Community Updates

Nurture a Friendly Neighborhood

Neighbors aren’t necessarily your close friends, but they aren’t strangers either. Neighbors often share boundaries and fences with you, and they can greatly affect your enjoyment of your home. Since they live so close, they’re well-placed to offer practical support, a fast response in a crisis and genuine friendship. So it’s important to foster good neighbor relations — not only for your benefit, but also for the overall atmosphere and happiness of your neighborhood. Take care of your neighbors, and there’s a good chance they will take care of you too.

1. Invite them in. Whether your neighbor is new to the area or someone you never do more than just wave at, try inviting him or her in for a relaxed, informal get-together over coffee, tea and cake. Help new neighbors with any settling-in issues and make it clear you’re happy to help long-standing residents too.

2. Think about how neighbors see your home. It’s all too easy to forget about your home’s exterior once you’re inside, but your neighbors look at it on a daily basis. Keep your front garden tidy and trim any hedges or shrubs that may encroach on your next-door neighbors’ space. Don’t let a footpath or pavement become obstructed and be sure to park your car thoughtfully too.

3. Use your outside space considerately. In built-up areas, keep voices and music down when hanging out in the garden or on the deck. Check in with your neighbor before holding a party or barbecue outside. In larger gardens, don’t mow or use machinery at unsociable hours, but do share your bounty of homegrown fruit, vegetables and flowers.

4. Show respect. While it’s wonderful to be friends with your neighbors, it’s also crucial to respect their privacy. It’s great to look out for one another, but when that tips into gossip or nosiness, things can become toxic. Always keep lines of communication open, whatever your relationship with your neighbors, and try to ensure that any issues or disputes stay amicable and are dealt with face to face before taking anything further.

5. Start a club. Why not launch a local club to foster strong neighborly relations? Start a book group, art club, cinema club or walking group.

6. Check in with elderly neighbors. Give older neighbors your phone number and let them know they can call if they need help. If they’re vulnerable,

7. Aim for good pet relations too. Make sure that a dog prone to barking in outside spaces isn’t let out late at night or too early in the morning. Don’t let your dog “go” in your neighbors’ outside space, either.

8. Inform neighbors of any renovation plans. Discuss plans that may affect your neighbors and keep building work within legal hours. You could perhaps give them a gift at the end of the build to thank them for their patience, or invite them in to enjoy a glass of wine and see the completed work once it’s done.

9. Hire neighborhood kids for jobs. Local teenagers may be delighted to earn a few extra bucks working at your home, so ask them before looking further afield. Babysitting, gardening, watering while you’re away, car washing and dog walking are tasks they may be happy to take on.

10. Organize a neighborhood event or project. Hold a street party or a picnic in someone’s garden or at our park.

11. Be conscious of security. Swap keys with a trusted neighbor, and ask him or her to check the house and collect junk mail while you’re away. Take in packages for neighbors so that they aren’t left on the doorstep.

12. Acknowledge life’s highs and lows. Good neighbors don’t hide behind their hedges when bad luck visits someone living nearby. Bake a cake or a meal for a neighbor who is ill or recently bereaved, or offer to mow the grass or walk the dog. Celebrate happy events too. If there’s a new baby in your neighborhood, give a small gift, or just be ready with an ear.
 

 

The VIEWS newsletter was published bi-monthly in the past. Enjoy reading the history of Lacamas Shores in past issues.
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LS Concerned Neighbors

The mission of the Concerned Neighbors of Lacamas Shores, as a watchdog and information service, is to maximize the effectiveness of every eligible vote in the Lacamas Shores HOA by providing a minutes of all board meetings and board actions, independent of board control, so members can make informed decisions.

Lacamas Shores Concerned Neighbors is an informal organization that represents the property owners of Lacamas Shores independently of the board to bring balance and objectivity to information relayed to members so their vote is truly an informed one.
 

Community Forum

We have created a Community Forum to allow all members of our neighborhood to express opinions, share ideas and be heard. This is NOT a public forum nor is it run by Lacamas Shores HOA. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and we foster creative, substantive dialogue within our community. Especially important is the right to address your critics.

We believe a open forum will allow our community to share, learn, gather information useful to address common concerns and to solve problems. When neighbors talk, solutions can be found.

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