Committees

The primary purpose of the committee is to maintain a network to disseminate information to the Sherwood Forest community in a timely manner utilizing residents who volunteer to represent their blocks. The committee also is used to assess complaints and questions from Sherwood Forest residents.

Major projects for the year:

1. Get block captains for every block in Sherwood Forest.
2. Give block captain s telephone and email lists of all the residents of their blocks, which they will update as new information becomes known.
3. Hold a meeting of block captains to clarify responsibilities.
4. Encourage block captains to hold annual social events for their block.

This committee has four functions:

1. To produce our newsletter, the Tattler, four times a year or as often as the editordeems appropriate.
2. To maintain our neighborhood website at www. sherwoodforestdetroit.org.
3. To maintain neighborhood email and address lists.
4. To send email notices to residents, as necessary, and to respond to email communications from residents.

TATTLER
The Tattler is published electronically at least times a year. Once a new edition of the Tattler is complete, electronic copies are sent to email subscribers and the new edition is placed on the website under “Newsletter.” Presently, the Tattler does not accept paid advertising.

WEBSITE
The committee must keep all information on the website up to date, including forms, notices of upcoming events and the “This Old House” list. Our web service provider is ipage. Our website is found at www.sherwoodforestdetroit.org.

EMAIL AND ADDRESS LISTS
The committee must continuously update email and address lists as well as encourage residents to provide their email addresses and address changes. Email addresses are solicited on our annual Sherwood Forest Association dues notices, security patrol dues notices, at meetings and other events and through the Tattler. When an email is returned as undeliverable, we contact the homeowner to get an updated email address. Email and address lists are not shared with other organizations or even with other neighbors. It is important for residents to know that the information they share with us is kept private.

EMAIL NOTICES
In addition to sending the Tattler, we communicate regularly with neighbors by email. We send notices of upcoming neighborhood events, communications from the city and from other neighborhoods, security alerts and even notices about lost pets. We do not send commercial or political notices via email. Residents email us on a regular basis and we try to respond to each of these emails. Shirley Jackson is the Tattler editor, and Gail Rodwan is responsible for other communications. Emails are sent using the email delivery service Vertical Response.

The purpose of this committee is the planning and execution of events for Sherwood Forest residents. All events require board approval of the activity and the funding.

Events include but are not limited to:

• Walking and biking groups
• Holiday Events such as a Halloween party
• Concerts in the Park
• Meet and Greets in homes of residents
• Annual Membership Meeting – usually held the second week of May and preceded by a potluck supper
  Special events for children

The purpose of the committee is to:

1. Advise on governance (By-Laws, etc.) issues
2. Review Association contracts, insurance policies, etc.
3. Advise and work with other committees such as Property Maintenance and City Services
4. Advise and recommend on matters regarding interpretation, meaning and enforcement of Property Restrictions, 501(c)(3) status, Historic District rules and regulations, pending state legislation and other matters of legal significance to the Association.

Key City departments to be contacted:

• Detroit Law Department, 313-224-4550
• Historic Commission (Jennifer Ross), 313-224-8907
• Building and Safety Engineering Department, 313-224-2733
• Department of Zoning – Appeals, 313-224-2595
• Department of Neighborhoods – District 2, 313-236-3494

Purpose of Committee:

1. To maintain and increase membership in our two neighborhood organizations: the Sherwood Forest Association and the private security patrol service.
2. To promote membership to new neighbors through coordinated efforts with the Welcoming Committee and with Block Captains.

We need someone to chair this committee

This committee exists to ensure the health, safety and beauty of Sherwood Forest by monitoring compliance with the Sherwood Forest property restrictions, as well as zoning and property maintenance provisions of the Detroit City Code.

The chairperson of the committee is alerted to possible property maintenance violations in two ways:

1. Through regular personal observation of properties in the neighborhood;
2. Through complaints received by the Sherwood Forest Association from neighbors.

Typical violations are improper storage of vehicles, untimely placement of trash at the curb for pickup, failure to cut grass, etc.

On confirmation of a violation, the chairperson will send the homeowner a reminder letter specifying the violation and the steps necessary to remedy the situation. The Sherwood Forest Association has developed form letters for this purpose, and they are available online. The first step is to seek voluntary compliance from the homeowner. In the rare instance where the homeowner declines to comply, the chairperson of this committee is responsible for contacting the appropriate city department or agency to seek assistance in resolution of the problem.

