Twin Creeks - October 2015 by Peel, Inc.

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE

OCTOBER 2015

WELCOME TO THE TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE

Official Newsletter of the Twin Creeks HOA

The Twin Creeks Tribune is a monthly newsletter mailed to all Twin Creek residents. Each newsletter is filled with valuable information about the community, local area activities, school information, and more. If you are involved with a school group, play group, scouts, sports team, social group, etc., and would like to submit an article for the newsletter, you can do so online at www. PEELinc.com. Personal news (announcements, accolades/ honors/ celebrations, etc.) are also welcome as long as they are from area residents. GO GREEN! Subscribe via Peelinc.com to have an email sent to you with a link to a PDF of the newsletter, or have an email sent to you instead of having a newsletter mailed to you! Copyright © 2015 Peel, Inc.

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 10

Message From the President Ross Burns

Hello my fellow neighbors! By the time you are reading this, I hope you are seeing a weather forecast with significant rain predicted. It has been quite a shock to go from drought to record breaking rains back to drought in just a matter of a few months. The lack of rain has certainly been hard on all our lawns and the common areas has been no exception. Among other areas, it has been a struggle to keep the grass along Twin Creeks Club Drive properly watered and in the green. Since the drought has hit, the HOA has been in frequent communication with our landscaping company about some coverage problems that have been observed. Don’t hesitate to point any irrigation problems to our management company (Jim Smitherman at Goodwin Management), or you can send me a message on NextDoor.com. Let’s hope El Niño turns our drought around without any flooding. As many may know, the club has been in merger/buyout talks with CBIGGS golf group for many months now. However, the deal has fallen apart and the club is currently not seeking any other sales / mergers. Additionally, I want to communicate that Bryant Early, Club General Manager and Kyle O’Brian, head golf pro, have moved on to other job opportunities in San Antonio. Both have spent many years in the community, making Twin Creeks one of the best golfing destinations in the Austin area and I want to thank them for that. We wish them all the best as they both start a new chapter in their careers. I want to welcome our new club General Manager,

Justin Jafarian and look forward to working with him to keep our community the best in Cedar Park. A replacement for Kyle has not yet been identified. We have been working hard to establish a new Social Committee as Shelley Evans has stepped down from chairing this committee. I want to thank Michelle Thompson, our new Social Committee chairperson, and several other new volunteers, who are working hard to bring great Halloween and Christmas events to the neighborhood. With respect to City of Cedar Park news, I have a few items. First, as was mentioned in the previous newsletter, a Bond election will be held on Tuesday, November 3. I am very excited about all of the capital improvements planned and recommend that you vote for all bond packages as our growing city needs every one of them, plus there is no tax increase even if all items on the ballot pass. It’s a win-win. You can find out more on cedarparkbond.com. Second, as you may have read, the city will purchase the rock quarry up the road from us. Although blasting operations will continue for a number of years, it will start to wind down to fewer days a week until all mining operations cease by 2023. In the meantime, I am grateful that the city will place restrictions on heavy trucks driving on Anderson Mill Rd. Finally, Mayor Matt Powell wants to come and meet with the residents in our neighborhood. We have reserved a room at the clubhouse on (Continued on Page 2)

Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - October 2015

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE (Continued from Cover)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President.............................................................. Ross Burns Vice-President..................................................Brandon Lind Secretary.......................................................Chuck Andersen Treasurer....................................................... Deb Hackbarth Director.............................................................Bruce Roach

MANAGEMENT INFO Jim Smitherman Property Manager Goodwin Management Office: 512-502-2114 Cell: 512-230-3220 Fax: 512-346-4873

NEWSLETTER INFO EDITOR Peel, Inc. ......................................twincreeks@peelinc.com

