Caddie Woodlawn Vocabulary Chapters 15-16 N. Russo GES 2013.
The Caddie
16
Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 1 The Caddie August 2007 Volume 1, Issue 1 Official Publication of the Forest Creek Homeowners Association Don’t want to wait for the mail? View the current issue of The Caddie on the 1st day of each month at www.PEELinc.com The Caddie Landscaping: Recently, the Board advertised for bids on our landscaping contract. The previous landscape contracts were very general and were operated as a “cost plus” contract for the most part. This made managing the budgeting and spending very difficult. The revised contract is very comprehensive, detailing all of the services we routinely need from our landscaper. Of the seven proposals received, one was withdrawn and one declined an interview. The Board interviewed five of the prospective landscapers. The contract was awarded to The Brickman Group, a national company that specializes in commercial property maintenance for a cost of $108,682 per year (plus repairs, any requested un-programmed work, and taxes). This appears to be substantially more than previous contract amounts, but it includes all of the predictable required work that historically was paid as an add-on to the old contract. The expected savings is $20,000-$30,000/year. While we expect this new contractor to provide excellent service, please help us assure our landscaping is kept at the highest standards by reporting problems you see to the Property Manager ([email protected]) . Deed Restriction Enforcement: The Board has been addressing many issues with enforcement of the Deed Restrictions of Forest Creek in order to maintain your property value. Maintenance of yards and appearances has been an ongoing issue. The Board recently passed a Landscape Maintenance Standard, and a Violation and Fines Policy. These previously undocumented policies are necessary to protect the homeowners from unreasonable and arbitrary enforcement citations as well as to protect the HOA from claims of unfair or unequal enforcement. The Management Company is only required to inspect Forest Creek twice per month, and, with 1185 homes and lots in various states of development, it is very challenging for one person to keep up with all the problems. Residents can help by taking News from the HOA Board pictures of violations or problem areas and submitting the information to the Property Manager for follow-up. Section 34-38 Litigation: The Board is currently dealing with two separate legal issues relating to these sections. First, some of the residents of Section 34 have sent a Demand Letter claiming a violation of the Texas Deceptive Practices Consumer Protection Act (DTPA), naming the Developer and builders of Section 34, along with the Forest Creek HOA. The second item is a lawsuit by the Developer in which he claimed to have the right to allow anyone into our pool, tennis courts and other amenity areas that he chooses. He sued the HOA to allow the residents of Sections 34 and 35 into the amenity facilities based on his authority alone. The Board disagreed with the Developer’s claim of authority, which resulted in an injunction hearing in June. During the injunction hearing, the Developer’s attorney announced that the development partnership, KPKM II Ventures, Ltd., is comprised of Rusty Parker (50%), Dutch Kellerman (25%) and Nyle Maxwell (25%), and argued that the Developer had the right to allow all of Williamson County to use the Forest Creek pool if he so desired. The HOA attorney presented technical legal arguments as well as evidence that the HOA homeowners had paid for the pool and other amenity improvements, not the Developer. The HOA also presented a timeline of events from 1999 to the present showing the systematic acquisition, annexation and development of the Section 34-38 property without the required consent of the Forest Creek HOA Owners. The court denied the developer’s petition for an injunction, agreeing with the HOA Board’s position. The Developer subsequently filed an amendment to the Deed Restrictions in another attempt to grant pool and tennis court access to the residents of anyone within one mile of Forest Creek. The Board continues to pursue appropriate action to deal with these claims. Resident participation is always welcome. Name of Forest Creek: Confusion continues as Sections 34-38 continue to be sold under the name of Forest Creek. The Board and the Property Manager continue to get contacted by buyers in those sections believing they are part of the original Forest Creek. The Developer has not changed the name of these sections, in spite of the claim that the “unauthorized annexation” was an error. He is (Continued on Page 3)
Transcript of The Caddie
0708 FC.inddCopyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's
Association Newsletter - August 2007 1
The Caddie
August 2007 Volume 1, Issue 1 Offi cial Publication of the Forest Creek Homeowners Association
Don’t want to wait for the mail? View the current issue of
The Caddie on the 1st day of each month at
www.PEELinc.com
The Caddie Landscaping: Recently, the Board advertised for bids on our landscaping contract. The previous landscape contracts were very general and were operated as a “cost plus” contract for the most part. This made managing the budgeting and spending very diffi cult. The revised contract is very comprehensive, detailing all of the services we routinely need from our landscaper. Of the seven proposals received, one was withdrawn and one declined an interview. The Board interviewed fi ve of the prospective landscapers. The contract was awarded to The Brickman Group, a national company that specializes in commercial property maintenance for a cost of $108,682 per year (plus repairs, any requested un-programmed work, and taxes). This appears to be substantially more than previous contract amounts, but it includes all of the predictable required work that historically was paid as an add-on to the old contract. The expected savings is $20,000-$30,000/year. While we expect this new contractor to provide excellent service, please help us assure our landscaping is kept at the highest standards by reporting problems you see to the Property Manager ([email protected]) . Deed Restriction Enforcement: The Board has been addressing many issues with enforcement of the Deed Restrictions of Forest Creek in order to maintain your property value. Maintenance of yards and appearances has been an ongoing issue. The Board recently passed a Landscape Maintenance Standard, and a Violation and Fines Policy. These previously undocumented policies are necessary to protect the homeowners from unreasonable and arbitrary enforcement citations as well as to protect the HOA from claims of unfair or unequal enforcement. The Management Company is only required to inspect Forest Creek twice per month, and, with 1185 homes and lots in various states of development, it is very challenging for one person to keep up with all the problems. Residents can help by taking
News from the HOA Board pictures of violations or problem areas and submitting the information to the Property Manager for follow-up. Section 34-38 Litigation: The Board is currently dealing with two separate legal issues relating to these sections. First, some of the residents of Section 34 have sent a Demand Letter claiming a violation of the Texas Deceptive Practices Consumer Protection Act (DTPA), naming the Developer and builders of Section 34, along with the Forest Creek HOA. The second item is a lawsuit by the Developer in which he claimed to have the right to allow anyone into our pool, tennis courts and other amenity areas that he chooses. He sued the HOA to allow the residents of Sections 34 and 35 into the amenity facilities based on his authority alone. The Board disagreed with the Developer’s claim of authority, which resulted in an injunction hearing in June. During the injunction hearing, the Developer’s attorney announced that the development partnership, KPKM II Ventures, Ltd., is comprised of Rusty Parker (50%), Dutch Kellerman (25%) and Nyle Maxwell (25%), and argued that the Developer had the right to allow all of Williamson County to use the Forest Creek pool if he so desired. The HOA attorney presented technical legal arguments as well as evidence that the HOA homeowners had paid for the pool and other amenity improvements, not the Developer. The HOA also presented a timeline of events from 1999 to the present showing the systematic acquisition, annexation and development of the Section 34-38 property without the required consent of the Forest Creek HOA Owners. The court denied the developer’s petition for an injunction, agreeing with the HOA Board’s position. The Developer subsequently fi led an amendment to the Deed Restrictions in another attempt to grant pool and tennis court access to the residents of anyone within one mile of Forest Creek. The Board continues to pursue appropriate action to deal with these claims. Resident participation is always welcome. Name of Forest Creek: Confusion continues as Sections 34-38 continue to be sold under the name of Forest Creek. The Board and the Property Manager continue to get contacted by buyers in those sections believing they are part of the original Forest Creek. The Developer has not changed the name of these sections, in spite of the claim that the “unauthorized annexation” was an error. He is
(Continued on Page 3)
2 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie Advertising Information
Please support the businesses that advertise in The Caddie. Their advertising dollars make it possible for all Forest Creek residents to receive the monthly newsletter at no charge. No homeowners association funds are used to produce or mail the newsletters. If you would like to support the newsletter by advertising, please contact our sales offi ce at 512-989-8905 or advertising@ PEELinc.com. The advertising deadline is the 10th of each month for the following month's newsletter.
