Spring Trails - April 2021 by Peel, Inc.

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE SPRING TRAILS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION ISSUE 04

VOL 3

Spring Trails was buzzing with activity March 6th with resident volunteers sprucing up the “front door” to our community by picking up litter along the Riley Fuzzel sound wall. A second group of residents was busy trimming back and clearing out the pollinator garden prepping it for a new year of beautiful flowers and the next generation of butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and other pollen-loving creatures. Collectively their cleanup efforts resulted in a full truck load of trash and garden waste. It’s refreshing to see the incredible care and concern our residents demonstrate for our community. Spring Trails’ green spaces, gardens, natural forestry and landscape are second to none. And without a doubt it takes all of us to keep our community clean and green. So lend a hand. Pick up litter while walking your dogs or at the park. Report heavy trash to property management for removal. Set an example for our kids to respect nature and all it has to offer. Community clean up events are scheduled throughout the year. Check the Spring Trails Calendar on our website and watch for announcements in the newsletter and weekly eblast for upcoming opportunities.

Spring Trails - April 2021

Community Contact Information INFRAMARK (Spring Trails Property Management)....................281-870-0585 SPRING TRAILS HOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Request Manager through www.springtrails.com CEDRIC CLOUD LEANNE KESSLER ROGER OLSEN JERRY RUESCHHOFF MARK ZIMMERHANZEL ALL EMERGENCIES – 911 NON-EMERGENCY SERVICES Law Enforcement (Sheriff or Constable).. 936-760-5800 & press 3 Fire (South Montgomery Fire Department)..............281-363-3473 EMS (Montgomery County Hospital District)..........936-523-5000 SCHOOLS Sue Park Broadway Elementary.............................281-367-4677 Cox Intermediate School.......................................281-465-3200 York Junior High School.......................................832-592-8600 Oak Ridge High School........................................832-592-5300 Grand Oaks High School......................................281-939-0000 Conroe I.S.D. Administration...............................936-709-7752 MONTGOMERY COUNTY MUD 94 MUD 94/Board of Directors......................... www.mcmud94.com MUD 94 / H2O Innovations (water and sewer)......281-355-1312 MUD 94/Republic Services (trash & recycle pickup).713-726-7300 MONTGOMERY COUNTY GOVERNMENT Montgomery County............................................936-756-0571 Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack.................936-539-7817 Sheriff Rand Henderson........................................936-760-5871 Constable Ryan Gable...........................................281-364-4211

VISIT THE SPRING TRAILS WEBSITE FOR LINKS TO THESE AND OTHER COMMUNITY SERVICE PROVIDERS

April 2nd – Conroe ISD Holiday April 6th – MUD 94 Board Meeting April 7th – Recycle Pick Up April 8th – HOA Board Meeting April 9th – Heavy Trash Day April 10th – Community Clean Up

(common areas)

April 21st – Recycle Pick Up May 1st – Community Clean Up

(Riley Fuzzel sound wall)

May 4th – MUD 94 Board Meeting May 5th – Recycle Pick Up May 13th – HOA Board Meeting May 14th – Heavy Trash Day May 15th – Document Shred Event May 19th – Recycle Pick Up

Advertising Information

May 22nd – Movie in the Park

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

May 26-27 – Conroe ISD early release/no class

Newsletter Information

May 31st – Conroe ISD Holiday

Please support the advertisers that make Spring Trails newsletter possible. 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 the month prior to the issue. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

