High Tree Trimming

This week and next the Association is pruning tall trees. We have had significant growth this spring with the heavy rains. We also have weather damage to several trees that struggled through two false blooming periods (warm periods followed by cold periods).

Trees are being trimmed at the following address to get them off of the roofing. Most of these trims are 20+ feet up and minor: 1901 Wilshire, 1501, 1616 Brentwood and 2015, 2023 Wilshire

Several trees are being trimmed to get light to the tuff: 1504 Brentwood, and 1915 Wilshire.

Several trees suffered weather damage this spring and are being pruned to remove dead material: 1611, 1623 Brentwood and 2003 Wilshire.

One ally tree is being pruned to provide better clearance for cars.

Four homeowners paid the Association (reimbursed cost) for backyard tree services: 1908, 1910, 1912, and 1922 Wilshire for a total of $875.

Two trees, a 100 year-old Live Oak at 101 Wilshire and a youpon at 115 Brentwood are in shock or dead. The homeowners are evaluating the situation. Tree removal is not covered by the Association.

We completed a 100% irrigation sprinkler head inspection and repair on May 17. The City mandated system safety inspection is scheduled for later this month.

The system was currently 89% operational on May 17. 11 homes on Wilshire Court were without irrigation as the irrigation contractor could not repair a blown circuit board because of electrical issues.

The Association worked through that problem and the system was 100% operational on June 12th.

60% of all owners making payments online

More owner are using the website payments portal and they are using it more often.

The amount of payments collected tripled in 2016 over 2015.

The number of owners using the system more than doubled with 60% of all owners making some or all of their payments online.

Since going to online payment in 2010, the Association has not had a single credit card/debit card problem (mischarges, etc.)

The Association has processed over $100,000K online since 2009.

Janeera Nickol Gonzalez

On May 3rd, long time resident, Janeera Nickol Gonzalez, lost her life in a shooting by a mentally ill man at North Lake College. Many of us remember her presence in the community and often saw her avidly jogging around the subdivision.

Janeera lived with her parents and her brother and sister on the north end of Brentwood Drive for many years. The family moved out of the subdivision in 2016 to a home in Irving.

She was 20 and was anticipating her graduation from North Lake College in 10 days on May 15.

Our hearts and prayers go out to the Gonzalez family in this time of great loss. The family is receiving memorial donations at:

Fertlization and Weed Control

On April 4th we completed the 36th consecutive fertilization and weed treatment. Chemlawn is this years fertilization contractor.

We adjusted the treatment mix in 2015 and we are seeing significant improvement in weed kill, and the end of the grub worm infestations. The lawn is the best it’s ever looked.

There is still room for improvement and we are still working on optimizing water, tree trimming (sunlight), and fertilization.

Association Collects $17,000 in past due assessments

The Beverly Oaks Homeowners' Association hired Dealey Zimmermann & Blend, PC. in 2015 to compassionately collect unpaid assessments from owners with past due accounts. By working with owners on affordable payment plans, Julie Blend has collected over $17,000 in back assessments. Homeowner's have said she has been both fair and compassionate.

The community currently has two delinquent homeowners more than a year overdue and not communicating with the Association. The Association has filed property liens on both properties and is seeking further legal action.

While no one wants to collect money from their neighbor, it's important that we all work together and not have some owners paying more to cover shortfalls from uncollected dues. It's also important the dues be collected within the statute of limitations.

Blend graduated from Baylor University School of Law, cum laude, where she was Assistant Managing Editor of the Baylor Law Review and a member of the Order of Barristers. Ms. Blend has practiced commercial litigation at large law firms, primarily at Strasburger & Price, LLP. At Strasburger, she was a partner in the Business Litigation Section for eight years, practicing commercial real estate litigation. Her practice includes community association law and commercial litigation with a concentration in the real estate industry. Over the course of her career, Julie has tried lawsuits to jury verdict in state and federal court, briefed and argued in appellate courts, and handled commercial litigation in multiple states.

