Newsletters

VILLAS AT REDLAND RANCH NEWSLETTER
 ~ FALL 2011 ~
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2011

The San Antonio Police Department encourages all residents to participate in the annual National Night Out by turning on their porch lights and getting out and meeting their neighbors. The goal of National Night Out is to help strengthen community spirit and help make our neighborhoods safer throughout the year.
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FRONT ENTRANCE FALL SPRUCE UP!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2011
9am-?

It’s that time of year again and the front entrance could use some sprucing up!
After a long summer of record high temperatures and severe drought, some of our front entrance plants did not do so well. We have consulted with Bexar County Master Gardeners who recommend that it would be wise to wait until the Spring to plant any new permanent shrubs or plants.
In the meantime, the plans are to spruce up the front entrance by pruning the existing plants, removing any dead plants, spreading fresh mulch and planting some border plants to make it look more attractive through the Fall & Winter months.
It should be an easy job, a fun morning and a great time to get out and meet your neighbors!
If you would like to volunteer, please contact any Board member or just come out on Saturday morning! Everyone is encouraged to bring their own gardening tools.
*Rain date Sunday, October 23rd
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FENCE STAINING

The fence staining has been completed along Redland Rd! The Board of Directors voted in August to authorize the expenditure of $1975.00. The well-kept appearance of the fence provides beauty to the overall look of our neighborhood and has a positive effect on our property values. The Board feels that it is very important to protect our investment and ensure the intended life span of the fence is achieved.
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NEIGHBORHOOD DIRECTORY

As most of you already know, the HOA is working on updating our Neighborhood Directory. A current directory is long overdue and a lot of information has changed. Thanks to everyone who has responded so far! We are still missing some updated information from a few neighbors. Please get in touch with either Pam or Veronica so they can add your current contact information to the directory. In the event of an emergency, it is important to have current contact numbers for you, a family member or a friend.
Thank you!
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STREET PARKING

The HOA Annual Meeting was dominated by two topics, street parking and speeding, both of which were of great concern for neighbors.
Street parking is directly related to safety concerns. When vehicles are parked in the street it becomes very hazardous and reduces driver reaction time drastically. This is potentially dangerous to children, pedestrians, pets, other drivers and personal property.
The HOA Bylaws strictly prohibit on street parking except for guests and service personnel. Guest parking is only allowed on a temporary basis and should be in front of the visited residence only. While there may be times when this can not be avoided, and the Board understands this, excessive on street parking has become a problem. Please remember, per the Bylaws, parking is never allowed in the entrance to the subdivision on Redtack Stable.
The Board of Directors would like to ask those that park in the street consistently to be aware of the safety aspects and understand that we are not enforcing rules that have no basis. Please make room in your driveway and garage to pull vehicles out of the street. Keep in mind, sidewalks need to be passable when pulling vehicles into driveways.
(Declaration of Use Restrictions for Villas at Redland Ranch, vol. 7736, pg. 1710)
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SPEEDING

Speeding on the block has become an issue. We understand each of us live busy lives and sometimes
we are not always focused on the need to slow down when entering and exiting the neighborhood.
Please take a few extra seconds when driving through the neighborhood to prevent any accidents or needless tragedies. Please ask your guests to slow down too.
Please report any commercial vehicles you see speeding through the neighborhood to a company supervisor. We recommend that you make a note of the date, time and any identifying vehicle or license plate numbers (if possible) when calling in order for the company to take appropriate action. You can always remain anonymous when calling if you prefer. If any problems persist, please notify a Board member and we will contact SAPD about it.
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CRIME PREVENTION
Call 911 for emergencies

Non-emergencies 207-7273 / SAFFE Unit at 207-6086

If you have been the victim of a crime in or near our neighborhood, please notify one of the Board members AFTER calling the police so that we can all stay vigilant and alert! Your report to a Board member may include any criminal or suspicious activity or anything else that concerns you. Participation is voluntary but encouraged.
We will post crime alerts in the bulletin board at the north end of the subdivision next to the mail boxes.
**ONLY the date & time and nature of the crime will be posted, any names and addresses will be strictly confidential.**
The Board is not aware of any recent criminal activity in the neighborhood, but we feel it's always better to be proactive when it comes to crime. Better safe than sorry!

Another way to help fight crime is to keep the neighborhood well lit at night. There are several dark areas on the street that could be an invitation for criminals. If at all possible, please keep your outside front lights on at night to help keep criminals away.

The San Antonio Police Department urges all residents to keep their vehicles locked and never leave anything valuable inside. "Leave It - Lose It"!
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BOARD POSITION AVAILABLE

If anyone is interested in serving on the Board, please contact Debbie at debgar321@sbcglobal.net for more details. (#3360)
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ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL COMMITTEE (ACC)

We are in need of a homeowner who would be willing to serve on the ACC. The purpose of this position is to evaluate any requests from homeowners on improvements or changes they wish to make to the front of their property or any areas visible from the street. This person would evaluate the plans, types of materials, etc, then submit the plans to the Board for approval, disapproval or changes. The objective is to make sure the neighborhood maintains a well-kept appearance in keeping with the current architectural style, with the ultimate goal of keeping property values up. Examples of projects that need approval from the Board of Directors include: house paint colors, exterior alterations, landscaping, and any other front or street visible changes.
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STRAY CATS

There have been several stray cats and kittens in the neighborhood recently. A few of our neighbors have been working together to get these strays spayed and neutered, at their own expense and time, in order to keep the number of strays under control. Each animal receives a Rabies vaccination at the time of surgery, which is extremely important for public health reasons.
If you own a cat that goes outdoors, please make sure it is spayed or neutered so that it doesn’t contribute to the overpopulation problem in the neighborhood.
Unspayed female cats can produce three litters of kittens a year. If one cat and each of her offspring reproduce regularly, they may produce as many as 420,000 kittens over 7 years (2009 ASPCA).
http://www.sanantonio.gov/animalcare/programs/spayneuter.aspx
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As a courtesy to all of our neighbors, please keep the front of your property in clean, well-maintained condition in order to protect property values and to keep this a great place to live for everyone!
There are a few simple things we can all do to help keep up the appearance of the front of our homes and areas visible to the street:
  •     Keep your lawn mowed, edged, free of weeds and keep bushes trimmed.
  •     Keep your trash and recycle bins inside your garage or behind your gate.
  •     Keep newspapers, advertisements and trash picked up in your yard and on the street in front of your house.

The Board is discussing the possibility of inviting a guest speaker to come out and give a talk to neighbors about lawn and garden care the first part of next year 2012. If we can arrange this, the focus will be on improving the appearance of lawns in the neighborhood as well as general gardening and planting tips. Overall lawn appearance is something that will need to be addressed by the Board in the coming months as there are several lawns that have suffered this summer.
We will keep you posted on this.
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VILLAS AT REDLAND RANCH HOA BOARD (2011-2012)

Debbie Garcia – President – debgar321@sbcglobal.net
Keith Foerster –  keith@amerroofing.com
Veronica Gard –  vgardshazam@yahoo.com
Pam Harris –  s2b@aol.com
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Please do not hesitate to contact a Board member with any questions or concerns!

If there's a topic you would like to see discussed in our next newsletter, please let us know.
In an effort to help keep operating costs down and to reduce paper waste, we have decided to email the newsletter to homeowner’s. We will distribute a copy of the newsletter to any homeowner's who do not use email.
If you would like a copy, please contact Debbie at #3360 or Pam at #3320.