Spring Trails - July 2021

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE SPRING TRAILS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION ISSUE 07

VOL 3

I’m constantly reminded how fortunate we are to live in Spring Trails. Our neighborhood bursts with beauty. Our neighbors are caring and gracious. Our volunteers devote countless hours giving back to the community. But how much do you know about the business side of Spring Trails? What keeps Spring Trails going?

Behind the scenes of Spring Trails is a lengthy list of service partners involved in the operations and maintenance of our community.

• Inframark manages the business end (resident support, accounting, compliance, collections).

• Brightview maintains our landscape, Trees by Frank our trees and Lake Pro our pond.

• Excalibur Mosquito Control, Cypress Creek Pest Control and Texas Feral Hog Control abate pests, rodents and feral hogs.

• American Pool, JBG Services and JMDE Cleaning maintain our pool and park facilities.

• Gates in Motion manages our gates and secured access areas.

And if that wasn’t enough there’s our team of professional services companies including: • Daughtry & Farine and Gregg & Gregg (legal), • O’Neal & Holmes (accounting and auditing), • Brady, Chapman and Holland (insurance), • Ian Grain (website admin), and • Peel Inc. (newsletter).

Then there’s the all-volunteer Architectural Review Committee. These five resident volunteers save the Association tens-of-thousands of dollars annually reviewing and processing applications for home and property modifications.

As you can see it takes a full compliment of services, skills and resources to operate Spring Trails Community Association the corporation.

Over the past few years, property management and the Board of Directors (also volunteers) have formed an effective and proactive team of professionals and volunteers to protect and preserve our shared assets and property values and to ensure Spring Trails remains relevant and desirable to current and prospective homeowners. But what I want everyone to know is Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

this. The single most important team, critical to the success of Spring Trails, is YOU. Without each and every one of you, Spring Trails the corporation and Spring Trails the community simply would not exist. The stability of Spring Trails the corporation relies on your investments, both in your home and in the Association. And Spring Trails the community is a reflection of your loyalty and spirit.

So thank you Spring Trails. Thank you for creating this beautifully unique place we call home. Thank you for embracing the values and visions of Spring Trails. Thank you for respecting the precious gifts Mother Nature has blessed us with. Spring Trails is truly “The Forest of Possibilities!” And the possibilities are plentiful!

LIKE AND FOLLOW US! Website: www.springtrails.com Facebook: @springtrails Table of Contents Mark Your Calendars!....................................................................3 Congratulations Graduates ...........................................................4 HOA Updates...................................................................................4 The Carnival Came to Spring Trails.............................................5 FAQ's...............................................................................................6 Spring Trails Shred Event.............................................................6 Be Informed....................................................................................6 Fire Dept Report............................................................................ 7 Coloring Page.................................................................................8 Safety Tip.......................................................................................11 How Does Your Garden Grow?...................................................11 Waste Collection Calendar...........................................................11 Spring Trails - July 2021

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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

July 2nd – 4th of July Event July 3rd – Community Clean Up Riley Fuzzel Sound Wall July 4th – Happy Independence Day July 6th – MUD 94 Board Meeting

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

July 7th – Recycle Pick Up July 9th – Heavy Trash Day July 21st - Recycle Pick Up

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

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

Newsletter Information 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.

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August 3rd – MUD 94 Board Meeting August 4th – Recycle Pick Up August 11th – Conroe ISD first day of 2021-2022 school year August 13th – Heavy Trash Day August 18th – Recycle Pick Up August 19th – HOA Board Meeting Find details for these and other upcoming activities on the Spring Trails website Calendar.

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SPRING TRAILS HOA Updates Movie Night at the Park Residents got to hang out with Max, Gidget, Snowball, Daisy, Chloe, Pops, Duke and the rest of the Secret Life of Pets 2 characters on May 29th at Cardinal Park. Spring Trails partnered with FunFlicks to bring the big screen to Cardinal Park. And after 9 consecutive days of rain it was a welcome change to spend a couple hours with family and friends outdoors. Movie Night at the Park was the first of several events planned this year. Visit the website and watch for eblasts for details of upcoming events.

Jacob Lewis

Grand Oaks High School Plans to enjoy a Gap Year

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Community Center Costello Engineering continues to finalize the architectural drawings and preparing the necessary documents for permits. Due to the dramatic increase in construction materials, release of the bid package for construction of the new community center may be delayed until the market normalizes. The Board of Directors will continue to work closely with Costello and their network of contractors to monitor the market and ensure Spring Trails is ready to act as soon as circumstances improve.

Do your part...put away the cart!

Keep your neighborhood beautiful by storing garbage and recycling carts out of public view.

See Spring Trails Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions, Article VII, Section 12. Clotheslines. Garbage Cans. Woodpiles.

Etc. All clotheslines, garbage cans, woodpiles, swimming pool pumps, filters and related equipment and other similar items shall be located or screened so as to be concealed from view of neighboring streets and property.

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SPRING TRAILS

The community kicked-off summer June 12th in true Spring Trails fashion with our annual Family Fun Day. Thanks to the efforts of Ashley & Ko Events and Awesome Events, Cardinal Park was transformed into a mini carnival, brimming with fun activities for everyone.

