RussEll CREEk

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w e i v e R

Estates of Russell Creek Estates of

Russell Creek October 2007

Volume 1, Issue 4

Official Publication of Estates of Russell Creek Homeowners Association

Architecturally Sound

President’s Letter Hi, Neighbors. As I write this letter to you, I have just returned from an ERC board meeting. We had another security camera company come and present their products to us. Of course, their proposal was totally different from the others. Four bids and four different ideas as to what we should do. The Board is learning and getting close to knowing what it is that our community needs. As I told you last month, we used Off Duty Plano Police Officers to patrol the neighborhood during the end of the summer. We don’t really know how effective the patrolling was since kids returned to school very shortly after the start of the program. Historically, vandalism usually goes way down during the school year. As we now enter the budgeting process, we will most likely plan on utilizing the security cameras and discontinue security service next summer. We have now officially replaced our landscape maintenance company. It became apparent that we needed a company to proactively manage our watering needs. As ValleyCrest tried to get the hydro mulch to grow, they wasted a ton of water. It would have been smarter for us to have bought sod. We’ve also had several areas where the sprinklers ran constantly or they didn’t turn on at all. We almost lost some of our new entrance landscaping on the north side of Stone Haven. We have gone to a smaller company, Speedy Green, which hopefully will be more service orientated. Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.

I continue to see a lot of homeowners in the neighborhood that are improving the exterior landscape of their homes. It is very encouraging to see all of the work and pride that people are expressing in their homes. I want to continue to encourage everyone to look at the appearance of their homes. Do you have the City of Plano’s minimum 7 foot clearance above your sidewalk? Can kids on their bikes get by your home without hitting any tree branches? If you cannot get the grass to grow under your tree in your yard, a suggestion would be to put a large bed around the tree as one ERC neighbor just did. It looks great. An alternate way to grow grass would be to trim your tree branches further up off the ground. Bermuda grass needs 8 hours of sunlight a day to grow. St. Augustine needs only 3-4 hours of sunlight per day to grow. This leads me into the topic I want to address based upon conversations that I have had with other neighbors. This conversation was based upon the news about a Plano man in another Home Owners Association. This particular homeowner had installed $12,000 worth of solar energy devices on the roof of his home. As is the rest of the nation, Plano is pushing the “Go Green” move. This particular HOA told the homeowner that the solar devices that he had purchased were against the CC&Rs of their HOA and that he needed to remove them. This HOA (Continued on page 2)

As fall approaches and the temperature drops below ninety degrees, it is time to consider all of the things we need to do around our homes to keep them looking good. The past two weekends around the Casole house found me trimming shrubs and refinishing the front door. Sometimes it appears the list goes on forever, but the reward is well worth the effort. It is every homeowner’s responsibility to keep up the every-day maintenance of their home and property. With that being said, on a recent drive I took through the neighborhood, I was pleased to see the number of new fences and how well they upgraded the appearance of homes. On the other hand, I also observed several fences that appeared to be ready to fall down. The lack of fence maintenance has emerged as one of the biggest appearance problems in our community. If your fence is leaning out of vertical alignment over 12,” it is in violation of City code as well as neighborhood regulations and needs to be fixed or replaced. Our CC&R’s state we must all have a screening fence at least 6’ in height and it must be maintained. Here is an excerpt from our Architectural Guidelines: Property owners are required to maintain their fence so that: (Continued on page 3)

Don’t want to wait for the mail? View the current issue of the Estates of Russell Creek Review on the 1st day of each month at www.PEELinc.com

Estates of Russell Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - October 2007 

Estates of Russell Creek ERC Board Members Doug Finn, President........................................... 972-712-4655 Marc Niketas, Vice President............................... 972-712-0600 Terri McCoy, Secretary........................................ 972-731-0871 David Oldani, Treasurer....................................... 972-731-6244 Joe Bisacca, Director........................................... 972-335-2290 Denise Duggan, Director..................................... 972-335-2290 Robert Simmons, Director................................... 972-731-9683 Dan Step (CMA).................................................. 972-943-2856

Newsletter Information

Editor Lisa [email protected], 972-731-6244 Publisher Peel, Inc.......................... www.PEELinc.com, 512-989-8905 Advertising......... [email protected], 512-989-8905 At no time will any source be allowed to use the Estates of Russell Creek Community Newsletter contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from the Estates of Russell Creek Association and Peel, Inc. The information in the newsletter is exclusively for the private use of Estates of Russell Creek residents only. DISCLAIMER: Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.

