The Villages at Maxwell Creek HOA Newsletter (3rd Quarter 2006)

Letter From The President

While this was going to be a fairly short newsletter, there are a handful of important events and changes that you should be aware of: a change in management companies, and the distribution of fake violation notices purporting to be from the HOA.

As you may be aware, the HOA recently hired Neighborhood Management, Inc. (NMI) in February to take over the day-to-day management duties of running the HOA. Over the course of the last six months, enough problems occured that the Board recently decided to terminate their contract. NMI has been given the required 60-day notice and the effective date of the cancellation is October 31^st.

Currently, we are investigating various options and alternatives between the previous companies we interviewed early this year or selecting a new company that wasn't previously considered. We expect to have that decision finalized by early September, at which time a letter will be mailed to all homeowners containing the relevant details.

Seperately, on August 14^th, we were contacted by a homeowner who had received a violation notice purporting to be from the HOA; a check of the records showed that none had been sent to the homeowner, and subsequent review of the letter does not match any current or prior format used by the HOA or the management company.

More information about both of these topics is later in the newsletter, as well as a fairly large update from the Landscape Committee on water conservation and the HOA sprinkler systems.

Coming up in the end of the year the Social Committee has a few events planned including the fall neighborhood garage sale, the Halloween party, and putting up Christmas decorations. If you'd like to help with any of these, or have ideas for other activities, please send a message to social@maxwellcreek.org.

Management Company Change

As mentioned above, the Board of Directors recently terminated the contract with NMI, leaving the HOA in the same predicament as discussed last fall; without enough volunteers we can't feasibly run the HOA, and we hoped that NMI would provide a level and depth of professional services that volunteers weren't able to effectuate for lack of time and lack of member support. That didn't happen.

As the workload involved in running the HOA has not decreased, we are still in need of a management company to handle the day-to-day tasks: handling financial issues such as dues collection and home resale documentation, processing and enforcing deed restriction violations, and other administrative tasks (landscape maintenance, negotiations with/for City services). In fact, we now have a greater workload than earlier this year, as we need to organize and reconcile the records from NMI.

Currently, we are investigating various options and alternatives between the previous companies we interviewed early this year or selecting a new company that wasn't previously considered. We expect to have that decision finalized by early September, at which time a letter will be mailed to all homeowners containing the relevant details.

Fake Violation Letters

As mentioned above, it appears as though someone is sending out fake violation letters to homeowners in the neighborhood, purporting to be from the HOA. The one letter we're aware of uses a copy of one of the images from the HOA website and appears to be printed on an inkjet printer.

All valid deed restriction violations are handled by the HOA management company, will have their letterhead and contact information included in the letter, and are printed on a laser printer.

We assume that the letter was created and mailed by a resident living in the neighborhood. While their initiative is appreciated, there are proper channels available for reporting issues, and there are necessary legal steps which must be followed. Vigilante actions only hurt the reputation of the HOA and ultimately accomplish little actual progress.

If you have received one of these letters (which would appear similar to the image on the left), please contact us at officers@maxwellcreek.org, and if possible send us a copy of the letter.

Bimonthly Open Forum Meetings

The next open forum meeting is tenatively scheduled for Monday, December 4^th at the Allen Public Library, starting at 7pm.

Earlier this year, the City made a change that now includes a $50 charge for renting the meeting room at the library, as well as other public buildings in the area such as the Allen Senior Center and the Joe Farmer Rec center. We are investigating other meeting locations, and have received an offer to use one of the meeting rooms at a local church for free. We are also looking into the new school on Bur Oak, but AISD policy prohibits usage for the first year after construction.

We expect to discuss the recent management company change, dues for 2007, as well as ideas and recommendations for future meetings. As always, we also plan to hold an informal question and answer session, and to help everyone meet their neighbors.

Yard of the Month

Congratulations to Robert & Najwa Bueche, their home at 1618 Oak Brook Ln. is winner of the Yard of the Month for June.

Congratulations to Johnny & Maritza San Martin, their home at 1611 Oak Brook Ln. is winner of the Yard of the Month for July.

The Yard of the Month program is the HOA's way of recognizing neighbors whose yards stand out from the rest. The extra time, energy and money these residents expend on their lawns, and the imaginative touches they bring to their landscaping not only enhance the value of the homes around them, but also foster a positive image of the entire neighborhood.

