Dear Countryside Neighbors,
We hope you are all well with no ill effects from the Covid Virus that has put us all into a new modified way of life and STAYING SAFE. At least Gov. Baker’s mandate has relaxed a bit and we can all get out and about in the new normal.
When you are out, please notice our roads which have held up pretty well with the repairs we did last year. For the first time in years the town did not put us on the NO-PLOW list for potholes. As you all know, we started a fund-raising drive in January to raise $15,000 to have the cracks in the road sealed professionally. To date, we have received over $9,000 toward that goal. The response has been amazing and thank you to everyone that has generously contributed.
The road work has been scheduled for September, but we are still almost $6,000 short of our goal. This is one last push to remind everyone of the goal. To date, the $9,000 has been raised by 50% of our neighbors. We are hoping to get that number up closer to the 95% that contributed on the first round. We know it has been a trying spring for all, and it would be a shame to not preserve the hard work already done by the committee to save our roads.
The $15,000 equals $375 from each homeowner, some have given more, and some have given less to reach the $9,000 to date, but if we all give what we can the goal will be reached.
Please send your check to:
Countryside at Chatham
149 Countryside Drive
Chatham, MA 02633
To make payment easier, we have added a donate button to the website if anyone would prefer to use Paypal or a credit card. Please keep in mind that there is a 2.9% processing fee that is deducted from your contribution. Please visit www.countrysideatchatham.org for details.
Thank you everyone for keeping our neighborhood beautiful.
Bill Bakeman 508.945.4375
Jon Sequin 508.294.9411
The next round of fundraising is underway, and we are off to a great start! So far we are already at the $4000 mark on our way to the $15,000 goal. Stay tuned for updates, and if you haven't send in your contribution yet, please do so. We need to secure the paving contractor by April 1st to get the job done this spring.
The tree crew was out there this weekend and did an awesome job. Thanks to Tim, Karen, Colin, Tim, Tom, and Bob for all of your help. With the trees trimmed and pot holes filled, our neighborhood looks great. Tim says there is a little more to do, so if you hear chainsaws, feel free to lend a hand!
Another pallet of patch is being delivered this week so we can continue patching, and thanks to Bill for getting us another 30 bags free, and 10% off the order by using his Veteran's discount.
Here's the financial breakdown:
Can you believe that 31 out of the 39 property owners have contributed? Amazing.
The last pallet of patch should take care of the last of the major potholes then we'll see how we look in the spring.
Hopefully everyone is enjoying a little smoother ride in and out of the neighborhood. We used up the first pallet of patch material to start filling the potholes. A pallet is 63 50 lb. bags, and our road gobbled it up quickly. We ordered another pallet, so we should be able to fill some more before the cold weather sets in.
Thank you to everyone who contributed!! The response has been better than expected with the majority of owners contributing.
Here is a breakdown of where we stand financially:
The second pallet of patch will bring us down close to $1000. The second pallet will be more expensive since Bill Bakeman negotiated over 20 free bags on the first pallet. A couple more contributions are expected based on previous conversations, so we should have enough to do some more work if needed.
Special thanks to:
Please feel free to forward this to anyone who is not on the list, and I will also post it on the website. Thanks again everyone for making our neighborhood a little nicer.
This is a long form text area designed for your content that you can fill up with as many words as your heart desires. You can write articles, long mission statements, company policies, executive profiles, company awards/distinctions, office locations, shareholder reports, whitepapers, media mentions and other pieces of content that don’t fit into a shorter, more succinct space.
Articles – Good topics for articles include anything related to your company – recent changes to operations, the latest company softball game – or the industry you’re in. General business trends (think national and even international) are great article fodder, too.
Mission statements – You can tell a lot about a company by its mission statement. Don’t have one? Now might be a good time to create one and post it here. A good mission statement tells you what drives a company to do what it does.
Company policies – Are there company policies that are particularly important to your business? Perhaps your unlimited paternity/maternity leave policy has endeared you to employees across the company. This is a good place to talk about that.
Executive profiles – A company is only as strong as its executive leadership. This is a good place to show off who’s occupying the corner offices. Write a nice bio about each executive that includes what they do, how long they’ve been at it, and what got them to where they are.
Kathy laughing at (or with?) Tom as he tries to maneuver to 220 lb. tamper.
Countryside At Chatham
Chatham, MA 02633
Dear Countryside Neighbors, Fall is here, and with it the need to repair our private road so that it is in good enough condition to be plowed by the Town, and so that it survives the coming winter weather.
Last Fall, a few of us patched the worst of the potholes using about 30 50 lb. bags of material purchased with casual donations. This season, we have even more cracking and potholes, calling for a more concerted effort.
Last week, a group of us met informally to plot a course of action. Cutting to the chase, this action involves asking you for money and, if you are able, for a few hours of labor in - quite literally - the trenches.
So far:
• Bill Bakeman is arranging delivery of a pallet load (63 50 lb. bags) of good quality asphalt patch, and advancing the funds to pay for it. (More will be purchased as we have the funds and the need for it.)
• Tom Gaffney is securing the loan of a pavement cutter and a compactor to properly shape and form the repairs, and will coordinate disposal of residual material.
• Jon Sequin and Bill Bakeman have opened a community checking account at Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank in the name of:
Countryside at Chatham
149 Countryside Drive
Chatham, MA 02633
• Jon has also reactivated the Countryside community website that he created a few years ago. CountrysideAtChatham.org will be used to keep everyone informed, including on the status of the common checking account.
• Tim Kent has volunteered to provide the equipment to do any Town DPW required tree trimming along Countryside and Duck Marsh.
YOUR ACTIONS:
• Please contribute what you can to cover the cost of patching materials and other supplies (stone fill, asphalt sealant, gasoline, cutting blades, etc.). $100 per household is suggested, but any amount will help. That covers enough material for two small potholes or one alignment-changer.
Checks may be made out to “Countryside at Chatham” and sent to:
Countryside at Chatham
% Jon Sequin
149 Countryside Drive
Chatham, MA 02633
• Patching will take place over the next month or so when weather permits. On the days when labor is needed, a call will go out by phone, e-mail or flyer to let everyone know.
Thank you in advance if you can help.
As to the longer term: When we met last week, the group agreed that the original road surface is nearing the end of its useful life. We discussed the need to clarify just who (what entity) has title to the road, and what our responsibility for it actually is. We then want to involve the entire neighborhood in formally establishing a Homeowners Association to look out for our collective interests before we face the need to have Countryside and Duck Marsh repaved from curb to curb. There are also other potential issues that will have to be dealt with such as the worsening erosion where Countryside’s cul-de-sac ends at Muddy Creek, the future likelihood of sewering the neighborhood, etc. We also thought it might be good to include the homeowners along Capt. Kendrick Drive.
However, first things first. Please let us know that you will join in by sending your check, and registering your e-mail address at CountrysideAtChatham.org .
Thank you,
Bill Bakeman & Marianne Harris
Bob & Sally Fishback
Jon & Shelly Sequin
Tom & Kathy Gaffney
Peter & Anne Schimmel
Tim & Patrice Milley
Tim & Heidi Kent
Will & Gayle Gallup
Don & Louise Fontneau