Laurel Creek - December 2015

LAUREL CREEK December 2015

Official Newsletter of the Residents of Laurel Creek

LAUREL CREEK

Volume 2, Issue 12

Halloween Party On October 31st, the Laurel Creek HOA sponsored a Halloween Party at the Shadow Gate Park for all Laurel Creek residents. A big thank you to Gail Killough for chairing the event and to the many other volunteers who helped out and made donations, too.

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Everyone was grateful the weather cooperated so neighbors and friends could enjoy a free hot dog dinner, costume contest, creepy mystery boxes, pumpkin decorating contest, pinatas and more. It was wonderful to see so many Laurel Creek residents come out to enjoy the event!

Laurel Creek - December 2015

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LAUREL CREEK COMMUNITY CONTACTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ann Murphree......................................................... President Greg Magness................................................... Vice President Linda Pirtle-Porras................................................... Secretary Nathan Overstreet.................................................... Treasurer Valerie Phelps............................................................ Director

NEWSLETTER INFO NEWSLETTER PUBLISHER Peel, Inc............................888.687.6444, www.PEELinc.com Advertising.................................... advertising@PEELinc.com

Parking

When possible, please park your car or cars in your driveway or garage. Cars parked on the street pose a safety hazard for small children (and pets). Many tragic accidents have happened when a driver fails to see a child darting from behind a car parked on the street. Let’s try to prevent such a tragedy from happening in Laurel Creek by avoiding parking cars on our street.

Cars parked in the street, especially in cul-de-sacs, can also interfere with emergency vehicles. It can be quite difficult to drive a car around a cul-de-sac when cars are parked on both sides of the street and nearly impossible for emergency vehicles, such a fire engines.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS Crest Management.................... www.crest-management.com .........................................................................281.579.0761 Association Manager Jennifer Petras...........jennifer.petras@crest-management.com Assistant Manager Ty Howery......................Ty.Howery@crest-management.com .........................................................................281.945.4651 For Deed Restriction Matters & Architectural Modification Matters, contact Misti Gailey at Misti.gailey@crest-management.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

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......................................................... 281.376.3472 or 911 Cy Fair Volunteer Dept. (Ambulance) ........................................ (Non-emergency) 713.466.6151 Poison Center ...................................................................1.800.222.1222

(713) 253-9387

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

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Laurel Creek - December 2015

Professional Group

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LAUREL CREEK

SOCIAL MEDIA Many residents of Laurel Creek belong to NextDoor, which is an e-mail list that includes not only Laurel Creek, but most of the surrounding subdivisions. NextDoor can provide a great deal of interesting information and is also used by many residents to sell items and for lost and found pets. However, it is not uncommon to read posts where personal information is given out such as name, address, phone number, and even times when no one will be home.

Although 99% of readers probably find this information boring or of no interest, there is always a possibility that it might be read by someone with bad intentions.

On sites such as NextDoor, it is impossible to know who might read your post. However, there are times when it is necessary to exchange personal information (i.e. to purchase an item or help with a lost pet). Fortunately, NextDoor offers an option to send a private message, which is a safer option than sending posting a response that everyone can read.

Needless to say, caution should be used when meeting someone for the first time as a result of a social media post.

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Christmas Gathering for Laurel Creek Laurel Creek’s Christmas gathering will be held on December 13, 2015, between 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the gazebo park. In the spirit of the season, the HOA Board would like to invite all residents to attend. There will be cookies, eggnog and hot cocoa, plus a special visitor dressed in a red suit for the children. Please try to find a few minutes to stop by the gathering and share holiday greetings with your neighbors.

Christmas Decorations

This year the HOA Board would like to go back to a Laurel Creek tradition from earlier years of putting lights on the gazebo. If anyone would like to help with the gazebo lights and decorating the neighborhood, please call (281) 945-4655 and leave a message for Jennifer Petras, the association manager. If weather permits, we would like to do the decorating the morning of Saturday, December 5, 2015.

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LAUREL CREEK

Holiday Patrol Laurel Creek’s annual holiday patrol service will start toward the end of November and continue into the first week of January. The patrol will be provided by an off-duty deputy Constable in a marked patrol car. The exact schedule will not be published.

Crime typically peaks during the holiday season. Please be observant of any unusual vehicles or strangers in the neighborhood.

Any questionable activity should be reported to the Constable’s office by dialing (281) 376-3472. When calling, please tell them you are a Laurel Creek resident. Advise the dispatcher that the HOA is under a contract, which should produce a faster response time. Please take a minute now to enter this number into your phones.

Tree Trimming Texas Tree Team is scheduled to begin trimming of the trees on the greenbelts, around the basketball park and in Section 5 the week of December 15th. The trees in gazebo park, around the pond and in Shadowgate Park were trimmed earlier this year. Once this second phase is finished, all of the common area trees inside of Laurel Creek will have been trimmed.

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Christmas Safety Tips Only use lights with a safety approval from a recognized testing laboratory, and use lights for their intended purpose. Bear in mind that some lights are only for indoor use.

Replace worn out strings of lights or frayed electrical cords. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for the maximum number of light strands to connect.

Never use lit candles to decorate your Christmas tree. Instead, consider using battery operated candles to decorate the house; many look realistic and may safely remain on when you leave. If you do use real candles, make sure they are extinguished before going to bed or leaving the house.

Always turn off Christmas tree lights and other electric decorations before leaving home or going to bed.

If using a fresh tree, make sure to check water level daily and to discard it if becomes too dried out.

Some plants that are popular at Christmas can be toxic if eaten. If you have small children or pets, please be careful in selecting plants or place them out of reach.

Be sure to leave Christmas gifts and valuables in your trunk if you are not going straight home. If you do not have a trunk, try to store them out of sight or cover with a blanket. Try to avoid placing packages in your vehicle and then going back into the store.

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Laurel Creek - December 2015

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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.

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LAUREL CREEK 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.

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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.

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LAUREL CREEK

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