Year In Review

As we inch closer to the end of 2010, I find myself thinking about all that has been accomplished in our neighborhood. Some of the items are visible and speak for themselves, but many things have happened behind the scenes. I've tried my best to pass these accomplishments along via the blog, but I thought I'd list them all again:

1. Mastro is no longer associated with our community.
2. We were able to take control of our HOA.
3. We created a Board of Directors and elected officers.
4. The board hired a property management company.
5. The board developed a budget.
6. The property management created and distributed a Good Neighbor Policy and sent out letters to collect 2010 HOA dues.
7. A landscape company was hired and has done a phenomenal job of restoring our common areas.
8. We re-established water and phone service and kept the lights on (just barely!). We're all caught up with our bills.
9. We are insured.
10. Both gates are running and fully functional.
11. Sections of the Phase 3 lighting have been fixed. Sections of our entrance lighting have been fixed. Light bulbs for all of Phase 1 and 2 fixtures will be replaced soon.
12. Our CCRs are being enforced.
13. A neighbor is working on getting a Neighborhood Watch program started.
14. Quality homes are being built/sold by two builders.

I'm sure I'm leaving some things out, but these are the items that come to mind.

Hope to see everyone at the next meeting! If you can't make it, remember to send in your proxy form so you can still vote. Also still looking for a couple of people to bring some snacks.

Fun in the Snow

Here are a handful of pictures I took of the neighborhood kids (and a few adults) enjoying this week's snow.

Construction Vehicles

During the last board meeting, construction traffic became a topic. We're hearing from many neighbors that construction vehicles are ignoring the sign requesting that they use the south entrance.

Scott from Freestone has done all he can to ask that they use the south entrance. His solution:

If you see a Freestone-affiliated construction vehicle use the north entrance, Scott will fine them $100. He will then donate that money to the HOA fund. He asked that you take note of the date, time, and a description of the vehicle and pass it along to him (email me at grandfirs@hotmail.com and I can forward it to him).

Lights

MCE will be repairing our entrance lighting beginning tomorrow. Once that project is complete, they will be replacing all of the bulbs in the Phase 1 and 2 street lights.

Sections of the Phase 3 lighting have been repaired but there was some type of mix-up involving the power being turned on. MCE and Freestone's superintendant are supposed to be working this out. When I drove back there two nights ago, the lights were still off.

The board recently voted to go ahead and fix the remainder of the Phase 3 lighting.

Personally, I'm thrilled. We've have dark streets and a dark entrance for too long. This will be a nice change :)

Dec 9 Refreshments

Would anyone like to bring refreshments to our next meeting? Cookies, brownies, etc. Email me or just leave a comment with what you can bring. Thanks!

Annual HOA Meeting

Our next HOA meeting will take place on December 9 at 7pm at the Graham Fire Station. There are several items on the agenda. By now, all homeowners should have received a notice from JC Higgins. If you haven't received one, please contact Lindsey.

There are several things that will be voted on, including a potential increase in HOA dues. If you can't make it to the meeting, you can arrange to have a neighbor vote on your behalf (see the proxy sheet in your letter from JC Higgins).

Hope to see lots of people there!

Quick HOA Update

The board will be meeting next week to discuss a handful of issues as well as the 2011 budget.

One thing in particular that will be brought up is entrance lighting. Many people in the neighborhood (myself included) have asked about improving our dark entrance.

We hope to get a date on the calendar soon for our annual meeting.

As always, feel free to email me with questions, concerns, ideas, etc. I'll do my best to help.

CCR Enforcement

Just a reminder... JC Higgins is now enforcing our CCRs.

By now everyone should (hopefully) be familiar with the Good Neighbor Policy that was mailed out in September as well as the Grand Firs CCRs.

If you have a concern or question about the CCRs, or if you spot a CCR violation, please contact Lindsey at JC Higgins (lindsey@jc.higgins.com). She will need a description of the violation as well as the address it's occurring at.

Vehicle Break-In and Broken Gate

Dani left this comment on another post, and I wanted to re-post it here so everyone is aware. Her comment is dated 10/22:

Today was our unlucky day! One of our vehicles was broken into this am.I am offering a REWARD of up to $500 for any information leading up to the individuals. I am trying to understand why at most times the gates are left open during non-working hours???? As I came home last night around 8pm the gates were open for a good hour?? It's a portal of unwamted guests. I am dazed and confused. HELP!

Dani, thank you for the heads-up. To respond to the gate being open... right now our gate is broken. Someone tampered with the bolts on the arms, causing the motor to trip its breaker every time the gate tried to close. Now the motor isn't working at all.

In the meantime, at least one arm will be ajar. Chris is in contact with the HOA to get it fixed as soon as possible. We're hoping the motor isn't destroyed.

Items For Sale

Our neighbor Debbie has the following 10-piece furniture set for sale:

Couch & Loveseat
2 Rockers
2 Lamps
2 End Tables
Coffee Table
Sofa Table

Asking $950 for the set. If interested, please email grandfirs@hotmail.com and I will put you in touch with Debbie!