Inside thisissue

02Enhancing community entrancesLearn more about the initiatives taken by us to enhance the community entrances.

03Sunny comfort guaranteed Visit your community pool today to check out the recent developments which are guaranteed to provide the luxury you always wanted.

05Bugged by pests? Read how you can protect your family’s health and safety by controlling annoying pests.

04Kids’ areas get new canopiesKids and their caretakers can now enjoy shaded comfort in the kids’ pools and play areas.

Published by Emaar Community Management: contact us at communities@ecm.ae For private circulation only.

COMMUNITY NEWSThe Springs — Issue 4 — 2014

Season’s GreetingsHere’s wishing you and your family a joyous festive season and afantastic New Year from all of us at ECM.

Creepy crawlies, scary monsters, cute minions, cartoon characters and all things Halloween came alive in Arabian Ranches, Downtown Dubai, The Greens & Views, Emirates Living and Mistral, Umm Al Quwain on Friday, 31 October 2014 at the annual Halloween Event and Costume Contest.

Children had a field day with arts and crafts corners, haunted houses, beanbag theatres and dancing, while food stations served snacks and beverages. The climax of the evening was the Costume Contest, in which children who had been shortlisted participated for a chance to win a trophy in the Scariest, Funniest and the Most Creative Costume categories. This was followed by trick or treating, as enthusiastic groups went door to door to claim their candy.

The feedback was very positive and we look forward to another fright night next year.

Halloween event

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New Access Control System

We are pleased to announce that the pilot project of the new Automated Access Control System (AACS) which was launched in Springs 3 was successful. The AACS will require that you have a registered access device in your vehicle to enter the community. A Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance system will also be installed with the AACS, to further enhance community safety and security.

After a review by our security and technical teams, we are planning to implement the same system across The Springs. Each of The Springs gatehouses will be fitted with new entrance and exit barriers and entry to the community will be automated through access cards, which will be provided to residents on submission of required details.

We will inform you in advance when your community is scheduled for the installation, so you can apply for the new access cards.

Our entrances play an important role in welcoming residents and visitors into the community. For this reason we put a lot of effort into ensuring that they are aesthetically pleasing and functionally efficient. Over the course of the year, we have undertaken various improvements of the community entrances as detailed below:

Gatehouse refurbishment

We have completed the refurbishment of The Springs gatehouses. The new look and interiors of the gatehouses provide the security guards with better comfort and a better working atmosphere.

Lecterns at the security gatehouses

In our endeavour to provide better facilities for our gatehouse security guards and improve their performance, we have installed a lectern at every gatehouse in The Springs. This will enable security guards to efficiently and easily log the details of vehicles and individuals entering the community.

Enhancing community entrances

Your neighbourhood lake will soon look as pristine as it once used to with the restoration of the lake banks in Emirates Living. Our contractors are currently working to remove the pebbles that have eroded over the years due to rain and various other lake maintenance activities. The pebbles will be rearranged and compacted on the lake bank, and cleaned to revive the lake’s original condition.

New look for lake

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An old couch, an outdated TV, faded carpets… every home accumulates stuff over the years. This is why we organised a one-time Collect My Junk campaign in The Springs. This initiative gave residents the opportunity to dispose of their unused and unwanted bulky household items – at no cost. The campaign ran for a month from 15 November till 18 December 2014.

Get rid of junk for free

Getting that tan you’ve always wanted is even easier now with the introduction of a new sun lounger in your community pool. What’s more, the new improved furniture is cosy and easier to maintain. Why not check it out for yourself with a visit to your community pool?

Sunny comfort guaranteed

To easily identify and locate your villa during emergency situations, we have installed a number plate on each villa that borders the sikka and lakes. The plate is fixed on the exterior wall and is easily visible by the security and site inspection team.

Villa IDs for enhanced visibility

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Our boundary wall project on Al Asayel Street is scheduled for completion by end of this year. Block work for the height extension is now complete, while plastering and wall repainting are expected to finish by end of November 2014.

The villas that have been skipped due to unavailability of access will be revisited for internal finishing this month.

Boundary wall update

We have replaced the metal fence at the sikkas that provided free access to the community from the main road. The new fence is 2.1 meters high and will help safeguard the community from trespassers. Once completed, our contractors will fence off the sikkas that connect to non-Springs communities to deter unwarranted entry of service providers.

Fencing to prevent easy entry

A greener view alongSprings driveThe landscaping improvement project along Al Asayel Street is in progress. Our contractors are now at Springs 10 and 11 working on the installation of irrigation lines to prepare the site for vegetation. Planting is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2015.

