August 2014 Volume 2, Issue 8Official Publication of Park Lakes Property Owners Association
As a retired law enforcement officer I recognize how valuable Neighborhood Watch programs are. They are designed to keep a community of people safe, allow the communicative lines among neighbors to flow, and these types of programs maintain the climate of the community so that neighbors know “what is going on” within their community. The old proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child” but an additional adage in my former area also says, “That it takes an entire village to keep itself safe!”
Decades ago crime rates across the U.S. increased at an alarming pace; cities like Detroit, Atlanta, and Oakland became the crime capitals of the nation. In 1972 the National Sheriff ’s Association organized the National Neighborhood Watch Program where local law enforcement agencies assist and coordinate with local communities to resolve issues, concerns, and crime related activities in their neighborhoods. Neighborhood Watch works because you and I are the ones, as noted previously, who really know what is going on in our area, we will be most likely to be the first to see a crime, and people like us are in the best position to: (1) Report code violations, unsafe street conditions, etc. that degrade the quality of life in our area, (2) Take property owners to small claims court to abate nuisances, (3) Keep your block clean and free of graffiti, and (4) Provide a safe environment for our children.
Neighborhood watch programs not only allow people in the
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCHneighborhood to learn how to watch for crime, they also teach them valuable lessons about reducing their risk of becoming victims of crime. These lessons teach participants about preventative measures and assist in reducing their risk from the beginning. The thought behind this is that criminals are less likely to attack such neighborhoods because they know crime
watch is in effect which increases their likelihood of “getting caught.” Neighborhood watch
programs allow you and I to get to know our neighbors better than through typical
interaction. One benefit to this is that we will begin to recognize patterns and will also be able to realize when something is out of place….which deviates from that pattern.
Neighborhood Watch programs allow members to feel safer, knowing that people are actively watching for
criminal activity. Neighborhood Watch is not a volunteer program, it is
not citizens patrolling the community at night with flashlights, and it is not about
residents stopping persons who appear to be strangers your community. People involved in
this type of program can feel safer communicating about concerns and problems to their neighbors as well as helping them feel more secure in their homes. Knowing your neighbor, watching out for each other, and being “neighborly”…. that’s what Neighborhood Watch is all about!
If you have questions about this program feel free to contact me @ [email protected]
Park Lakes Property Owners AssociationRealManage/Agent ..............................................(866) 473-2573SplashPad Texas Onsite Office .............................(281) 441-3557Recreation Center Onsite Office..........................(281) 441-9955Gate Attendant ....................................................(281) 441-1089Houston National Golf Club ..............................(281) 304-1400
Utilities Comcast (Customer Service) ...............................(713) 341-1000Electricity (TXU) ................................................(800) 368-1398Gas (Centerpoint) ...............................................(713) 659-2111Trash (Republic Waste) ........................................(281) 446-2030 Water & Sewer (EDP Water District) ..................(832) 467-1599Phone Service (Embarq) ......................................(877) 213-1053Electricity (Centerpoint–Report street light outage) .......(713) 207-2222Texas One Call System (Call Before you Dig)........................ 811
Property Tax AuthoritiesHarris County Tax...............................................(713) 368-2000Harris MUD #400 ..............................................(281) 353-9809
Public ServicesUS Post Office .....................................................(281) 540-1775Toll Road EZ Tag ................................................(281) 875-3279Voters/Auto Registration .....................................(713) 368-2000Drivers License Information ................................(281) 446-3391Humble Area Chamber .......................................(281) 446-2128
Police & FireEmergency ............................................................................ 911Constable/Precinct 4 (24-hr dispatch) .................(281) 376-3472Harris Co. Sheriff’s Dept./Prec 4, Dist 2 (24-hr) ........ (713) 221-6000Eastex Fire Department .......................................(281) 441-2244Emergency Medical Service ................................ (281) 446-7889Poison Control ....................................................(800) 222-1222Humble Animal Control .....................................(281) 446-2337Texas DPS ...........................................................(281) 446-3391
Area HospitalsRenaissance Northeast Surgery ............................(281) 446-4053 Kingwood Medical Center ..................................(281) 348-8000Northeast Medical Center Hospital .....................(281) 540-7700 Memorial Hermann Hospital (The Woodlands) .......(281) 364-2300
