National Neighbour Night Out

Tuesday October 6th at 5:30 pm, the HOA Board will be hosting National Night Out.

The festivities will take place at the walking trail on Crossing @ Log Cradle in the Eldridge Meadow section of the neighbourhood.

Festivities to include Moonwalks, hot dogs, refreshments, CYFair Volunteer Fire Department.

Please come out and meet your Neighbours!!

Letter From the President

Greetings My Fellow Residents,

This is my first communication to everyone since being elected President by your board of directors. I am very excited about many of the opportunities we have on our agenda. And, I am looking forward to meeting and talking with everyone in the next year of my term. A little information about me. I have served on the HOA board for approximately four years. I have held the positions of secretary and treasurer and hot dog cook. I am an original resident of Eldridge Meadows for ten years now. Enough about me. Your comments and feedback are valuable and much appreciated. We need your involvement in our community. First, for everyone who could not make it to our annual meetings this week. I want to give you a quick update on a few items. We had four director positions open for re-election this year. All terms are two years in length. The following were elected as directors for two years. Jennifer Broadhead,James Smith,Keith Ressler and Herlinda Zamora. I would like to welcome Keith Ressler as a new member of the board. And congratulate everyone that was elected to the board. Immediately after the annual meeting had been adjourned. The board had an executive meeting to elect officers for this year. The election results are as follows.

Brent Galloway-President
Jennifer Broadhead-Vice President
Brandon Jager-Secretary
Keith Ressler-Treasurer
James Smith-Director
Herlinda Zamora-Director
Craig Clark-Director

I want to sincerely thank everyone who did take the time to attend our meeting and contribute. We had a good turnout.And along with proxies that were collected and signed. We had more than enough for a quorum. We had our annual "door prizes" drawings. And three lucky people went home with some nice free cash in their pocket! Additionally, for those of you who did not know. We have new contract deputy's in our community. Officer John Mook as taken a promotion within the Sheriff's Department. And been assigned as a detective in the newly formed Gang Task Force. Our new A.M. Deputy is Deputy John Spanos. Some of you may have already met him? I hope in a friendly way! Deputy Spanos attended our meeting this week and addressed those in attendance. My personal takeaway from Deputy Spanos message was that he is very nice but all business. He comes from working the east side of the county for many years. And he has had tremendous experience with home burglaries and intrusions and is very,very good at tracking these crimes down and catching the bad guy's. Overall, he tells us we have a very nice community (crime wise) at this time. And he intends to keep it this way. Our P.M Deputy is Deputy Vinces. And our swing shift Deputy is xxxxxxxxxx. Please, let me say this. I want to encourage everyone to "safely" get involved with the security of our neighborhood and community. If you see something that looks suspicious. Or someone where they are not supposed to be. Please call the Sheriff's office. And if it's an ongoing issue. Please let the HOA board know as well. Perhaps we may be able to help get the right people involved to get the situation resolved. We want to maintain a safe and friendly community that everyone feels good about. We have the deputies here already. Let's use them if we need them.

As I mentioned earlier. I am very excited about our new board. And what we have on our agenda for this year. By the way. We always welcome volunteers to serve on our committees. We have a pool committee, grounds and maintenance committee,deed restriction committee. And are thinking of a couple more. If you are interested? Please come to our monthly meeting on the second Monday of every month at 7 P.M. at the pool on Brookleaf. Or send us an e-mail.

We have already received the architectural drawings for what will be our brand new pool house building and club house! Yes, I did say club house. We are moving forward as fast as we can. We also have to be absolutely sure we are doing this construction the right way. We want this to last for many,many years. And we will do this maintaining financial responsibility! We will keep everyone updated on our progress as we move forward. I encourage everyone to also check the web site to look for updates as well. Jennifer Broadhead your vice president is also our web master. And Jennifer does an outstanding job keeping up with information and communications. So, please use this valuable tool for free! We are also exploring several smaller projects such as additional playgrounds, soccer fields,etc. And improvements to the walking trail. Please let us know your thoughts and opinions.

It's hard to believe we are coming up on almost one year since we were almost destroyed from Hurricane "IKE". Our community was hit pretty hard in some places. Some worse than others. I have to tell you that I noticed a lot of neighbors helping neighbors during that time. Some you may have never talked to before? It showed me there are a lot of great people here in our neighborhood. There are still some remnants of "IKE" that need attention. Please help us all keep our property values as high as possible. And if you have items remaining that need attention. Please look into getting these item on the laundry list. We all have a stake in our community!

