New Residents:

Welcome to the neighborhood! If you have lived in the Cotswolds for 6 months or less, please join us for a Welcome event at the Clubhouse on August 24 from 6:30-8PM.

​A few HOA Board members will be there to answer any questions you have about the neighborhood, and hopefully you'll get to meet some other new residents! And there may be pizza!!!

If you have any interests or concerns regarding the zoning/construction issues with regard to the two adjacent lots, there will be an interest meeting on August 28, 2017 from 6:15PM - ? at the Clubhouse to address your questions and concerns.

Present at the meeting will be the following:
1. The original developer Ingram Tynes.
2. The ad hoc Zoning Committee (composed of all Cotswold residents who attended the zoning & planning commission hearing regarding Tynes' proposed construction on the two adjacent lots)
3. David Carrington, our representative on the Jefferson County Commission.

Please feel free to attend this meeting if you have any questions or concerns.

THE LAUNCH OF A NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH PROGRAM
 
Please mark your calendars & join us for an organizational meeting of The Cotswolds’ NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH, undoubtedly one of the oldest and most well-known crime prevention concepts in history (according to Sheriff Mike Hale). The program was developed in response to a multitude of requests from Sheriffs and Police Chiefs around the country. Law enforcement leaders were looking for a crime prevention program which would incorporate citizen involvement, and which would address the increasing number of burglaries taking place, especially in rural and suburban residential areas.
 
When:          September 6 from 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Where:        The Cotswolds Clubhouse (the building in front of community pool)
Who:            Cotswolds residents
Why:            Help deter crime
 
Sgt. John Pennington, with over twenty years of experience with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, will tell us what works & what doesn’t in making our homes & community safer, and will answer questions, too.   It will take neighborhood-wide participation to make this program effective, as the whole program is about neighbors getting to know neighbors, and looking out for each other.
 
Please grab your neighbors and attend this event!
 
PS.  Your attendance doesn’t presume your willingness to serve…just to get educated.
​

Magic City Ice will be at the Clubhouse on August 19th from Noon-2:30PM.

So the Board has finally figured out how to approve folks on the HOA Facebook Page who have requested to join.

The problem is...  it is difficult to tell who on the "request list" is actually a Cotswold resident.

So if you have requested to join the HOA Facebook Page, and you haven't been granted access, go to the "Comments/Questions" section of this website and submit a comment to the Board, letting us know that you live here and your address.  That will help us to grant access to residents more quickly.  Thanks!

The HOA Board is currently brainstorming on cost-efficient methods to improve security throughout the neighborhood, particularly given the recent break-ins.  In fact, the HOA Board was already in the process of organizing a Neighborhood Watch, when all of the break-ins started to occur.

Although the Board has no personal knowledge of the status of the break-ins, we have heard through the grapevine that one or both of the perpetrators has been arrested.  Our condolences go out to those families who were victims of the break-ins, and we hope that you will soon feel safe in your homes once again.

If you would like to be a part of the planning committee, or otherwise serve on the Neighborhood Watch, please contact Jan Hirsch [email protected].

In the meantime, let's all work together and take steps to make our homes (and cars) safer and deter burglars and thieves.  Here are a few tips:
1.  Don't mention travel plans online.
2.  Use deadbolts.
3.  If you're going out of town, let your neighbors know so they can keep an eye out for any suspicious activity and pick up your mail/newspaper.
4.  Burglars are less likely to invade a home that has dogs.
5.  Have a home safe -- a  heavy one that the burglar can't pick up and carry.
6.  Install a home security system.
7. Consider using "Smart Home" tools, such as video door bells, locks and garage door openers that you can monitor and control from your smartphone, and entryway (door and window) monitors that you can monitor from your smartphone.
8.  Use a paper shredder to protect against identity theft.
9.  Use timing devices for lights.
10. Maintain a well lit home.
11.  Utilize the garage.  Burglars are better able to monitor when you're not home if you always park in your driveway.
12. Use blinds and window coverings so burglars cannot see into your home.
13. Don't have jewelry and other valuables lying in view of your windows.
14. Do a double-check for references for any service provider that you invite into your home.
15. If you have children, discuss home security with them, such as locking doors, not telling strangers your travel plans, and not telling strangers about the contents of your home.
16. Don't leave notes on your front door that could tip off burglars.
17. If you've just moved into your home, have the locks changed by a reputable locksmith.
18. Have a reputable locksmith do an inspection of the locks on your doors and windows to make sure they are of sufficient quality and not in disrepair.
19. Call the police immediately if you see suspicious activity in the neighborhood.
20.  Get to know your neighbors.  The more we know one another, the more we will look out for one another to protect our homes.