Post date: Jul 30, 2015 7:3:7 PM
The BOD met Saturday July 25, 2015 from 10-11:30 am at the Blaine Library conference room. The agenda included reading of the minutes from the May 13, 2015 past board meeting which were approved and included as an attachment; plus agenda items of old business, ongoing property concerns from the last agenda, an update on the recent drive through of the neighborhood by Brent from Best Property management on July 22, 2015 and letters that were sent to several homeowners with reminders and concerns that were noted, and an update on J & & Landscaping, and new business.
As a reminder, all homeowners are invited and encouraged to attend the BOD meetings. This is a great way to know what is going on in the neighborhood and a great way to meet others; plus maybe new homeowners may want to think about joining a committee or find out what it takes to be a future board member. Remember, volunteering is always something that is encouraged and welcomed.
New Welcome Chairperson Needed and a Huge Thank You to Gail Pappacostas:
If anyone would like to volunteer to Chair the Welcome Committee this position is now open. The board would like to extend a huge thank you to Gail Pappacostas for her time and commitment for 5 1/2 years in this. During this time she has been active volunteering also with a state board, two local boards of organizations, and serving as President of one organization; plus her contributions to her church and the hospital and now it is a good time to let someone else become a volunteer chairperson. The good news is that whoever takes on this role has a backup committee member to assist too. This is Kazumi Creech who has been working with Gail and the BOD also wants to thank Kazumi too for welcoming our new neighbors. Please contact me if you are interested in this committee and/or becoming chair of this committee. It is a great way to meet neighbors and much more.
Homes are Selling and Neighborhood Reminders:
Our neighborhood continues to have new homes up for sale and homes are selling. This is great for all homeowners. Please keep in mind this means all homeowners need to also tend to their own yard and landscaping maintenance of their personal property and/or lots by mowing them, keeping trees and shrubbery trimmed, and overall looking nice. This is a courtesy to your neighbors and the entire neighborhood; plus realtors want homeowners to get the most value of all home sales and it takes a village to make this happen with HOA members having common goals in the neighborhood for curb appeal throughout the development.
CC & R Reminders and Children Safety:
Please also keep in mind sometimes the CC & R's can be overlooked by error or just not knowing. Recreational vehicles of RVs, boats, trailers, can only be on your property for a short period of time. This means owners need to rent a storage unit or keep recreational vehicles in their garage and out of sight. There have been property owners and real estate agents inquiring about this so this is a reminder to all homeowners to keep this in mind when purchasing recreational vehicles.
Our neighborhood is full of activity with new homes being built. Please parents remind children to not go into new homes or play around new homes for safety reasons. Also, it is exciting to see many new young children in the neighborhood playing, walking, riding bikes, and scooters. This also means that all homeowners should remind family members that drive in your household to watch the 15 mph speed limit as young children also need to be reminded to be very careful when playing too of cars and trucks. There are many vehicles coming and going that are involved in building of homes that are not always on the lookout for kids and we want our neighborhood to always remain safe.
Another safety concern to be noted is many children have bicycle helmets on, there are a few young children that do not ride with helmets on and it is so important that all children be safe. Please parents and guardians keep this in mind and remind children to keep safe. There have also been reports of young children riding bikes in the dark in the road and it can be very difficult to see kids when they do not have any reflective gear on their clothing or on their bike, so please know we care about families. Young children do not think about these things always, so please have a discussion and share these reminders with family members.
Continued Dog Reminders:
All dogs need to be on a leash in the neighborhood. On occasion there are some pet owners not picking up their dog poop and all family members or visiting relatives should be aware of these rules.
Also, if anyone needs a dog walker one of our new neighbors family members Gillian is offering dog walking so that your dog can get some exercise knowing that many neighbors lead busy lives. You choose the price and the time. Gillian can be reached at (360) 306-8842. She loves dogs and has two dogs of her own too.
Landscaping Information:
If anyone sees caterpillars throughout the neighborhood, please email Doug Moore at deacon4@gmail.com or Kathy Barnes at barnesfern@comcast.net so we can inform J & J Landscaping as Jon has been removing a few already that have been reported. Also, if there are any landscaping questions or concerns ever, please let us know this too.
Would Anyone Like to Reestablish our HOA Newsletter?
Several years ago we had an HOA newsletter and there has been questions if the HOA has one. The answer has always been that there use to be one, but it ended for many reasons such as having a committed volunteer to do this, having news stories to write about, and now that in the last four years our HOA has grown the board is wondering if anyone would like to write a monthly newsletter and highlight our new HOA neighbors moving into the neighborhood and sharing other information that would include family friendly type articles, neighborhood clubs, or tips for new families moving to our area, etc. Just call Kathy Barnes and she can discuss this with anyone interested. The newsletter can be very simple to a page or two a month or extravagant if someone has a hobby of graphic design skills. Remember, volunteers can only do their best job with the skillset they bring to the job. Think about this opportunity.
Two Businesses New Homeowners Might Want to Check Out:
Canine Divine - Pet Grooming and Spa at 7826 Birch Bay Drive in Blaine or contact at caninedivinespa.com or caninedivinespa@gmail.com or call 360-392-8465.
Real Deals - Seasonal Home Decor and Garden Decor Store - 4073 Hannegan Road, Suite "C" Bellingham, WA. 98226 or check the store out at realdeals.net/Bellingham or FB RealDealsBellingham for special offers join their fan club at www.realdeals.net/bellingham.
Enjoy the weather we are having:
Have a wonderful summer and if anyone has announcements or concerns please let the BOD know. We are all volunteers doing the best we can with the time we have.
Submitted by:
Kathy Barnes
Secretary BOD