Friday, July 27, 2012

PHHOA July 2012 Newsletter

The hollow news – July 2012
The good news is … After the downpours of a few weeks ago when some of the swimming pools in Preston Hollow overflowed, the lawns are green and lush.  The Drainage Retention Areas have never looked better. Many homes have colorful, flowering blooms displayed, another testament to the earlier rains and painstaking care by the Homeowners in the Community. 

Thanks to John Cucinella’s work, the PH entrance has several varieties of flowering beds.  John is asking for volunteers to meet him early any Saturday mornings to work on various projects with regard to the common areas. Come out and help John.

On the flip side, some homes have displayed election signs in their yards, a clear violation of the Preston Hollow Deed Restrictions.  We expect those to come down shortly as the Homeowners have been notified by the PH HOA Board.  One Homeowner continues to store a recreational vehicle and other work materials on site.  The Homeowner has been sent a second letter clearly restating the violations. 

An unleashed dog was reported to have chased another Homeowner walking his dog on at least two occasions; a clear violation of the County Ordnance stating dogs must be kept on a leash when outside.  The Sheriff’s Office should be notified when dogs are running loose, (or animal control if it is during their working hours)  Other noted violations included tree trimmings and debris stored outside a home, a possible fire hazard, commercial and service signs displayed on vehicles parked in driveways.

The PH HOA met at the Home of Bill and Judy Thompson July 17, 2012.  Topics of note from the Meeting include a visit by Sheriff Al Neinhuis who said crime is the lowest in 20 years; violent crimes down 15%.  Asked how to manage speeders in the Community, he suggested making a call to his office to the attention of his assistant Joan Payne; that a speed trailer could be installed in the Community. He endorsed the Citizens‘ Academy for volunteers, a six-week session at the Sheriff’s office.

Lisa Groeneveld reported that the Board members met with an attorney relative to the history of her office with the ACC 2007 revision of the Design Guidelines in order to bring the Guidelines into compliance with State Statutes. Joe Deller, Board Liaison to the ACC, volunteered his wife’s time to type the document when it is finalized. The Attorney stated the Guidelines need not be filed with the County, as they continually change. The Attorney also advised using Code Enforcement whenever possible; to follow a strict approach in processing complaints. She further advised that Homeowners should make violation complaints to the Board and that they remain anonymous. The ACC can manage property changes and landscaping issues.  The attorney came highly recommended by those in the nearby HOA communities. A Motion was made to appoint Ron Silinsky as the ACC Chairman. 

Judy Thompson was commended for work in collecting of data and for typing the PH HOA 2012 DirectoryShe thanked her team for efforts to print and distribute the Directory paid by Ads on the front and back covers.  The Printer’s labor was free of charge for 175 Directories. Judy has located a site to hold future meetings at the Beautiful Mind Center, at Spring Hill & Mariner for a nominal charge.  Lisa, too, has located a site at the Masaryktown Town Center.  Notice of the site will be posted before the next meeting scheduled for October 15, 2012.

Treasurer Joe Deller reported the Community monies are in good financial shape.  He has filed four Liens on Homeowners who have failed to pay the PHHOA Dues, with all except five Homeowners up to date.  His goal is to reduce the PHHOA assessments next year!!!!

Bill Thompson, Chairman of the Crime Watch, stated that four Crime Watch captains have been fingerprinted, a big plus for the PH HOA Community. 

A discussion of how to better communicate within the Community included a suggestion to create a Bulletin Board to post news and events on site at Preston Hollow. More to follow on this idea.

The Board welcomes your comments.
Enjoy a great summer in beautiful Preston Hollow!
Sharon Ricks,
Secretary, PRESTON HOLLOW HOA

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Suggestions & Comments...Would like to see a complete financial report provided at the Board meetings...like we used to do. In this way, the owners will get to view our Association's financial health, drawing their own conclusions and asking questions on the data. Over six months have elapsed since a full financial report has been provided. We know that many thousands of dollars of unpaid assessments are owed to the Association's Treasury. We just don't know the amount. Also, two Board meetings have occurred and there has not been an ACC report even though there has been ACC activity and at least one ACC meeting. Let's get that back on the agenda for discussion.

Utilize group email, newsletters and distributing Board meeting agendas to help improve communications to the homeowners and foster greater participation. We believe that bimonthly Board meetings are more effective as too much time elapses between Board meetings. With quarterly Board meetings, the possibility of rumors and inaccurate information getting out increases. The only current source of information for the homeowner is the PH weblog.

Lastly, thank you for addressing some of the of deed restriction violations that we provided to the Board at the last meeting.
We trust that the Board will resolve the other matters soon.

Regards:

Kurt & Elaine Naser