2012 Annual HOA Meeting

The next annual meeting for the Villages on Grant Homeowner Association will be March 27th, 2012 at 7:00 pm at Black Elementary. You should receive your official notification in the mail this week. The following items are on the agenda:

• Vote to Amend the Bylaws of the Association to Allow a 10% Quorum at Member
  Meetings
• Vote to Amend the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions to Allow
  for Fines for Violations of the Restrictions
• Election of three (3) Directors for Two-Year Terms
• Financial Status & 2012 Budget
• Other Business as Raised at the Meeting

To download the meeting invite as well as the proposed amendments, go here.

Please use EXTREME caution to help prevent wildfires! While continuing to observe voluntary water conservation, don't stop watering your lawn! Make sure to water ALL plants around your use, and hose down your mulch.

Other tips:
1. No outdoor burning.
2. Now is a good time to stop smoking, or at least fully extinguish your cigarettes. Use your vehicle's ash tray, and not the outdoors!
3. Use extreme caution during yard work. Edgers, lawnmowers, and weed eaters can all cause tiny sparks.
4. Be very careful when grilling. Fully extinguish charcoal and fires. Turn of your gas grill when not in use, and make sure it is at least three feet from any dry brush.
5. Keep your lawn and plants well watered.
6. Use common sense! If you think it might cause a spark, don't do it!
7. PLEASE obey all evacuation orders! Your home can be rebuilt. You only get one life.

Remember, a small spark can turn into a very large fire that can destroy hundreds of homes and thousands of acres. Be careful.

Recycling and Trash

We had a question on our Facebook page about curbside recycling, so we thought we'd post that information about our trash and recycling pickup. This information was provided by our service provider, Republic Services. This contract is through MUD 5.

Please contact a customer service representative at 713-849-0400 with any questions!

Trash Pickup
Trash pickup is on TUESDAYS and FRIDAYS. Trash should be placed by the curb by 7:00 am in a waste container (trash must be bagged in container) not exceeding 35 gallons or in a plastic trash bag.

Large trash collection is on FRIDAYS. This includes branches and tree limbs, which must be cut to four foot lengths and tied in small bundles no larger than 18" in diameter. Bundles must weigh less than 50 pounds. Other items that can be picked up on Fridays include appliances, hot water heaters, and mattresses. Refrigeration Units, air conditioners, freezers, and other items that contain CFCs (freon) must have the gas removed by a licensed technician and be red tagged prior to collection.

Restricted items (items that can not be picked up) include cross ties, tires, solvents, paint, petroleum products, pool chemicals, fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, hazardous materials/chemicals, logs or stumps, car batteries, soil, rocks, concrete, carpet, padding, construction materials, medical waste, medical sharps and closed containers.

Recycling
Recycling pickup is on FRIDAYS. Please place your recyclables by your curb in your 18 gallon recycling bin by 7:00 am. You can request an additional bin/replacement for a $7.00 fee, or you can pick up the container for free.

Recyclable Materials:

1. Aluminum cans, trays, and foil
2. Aseptic Packaging and Gable Top Containers (milk and juice cartons)
3. Steel cans and tin
4. PET soda, water and flavored beverage bottles, glass
5. HDPE milk, and juice hugs (#2 plastic resin)
6. PVC narrow neek containers only (#3 plastic resin) such as health and beauty products and household cleaners
7. LDPE grocery containers (#4 plastic resin) such as margarine tubs, frozen dessert cups, six and twelve pack rings
8. PP Grocery Containers (#5 plastic resin) such as yogurt cups and narrow neck syrup and ketchup bottles #7 plastic resin narrow neck containers only
9. Plastic buckets such as kitty litter containers (5 gallon max)
10. Newspaper, including inserts (remove plastic sleeves)
11. Cardboard (no waxed cardboard)
12. Kraft (brown paper) bags
13. Magazines, catalogs and phone books
14. Office, computer, notebook, and gift-wrap paper, no metal clips, spirals, or binders
15. Chipboard (cereal, cake, and food mix boxes, gift boxes, etc)
16. Carrier stock (soda and beer can carrying cases)
17. Junk Mail and envelopes (no plastic cards, stick on labels or unused stamps)
18. Paper back books (no hard covers)

Notes:

• All containers must be rinsed clean
• No motor oil, insecticide, herbicide or hazardous chemical containers
• Plastic bags should be returned to grocery or department store
• No plastic film (plastic sheets, tarps, or wraps)
• No expanded foam or clear polystyrene

Remember, per the VOG Deed Restrictions, your trash container and recycling bin must be removed and placed out of site by the next morning after pick-up.

Community Yard Sale - April 4 and 5

This weekend, The Villages on Grant Homeowner Association is hosting our Spring Community Yard Sale. Homeowners across the neighborhood will be cleaning out their garages and attics and pricing everything to sale.
When: Friday and Saturday, April 4th & 5th
Time: 9am - 3pm
Where: Throughout the Villages on Grant neighborhood, located 0.7 miles north of Spring Cypress Rd on Grant Rd in Cypress.

