Ashburton Spring 2024 Newsletter

Greetings

FROM THE PRESIDENT!

Dear Ashburton Community Members

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as our Ashburton Community President. A few weeks ago, I hosted a meeting for our newly elected board members. I was grateful to have our former President A.J. attend. He helped clarify some of our issues as we enter this period of transition.

I offer a heartfelt thank you to our former leadership and board members for all the work they have done for our community. We look forward to continuing the progress. There is a lot more to be done. We look forward to providing you with a calendar of events and certainly are open to any suggestions that contribute to the betterment of Ashburton.

In this issue you will find a tribute to our tree planting crew headed by Tori. We had a fantastic event on Callaway concluding the grant. Hats off to everyone who participated in the fun. We are excited about the rewards that resulted from this event and the future submission of grants like this to beautify our neighborhood.

We are looking for leaders to help us with community events that include a flea market, annual gatherings, and more. I know for example that James has agreed to lead a veterans event.

In our board meeting were many ideas including wanting more lighting, summer concerts, movie nights, the possibility of a neighborhood watch team, senior checkup and more.

We look forward to providing new community residents some guidelines for residing in our historical neighborhood and helping us to keep it beautiful. In this historical neighborhood for example, permanent signage on lawns that are not approved are not allowed. Oversized vehicles also, cannot be parked in our neighborhoods.

In this issue of our newsletter, thanks to Dan, is a list of our upcoming community meetings that are held the 3rd Tuesday of other month. We decided in our board meeting that we will take a break from meetings July and August and return to community meetings in September.

We look forward to seeing you at our April 16th meeting at the Baltimore City Community College Auditorium when you first enter the campus. The meeting will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.

Our elected officials are invited to bring us up to date on issues pertaining to our community. At this writing Senator Hayes has confirmed his attendance. We expect that our Councilman James Torrence will be in attendance as he usually attends all our meetings. I also want to remind everyone that we are a non-participant organization and do not take positions on elections and if any one is running for a position and is not an elected official they are allowed to attend and announce the office they are running for but this is not a platform for explaining their positions on any issues.

See you on April 16th. Invite your neighbors.

Sincerely,

Catherine Pugh

ASHBURTON ASSOCIATION COMMITTEES

To get involved simply send an email to the chair of the committee you would like to support.

Education: tonette.d.campbell@gmail.com

Fundraising: torikay@verixon.net

Housing: byron@conmcastnet

Newsletter: dolds@zebradesigns.net

Beautification/Events: kendra.abaidoo@verizon.net

Safety: Ropbin.Tigbnor@gmail.com

Communications: tyravmitchell@gmail.com

Community Development: Ddeleaver@gmail.com

Architectural Review Committee CHAP:

Dawn@otiswarren.com and Noell1229@gmail.com

Public Relations: Phylliseva@msn.com

Hello Ashburton Neighbors,

As many of you know, the most recent Ashburton Association’s General Meeting of 2024 was an important one. The attendees were tasked with electing new leadership as well as some new Board Members.

Here is the outcome of the elections:

2024Ashburton Association Board

President Catherine Pugh

1st Vice President Braxton Street

2nd Vice President Micah Hayden

Treasurer Robert Rucks

Secretary Tosha Deal Parliamentarian

Dr. Billie Roberts Spann

Board of Directors

James Moore

Philip Malcolm

Chauna Watson

William Monk

Kendra Abaidoo

Robin Tygnor

Tyra Mitchell

Dan Olds

Denise DeLeaver

Tori Burns

Kevin Trotman

Urban Tree Program Beautifies Our Community!

Our March 2024 planting event marked our fourth organized activity and third planting event. We made positive strides in two ways.

First, we had the highest participation rate to date among Ashburton residents, from 21 percent November 2023 to 36 percent March 2024.