2017 election results are in

Seventy-two percent of the owners turned out in this year's election and budget vote. This is the ninth consecutive vote above 64% participation and the third time reaching 72%. By comparison, voter turnout was 54% for the 2016 presidential election and is 10% -20% for most HOA's using "in person" voting.

Is the Community on the Right Path  Overall, the community scored a "2" on a scale of 1-5. Only five owners voted in the "not so much" or "no" categories.

Assessments: $272 a quarter, comprised of $266 to cover mandatory expenses and reserves and a one year bump of $6.00 to cover the costs for the installation of a new mail station. 29% of voters abstained, rather than approve, the mandatory expenses. 
Directors: Robert Bauer (re-elected), Joel Kern (first term), Jesse Mitchell (first term), Randy Ranew (re-elected), David Schneider (serving second year of two year term). The directors will meet and elect who will serve as officers.

Mail station:  43% voted for new mailboxes at the garage (the majority preferring the automated door option), 31% for new mailboxes at the current location, and 26% voted to do nothing or just replace the one ugly box put in place by the Post Office which is old and doesn't match the rest.   
Exit gate: The initiative from the annual meeting to install an automated exit gate lost with 58% voting against and 42% in favor.

Amendment 1: No Street Parking  was approved with a 78% majority.
Amendment 2: Violation Fines was approved with a 67% majority.

Infrastructure: Repair Garage Foundation - approved with a 85% majority.
Infrastructure: Repair Parameter Fence - - approved with a 93% majority.

21st-century crime watch: 85% of voters were interested.  20 volunteered to help. A discussion blog has been opened here: 
BBQ and/or Christmas Party:  82% of voters were interested.  8 volunteered to help. A discussion blog has been opened here:
Bookkeeper Performance: 47% had no opinion. Of those with an opinion, 89% were favorable of Guardian Management.

Street Repairs To Begin in Two Weeks

During the first two weeks of April, PaveCon will be repairing 6,000 foot of broken concrete on the property.

We anticipate that the construction will be messy and the community will be hard to navigate. Many owners will not be able to access for their driveways for up to 5 days. We will work with alternative parking arrangements during the construction period.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know. The target repairs can all be seen here:

Hertz Dealership Agrees To Zero Tolerance

On Friday March 17, Hertz regional manager in Houston, Dan Baker, in discussions with Robert Bauer, agreed to end drive -through traffic from the local dealership saying "I assume that we have been driving through there on many occasions, and I apologize for any trouble that this may have caused.  The community will not have any issues from us going forward."

On behalf of the community, Bauer shared that "We have good relationships with all our neighboring properties and we will add Hertz to that list."

Working together as a community has gone a long way in controlling traffic. If you see business or residential violators, please get a photo and a license plate number and we will file criminal trespass warning. These have been very effective. See "download" information for written documentation.

Owners of Unattended Menacing Dogs Identified

The  owners of the unattended Husky and the Pit Bull that has been a concern to residents when walking their dogs have been identified and the owners (1407 and 1516 Dory Lane) have been appraised of our concerns.

Residents on Dory Lane have also have concerns about the dogs. It has been an ongoing problem there.

If the dogs return and we can capture photos of them on the property, we can seek assistance from the City. Without evidence, the City will only put a notice on their doors. In 2012 we worked with the City to have 2 Argentinian Mastiffs relocated after having problems with the dogs aggressions.

Prior dog problems/resolutions:

http://news.beverly-oaks.org/2012/12/residents-urged-to-carry-bear-spray.html
http://news.beverly-oaks.org/2017/03/owners-of-unattended-menacing-dogs.html

Free Feral Cat TNR by April 11

Tina Shanahan of Irving Animal Control spoke at the March 13th HOA meeting. The shelter just informed her about an organization that is offering the City free spay/neuter services for TNR (Feral) cats on April 11th.