President's Letter - (Continued from cover page) had the power to force this resident to remove his devices. Is that too much power? My answer to this question is that there should be a balance between what is right and what the wishes are of the homeowners as a group. This is the reason why HOAs were developed in the first place. Going green to help save the planet is the right thing to do. Putting solar energy devices all over your roof is okay for some neighborhoods and not in others. Certainly someday the solar device makers will come out with visually appealing devices. Until then, I am sure that ERC will be opposed to the unsightly devices that are now sold. The Dallas Morning News had an article the other day about a man in a bitter fight with his neighbors about his vegetable garden in his front yard. The article quotes some great statistics about vegetable gardens and how there are even books devoted to turning your front yard into a vegetable garden that your neighbors will appreciate. Growing vegetables at home is healthier and an economically sound thing to do. Again, it is okay for some neighborhoods to grow vegetables in their front yards and not in others. In ERC, you have to use the backyard and make sure that your garden is not visible from outside of your backyard. The bottom line is that a group of homeowners should be able to develop CC&Rs that create an environment that is specific to their tastes. Today, you can find golf course communities, horse farm communities, aircraft communities, water skiing communities and the list goes on. One should consider the nature of the community before they move into it. The Estates of Russell Creek is a HOA community based upon busy families that want to protect their home values and raise healthy, well-rounded children. I have heard many people say that ERC is like a small town. We have amenity centers designed for family fun. ERC is located near excellent schools. The HOA hosts several social events to encourage a sense of community. Thankfully, ERC is ranked as one of the lowest crime zones for Plano. As a group, the homeowners of ERC like the community just the way it is and want to preserve it just the way it is. Doug Finn President, Estates of Russell Creek

41 USA

You should receive your newsletter no later than the 15th of the month. If you have received this after the 15th please call the Plano Post Office. 972-377-3166

 Estates of Russell Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - October 2007

Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.

Estates of Russell Creek Editor’s Letter

Did you notice something missing this summer around the ERC? Give up? It was all the summer pool parties. Typically, the ERC has several adult and kids parties to celebrate the end of the summer season. However, that was not the case this year, and I know that many of you were disappointed. So what do we need to have such things as pool parties, fall festivals and community garage sales? The answer is simple- WE NEED YOU! The ERC is in need of volunteers to coordinate social activities for our residents. Here is a listing of our present ERC volunteers who so graciously give their time to help our community, and the positions that to date still remain open: Architectural Control – Mike Casole Block Captains – Regina Casole Children’s Spring Fling – Holly Dickerson-West Crime Watch – Doug Finn Directory – Regina Casole Ladies Activities – Denise Duggan Web Site – Dianna Haun Newsletter – Lisa Oldani Tennis Coordinator – John Hagen Bonita Pool Watch – Doug Finn Kimbrough Pool Watch – Kay Rinker Summer Pool Parties – OPEN Fall Festival - OPEN Garage Sale – OPEN Hardship – OPEN Please know that by accepting an open position, all of the responsibility will not be on you alone. Several residents, including myself, have mentioned that they would like to help plan an event, but since we do not have an appointed person to coordinate it, their willingness to help has gone to waste. I know that we all have busy lives with our families and not much time to call our own, but by providing your efforts to our community; you are in actuality giving back to yourself. Your children and neighbors will appreciate you more and it will be fun! For those of you that are interested in volunteering, please contact our ERC Vice President, Mark Niketas at marc.niketas@ us.ibm.com or 972 712-0600. I hope you all truly consider giving your time and talents to our community. We would all greatly appreciate it!!!! Lisa Oldani, Estates of Russell Creek Newsletter

Classified Ads

Personal classifieds (one time sell items, such as a used bike...) run at no charge to Estates of Russell Creek residents, limit 30 words, please e-mail [email protected] Business classifieds (offering a service or product line for profit) are $50, limit 40 words, please contact Peel, Inc. Sales Office @ 512-989-8905 or [email protected]. Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.

