportionate number of problems that arise in our community are the result of unruly guests, an easy tenet to remember is: if we allow someone into the community we have to assume responsibility for their conduct.
Don’t Let Santa Get Ticked Off: On a real regular basis some residents, but generally guests and service providers in a hurry, have their day literally ruined by the control arms and spikes at the various entrances and exits in our community. The spikes more often as not flatten either two or all four tires of an offending vehicle (could even derail a sled). Recently, Mr. George Cooley from our staff made a presentation to our committee and explained the intricacies of the computerized control system. He also had a videotape of vehicles driving through the gates and making contact with quickly rising spikes or descending control bars. To make a long story short, we are not yet aware of an instance where the system was at fault for the flattened tires. In each instance the driver was either trying to beat the system, confused, or improperly rushing in or out. We are assured that the computerized control of the gates is actually state of the art and it appears that all contingencies have been thought out. Mr. Cooley offered several easy to remember points to pass on to ensure a trouble free entrance and exit. The bar code reader is generally effective from a distance of two to six feet, but this can vary depending upon fading of the sticker or harsh sunlight. When approaching the bar code reader, slow down and ensure the bar code was picked up (green light).
Most importantly, do not tailgate. It is recommended that we maintain at least a two car distance from a vehicle in front of us. I believe that all of us will remember these simple points and we should caution our guests and service providers.
Santa to be Welcomed to a Safe Community: We recently spoke with several residents on Halyard who are pleased to report the incidents of property being stolen from parked cars and other suspicious conduct has stopped. They attribute this to a willingness of neighbors to report crimes and suspected criminal activity to our police department.
It appears that both patrol and enforcement activity by our deputies has been effective. Our liaison deputy has assured us that we will receive more visible patrol and appropriate enforcement action to address the complaints of speeders and stop sign violators. Not completely stopping for a stop sign is normally a careless habit we have developed and for which we have not suffered any consequence. However, in the long run it can also result in a four-hundred plus dollar ticket and worse yet, an injury to someone. If you want to see an example of this sort of sloppy driving, watch the intersection of Periwinkle and Niguel Shores sometime. I am sure Santa will fly over this area and not take any unnecessary chances.
As my father and his father used to tell everyone this time each year “Nolliag Shona Duit”. Be safe and God Bless.
– Tim Murphy, Chair
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