Wednesday, October 21 at 7 PM. I hope you take this opportunity to find out more about the city and our mayor. A brief update on our builders in the neighborhood. Ryland and Standard Pacific are merging into one company, called CalAtlantic Group. The merger should be complete in the September/October time frame. The Reserve has really been filling in and I am told that, by mid next year, the builders should be ready to leave the neighborhood. The construction on the Foodbox Convenience Store (at Dies Ranch) continues with the pouring of the piers and the creation of the retaining wall underneath its foundation. The developer/owner expects to be done in January/February timeframe, barring any unusual delays. Note that the store is expected to have a premium sandwich shop that is likely not a franchise. Finally, if you have not brought your fence into compliance with our CCR’s, I urge you to do so as October is the deadline. Due to the fact that there are almost 900 homes, you may not receive a warning letter right away, but if and when you do, should you have any dispute; you should contact our management company immediately as you may receive only one or two warning letters before your fence is brought into compliance by the HOA and your HOA account is billed. Note that the amount billed will not be considered a fine. See you around the neighborhood!

Cedar Park Eye Care

PUBLISHER Peel, Inc....................... www.PEELinc.com, 512-263-9181 Advertising............................... advertising@PEELinc.com

cedarparkeyecare.com

Dr. Dennis R. McCarty Therapeutic Optometrist

ADVERTISING INFO Please support the businesses that advertise in the Twin Creeks Tribune. Their advertising dollars make it possible for all Twin Creeks 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 at 512-263-9181 or advertising@PEELinc.com. The advertising deadline is the 8th of each month for the following month's newsletter.

• Diabetic Eye Exams • Blade-Free Custom 50% Off iLASIK comanagement 2nd complete pair of glasses • Routine Eye Exams or sunglasses* *not valid w/ • Dry Eye Treatment vision plans. exp. 08/30/15 & Management • New Bifocal Contact Lenses • Designer Eyewear • Eye Infections & Minor Injuries • Financing for products and iLASIK available through Care Credit. • EyeScreen allows us to examine your retina without dilation drops for all ages!

Book online through our website!

CLASSIFIED ADS

183 A 3

B rus hy Creek Rd.

y 18

Twin Creeks Homeowners Association Newsletter - October 2015

ell

Business classifieds (offering a service or product line for profit) are $50, limit 40 words, please contact Peel, Inc. Sales Office @ 512-263-9181 or advertising@PEELinc.com.

FM1431/Whitestone Blvd. S. B

Personal classifieds (one time sell items, such as a used bike...) run at no charge to Twin Creek residents, limit 30 words, please e-mail twincreeks@peelinc.com.

Cedar Park Eye Care 302 S. Bell - (Just N. of Buttercup Creek Blvd; Behind Dominos)

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE Mark Your Calendar

Twin Creeks Haunted Halloween Fest! SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31ST, 5 – 9 P.M. TWIN CREEKS COUNTRY CLUB & FAMILY RECREATION CENTER

FUN for the WHOLE FAMILY Super Scary Haunted House for all! Zombie Laser Tag! Magician! Make Your Own Ghost! Costume Contest For You & Your Pets! LOTS OF GREAT PRIZES!!

See you there!!