Newsletter Information Editor Juliet [email protected] Publisher Peel, Inc. ........................ www.PEELinc.com, 512-989-8905 Advertising ........ [email protected], 512-989-8905
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Board of Directors/Community Contacts President Keith Chandler .......................... [email protected] Vice-President Kate Walters-Beetley [email protected] Treasurer/Amenities Justin Jackson ............................... [email protected] Secretary Chris Gaidsick [email protected] Committee/Landscaping Asad Salahuddin [email protected] Website Justin Jackson ............................... [email protected] Caddie Contact Juliet Burnette......................................jwburnette@hotmail.com
Property Management Contacts Property Manager ........................................ Phyllis Star-Johnson PS Property Management
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Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 3
The Caddie HOA Board - (Continued from Cover Page)
Marianne IameleMarianne Iamele
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currently in the fi nal stages of processing the plats for the next three county sections naming them Forest Creek Sections 36-38, despite a Williamson County regulation requiring the Developer to certify that he is not duplicating a community name within the County. In discussions with the County offi cials & the County Commissioners, the county attorney indicated his belief that simply changing the number on the plat from Forest Creek Section 33 to Forest Creek Section 34 constitutes a “community name” change, rather than confi rms it as the next section of Forest Creek, and is enough different so as to not be in violation of the County rule. The HOA disagrees and the confusion created by the naming of other sections suggests the difference, if any, is not suffi cient. These three plats have yet to be approved by the County Commissioner’s Court. If you wish to contact the County Commissioner’s Court about this issue, Forest Creek is in Precinct 4 and your elected County Commissioner is Ron Morrison (phone: 238-2110, fax: 352-4111, http://wilcogov. org/commissioners/Precinct_4 ). If the use of the Forest Creek name by other than the original Forest Creek community continues, and this name confusion continues, the Board is concerned that “Forest Creek” will become generic and simply identify an area of the county, not a specifi c community and HOA within Round Rock. The Board believes that if this occurs it will ultimately impact the reputation of Forest Creek and home values.
Teenage Job Seekers Baby Pet House Yard Name Age Sit Sit Sit Work Phone Doe, John ..................... 15 .........• ......... • ........• ...................111-1111
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Attention Teenagers The Teenage Job Seekers listing service is offered free of charge to all Forest Creek teenagers seeking work. Submit your name and information to [email protected] by the 9th of the month!
SAMPLE
At no time will any source be allowed to use The Caddie contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, fi lm, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profi t, political campaigns, or other self amplifi cation, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from the Forest Creek Homeowner's Association and Peel, Inc. The information in the newsletter is exclusively for the private use of Forest Creek Homeowner's Association residents only.
4 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie New magazine but I bet you I see the same faces in
here. Hi Neighbors! (You too, Marianne and Karen..lol)
Every day I open the paper and read how horrible the
housing market is across the country and I’m thankful
I live here. Even though our market has slowed a little
in the last 2-3 months, we still live in a thriving and
growing community. May-July, 45 homes sold here in
Forest Creek with approximately 55-60 on the market in
any given month.
While I have your attention, let’s think how we can
keep our community safe and keep our home values
secure. On a daily basis, people ask me how our market
is doing and what affects the change. The obvious answer
is our economy, job growth, mortgage rates, and the god-
awful war. However, there are other subtle factors which
we as a community can change and help with. My lovely
wife calls these my pet peeves and thinks I should seek
professional help but here it goes anyway.
Encourage others to slow down on our streets.
Most of us have children; they should be safe riding
bicycles around. Have you seen the last two backyards
that have been driven into because someone was
speeding?
entering our neighborhood. Obviously, someone fi nds
this cute but sure does make our community look
bad. If you have dogs and walk them please, please pick up
the droppings left behind. I’ve seen some of the little
horses you guys call dogs and they could win awards
for the stuff left behind on the sidewalk. Also, a leash
is a good thing. Went walking with my dog (ok, it’s a
poodle but it still counts) last week when a Rottweiler
started to run towards us. After screaming, choking
our own dog with her leash, and trying to climb
the nearest tree, we learned the “puppy rottweiler”
was just being friendly and wanted to say hi. If that
wasn’t bad enough, I may of pushed my wife in front
of me during the whole ordeal. I think I was falsely
accused but you can see where that leads to another
conversation.
Anyway, that’s enough for now. Maybe I do need that
professional couch….
As always, if you have any questions about the market
and your home or you just have some suggestions to add
to the list, give me a call.
•
•
Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 5
The Caddie
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We all pay taxes, Federal and local, and the money goes to provide community services such schools, police, fire, roads, upkeep, maintenance etc. We don’t all use all of the services provided by those government agencies, so why should we pay for them? Because it is for the common good. We all share the cost of our schools even though some never use the system. HOA dues are much if not exactly like local taxes. We pay into a system that uses the money to provide common services and benefi ts to the citizens of the community – one prime benefi t being that we maintain higher property values. For example, you may not use the pool, but if only the people who use it supported it, the cost of admission would be too high, patronage would drop off, and soon, it would be forced to close. While some people are fi ne with that idea, the result would be a drop in your property value because the availability of the pool is a signifi cant factor in the appeal of the neighborhood. Much like the Federal, State, County and City governments, the HOA is charged with providing services to this community for the common good. To do that of course we need money. So, while you may not think of HOA assessments as taxes, they are indeed like property taxes - collected and administered at a much more local level than city and county taxes. We are smaller and structured as a private, non-profi t corporation instead of a municipal government. As such, it is much easier for your voice to be heard when it comes to the election of the leaders, the provision of services and the execution of responsibilities.