Each month, the HOA will post pictures of candidate yards on the web site for voting. The residence with the highest number of votes will be announced at the next Open Forum meeting, on the HOA website, and in the next HOA newsletter. Additionally, the winner each month will receive a gift card to a local home improvement store (which varies from month to month, but has included Home Depot, Lowes, and Puckett's Nursery).

All candidates for YOTM should have:

• Well manicured, weed-free yards,
• Trimmed bushes and shrubs,
• Aesthetically appealing flowers or other elements.

Committee Updates

Architecture Committee

There really hasn't been much activity for the committee lately other than the fake violation letter mentioned earlier, as all reporting and enforcement of violation letters is now handled by the HOA management company. The primary responsibiltiy left to the committee currently is reviewing and approving Architecture Change Requests, and there has only been one change request for the committee to approve so far this year.

Next year, it is expected that a few minor revisions of the Community Beautification Standards will be considered, as a few situations have arisen since their inception that are not clearly explained and covered by the Covenants.

The chairperson of the Architecture committee is Robert Butler.

Landscape Committee

The hot weather has certainly affected the neighborhood; between restricted watering and extremely little rain, we've all suffered dormant lawns, dying plants and shrubs, and inflated prices for soaker hoses. In the common areas of the neighborhood we've lost several of the smaller trees, and all of the flowers around the entrance signs have died. At this time, we are not planning to remove or replace any of the trees until we see what survived next spring.

Several homeowners contacted the HOA in May and June about sprinkler schedules and watering, with both specific and general concerns about our irrigated areas. This is a big help since the sprinkler systems are normally only inspected every-other month. While we addressed each of those concerns at the time, and posted a notice on the web site, a number of other actions have also been taken, including a 6½ hour inspection covering the controllers, valves, zones, spray heads, and coverage.

Due to the fiber-optic installation along Malone that damaged more than a dozen sections of the Common Area, the HOA requested a temporary variance from the City to allow us to continue watering along Malone so that the damaged sod would have an opportunity to regrow. Additionally, a new valve and soaker hoses were added to the center median along Maxwell Creek Dr. so that the numerous new plants installed last fall would survive.

Irrigation is a major expense for your Association. The HOA has three sprinkler systems on Bethany, Malone, and Shelley, and each were installed at different times with slightly different components. The systems along Bethany and Shelley were installed by the original developer, are AC powered, consist of about 8 zones each, and use a mix of different spray heads depending on the location. The system along Malone is battery powered, has nearly 20 zones, and all use the same spray head (but different from Bethany and Shelley).

Over the past two and a half years, the sprinkler systems have been the cause of more repair costs and problems than all other repairs combined. Between the damage caused by sewer, road, fiber-optic installation and other construction (and sub-par repairs by those same construction workers), cars driving over the sidewalk and cul-de-sacs, general wear-and-tear, mischief, and even a lightning strike, repair costs have been over $11,000.

When construction damage is noticed, we immediately contact the City and/or the relevant construction firm; however they are usually reluctant (at best) to issue a check, preferring instead to send their own crews to repair the damage. One such "repair" earlier this year was to fix a broken line by removing a cutoff valve resulting in a sprinkler zone on Bethany running for two days.

Sprinkler repair issues aside, the common areas are otherwise in fairly good condition. We have a few recurring maintenance issues that will be done again over the next six months such as trimming bushes and trees, filling low areas and resodding under trees with St. Augustine, and repairing broken bricks along Shelley. The wooden fence along Bethany and Maxwell Creek drive is due for repairs again next year, with a few leaning poles, broken boards, and areas needing restaining. If you are aware of any issues needing attention, please let us know.

The chairperson of the Landscape committee is Stephanie Butler.

Social Committee

During the summer months, the social committee doesn't usually hold any events, although we would like to put up flags and other decorations for Memorial Day and July 4^th if we can get enough volunteers to help put them up. We're starting to plan for the upcoming events during the fall: the Fall Neighborhood Garage Sale, the Halloween Party, and getting people together to help decorate for Christmas.

Because Halloween falls on a Tuesday this year, we're currently planning to hold the Halloween party on the preceding Saturday the 28^th.