Michelle Thompson, Social Committee Chair

TWIN CREEKS NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH NEWS… Shannon & Brian Tweedt, Co-Chairpersons Twin Creeks Neighborhood Watch Upcoming Event In case you missed the note sent out on Nextdoor.com, here’s what we posted on an upcoming event: “There have been quite a few posts related to crime over the past month and questions regarding what preventative measures we can take as a neighborhood. We know this has been a hot topic, and as Co-Chairpersons of Neighborhood Watch, we tend to stay out of any debates on Nextdoor. We do, however, want to keep everyone posted that we have been working with Cedar Park Police to have a Neighborhood Watch Meeting at the club open to ALL residents of Twin Creeks so that you may meet the local police in person and ask questions associated with recent crimes. Please stay tuned while we work on a date that will work with both law enforcement and the club's schedules.” CRIME TIP Have you or one of your children ever accidentally dialed 911? It’s OK if you have. The most important thing to note is … DO NOT HANG UP. Stay on the line and let the dispatcher know that this call was made accidentally and no assistance is needed. 911 hang-ups are given a high priority for police follow-up. Every time a call comes in, dispatchers take it seriously. They have to treat every 911 call like it’s an emergency. It can be an indication that something is seriously wrong in the house. Many times a person can’t respond over the phone in an emergency situation; so, even if the call seems like an accident, Cedar Park Police respond – just in case. For officer safety, two officers will respond. This can potentially take two officers off of the street and not able to respond to an emergency that may actually be occurring. Please take a moment to share this tip with everyone in your household: If you realize you have accidentally dialed 911, stay on the line and explain the situation instead of hanging up. BLOCK CAPTAIN POSITIONS STILL NEEDED We are still in need of Block Captains for a handful of streets. Please contact the Twin Creeks Neighborhood Watch Chairpersons, Brian & Shannon Tweedt, at tweedts@gmail.com to discuss volunteering. Block Captains For the Following Streets Are Needed: The Gardens: 2500’s Farleigh Lane The Reserve: Hidden Hills Ln., Millstream Dr., Shadow Canyon Dr., Sugar Maple Ct., & The Condos

Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - October 2015

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE A SPOTLIGHT ON DCCRs

Sudoku The challenge is to fill every row across, every column down, and every 3x3 box with the digits 1 through 9. Each 1 through 9 digit must appear only once in each row across, each column down, and each 3x3 box.

SUDOKU

Each month we will put the spotlight on a new DCCR (or group of DCCRs). All DCCRs can be located on the Goodwintx.com site under Governing Documents within the Twin Creeks neighborhood. This month the spotlight is on DCCRs 2.09 Rubbish & Debris and 2.28 Play Equipment.

Crossword Puzzle

TC EXPECTATIONS FOR THE GREEN RUBBISH AND BLUE RECYCLING CONTAINERS

DCCR 2.09 states: “… Refuse, garbage, and trash must be kept at all times in covered containers, and such containers must be kept within enclosed structures or otherwise appropriately screened from view from any portion of the Subdivision, other than the Lot on which such containers are properly located. Trash containers may not be left on the street or driveway of any Lot except on the day that is designated for trash collection. No trash or debris may ever be dumped, placed or disposed of on the Golf Course, Common Area or any Special Common Area.” IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN PLACING PLAY EQUIPMENT IN YOUR YARD,YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THIS!

DCCR 2.28 states: “Unless included in a park or playground constructed by Declarant or the Association within a designated Common Area, swing sets, basketball goals, trampolines, play structures, and similar or related outdoor play structures or equipment must be located where they will have minimum impact on adjacent Lots, be screened from public view, and not adversely affect views from the Golf Course. All play equipment must be approved by the Architectural Control Committee before being erected or placed on any Lot. All play equipment must be of earthtone colors, i.e. medium to dark greens, browns, and tans. Bright primary colors will not be permitted. All play equipment on Lots adjacent to or visible from the Golf Course must be screened by landscaping, walls or fencing, or a combination of these approved in advance by the Architectural Control Committee. Moveable play equipment or facilities such as swing sets and basketball goals may not be placed upon any Lot between any roadway with the Subdivision and the front of the residence located on that Lot. Permanent, fixed-in-place basketball goals will be permitted if (a) attached to free-standing poles in the rear yard of the residence, (b) attached to free standing poles on the principle driveway of the residence, no closer than 20 ft. from the nearest curb of the roadway adjacent to and intersecting the driveway, or (c) mounted directly on the face of the garage on a Lot that has a side-entry garage. No goals may be mounted on the front of garages that face the street. … Unless otherwise expressly approved in advance in writing by the Architectural Control Committee, no outdoor recreational facility, structure, or equipment may be illuminated.” 4

