LAUREL CREEK
LAUREL CREEK July 2014
Official Newsletter of the Residents of Laurel Creek
Volume 1, Issue 7
BOARD MEETING Our next scheduled Board Meeting is August 21, 2014 at the A number of residents have inquired as to why the private property signs have been removed from the common areas. The simple answer is that they never should have been installed years ago. Laurel Creek is a tax exempt organization, as defined by IRC §501(c)(4). Revenue Ruling 74-99, 1974-1 C.B. 131 requires that the common areas of organizations exempt under IRC §501(c)(4) must be for the use and enjoyment of the general public, not just the residents. The plus side of being tax exempt, is that Laurel Creek is not required to pay sales taxes. This can easily save Laurel Creek in the neighborhood of $10,000 plus a year, or around $50,000 over five years. Most people driving by Laurel Creek are simply going to assume that our common areas are private. Plus, even when the signs were in place, there were individuals that ignored the signs. How much benefit the signs actually provided to Laurel Creek residents is questionable. In order for the signs to be put back, Laurel Creek would need to revoke its tax exempt status. Does anyone actually think that the benefit of replacing three signs is worth a cost of $10,000 or more per year? If enough residents feel that it does, then this would be a possibility. The Board will be happy to discuss this topic at its next regular meeting with any interested residents. Copyright © 2014 Peel, Inc.
Windfern MUD building at 14410 Mauna Loa at 6:30 p.m. All Homeowners are welcome to attend and have the opportunity to address the Board. The general Board Meeting agenda is as follows: I.
Call to Order General Session
Approval of Agenda
Approval of Minutes
II.
Guests or Homeowners to Address the Board
III. Financial Report IV.
Old Business
V.
New Business
VI.
Executive Session
Collection Report
Attorney Status Report
Deed Restriction Report
VII. Adjournment
Laurel Creek -July 2014
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LAUREL CREEK COMMUNITY CONTACTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Agnes Murphree....................................................... President Kristah Slate......................................................Vice President Gregory Magness.......................................................Secretary Ray Beishline............................................................Treasurer Sue Beishline..............................................................Director To reach a Board Member, please email
[email protected]
NEWSLETTER INFO EDITOR Frank Cario...........................................frank@sterlingasi.com ......................................................................832.678.4500 Janine Cruz...........................................
[email protected] NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER Peel, Inc........................... 888-687-6444, www.PEELinc.com Advertising....................................
[email protected]
Tree Trimming Now that winter is over, Laurel Creek is starting to look lush and green again. A lot of neighbors are sprucing up their yards by trimming trees and bushes. The problem is what to do with the trimmings? The good news is that the trash company will haul tree and shrub trimmings away for free on Saturdays, but only if you tie, bundle or bag the trimmings. Just a friendly reminder that, like any other trash, yard trimmings should not be put out until the night before trash pick-up. The easiest solution is to time your trimming and mowing to coincide with the trash pick-up days. If that is not possible, the trimmings should be kept somewhere out of view of the street until the pick-up day. Plus, it goes without saying that the trimmings should never be left in the street.
IMPORTANT NUMBERS Sterling Association Services, Inc. .................................................servicedesk@sterlingasi.com ..................................................................... 832-678-4500 6842 N. Sam Houston Parkway W., Houston TX 77064 Mailing Address – P.O. Box 38113, Houston TX 77238-08113 Association Manager Frank Cario...........................................frank@sterlingasi.com Administrative Assistant Janine Cruz........................................ janine @sterlingasi.com Call Before You Dig ................................................................ 1.800.DIG.TESS ...................................................................1.800.344.8377 Street Light Outage www.centerpointenergy.com (Have light number) ......................................................................713.207.2222 Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Service ............................................. http://records.txdps.state.tx.us Police Information If you witness a crime or suspicious activity call Pct. 4 Constable
......................................................... 281.376.3472 or 911 Cy Fair Volunteer Dept. (Ambulance) ........................................ (Non-emergency) 713.466.6151 Poison Center ...................................................................1.800.222.1222
Please remember: We do not live in the City of Houston but in Harris County. Inform the emergency operator of this to assure a more prompt response.
