Spring Trails - September 2021 by Peel, Inc.

THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE SPRING TRAILS COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION VOL 3

ISSUE 09 08

Spring Trails - September 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 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. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

September 1st – Recycle Pick Up September 4th – Community Clean Up (Riley Fuzzel sound wall) September 6th – Conroe ISD Holiday September 10th – Heavy Trash Day September 14th – MUD 94 Board Meeting (new date) September 15th – Recycle Pick Up September 16th – HOA Board Meeting September 18th – Fall Community Garage Sale September 29th – Recycle Pick Up October 5th – National Night Out October 5th – MUD 94 Board Meeting October 8th – Heavy Trash Day October 8th – Conroe ISD Staff Development (no students) October 11th – Conroe ISD Holiday October 13th – Recycle Pick Up October 16th – Community Clean Up October 21st – HOA Board Meeting October 27th – Recycle Pick Up October 30th – Market Day Find details for these and other upcoming activities on the Spring Trails website Calendar. Spring Trails - September 2021

SPRING TRAILS 2021 TEXAS LEGISLATION UPDATE On May 31, 2021, the Texas House and Senate passed Senate Bill 1588, amending a number of provisions of the Texas Property Code which regulates the powers and duties of property/home owners’ associations. Most of the new provisions take effect September 1, 2021. Below is a summary of some of the new provisions impacting Spring Trails covenants, conditions and restrictions, and policies and procedures: Architectural Review Committee Section 209.00505. Prohibits current board members, spouses of current board members, or persons residing in a current board member’s household from serving on the Architectural Review Committee. Requires a denial of an application for property modifications (ARC request) be in writing and include reasonable detail of the basis for the denial and proposed changes, if any, which would be required as a condition of approval. Entitles homeowners to a hearing with the Association’s Board of Directors to appeal the ARC’s decision. High Value Contracts Section 209.0052(c). Requires HOAs to solicit no fewer than 2 bids for contract services valued at $50,000 or more. Exceptions to the provision include instances when no other contractor is identified or willing to submit a bid; or specialty trades are needed. Deed Restriction Violation Hearings Section 209.007. Sets timelines for requesting and conducting hearings, requires advance disclosure of information, and outlines the hearing proceedings. Religious Displays Section 202.018. Limits restrictions on displaying or affixing religious displays on an owner’s property or dwelling. Residential Security Measures Section 202.023. Limits restrictions on residential security measures such as cameras, motion detectors or fencing. Pool Enclosures Section 202.002. Limits restrictions on screening fences around residential swimming pools. Board Meeting Notices Section 209.0051. Requires HOAs to provide 144 hours’ notice for a regular board meeting and 72 hours’ notice for a special board meeting. Some of the provisions listed above require updates to the Spring Trails’ governing documents, policies and procedures, and/or architectural guidelines. These necessary updates will be announced at upcoming HOA Board meetings, filed with the county, and made available on the Spring Trails website. Other provisions of the legislation either do not apply to Spring Trails or do not conflict with existing policy. For the complete text of SB 1588, go to https:// capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/pdf/SB01588F.pdf. 4

Spring Trails - September 2021

Nominations for the Spring Trails Board of Directors are now being accepted. This November the Association will elect 1 nominee to serve a 3-year term on the Association’s Board of Directors. Nominations can be submitted through the Spring Trails website at www.springtrails. com/nomination and will be accepted through September 30th. Not sure what to expect? You’re not alone. Community associations are unique entities, and the Board of Directors that lead them fill unique roles. Community association board members are expected to anticipate issues, solve problems, meet member expectations, protect jointly owned assets, and establish and enforce policies involving finances, contracts, management and legal responsibilities. Simply stated, community association boards: 1. represent and protect the interests of the community; 2. preserve the quality of life of residents; and 3. protect and increase property values. Join our strong community of volunteers and be part of preserving The Forest of Possibilities. Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