HOA Dues and Taxes. Why do we have to pay? Some people have voiced that having to pay dues in a lump sum is overly burdensome. Keep in mind that your property taxes are due in a lump sum, and HOA dues are just an extension of that type of fee for service arrangement. Just as you budget enough money to pay your property tax bill when due, you should budget enough money to pay your annual assessment when due ($500 due October 1). Collecting dues on a payment plan costs time and money to administer. The money normally spent collecting and administering certainly provides more value for all of us if spent keeping up the neighborhood and providing other services. In consideration for those who fi nd it overly diffi cult to pay the dues in a lump sum, the Board has allowed for quarterly payments, but needs to add a $10 per quarter administrative fee to offset the cost of this quarterly payment arrangement. We hope you fi nd this arrangement to be the best balance of value, timing, and service and invite your feedback by vote, by web, by email, by survey, and at board or annual meetings. Justin Jackson, Treasurer, Forest Creek HOA
6 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie
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Imagine yourself 10 years from now, living in Forest Creek, the most sought after place to live for many miles around. What do you think makes it the best place to live: top rated schools, easy access to major roadways, a world class golf course, high standards for home and yard maintenance, inviting and pleasing landscaping, fi rst class recreation facilities, neighborhood safety, fun neighborhood activities, strong community involvement, abundant local services, effective and responsible HOA management, more? Forest Creek was envisioned by the City planners as Round Rock’s premier community. It has been growing and developing for some 15 years, and it is almost completely built out. It has all the natural features of an enduringly desirable place to live. Now we have a choice to make. We could maintain the status quo, keep up the existing facilities as best we can, and slowly and gracefully age as a community. If you look around at older communities, you see a clear picture of the results of simply attempting to maintain a community. Property values peak shortly after completion, eclectic additions appear and maintenance standards decline as changing Boards loosen and try to tighten restrictions. Steadily, home values decline, or fail to keep up, as newer communities offer ever-higher standards of amenities and environment. Our other choice is to constantly improve Forest Creek, keeping
Volunteers wanted for Project 2017 The Forest Creek 10 Year Improvement Plan
pace with ever increasing standards for communities, keeping it new and highly competitive. This Board favors this choice for our future. We can do this with proper planning, effective money management, and a small monthly investment, keeping up our neighborhood desirability and protecting us from the things that come with declining property values. The Board is working hard to control our own fate, reduce operating costs, and get the most for our money, so this goal would have little impact on our current dues. Would you like to help shape that future? Forest Creek Board of Directors is forming a team of volunteers to work on the “Project 2017”, the long term planning for Forest Creek. Whether you are only planning on staying a few years and want to improve your property value with some near term projects, or you expect to be here in 2017 and want it to be the an even better place to live, we need your help. Whether you’re interested in community events, landscaping, security, recreation facilities, or any other current and future need of Forest Creek, we need your help. Contact me at FCHOAKeith@sbcglobal. net and sign up. Let me know your special interest or what special skills you can bring to the project. Even if you can’t volunteer, let me know what you would like to see in Forest Creek by 2017 or sooner. Keith Chandler President, Forest Creek HOA
Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 7
The Caddie
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The Texas Real Estate Market is rather unique at present, with strong job growth (double the national average) and home price appreciation in many of our metropolitan areas. We also had 570,000 people move to Texas last year. More interesting is the fact that many home builders are cutting back on inventory, and inventory of resale listings is also low. Those factors equal price appreciation. According to recent fi gures from the Offi ce of Federal Housing Enterprise, home prices in Texas increased 6.9% in the fi rst quarter of 2007, well above the 4.3% national average. For comparison purposes, California appreciation was 1.2&, and 3% in New York. Nevada price increases were a mere .6% -- where appreciation was previously through the roof. While Texas is bucking the national trends in home price appreciation, we also share the national phenomenon of increasing foreclosure rates. We are no longer making headlines on foreclosures, but it is still a concern. As for the market in Round Rock and Austin – it is currently slowing. Nobody seems to be able to pinpoint the reason – many attribute it to the market outside of Austin, vacations, and subprime problems. But then again, next week there could be a fl urry of buyers out there! Interest rates are remaining steady at about 6.5%, with no indication of an increase in the near future. Infl ation, well I guess every time we pass a gas station that word “infl ation” seems to come to mind.
Real Estate Trends Please note that since the Caddie will be published every month, this article will not show the detailed Forest Creek Statistics each time. Every month there will be an article and Active, Pending & Sold listings will be shown. On a quarterly basis I will add the FC Stats. On Page 8 you will fi nd resale statistics from May 20, 2006 through July 4, 2007. Please remember that List prices of Pending and Sold homes can now be posted. We may not, however, post SOLD prices.
(Continued on Page 8)
8 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie Addresses List Price
2317 Arnie Lane $276,000 2309 Arnie Lane $222,500 3211 Bay Hill Lane $361,950 3205 Bay Hill Lane $450,000 3913 Blue Monster Cove $229,000 3609 Carnousty Cove $379,000 3608 Carnousty Cove $369,900 3107 Carnousty St $459,900 2908 Cascade Cove $269,900 2532 Crenshaw Drive $323,900 3703 Del Monte Cove $525,000 2112 Faldo Lane $208,000 2127 Faldo Lane $195,830 2116 Faldo Lane $219,900 1006 Fazio Cove $474,900 1009 Fazio Cove $287,000 2239 Hamlet Circle $469,000 3505 Hamlet Cove $398,000 4510 Harvey Penick Drive $480,000 4502 Harvey Penick Drive $515,000 4514 Harvey Penick Drive $479,900 2128 Hilton Head $539,000 2138 Hilton Head Drive $529,000 140 Justin Leonard Drive $189,903 3903 Links Lane $215,000 3915 Links Lane $234,999 3979 Lord Byron $243,000 3952 Lord Byron Circle $319,900 3945 Lord Byron Circle $312,900 3991 Lord Byron Circle $295,000 3923 Lord Byron Circle $262,900
3908 Lord Byron Circle $214,900 1904 Mulligan Drive $329,000 3739 Norman Loop $189,935 3722 Norman Loop $214,950 3604 Penwood Cove $525,000 1501 Pinehurst Lane $389,900 3833 Royal Troon Drive $298,000 3860 Royal Troon Drive $269,000 5001 Sable Oaks Drive $225,900 2060 Saint Andrews Drive $274,500 2225 Shark Loop $257,900 3809 Trevino $645,000 1920 Mulligan Drive $285,000 1510 Weiskopf Loop $400,000 2022 Golden Bear Drive $279,900 2112 Hilton Head Drive $314,900 4004 Sable Oaks Drive $255,000 4009 Sable Oaks Drive $229,900 2307 Arnie $269,500 3802 Bobby Jones Way $469,000 1004 Capilano Cove $300,000 4001 Glen Eagles Cove $299,900 905 Golden Bear Cove $298,000 2233 Hamlet Circle $424,900 3736 Harvey Penick Drive $265,000 3992 Lord Byron Circle $265,000 3931 Lord Byron Circle $217,000 4115 Lord Byron Cove $268,900 4105 Lord Byron Cove $260,000 4109 Lord Byron Cove $314,000 5004 Sable Oaks Drive $280,000
Addresses List Price Real Estate Trends- (Continued from Page 7)
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Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 9
The Caddie Monday, August 27th is the offi cial fi rst day of the 2007-2008 school year for Forest Creek area schools! HB1 was passed by the Texas Legislature in a special session and mandated a school start date no earlier than the fourth Monday in August. There are signifi cant changes to the school calendar including fewer vacation days and a school year that extends beyond Memorial Day. Check the complete school calendar at: http://www.roundrockisd.org
There are many activities in August to get ready for the new school year. For Forest Creek Elementary, Thursday, August 23rd is Meet the Teacher/Drop Off Supplies night: 1st and 2nd grade – 5:00 to 5:30 3rd – 5th grade – 6:00 to 6:30
Kindergarten meet the teacher is on Friday, 8/24 at 9:00 AM.