In closing. Let me say again that I am looking forward to working along with you and everyone on the board of directors this year! I believe we have a very nice community. And we will continue to work hard to keep it this way. But, everyone must do their part as well. We work very closely with our Management Company SCS Management. If you have direct concerns please cal them at 281-463-1777 This information along with other important phone numbers are listed here on the web site. Let's keep our fingers crossed for rain!

Sincerely,

Brent Galloway

HOA Meeting - August 2009

Monday, August 10, 2009 we held our monthly board meeting at the Pool on Brookleaf. The overall agenda of the meeting was pool renovations, the annual meeting, deed restrictions, and utilities.

Here are a few of the items that the Board approved:

1. The Board approved to refill the mulch at the park on Brookleaf. There was not enough mulch to cover the base of the playground in which not refilling could result in injury.
2. The Board approved closing the two CD accounts once they mature and move them into the general checking account to assist with pool renovation expenses.
3. The Board approved to file collection lawsuits against several homeowners for delinquent assessments in excess of two years.
4. The Board requested that the management company request pricing quotes from electricity providers to secure the lowest rate possible when the contract expires with our current provider in November 2009

We also discussed and approved the architectural drawings for the pool and approved the construction company to complete the renovations.

We also had some takeaways including preparing architectural drawings for the annual meeting to present to the homeowners, consult with the new deputies to have at least one attend the annual meeting, and collect proxies to complete the quorum to hold the annual meeting.

Voluntary Watering of Lawns & Irrigation

Some of you may remember reading on July 6th, that we had contacted the water district management company in regards to the signs posted at the entrances to the neighborhood. Contrary to what we were told regarding notices, you may have noticed that extra piece of paper in your water bill this month.

Per the MUD:

• Watering of Lawns and irrigation of landscaped areas shall be voluntarily limited to Sundays & Thursdays for customers with street addresses ending in an even number (0, 2, 4, 6 or 8), and Saturday & Wednesday for water customers with a street address ending in an odd number (1, 3, 5, 7 or 9).
• Planned usage - whenever possible, do lawn watering, irrigation and other non-essential water usage between the lighter demand hours of 10:00 pm and 8:00 am

The next phase of the plan, per the MUD, if the voluntary conservation will be the implementation of mandatory water rationing which requires policing of the system and termination of water service & fines for violations of the restrictions.

Annual Meeting

The Chimney Hill IV/Eldridge Meadows Community Association, Inc will hold its Annual Meeting for all property owners and residents, Thursday August 20, 2009 at 7pm at the Chimney Hill I Clubhouse, 13720 Smokey Trail Drive.

The meeting is to be held to present the financial report and to elect four (4) Board Members. Please be aware that in order to conduct this meeting, the Association must be represented by 10% of its eligible members entitled to vote represented, either in person or by proxy. Specific issues may be discussed at a regular Board Meeting.

You will be receiving official notice of the Annual Meeting via the mail.


If you are interested in serving on the Board, please call SCS Management at 281-463-1777.

HOA Meeting - July 2009

Monday Night, we held our monthly board meeting at the Pool on Brookleaf. The overall agenda of the meeting was the pool, the annual meeting, and deed restriction violations.

I will get right to the pool, since I know that is what everyone wants to know. The surveyors finally completed the survey and mapped up the plot. The plot map was sent to the Architect and the Board is meeting with him this week. We will be laying out the ideas we have for the pool and setting our time lines for the process, very exciting. We hope to be able to present elevations for the plans at the Annual Meeting and have a further progress update.

The Annual Meeting will be held Thursday July 20, 2009 at the Chimney Hill I Clubhouse on Smokey Trail. At the meeting we will need to re-elect or possibly elect four (4) board Members. Notifications will be sent to each home including a proxy. We hope that you will be able to attend the meeting in August. If you are interested in serving on the board, please call SCS Management at 281-463-1777 and let them know and we will put your name on the ballet.

Odd Even Watering

You may have noticed that there have been signs posted at the entrance to the neighborhood. We tried to call the Water District to get you more information, but they do not have any information available to share. At some point they may send us an e-mail about the information on the sign but will not be mailing notices to the residents. We will try to go out and read the sign today and get you the information as soon as we know anything.

