ar newsletter dec

C O MMUNIT Y N E W S
Arabian Ranches - Issue No.4, 2012
SEA
GRE SONS
AND ETINGS
A
NEW HAPPY
YEA
R!
Defaulter Awareness
Campaign
The posters were hard to miss,
standing at the entrances to almost
every community at Arabian Ranches,
listing details of owners who have
failed to pay their long overdue
Community Service Fees (CSF).
Spooksville in Arabian Ranches
on 31 Oct’12
As the sun began its descent in Arabian Ranches on 31 October 2012, residents started flocking
to the Alvorada open park where a Halloween event organized by ECM was set ready for all the
residents. The stream of people grew as the minutes passed, and soon hundreds of Arabian
Ranches residents came strolling, skipping and laughing from all directions.
Families and kids flocked to the area to join in the fun activities Halloween planned for the evening.
Kids got an opportunity to showcase their scariest costume for a chance to take home a prize.
Residents wanting to participate left a light on between the hours of 6pm till 8pm for costumed kids
trick or treating. Spirits high, giggles and spooky crackles filled the air as sunset approached and
the crowds swelled. The judges faced a tough decision to shortlist the finalists of the Halloween
Contest. After much deliberation, 16 winners took home certificates and prizes for their efforts.
Many residents lingered at the venue long past sunset, chatting with friends to enjoy the festive
atmosphere. Meanwhile the streets of Arabian Ranches echoed with laughter and footsteps
bounced down the streets as groups of kids dashed door to door trick or treating at the many
decorated villas across the community. Turnout far exceeded expectations for Arabian Ranches’ first
Halloween event and plans are already afoot to make next year’s Halloween event bigger and better.
Inside
this
issue
The CSF Default Awareness Campaign
proved successful with achieving over
67% collection from long overdue
defaulters of the community.
Many residents and owners are aware
that timely payment of CSF directly
contributes to the services and
running of the communities in order to
maintain Arabian Ranches to the high
standards residents expect. When
owners delay payments, this could
result in detrimental effects on the
community.
When the CSF Default Awareness
campaign commenced, ECM
received many phone calls and emails
of support from owners and members
of the Interim Board.
ECM would like to thank all the
owners who have settled their
outstanding debts and encourage
remaining defaulting owners to
make arrangements to bring their
accounts to date.
02
02
03
04
Say No To Damas
Campaign Outcome
The recently held ‘Say No
to Damas’ campaign was
made a success with our
residents embracing it.
Is your pool safe? Stay
safe at home!
Find here some tips to help
you stay safe around the
swimming pool area.
Washing of Cars in Garage
Community residents are
requested to maintain
caution when washing cars
in their villa garages.
Your Home! Your Sanctuary!
Maintain a safe community
with your participation. ECM
offers tips on home safety.
Published by Emaar Community Management: Contact us at communities@emaar.ae
For private circulation only.
02
Say No To Damas Trees Campaign Outcome
The recently held ‘Say No to Damas’ campaign was made a success with our residents
embracing it wholeheartedly. A significant number of residents positively took up the special
discounted rates offered during the campaign to remove the Damas trees from their villas.
As part of this initiative, ECM also removed the Damas trees planted within the
common areas of the community in support of the campaign.
Before
After
Before
After
SAY NO TO
Mr. Prasad from Mirador La Coleccion, commended ECM for this initiative by saying,
‘Thank you for the brochure and information on the ill’s of Damas trees in our community. I have these trees and have decided to
get rid of them, I would support any initiative of the community to ban these trees and would request you to make it mandatory
to remove these trees.’
DAMAS
Another resident, Robert Renton from Saheel said,
‘We made the mistake of planting these trees in our garden. Five years later and damage to our pool and drains, we've finally
removed the majority of them.’ He further highlights ‘Make a call and get ALL these trees removed from the Ranches. It's wrong
and devalues the price of our property.’
With the help of ECM, the approved landscapers began their visits to quote for removal of the trees. In some cases trees were
over 15 meters in some cases with roots stretched to neighboring properties. Residents in the neighborhood were delighted with
the work and now they can rest easy that their pools are safe, gardens can grow properly with proper sunlight and nutrients
reaching their own plants.
Mr. Nadjib H Boussaad from Saheel says,
‘Please note that we have been victims of “Damas-Tree” all along our almost 8 years of residing in the Arabian Ranches – Saheel
Community. I had planted 60 babies Damas-Trees myself thinking then of a great deal – AED 3 per tree and plenty of shade and
privacy - now we have to pay AED 30,000 for removal plus wall structure repair expenses!’