Architecturally Sound - (Continued from cover page) 1. The fence shall not be out of vertical alignment more than one (1) foot from the vertical measured at the top of the fence. 2. Any and all broken, loose, damaged, insect damaged or missing parts (i.e., slats, posts, wood rails, bricks, panels) shall be replaced or repaired within sixty (60) days of notification of noncompliance. Fences enclosing swimming pools or spas must be repaired immediately. 3. Repairs of existing fencing shall be consistent with the type and style fence being repaired. i.e. standard picket cannot be sectionally replaced with board on board. The entire fence must be consistent around the entire property. Staining must be consistent throughout the entire fence. Stain must be maintained. 4. Overall appearance of fence should meet above guidelines including proper staining of any weathered, damaged, or newly installed wood materials. 5. All replacement or repair of fencing shall be completed within 60 days of approval of project. As always, call with questions. Mike Casole, Architectural Control

Unlock the Potential in your Child Junior Kumon in ERC Let Kumon prepare your child for school by creating a solid foundation in reading and math and watch their confidence grow!

Stephanie Harris 972.377.6822 Let your child amaze you! Estates of Russell Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - October 2007 

Estates of Russell Creek Halloween Safety Tips for Homeowners

HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARADE

• Make sure your yard is clear of such things as ladders, hoses, dog leashes and flower pots that can trip trick-or-treaters. • Pets get frightened on Halloween, so put them in the house to protect them from cars or from inadvertently biting a treat seeker. • Battery powered jack o’lantern candles are preferable to real flame candles. If you do use candles, place the pumpkin well away from where trick-or-treaters will be walking or standing. • Make sure paper or cloth yard decorations won’t be blown into a flaming candle. • Keep the lights on outside your home, even if you decide not to give out candy. This will deter any mischief from the older kids. • And most importantly, be patient, smile and give accolades to the children. Telling them they look scary or adorable will make the experience that much more enjoyable to them!

Please join us for our ERC Halloween Costume Parade on Saturday, October 27th at 4:00 pm. Kids big and small are welcome to gather outside the Bonita Pool and walk in a parade down Norwich Lane. Candy will be handed out to everyone and there will be a prize for cutest, scariest and best costume. This is a great event for our children, so don’t miss it!!! Candy donations can be dropped off at 3729 Norwich Lane. See you ghouls then!

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www.tutoring101.com Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.

Estates of Russell Creek Treasurer’s Chest

Let your voices be heard! The ERC Board will be working on the annual budget for 2008 this month. Members of the Board have already toured all the common grounds to plan for next year’s capital improvements. However, please let us know if you have noticed something that needs to be fixed or replaced. Additionally, if you have any capital improvement requests or HOA event ideas that you would like the Board to consider please email your comments, requests or suggestions to ERC.Editor@yahoo. com. Now is the time to speak up! Dave Oldani Treasurer, Estates of Russell Creek

Welcome New Neighbors

Welcome to our new ERC Homeowners!!! Ahmad Abdo, 8805 Shepard Drive Mark D. & Trudy P. Barrios, 8113 Haning Drive Joshua S. & Jennifer A. Bourgeois, 3709 Waddell Drive David Carter, 3808 Elgin Drive Matthew S. & Lisa M. Heins, 3805 Norwich Lane Saral & Shrabantee Kundu, 8609 Lancome Drive Vishal & Ruchi Minocha, 8009 Ashby Court Gopal Mynam, 8017 Lynores Way Padmanabhan & Kanchana Vaideeswaran, 8008 Strecker Lane Chih Yu Wang, 8804 Washburn Drive Yujiong Wang, 3820 Pilot Drive Guy & Melanie Weaver, 3721 Stockport Drive Xuejun Zhang, 3629 Salford Drive Yang Cao & Chunhui Zhao, 8504 Beatton Court Xiaoqing Zhou, 3800 Stockport Drive

Have you noticed a street light that is out?