Free Activities for the Kids

With the pool closed this summer, we know that residents will need some ideas in keeping the kiddo's occupied. Here are some free things to do around town:

The Museum of Fine Arts - This is museum is FREE on Thursdays
Discovery Green - Downtown; check out their website for the calendar of events (all FREE)
Houston Public Library - There are many locations and each library offer age appropriate events
Playground at Memorial City Mall - The play castle is FREE for kiddo's under 48" tall
The Holocaust Museum - This museum is always FREE
The Children's Museum of Houston - This museum is FREE on Thursdays form 5-8 pm
Barnes & Noble - There is FREE storytelling and book groups (some of the book clubs may require book purchase
Miller Outdoor Theatre - Always FREE located in Hermann Park
Lee & Joe Jaimal Skatepark - If your kiddo's love to skateboard, this is always FREE located at Elanor Tinsley Park
Bear Creek Pioneers Park - Just down Eldridge and always FREE
Nottingham Park - This park has a splash pad to help cool down and is FREE
Katherine Tyra Branch Library - This library is just off of Clay Rd @ Hwy 6 and has FREE activities for the kiddo's

If your kiddo's are a bit older, you can always sign them up for volunteer work in the area...very enriching and looks great on those college applications:

Volunteer Match

If you know of any other FREE things to do in the area, please leave us a comment with the details.

Pool Closure Update

Letters were sent out this week to all residents regarding the Pool for the 2009 Season. This is what it said:

MEMORANDUM
Date: June 15, 2009
To: Chimney Hill/Eldridge Meadow Residents
From: Chimney Hill Board of Directors

The Chimney Hill IV Board of Directors would like to update the community regarding some descisions that have been made for the 2009 pool season.

The residents of Chimney Hill/Eldridge Medow overwhelmingly voted to temporarily close the pool this year and renovate the pool buildings. A survey of the property has been completed and forwarded to the architectural firm of Construction Planning & Development in order for drawings to be completed for a new layout of the pool buildings.

On May 19, 2009, the Board had a meeting with Chimney Hill I in regards to our residents being allowed to use their pool facilities for this pool season. Due to insurance liability concerns, Chimney Hill I has declined our request to use their pool.

If you have any questions, please contact Debbie at 281-500-7102 or email dspaw@scsmgmt.com or Christina at 281-500-7107 or email clambeth@scsmgmt.com.

Resident Question

Question:My neighbors and I have been talking about the pool and have not heard anything about what is been going on. We are very concerned about not having our pool open. This summer is going to be hot, and we do not have a place to take the kids. We are also wondering why this issue wasn't mentioned last year, and why now that is time to open the pool all these problems are mentioned? We want to know if we are allowed to use the other pool? We pay our portion of the HOA dues on time and expect for pool service to be available on time. Please let us know if there is any chance that we can use the other pool ASAP. Thank you

Board Response:
Thank you for your e-mail. The pool will be closed for the 2009 season to make necessary repairs and bring the pool up to code. The pool has been a continuous topic at our Board meetings since the beginning of the pool season last year. After the Virginia Graeme Baker Act was put into law by congress and was effective in December 2008, we knew that we would have to make the upgrades to the pool. Also, after Hurricane Ike, the pool facility buildings sustained damage that we would also need to repair.

We knew that closing the pool would be a difficult choice to make, but because of the gross neglect of previous boards concerning the upkeep of the pool the amount of repairs that were necessary were overwhelming. We sent out letters to all residents and took a poll to gather the opinion of the residents regarding how to address the pool issues. The response was overwhelming to close the pool for the summer and make all the repairs to create a safe and healthy environment for the residents of our community. This was a very hard decision to make, but for the overall best interest of the community it is the right one.

We understand that it is frustrating considering that you, like the Board, pay your HOA dues, but let me remind you that the dues that you pay as a homeowner also cover other expenses that we have as a community such as the streetlights, landscaping and many other overhead costs. We had to make the decision to use the monies that we would normally pay a pool management company for the summer and use them to make the repairs. Our community does not generate enough income for us to have the pool season and make the repairs, it is one or the other.

Regarding the Chimney Hill I Community pool, their board has made the decision that due to liability concerns that they would respectfully decline our request to allow our residents to use their pool. A notice was sent by the management company on June 15, 2009 to this effect and the contents of the letter have been posted on the community website.