Public SchoolsHumble ISD .......................................................(281) 641-1000 Park Lakes Elementary (K-6) ...............................(281) 641-3200Humble Middle School (7-8) ..............................(281) 641-4000 Summer Creek High School (9-12) .....................(281) 641-5400
Private SchoolsHoly Trinity ........................................................(281) 459-4323 St. Mary Magdalene Catholic ..............................(281) 446-8535The Christian School of Kingwood .....................(281) 359-4929Humble Christian School ....................................(281) 441-1313
HELPFUL PHONE NUMBERS BOARD MEMBERSLinda Houston – Land Tejas – President (Voting Member)OPEN - Homeowner - 1st Vice President (Voting Member)……………………………………[email protected] Brende - Land Tejas – 2nd Vice President (Voting Member)Rachel Gwin - Land Tejas – Secretary (Voting Member)Raj Allada - Homeowner – Treasurer (Voting Member) ………………………………………[email protected] Smith-Tolbert- Homeowner (non-voting member) …………………………………[email protected] Cross -Homeowner (non-vo t ing member ) …………………………………[email protected] Clay-Lewis-Homeowner (non-voting member) …………………………………[email protected] Ramdass-Homeowner (non-voting member) …………………………………[email protected] Mosa-Homeowner (1st Vice Pres voting member) …………………………………[email protected] Jennings-Homeowner (non-voting member) …………………………………[email protected]
TO CONTACT THE BOARD:Please address the Board of Directors via your representative,
AUG. 4...............A Walk With Your Neighbor @ Splash Pad 7:30PM
AUG. 6.............................................Bingo Night @ Club House 7:30PM
AUG. 7.............................................Bunco Night @ Club House 7:30PM
AUG. 9.................................Tennis Tournament @ Park Lakes Tennis Courts 2PM
AUG. 11................A Walk With Your Neighbor @ Splash Pad 7:30PM
AUG. 13............................................Bingo Night @ Club House 7:30PM
AUG. 14................................................Bunco Night @ Club House 7:30PM
AUG. 16............................Back to School Party @ Splash Pad 2:30PM
AUG. 17.........................Volleyball Tournament @ Park Lakes Volleyball Court 2PM
AUG. 18...............A Walk With Your Neighbor @ Splash Pad 7:30PM
AUG. 20..........................................Bingo Night @ Club House 7:30PM
AUG. 21...........................................Bunco Night @ Club House 7:30PM
AUG. 23.......................Basketball Tournament @ Club House Pavilion 2PM
AUG. 24..........Park Lakes Poker Tournament @ Club House 2PM
AUG. 25...............A Walk With Your Neighbor @ Splash Pad 7:30PM
OCT. 7.....................................National Night Out @ Sports Pavilion 7:00PM
OCT. 25............................................Fall Festival @ Sports Pavilion 2:30PM
DEC. 13...............................Cookies with Santa @ Club House 2:30PM
One of the biggest challenges for the new board has been convincing residents to keep their yards, fences and general property areas neat, trimmed, and in otherwise good repair. We have no desire to be Big Brother over someone else’s property; however, we do ask that you all abide by the Covenants, Conditions, and Deed Restrictions you legally agreed to when you purchased your home. These documents were initially established by the developer of Park Lakes (Land Tejas Development) for the primary purpose of keeping up the value of everyone’s property and the overall good appearance of the neighborhood. It is in the neighborhood’s best interest to encourage ourselves and our neighbors to do our very best in keeping up our properties, especially in times like these when it’s a buyer’s market.
We have also had a few instances where home owners have erected structures (storage buildings, gazebos, pergolas, trellises, etc.), and/or changed colors on the exterior of their homes, etc., without first getting approval from the HOA. If you are planning one of these projects, please fill out an Architectural Improvement Request Form, downloadable from our HOA website and afterwards submit the form to our on-site Manager for approval by the Architectural Control Committee.
Additionally, the Board of Directors is continuing to work on the Wilson gate issue. A few issues come into play in our decision making process: 1) cost of constantly repairing this structure partially due to vandals. 2) what are prose & cons of keeping the gate closed to maintain a safety factor for all residents, most particularly those who reside near this entrance/exit? 3) if this gate were to remain closed, how much of an inconvenience would it be for all vehicle traffic to enter/exit via the front gate? 4) the cost to place an additional guard shack at this location?
We are also examining other issues in the community such as landscaping, fishing policy, additional fountains, and sidewalk maintenance.
In closing I encourage all of you, who are interested, to get involved in the day-to-day activities of the Park Lakes Board. The association currently has opportunities available for serving on several committees.
As noted with the above information, there is quite a bit to digest and consider.
Again, if you are interested please contact any one of the board members. My sincere thanks for a good year. With your help, next year can be even better.
