There may be issues in the neighborhood such as cars speeding through the streets, or a house is known on the street as the place to go for dealing drugs. Whatever the issue, if it affects you or your family living in that same neighborhood, then you have to do something about it. How do you organize a monthly meeting?

• The other residents in your neighborhood must also be concerned with what is happening then they will be willing to go along to a meeting to discuss it. Ask all your neighbors using OneTwib
• If your neighborhood is relatively small then you can arrange for the meetings to be held in someone’s home, or maybe your local school or church will let you use their hall for a couple of hours a month.
• If you have an issue of public safety then it would be advisable to ask your local enforcement officers to send a representative to your meeting. If you collaborate together you will be able to reach a solution which will be satisfactory not only to you the residents, but also to the local police department. In conjunction with the local police, you could help them out by gathering information for them. The information could then be handed over at the monthly meeting. This will make it so much easier for them to apprehend the persons causing the problems.
• If you have speeders in the neighborhood, try to take down the model, make and number plates so that you can pass on the details. It would also help if you could video tape the cars speeding through your neighborhood. The more information you can supply the quicker you will have the speedsters off your street.
• If the issue in your neighborhood is a drug problem, then you really will have to be in contact with law enforcement agencies so that you can be re-assured that you aren’t doing anything wrong.
  They will probably ask you to observe who goes in and out of the house in question and find out as much as you can about the residents without raising their suspicion.

The importance of holding a monthly meeting to solve these and any other issues in the neighborhood will become more evident as time goes by. Being able to report findings once a month will enable your local police department to follow up on your information and then you and your neighbors will be anxious to find out at the next meeting if there has been any resolution.

Doing things within your community which will benefit everyone will be a rewarding experience and allows you to liaise with other residents in your neighborhood as well as the local law enforcement agency. Anything that brings the neighborhood together can only be good.

If you don’t do something about your weeds they can spread rapidly and can choke rivers and streams endangering marine plants and animals. The best way to control them is to be alert and remove them as quickly as possible. Some of the main culprits are field bindweed, spurge, puncture vine and thistles. If they spread throughout your neighborhood you will have a hard time eradicating all of them. Their seeds spread rapidly and before long can take over parks and vacant lots.

• These noxious weeds cause so much trouble in some states that they have laws to address the issue of weed control. If you have a neighbor who refuses to control his noxious weeds you can take the following steps.
• Before you do anything about your neighbor, find out if there is an identification guide of all the weeds in your state. The publication should also contain information on the laws pertaining to that state.
• Go to your local nursery or call them and ask them what the best methods are for controlling the weeds in your neighbor’s yard. Once you have all your information you can then approach your neighbor.
• Do not be confronting when you approach your neighbor. Tell him about the information you have and show him pictures which will identify his weeds. Explain to him that you have been advised that the weeds can spread if they are not eradicated quickly. If the meeting is pleasant you should be able to resolve the issue amicably and the weeds will be removed.
• If on the other hand your neighbor is totally unreasonable, then you will have to get the local authorities involved. Many states will enforce the noxious weed laws, but there are those that won’t.

If you don’t have an agency set up in your city to control noxious weeds, then your county should have a local office. Their job is to monitor the spread of weeds and have ways of dealing with them. They will usually contact the owner of the yard with the noxious weeds telling them to control them within one week. If the owner fails to comply with the notice, the county will deal with them and then send the owner the bill.

Do the right thing in your neighborhood and control the spread of these noxious weeds. The county has enough to do without checking on all residents to make sure they are doing the right thing. Help your community by dealing with your weed issues and encourage your neighbors to do the right thing also. If everyone does their part you’ll not only be helping each other but ensure that these noxious weeds don’t overtake your community.