Mark your calendar if you will be attending Ridgeview Middle School for the following events: August 6 New Student Registration 8:00 AM to noon August 21 Grade 7 & 8 Vendor Fair, 9 AM - 6PM - Pick-Up Schedules, Lockers, and Textbooks August 24 Grade 6 Panther Camp, 8:00 AM - 12:30 pm; Vendor Fair, 11 AM - 5 PM - Pick-Up Schedules, Lockers, and Textbooks August 28 Grade 7 & 8 Parent Information Night, 6:30 - 8:00 pm
School News – Be at the Head of the Class August 30 Sixth Grade Parent Information Night, 6:30 - 8:00pm
If you are a student at Stony Point this fall, you can pick up IDs, Lockers and Parking Permits on the following schedule:
Students (last name) A - O Thursday, August 23 SPHS Cafeteria 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
To look cool for back to school, you’ll want to take advantage of the Texas Tax Free shopping weekend, August 17th through 19th. This is the offi cial holiday from state and local taxes. Texas law exempts most clothing, footwear and backpacks priced under $100 from sales and use taxes. This could save you about $8 on every $100 you spend and many stores offer additional discounts this weekend to make it even more affordable. For a complete list of what’s exempt and what’s not, check out the link below: http://www.window.state.tx.us/ Remember to obey all traffi c signals and school zone speed limits beginning August 27th as the leaders of the next generation head back to class!
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10 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie
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Opening Spring 2008
DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.
For the second year in a row we saw a rainy 4th of July in Round Rock. The sun did fi nally decide to peak through the rain clouds late in the afternoon, but by then it was too late and too wet for our neighborhood party and parade. Hopefully next year we’ll see a sunny 4th! In August, join us for our Annual Back-to-School Pool Bash. We’ll have plenty of pool games and a water slide to help cool you down. Check the website and watch the marquis sign for details on the date and time. And coming in late September we’ll be hosting a Casino Night for all the adults in Forest Creek. There will be poker, blackjack and more! All proceeds from this event will be given to the Hope Alliance (formerly Williamson County Crisis Center). This Emergency Shelter provides housing and safety to women and their children. So make plans to join us for a fun-fi lled evening and help support this worthy cause. If anyone wishes to donate a prize for the auction at this event, please contact Wendi Baird at 255-6140 or [email protected].
Summer Events
Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 11
The Caddie
When you are ready to sell your home, call the Broker who lives in
and knows how to sell Forest Creek.
My Forest Creek listings have sold for an average of
98% of asking price, some in as little as 1 to 22 days!
Karen 101 E. Old Settlers Blvd, Ste 190 Round Rock, TX 78664
512-496-4526 – cell 512-439-3674 – voicemail 512-341-2310 - fax www.khalsema.com [email protected]
Karen Halsema Broker, GRI
Halsema #1 Producer, 2006
June 15th was a warm Friday night after an afternoon rain shower, yet about 100 people came out to the Forest Creek Park to enjoy the FCHOA showing of the movie Night at the Museum. Some people came early and laid out blankets and lawn chairs, and there was plenty of room for everyone. The price of admission was a donation of canned foods to the Round Rock Area Serving Center Food Bank (1099 E. Main Street). Thank you to all of our neighbors for your canned food donations!
Many local vendors donated items and a drawing was held for a number of great door prizes. Special thanks to Cloud b, Albertsons, Blockbuster Video, Memories R Us, Fitness 19, Starbucks and Opal Nails for their generous donations—kids and parents alike were delighted with their prizes.
Kids and parents were also delighted with an unlimited supply of popcorn and snow cones, served by Event Prince and their
Movies in the Park By Jodi Mixon
friendly staff -- Vince, Gerald and their family. The blue snow cones were a favorite choice by the little ones!
Due to the keen eyes and ears of a few audience members, a sprinkler soaking was prevented as we rushed to turn off a sprinkler valve controlling the next series of sprinklers heading for the audience—now THAT would have caused a little excitement. The movie ended at 10:30, and Isaac of AV Affordable Audio-Visual packed up his large screen and electronics. The EPC was happy to have little clean up thanks to our tidy residents who took care of their own trash.
Keep your eyes on the Forest Creek marquis at the park, and sign-up on the FCHOA website for more Movies
in the Park this Fall. Forward suggestions for future movies to EPC chairperson Wendi Baird at [email protected].
12 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie
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Help wanted …. The Forest Creek HOA Events Planning Committee is a group of 5-10 women who plan and host events for the families in Forest Creek. Some of these events include the Easter Egg Hunt, Holiday Hayride, Fall Festival, and Back-to-School Pool Bash. As our neighborhood grows, so do our events. Unfortunately, though, our committee membership has dwindled, and we really need more help in our order to continue having these fun events in our neighborhood. We hold monthly meetings at 7:00pm on the fi rst Wednesday of the month. If you are interested in helping with our neighborhood events, then please join us at our next meeting. Contact Wendi Baird at 255-6140 or fbaird@ austin.rr.com for more information.
Stop the Vandalism in Forest Creek The Forest Creek Neighborhood Watch Program offers rewards for information on any Criminal Mischief activities that occur in Forest Creek that lead to arrest and conviction. Examples include graffi ti, after hours in the pool, damage to the pool/park equipment, malicious damage to landscaping, center median grass, etc. Please contact RRPD to fi le a Police Report and then provide information to Alan Aguais at [email protected].
Recycling Fun Facts Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours – which equals half a gallon of gasoline. 350,000 aluminum cans are produced every minute. More aluminum goes into beverage cans than any other product. Once an aluminum can is recycled, it can be part of a new can within six weeks. An aluminum can that ends up in a landfi ll will last 500 years There is no limit to the amount of times aluminum can be recycled.
GO GREEN FOREST CREEK Three easy ways to “Save the Planet”
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Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 13
The Caddie
Avery Ranch
Barker Ranch
Circle C Ranch
www.PEELinc.com512-989-8905
14 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie
512-989-8905 www.PEELinc.com
Advertise your business to your neighbors.
Support This Neighborhood
Newsletter. Leslie Chambliss
Sales Representative
512-656-1170 [email protected]
Forest Creek Mother’s Club Hello Fellow Moms: As some of you already know, Jennifer Faulkner, our Mom’s Club President, has resigned from her leadership role due to
employment and personal obligations. We would like to formally thank Jennifer for all her hard work, planning and organizing functions to benefi t our wonderful children. Your sacrifi ce of time and commitment has been really appreciated! Because of leaders like you, our children were able to meet and play with each other when there where no other opportunities to do so. You have also helped our mothers meet one another and build strong relationships
within Forest Creek. Thanks for everything, Jennifer, and we wish you the best. Munira Dhanjibhai ([email protected]) has agreed to take over as Acting President. She has served as Treasurer this past year and has done a great job. We wish to thank her for taking on the role of President in the interim, until we can fi nd a full-time volunteer to serve in this position. During this time of transition, we strongly encourage all Mother’s Club members to attend our next meeting (TBA). A strong attendance will greatly impact the future existence of the Forest Creek Mother’s Club. We would also like to invite any new residents who are interested in joining the Mother’s Club to join us! Our goal is to build up our membership with both old and new faces. We hope to form a new leadership team that will have the opportunity to build and mold the Mother’s Club with new ideas that will benefi t all the mothers and young children in Forest Creek. Keep your eyes open for more information on our next meeting, and we hope that you will join us as we plan the future of the Forest Creek Mother’s Club. Sharon Owens, Hospitality Chairperson Forest Creek Mother’s Club Ph. 733-1117 or [email protected]
Forest Creek Wine Club By Vanessa Legere
The fi rst meeting of the Forest Creek Wino Club (Wine Investigation for Novices and Oenophiles) was held April 21st at Tom and Vanessa Legere’s home. We had a wonderful turnout with eleven couples attending and a few singles, too. The idea of this club is to make it easy and fun to get together to discover new wines. Every couple or single brings a bottle of wine and an appetizer or dessert to share. The wine is brought in a plain brown bag. The host or the hostess determines what wine to bring and what price range to stay within.