Twin Creeks Homeowners Association Newsletter - October 2015

View answers online at www.peelinc.com DOWN ACROSS 1. Incline 1. Tack 2. Change 5. Giant 3. Small particle 9. Philippine dish with marinated 4. Compass point chicken or pork 5. Night bird 11. Journalist's question 6. Body snatcher 12. Tiny insects 7. Cultivate 13. Cut of beef 8. Volcano 14. School group 10. Change into bone 15. South 16. Musical productions 17. United States 18. Canadian prov. 18. Bottle need 19. Palladium (abbr.) 20. Upset 20. Many 22. Cow's chow 21. Perfect 23. Year (abbr.) 22. Captain (abbr.) 24. Computer makers 24. Institution (abbr.) 27. Brews 25. Swain 29. Sleep disorder 26. African country 31. Parent teacher groups 28. Fast plane 32. Strong rope fiber 30. Pastry 33. Bend 34. Decorative needle case © 2006. Feature Exchange

(Declaration of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions) Karen Calvert, Communications Committee Chair

Sudoku

2007. every Feature column, Exchange and The goal is to fill in the grid so that every©row, every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. Each digit may appear only once in each row, each column, and each 3x3 box.

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE

Halloween Facts and Statistics! from the U.S. Census Bureau, CNN & other authorities

Did you know that the observance of Halloween dates back • 14.3 percent of people in the U.S. will dress up their pets! 2,000 years ago to Celtic rituals called Samhain? Well, here are • Top 5 Children's Costumes in 2014: Princess, Animal, some spooky fun facts that you may not know … Spiderman, "Frozen" character, Action/Superhero • Samhain means "summer's end" and marks the beginning of • Top Pet Costumes in 2014: Pumpkin, Hot Dog, Devil, winter. Samhain is also thought to celebrate the beginning of the Bumblebee, Cat. Celtic year. • The festival took place in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Happy Trick or Treating!! northwestern France. Karen Calvert, Communications • The word Halloween is an abbreviated version of the phrases Committee Chair All Hallows' Eve or All Hallows' Evening. • Jack-o'-lanterns are the symbol of Halloween. People in Ireland and Scotland originally used beets or turnips as lanterns on Halloween. • The name jack-o'-lantern may be derived from the night watchman who would light the street lanterns every evening. • In the United States, the first official citywide Halloween celebration occurred in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921. • 46.2% of people in the U.S. will decorate their home or yard, and 45.8% will wear a costume.

Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - October 2015

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE

Clothes moths can cause considerable damage to materials containing wool, fur or other animal-derived products. There are two common clothes moths, case making clothes moths and webbing clothes moths. The names describe the larval (caterpillar) stage of the moth. Case-making clothes moths spin silken cases that they drag along with them while they feed. Webbing clothes moths feed within silken burrows that they spin over the surface of fabric. Adults are small, tan moths about 3/8 an inch long. They are weak fliers and avoid light. Larvae like to feed in protected areas, such as folded clothing, and rarely leave their food source. To reduce or avoid clothes moth problems, the following tips may be helpful: Locate & remove any infested items. Look in drawers & closets; on the floor; on or under furniture; on or in walls, ceilings & attics. Launder or dry clean clothing. Periodically shake & air out items such as rugs & clothing. Use heat and/ or cold to kill insects in infested items.

