THE WHISPERER May 2016 Information Line @ Clubhouse: 350-8729 Website: www.whisperingmeadows.org PRESIDENT S CORNER Barbara Fillinger, President May 1st May 5th Semi-annual Association Meeting May 4, 7:00 PM Potluck Dinner at 6:00 PM Please join us on Wednesday, May 4, at the Clubhouse for our semi-annual Association meeting. Besides hearing first hand what s going on in our community, it s a great time to catch up with your neighbors, and even make new friends. Check the Activities and Events Committee s article elsewhere in this newsletter for any additional information about the potluck. Volunteers Needed Mother s Day- May 8th The need for volunteers remains. Please see the list on page 2 for specific service opportunities, or contact a committee chair to join any committee. Volunteering is a great way to get to know fellow Members better, make new friends, contribute to the community, and stay active. Did You Know? May 30th According to 3.03.012, the penalty is not less than $50 or more than $500, and/or jail time up to 180 days. Although the City s consequences for violation far exceed any found in our governing documents, we still believe this is a critical nuisance and health issue in our community that requires everyone s cooperation. Please be respectful of our neigh- Semi- Annual HOA Meeting May 4th In nearly every issue of this newsletter is a request to pick up after your dog. Something that may not have been mentioned previously is that there is a city ordinance, 3.03.010, CARE OF DOGS AND CATS, that provides that [t]he owner of every animal shall be responsible for the removal of any excreta deposited by such animal(s) on public walks, recreation areas, or private property. We believe private property includes all of the common area, including not only that around our homes, but also all other Association property. Page 1 (Continued on next page)
PRESIDENT S CORNER (Continued) bors and their guests, volunteers, and workers, by picking up after your dog (or cat, if applicable) wherever it leaves its calling card. Updated Board Policy Provided with this issue of The Whisperer is updated Board Policy No. 507-416 concerning driveway and other concrete repair and replacement. There are no substantive changes to policy, only clerical and technical updates. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Role Assistant HOA Webmaster Description Cmte/Area Assist Webmaster HOA website with duties. WordPress experience required. Date/Duration Contact Name/Means Contact On or Before Ongoing, Bill Hodges/225-4878 or Immediate need open-ended hodgesofmo@gmail.com term of service; about 5 hours per month. Clubhouse Committee Member/ Monitor Check renters in and out of Clubhouse per provided guidelines. Attend annual meeting/s. Decorate at Christmas and takedown. Ongoing, Yvonne Hagaman/ Immediate need open-ended 478-6198 or term of service; thagaman1@comcast.net serve as monitor 1 month a year, requiring 30 min. or less per renter, with 1-5 renters/mo. Block Captain (needs to be one of the residents in units 1721217219 E. 44th St. Ct. S.) Serve as point of Safety and contact for Security security issues Committee within your immediate cul-desac. Check cars for WM bumper sticker. Clubhouse Ongoing; Dave King/785-5178 or requires about d-king07@att.net 1 hour per month. ASAP NOTICE Please remember if you place anything in the common area such as downspout extensions, trees, shrubs, accent lights, ornaments or stepping stones you must first submit a request form for approval. If any of these items are damaged, it will be your responsibility to repair or replace them. Neither the Association, nor any of its contractors, have any responsibility to repair or replace any such item. Page 2
LANDSCAPE: John Zelk Chairman Submitted by Jack Wear Our thanks to volunteers Mae Clark, Ellie Keibler and John Zelk who recently walked the neighborhood to identify front foundation, island, berm and Clubhouse plants that have become overgrown or have died for possible replacement. John Zelk and Turf Creations folks will soon be working to start up and repair the lawn sprinkler system. This operation requires six days to complete. Recent rains have been beneficial to our lawns. The first of six planned lawn treatments by Turf Creations was done the last week of March. Fertilizer and pre-emergent herbicide chemicals to control grassy weeds like crabgrass and foxtail were applied. At the time of this writing the second chemical treatment was scheduled for April 25th and 26th. Shrub pruning by Turf Creations is scheduled for May 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th. A program is currently underway by a tree service to air-out or thin inner branches from Phase Three front trees. This procedure was done previously in Phase One and Phase Two and has been beneficial in reducing wind damage to the trimmed trees. Five days work will be required for this project. Several residents have noticed caterpillars on mugo pine shrubs Turf Creations has recently sprayed all of this type of pine which should eliminate these pests. The next meeting of the Landscape Committee will be on Monday, May 9th, at 7:00 P.M. in the Clubhouse. Submitted by John Zelk Please come and join the Landscape Committee on Community Day on May 7th. We are going to work on the following projects: 1) Clean up around the Clubhouse and the west side of the parking lot. 2) Cleanup the area we cleared last year on the east side of the parking lot. 3) Finish clearing the area between the concrete fence and the parking lot. 4) Cut the vegetation growing in the area beside, in and above the rock wall by the drainage grate. Page 3 (Continued on next page)
