The Green Community Project

CCommunity will be rolling out a “Green Community” program next month in the newsletter.

This program is designed to deal with two issues: increased cost of living for South Florida residents and the recent price increases in oil and other commodities for service providers.

South Florida residents have seen price increases in taxes, insurance, gas, interest rates, groceries, and the list goes on.

Service providers have also received price increases; gasoline, diesel (close to $5), recent increase in minimum wage, petroleum based products (i.e. fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, clorine). Service providers have lost customers as the real estate market contracted.

The Standard Solution is for service providers to either raise their prices or reduce the level of service. With residents reluctant to accept price increases and increased competition for customer accounts, many providers are looking to cut costs or level of service.

Green Community Solution – we will unveil a program where residents have the opportunity to receive the same level of service without price increases.

Garage Door Ready for Hurricane Season?

Can you get yourself or your car out of the garage if we have a hurricane, an emergency or lose electricity?

We have a simple test to help you find out and check on the general condition of your garage door system.

Most modern garage door openers have an emergency release cord. The release cord is normally located on the mechanism that connects the door to the garage door opener. Popping the emergency release typically disconnects the two. To test your system you should:

1. Understand how to reset your emergency release after it has been released. If you are not sure, you should consult the owner’s manual or the manufacturers’ web site.
2. Make sure your garage door is closed and you are on the inside.
3. Pop the emergency release cord. An average sized garage door can weigh approximately 400 pounds and should be closed for the test.
4. A properly balanced and maintained door should open with minimal effort.

Attempt to manually open the garage door. A properly balanced door will stay at any point of travel while being supported entirely by its springs. Do not continue manually lifting the door if it feels heavy or requires more than minimal effort.

You should have your garage door inspected and serviced if your door does not easily open. A heavy door is not just a problem when you need to get out manually; it puts a daily strain on your garage door opener.

Garage Door System – a garage door system includes the door, the counterbalance mechanism (springs) and the opener.

• Springs – most doors have two springs providing counter balance to the weight of the door and gravity. Springs typically last 10,000 cycles (an open and close) and like most items, they don’t go from good to bad overnight but weaken over time. Weakened or broken springs will put the door out of balance and put additional pressure on your opener.
• Broken Spring – weakened or older springs can break. You may not be aware when a spring breaks but a tell tale sign is a door that won’t open. Many people first blame the opener. Pop the emergency release cord when the door is closed and if you can’t open the door, neither can the opener.
• Replacing Springs – if your springs are a few years old and one breaks, replace both. It is normally just a matter of time before the second one breaks.

Your garage vehicle door may be the largest moving object in your home and could weigh up to 400 pounds. For your safety, make sure it’s in good condition.

Pruning Your Palms

By: University of Florida

Palms and cycads are often thought of as low maintenance plants; however, most palms require regular pruning to keep them attractive and safe. Many palms maintain a set number of live fronds. A regular turnover of foliage occurs as dying lower fronds are replaced by new ones at the apex. These dead fronds are not detrimental to the health of the tree.

If there is an excessive number of older yellow fronds determine the cause before pruning. There could be a severe nutrient problem caused by a potassium or magnesium deficiency that could worsen if the palm is pruned or fertilized with high nitrogen or the wrong type of fertilizer.