Spring Trails - April 2021

SPRING TRAILS

Frequently Asked Questions Texas PC Recycling Standby Generators

The brief but devastating freezing temperatures we endured in February brought to light the convenience and value of having a residential standby generator during a severe weather event. And many of you may be considering investing in a residential standby generator. As with most exterior household modifications and improvements, installing a generator requires a lot of planning and preparation. If you are considering having a residential standby generator installed, add architectural review (better known as the ARC request) to your planning checklist. Exhibit D of the Spring Trails Architectural Guidelines outlines the Association’s requirements for installing and maintaining a standby generator. Here are a few of those requirements: • A Standby Electric Generator must be installed and maintained by a licensed contractor and in compliance with the manufacturer's specifications and applicable governmental health, safety, electrical, and building codes; • A Standby Electric Generator and all related electrical lines and fuel lines must be maintained in good condition; • Periodic testing of a Standby Electric Generator shall occur not more than once a month, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.; • The preferred location of a Standby Electric Generator is at the side or rear plane of the residence, outside (not within) any easement applicable to the Lot, and outside (not within) the side setback lines the Lot. Once you’ve selected an appropriate standby generator and contractor, complete the Application for Home Modification and Improvement available at www.springtrails.com under Documents/Architectural Review Committee and follow the submittal instructions listed at the top of the application. And as always, if you have questions you can contact the Architectural Review Committee through the website Request Manager.

WOW look at all that stuff !

Hundreds of pieces of computer equipment, electronic and mobile devices were responsibly disposed of March 6th at the community’s first technology recycling event. A steady stream of cars arrived throughout the morning to drop off their “collections” of devices, assisted by the friendly folks from Texas PC Recycling. Many residents remarked how convenient it was and how it jump-started a Spring cleaning frenzy.

Be Positive

“ You can’t live a positive life with a negative mind.” ― Unknown

Spring Trails - April 2021

Due to the great turnout, future technology recycling events are being planned. Watch for details in upcoming newsletters and eblasts. In the meantime, if you have gadgets you no longer need and are looking for a responsible disposal option, contact Texas PC Recycling at info@TexasPCRecycling.com to arrange drop off or pick up. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

SPRING TRAILS

Insect and Animal Safety Tips

Humans aren’t the only ones enjoying the warm days of Spring. Insects, rodents, snakes and other wild animals can be encountered in any number of areas including your yard, the park, garages, storage sheds, walking trails and nature areas. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers these simple tips for avoiding unexpected encounters and injury while working, gardening and even playing outdoors. Insects, spiders and ticks • Wear long pants, socks and long-sleeved shirts to protect against stings and bites. • Use repellents that contain DEET or Picaridin. • Be aware of and avoid fire ant mounds. Severe reactions to fire ant bites can cause chest pain, nausea, loss of breath, and/ or dangerous swelling. Snakes • Avoid placing your hands underneath objects or yard debris. • Wear heavy gloves and boots at least 10” high. • Watch for snakes sunning on fallen limbs, in flower beds or along tree lines. • If you encounter a snake, step back and allow it to pass. Rodents • Wild animals spread disease whether live or dead. • Wear protective gloves when in contact with rodent waste or dead animals. • Bird feeders, more specifically bird seed, attract mice, rats and other wild animals. Keep feeders clean and sweep away fallen seed. Most important…if you are scratched or bitten by a wild animal or snake, or if you experience a severe reaction to an insect sting, do not hesitate. Seek medical attention immediately. Be aware and be safe! Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

It’s a Shred Event ! Do you have papers, magazines, tax forms or other paper products piling up or spilling out of your file cabinet? You’re in luck. Montgomery County MUD 94 and Republic Services are sponsoring a free document shred event for residents of Spring Trails. Load up that unwanted paper into boxes or bags and bring it to the Spring Trails Visitor Center parking lot, Saturday, May 15th, 9:00 am-Noon. Republic Services will take your boxes/ bags of paper, empty it into the Shred-It Truck, and return your boxes/bags to your car. Residents are asked to remain in their cars. Please no walk ups. Acceptable items: notebook paper, magazines, tax documents, newspapers, paper folders, etc. Residents are not required to remove staples, paper clips, thin metal brads, or other metal that can be easily bent with your fingers. Unacceptable Items: NO 3-ring binders or binder clips, wet paper, hard drives, CD’s, disks, video tapes/film reels, ink cartridges, batteries, electrical items, cardboard, syringes or plastics will be accepted.