Adults and kids alike tested their athletic skills at the Baseball Challenge and Speed Pitch, the Football Toss and Soccer Kick. Others took a shot at Conk the Crow, the Hi Strikers and the Ring Toss. Some enjoyed a relaxing train ride around the park, but for those with a more adventurous spirit, the rock-climbing wall proved to be irresistible. And how about that fine carnival cuisine!

New to Family Fun Day was the Community Market. Unique and creative products by Spring Trails residents were on full display and offered a fun shopping experience to event-goers.

It was exciting to see so many residents enjoying the park and activities together. The smiles and laughter were contagious. Summer 2021 is off to an incredible start.

The Board of Directors would like to recognize and thank everyone involved with making Family Fun Day a huge success: Event Logistics: Ashley & Ko Events, Awesome Events, Kona Ice, HTX Photobooth Spring Trails Volunteers: Genette Wilbanks (promotion and market coordination), Mark Sudeth (music), Al and Mary Nowak (admissions), Ralph and Dolores Jones (admissions).

Market vendors: Alpana Creations, The Gem, Stone, & Jewelry Glen, Ashley James Jewelry, Mr. Tacos, Bonefide Brazil, Lidia Badau, Cub Scout Pack 1234, Graceful Wear.

Train Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

Baseball

Rock Climb Spring Trails - July 2021

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SPRING TRAILS

The Spring Trails website offers a variety of resources and information for homeowners and tenants. Of particular convenience is the Documents page. There you’ll find most if not all Association documents organized by topic and year (2013-current): HOA Board Documents – Financial records, meeting minutes and the Association’s reserve study.

Spring Trails Official Documents – By-laws, Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions, resolutions and policies.

Forms – Payment plan requests, ARC form, ARC deposit return request, gate access registration.

Architectural Review Committee – ARC form, architectural guidelines and requirements, deposit return request.

Inframark – Online payment information, welcome letter, rights and responsibilities of community homeowners and leaders.

Spring Trails Newsletters (2014-current) Maps of the community Next time you have a question, you may just find your answer on the Documents page. Check it out.

Hats off to MUD 94 and Republic Services for another popular and successful shred event. Dozens of residents were greeted with friendly smiles as they streamed through the Visitors Center parking lot May 15 to take advantage of the free and safe document shredding sponsored

by MUD 94 and Republic Services.

Events like this and the electronics recycling event in March are perfect examples of the value Spring Trails places on recycling and repurposing household waste. If you have questions about recycling or responsible disposal of household waste, contact Montgomery County Precinct 3 Recycling, Reuse and Household Chemical Waste Facility at (281) 367-7283.

Stay up-to-date on community news by registering with the Spring Trails website at www.springtrails.com. There you can review the Community’s governing documents, preview and RSVP to upcoming community events, contact property management and the Board of Directors, request amenity access, sign up for text and email announcements, read about community initiatives, and much more.

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Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

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SPRING TRAILS

Mosquitoes are out in masses and since they are capable of disease transmission, it is important that you protect yourself when spending time outside. Of course, you can wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt in light colors to reduce the number of mosquitoes that can reach your skin when outside, but this is not always the option people choose with temperatures on the rise. Another option to protect yourself is repellent.

Repellent should only be applied to clothing and exposed skin; do not apply repellent underneath clothing! If you want to apply repellent to your face, spray your hands with repellent and rub it onto your face. Do not spray repellent directly into your face or near eyes or mouth. Make sure to apply repellent outdoors.

Do not allow children to handle repellents and seek advice from a physician regarding insect repellent use for children under two years of age. Wash hands before eating, smoking, or using the restroom.

To reduce disease transmission from mosquitoes, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends using a product registered with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) containing one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-methane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone.

DEET, also known N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide or N, N-diemethylbenzamide, was developed by the U.S. Army in 1946 to protect soldiers in insect-infested areas. Pesticides containing DEET have been used by the public since 1957. Products containing DEET should not be used on children younger than 2 months of age (read the label and check with your pediatrician if you have questions). DEET has a slight odor and may have a greasy feel to some people. It may damage plastic, rubber, vinyl, or synthetic fabrics. DEET may be irritating to the eyes and skin for some people and comes in a wide variety of concentrations, so choose one that will work best for your situation.

Picaridin was first made in the 1980’s and resembles a natural compound called piperine (which is found in plants used to produce black pepper). Picaridin has been used in Europe and Australia for many years but has only been in the U.S. since 2005.

Picaridin is non-greasy and odorless.

IR-3535, or 3-[N-Butyl-N- acetyl]-aminopropionic acid, ethyl ester, was developed in the mid- 1970’s and became registered for use in the U.S. in 1999. It is registered as a biopesticide by the EPA because it is functionally identical to a naturally occurring substance (an amino acid). It may dissolve or damage plastics and may be irritating to the eyes.

Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) and PMD (para-menthane-3,8diol) are essentially the same thing; PMD is the synthesized (lab created) version of oil of lemon eucalyptus. “Pure” or “essential” oil of lemon eucalyptus is not labeled as a repellent and has not Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

undergone testing and should not be used as a repellent product.