At our fi rst meeting, we tasted Pinot Noirs under twenty dollars. We had 12 bottles to taste. It was a challenge to pour just the right amount so everyone could taste out of the same bottle, but Tom did a great job and loved talking to each person throughout the evening.
We ranked the wines on a scale of 1-10; number 1 being the best. I’m not sure we have perfected the judging yet, but we came up with a clear winner that night. It was Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2004. What a standout wine! Joe and Liz McIntyre did a great job of fi nding this wine at Twin Liquors. We had some small prizes to give away, so they took home fi rst place. It was a fun evening, and even though we had 12 bottles of wine, we didn’t have any two alike!
All of the top four wines were 2004. What I brought away from this was that to fi nd a good bottle of Pinot Noir you should look for the year 2004, spend at least 15 dollars and consider Oregon wines. If you would like more info on this wine you can go to www.info@wvv. com. If you would like to see the whole list and their rankings, or have any other questions about this new club, you can email me at [email protected] . Cheers!
Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 15
The Caddie
Saturday, August 11th
9:00am- 1:00pm
Come out to the Round Rock Area Serving Center and donate your new or gently used
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16 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie
% Voice 512-989-8905 V www.PEELinc.com
Peel, Inc. 203 W. Main Street, Suite D Pfl ugerville, Texas 78660
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The Caddie
August 2007 Volume 1, Issue 1 Offi cial Publication of the Forest Creek Homeowners Association
Don’t want to wait for the mail? View the current issue of
The Caddie on the 1st day of each month at
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The Caddie Landscaping: Recently, the Board advertised for bids on our landscaping contract. The previous landscape contracts were very general and were operated as a “cost plus” contract for the most part. This made managing the budgeting and spending very diffi cult. The revised contract is very comprehensive, detailing all of the services we routinely need from our landscaper. Of the seven proposals received, one was withdrawn and one declined an interview. The Board interviewed fi ve of the prospective landscapers. The contract was awarded to The Brickman Group, a national company that specializes in commercial property maintenance for a cost of $108,682 per year (plus repairs, any requested un-programmed work, and taxes). This appears to be substantially more than previous contract amounts, but it includes all of the predictable required work that historically was paid as an add-on to the old contract. The expected savings is $20,000-$30,000/year. While we expect this new contractor to provide excellent service, please help us assure our landscaping is kept at the highest standards by reporting problems you see to the Property Manager ([email protected]) . Deed Restriction Enforcement: The Board has been addressing many issues with enforcement of the Deed Restrictions of Forest Creek in order to maintain your property value. Maintenance of yards and appearances has been an ongoing issue. The Board recently passed a Landscape Maintenance Standard, and a Violation and Fines Policy. These previously undocumented policies are necessary to protect the homeowners from unreasonable and arbitrary enforcement citations as well as to protect the HOA from claims of unfair or unequal enforcement. The Management Company is only required to inspect Forest Creek twice per month, and, with 1185 homes and lots in various states of development, it is very challenging for one person to keep up with all the problems. Residents can help by taking
News from the HOA Board pictures of violations or problem areas and submitting the information to the Property Manager for follow-up. Section 34-38 Litigation: The Board is currently dealing with two separate legal issues relating to these sections. First, some of the residents of Section 34 have sent a Demand Letter claiming a violation of the Texas Deceptive Practices Consumer Protection Act (DTPA), naming the Developer and builders of Section 34, along with the Forest Creek HOA. The second item is a lawsuit by the Developer in which he claimed to have the right to allow anyone into our pool, tennis courts and other amenity areas that he chooses. He sued the HOA to allow the residents of Sections 34 and 35 into the amenity facilities based on his authority alone. The Board disagreed with the Developer’s claim of authority, which resulted in an injunction hearing in June. During the injunction hearing, the Developer’s attorney announced that the development partnership, KPKM II Ventures, Ltd., is comprised of Rusty Parker (50%), Dutch Kellerman (25%) and Nyle Maxwell (25%), and argued that the Developer had the right to allow all of Williamson County to use the Forest Creek pool if he so desired. The HOA attorney presented technical legal arguments as well as evidence that the HOA homeowners had paid for the pool and other amenity improvements, not the Developer. The HOA also presented a timeline of events from 1999 to the present showing the systematic acquisition, annexation and development of the Section 34-38 property without the required consent of the Forest Creek HOA Owners. The court denied the developer’s petition for an injunction, agreeing with the HOA Board’s position. The Developer subsequently fi led an amendment to the Deed Restrictions in another attempt to grant pool and tennis court access to the residents of anyone within one mile of Forest Creek. The Board continues to pursue appropriate action to deal with these claims. Resident participation is always welcome. Name of Forest Creek: Confusion continues as Sections 34-38 continue to be sold under the name of Forest Creek. The Board and the Property Manager continue to get contacted by buyers in those sections believing they are part of the original Forest Creek. The Developer has not changed the name of these sections, in spite of the claim that the “unauthorized annexation” was an error. He is
(Continued on Page 3)
2 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie Advertising Information
Please support the businesses that advertise in The Caddie. Their advertising dollars make it possible for all Forest Creek residents to receive the monthly newsletter at no charge. No homeowners association funds are used to produce or mail the newsletters. If you would like to support the newsletter by advertising, please contact our sales offi ce at 512-989-8905 or advertising@ PEELinc.com. The advertising deadline is the 10th of each month for the following month's newsletter.
Newsletter Information Editor Juliet [email protected] Publisher Peel, Inc. ........................ www.PEELinc.com, 512-989-8905 Advertising ........ [email protected], 512-989-8905
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Board of Directors/Community Contacts President Keith Chandler .......................... [email protected] Vice-President Kate Walters-Beetley [email protected] Treasurer/Amenities Justin Jackson ............................... [email protected] Secretary Chris Gaidsick [email protected] Committee/Landscaping Asad Salahuddin [email protected] Website Justin Jackson ............................... [email protected] Caddie Contact Juliet Burnette......................................jwburnette@hotmail.com
Property Management Contacts Property Manager ........................................ Phyllis Star-Johnson PS Property Management
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Contact Information
Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 3
The Caddie HOA Board - (Continued from Cover Page)
Marianne IameleMarianne Iamele
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currently in the fi nal stages of processing the plats for the next three county sections naming them Forest Creek Sections 36-38, despite a Williamson County regulation requiring the Developer to certify that he is not duplicating a community name within the County. In discussions with the County offi cials & the County Commissioners, the county attorney indicated his belief that simply changing the number on the plat from Forest Creek Section 33 to Forest Creek Section 34 constitutes a “community name” change, rather than confi rms it as the next section of Forest Creek, and is enough different so as to not be in violation of the County rule. The HOA disagrees and the confusion created by the naming of other sections suggests the difference, if any, is not suffi cient. These three plats have yet to be approved by the County Commissioner’s Court. If you wish to contact the County Commissioner’s Court about this issue, Forest Creek is in Precinct 4 and your elected County Commissioner is Ron Morrison (phone: 238-2110, fax: 352-4111, http://wilcogov. org/commissioners/Precinct_4 ). If the use of the Forest Creek name by other than the original Forest Creek community continues, and this name confusion continues, the Board is concerned that “Forest Creek” will become generic and simply identify an area of the county, not a specifi c community and HOA within Round Rock. The Board believes that if this occurs it will ultimately impact the reputation of Forest Creek and home values.