The organization will only come out if the City has a minimum of 50 cats, so they are trying to get the word out. The organization is called Spay Neuter Network & they are offering to have a truck set up in front of the shelter at 4140 Valley View for this event.

The City normally requests a $50 donation per cat so this free servicecould  really help the community. Traps are available for Irving Animal Control.

Annual Meeting

Twenty-two owners attended this years annual meeting. It was a very spirited meeting with a lot of good exchanges.

The annual meeting is held to discuss  and  debate  any  planned  expenditures,  ballot  referendums,  initiatives,  proposed  changes  to  governing  documents; to hear motions to add additional ballot items; and make a call for directors. A polling period  follows (March 23 - April 3).

A summary of the Association accomplishments of 2016 include:

• Financial condition improving and 100% of owners paying dues 
• The last 11 homes were painted/repaired - color changeover complete and on schedule 
• Landscaping/turf in the best shape in years - 100% irrigation , 4 fertilization/weed kill
• 100% compliance with architectural standards in 2016 for new roofs and garage doors, 
• 17 new trees and 31 trees pruned from the ground to the crown 
• Strong competent vendors in place for all aspects of operation 
• Successful group purchase of windows - 45 new windows installed 
• Conversion to LED street lights
• Significant reductions in drive-through traffic  
• Iron work rand the loose tiles repaired at the front entry 
•  

A summary of the disappointments include:

• Capital reserves year to year growth is still insufficient for future repairs 
• Resignation of President 2016 after frustration with smear campaign 
• 2015 paint billing issues after 6 prior problem free years (resolved)
• Loss of 12 mature shrubs at exit – irrigation failure 
• Petty theft (3) – mailboxes, automobiles  
• 15%  architectural non-compliance issues on new fence installations (resolution in process)
• Some miscommunications from Guardian management.
• Even though board communication in to homeowner emails is at 98% in 24 hours, it is not at 100%. 

Initiative: Road repairs/183 expansion This project is currently ongoing. Streets have been marked, bids placed and accepted, utilities marketed, and 50% of materials ordered (traffic spikes, signs, etc.). It is the largest infrastructure undertaking by the community since inception.

Paint Program In 2009, with the beginning of the exterior color change, we switched to higher grade paint. In 2010, we tested two homes with a lower grade paint (similar to what was used what the community used from 1983 – 2008). In 2011 we added an oil based primer. In 2012, we experimented by using a top grade paint on two homes. Results, the downgrade paint looked weathered after 3 years. Even the original painting in 1983 with this quality of paint looked bad by 1986. The higher grade with primer didn’t show any weathering at 8 years, but faded. The top grade paint with primer looks fresh and clean at the 5 year mark as it did the year we painted it with no noticeable fading. We will add this upgrade to the ballot as well as fence painting,


Initiative: Capital Repair Plan The board in 2009 had the foresight to restart saving for future capital repairs that will be needed (road repairs, walls, garage repairs, etc.) with a "Reserve Analysis" (2010). It was a bruise for everyone raising the dues.

Since 2009, the garage has been painted (inside and out), roof replaced, a water main tapped, exit walls painted and sealed, the traffic spikes refurbished, and we are about to replaced 6,000 cubic feet of roadway.

The 2010 plan predicted all these needs and many others (i.e., replacement of mail boxes) - but it was more conservative than the reality we have faced. For example, the road and storm drain repairs are facing us sooner than expected. We are also facing mailbox replacement expenses sooner than expected. We have survived these expenses because a $25,000 land sales windfall (the board renegotiated a $2,400 offer for land for the 183 expansion to $27,000), a new insurance policy covered the cost of the garage roof which had not been insured for 10 years, and some funds leftover at the end of each year.

The issue now is that there are many other expenses in the capital plan the are coming due in the next 3-5-10 years and if history is a guide, these expenses will likely be needed earlier than projected and the current assessment rate is not covering the need.

 Initiative: Mail Mailbox Replacement: During the last six months, the community has had three incidents of significant mailbox vandalism. Mailbox vandalism is on the rise in the country.

