Post date: Jul 06, 2013 4:33:51 AM
City of Kenmore delayed rerouting Stream: Due to difficulty in obtaining permits, the City of Kenmore has delayed rerouting the stream that flows on the East side of WCS. The work is now planned for 2014.
Pest Control: Our animal neighbors sometimes think our houses look like a great place to live. Each owner is responsible for any pest control costs within his/her home – including the crawl space. The Association makes a good faith effort to control exterior pests and maintain crawl space screens.
Outdoor feeding of animals: A House Rule prohibits feeding of animals outside – wild or domestic. The only exception is bird feeders – which must be maintained. The purpose of this rule is to NOT attract wildlife to our homes. And feeding wild animals doesn’t do the animals any favor either.
Please do not leave anything outdoors that is edible. Raccoons will eat about anything! And you will be very unhappy if a raccoon finds its way into your crawl space.
Deer frequenting WCS: This spring, four does were seen near the gazebo. They were quite impressive. Note: you may see deer droppings – and mistake them for a irresponsible dog owner. I don’t think anyone is volunteering for pooper scooper duty for this.
Dogs: Many dogs reside at WCS – and a few visit too. A couple reminders.
- Pick up your dog poop immediately even if it is in your own yard (dog poop attracts rats).
- Dogs only allowed off-leash in recreation area.
- When dogs are off-leash, have them in control at all times.
- Kindly leash your dog if asked to.
Siding Repairs: Turn-Key Repairs will be removing some rotten siding and replacing it. You may see contract workers around your property.
Roofing: Last year, we started our biggest project yet – re-roofing the buildings. Buildings B, I, and J were done. We’ve received lots of feedback that the roofs look great.
This year, we plan to reroof two buildings – D and E. We will continue reroofing as many buildings as we can afford. It will take several more years before all buildings are done.
Thanks to Steve Bangert and the roofing committee for handling this tough and demanding project.
Skylights: As we re-roof, your skylight(s) will be replaced. Skylights are owner responsibility. Your cost should be $150 to $350 – depending on the size of your skylight.
House Rules Revision: A draft of a more streamlined set of house rules is in the works. It will be available for homeowners to review when completed. Homeowner feedback and Board adoption vote date will be on the draft sent to homeowners for review.
CC&R rewrite: Survey sent to homeowners and taped to doors asking for feedback. Over the next couple board meetings the board will discuss homeowner feedback and will create a master list of changes and requests to present to lawyers. It’s not too late to give your own feedback
Health of our plumbing: As our houses age, so does our plumbing. Several owners have experienced leaks from second floor plumbing. Another owner’s main shut-off value was leaking. Most home insurance does not cover slow leaks. To detect leaks, look for sudden insect activity such as spider webs, spots on the ceiling, or a musty smell.
WCS Board recommends that you do not put fats, oils, or grease down your drains. This can cause a sewage overflow.
Also, please do not flush ‘disposable wipes’ down your toilets. It takes years for the wipes to decompose. In the meantime, you may cause a serious drain blockage or worse – a sewer backup in your house or others..
Plumbing within a house is owner responsibility. One owner can cause blockage for an entire building or even all of WCS. Note: if this happens, we can easily track back to the house that caused the blockage. That owner is responsible for all repair costs. Other owners may hold that owner liable for any overflow damages too.
Water Usage: Our biggest expense is our water bill. Even if you don’t see the bill directly, you are paying for water usage through your dues.
Please do your part to conserve water by repairing any dripping faucets inside your home. Also, you can easily check your toilets for leaks. There are brochures and test dye posted on bulletin board to check for leaking toilets. Also, Steve Bangert has generously offered to help with anyone’s toilet repairs.
Decks: Some decks are in sad shape. Shortly, the Board will survey the decks. If your deck requires attention, you will receive a letter with defined timeframes for you to repair and/or paint you
Native Growth Protected Areas: We have ten acres of native growth. You may have noticed non-native invasive species removal in several places. Most of the removal is blackberries. (Note: we do have some native blackberries but most of what you see is Himalayan).
Please do not dump any plants outside (dead or alive) – whether house plant or from a nursery. Often, these soils contain seeds of non-native plants that can be detrimental to native plants.
Recently, we found a large growth of bittersweet nightshade. This is a nasty weed that grows at an incredibly fast rate. The infestation was found on the north-east corner of building H. It was blocking a drainage pipe. This weed also has a red berry that is poisonous to humans and dogs. See this site for more information on identifying weed. http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/weed-identification/bittersweet-nightshade.aspx
Please watch that young children don’t ingest these berries! Birds do eat the berries. So, even if you don’t find the plant in your yard, birds can drop the berries where a toddler could find one. Please let Lisa know if you find this plant on the property.
If you are interested in helping out with restoration work in any way, please see Lisa Wood.
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