Twin Creeks - January 2017 by Peel, Inc.

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE

Twin Creeks January 2017

TRIBUNE

Volume 11, Issue 1

Official Publication of the Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association

Message from the President

As I am writing this, I want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays; however, by the time you read it, another year will be in the rearview mirror and you will have survived the holidays once again. It’s been awhile since I’ve written an article and I wanted to give everyone an update on happenings in and around the neighborhood over the past year. HOA dues increase. While an unpleasant topic for many, I want to talk about it briefly. The reality is that the neighborhood is aging, we are taking care of more improvements, and there’s been some significant inflation since the last dues increase. Let me correct the last statement: there has never been a dues increase in the history of the neighborhood! In looking at our future budget(s) and the needed reserves per our reserves study, the Board voted unanimously to raise annual dues by 10 percent, effective in 2017. We don’t take this action lightly – we constantly discuss items that need addressing in the neighborhood and weigh the pros and cons of their costs vs. what we have budget for. This has only intensified due to the reasons given above. As always, anyone can examine our financials by inquiring to our management company, Goodwin Management. Landscaping. We changed landscapers around the beginning of the year because we just weren’t getting the service we were paying for. This included irrigation and trees. I’m not going to claim that our new landscaper has excelled for us in all aspects, but there is improved responsiveness. The board still wants our landscaper to take more proactive steps to prevent problems that have been seen over the past year, and the Board continuously examines the performance of our current providers: Centex, Taurus, and Chon, and will not hesitate to find better provider(s) should we think it is warranted. I expect us to conduct a thorough review of our contractors in 2017, examining whether we are truly satisfied with their performance on a whole per our contracts with them. Other general landscaping items that we need to look at are performing some refreshes / improvements of our landscaping in places where it is looking ragged, and more modernization of our irrigation systems. One improvement we have already done – you may have noticed some new trees near the main entrance, which was done to replace some of our Red Bud trees that were on the decline. Copyright © 2017 Peel, Inc.

The FoodBox convenience store. This development has finally been completed, after more than a year in construction. While I lament the green space that was taken away by both this development and the storage facility, the best we could do was to work with these developers to get the best outcome from our new neighbors. Many developmental / operational conditions were put forth as conditions so that the FoodBox developer could obtain water from the City, and after conducting many hours of reviews with the developer, I believe the developer has met or exceeded these conditions so far. Whether you agree with these developments, I hope that you will consider helping them to thrive and grow to be an asset rather than a detraction. I welcome feedback on any perceived problems / improvements and am happy to pass them along. The Reserve trail. While the trail has gotten a lot of use and praise, we have some persistent problems with steeper grades and washout. We have tried a couple of methods to prevent continuous washout of the trail where it meets our mail kiosk on Grand Oaks Loop (our biggest offender right now), but to no avail. Finally, after looking at examples of what some other communities have done, and consulting with various companies, we have decided that we will most likely install concrete, properly stained, on those select parts of the trail that have severe and continuous washout. At this time, the only area we see needing this is the aforementioned part of the trail. Line of sight issues at the main entrance. Many residents have been concerned about this, especially near Bindon Drive. We have started consulting with the City of Cedar Park to come into compliance and address these concerns. After consulting with the City, we bid out the job to several landscape architects and now have a plan to start addressing this. We immediately removed many bushes, improving the line of sight, but it was too late in the year to address re-vegetating these areas. You will see more activity around this when the Spring planting season arrives. Cleaning and maintenance of hardscape improvements. This includes the wall, monuments, arbors, kiosks, and signage. Unfortunately, we didn’t get around to a lot of this in 2016. There were several hindrances: an abundance of rain, an accurate survey (Continued on Page 3) Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2017

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

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.