The US Post Office will only repair our mailboxes with reclaimed scrap mailboxes , and as many recently affected have noticed, it takes weeks and lots of calls to resolve. They are not willing to replace or upgrade the boxes. Furthermore, they will not allow the Association to repair the current boxes or buy exact replacements. We may only replace the boxes with newer high-security boxes. There is a proposal for a mailbox station to be installed in the community garage. The boxes would be more secure, out of the weather, and be ADA accessible. We could add package storage for UPS and Amazon. The garage door can be down to protect the boxes during certain hours of the day. Cameras can also be mountain area.

An alternate proposal is to replace the current mailbox clusters with newer, high-security clusters or to just live with the current situation and see what happens. This matter will be on the ballot.

Initiative: Traffic management The effectiveness of monitoring traffic with iPhones and putting pressure on local car dealers to stop using our roads for test drives was reviewed.

The Association has made a lot of progress by leveraging the criminal trespass laws with local residents and businesses.

1. Homeowners have provided license plate numbers of cars passing through the community to the board and the board has sent criminal trespass letters to the vehicle owners. None of these cars have returned.
2. The dealerships are harder because they have temporary tags. An agreement was reached with Clay Cooley Kia who admitted that 50-60 drives throughs a day were coming from their dealership. The first drive through we caught after the agreement was resulted in an employee being fired.
3. Signage and occasional blocking of the back gate of also helped. Overall drive through traffic is significantly reduced in 2017, but not eliminated. Maintaining the privacy of the streets using the current means will require continued diligence and effort from the owners and board.
4. We have requested that Google Maps take that road off the map and directions. This has brought some unwanted trucks into the community.

The topic of a security gate was again raised. The generally favored implementation is to have decorative gates at the entry (non-functional – but communicating the image of private streets) and have a functional gate at the exit. The reasoning for this configuration is that all gates have a failure rate, and failure of the entry gates creates catastrophic situation which has to be urgently remedied before homeowners can get into their homes - whereas a failure of a rear gate creates a non-urgent inconvenience of needing to exit from the front of the community rather than the back.

There was long discussion on hardware requirements, the advancement technologies since the 1988 gate, constructing a gate that will not be easily driven through or torn down, and transmitters. This matter will be on the ballot

Community Issue: Crime Interest in formalizing a neighborhood watch was raised. Warrants were served on one home at Wilshire Drive. Theft at that same home was reported a day later. The burglar was known to the owners. On Labor Day weekend a mailbox cluster at Brentwood Court was broken into. In October the same cluster was pried and tagged with graffiti. During the Christmas holiday, another mailbox cluster was broken into.  After Valentines day, there was petty theft involving five unlocked cars. Interest and volunteers will be requested on the ballot.

Community Issue: Feral Cats  The community has a large population of feral cats. Six owners are feeding cats which is attracting them to the neighborhood and creating a breeding situation. Cats are living in the storm drains and accessing owners garages, sheds, etc.

Tina Sheridan from Irving Animal control recommend that feeding be limited to one time per day and up to one hour max to feed that cats you are supporting and that food not be left out to attract more cats from other communities to Beverly Oaks. She also recommended Trap-Neuter-Release whereby cats are trapped by owners, neutered and vaccinated by the city, and released back to the community. The city requests a $50 donation for each cat. The city will not keep, relocate, or euthanize feral cats. She also explained that it is not illegal to feed cats nor is it legal to trap cats on your land. An Association can "outlaw" cat feeding and this will be placed on he ballot for the community to decide.