Have you noticed a neighborhood streetlight that is out? ERC Residents can go to http://www.oncorgroup.com/community/ streetlights/form.aspx and report it.

Peel, Inc.

Printing & Publishing Publishing community newsletters since 1991

Kelly Peel Sales Manager

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ERC Crime Watch

A crime watch bulletin in regards to a burglary reminded me of a crime tip that I wanted to pass along. The description of the crime states that the victim was at home alone when he heard someone knock on his front door. He chose not to respond nor answer it. A short time later, the suspect kicked in the door and entered the home. The suspect did run away after he discovered that the resident was home, but the suspect could have proceeded to do something terrible as well. The Plano Police Department has talked about this type of crime in the past and how it works. The suspect first knocks on your door to see if you are home. If someone answers the door, they usually move on to the next house. If no one answers the door, the perpetrator(s) will look around the house to make sure that no one is close by. When the coast is clear, they then break the door down for a fast grab and run. According to the Plano Police, if someone should knock on your door, the best thing to do would be to answer it. If you are alone and don’t want to open the door, it is advisable to at least talk through the door. If you are female and don’t want a man to know that you are home alone, you can state that your husband is at home sick today and you don’t want to open the door and get that person sick as well. Another option the PPD mentioned was to get a barking dog player if you don’t already have dogs in your home. When you are talking to the person(s) outside, you can push the button for barking sounds and tell your dog “Killer” to behave. The person(s) outside will surely want to move on to somewhere else. The PPD also stated that in general, thieves don’t like confrontation. Hence the reason why a crime doer seeks the residence with no one home.

Advertising Information

Please support the businesses that advertise in the Estates of Russell Creek Review Community Newsletter. Their advertising dollars make it possible for all Estates of Russell Creek residents to receive the monthly newsletter at no charge. No homeowners association funds are used to produce or mail the newsletters. If you would like to support the newsletter by advertising, please contact our sales office @ 512-989-8905 or advertising@ PEELinc.com. The advertising deadline is the 10th of each month for the following month's newsletter.

Support This Neighborhood Newsletter. Advertise your business to your neighbors. Estates of Russell Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - October 2007 

Estates of Russell Creek ERC Website Update

Have you looked at our neighborhood website lately? It is a great resource for all of us living in the ERC. Some of the information however, is outdated. If you or a family member had a service listing in the past, i.e., babysitting pet sitting, etc., please review this section of our site and let us know if any updates, changes or deletions need to be made. You may send your updates directly to our Web Site Coordinator, Dianna Huan at webmaster@ estatesofrussellcreek.com. Thank you for helping us keep our resource information current!

Personal Classifieds My hockey team recycles used ink cartridges. If you have any that you don’t need, please call me, for drop off or pick up. Thanks! Connor Hall, 3721 Waddell Drive, 972-335-0051 New pool table with all supplies, still in box. Comes with table tennis and poker table top. Price was $1000; will sell for $600. Daena Ramsey - 972-335-1399

Join a Neighborhood Bunko Group

Bunko is an easy dice game that is usually played with 12 women once a month. It’s a great way to get out and meet new people, enjoy good food, drinks, and conversation. If you’re interested in becoming a sub or regular member of an ERC bunko group, please contact: Regina Casole, 972-335-5356, [email protected]

Want to submit information for the monthly newsletter?

The Estates of Russell Creek Review newsletter is published and distributed in conjunction with Peel, Inc. and the ERC Homeowners’ Association and the residents of ERC. The monthly newsletter will be delivered to homes by the 10th of every month. If you would like your information considered for publication, please submit it by the 15th of the preceding month in which you would like the information published. To submit an article or to place a FREE classified ad, please send it to the Editor at [email protected].

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Visit My Website at www.youragentofchoice.com  Estates of Russell Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - October 2007

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Estates of Russell Creek

Peel, Inc.