Twin Creeks HOA Haunted Halloween This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Haunted Halloween was a huge success with around 400 people in attendance throughout the evening. We had a record number of costume competitors, over 120 children and adults!! Perhaps it was the 2 Xbox Ones donated by our HOA President that drew them in, or just the love of Halloween! We love that more and more people are getting involved in the events. Everyone had a great time watching Circus Chicken Dog and his array of animals, getting Scary Halloween photos taken, playing Zombie Laser Tag, riding the Spooky Hay Ride and being terrified in the Haunted House. I would like to thank the student volunteers that helped setup and run the haunted house. I also would like to thank our local Twin Creek residents that joined us as well for setup and tear down. The Halloween event, especially this year with the added outside events, is a very large production. We greatly appreciated our residents who helped out. We could not do these events without you!!! Events: Magic Circus Chicken Dog http://chickendog.net/ Laser Tag http://www.freedompartyrentals.com/ Photos: Party Face Photos - http://partyfacefotos.com See/print the Photobooth Photos here: http://partyfacefotos.com/gallery/twin-creeks-events/

Other Halloween Event Photos can be found here:

Thank you to our sponsors for competition prizes: Twin Creeks Country Club, Bent Oak Winery http://www.bentoakwinery. com , Delysia Chocolatier https://delysia.com/ , Learning Cycle Tutors http://www.learningcycletutors.com/ , US Memory Care http://www.usmemorycare.com/ , M&J Cleaning and Painting 5127830704 , Woof Gang Bakery http://woofgangbakery.com/ . Your Twin Creeks HOA Social Committee: Michelle Thompson, Kate Best, Kristina Heilman, Holly Clark, Sara Lee, Eva Schalles, Ana Martinez, Susan Simon, Heather Buratto

CLASSIFIED ADS 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. 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. (Continued on Page 3) 2

Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2017

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE (Twin Creeks HOA Haunted Haloween Continued from Page 2)

Communications Committee Update

Karen Calvert, Communications Committee Chairperson I will be spending a few months in the first half of next year (February - May timeframe) out of state with my son and his family as they are expecting twin boys. If there are any important communications from the TC HOA Board during this time, that information will be posted on Nextdoor. See you around the neighborhood when I get back! PASTOR, DAVE JAMERSON

(Continued from Cover) of the work for multiple bidders, and other higher priority items. However we will be ready to go with many of these items in 2017. Social Events. I wanted to thank Michelle Thompson and her team for some great events this year. I attended every one of them and found them to be outstanding. I even got to participate in judging all the great Halloween costumes – I could not believe we had over 100 entries! I wished we could have given out more great prizes because there were a lot of excellent entries (more kudos to Michelle for getting some great prizes donated). After personally participating in setting up the Haunted House, I want to say how much appreciation I have for Michelle’s team and all that they do and to tell the rest of the neighborhood that we really could use more volunteers from the neighborhood. We may need to scale back the Halloween event if we also wish to do a Christmas event. Finally, on the previous note of volunteering, I want to thank all our Board members, Committee members, and others that volunteer to make the HOA work for the residents. No one gets any compensation for what they do and yet they want to give back to the community, whether it be from a sense of duty or for enjoyment of just giving back. I do what I do out of both and have for many years in several HOAs. On a personal note, I no longer live in the community, but still give back to it. I did not intend to move out of the community and may return before my term ends, so I continue to serve at the request of the Board, because it is permitted by the CCR’s, because I have experience to offer, and because I still want to give back. However, it is likely that I will step down as President so that the role can be filled by someone who lives in the community. (Note that I continue to live in the area and do keep an eye on things, although less frequently.) As we come up on our annual meeting and Board elections, I hope more residents will consider giving back and running for a Board position. Maybe you’re the person who wants to give back for the same reasons I mentioned above. Feel free to inquire to me or Goodwin Management about any questions you may have. Let’s have a great year! Ross Burns rburns@texas.net

RENOVATE CHURCH

Join us on Sunday nights from 6:00-7:15 p.m. at the Cedar Park Recreation Center MEANINGFUL FAITH… MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS

www.RenovateChurch.com

Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2017

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE Women’s Wellness Seminar Addresses Latest Health Issues Striking Women CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY TEXAS & CRU AUSTIN HOST SECOND ANNUAL ‘LIVING FIT’ SEMINAR ON JANUARY 14, 2017 How much sleep do I really need? How does stress impact my body? What are the keys to living a longer, healthier life and how do I break life-long habits that have prevented me from getting there? These questions will be answered at Concordia University Texas and Cru Austin’s second annual women’s wellness seminar, ‘Living Fit’ on Saturday, January 14th, 2017. Internationally recognized physician, researcher and author, with Dr. Patsy Sulak, and Dr. Chris Thurman, an Austin psychologist, popular seminar speaker and best-selling author will address these important health issues. Dr. Sulak will discuss real wellness issues affecting women and Dr. Thurman will speak about the topic, ‘Why Change is So Hard’. “There’s a lot of conflicting information, especially online, about important women’s health issues,” explained Dr. Sulak. “I’m honored to speak to the women of Central Texas again to help sort out fact from fiction on many of these conditions.” The seminar was strategically planned around the new year, a time when many people create resolutions to live a healthier lifestyle. Dr. Thurman’s talk about ‘Why Change is So Hard’, will address why the habits we form can be our biggest obstacles when it comes to making important life changes. Dr. Sulak is an OB/Gyn, researcher, speaker, and medical school professor at Texas A & M College of Medicine. In addition to her busy clinical practice, teaching and research, she speaks throughout the country to businesses, organizations, schools and healthcare institutions on numerous health issues with a focus on disease prevention.

Dr. Thurman is a best-selling author of many books including The Lies We Believe, The Trusts We Must Believe, and The Lies Couples Believe. The half day seminar will take place at Concordia University Texas on Saturday, January 14th, 2017 from 8am to 12pm. Tickets are $25 before January 1, 2017 and $40 beginning January 1. To register for the seminar, click here. About Cru Austin Cru is the name of Campus Crusade for Christ in the United States. Cru is an interdenominational Christian evangelism and discipleship ministry committed to giving people everywhere the opportunity to know and experience God's love and plan for their lives. Cru offers spiritual guidance, resources and programs tailored for people from all cultures in every walk of life. For more information about Cru Austin, please visit Austincru.com About Concordia University Texas Concordia University Texas is an award-winning institution of higher education, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, delivered both onsite and online. The main campus is located in Northwest Austin, with courses additionally delivered at satellite locations in Dallas/ Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston. A privately held, accredited, liberal arts university, Concordia is under the auspices of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. It is a member of the highly respected Concordia University System in which more than 36,000 students are enrolled nationwide. For more information, please visit Concordia.edu.

TWIN CREEKS Neighborhood Watch News… Brian and Shannon Tweedt, Neighborhood Watch Co-Chairpersons HELP KEEPING TWIN CREEKS SAFE

What is a Block Captain? The key person in any Neighborhood Watch group is the Block Captain. This person is an integral component to keeping the block actively involved in crime prevention efforts as well as the important process of information exchange between neighbors. Now that we are in a new year, it’s time to circle the wagons and make sure every street is represented by a Block Captain. Do you want to keep your street safe? Do you want to know all your neighbors? Are you able to send and receive emails? If you say yes to these 3 questions, you could be your block’s next Block Captain.

Block Captains for the Following Streets Are Needed: SECTION The Gardens The Park The Reserve The Reserve The Reserve The Reserve The Reserve The Reserve

STREET #'s 2500's 2401 2412 2911-2931 3100-3310 3103-3205 2800-2807 3101-3133 All

STREET NAME Farleigh Lane Falmer Court Grand Oaks Loop Hidden Hills Ln. Shadow Canyon Dr. Sugar Maple Ct. Millstream Dr. The Condos

For more information about the program, please email tweedts@gmail.com

Thank you for helping keep Twin Creeks Safe.

BLOCK CAPTAIN POSITIONS STILL NEEDED

Thank you, Shannon & Brian Tweedt Co-Chairpersons Twin Creeks Neighborhood Watch Every Neighbor Should Report Every Crime Every Time!

We are still in need of Block Captains for a handful of streets. Please contact Twin Creeks Neighborhood Watch Chairpersons, Brian & Shannon Tweedt, at tweedts@gmail.com to discuss volunteering.

Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2017

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE

Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2017

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE

Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2017

TWIN CREEKS TRIBUNE

The Lawn & Garden Spot…

It’s winter but there are still things we can plant! Here’s what the gardening experts at www.centraltexasgardening.net and www. naturalgardeneraustin.com suggest: • Plant bareroot shrubs and roses • January is a great time to plant evergreen and deciduous trees • In late January, you can begin to planting vegetables such as kale, lettuce, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, and onion sets • Herbs can be planted in late January such as chives, cilantro, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, and thyme • Plant strawberries. • Plant ground covers. • Recycle your holiday trees. Karen Calvert, Communications Committee Chairperson

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Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2017

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Twin Creeks Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2017