Community Issues: Parking in Visitor Spaces, Placing Trash Out Early, Car Noise, Car Repair 

• Parking in Visitor Spaces - the board has actively worked with owners to solve this problem and has gotten voluntary compliance for all but one owner. That owner has has 12 tows in the last year. If someone is violating the visitor parking, please report it.
• Car Repairs - the board has sent requests to the occasional member who conduct car repairs at home. Most owners ignore this. The community has not approved violation fines, so the board has no enforcement other than take owners to court. 
• Placing Trash Out Early - the board has sent requests to the occasional owner who places trash out early. Most owners work with this. Some do not. The community has not approved violation fines, so the board has no enforcement other than take owners to court. 
• Car Noise - there is no provision in the bylaws for loud mufflers. Owners can ask neighbors to stop or involve the city. The Association is not allowed to file a complaint on behalf of others. 

To register to vote and to vote:

Gate Arms Installed at Entry

Gate arms were installed at the entry today.

The arms are only decorative at this point and to discourage drive through traffic - the gate operator is not functioning.

Ant interests in getting the electronic gate back online can be voiced at the annual meeting. A community vote is required to restore this service.

KIA Dealership Agrees To Clamp Down on Drive-through Traffic

The board met with Steve Dodge, general manager, and Bill Miles, service manager, of Clay Cooley Kia Irving to discuss a commitment by the dealership to stop using our roadways. This meeting was the culmination of 11 month of phones calls and emails on the subject.

The dealership management has agreed to take a stand. They are asking that we be more vigilant in providing license numbers, photos, times, dates so that they can discipline the employees.

We encourage everyone to carry phones and take pictures when you see drive-troughs.

Beverly Oaks Crime Report

There was one reported crime in the community in 2016.

In 2016, warrants were served on the occupants in one home on Wilshire. The next day, a crime was reported at the same address (date: 10/14/2016,  time: 4:03 PM). The homeowners report that they knew the thief.

In February 15th, we had petty thefts in five unlocked cars. We had a similar problem in 2009 and 2012.

We have had mailbox break-ins in September 2016 and January 2017. There is no reported theft, but owners believe they lost mail and the post office discontinued service for three weeks.

The owners will meet on March 13 to discuss what we can do.

Replacing Diseased Junipers - North Court

The junipers that were removed from the entryway and planted in the north cul-de-sac in 2012 were removed. The plants 24 years old when they were transplanted and 30 years old when we pulled then this year.

They were replaced with kaleidoscopic abelia, the same shrub that we have at the entryway that changes color for times a year.

The plan is to replant the flowerbed in 2017 with year round grasses and reduce the expense of seasonal flowers.

Fall Weed Control and Fertilization

We are now into 8 years of strengthening the turf grass. This is all about sunlight (tree trimming), water (irrigation management) and  fertilization, weed control, pest control, and nutrients and

In 2014 and 2015 the community suffered from grub worm damage in several areas. We treated the grubs this year to end the cycle.

In this last treatment by Chemlawn, we specifically targeted for spring grassy weeds, a problem we had in 2016.

42 New Windows Installed

The Association is repeating the window-glass replacement program that many homeowners took advantage of in 2013. Forty-two windows were installed in 2016.

During the 2016 election survey, 42% of us indicated an interest in purchasing replacement windows if they were available through a homeowners' association discount program. Bids were obtained from a number of vendors and homeowners received 40% - 60% discounts.

Fall Tree Triming - 33 Trees

Thirty-three large trees on the campus were trimmed during the last 4 weeks. The trimmers work on the entire height of the tree canopy to balance the tree, increase sunlight to the ground, make the tree less susecpatble to wind damage, and screen (cover up) unsightly areas in the community - like views of the dealership or the backs of homes.

We staggered the work over four weeks to get the best discount which came to just $107 per tree.

Proposed Community Mail Station

Click Photo To Enlarge and See Details

Over the holiday weekend, the back door was pulled off of the mailbox cluster for 1600-1620 Brentwood (even numbers) exposing the mail for all 11 homes. Two individual mailboxes were also prayed open in another cluster. We have not verified that any mail was stolen, but it is very possible that it has been.

The mailbox cluster and all mailboxes have been re-secured. 

The community has been saving since 2010 for replacement mailboxes - they are in the capital plan.