SPRING TRAILS Contributed by Roger Olsen Not the verbal kind but the visible kind that seems to be getting worse in our community. There’s lots of speculation concerning what could be causing the problem but typically, speculation is incorrect and root causes can rarely be fixed anyway. So let’s talk about ways to keep trash as controlled as we can. 1. Don’t load up your recyclables or trash bins to the point where the top is open to view. If you have to separate loads and wait for the next pickup. It may all be in the container the evening you take it to the street, but lots of factors can dislodge recyclables or trash, to include the mechanical act of picking up the container for emptying into the trash / recycle truck. 2. Once a week, grab a garbage bag and gloves before you go on your walk in your section or in the community. Pick up those few plastic bottles, cans, paper and other stuff you see sitting in the gutters or along the sidewalks. Making sure that stuff doesn’t make it into the storm sewers saves our streams, lakes, bays and oceans. And you’ll get some excellent stretching exercise while you’re at it! The Board and your neighbors have seen some of you out there keeping our neighborhood looking good. Please know your efforts are absolutely appreciated. We need MORE of our Spring Trails neighbors following your example. 3. Volunteer for the community sponsored clean up events. Some will be inside the community and others will be along the sound wall. You may not be totally excited about some of the trash you have to pick up but mechanical trash grippers are always used for our local events so your hands stay clean and safe. These events are a great way to teach kids, young adults and others about social responsibility and being eco-friendly. The beauty of Spring Trails is its natural environment. A major contributor to that beauty is keeping our common areas, parks and sports courts free of drink containers, paper and other trash. Keeping Spring Trails looking great is only as good as the partnership between each of us as neighbors, our landscapers, our waste management company and others entering our community. No one really WANTS to have a “personal relationship” with trash even though we all create it. The key for Spring Trails is to control trash by doing YOUR part. Next time you chat with a neighbor, your kids or others who can help, TALK TRASH. Go together to a community clean up event or just take 30 minutes to walk around your neighborhood and pick up those errant pieces of trash that have escaped being in a proper container. You’ll get a chance to know your super cool neighbors, spend important time with your kids and others, and keep our community attractive all at the same time. WIN-WIN!!! Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

The green spaces and nature areas throughout the community serve as easements, water retention and drainage, and nature conservation…not yard waste disposal. Another way to serve your community is by properly disposing of your yard waste.

Spring Trails - September 2021

SPRING TRAILS Feral hogs are known to become more active in September leading into the fall as they search for new feeding grounds. Spring Trails’ feral hog control program is very effective but there are things you can do to minimize your risk of encountering or attracting feral hogs. • Avoid walking through dense undergrowth where feral hogs may be encountered. This is especially true in the spring when mother pigs may be protective of their litters. • If you see a feral hog, do not approach. Return the way you came or detour the area. Do not corner the animal. • Keep pets confined to securely fenced areas. Walk dogs on leash and keep cats indoors. • In many cases, if feral hogs are seen from a safe distance, you may be able to wait until they have left the area of their own accord before proceeding. • Residential lawns and gardens near wooded areas and creek beds are especially attractive to hogs. Keep your yard free of litter or debris that might attract hogs. Sweep away or clean up bird seed or squirrel feed on the ground. • Grub worms are a favorite snack for feral hogs. Treating your lawn for grub worms will prevent damage from hogs and other wildlife. • Motion activated security lights and sprinklers may also act as a deterrent.

Spring Trails - September 2021

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Live from Cardinal Park… the Homebrewed Brass Ensemble Rudy, Mark, Tim, Kenny and Spring Trails' own Mike Johnson wowed the crowd August 8th, with popular tunes from the 1960s, 70s, 80 and 90s. The Homebrewed Brass Ensemble is a classically trained quintet of Houston area music educators. How fortunate we are to have such talented educators and musicians teaching our children the power and value of music.

Left to Right: Mark Wooton, Mike Johnson, Rudy Cano, Tim Bradberry, Kenny Borak

Thank you to everyone who dropped by the Visitors Center, July 17th, for the Board’s first Let's Talk session. Board members and residents enjoyed coffee donated by Starbuck (Rayford Rd.), snacks and friendly conversation covering a variety of topics. A special thanks to our guests, MUD 94 directors, Jim Spitzmiller and John Kessler for sharing their time and company with us, and Genette Wilbanks who arranged for the coffee to start the morning off right.

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.

Spring Trails Election Day is November 18th. Again this year, members will be asked to vote on propositions as well as for 1 candidate to serve on the Board of Directors. Don’t be silent…your vote counts. Vote online, vote absentee ballot, or vote in person. It’s easy and it’s important! Watch for election, voting and ballot details in the coming weeks.

Spring Trails - September 2021

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Spring Trails - September 2021