While the ‘Say No to Damas’ campaign officially ended in late October ‘12, residents interest in learning more about the dangers
and how to remove these trees continues. ECM continually receives queries through residents appreciating this initiative and
wanting to participate. We would like to thank everyone who participated in this campaign and would encourage residents to join
us in preserving the wellbeing of the community.
Is Your Pool Safe? Stay Safe at Home!
Arabian Ranches
Splashing around the swimming pool is a sure way to have fun. Make safety a priority to protect
your children and others around the water. Here are some useful tips to help you and your little
ones stay safe. Most children are drawn to water. It's sparkly, things float on it and it's fun to splash.
But water safety is no laughing matter. Anyone can have a water-related accident - even children
who know how to swim.
Specific Pool Safety tips include the following:
• For newborn infants and children through four years of age, parents and caregivers should
never-even for a moment-leave children alone or in the care of another child, while in or near
bathtubs, pools, spas, or wading pools, or near irrigation ditches or other open bodies of water.
• Remember, infants can drown in just one inch of water. Hence, with children of this age,
practice “touch supervision”; that means that a supervising adult should be within an arm’s
length of the child with full attention focused on the child at all times when they are in or near water.
• The supervising adult should not be engaged in distracting activities, such as talking on a telephone,
socializing, or tending to household chores.
• Home swimming pools should be surrounded by a fence that prevents a child from getting to the pool from the house. There is no
substitute for at least a four-foot-high, non-climbable, four-sided fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate.
• Parents, caregivers, and pool owners should possibly learn CPR or BLS (Basic Life Support) and store a safety ring with a rope
beside the pool.
• Make sure you always have a phone in the pool area.
• Parents should make sure they do not leave any pool toys in the water, a child may fall in while trying to retrieve the toy.
• Toddlers, youngsters with an intellectual disability, and children with seizure disorders are particularly vulnerable to drowning,
but all youngsters are in danger if unsupervised in or near water.
• Even a child who knows how to swim may drown a few feet from safety.
Remember, children should be supervised at all times. Swimming lessons should not be considered a way to drown proof your child.
03
Washing of Cars in Garage
All residents in the community are requested to maintain caution when washing their
villa garages and vehicles. Excessive use of water should be avoided when washing
vehicles or your garages as it leads to water overflowing into the common area.
Harsh and corrosive cleaning agents play a major role in causing a lot of damage
to the roads and pathways of the common area. Often, damages start small and
are usually neglected by residents or the household staff while washing their
garages or vehicles. We recommend that dust, sand, and dirt, should be swept
clean from your garage or your car and be collected with a dustpan and placed in
a box or bag for the trash prior to washing it. In doing this, it will avoid dirt flowing
on to the road. The flowing of cleaning fluids and grease affects community
aesthetics and increases the maintenance cost for the upkeep of common areas.
DEWA Cabinet
Maintenance
Residents of the community are requested to regularly
maintain their DEWA cabinets to keep up the appearance
of the community. Please note that the upkeep of DEWA
meter cabinets are the responsibility of individual
homeowners and leaving this unattended for long periods
could lead to a higher costs for rectification.
Before Travelling for the Holidays
Before You Go! Make sure your home does not appear deserted
by doing the following:
• Discontinue newspaper delivery
• Check all doors and windows
• Close unnecessary water supply valves
• Switch off electrical appliance
• Inform your neighbours and security that you will be away
• Use timers for household lights
• Continue garden maintenance
Rules for the Holidays
The holidays are just around the corner, and for many people, that means lots of
festivities with friends and loved ones. With all of the merriment that’s sure to ensue, it’s
important that residents who are hosting celebrations are not only considerate of their
neighbours, but also take note of the community rules. Here are a few key items to look
up that are particularly pertinent during the holiday season:
Arabian Ranches
Outdoor Decorations: Decking the halls with seasonal ornaments is a great way to bring
the holiday spirit home. Many love to spread the joy by decorating the outside of their
homes and front yards as well, but before you scurry up that ladder to hang the decorative
lights along the side of your roof, take a quick peek at the Master Community Rules available on
www.emaar.com to find out the guidelines for outdoor decorations, as well as the guidelines for flags
and signs if you plan on decorating with those. This will help make sure your outdoor winter wonderland isn’t a violation.
