Contents
- Spring into Fun coming soon the Linden Oaks
- Lawn mowing services continues the week of March 31
- Your opinions could earn you a $100 gift card
- Win a free trip!
- Corvias Foundation applications are due May 8
- Test your air conditioning now
- 3 tips to make a PCS less taxing
- “Purple Up!” in Support of Military Kids
- Have you heard about Randolph Pointe?
- Green corner
- Friendly community reminders
- Visitor passes for Fort Bragg and Linden Oaks
- The absolutely true origins of April Fools’ Day
- Community happenings are on our website’s calendar
- Upcoming events and important dates
Spring into Fun coming soon to Linden Oaks
As you may know, Corvias’ first 2014 community event, Spring into Fun, was held on Friday, March 21 at the Casablanca/Anzio Acres Community Center. The event was a huge hit, and we’re so glad that so many of you came.
As a reminder, the event will also be held on Friday, April 11, 3-6 p.m. at The Clubhouse at Linden Oaks. Come for free food, music, games, large inflatable slides, potato sack races, raffle prizes, and so much more!
Lawn mowing services continues the week of March 31
To improve your quality of life and overall housing experience, Corvias Military Living provides commercial lawn mowing services at no additional charge. These seasonal services are provided by The Brickman Group, an established leader in the commercial lawn mowing industry. Your home will receive a mow during the weeks of March 31, April 14, 21, and 28. You will not receive a mow during the week of April 7.
Check your community’s calendar for your mowing schedule, as some community lawn care schedules have changed. Inclement weather may require adjustments to your regular lawn mowing schedule. If you have questions about your lawn mowing services, please contact your Community Office.
Lawn mowing process:
First, the mowers mow your lawn. Second, a separate crew trims around fixed objects such as fences and drains. (This service will occur every other mow.) Third, another team comes through to blow the grass clippings off of your patio, sidewalk and driveway.
How to prepare your yard for mowing:
• Remove toys, decorative items, trash, patio furniture, grills, pet waste, and trampolines from all grassy areas on your lawn mowing day. Unprepared lawns will not be mowed.
• Park cars on paved areas to allow crews access to grassy areas.
• Store pets indoors on your lawn mowing day.
• Ensure that your backyard fence is unlocked to allow crews to access your yard. (Ste Mere Eglise residents should prop open patio privacy fences.) After lawn mowing has been completed, verify that your fence is closed before allowing your pet to re-enter your yard.
Your opinions could earn you a $100 gift card
Earlier this week, you should have received an e-mail from Corvias Military Living announcing our Resident Communication Survey. This short survey takes less than 5 minutes to complete and will provide valuable information to help us communicate most effectively with you.
Please take time to complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/communication14 and help us better serve you. Upon completion of the survey, you will be entered in a drawing for the chance to receive one of three $100 gift cards to Amazon.com. If you did not receive an e-mail about the survey, we may not have your current contact information. Please contact your Community Office to update your contact information.
Win a free trip!
Corvias wants to hear from you! In a one-minute or less video, tell us why your Corvias community is great. One winning video entry will be selected from each Corvias location to receive an iPad mini! Then, one overall winner will be chosen from the top 14 videos for a grand prize - a $2,000 travel voucher! All winners will be announced mid-May. E-mail your video to MyView@corvias.com by April 11 to be entered to win.
Corvias Foundation applications are due May 8
If you are the spouse of an active-duty service member with plans to go to college, Corvias Foundation may be able to help. Go to corviasfoundation.org to learn more about available educational grants from Corvias Foundation and to apply online.
Community happenings are on our website’s calendar
Want to know what is happening in your community? Your community calendar can help you stay up-to-date on trash, recycling, lawn care, resident events and community activities. You can even sync your community calendar with a personal Google calendar by clicking on the +Google button on the bottom right-hand corner of the calendar.
Test your air conditioning now
Spring is officially here, and summer is just a few months away! Test your air conditioning now before the temperatures really heat up. If your air conditioning is not functioning properly, please submit a service order in person at your Community Office, by phone, or on our website. We will be happy to take care of that for you.
3 tips to make a PCS less taxing
Military life requires frequent moves which can make preparing your income tax return stressful, difficult and confusing. Tax Day and PCS season are both quickly approaching. These tips and resources may help with “down to the wire” returns, and/or with navigating through an upcoming move in a more knowledgeable and organized way.
Organize your papers
Military families may face multiple moves during the same tax year and when tax season arrives, it reduces stress to have all of your documents in one place. Keep your documents organized.
Creating a yearly tax file can help ease the worry of filing a return. A simple pocket folder or an accordion file can help keep track of tax documents throughout the year. Our favorite is this style of folder.
The Army Wife Network, a multi-media resource site for spouses, features a column on the top tax deductions to consider before you begin your tax return.
Moving expense deductions
While PCS moves are paid, there may be some out-of-pocket expenses you can claim on your tax return. The IRS website outlines moving expenses that could be deducted. FrontDoor.com also outlines expenses that cannot be claimed. As always, please consult with a tax service provider for complete details.