LANDSCAPE (Continued) Guidelines for Pruning Foundation Plants and Trees The Landscape Committee adopted the following guidelines for pruning all foundation plants and trees at the November 13, 2006 meeting and revised them on September 7, 2015. All plants in the front bed areas of each unit will be pruned 3 times each year. If you wish to prune the shrubs in front of your unit, go to the Whispering Meadows website and fill out a request form requesting us not to prune the shrub(s). If you do not have access to the website, fill out a form and drop it in the mail slot in the door of the maintenance garage. If you fill out a request it will be put on a list which will be given to the service company doing the pruning. They will be told to only prune these shrubs so they do not touch the building (about 12 away). These guidelines are designed to promote the safety of our residents, the people who care for our lawns and to protect the surface of our buildings. 1) To help insure the personal safety of all residents and to protect the surface of our buildings, all front foundation plants will be pruned just below the front window and about 1 foot away from the building. They will be pruned so they do not extend over or cover any sidewalk, driveway or porch. This includes both sides of driveways. 2) All tall foundation trees shall be pruned at least 2 feet below the gutter and about 1 foot away from the building. These are mainly evergreen trees. 3) Trees in mowed common ground areas will be pruned so that lower branches are at least 6 feet from the ground. 4) Potted plants are excluded with the exception that they should not touch the house. 5) Each homeowner is responsible for the pruning of plants on the side and back of his/her home. Guidelines 1 and 2 will be handled by the HOA contract to prune foundation plants and trees 3 times a year. Guideline 3 will be done by volunteers each year. Guideline 4 is to be used as you decorate your entry or area by the sidewalk. Guideline 5 is your responsibility. You can have this done by the lawn care company when they do the contract pruning, and be billed directly by them. Page 4 (Continued on next page)
LANDSCAPE (Continued) IF YOU HAVE A DOG, PLEASE PICK UP AFTER IT! Last year we had an issue with people not picking up after their pets. The people who need to go through the yards were not happy with the results. We have a large number of people who need to be in the mowed areas of our property on a daily basis. This includes the mowing crew, the painting crew, our Maintenance Manager, the city meter readers, telephone and cable workmen and the volunteers who help with such things as trimming trees, other dog walkers and, of course, our grandchildren. For those who do this regularly, thank you! For those who do not do this, please start. It will make it much nicer for all the people going through our common areas. The common area includes the sidewalks and paths. This is also becoming a problem. Please take care of your pets so others do not have problems when walking theirs. CLUBHOUSE: Yvonne Hagaman, Chairwoman The May Reminder for the Clubhouse is twofold: Please remove all food you have left over from your event from the refrigerator when you leave. It is okay to leave ice as long as it has not melted. Also, we have two vacuums but they both CANNOT be plugged in and run at the same time in the great room (fireplace room). For some reason the fuse blows. If you have any concerns or suggestions for the Clubhouse, please call Yvonne Hagaman at 478-6198. You can also call me for Clubhouse reservations at the same number. For May renters, your monitor is PEGGY HOWE. She will contact you a few days before your rental date. Remember that the date you reserve isn t finalized until you pay for it. Your rental check goes to Mike Fetters. The Whispering Meadows Bridge Club would like to invite any WM resident who would like to play Bridge to join them. They meet every 2nd Tuesday of each month at the Clubhouse at 10:00 A.M. If you are interested, please call Helen French at 350-2770 or Terrie Bossert at 478-7841 for further details. Page 5
ACTIVITIES & EVENTS: Patty Bruch, Chairwoman Greetings to everyone in May! What a spectacular Spring we are enjoying! Semi-Annual HOA Meeting and Potluck! May 4th at the Clubhouse Potluck begins at 6:00 P.M. HOA Meeting begins at 7:00 P.M. Bring a dish. All else is provided. Community Day at the Clubhouse! Saturday, May 7th from 8:30 A.M. to noon. Breakfast (biscuits and gravy) begins at 8:30 A.M. This is a good time to come lend a helping hand and create friendships while beautifying our surroundings! Annual Garage Sale! May 12th, 13th and 14th Men s Coffee! Saturday, May 21st at the Clubhouse from 9 to 11 A.M. Plan to attend our SUMMER SOCIALS this year! KICK-OFF BBQ! Thursday, June 16th from 5:30 to 7:30 P.M. Meat provided along with plates and utensils. Bring your own side dish to share and drink! Thursday, July 21st (5:30 to 7:30 P.M.) - Bring an appetizer and drink Thursday, August 18th (5:30 to 7:30 P.M.) - Bring an appetizer and drink (Plates and utensils will always be provided at out functions.) The next Activities & Events Committee Meeting is May 16th at 1:30 P.M. at the Clubhouse. Page 6
In Memoriam Bill Savidge April 23, 2016 Bill was a former resident of Whispering Meadows. Residents are welcome to attend Board and Committee meetings. If you want to make a presentation to the Board, it is necessary to contact the Board President five days in advance of the scheduled meeting. All meetings are held in the Clubhouse. MAY MEETINGS HOA Semi-Annual Meeting May 4th 7:00 P.M. Landscape Committee May 9th 7:00 P.M. Activities and Events May 16th 1:30 P.M. Board Meeting May 16th 7:00 P.M. Page 7