Parties: We hope you all have plenty of chances to eat, drink and be merry this holiday season. If you plan on hosting a large
get-together or party, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. First, keep the revelry and noise to a minimum, and wind the
party down at a reasonable time-you don’t want your celebrating to interfere with your neighbours’ attempts to get visions of sugar
plums dancing in their heads.
Parking: The holidays bring many people together, and that means extra cars will need to be parked. To make sure your guests are
covered, look at the rules on visitor parking in the community, including where they can park and for how long.
Following the Master Community Rules and regulations helps ensure that all of our residents can enjoy this special time of year, so
please help us by doing your part. Stay safe and have a wonderful holiday season.
04
Your Home! Your Sanctuary!
Everyone wants a safe place to call home and while as managers, ECM works hard to
reduce possible dangers in our community, we can’t do it alone. It’s up to everyone to
pitch in to make our community a safe place to live in. Thankfully, taking a few simple
steps can go a long way in keeping theft and vandalism out of the community. Know Your
Neighbours. And not just the neighbours on your block, but also the neighbours from all
parts of the community. At the very least, you’ll get a better idea of who actually lives (and
in turn, who belongs) here. Talking with your neighbours will also give you the chance to
find out if there have noticed any crimes or suspicious activity in the community recently
so that you can be on the lookout as well.
Leave Your Energy Effecient Light On. A good way to deter break-ins is to make sure your front porch light stays on all night, even
when you’re out of town. Not only does it signal that someone’s home, it also makes it harder for vandals to hide among the shadows.
If you’re worried that you’ll either forget to turn the light on at night or off in the morning, you can purchase an inexpensive timer that
will automatically do that for you every day. Also, if you see any street lights around the community that are burnt out, please let ECM
know by emailing communities@emaar.ae as soon as possible so that, we can replace them for everyone’s safety.
Lock Up. If you want to keep unwanted guests out, don’t make your home inviting. Even when you’re around, it’s best to keep all gates,
doors and garages locked at all times. It’s also a good idea to keep your windows closed and locked when possible, especially on the
ground floor. Put On Your Walking Shoes. Taking a stroll around the community isn’t just good exercise, you can casually patrol the
community for anything suspicious or unusual. Also, when more residents regularly walk around the community, it can help scare off
hooligans who are afraid of getting caught in the act.
See Something, Say Something. If you notice a crime or a suspicious activity, regardless of how small the incident may seem, notify
the community security on 04 3089555 and the police immediately. Of course, only call 999 if it is an emergency; otherwise, contact Al
Ameen service on 800 4888. We all have a responsibility to the community to help keep it safe and incorporating even a few of these
tips can go a long way. Do your part to make the community a place you’re happy to call home.
Put a Stop to your Gardens Most Wanted Pests… Naturally
This is the time for outdoor barbecue parties and sleeping under the stars, but bothersome bugs can ruin outdoor fun. Many people
spray themselves and their lawns with chemical repellants to get rid of these pests, but there are natural alternatives that are
environmentally friendly to your home and our community. Here are a few tips to help you enjoy a bug-free garden.
Get growing. Planting a simple garden can do wonders in keeping the bug count down. Plants like garlic, radishes, marigolds,
nasturtium, oregano, sage, rosemary and mint are easy to cultivate and can make the area in and around your garden uninviting to the
creepy crawlers, as they act as natural bug repellants. Pest-control never looked or tasted so good!
Wet and wild. Eliminate stagnant or standing water in your yard; it provides breeding grounds for
mosquitoes. Emptying used kiddy pools and fountains and refilling them with fresh water, cleaning
gutters of leaves and other rain-blocking debris and filling in puddles with dirt are just some of the
ways to reduce the buzzing bugs in your yard.
Going to the birds. Setting up a few bird houses in your yard is not only a great way to enjoy the
beauty of our feathered friends, but it also mitigates bug problems, since many birds love to dine
on dragonflies, beetles and the ilk.
Candle in the wind. When outdoors, ignite an all-natural bug repellant candle nearby to keep the
bugs at bay, and enjoy the sweet smell of citronella, lavender, mint and other aromas that pests
find repugnant.
Arabian Ranches
Light up the night. Many high-flying insects are drawn to light. So, why not install an elevated
yellow bug light on your back yard to attract those critters up and away from the ground (and you!)
when you spend an evening outdoors.
USEFUL NUMBERS
Fire
Ambulance
Police
Al Ameen
997
998
999
800 4888
Dubai Municipality
Taxi (RTA)
DEWA
Community Security Hotline (24 hrs)
800 900
800 9090
991
04 308 9555