Click here for a map

Spring Lawn Care

Even though the official start of Spring is a couple of weeks away, Spring gets going early here in Cypress. As such, now is the time to start getting your yard ready for the growing season. Within the next couple of weeks, your lawn is going to come out of dormancy. With a little attention now, you can help your lawn be healthy and green and free of common problems.

Weeds
The great news for homeowners in VOG is that our yards were planted with St. Augustine Grass. St Augustine is a highly territorial, highly invasive plant. That means that the winter weeds that appeared while your grass lay dormant will be easily choked out by your competitive St Augustine grass -- if you encourage your grass's growth!

You don't need to spend a ton of time pulling weeds or spraying them with weed killer, since most topical weed killer sprays will also kill your grass. The best defense is a good offense, and and in this instance, your offense is to feed your St Augustine.

Feeding
There are two ways to feed your grass. The first option is with a traditional, chemical fertilizer such as Scott's Weed and Feed. Again, the weed killing component is less important than the feeding component, as a well-fed and well-watered lawn will choke out the weeds. Mow your grass, and then spread fertilizer using a fertilizer spreader. Make sure your spreader settings matched those prescribed by your fertilizer, and follow the spreading instructions exactly. Spread too much, and you could burn your lawn. After spreading, you'll need to water your lawn thoroughly to dissolve the fertilizer into the soil. Fertilizers contain chemicals that are dangerous to humans and pets, so make sure to really soak your lawn after the initial watering.

The second option is to fertilize your lawn organically using all-natural fertilizers. This is desirable because it promotes healthy soil as much as it promotes healthy lawns. Healthy soil will encourage the presence of helpful insects and healthy plants, which in turn keeps harmful insects and common plant diseases away. Your lawn will also be free from the harmful chemicals used in fertilizers (including known carcinogens).

The best way to bring your lawn out of dormancy is to use an organic compost, such as a Leaf Mold compost. You can purchase this from a local organic gardening center or nursery. Spread the compost completely over your yard with a rake, and then thoroughly water the compost down so it blends into the soil.

You'll also want to use an organic fertilizer, such as Lady Bug or MicroLife fertilizers. These fertilizers contain many nutrients, minerals, and compounds designed to promote healthy soil. There's no worry about using too much as these fertilizers won't harm your lawn, your pets, or you!

Finally, a treatment of liquid seaweed and horticultural molasses spread on your lawn using a lawn sprayer will not only enrich and encourage your grass's root development, but it will act as a natural insect repellent.

Water
Of course, as important as it is to fertilize, your lawn needs water more than anything. You should water your lawn 2-3 times a week, and even more during the hot summer months. It's best to water your lawn early in the morning or in the evening, since most of the water spent during daytime watering is lost to evaporation.

One note: soil that has been fed and cared for organically typically retains more moisture. As such, you could save anywhere from 30-75% on your water bill.

The Time is Now
However you choose to take care of your lawn, the best time to get going is now. A healthy lawn will make your home -- and the neighborhood -- look great!

August Newsletter

It has come to the attention of the Board that many homeowners did not receive the Summer newsletter. It would appear that there was a problem with the mailing at the post office. We apologize for the inconvenience! We are looking into the issue.

In the meantime, you can download the newsletter in PDF format from the link below. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to open the file, which you can download here.

August 2010 Newsletter (PDF)

Again, we apologize for the confusion. We hope you enjoy the newsletter! Be sure to mark your calendars for the Community Yard Sale on September 17th and 18th.

HOA Meeting highlighted by safety information from our constables

While we were unable to officially conduct business of the Association at tonight's meeting, the meeting was full of great information. Fewer than 40 homeowners attended, short of the 57 members needed to establish a quorum, but that did not stop the homeowners in attendance from discussing issues and receiving important information.

The meeting's highlight was a presentation by Sgt. Rouse with the Precinct 4 Constable's office. Sgt. Rouse and two other constables patrol our neighborhood, in addition to the 12 other neighborhoods in MUD District 5. This service is paid for by the MUD, and it goes above and beyond the service provided by the county. Information in Sgt Rouse's report included:

• In the last year, individuals in our neighborhood have only reported 3 suspicious vehicles and 4 suspicious persons. Reporting suspicious behavior is key to preventing crime in the neighborhood, as the individuals responsible for breaking into multiple vehicles last week most likely cased the neighborhood beforehand.
• Car burglary is uncommon in our neighborhood. Until last week, there were only 3 reported burglaries in the last two years.
  
• It is important to keep a record of serial numbers of everything in your home and car. This will assist the police in their investigation if your house or car is ever burglarized.
• Compared to other neighborhoods, our neighborhood is very quiet, with a crime rate comparable to Rock Creek and other neighborhoods in our immediate vicinity.
• It is important to report crimes, suspicious activity, and unusual noise - such as gunfire or loud music - to the constable.

Feel free to call the constables directly! Their number is 281-376-3472.

In addition to the constable's report, Jim Burke from the MUD District answered questions about the neighborhood. We received a report from the officers about current projects, including repairs to the irrigation system, improvements to the Reserve area, and other issues that have been addressed. Representatives from our management group, ACMI, reported on our budget, and explained the proposed resolutions.

Keep your eyes on your mailbox for information about our next meeting! We will not be able to act on our current resolutions without participation from our homeowners!