OLE/PMD has been on the market in the U.S. since 2002. OLE/ PMD should not be used on children younger than 3 years of age.

The natural product (OLE) has known allergens within it while the synthetic version (PMD) has less of a risk to allergens. This product is classified as a biopesticide. OLE/PMD has a varying range of residual, some offering about 20 minutes of protection while other products may last up to two hours.

The product 2-undecanone is also known as methyl nonyl ketone or IBI-246. It is a colorless oil that can either be produced synthetically or extracted from plants such as rue, cloves, ginger, strawberries, or wild grown tomatoes. This product is fairly new.

Many factors play into how long a repellent will last for a person. Some of these are: • The concentration (or percent of active ingredient) of the product. You can find the percentage on the product label.

• Person’s attractiveness. Some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others (and no scientific research has proven that it is because of eating garlic, taking vitamin B, using tobacco products, etc.). A person’s genetic code plays a large part on what makes a person so attractive to mosquitoes.

• Frequency and uniformity of application. In other words, how often is the repellent applied and how good of coverage did you get?

• Activity level of the person. The more active the person is, the more sweat they produce which can cause the repellent to wash off the surface of the skin.

As a word of caution, there are products that combine sunscreen and insect repellent. The CDC recommends that if you need sunscreen and repellent, that you choose two separate products.

Sunscreen should be applied more often than repellents.

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.urbanipm.blogspot.com The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service or the Texas A&M AgriLife Research is implied.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service provides equal access in its programs, activities, education and employment, without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity.

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SPRING TRAILS

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Contributed by Roger Olsen

Let’s talk mulch! I know…you’re probably saying “what’s there to know about mulch?”. Well for one, the use of mulch (ground up plant material in this case) is vital in this part of Texas. Not only does a mulch layer allow the soil to soak up more water, it reduces the rate of water loss from the soil. Maybe you already knew that but read on.

Mulches modify the soil temperature in your garden. In summer, proper mulching keeps the soil cooler. Organic mulches enrich the soil as they decay and improve the environment for plant growth. Soils high in organic matter are easier to till and better suited to vegetable gardening.

Adding organic material makes the soil more crumbly, especially clay soils like ours that pack and crust. It also helps your soil to turn the mulch into the soil at the end of the season. A 4-inch layer of mulch on the soil surface keeps most annual weed seedlings from coming through. Weeds that do break through are removed more easily from mulched soil. Other advantages are that plant food is more available in cooler soil, and the extra soil moisture increases plant growth and yields.

Mulch tips: 1) Be careful where you or your landscaper get mulch. The guys going door to door may be convenient but aren’t likely to bring you “the good stuff” and almost as a rule I see them mulch right up to a home’s foundation without leaving a 1 foot gap between mulch and foundation thereby increasing the likelihood that termites can be introduced into your home; 2) Look for a mulch vendor that composts their mulch or is a reseller of composted mulch. This is “the good stuff”. The heat generated during composting kills seeds and weeds that may be included in pre-mulch material. Composted mulch also won’t steal as much valuable nitrogen from your garden during the decaying phase; 3) Natural, composted mulch is dark brown. For years I have used a vendor located on FM 1488 who specializes in composted mulch products. This mulch has never disappointed and remains dark brown during the summer and is especially good to till into the soil when I get ready to re-mulch in the spring; 4) Be careful with dyed mulch. The days of toxic mulch dyes are pretty much over but it decays much more slowly in your garden and uses up nitrogen. If you like to use colored mulch, give your garden plants some extra fertilizer (NOT lawn fertilizer!) designed especially for your plants.

You and they will be glad you did.

Happy gardening!

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NOTICE: Recycling Collection Schedule Change Montgomery County Municipal Utility District 94 (MUD 94) and Republic Waste Services have announced changes to the recycling collection schedule effective August 4th. Beginning with the August 4th pick up, recycling collection will occur every other Wednesday.

An updated collection calendar will be included in your water bill. Additionally, the new recycling pick up dates will be listed on the Spring Trails website Calendar and reminders will appear in the weekly eblast, This Week in Spring Trails.

Safety Tip

Kids and Cars Heat stroke happens when the body is not able to cool itself down. A child’s body heats up quickly when left in a hot car. And cars can heat up 20 degrees in just 10 minutes. Any parent can forget a sleeping child in the back seat. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these useful tips to remind us to always check the back seat: • Verify all children are out of the car and walking away before locking it.

• Avoid distracted driving, especially cell phone use.

• Be extra alert when your routine changes (taking a different route to work or making multiple stops).

• Have your child care provider or school call if your child is more than 10 minutes late.

• Put your cell phone, purse, backpack, or briefcase in the backseat as a forcing mechanism to check the back seat.

• If someone else is driving your child, always verify their safe arrival.

• Keep your car locked when it is parked to prevent children from entering and being locked inside.

• Store your car keys out of your child’s reach.

• Keep fold down seats closed to prevent your child from crawling into the trunk.

• Teach your children that cars are not safe places to play.

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Spring Trails - July 2021

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