The board will review this matter at the next board meeting on Tuesday September 13. Any owner wanting to participate is welcome.

2016 Road Repairs in Planning Stage

Road repairs areas have been marked with white paint. We encourage resident to review the repair areas and to let us know of any additional repairs are needed.

Front of 2005 Wilshire
Front of 100 Wilshire
Front of 1620 Brentwood
Front of 1618 Brentwood
Front of 1616 Brentwood
Front of 1610 & 1611 Brentwood
Between 1606 & 1607 Brentwood
Between 1601 & 1602 Brentwood
Front of 107 Brentwood
Front of 1512 Brentwood
Drain between 1913 & 1915 Wilshire
Exit Alley
Between 1612 & 1615 BrentwoodFront 1600 Brentwood

Treating Grub Worms

Our tech - Bryan Swindell

In 2014 and 2015 the community suffered from grub worm damage in several areas. Grubs worms destroy the turf grass by eating the roots.

Grub worms are white worm-like pests that live in the soil. They are the larval form of the adult Japanese beetle, sometimes called the June beetle. Each larva is about ½ inch long with a small brown head.

We treated for grub worms in 2015 (August) and again this year (August). August is peak season for grub feeding. This will seriously weaken the infestation. We have not seen any damage this year.

In 2017 we will be able to switch-over to a preventative. That treatment is typically performed in May.

New Lamppost Bulbs

The Association is converting to a new light bulbs for lampposts - a 7 watt LED with visible elements. The change was motivated by the discontinuance of the CFU bullet bulbs that we currently use. They are "off the market".  The new bulbs provide more light, have a cleaner look, they use half the energy, and have a longer (supposedly) lifespan.

The LED cost $8.75 in bulk vs $7.50 for the bullet bulb. The longer life should make them less expensive in the long run - they need to last for 26 months or more for that to happen.

Lifetime
Managing the new bulbs will be very different that the CFU bulb - which we change 3-5 month (burn-out). As solid-state light sources, LEDs have very long lifetimes and are generally very robust, however, the performance of LEDs degrades over time, and this degradation is affected by factors such as operating current and temperature. What this means is that we will need to replace them before they burn out and that it makes sense to change a whole street at a time once the performance drops off. We don't know how long that will take, bu the bulbs are 33% brighter than the bullet bulb so we have that cushion.

Location
Currently the bulbs are in 1501-1526, 1600, 1601, 101 and 123 Brentwood, and 1900-2013 Wilshire and the mailbox poles. The labor was provided by board members. All of the installations included cleaning the bugs out and washing the glass inside and out.

Color
These are phosphorus LED - the light color is like that of halogen - it is a warm color, not a harsh blue color.

Environmental
LEDs do not contain mercury like the CFU.

Window-glass Replacement: 40% to 60% Below Retail

The Association is repeating the window-glass replacement program that many homeowners took advantage of in 2013 (85 windows were installed).

Does your window-glass need to be replaced? It does if you're seeing moisture inside the glass on hot days or if you're starting to see a cloudy film that won't wash off.  These are both indications that the airtight/watertight seal between the glass sheets is leaking and the windows are going bad, cosmetically. The window cannot be repaired.

During the last election survey, 42% of us indicated an interest in purchasing replacement windows if they were available through a homeowners' association discount program. Bids were obtained from a number of vendors and homeowners can now replace windows at a significant discount when placing their orders here:

100% of Homes in New Color by July

Eleven more homes are being painted this year (2001-2021 Wilshire) bringing us to the end of the color scheme change that started in 2009. 

This cycle (2009-2016) included the addition of an oil base primer (see white paint in background) that will reduce the leaching out of wax from the fiberboard which made the prior paintings look prematurely faded and streaked. If you look at the homes painted in 2009 (new color), they do not look tired and worn like the homes painted in 2008 (old color). The primer will also extend the life the of the siding.

This is Smith Painting's first engagement with the Association since the early 90s.