By TED MAST

Louvonne is one of the youngest members of the Charbonneau family of homeowners associations . Our 67 detached , single-family homes , including one with quite possibly the only finished basement in Charbonneau , were built between 1989 and 1993 . The community was designed to resemble a French Village . Louvonne residents range in age from 1 to 100 . Our lovely centenarian , Ruth Johnson , a 21-year resident , says the key to longevity can be summed

up in two words — peanut butter . Little Scarlet , who moved here with her parents last fall , is quickly becoming everyone ’ s resident granddaughter .

Louvonne has three large water features including a well-stocked Koi Pond . The Koi Pond has a tunnel under Louvonne Drive connecting it to our man-made stream on the other side . This tunnel also serves as a refuge for the Koi in the event a Blue Heron should stop by . That ’ s not the only tunnel we have . From the north end of Riviera Lane , a tunnel runs under French Prairie Road coming out in the vicinity of the green on Red hole 3 . This gives our golf cart owners a short cut to the pro shop and walkers easy access to the Red course for winter walks .

Whenever a home goes up for sale in Louvonne the listing always starts with the same phrase : “ in a lovely gated community .” We are the only truly gated community in Charbonneau and , from a security standpoint , that offers great comfort in living here . It does , however , come with a downside . When a gate goes up , in the eyes of the city of Wilsonville , all roads behind the gate become private and are no longer subject to city maintenance . Part of our monthly dues go into a reserve account to fund all of our own street repairs .

We have a large clubhouse at our salt water pool . The building , with a kitchenette , is available for residents to reserve and use without any charge . From bible study , to bunko , to fellowship gatherings , to birthday parties , our place is always in use . We have an annual Fourth of July parade , a well-attended December Holiday party , and , when it comes down to it , our hospitality committee celebrates with parties on most all major holidays , like the Kentucky Derby , Halloween and St Patrick ’ s Day . The building also has a generator so that it can serve as a warming center in the event of a storm like we had a couple of years ago . We have a strong Neighborhood Watch program and an active emergency preparedness coordinator .

A unique feature of living in Louvonne is that you never have to worry about replacing a burned-out bulb on the front of your house . We have a volunteer position called the Lamplighter who patrols the streets at dusk in his golf cart looking for burned-out bulbs and promptly replaces them . In the course of the past year , every home has been outfitted with identical bulbs giving the community a uniform , warm and inviting look .

Simply put , Louvonne is a wonderful place to call home .

� Your first call to report any suspicious vehicles , persons or activity should be to law enforcement :

� For Emergencies : call 9-1-1 .

� For non-emergencies : Call , 503-655-8211 ( 24 / 7 ) ( Clackamas County Sheriff ’ s Office )

� Once law enforcement has been notified , call the Charbonneau Country Club office at 503-694- 2300 to share information about the incident . If after hours , leave a message .

The Community Safety Coordinator will review all calls .

� If after 5 p . m . and before 8:30 a . m . call Corporate Crime Control at 503-505-3327 .

If there is an officer on duty and patrolling , they will get the call directly . If off-duty , please leave a message so they will stay aware .