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Newsletter Honey Creek at Bailey Ranch

March 2021

 

The HOA held its first meeting of the year last month via Zoom. Sadly, only four homeowners remembered to join the meeting. We're guessing that was due to the horrendous weather we experienced the ten days prior. Anyway, we went over some of the issues we had to deal with in 2020, discussed the financials, and put forth some suggestions for the coming year.

 

Snowfall and Street Issues

Regarding the snowfall and street issues, we have inquired about placing someone under contract to plow our streets under such circumstances. We are considering only plowing the main arteries, though, meaning 98th St, 102nd East Ave, and 100th East Ave. Primarily, we're concerned with the hill on 100th going north toward the ponds. And speaking of the ponds, we shall have some signs made up to warn about trying to walk on any frozen portions thereof in cold winter months. Homeowners should be forewarned, however, that in the event of a snowfall requiring plowing, those who park on the streets may well find their cars "plowed in” and have to dig them out themselves. In light of that, here's a reminder....it's better to park in your driveway all the time!

 

Holiday Decorations & Political Signs

Such things are supposed to be taken down 45 days after the events, be they holidays or elections. Also, those with school board candidate signs in their yards should remove them when the election is over.

 

Dog Walkers

A lot of us have dogs and we walk our pets often. However, PLEASE pick up after your doggies! Complaints have been received about large doggie poops left on or along our sidewalks. We shall have some signs put up at certain points around the neighborhood as reminders, but dog owners will have to buy their own doggie bags at Pet Smart or Southern Ag or wherever they get pet supplies. This homeowner buys them in rolls by the dozen at Pet Smart. I even pick up the messes in my yard as I don't like walking around out there and stepping in anything I don't want brought into the house!

 

Street Parking

While this topic was mentioned above, it's still an issue in other seasons of the year especially along E101st St around the north side of the neighborhood. Many people park in the street to avoid having to back out of their driveways when going to work. Well, street parking makes it difficult for the school buses and, even more important, for emergency vehicles. Trust me, a fire truck will just push any vehicle out of the way without hesitation and the damage will be paid by the vehicle owner, not the fire department! Plus, if it's your house that's burning, you definitely don't want the fire truck(s) slowed down or interfered with. So, park in the driveway. It's safer and keeps the street open! Also, remember: city code prohibits cars parked in the same spot on city streets for more than 48 hours!

 

Special Alert: Thieves apparently are hitting cars parked on side streets to steal the catalytic converters! The converters contain palladium, a precious metal which sells for about $2300/oz on the spot market. As with most criminals, though, they're not very smart. The palladium in one catalytic converter won't fetch very much and it takes a lot of work to get it out as the unit has to be cut out of the vehicle. Nonetheless, be on the lookout for this type activity. Recommend parking in your driveway!

 

Amending Covenants

Most homeowners don't know that restrictive covenants can be amended or rewritten, but it takes a large majority(percentage) of HOA members to actually get any such amendments approved and enacted. We are discussing how to go about combining the restrictive covenants for Honey Creek I and Honey Creek II. Honey Creek I only requires a majority of homeowners to approve, whereas Honey Creek II requires approval by a 95% majority. We are trying to find a legal way around that huge number, but it's no easy task. In addition, all signature of the voting members of the HOA will have be notarized and the whole thing will have to be mailed out, etc. So, the cost for postage will be high. But, some changes to consider involve allowing commercial trucks of 3/4 ton or less with company logos on them being parked in driveways. Not everyone will like such a change, but there are many in this day and age who drive their work vehicles to and from home.

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Another possible change might be outbuildings or sheds allowed to be bigger as long as they are painted to match the trim on the house and have a shingle roof to match. Another change might involve roofing shingle color. There is a "Weathered Wood" by a couple of manufacturers, but there is no longer such a product as “Heritage Weathered Wood”. So, what colors should we allow in any rewritten covenants? If you have any ideas of things to be included in the covenants, please let the HOA Board know. Why there are two different sets of covenants for what are essentially just two parts of the same neighborhood, I can't answer. But I plan to talk to the City Planning Office and pick their brains about all this as well as working with them, their attorney and our attorney about legal ramifications and workarounds.

 

Looking for Volunteers!

 

If you'd like to get involved with the HOA Board, please contact us. We need people to serve on committees, submit ideas for improvements to the neighborhood, tell us about contractors who do good work so we can hire them, contact neighbors about covenants, etc. We've been serving on this board for 6 years now and we need some new blood! We need people to serve on the Architectural Design Committee to approve/disapprove of fence and shed plans, etc., and help answer homeowner questions. Many folks don't like HOAs, but just consider this: Who will mow the numerous "islands" in our cul-de-sacs? Who's going to replace or repair the fence along Mingo (which we did 3 years ago for about $17,000)? If homeowners replaced their own portion it would look bad as everyone would be buying fence from whoever had the best price and each lot would probably look different. Also, who would repair the Bell Tower when the siding, door, or sign rots or fades from the elements or when the sprinklers at the Bell Tower and at Mingo need service? Maintaining the neighborhood appearance helps to keep our property values up. Next to possibly our IRA or retirement fund, our home is our single biggest investment, so none of us wants to lose money on it!

 

August Meeting

 

Make plans to attend our nest meeting the third Saturday in August. We are hoping to have an inperson meeting either at the Owasso Library or at Old Central, and we may try to make it available on Zoom for those who are unable to attend or are impacted by Covid issues.

 

Ben Bancroft, Pres. HCBR HOA Board