Teenage Job Seekers Baby Pet House Yard Name Age Sit Sit Sit Work Phone Doe, John ..................... 15 .........• ......... • ........• ...................111-1111
*-CPR Training +-First Aid Training
Attention Teenagers The Teenage Job Seekers listing service is offered free of charge to all Forest Creek teenagers seeking work. Submit your name and information to [email protected] by the 9th of the month!
SAMPLE
At no time will any source be allowed to use The Caddie contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, fi lm, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profi t, political campaigns, or other self amplifi cation, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from the Forest Creek Homeowner's Association and Peel, Inc. The information in the newsletter is exclusively for the private use of Forest Creek Homeowner's Association residents only.
4 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie New magazine but I bet you I see the same faces in
here. Hi Neighbors! (You too, Marianne and Karen..lol)
Every day I open the paper and read how horrible the
housing market is across the country and I’m thankful
I live here. Even though our market has slowed a little
in the last 2-3 months, we still live in a thriving and
growing community. May-July, 45 homes sold here in
Forest Creek with approximately 55-60 on the market in
any given month.
While I have your attention, let’s think how we can
keep our community safe and keep our home values
secure. On a daily basis, people ask me how our market
is doing and what affects the change. The obvious answer
is our economy, job growth, mortgage rates, and the god-
awful war. However, there are other subtle factors which
we as a community can change and help with. My lovely
wife calls these my pet peeves and thinks I should seek
professional help but here it goes anyway.
Encourage others to slow down on our streets.
Most of us have children; they should be safe riding
bicycles around. Have you seen the last two backyards
that have been driven into because someone was
speeding?
entering our neighborhood. Obviously, someone fi nds
this cute but sure does make our community look
bad. If you have dogs and walk them please, please pick up
the droppings left behind. I’ve seen some of the little
horses you guys call dogs and they could win awards
for the stuff left behind on the sidewalk. Also, a leash
is a good thing. Went walking with my dog (ok, it’s a
poodle but it still counts) last week when a Rottweiler
started to run towards us. After screaming, choking
our own dog with her leash, and trying to climb
the nearest tree, we learned the “puppy rottweiler”
was just being friendly and wanted to say hi. If that
wasn’t bad enough, I may of pushed my wife in front
of me during the whole ordeal. I think I was falsely
accused but you can see where that leads to another
conversation.
Anyway, that’s enough for now. Maybe I do need that
professional couch….
As always, if you have any questions about the market
and your home or you just have some suggestions to add
to the list, give me a call.
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Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 5
The Caddie
• •
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We all pay taxes, Federal and local, and the money goes to provide community services such schools, police, fire, roads, upkeep, maintenance etc. We don’t all use all of the services provided by those government agencies, so why should we pay for them? Because it is for the common good. We all share the cost of our schools even though some never use the system. HOA dues are much if not exactly like local taxes. We pay into a system that uses the money to provide common services and benefi ts to the citizens of the community – one prime benefi t being that we maintain higher property values. For example, you may not use the pool, but if only the people who use it supported it, the cost of admission would be too high, patronage would drop off, and soon, it would be forced to close. While some people are fi ne with that idea, the result would be a drop in your property value because the availability of the pool is a signifi cant factor in the appeal of the neighborhood. Much like the Federal, State, County and City governments, the HOA is charged with providing services to this community for the common good. To do that of course we need money. So, while you may not think of HOA assessments as taxes, they are indeed like property taxes - collected and administered at a much more local level than city and county taxes. We are smaller and structured as a private, non-profi t corporation instead of a municipal government. As such, it is much easier for your voice to be heard when it comes to the election of the leaders, the provision of services and the execution of responsibilities.
HOA Dues and Taxes. Why do we have to pay? Some people have voiced that having to pay dues in a lump sum is overly burdensome. Keep in mind that your property taxes are due in a lump sum, and HOA dues are just an extension of that type of fee for service arrangement. Just as you budget enough money to pay your property tax bill when due, you should budget enough money to pay your annual assessment when due ($500 due October 1). Collecting dues on a payment plan costs time and money to administer. The money normally spent collecting and administering certainly provides more value for all of us if spent keeping up the neighborhood and providing other services. In consideration for those who fi nd it overly diffi cult to pay the dues in a lump sum, the Board has allowed for quarterly payments, but needs to add a $10 per quarter administrative fee to offset the cost of this quarterly payment arrangement. We hope you fi nd this arrangement to be the best balance of value, timing, and service and invite your feedback by vote, by web, by email, by survey, and at board or annual meetings. Justin Jackson, Treasurer, Forest Creek HOA
6 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie
When things get a little steep for you, call us.
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Imagine yourself 10 years from now, living in Forest Creek, the most sought after place to live for many miles around. What do you think makes it the best place to live: top rated schools, easy access to major roadways, a world class golf course, high standards for home and yard maintenance, inviting and pleasing landscaping, fi rst class recreation facilities, neighborhood safety, fun neighborhood activities, strong community involvement, abundant local services, effective and responsible HOA management, more? Forest Creek was envisioned by the City planners as Round Rock’s premier community. It has been growing and developing for some 15 years, and it is almost completely built out. It has all the natural features of an enduringly desirable place to live. Now we have a choice to make. We could maintain the status quo, keep up the existing facilities as best we can, and slowly and gracefully age as a community. If you look around at older communities, you see a clear picture of the results of simply attempting to maintain a community. Property values peak shortly after completion, eclectic additions appear and maintenance standards decline as changing Boards loosen and try to tighten restrictions. Steadily, home values decline, or fail to keep up, as newer communities offer ever-higher standards of amenities and environment. Our other choice is to constantly improve Forest Creek, keeping
Volunteers wanted for Project 2017 The Forest Creek 10 Year Improvement Plan
pace with ever increasing standards for communities, keeping it new and highly competitive. This Board favors this choice for our future. We can do this with proper planning, effective money management, and a small monthly investment, keeping up our neighborhood desirability and protecting us from the things that come with declining property values. The Board is working hard to control our own fate, reduce operating costs, and get the most for our money, so this goal would have little impact on our current dues. Would you like to help shape that future? Forest Creek Board of Directors is forming a team of volunteers to work on the “Project 2017”, the long term planning for Forest Creek. Whether you are only planning on staying a few years and want to improve your property value with some near term projects, or you expect to be here in 2017 and want it to be the an even better place to live, we need your help. Whether you’re interested in community events, landscaping, security, recreation facilities, or any other current and future need of Forest Creek, we need your help. Contact me at FCHOAKeith@sbcglobal. net and sign up. Let me know your special interest or what special skills you can bring to the project. Even if you can’t volunteer, let me know what you would like to see in Forest Creek by 2017 or sooner. Keith Chandler President, Forest Creek HOA
Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 7
The Caddie
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The Texas Real Estate Market is rather unique at present, with strong job growth (double the national average) and home price appreciation in many of our metropolitan areas. We also had 570,000 people move to Texas last year. More interesting is the fact that many home builders are cutting back on inventory, and inventory of resale listings is also low. Those factors equal price appreciation. According to recent fi gures from the Offi ce of Federal Housing Enterprise, home prices in Texas increased 6.9% in the fi rst quarter of 2007, well above the 4.3% national average. For comparison purposes, California appreciation was 1.2&, and 3% in New York. Nevada price increases were a mere .6% -- where appreciation was previously through the roof. While Texas is bucking the national trends in home price appreciation, we also share the national phenomenon of increasing foreclosure rates. We are no longer making headlines on foreclosures, but it is still a concern. As for the market in Round Rock and Austin – it is currently slowing. Nobody seems to be able to pinpoint the reason – many attribute it to the market outside of Austin, vacations, and subprime problems. But then again, next week there could be a fl urry of buyers out there! Interest rates are remaining steady at about 6.5%, with no indication of an increase in the near future. Infl ation, well I guess every time we pass a gas station that word “infl ation” seems to come to mind.