Street Light Outages Centerpoint...................................................713.207.2222 .............................................. www.centerpoint.com/outage
Thanks, Becky, Tom and Vince We want to take this opportunity to thank Becky Lacy, Tom Tamborello and Vince Barrale for their many years of service on the Board. They all worked tirelessly to keep Laurel Creek the beautiful community that it is, and on many occasions saved us money by taking on projects that we otherwise would have had to hire contractors to do. Your dedication and commitment are very much appreciated!!!
You will need the 6 digit from the pole
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Laurel Creek - July 2014
Copyright © 2014 Peel, Inc.
LAUREL CREEK
Community Activities & Events The families of Laurel Creek enjoyed a fun evening celebrating summer with Water Wars!! The big kids had a blast with their water guns and the little kids splashed in the baby pools. Families enjoyed snow cones and visiting with their neighbors!!! On Sunday, June 29th at 6:30 pm join us for a fun night of food and fun at the Shadow Gate Park! We will celebrate July the 4th with a parade. Kids- decorate your bikes, wagons and scooters. All Residents are invited to join the festivities. WEEKLY KID ACTIVITIES Preschool Storytime Every Tuesday at 10:30 am Fairbanks Library Play date at the park Every Thursday at 9 am Shadow Gate Park
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LAUREL CREEK
BOOK SWAP!
On June 9th, children and parents from Woodwind Lakes and Laurel Creek attended a Kids Community Book Swap at the Windfern Forest MUD Bldg. Children bought gently-used books to trade for new summer reads. The event was a huge success! Over 200 left over books were donated to the Fairbanks library. Stay tuned for another book swap this summer.
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Laurel Creek - July 2014
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LAUREL CREEK
DROWNING IS FAST & SILENT KEEP KIDS IN ARM’S REACH
WATER SAFETY TIPS AT WWW.COLINSHOPE.ORG Help keep your family safer around water. Take our Water Safety Quiz. www.colinshope.org/quiz
Colin's Hope Athlete Ambassadors needed. Swim, bike, play tennis, hula hoop and more! www.tinych.org/AthleteAmbassador
LAYERS OF PROTECTION CAN PREVENT DROWNING
CONSTANT VISUAL SUPERVISION
LEARN TO SWIM
STAY AWAY CHECK POOL & HOT TUB FIRST Copyright © 2014 Peel, Inc.
STAY AWAY FROM DRAINS
WEAR LIFE JACKETS
MULTIPLE KEEP BACKYARDS BARRIERS & BATHROOMS AROUND WATER SAFER
RULES
BE SAFER AT THE BEACH
LEARN CPR & REFRESH SKILLS YEARLY
VISIT US ONLINE Laurel Creek -July 2014
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LAUREL CREEK
EXTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS Because Laurel Creek is a Deed Restricted Community, any changes that you wish to make to the exterior of your home must first be approved by the Architectural Control Committee (ACC). This includes roofing, decks, swimming pools, fence replacement, painting – even if you are re-painting using the same color, tree removal, door re-staining, etc. For a complete list, or if you have any questions about a planned project, please contact Sterling at 832-678-4500. Exterior Improvement Application forms are available online at Sterling’s website at www.sterlingasi.com. The ACC members are volunteers who act as quickly as possible to review each application; however please remember that they have 60 days to render a decision. Please do not start any work until you have received written approval from Sterling.
Architectural Control Committee
The Laurel Creek Architectural Control Committee works closely with the Home Owner Association to review applications for making improvements or changes to the neighborhood homes. Their purpose is to maintain the Deed Restrictions so our neighbor’s homes can be kept to the high standards set by the original founders of this community. There are currently three members who volunteer for this community service. Anyone interested in volunteering for a position may contact Sterling Management for more information.
Call Today to Get Started On All Your Printing Needs.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS doing business for 30+ years.
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Laurel Creek - July 2014
Copyright © 2014 Peel, Inc.
LAUREL CREEK NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE
At no time will any source be allowed to use Laurel Creek's 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 Peel, Inc. The information in Laurel Creek is exclusively for the private use of the Laurel Creek HOA and Peel, Inc. 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. Brilliant Energy Texas OUC #10140
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TOP 25 REALTORS
(eleven consecutive years!) Your neighbor specializing in Laurel Creek Real Estate for 16 years
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