For Christmas decorations this year, we would like to have lights around both neighborhood entrances as well as wreaths on the border fences. Unfortunately, all but one volunteer for Christmas decorations canceled on us last year, so we're going to start earlier and try to recruit more people this time around. If you're interested in volunteering, please contact us!

The chairperson of the Social committee is Yesika Fletcher.

Kid's Corner

Can you find your way through the maze?

What is Global Warming?

Our earth's average temperature stays pretty much the same from year to year. Sometimes it gets very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer where you live.

And some years may be a little hotter than normal where YOU live but it may be a little cooler where other people live! So, when you look at the average temperature everywhere on the earth for a whole year, there is very little change. The current average global temperature is about 57 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celsius).

If there is a rise in this average temperature, then we have global warming. In the last 100 years, the average temperature rose less than 1 degree. However, in 1995, which some say was the hottest year we have ever had, the average temperature went up half of a degree.

What Causes Global Warming?

On earth we get energy from the sun's light. As you know, it gets hot outside if the sun is shining brightly on a summer day. The reason it warms up is because the earth is absorbing some of that solar energy.

However, not all of the energy is absorbed. Some energy is reflected back into space in the form of light. This reflection allows the earth to be seen as a star from other parts of our solar system, just like we can see the moon and other planets. Energy also leaves the earth in other forms like heat, for example, which is called infrared light.

In order for our earth to stay the same temperature from year to year, the energy arriving at the earth (solar radiation) must be the same as the energy leaving the earth (infrared radiation). If we have more energy leaving than arriving, the earth will cool down and we could have another ice age. If we have more energy arriving than leaving, we will have global warming.

The reason the earth could retain more energy than it gives off has to do with the air around us and what it is made of. When we burn wood, coal, or gasoline in our cars, carbon dioxide, is released. Carbon dioxide is a gas that can't be seen or smelled, but it does trap some of the infrared energy emitted from the earth and prevents that energy from going back out into space. If the amount of carbon dioxide in the air goes up, the earth will heat up, which is the start of global warming.

Because carbon dioxide absorbs energy emitted from the earth and prevents it from going back out into space, it is called a greenhouse gas. There are several other greenhouse gases. Altogether, these other gases absorb about as much infrared energy as carbon dioxide does. So, carbon dioxide is responsible for about half of our global warming and all the other gases combined are responsible for the other half.

What are the Effects of Global Warming?

Changes in Crop and Plant Life

In the mid-latitudes (this includes most of the United States), the amount of moisture in the soil will probably decrease in the summer. Higher temperatures will melt the snow earlier in the year and the land will have a longer time to dry out. Crops that now grow in these regions may not survive this added warmth and dryness. But other changes, such as the amount of rainfall and local temperature differences, may affect which crops will do well and which ones will not. Again, scientists are not really certain what will happen in each region.

Warmer Northern Polar Winters

Changes in the Amount of Precipitation

As it gets warmer, there will be more evaporation from large bodies of water. This increased evaporation will cause more clouds and more rainfall. Scientists are pretty certain that there will be increased precipitation in the northern polar zone, but in other areas they are not as sure. Some regions may actually have less rainfall than there is right now.

Other Possibilities

Some scientists think that there may be more hurricanes as a result of global warming. However, there are so many factors that lead to tropical storms like this, that it is uncertain what will happen. Also, some scientists think that certain diseases will become more widespread. One of these diseases is malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes. Some say that an additional 20 percent of the world's population, which would include southern parts of the United States, could live in areas where you can get malaria.

HOA Contact Information

The Home Owners Association and its agents may be contacted in several ways:

• Through the HOA web site, at http://www.maxwellcreek.org/,
• By emailing the officers of the HOA, at officers@maxwellcreek.org,
• By emailing the HOA management company, at management@maxwellcreek.org,
• By calling or faxing the HOA at (972) 739-5221.
• Through U.S. postal mail at:
  Villages at Maxwell Creek HOA
  P.O. Box 2265
  Allen, TX 75013

We welcome any questions, comments, or concerns you may have. Please include your name and street address on all correspondence in order to expedite a response. Please allow two business days for your call or message to be returned.

Is there anything that you've wished to know more about or is there something you would like to share with other association members? If you want to suggest a topic, write an article, make a suggestion or even correct a mistake, please contact us at newsletter@maxwellcreek.org!

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