Real Estate Trends Please note that since the Caddie will be published every month, this article will not show the detailed Forest Creek Statistics each time. Every month there will be an article and Active, Pending & Sold listings will be shown. On a quarterly basis I will add the FC Stats. On Page 8 you will fi nd resale statistics from May 20, 2006 through July 4, 2007. Please remember that List prices of Pending and Sold homes can now be posted. We may not, however, post SOLD prices.
(Continued on Page 8)
8 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie Addresses List Price
2317 Arnie Lane $276,000 2309 Arnie Lane $222,500 3211 Bay Hill Lane $361,950 3205 Bay Hill Lane $450,000 3913 Blue Monster Cove $229,000 3609 Carnousty Cove $379,000 3608 Carnousty Cove $369,900 3107 Carnousty St $459,900 2908 Cascade Cove $269,900 2532 Crenshaw Drive $323,900 3703 Del Monte Cove $525,000 2112 Faldo Lane $208,000 2127 Faldo Lane $195,830 2116 Faldo Lane $219,900 1006 Fazio Cove $474,900 1009 Fazio Cove $287,000 2239 Hamlet Circle $469,000 3505 Hamlet Cove $398,000 4510 Harvey Penick Drive $480,000 4502 Harvey Penick Drive $515,000 4514 Harvey Penick Drive $479,900 2128 Hilton Head $539,000 2138 Hilton Head Drive $529,000 140 Justin Leonard Drive $189,903 3903 Links Lane $215,000 3915 Links Lane $234,999 3979 Lord Byron $243,000 3952 Lord Byron Circle $319,900 3945 Lord Byron Circle $312,900 3991 Lord Byron Circle $295,000 3923 Lord Byron Circle $262,900
3908 Lord Byron Circle $214,900 1904 Mulligan Drive $329,000 3739 Norman Loop $189,935 3722 Norman Loop $214,950 3604 Penwood Cove $525,000 1501 Pinehurst Lane $389,900 3833 Royal Troon Drive $298,000 3860 Royal Troon Drive $269,000 5001 Sable Oaks Drive $225,900 2060 Saint Andrews Drive $274,500 2225 Shark Loop $257,900 3809 Trevino $645,000 1920 Mulligan Drive $285,000 1510 Weiskopf Loop $400,000 2022 Golden Bear Drive $279,900 2112 Hilton Head Drive $314,900 4004 Sable Oaks Drive $255,000 4009 Sable Oaks Drive $229,900 2307 Arnie $269,500 3802 Bobby Jones Way $469,000 1004 Capilano Cove $300,000 4001 Glen Eagles Cove $299,900 905 Golden Bear Cove $298,000 2233 Hamlet Circle $424,900 3736 Harvey Penick Drive $265,000 3992 Lord Byron Circle $265,000 3931 Lord Byron Circle $217,000 4115 Lord Byron Cove $268,900 4105 Lord Byron Cove $260,000 4109 Lord Byron Cove $314,000 5004 Sable Oaks Drive $280,000
Addresses List Price Real Estate Trends- (Continued from Page 7)
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Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 9
The Caddie Monday, August 27th is the offi cial fi rst day of the 2007-2008 school year for Forest Creek area schools! HB1 was passed by the Texas Legislature in a special session and mandated a school start date no earlier than the fourth Monday in August. There are signifi cant changes to the school calendar including fewer vacation days and a school year that extends beyond Memorial Day. Check the complete school calendar at: http://www.roundrockisd.org
There are many activities in August to get ready for the new school year. For Forest Creek Elementary, Thursday, August 23rd is Meet the Teacher/Drop Off Supplies night: 1st and 2nd grade – 5:00 to 5:30 3rd – 5th grade – 6:00 to 6:30
Kindergarten meet the teacher is on Friday, 8/24 at 9:00 AM.
Mark your calendar if you will be attending Ridgeview Middle School for the following events: August 6 New Student Registration 8:00 AM to noon August 21 Grade 7 & 8 Vendor Fair, 9 AM - 6PM - Pick-Up Schedules, Lockers, and Textbooks August 24 Grade 6 Panther Camp, 8:00 AM - 12:30 pm; Vendor Fair, 11 AM - 5 PM - Pick-Up Schedules, Lockers, and Textbooks August 28 Grade 7 & 8 Parent Information Night, 6:30 - 8:00 pm
School News – Be at the Head of the Class August 30 Sixth Grade Parent Information Night, 6:30 - 8:00pm
If you are a student at Stony Point this fall, you can pick up IDs, Lockers and Parking Permits on the following schedule:
Students (last name) A - O Thursday, August 23 SPHS Cafeteria 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
To look cool for back to school, you’ll want to take advantage of the Texas Tax Free shopping weekend, August 17th through 19th. This is the offi cial holiday from state and local taxes. Texas law exempts most clothing, footwear and backpacks priced under $100 from sales and use taxes. This could save you about $8 on every $100 you spend and many stores offer additional discounts this weekend to make it even more affordable. For a complete list of what’s exempt and what’s not, check out the link below: http://www.window.state.tx.us/ Remember to obey all traffi c signals and school zone speed limits beginning August 27th as the leaders of the next generation head back to class!
Students (last name) P - Z Friday, August 24 SPHS Cafeteria 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Smith-Johnston Insurance 15328 FM 1825
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10 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie
For all your outdoor needs
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DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily refl ect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.
For the second year in a row we saw a rainy 4th of July in Round Rock. The sun did fi nally decide to peak through the rain clouds late in the afternoon, but by then it was too late and too wet for our neighborhood party and parade. Hopefully next year we’ll see a sunny 4th! In August, join us for our Annual Back-to-School Pool Bash. We’ll have plenty of pool games and a water slide to help cool you down. Check the website and watch the marquis sign for details on the date and time. And coming in late September we’ll be hosting a Casino Night for all the adults in Forest Creek. There will be poker, blackjack and more! All proceeds from this event will be given to the Hope Alliance (formerly Williamson County Crisis Center). This Emergency Shelter provides housing and safety to women and their children. So make plans to join us for a fun-fi lled evening and help support this worthy cause. If anyone wishes to donate a prize for the auction at this event, please contact Wendi Baird at 255-6140 or [email protected].