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The following important information is provided to help our homeowners understand the process by which are guidelines for the neighborhoods appearance are enforced.
An employee of Real Manage drives throughout the community every week or every other week and notates deed restriction violations. In the event that an owner and related parties violate any provision of the rules, this association through its Board of Directors, shall have the authority to impose a fine upon the owner and the resident for each violation; which fine shall be $25 per violation of the rules. The fine will be doubled for every subsequent violation of the same rule by an owner and related properties.
VIOLATION NOTICE PROCESSUpon determining that a violation
of the rules has occurred the owner will receive a letter from Real Manage:
1. Describing the violation and stating the amount of the proposed fine
2. Informing the owner that he or she is allowed a reasonable time to cure the violation and avoid the fine provided the owner was given notice and a reasonable opportunity to cure a similar violation within the preceding six-month period; the fine may be levied immediately without giving the owner a reasonable time to cure the violation
3. The owner may request a hearing before the board of directors to contest the fine.
Should you have any questions, please contact Real Manage.
The monthly Board meetings will be held each month, in the Park Lakes Clubhouse. The dates and times are to be determined. The clubhouse is located at 9730 Park Lakes Canyon Trace within the gated section. Please feel free to attend any of the meetings, as they are open to all of our residents. The agenda for each meeting will be placed on the table adjacent to the clubhouse office at least 48 hours prior to all meetings. Minutes of all meetings should be available to homeowners and will be posted on the “Resident Portal” within two weeks after each meeting.
Should you have any questions, please contact Willie at the clubhouse at (281) 441-9955.
Congratulations are in order to the homeowners who reside at 4703 Loggia Lane. They are July’s Yard of the Month recipients!!!!!!
Remember, Park Lakes is hosting two remaining Yards of the Month this year. We’ll judge and award for the remaining months of August and September. Prizes are awarded for first place only. Gift cards will be awarded in the amount of $75. So if you know of a great front lawn, it’s not too late, and it’s worth taking a second to submit the nomination.
Members of the board will judge from the 15th to the 20th of the month, and we will award prizes and place signs as close to the 1st of that month as possible.
Needless to say, have your front yards ready for judging and your nominations submitted. Please continue to submit those lovely yards for awards until August 20th of 2014.
YARD MONTHOFTHE
Did You Know
Did you know what the most common covenant violations are?
A. Recycle Bins left in front of a homeowners propertyB. Yard Maintenance (excessive weeds, grass not cut, and
overgrown shrubs/bushes)
As a resident of this community you can submit violations by logging into the Real Manage resident portal. Should you have questions regarding how to log into the portal or deed restriction violations, contact Willie at the clubhouse.
In order to prevent fines, please abide by the covenants.
The school year in our area (Humble School District) begins August the 25th and sometimes going back to school can be difficult, overwhelming, or just plain scary for some children. They may be having problems socially, or be worried academically. Either way, a little encouragement can go a long way. The following are a few fun ideas for encouraging and supporting your student.
Lunch box notes: As a parent, you more than likely have realized that it can be tough to make it through a school or for that matter a work day; and sometimes by lunch kids are ready to throw in the towel, which is why this is such a great encouragement option for kids. What you do is when you pack their school lunch in the morning, simply write a couple of lines on the napkin you enclose, and stick a little treat in with it. Something they do not get often, or would not be expecting. A few words like, "I hope your day at school is wonderful." Or "I was thinking about you and I love you." This can really help turn a day around for a child.
Fun surprises in the backpack: If you want a fun encouragement, surprises are a very good idea. One way to do this is by slipping something into their backpack for them to find at school. Be sure you include a note or something so that they know it is for them. You can put a treat in their backpack, or maybe a fun pencil, notebook, etc. with their favorite characters on it. Just something to make them excited and perk up their spirits about being in school. You know your child, so figure out what kind of surprise in their backpack would give them the most encouragement for the day. It might be a card telling them how proud you are and tickets to a movie for the weekend, etc.
Clear your schedule: Sometimes the best encouragement you can give a child going to school is time spent with you. If they do not have to worry that they will get less attention from you, they will be more excited to go back to school. So, clear your schedule that first week they go in order to be there to listen and help them with anything they may need. They might need homework help, someone to listen to them, or just to know that you will be there, read with them, and find time for them after their schedules get busier.
If your child needs some returning to school encouragement, start by considering what it is that makes them tick, and find ways to tap into that and provide them with the extra boost of motivation that they need. For most kids, a note, an encouraging word, a few surprises and some of your time will do the trick better than anything else in the world, but you know your child best.
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