We will put old resident news messages here that are still valid or of interest to our homeowner residents.

2/02`08 Water Pressure problems
    If you have a water softener in your home and have been noticing that your water flow is not what it used to be, you may have a malfunction in your water softener. Our system had got to the point where when a toilet was flushed and you tried to wash your hands at the sink you only had a trickle at the sink (until the toilet filled). We had to be careful when the clothes/dish washer was running because we didn't have pressure at the sinks. This had been getting worse as time went on. We had the county come out and check the water pressure at the meter and it was fine.
    It turns out that our water softener uses a resin (brine) to process the hard water. The chlorine in the county water breaks down the resin beads into a "mush" over time. If the tank holding the resin cracks then the mush gets into the pipes of your house. That can clog up the aerators on your facets and the strainers in the washer hoses which reduces the water flow. It can also settle (its heavier than water) in the hot water tank.
     The solution:  Bypass the water softener and repeatedly clean the aerators and strainers and call the installer of the water softener.

3/07`07 Dog Attack Letter from our Vice President

I just wanted to take a moment to explain all the commotion at my home, 175 Longwood Drive, the evening of March 6, 2007:

While walking her small dog in our back yard, my mother was attacked by another dog.  Her dog, Jack, was ripped out of her arms during the attack and killed.  During the attack my mother was bitten and knocked to the ground sustaining a broken shoulder and bite wounds. I attempted to scare the dog away by yelling at it with no result.  He kept mauling Jack.  I shot and killed the attacking dog.

I later found out that the attacking dog belonged to one of our neighbors, Bill Peer.  He was notified that his dog had been shot and the authorities, as well as medical personnel, had been called to respond to the situation.

For the most part, I feel like Bill kept his dog under control.  However, it only took one time of being unattended and only a few minutes for his dog to attack and kill.

I would like to take this time to remind everyone that there is a leash law in Berkeley County, and that no matter how friendly you think your dog may be, please do not let it roam the neighborhood unattended or loose.  I will not hesitate to take action should any unattended animals pose any type of threat to members of my family or property.  is a copy of Berkeley County’s Dog Ordinance.  <See also the regulation regarding .

For those who need it broken down into layman’s terms, keep your dog under control or it could cost you lots of money.                                                                               

Respectfully  
Earl D. Stegall
Timberwood Village HOA VP

4/05`07 Speed Limit in Timberwood Village

      I saw a white car going through the neighborhood entirely too fast just minutes before school busses were to drop off kids from school. On my way out of the development I saw a white Mustang coverable pulling out of the driveway of 64 Longwood Dr. turning to go to the back of the development. At that time, I noticed that there were no tags on the car so I turned around to see what they were up to. Sure enough, he had come back doing what I think was about 60 MPH. I tried to flag the young man down to tell him to drive slower and have some sense, but he kept on going. I called the Sheriff’s department and got the same old story--that they would send a car out--and they did. When the Deputy arrived, he told me, “As we all know, there is little the sheriff’s department can do unless speeders are caught in the act, but here is something you may not have known, if you catch them on video speeding the Sheriffs department can use it as evidence for a conviction.” The deputy went to the house to confront the offender. When recording, try to get a positive ID of the person and a tag number. I am sure you could use this for any offences such as trespassing or what ever, then call the Sheriff’s department. I have them on speed dial 267-7000. So, fire up your cameras. I would suggest you not waste your or the sheriff’s time on small offences and save your efforts for the bone heads that threaten the safety of the neighborhood.  Would be speeders Beware.  Those of you who have guests with the potential to threaten neighborhood safety give them fair warning of the speed limit through Timberwood Village. Hopefully this will solve much of the recklessness in the neighborhood. 

 Earl Stegall

07/12/05 Electric Water Heaters
   If you are the original owner and your AO Smith water heater is beginning to leak, check the warranty on the instruction manual. Then verify the model and serial number of your heater online at http://www.hotwater.com/. The warranty probably is 6 years only for the original owner. You'll still have to pay labor and parts for the replacement, but it's cheaper than buying a new one, from say Sears, and then paying for delivery and installation. Several homeowners have had water heater problems due mainly to our lovely West Virginia water quality with or without a water softener.

06/24/05 Mosquitoes Warning
   We received this from B & M:  "As a resident here in this  lovely neighborhood.......a small problem is slowly becoming quite annoying. Most of our neighbors have had the courtesy and good sense to clean out all of the winter water trapped on top of their pool covers. Alas, A few have not and the mosquitoes are blessing their hearts daily in the mosquito worship services."
All standing/stagnant water can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes which can carry deadly diseases such as West Nile Virus for humans and heart worms for animals. 

09/14/04 Theft Warning
    Please lock your vehicles—especially after dark. At least 2 wallets were stolen out of vehicles early last week in our community. In one case the wallet was found along side the road and the owner was called. She had to check to see that it was missing. In the second case the wallet owner was called by the owner of East Inwood Meats who had found it beside his dumpster. In this latter case all the cards and driver license were still in the wallet and there was no money in the wallet to be taken, but it had been in the glove compartment of the owner's vehicle.
    Hopefully the perpetrators were just kids looking for cash. But we don't need to "leave the door open" to make it easy for them. Let's be vigilant, aware of what goes on around us, and cautious. We never know who might be the next victim of a crime. And above all keep your vehicles locked!