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Avery Ranch Barker Ranch Barton Hills Belterra Brushy Creek Village Canyon Creek Cherry Creek on Brodie Ln. Circle C Ranch Courtyard Davenport Ranch Forest Creek Granada Hills Highland Park West Balcones Hill Country/Westview Estates Horizon Park Jester Estates Lakewood Pemberton Heights Ridgewood River Place Scenic Brook Sendera Shadow Glen Shady Hollow South Lamar Neighbothood Assoc. Steiner Ranch Stone Canyon Tanglewood Oaks Travis Country West Villages at Western Oaks Westcreek Wood Glen

Brook Meadows Eldorado HOA Estates of Russell Creek Highlands of Russell Park Hunter’s Glen Timarron Waterford Park Woodland Hills

-- Houston -Berkshire Canyon Gate at the Brazos Coles Crossing Cypress Mill Enchanted Valley Fairfield Hambeldon-Briarchase Harvest Bend, The Village Kings Manor Lakes on Eldridge Lakes on Eldridge North Lakewood Grove Legends Ranch Longwood Oakwood Glen Park Lakes Riata Ranch Riverstone Ranch Steeplechase Summerwood Village Creek Waterford Harbor Westheimer Lakes Willowbridge Willowlake Willow Pointe Winchester Country Winchester Trails Windermere Lakes Wortham Village

Kelly Peel, Sales Manager [email protected] • 512-989-8905

512-989-8905 Copyright © 2007 Peel, Inc.

www.PEELinc.com Estates of Russell Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - October 2007 

Estates of Russell Creek Pool

Bed/ Bath

Sq. Ft.

List Price

Days On Market

3917 Acklin

N

4/3

2438

209,900

100

3920 Malton

N

3/2

2227

219,900

13

3929 Malton

Y

3/3

2112

225,900

76

3912 Evesham

N

4/2

2525

239,900

45

8609 Berwick

N

4/2

2525

239,900

34

8613 Berwick

Y

4/3

2627

259,900

93

8605 Carlyle

N

4/3

2943

279,900

8105 Strecker

N

4/4

3352

8621 Kendall

N

5/4

3704 Waddell

N

4/4

Active Listings

Pending Listings

Bed/ Bath

3928 Kimbrough

Y

3/3

2458

250,000 250,000 101.71

17

3836 Weber

N

4/4

3157

306,000 306,000

96.93

91

Pool

Bed/ Bath

Sq. Ft.

Sld $ /SF

Days On Market

Property #1

N

3/2

1794

194,000 194,000 108.14

11

55

Property #2

N

4/3

2528

235,000 228,000

90.14

46

284,900

51

Property #3

N

4/4

2764

253,900 246,000

89.00

19

2969

285,000

110

Property #4

N

4/4

3131

289,900 267,000

85.28

67

3205

294,900

209

Property #5

N

4/3

2998

284,900 280,000

93.40

49

N

4/4

3216

339,900 290,000

90.17

25

Sold Listings In last 30 days

Sq. Ft.

List Price

List Price

Sold Price

Sold Price

Sld $ /SF

Days On Market

Pool

3924 Evesham

N

4/4

3351

295,000

54

Property #6

3812 Glasgow

Y

4/4

3338

304,900

5

Property #7

N

4/3

3090

303,500 294,000

95.15

6

3804 Neiman

N

4/4

3375

309,900

65

Property #8

N

4/4

3151

315,000 305,000

96.79

15

3828 Elgin

Y

4/4

3585

309,900

96

Property #9

N

5/4

3401

325,000 315,000

92.62

26

8705 Berwick

Y

4/4

3123

315,000

40

3800 Evesham

N

4/4

3543

319,000

103

8116 Strecker

Y

4/4

3376

319,000

89

8112 Strecker

N

4/4

3274

319,200

100

I have been helping your neighbors buy and sell homes for many years. No one knows the Estates of Russell Creek like I do! For experience, knowledge, and reliability you can depend on, call Dan Harker at 214-957-1111.

8113 Clayton

N

4/4

3157

325,000

44

3845 Elgin

N

5/4

3367

349,900

107

3804 Pilot

Y

5/4

4721

449,900

19

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