Kids and their caretakers can now enjoy shaded comfort with the replacement of canopies in the kids’ pools and play areas at 23 locations within The Springs.

The canopies had deteriorated over time due to wear and tear and had minor damages.

Kids’ areas get new canopies

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You can effectively control or kill pests when you take action to starve them out, dry them out, and keep them out. Like humans, pest need three critical elements to survive: food, water and shelter. By following three simple and effective steps, you can protect your family’s health and safety while controlling annoying pests.

Bugged by pests? Take these steps

Starve them!

Pest facts• Ants are the most common household invaders. They appear in large numbers, often nesting in wall voids and other areas of the home. The most effective way to control ants is to locate their nest and apply baits that the worker ants will take into the colony. If possible, seal the access point that the ants use to get into your home.

• The presence of spiders in your environment indicates that there are a variety of other insects present for the spider to feed on. They are often found in basements, crawl spaces, air vents and attics. Although most spider bites are not lifethreatening and no more painful than a bee sting, the venom of some species can cause a necrotic wound and systemic toxicity. Infection is also possible if bacteria is transmitted during the bite.

• With more than 3,500 known species, you’re likely to come in contact with a cockroach. They are commonly seen or heard scurrying about at night. If you see them during the day, it’s reasonable to assume that there’s so much pest pressure in the cracks and crevices where they hide that they are being forced out into the open.

• Given their incessant need to gnaw in order to wear down their teeth, rodents, such as rats and mice, can cause severe damage to your property. Rodents contaminate every surface they touch with their uncontrollable urination and defecation. Since they feed indiscriminately on debris, rodents come in contact with many diseases, including plague,salmonellosis, rabies, leptospirosis and trichinosis.

Pests will eat just about anything, but they might leave you alone if they don’t have easy access to food:

• Seal up boxes and bags of food. Roaches love cardboard boxes and can climb into these items with ease.• Store open food in plastic bags or containers, such as cereal, flour, or sugar.• Immediately clean up spills and leftover crumbs. Pests love free food left out in the open.• Don’t walk around the house while eating. Meals and snacks should be eaten at a table.• Clean dirty dishes right away. Pests want whatever is left of your meals.• Keep a tight lid on trash and empty it often. It may be trash to you, but pests see it as dinner. Place trash cans far away from a back door entrance.• Don’t leave pet food out overnight. Food can stir up pests’ appetites

Dry them!Although roaches can live up to one month without food, without water roaches can die in a week’s time:

• Always drain dish water from a sink. Because roaches can swim, a sink full of water might become the site of a roach pool party.• Wipe water and other spilt liquids off the counter as soon as you first see it. Puddles are roach magnets.• Fix leaky faucets, radiators, dishwashers, and washing machines.• Empty excess water in flower pots and plant stands. A drop of water can be all a roach needs to feel satisfied.

Keep them out!By keeping roaches and rodents out of your home, you can prevent them from ever becoming a problem. Rodents spend most of their lives hiding. They love cracks, and can squeeze just about anywhere. Think smart, and they can’t move in on you. Follow these simple steps:

• Seal cracks and openings along baseboards, behind sinks, and around pipes and windows.• Repair holes in door and window screens to prevent insects and other pests from entering a home.• Clean up clutter, including stacks of newspapers, paper bags and cardboard boxes. These make good hiding places for pests.• Set traps to control rats and mice. If you use baits, make sure they are in a tamper-resistant bait station made of durable plastic or metal and place them in an area where children and pets cannot touch them.

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help build a cleanercommunity together

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munity awareness

campaign

Maintaining a clean, safe and well-maintained community is what we continuously work toward. To ensure that these objectives are met, we regularly initiate community awareness campaigns for the benefit of our residents.

In the coming weeks, we will be organising three community campaigns that focus on building: - A caring community together through proper pet care - A safer community together by parking responsibly, driving safe and avoiding washing cars in the community - A cleaner community together through proper waste disposal and proper use of carport space

We will distribute campaign flyers to all residents in the community and place posters at the security gatehouses.

Community awareness campaign

USEFUL NUMBERSFire 997Ambulance 998Police 999Al Ameen 800 4888

Dubai Municipality 800 900Taxi (RTA) 800 9090DEWA 991

Contact ECM at:800 EMAAR (36227)communities@ecm.ae

help build a safercommunity together

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munity awareness

campaign

help build a caringcommunity together

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munity awareness

campaign