The Vineyards using PooPrints to prevent unsightly piles

While I am pretty much always on the lookout for column ideas, sometimes they fall into my lap. That's what happened here, when a reader shared a photo of a sign that had been posted by the property management company in the apartment hallways of The Vineyards development off Route 9 west of Lewes.

The sign said the development was undertaking a new initiative to curb dog poop pollution issues and to prevent wrongful accusations regarding unscooped waste. It’s a service called PooPrints, which uses DNA to determine which dog’s poop wasn’t cleaned up. All residents, even those without a dog, are required to register. If a pile is found, a sample is retrieved and sent to the company, who runs the test against the DNA samples on file.

I have a dog, so I’m aware that fecal sample testing is part of the ownership process, but this program was immediately funny to me. I reached out to The Vineyards about the new program. Chynna Hendricks, leasing manager, called me back.

Hendricks has been at The Vineyards since March and is in charge of rolling out the program. She said she hadn’t heard of the service before, but her company, which also manages properties in other states, had used it successfully.

“It’s crazy what can be done these days,” she said.

Hendricks has been in the property management business since 2017, and she said in her experience, The Vineyards is among the cleanest. People leaving dog waste behind rarely happens, but the program is being implemented in advance of it becoming a problem, she said.

So far, said Hendricks, compliance has been pretty good. Swabbing has been done in six buildings, and there are 10 more to go.

“Honestly, we weren’t sure how it was going to be received, but surprisingly, a good number of people have enrolled,” said Hendricks. “There were some concerns raised by a few residents, but overall, people have reacted well.”

According to the sign, PooPrints is being used in more than 7,000 communities across the country. I’m not aware of any others around here. Hendricks said she wasn’t either.

“I think we’re the first around here,” she said.

When Hendricks left her message, I thought I heard her say policing manager, not leasing manager. As in, it’s her job to police the picking up of poop. She got a good laugh when I clarified the difference.

A submission for Milton’s tagline and crosswalk murals

A recent letter to the editor said Milton missed an opportunity related to the town’s tagline project. I agree, and it got me wondering if I could come up with a suggestion. I did.

Here it is – “Milton: When in town, slow it down and take a look around.”

It’s simple; it acknowledges people are coming to town, either to visit or to drive through; that there are pedestrian safety issues; and that there are great businesses to spend money at and cool old houses to see.

Artistic inspiration comes in waves, so while I’m here, I’d like to submit an idea for the two crosswalk murals the town also recently received a $5,700 grant for. This is the second round of grant money the town has received for crosswalk murals.

The crosswalks are at the intersection of Federal and Mulberry streets. In recognition of the town’s growing arts and music scene, I’m calling it, “Dueling Pianos.” It involves equally spaced, equally sized white and black rectangles going across both crosswalks.

Joke of the week:

Fall is still a month away, but this past week’s cool morning weather reminded me it’s closer to fall than spring. I actually put on a sweatshirt for an early morning assignment Aug. 21. It felt good. Here’s a joke that I hope brings the fall weather sooner than later.

Q: What do you call a small pepper in the fall?

A: A little chili.