Spring Trails - April 2021

SPRING TRAILS

How Does Your Garden Grow? Contributed by Roger Olsen

If your lawn has recovered from the February arctic blast, Texas A&M AgriLife advises all of us St Augustine grass owners to begin fertilizing 3 weeks after the grass turns green and when there is little chance of a late frost. Since it is now April, it should be ok to apply your chosen lawn fertilizer at the rates listed on the bag / container. You may wish to have your soil tested to determine what additional nutrients your lawn may need, if any. DIY soil test kits are available at Home Depot and Lowes. Sets typically contain multiple tests and can be used for different kinds of plants or lawns. Instructions are also included for adjusting soil acidity / alkalinity. The key to a beautiful lawn is to avoid OVER fertilizing and watering. Follow the instructions on your fertilizer bag for fertilizer frequency or better yet, check out the website below. Whenever I have questions about what kinds of veggies can be planted or when to prune roses, trees, etc., one of the resources that really helps and provides good guidance for my garden is the Montgomery County Extension Office website at https://montgomery.agrilife.org/horticulture-gardening on the Gardening and Horticulture tab. The Gardening tab features topics on Tree Watering, Selecting Fruits and Nuts, Montgomery County Shade Tree Guide, Montgomery County Vegetable Gardening Guide, Vegetable Planting Chart, Proper Pruning Techniques, Turfgrass Comparison Chart and Vegetable Varieties for Montgomery County. Do you have gardening questions? This site is for you! And as promised in February, I planted 5 Spanish Lavender plants in my garden. This variety of lavender seems to be more suited to the Houston Metro area than its cousin English Lavender. The freeze didn’t get it due to protection so I will be sharing my success / failure and lessons learned cultivating this particular plant later this year. Happy gardening! 6

Spring Trails - April 2021

Do you have a student graduating high school this year? Celebrate their achievement with a special announcement in the June Spring Trails Newsletter. Submit his/her name, high school, future plans, and/or photo, by May 10th, through the Spring Trails Request Manager, www. springtrails.com and click “Contact the HOA Board”. Enter “2021 Graduate” in the subject line and your graduate’s information in the Details field. A photo can be attached if desired.

Spring Trails - April 2021

SPRING TRAILS

Spring Trails - April 2021

SPRING TRAILS

Join The Woodlands Marlins Summer Swim Team Why the Marlins? • State-of-the-art facility: Conroe ISD Natatorium • Convenient evening practices • A focus on safety and CDC guidelines Registration is open now at TheWoodlandsMarlins.org.

Spring Trails - April 2021

SPRING TRAILS

Finally after a long and at times very cold winter, the community pool will reopen, weekends only, starting May 1. And beginning May 31, the pool will be open daily, Tuesday-Sunday. The Association will continue to follow many of the COVID policies and protocols implemented last year. Some changes have been adopted and will continue to be evaluated. • Pool hours: 8:00 am-8:00pm • The pool will be available for “swim-at-your-own-risk” (SAYOR) for two hours 8:00am-10:00am, on open days. Lifeguards will not be present during this time. • The pool will be cleared at 10:00 am while lifeguards clean the facility and check pool conditions. • The 90-minute swim intervals will continue as last year, starting at 10:00am daily. The pool will be cleared every 90 minutes to allow lifeguards time to clean the facility, check pool conditions and take their mandatory break. • Pool furniture will be available for swimmers to use and the interior restrooms will be reopened. • Face masks will not be required, but social distancing among unrelated parties will be encouraged. • Due to age and deterioration, the water fountains will be removed. Swimmers are encouraged to bring water with them to avoid dehydration. • Wristbands will again be utilized with sign ups/registration starting in April. Registration details and final preparations will be announced soon through the community website, Facebook and eblasts.

Spring Trails - April 2021

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Spring Trails - April 2021