Twin Creeks Homeowners Association Newsletter - October 2015

CLOTHES MOTHS

Thoroughly clean storage areas. Store clothing in tightly sealed containers. Cedar is not that effective in repelling clothes moths. Cedar must be freshly cut or chipped for vapors to be effective & vapors lose potency quickly. Mothballs (naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene) can be used to repel insects. Read & follow all label instructions. Use only in sealed areas or closed containers. Note that the fumes from these products may soften or melt some plastics. Insecticide sprays can be used to supplement sanitation techniques. Remove all items from the area before treating with an insecticide. Allow area to completely dry before returning items. For more information or help with identification, contact Wizzie Brown, Texas AgriLife Extension Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. Check out my blog at www.urban-ipm.blogspot.com

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE If you are a high school senior applying to college for the fall of 2016, it is very likely you and thousands of other students across the country have given at least some thought as to what you will write for the infamous college admissions essay. Some schools may require what they call a “personal statement,” while others may ask for answers to a series of short questions, an essay written on a specific topic chosen by that particular college or university’s office of admissions, or even just a general sample of your writing. Regardless of the actual criteria, the reason many colleges and universities ask for a sample of your writing remains the same: to get to know a bit more about you as an applicant and as a person, and to understand better the quality of your writing. However, the writing portion of the application can be rather beneficial to you as an applicant as well. Rather than dreading the writing portion of the application, think of this as an opportunity to write your own letter of recommendation. What do you want an admissions officer to know about you? As you approach your writing, keep in mind the following in hopes of crafting the essay that best represents you: What does your application already say about you? Do not restate that which you may have conveyed elsewhere in your application or re-list all of your accomplishments. Rather, the essay should be a forum for sharing new information or to express reflections on your experiences. Do NOT write what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Rather, use your own voice and write in your own style so that your work represents you as a person. Your topic does not need to be as unique as your approach and your ideas. Be honest and sincere. Focus on that which is important to you, thinking about that which you love and that for which you have a passion. In writing about that which you know best and in which you have a personal interest, you will avoid the lofty, detached writing that is of little interest to anyone. Aim to capture the interest of your reader because of your obvious familiarity with and interest in the topic about which you are writing.

Keep your reader wanting more; convince the admission officer you are someone who will compliment and enhance the college/ university community. Think small and do not ramble. All too often students try to cram too much into their essay. It is better to focus on one specific issue, event, or moment in time, clearly illustrating the nuances of your story. If a school asks if you have any additional information to share in your application, accept this as an opportunity to do just that. Ask yourself, does your application provide the admission staff of all that you would like them to know about you before evaluating your application, or are there factors that have not yet been shared? This can be an effective way of communicating with the reader if you have not had an opportunity to do so elsewhere. Most often, this space can be used to explain a seemingly questionable period in your academic record or to boast a bit about an accomplishment or award of which you are most proud. Although you need to remain consistent with the voice you have used throughout the rest of your application, think of this as an opportunity to speak personally with the individual or group of individuals who will be making the final decision regarding your admission. If this is your first choice school, convey that here. If you had a rocky sophomore year due to a death in your family, your parents’ divorce or simply put, a lack of interest in your academics at that particular point in your education, share that information if you believe it is important in defining who you are and why you should gain admission to a particular school. Remember your goal and purpose in writing: you want an admissions officer to have a clear understanding of who you are not only as an applicant, but also as a student and as a person. This is your opportunity to do just that! Bridget Larrabee is a certified secondary school AP English and writing teacher, former admissions officer and college counselor. She currently works from home, assisting students on ways to improve their writing.

Where Renting A Storage Space is NO PROB LLAMA! 1st Month for $1.00

ss Acce Daily 0pm 1 6am-

*Certain Restrictions Apply* Call for Details

1/2 OFF 1st 2 Months *Certain Restrictions Apply* Call for Details

2501 Dies Ranch Rd · Cedar Park, TX 78613 512-401-9000 · www.bluellamastorage.com Office: Mon-Fri 9:30am-6pm. Sat 9am-5pm. Sun 10am-2pm All Units are Drive Up Access, Premium Drive Up Climate Controlled Units, Month to Month Rentals, Moving & Packing Supplies

10% OFF Moving & Packing Supplies Not Valid with any other offer.

Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - October 2015

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE 308 Meadowlark St. Lakeway, TX 78734-4717

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PEEL, INC.

Twin Creeks Homeowners Association Newsletter - October 2015