Summer Events
Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 11
The Caddie
When you are ready to sell your home, call the Broker who lives in
and knows how to sell Forest Creek.
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June 15th was a warm Friday night after an afternoon rain shower, yet about 100 people came out to the Forest Creek Park to enjoy the FCHOA showing of the movie Night at the Museum. Some people came early and laid out blankets and lawn chairs, and there was plenty of room for everyone. The price of admission was a donation of canned foods to the Round Rock Area Serving Center Food Bank (1099 E. Main Street). Thank you to all of our neighbors for your canned food donations!
Many local vendors donated items and a drawing was held for a number of great door prizes. Special thanks to Cloud b, Albertsons, Blockbuster Video, Memories R Us, Fitness 19, Starbucks and Opal Nails for their generous donations—kids and parents alike were delighted with their prizes.
Kids and parents were also delighted with an unlimited supply of popcorn and snow cones, served by Event Prince and their
Movies in the Park By Jodi Mixon
friendly staff -- Vince, Gerald and their family. The blue snow cones were a favorite choice by the little ones!
Due to the keen eyes and ears of a few audience members, a sprinkler soaking was prevented as we rushed to turn off a sprinkler valve controlling the next series of sprinklers heading for the audience—now THAT would have caused a little excitement. The movie ended at 10:30, and Isaac of AV Affordable Audio-Visual packed up his large screen and electronics. The EPC was happy to have little clean up thanks to our tidy residents who took care of their own trash.
Keep your eyes on the Forest Creek marquis at the park, and sign-up on the FCHOA website for more Movies
in the Park this Fall. Forward suggestions for future movies to EPC chairperson Wendi Baird at [email protected].
12 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie
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Help wanted …. The Forest Creek HOA Events Planning Committee is a group of 5-10 women who plan and host events for the families in Forest Creek. Some of these events include the Easter Egg Hunt, Holiday Hayride, Fall Festival, and Back-to-School Pool Bash. As our neighborhood grows, so do our events. Unfortunately, though, our committee membership has dwindled, and we really need more help in our order to continue having these fun events in our neighborhood. We hold monthly meetings at 7:00pm on the fi rst Wednesday of the month. If you are interested in helping with our neighborhood events, then please join us at our next meeting. Contact Wendi Baird at 255-6140 or fbaird@ austin.rr.com for more information.
Stop the Vandalism in Forest Creek The Forest Creek Neighborhood Watch Program offers rewards for information on any Criminal Mischief activities that occur in Forest Creek that lead to arrest and conviction. Examples include graffi ti, after hours in the pool, damage to the pool/park equipment, malicious damage to landscaping, center median grass, etc. Please contact RRPD to fi le a Police Report and then provide information to Alan Aguais at [email protected].
Recycling Fun Facts Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours – which equals half a gallon of gasoline. 350,000 aluminum cans are produced every minute. More aluminum goes into beverage cans than any other product. Once an aluminum can is recycled, it can be part of a new can within six weeks. An aluminum can that ends up in a landfi ll will last 500 years There is no limit to the amount of times aluminum can be recycled.
GO GREEN FOREST CREEK Three easy ways to “Save the Planet”
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Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 13
The Caddie
Avery Ranch
Barker Ranch
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www.PEELinc.com512-989-8905
14 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie
512-989-8905 www.PEELinc.com
Advertise your business to your neighbors.
Support This Neighborhood
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Sales Representative
512-656-1170 [email protected]
Forest Creek Mother’s Club Hello Fellow Moms: As some of you already know, Jennifer Faulkner, our Mom’s Club President, has resigned from her leadership role due to
employment and personal obligations. We would like to formally thank Jennifer for all her hard work, planning and organizing functions to benefi t our wonderful children. Your sacrifi ce of time and commitment has been really appreciated! Because of leaders like you, our children were able to meet and play with each other when there where no other opportunities to do so. You have also helped our mothers meet one another and build strong relationships
within Forest Creek. Thanks for everything, Jennifer, and we wish you the best. Munira Dhanjibhai ([email protected]) has agreed to take over as Acting President. She has served as Treasurer this past year and has done a great job. We wish to thank her for taking on the role of President in the interim, until we can fi nd a full-time volunteer to serve in this position. During this time of transition, we strongly encourage all Mother’s Club members to attend our next meeting (TBA). A strong attendance will greatly impact the future existence of the Forest Creek Mother’s Club. We would also like to invite any new residents who are interested in joining the Mother’s Club to join us! Our goal is to build up our membership with both old and new faces. We hope to form a new leadership team that will have the opportunity to build and mold the Mother’s Club with new ideas that will benefi t all the mothers and young children in Forest Creek. Keep your eyes open for more information on our next meeting, and we hope that you will join us as we plan the future of the Forest Creek Mother’s Club. Sharon Owens, Hospitality Chairperson Forest Creek Mother’s Club Ph. 733-1117 or [email protected]
Forest Creek Wine Club By Vanessa Legere
The fi rst meeting of the Forest Creek Wino Club (Wine Investigation for Novices and Oenophiles) was held April 21st at Tom and Vanessa Legere’s home. We had a wonderful turnout with eleven couples attending and a few singles, too. The idea of this club is to make it easy and fun to get together to discover new wines. Every couple or single brings a bottle of wine and an appetizer or dessert to share. The wine is brought in a plain brown bag. The host or the hostess determines what wine to bring and what price range to stay within.
At our fi rst meeting, we tasted Pinot Noirs under twenty dollars. We had 12 bottles to taste. It was a challenge to pour just the right amount so everyone could taste out of the same bottle, but Tom did a great job and loved talking to each person throughout the evening.
We ranked the wines on a scale of 1-10; number 1 being the best. I’m not sure we have perfected the judging yet, but we came up with a clear winner that night. It was Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2004. What a standout wine! Joe and Liz McIntyre did a great job of fi nding this wine at Twin Liquors. We had some small prizes to give away, so they took home fi rst place. It was a fun evening, and even though we had 12 bottles of wine, we didn’t have any two alike!
All of the top four wines were 2004. What I brought away from this was that to fi nd a good bottle of Pinot Noir you should look for the year 2004, spend at least 15 dollars and consider Oregon wines. If you would like more info on this wine you can go to www.info@wvv. com. If you would like to see the whole list and their rankings, or have any other questions about this new club, you can email me at [email protected] . Cheers!
Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc. Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 15
The Caddie
Saturday, August 11th
9:00am- 1:00pm
Come out to the Round Rock Area Serving Center and donate your new or gently used
coat! Stay for live performances and refreshments!
Round Rock Area Serving Center 1099 E. Main Street
Round Rock, TX 78664 (512) 244-2431
Sponsored by: Reid’s Cleaners, Uncle Bob’s Storage, Round Rock Ballet Folklorico, McDonald’s, Austin Party Rental, HEB, Round Rock Premium
Outlet Mall
16 Forest Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - August 2007 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.
The Caddie
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