Courtyard - December 2021 by Peel, Inc.

Courtyard Caller

December 2021

Volume 17, Number 12

Board Message Thanks to all the volunteers who showed up for Park Volunteer Day in October. We were able to add another layer of Kiddie Cushion to the playscape area, and our volunteers pulled several large piles of downed limbs and debris from the wooded areas. Thank you to Park Chair Terry Edwards for making this happen! As we enter the holiday season, there are a few safety reminders for folks here in the neighborhood for the community Park and your homes. The first reminder is that the Park Gate & Boat Storage Lot code may not be given to any person who is not a Courtyard resident, including photographers, friends, or extended relatives. Although you may hire a photographer to take pictures of your family in the Park, photographers may not conduct photo sessions for any non-residents in our Park. The second reminder is to secure all vehicles parked in driveways and on the street. This is the time when, for the past several years, auto burglaries and theft have spiked in the Courtyard and surrounding neighborhoods. PLEASE, if you cannot squeeze your vehicles into your garage and are parking in the driveway or on the street, make sure you remove all valuables and lock your vehicles. If you do experience any mayhem, please report it immediately to the police AND to our Security Chair Jim Lloyd at jlloyd@austin.rr.com. Jim is able to compile information from both our License Plate Recognition cameras and from neighbor reports and front door cameras which may help in apprehending the criminals. The more reports we file with APD, the more patrols we receive. Although thefts in progress are definitely a call to 9-1-1, non-emergency reports should be routed to 3-1-1. If you have not downloaded the 3-1-1 app on your smartphone, please do so. It is a simple, quick way to report non-emergency events, and you will receive an email confirming your report. The 3-1-1 app has a GPS locator which makes it extremely helpful to pinpoint the location of the item being reported. Annual dues statements have been generated and have already arrived. All homeowners are reminded that dues are payable by January 1, and are considered late after January 31. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to MAKE SURE Goodwin Property Management has your correct mailing address for receipt of your dues statement. This year the dues are $315 per Lot. Proxies for the 2022 Annual Meeting will be arriving soon in your mailbox. Please watch for these and take care of these promptly. The 2022 Annual Meeting will be on January 30 at 6PM in the Atrium Office Building, unless a COVID resurgence necessitates a virtual meeting. Enjoy the cooler temperatures and DRIVE SLOWLY in the Courtyard! Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

Weather permitting and Santa Claus is not too tired...

watchout for him to drive the neighborhood in his Red Rolls Royce between 10:00 and 11:00 am Christmas morning. Courtyard Caller - December 2021

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - December 2021

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - December 2021

Courtyard Caller At no time will any source be allowed to use The Courtyard Caller Newsletter 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 The Courtyard Caller Newsletter is exclusively for the private use of 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.

CHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Denise Hogan.......denise.1.hogan@gmail.com, 214.403.4454 Vice President Konavis Smith........................................... konavis@gmail.com Treasurer Jim Lloyd.........................jlloyd@austin.rr.com, 512.231.0855 Secretary Waneen Spirduso......................................spirduso@utexas.edu BOARD MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Janet Wright ........................ ..............mightywrights@me.com ..........................................................................469-387-5632 Meredith Massey-Kloetzer......................meremass@gmail.com Henry Mistrot....................................................512.459.7313 COMMITTEES Environmental Control (ECC) Diana Apgar ................................ ..............fd1966fd@aol.com Community Park Terry Edwards......t.edwards54321@gmail.com, 214.392.4627 Welcome Erik Maye ......................erikmaye@gmail.com, 512.626.2404 Social & Decorating Joany Price....................joanyprice@gmail.com, 512.775.8942 Landscape & Decorating Ed Ueckert.........................................................512.345.6137 Security Jim Lloyd.........................jlloyd@austin.rr.com, 512.231.0855 Communications, Editor – Courtyard Caller Jen Harold.......... harold.jennifer@gmail.com, 281.773.2880 Compliance Denise Hogan................................denise.1.hogan@gmail.com Kayak Jim Vence .......................jimvence@gmail.com, 512.436.5678 Fire Safety Richard Stelzner................................... arebeess42@gmail.com Area Development and Zoning Liaison Denise Hogan....... denise.1.hogan@gmail.com, 214.403.4454

SUB-HOA CONTACTS Center Court: Amanda Gilliland... mandagilliland@gmail.com, 512-927-7118 Travis County Courtyard (aka "Backcourt") Terry Edwards .............................. t.edwards54321@gmail.com Villas at Courtyard: Thomas Hoy..........Thomas.Hoy@freescale.com, 512.231.1270 Wolf Court: Susanne Doell.................... Drdoell@gmail.com, 512.454.3400 4

Courtyard Caller - December 2021

Courtyard Caller Fire Safety Committee

Courtyard Book Club Tuesday, January 4, 2022 “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” is a multi-layered work of narrative nonfiction set in the 1920s in the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. Suspense, murder, and history are just a few of the attractions of David Grann’s heralded book. The Courtyard Book Club will review it at its first meeting of 2022, Jan. 4, at 1 p.m. Members of the Osage Nation were the wealthiest people per capita in the world after oil was discovered beneath their land. Then, some began to be killed, many dying under mysterious circumstances. Some of those who investigated the crimes were also murdered. Enter the newly-created FBI and its young director, J. Edgar Hoover, and a Texas Ranger-led investigative team. Their efforts helped expose what has been called “one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.” Grann’s Flower Moon was named a New York Times Notable Book and was favorably reviewed by publications throughout the country. The Courtyard Book Club meets at the home of its chair, Lou Blemaster, 5612 N. Scout Island Circle, at 1 p.m., the first Tuesday of each month. To receive book club emails with more detail, contact Lou at LouBlemaster@gmail.com. If you have friends outside the Courtyard who would like to participate in the book club, bring them along. Even those who haven’t read the monthly book are welcomed to join your neighbors for some interesting discussion. 2022 Courtyard Book Club Picks January – Killers of the Flower Moon/David Grann February – The Sun Also Rises/Ernest Hemingway March – One Summer America, 1927/Bill Bryson April – We Begin at the End/Chris Whitaker May – Just Mercy/Bryan Stevenson June – The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek/Kim Michele Richardson July – Guns, Germs and Steel/Jared Diamond August – Ordinary Grace/William Kent Krueger September – Caste/Isabel Wilkerson October – Interior Chinatown/Charles Wu November – Girl with the Louding Voice/Abi Dare December – 2022 Holiday Party Copyright © 2021 Peel, Inc.