Secondly, and as the result of a connection made at CBT’s recent Spring Kick-Off event, we engaged four new volunteers from the Hanlon community, adding to our partnership reach. We also had more parents with children than at any other event. This is all encouraging and bodes well for prospects of future activities. Our next planting event will be April 14, 2-4 p.m. This time, we’ll meet in the parking lot of Ashburton Elementary/Middle School for a spring clean up and more tree planting and care. We hope to see you!

The Step-By-Step Guide to Cleaning Out Your Garage

1) Have a plan, a timeframe, and a few helpers

2) Sort everything into categories

Remove everything from the garage and distribute it into five piles: - Keep; - Donate; - Recycle; - Trash; - Sell

3) Clean your garage top to bottom

While your garage is empty, give it a thorough cleaning.

4) Clean your garage door inside and out

5) Cleaning garage windows

6) Separate things based on interest

Divide everything into categories such as: Household tools, Cleaning supplies, Auto tools and accessories, Recreational equipment, Holiday/seasonal décor Landscape supplies, Pet supplies

7) Organize!

Use your garage space wisely and save the floor space for your car(s).

8) Plan a monthly garage cleaning

April 16, 2024 / 6:30 PM / BCCC

June 18, 2024 / 6:30 PM / BCCC

August 20, 2024 / 6:30 PM / BCCC

October 16, 2024 / 6:30 PM / BCCC

December 17, 2024 / 6:30 PM / BCCC

For updates of upcoming meeting details visit www.ashburton1920.org

Simple Spring Yard and Lawn Clean Up Tips

How Spring Lawn Care Benefits Your Yard

Adding lawn care to your spring yard clean up checklist can ensure your lawn stays green year round. When done properly, spring lawn clean up can give your yard the boost it needs to thrive throughout the entire warm weather season.

The main benefit of investing some time into spring lawn care is that it sets your yard up for a healthy growing season and gets it clean and ready for the new season. Taking care of your lawn in the spring can help prevent weed growth and encourages your grass roots to grow deep and strong — which results in a lawn that stays healthy and beautiful even when the weather is hot and dry.

Spring Lawn Cleaning: Wait to Fertilize

You might be tempted to start fertilizing the lawn the moment spring arrives, but if you fertilize a dormant lawn it can come back to bite you. Put lawn fertilization on your spring clean up checklist, but wait to fertilize your lawn until it starts to show signs of life.

Remove Yard Debris with Lawn Trash Bags

One of the first things you can do as the spring season kicks off is take some time for yard clean up to dispose of any debris around your yard that’s accumulated over the winter. Things like dead plants, branches, twigs, and leaves can be gathered up and placed in a compost bin, while things like rocks and litter can be thrown out. Use trash bags for heavier yard items

and garbage and utilize composting to reduce yard trash waste.

Prune Your Plants

Next, use the spring season to begin to clean up your existing flowers, shrubs, and other plants. Remove dead annuals and prune dead twigs and branches off of any perennials. If you don’t remove the dead bits, they could have a harder time getting proper amounts of sunlight.

Mow When the Time Is Right

Whether you’re eagerly awaiting or positively dreading the beginning of lawn mowing season or spring, it’s important to know when to start mowing. A good rule of thumb is to wait until it’s at least 40°F and your grass has grown 2–3 inches tall before you mow for the first time.

Room-by-Room Spring Cleaning Checklists

Kitchen

a Dust refrigerator coils

a Defrost the freezer

a Clean out pantry

a Deep clean oven

a Deep clean inside refrigerator

a Clean cabinets

a Clean small appliances

Bathroom

a Discard expired cosmetics and beauty products

a Update first-aid kit

a Deep clean shower

a Wash bathmats

a Deep clean toilet

a Deep clean sink

a Wash towels and linens

a Replace or wash shower liner

a Clean grout

Bedroom

a Wash all bedding

a Deep clean your mattress

a Clean out closet and dresser

a Clean under your bed

a Wash pillows

Home Office

a Organize files

a Clean computer

a Organize office supplies

Outdoor Spaces

a Scrub deck and patio

a Wash driveway

a Treat mildew

a Wash outdoor furniture

a Check for damaged wires and connections on light fixtures