Laurel Creek - July 2017 by Peel, Inc.

LAUREL CREEK July 2017

Official Newsletter of the Residents of Laurel Creek

Summary of HOA Board Activity

During this last year, the board has undertaken a number of community projects, and will address yet another one in the next 60 to 90 days. The most recent project, which was confronted this past week, involved structural problems with the neighborhood pond. After a test was performed, it was revealed that there were several leakages behind the rocks. The good news, however, was that there were no prominent problems with the plumbing system itself. The leaks were repaired and loose rocks were cemented into place, and a replastering of the pond followed. Since most of the pumps and equipment have been replaced within the last three years, there will be, hopefully, minimal repair bills over the next five to ten years. Fixing the leaks, additionally, should decrease the water bill. Another recent project involved the 35 dead, dying, or beetleinfested trees on Gessner. All of the trees on the east side of Gessner were trimmed, which was necessary for the health of the trees, as they had many dead or low hanging branches. Trimming them also should have made the area easier for Junction to maintain, as well as have decreased the chance of a branch falling on a vehicle or pedestrian. Earlier this year there were two sections of sidewalk in Section 5 replaced, as they posed a trip hazard. Also replaced were at least 25 pickets in Section 5. The board also had the swings in all three parks replaced. A number of years have passed since the swings were installed, and as a result, a number broken swings were reported on a regular basis. Since the replacement of the swings, the board has received no reports of broken swings, a comforting fact concerning the safety of the neighborhood children. The board also oversaw the replacement of the backboard and rim of the basketball hoop. Kindly, residents Tom Tamborella and Scott Lacy volunteered to do the work for free, restricting the repair costs to the community to just the new rim. Tom and Scott also power washed the gazebo. A more minor project was to have a sinkhole filled in the park with the gazebo, as well as to have added dirt to other areas. Copyright ÂŠ 2017 Peel, Inc.

LAUREL CREEK

Volume 4, Issue 7

A major upcoming project concerns the HOA vote at the meeting in March, which concluded to add two additional park lights to Shadow Gate, eight park lights to the green belt between Shadow Gate Park and the pond, as well as two flood lights behind the pond. Subsequently, it was voted to add an additional two lights to the Section 5 park. With the resurfacing of the pond, it is anticipated that this project will commence in the next 30 to 60 days. The lights should allow the parks to be used for longer hours during nice weather and improve visibility for residents walking after dark.

Laurel Creek - July 2017

LAUREL CREEK COMMUNITY CONTACTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ann Murphree......................................................... President Nathan Overstreet............................................ Vice President Heather Flynn Mace................................................. Secretary Greg Magness........................................................... Treasurer Valerie Phelps............................................................ Director

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

IMPORTANT NUMBERS Crest Management.................... www.crest-management.com .........................................................................281.579.0761 Association Manager Jennifer Petras...........jennifer.petras@crest-management.com Assistant Manager Victoria Schoon........Victoria.schoon@crest-managemen.com .........................................................................281.945.4623 Call Before You Dig ...................................................................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 Police Emergency..............................................................911 Constable's Office Precinct 4.............................281.376.3472 ......................... Laurel Creek has a contract for faster response Cy Fair Volunteer Dept. (Ambulance) ........................................ (Non-emergency) 713.466.6151 Harris County Alarm (Permit) ..................................................................... 713-755-4660 TOPS (Water Issues) ......................................................................281.807.9500 Poison Center ...................................................................1.800.222.1222

Tick Control in the Yard This article covers what to do about ticks in your yard. I didn't want to make it too long, so I decided to just link to sources giving information on how to treat pets or yourself/ family. Ticks are arachnids with two body regions, eight legs (except the first stage out of the egg has only six legs and is called a seed tick), and no antennae. Ticks come in a variety of sizes depending upon if they are nymphs or adult, male or female, engorged or not. Ticks require a blood meal before molting to the next stage of their development as well as adult females requiring a blood meal before laying eggs. Since ticks can feed on multiple hosts during their lifetime, including humans and other animals, they are capable of transmitting disease organisms through their bite. For more information on diseases transmitted by ticks see this link: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/index.html Ticks wait hosts by climbing up vertical surfaces such as vegetation, fences or shrubbery. When a host brushes past, ticks grab on and locate a suitable spot for feeding. To reduce ticks in your yard you can try some or all of the following: • Keep grass mowed • Clear brush, weeds, or overgrown areas • Discourage wildlife • Remove debris from the yard • Treat yard with insecticide making sure to go up surfaces as ticks will climb upwards to grab onto a passing host • Treat pets For information on how to deal with ticks on your pet(s) see this source: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_pets.html For how to avoid getting, properly inspecting for, or removing ticks from yourself or family members see this source: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html 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

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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.

Laurel Creek - July 2017

LAUREL CREEK

Fire at Shadow Gate Park

At around midnight on May 5, an unknown caller reported a fire on the play fort at Shadow Gate Park to the fire department. The fire, albeit small, almost completely consumed three boards of the play fort’s floor. The call was eventually directed to the arson unit, and later realization made it clear that this was a case of vandalism, an attempt to burn down the fort. A professional quote would most likely estimate the repair costs to be in the hundreds, and filing an insurance claim would be an option, but certainly not the most expeditious one. After approval from resident Ann Murphree, residents Tom Tamborello and Scott Lacey decided to take initiative and repair the damaged play fort themselves. Apart from the splendid craftsmanship, the total cost to the community was much lower than costs involved with alternative routes. Therefore, the HOA would like to thank the efforts of the community and those specific residents mentioned. To prevent such events from happening in the future, several ideas are currently in consideration – the Constable, who visited the site, recommended security cameras near the park to watch for possible vandals. However, the HOA respectfully reminds the community to keep a watch for suspicious behavior which may involve arson.

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.

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Laurel Creek - July 2017