As you’ve no doubt noticed the Fire Safety Committee focuses mainly on wildfire threats during the year and encourages activities and actions to decrease the threats. Now that the temperatures cool and we all huddle together, mostly indoors, to continue the year-end holiday celebrations that began with Thanksgiving, we do have to keep in mind that fire safety awareness shouldn’t end when wildfire season recedes. The fire components of Fuel, Heat and Oxygen apply indoors as well as outdoors. Warming, cooking and decorating when carelessly done can lure fire to take advantage of the components. However, there are reasonable and effective steps and actions worth repeating that can keep us safe and make the holidays joyful and satisfying. Cook with Care: • If you are sleepy or have consumed alcohol don’t use the stove or stovetop. Ask for help, maybe they’ll even help wash the dishes! • Stay in the kitchen while you are frying, boiling, grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove or ask someone to monitor. • If you are simmering, baking, or roasting food, check it regularly and remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind you that you are cooking. • Keep anything that can catch fire: oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels or curtains away from your stovetop. • If you have a small cooking fire on the stovetop, smother the flames by sliding a lid over the pan and turning off the burner. Leave the pan covered until it is completely cooled. • For an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed. • Have a fire extinguisher near the kitchen! • Holiday decorating • Be careful with holiday decorations. Choose decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant. • Keep lit candles away from decorations and other things that can burn. • Replace any string of lights with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Read • manufacturer’s instructions for number of light strands to connect. • Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so the cords do not get damaged. • If you have a live cut tree for decoration, keep the base watered to avoid drying out and after the holidays move it outside away from the house. • Holiday Entertaining • Test your smoke alarms and tell guests about your home fire escape plan. • Make a Home Fire Escape Plan! • Keep children and pets away from lit candles, fireplaces and stoves. • Put out candles and fireplaces and shut off stoves before leaving the house or going to bed. • Keep matches and lighters up high in a locked cabinet away from tiny curious fingers. • Ask smokers to smoke outside. Make sure cigarettes, cigars and pipe ashes are out before discarding. • If you have any doubt about fighting a small fire... • Just get out! When you leave, close the door behind you to help contain the fire. • Call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number from outside the home. And now, by all means have a happy and safe holiday celebration. Richard Stelzner arebeess42@gmail.com (908) 419-5434 Courtyard Caller - December 2021

Courtyard Caller Many Thanks to the participants at Park Volunteer Day!!!

A park volunteer day was held in the Courtyard Park on Saturday, October 23rd. If you enjoy the playground and trails of the park, please consider attending the next volunteer day. We have two volunteer days each year: the Saturday prior to Easter weekend in the Spring and the Saturday of the UT Football bye week in the fall. Volunteers spread 18 cubic yards of Kiddie Cushion inside the playscape, and cleaned debris from the trails and forest areas. We are so grateful to those of you who generously give your time to make the park more enjoyable for us all! A special thanks to the following volunteers for their involvement in this project: Denise Hogan, Jonathon Babiak, Richard Stelzner, Waneen Spirduso, Charles Crooks, Konavis Smith, Janet & Arthur Wright, Travis Tegland, Jim Vence, Aaron Parola, Luis & Marre Suarez, Jay Zarnikau, Dave Scholes, John Darmanin, and Tom Richardson.

Courtyard Caller - December 2021

Compliance Corner With all of the changes in ownership and the new developments happening around us, it’s more important than ever to keep our properties in their best shape and to follow the rules that keep our neighborhood the beautiful jewel that it has always been. Here are some timely reminders: 1. Trim all tree limbs, branches, or bushes that are touching your eaves, roof, or house. This prevents unnecessary wear and tear to your house, keeps animals off the roof and out of the attic, and most importantly, helps prevent the spread of wildfire. Starting February 1, oak trees may not be trimmed due to the risk of oak wilt. 2. Trim back all branches or bushes that are encroaching the sidewalks or the street. 3. Remove ball moss infestations from tree limbs before it gets out of hand. 4. Bag all leaves and place on the bags on the curb NO MORE THAN 24 hours before pickup on Friday. 5. Yard signs must be removed, per our Declaration, Article XIII, section 18. 6. There have been some incidents of trash carts and litter on the ground remaining near the curb, on driveways, or otherwise visible from the street well after our Friday trash collection. Neighbors, stow your trash bins out of sight by dusk on Friday and pick up any debris immediately. 7. ECC approval is required for ANY outdoor projects on ANY Lot, including doors, windows, and sidewalks. 8. Some Lots are in need of maintenance, including regular edge trimming around the sidewalks, bushes trimming, and general repair and upkeep – please take a critical look at your home and Lot and make sure to get any maintenance completed now. Expect a call, an email, or a letter from our Compliance Committee if your Lot needs care or you are not in compliance with our Declaration and/or Rules.

Courtyard Caller

Courtyard Caller - December 2021

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Courtyard Caller - December 2021