This person also is responsible for organizing periodic neighborhood cleanup and beautification campaigns, typically in the spring and fall.

This committee has two primary responsibilities:

1. Maintaining passive parks – This includes Sherwood Park, areas around the Sherwood Forest signs, the “walk-through” to Livernois on Warrington where Chesterfield ends, and the islands at Pembroke at Renfrew and at both ends of the Renfrew-Parkside circle. We contract annually with a lawn service to maintain these areas.
2. Maintaining the overall beauty of the neighborhood, which includes arranging to have flowers planted around the Sherwood Forest signs by neighborhood volunteers who both provide the flowers and plant and maintain them.

Duties Relating to Security Patrol:

1. Review contracts, patrol performance, and patrol driver incident reports and transmit all necessary information to the board for review
2. Keep working list of patrol membership
3. Keep abreast of adjoining neighborhoods’ crime/incidents
4. Maintain a working relationship with the 12th Precinct.
5. Make neighbors aware of benefits of patrol membership
6. Coordinate with person who handles billing
7. Coordinate with professional security patrol manger and personnel (currently Threat Management Security).

Non-board member Gordon Rodwan is responsible for patrol billings and membership list; non-board member Mike Slater reviews patrol and statistical reports and communicates with neighbors and Threat Management on security issues.

Street Snow Removal Specifications:

1. Service: Plowing of streets curb to curb and around corners, including clearing all intersections in the Sherwood Forest Subdivision from Seven Mile to Pembroke, excluding Seven Mile Road and Livernois, including the city fire route on Canterbury, unless otherwise specified by the Association. Plowing is done on an ON CALL BASIS as soon as possible after snowfall ends.
2. Plowing Guidelines: Any snowfall with an accumulation of 4.0 or more inches or as otherwise requested by the Association

Insurance Specifications:

1. Types of Insurance:
   a) General Liability (at least $300,000 individual occurrence/aggregate)
   b) Automobile Liability (including hired and non-owned autos/vehicles covering combined single limit, bodily injury per person and per accident and property damage, in amounts reasonably acceptable to Association).
   c) Worker’s Compensation covering contractors/employees.
2. Policies to show the Association and its directors as both named insureds and certificate holders
3. Policies to provide for any cancellation notices to be sent to the Association at a specified address.
4. Certificates evidencing above including names of the insurance companies involved to be given to the Association before any work is commenced: said companies are to be rated as financially responsible by recognized rating services.
5. If contractor uses subcontractors or non-employees to perform the work, such shall also supply the above insurance coverages to the extent such are not included in the polices furnished by the contractor.

Implementation Process and Timeline:

1. September/October: Send Snow Removal and Insurance Specifications to vendor(s) and request proposals including proof of insurance.
2. October: Send proposal(s) and insurance documents to SFA board attorney for review and sign off.
3. October: Forward proposal and insurance documents to SFA board president.
4. November: In preparation for first snow fall, establish communication process between vendor and SFA primary and back up point person (Committee Chair).
5. December – April: Publish reminders in Tattler to remove all vehicles and Courvilles from street during snow alert to allow snow removal equipment to plow from curb to curb.
6. December – April: Monitor snow fall weather reports and negotiate plowing process with vendor as needed

The purpose of this committee is to welcome new homeowners to Sherwood Forest and to personally provide each family with a tray of home baked goodies. In addition, our goal is to provide each homeowner with pertinent information about Sherwood Forest, including:

1. A handbook which gives a brief history of Sherwood Forest
2. Membership forms for the Sherwood Forest Association and Patrol
3. A booklet about Sherwood Forest as an historic district
4. A copy of our property restrictions
5. A list of Sherwood Forest Association board members and their phone numbers
6. Trash collection schedule

The chair of this committee finds a neighbor to monitor each vacant home and assists the monitor where special support is required. In some instances, the chair will hire contractors to do work beyond what the monitor is able to do (rake leaves, shovel snow, etc). Vacant home monitors report to the chair any changes in the status of vacant homes. The chair must survey the neighborhood on a regular basis and keep an up-to-date list of all vacant homes, share that list with Threat Management Security and attempt to determine the status and ownership of each vacant home.

This committee educates our neighbors about what it means to live in an historic district and helps residents
to work with the Detroit Historic District Commission.

This committee works with local realtors to educate them about the Sherwood Forest Association, the security patrol, our property restrictions and historic designation. The chair monitors home sales and prices, publicizes homes for sale and encourages potential new residentsto but in Sherwood Forest