Free tax services
The military community has several free resources available for service members, veterans, and dependents. Fort Bragg offers free assistance with tax preparation through the Fort Bragg Tax Center. For individuals that want to file on their own, militaryonesource.com offers a free, online service. Of course, if you have any questions, always ask a professional.
“Purple Up!” in Support of Military Kids
Corvias Foundation is inviting all residents to “Purple Up!” on April 15 to recognize and honor military children.
The “Purple Up!” initiative started only a couple of years ago and has quickly spread across the entire country. Sparked by a deep appreciation for the challenges military children face, purple is the selected color of this movement of gratitude because it symbolizes a combination of Army green, Air Force blue, Marine red, Navy blue, and Coast Guard blue.
“Military children live with unique challenges presented by frequent moves, parental deployments, and life transitions,” explains Corvias Foundation Executive Director, Maria Montalvo. “Children of military families serve along with their parents, and we want to recognize them for their sacrifice.”
Please wear your purple and join us at the Pope Community Center (51 Skytrain Drive) on April 15 at 4 p.m. to celebrate military children in a short ceremony. We’re hoping to have lots of smiling faces for a photo opportunity for our local papers too! Please check your e-mail for more information coming soon. During the month, you’ll also see bulletin boards in community centers and offices where residents are invited to add photos to recognize those special military children in your life.
In addition, we’ve created a blog where residents can share their experiences. Check it out!
Thank you for your support of military kids!
The absolutely true origins of April Fools’ Day
The origins of April Fools’ Day are, perhaps appropriately, shrouded in mystery. The commonly accepted story is that when Pope Gregory XIII replaced the Julian calendar with the Gregorian version, New Year’s Day shifted from the traditional April 1 to Jan. 1. Those who adopted the Gregorian calendar made fun of people who continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1, calling them “April Fools.”
According to the InfoPlease website, though, a Boston University history professor proposed an alternative explanation in 1983: During the reign of the emperor Constantine in the 3rd and 4th centuries, he said, a group of court jesters claimed they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine finally made a clown named Kugel king for a day. One of Kugel’s edicts called for a day of absurd behavior, and the tradition continued every year after Constantine resumed the throne.
And now, the rest of the story: After being quoted by the Associated Press, though, Professor Boskin admitted he’d been playing an April Fools’ Day joke of his own: He’d made the story up.
Have you heard about Randolph Pointe?
Randolph Pointe is Fort Bragg’s only on-post apartment community for single and unaccompanied Senior NCOs and Officers. It is located near the North Post Commissary and PX on the corner of Randolph and Souter Streets at 2850 Compass Court. For more information or to schedule a tour for your single or unaccompanied service members, visit randolphpointe.com or call (910) 764-5008.
Green corner
Set your thermostat to “auto” instead of “on.” This will ensure your home heats or cools only when necessary.
Friendly community reminders
- Staying inside for a while? Remember to close your garage door and return all of your belongings, such as toys, tools, and bicycles, to your home when you are not outside with your family. If you are not currently using these items, please remove them from the streets, driveways, and sidewalks. This will not only maintain the curb appeal of the community, but it will also ensure that your possessions are securely stored near your home.
- When parking in the community, remember to lock your car doors and store valuable items out of sight.
- Are you holding a yard sale? If you post yard sale signs in your community, please display these signs no earlier than the day before the sale, and no later than the day after the sale.
- Fort Bragg’s curfew prohibits children under the age of 18 from being outdoors later than 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and later than 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Please also remember that children under the age of 10 must be directly supervised at all times.
Visitor passes for Fort Bragg and Linden Oaks
As you know, Fort Bragg has implemented the Automated Installation Entry (AIE). Visitors who are not driving with a DoD ID card holder, such as a friend or a delivery truck, must obtain a visitor pass to travel onto Fort Bragg. Visitor passes can be obtained at the All American Visitor Control Center, located at the All American Gate. The center is open 24/7. Visitor passes are valid for 90 days from the date of issue.
Within the next 2 months, Linden Oaks visitors who are not driving with a DoD ID card holder must obtain a visitor pass to travel into the community. This visitor pass will only be valid for entry into the Linden Oaks community, not the rest of Fort Bragg. However, if a visitor already has a visitor pass for Fort Bragg, that pass can be used to access Linden Oaks. All Linden Oaks visitors can obtain their passes from the guards at the Linden Oaks community’s entrance.
Linden Oaks residents’ entry will not be affected by this new procedure. Linden Oaks residents will continue to present their DoD ID cards to the gate’s guards. For more information, please call (910) 432-1199 or (910) 432-1200.
Upcoming events and important dates
Week of March 31: Second week of lawn mowing services
April 1: Annual water line flushing ends
April 11, 3-6 p.m.: Spring into Fun, The Clubhouse at Linden Oaks
April 15: Purple Up Day
April 15: Taxes are due
April 26: Children’s Fest