Our goal is to be a proactive Board and we hope that you trust us to make the decisions, no matter how difficult, to do what is best for the community as a whole and what will ensure a prosperous future for our community. The liability and risk with the pool and its facilities pose a danger to the residents of our community and it is our goal to be able to provide you, your family, and your fellow neighbours, a safe, happy, healthy facility that we can all be proud of.
The Board

HOA Meeting - June 2009

Last night we held our monthly board meeting at the Pool on Brookleaf. We were very surprised to learn that there was a small number of residents who had decided to attend the meeting to voice their concerns regarding pool closure for the summer. It was great to see some turn out and as always we are looking for volunteers for our committees.

As you may already be aware, letters were sent out a few months ago that contained an opinion poll for the community's recommendation for the pool.

Due to the large scale repairs and renovations that must occur, the Board was pleased to see an overwhelming response from the community to close the pool for the 2009 season and make all necessary repairs to create a safe environment for our homeowners.

We have contracted an architect to look at the land plot and design new bathrooms, a new pump room and possible covered picnicking area. We are very excited to see what the architecture presents to us, and will be happy to post the plans once finalized. It is our goal to have all renovations completed prior to the beginning of the 2010 season and maybe even have a grand reopening party.

We understand that the closing of the pool is an inconvenience for many families. We are currently trying to work out an arrangement with Chimney Hill I HOA to allow our residents to use their pool. We do however expect them, if they are in favor, to charge a nominal fee for pool access to assist with their expenses and liability coverage.

We will also be posting some links in another post about free things to do around Houston during the summer to help keep the kiddos busy. We thank you so much for your support and understanding. It is our goal as a proactive HOA Board to provide you and your family a safe, healthy environment that you and our neighborhood can be proud of.

Also, one of the residents in attendance had some concerns regarding a home on Brookleaf (by Firebrick). Apparently there are squatters in the abandoned home. We can tell you that we have sent letters regarding the worsening condition of the home to the title holder. As far as the squatters, if you see activity, please call the Sheriffs Department.

Pool Closing 2009 Season

Due to scheduled renovations the pool will be closed for the 2009 season. The board will be mailing communications to the community to notify you of the expected plans. Once the letter has been mailed a copy will be available on this site.

Under Construction

Please excuse our mess, the site is under construction!!

Crime Watch News

It is with great sadness along with a great sense of accomplishment that I write this column as it will be my last. After serving this community for 13 years, it is time that I move on to another phase in my career. When I first entered the patrol bureau in late 1995, the District 4 commander put me in Chimney Hill and told me to take care of the gang problem. To that end, the 25th Chapter of the Latin Kings can no longer claim this subdivision as theirs. Their former leader, Refuggio Fernandez, aka King Joker, is currently doing 19 and a half years in federal prison for participating in a continuing criminal enterprise along with over two dozen other gang members from Texas to Illinois. A second round of federal indictments from the original investigation is currently under way. That does not include the six that were deported as illegals/gang members nor the ones that are currently being charged or have been convicted in state courts.

Yes, we still have a few bangers that think this is the life, but as one is finding out now, it’s not all it’s made out to be. We had one take a gun to school and in the old days, given his lack of a criminal record, would have probably gotten probation. Right now the state is looking to give him two years in prison at the age of 17-years-old and that’s after I tried to intercede on his behalf. We are not playing with gang members anymore and it truly sucks to be one at this time. I had a lieutenant tell me several years ago that I could not stay in Chimney Hill forever. When we opened District 5 and this subdivision was put in that district, I transferred, even though I live in District 4, just to stay in the subdivision and I almost made it to retirement in this one assignment.

As you all know, we have a new sheriff and the gang issue is one that is at the top of his list, therefore, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office is starting a Gang Suppression Unit and I will be transferred to it as an investigator at the end of April. I do go out on a high note though. Last week, while walking into the District 4 substation, one of my former female gang members came running up to me and gave me one of several hugs. She stated that I had helped turn her life around, was going to college and wanted to be just like me. She showed me her tattoos that she is already enrolled to get removed at no cost and could not stop talking about how great life is now that she is no longer banging. Certainly I would like to take credit for her conversion, but I only pointed the way. As with anything, nothing can be accomplished by anyone, without them wanting to do it. It was nice that she did this in front of several other deputies though. I would like to think that I impacted more than just this one life in a good way as I know I definitely impacted many other lives in a negative way, however, that was their choice, not mine.
I have gotten to know many of you in the community on a personal basis and I will miss many of you, however, my phone number will not change and you are still free to call me at any time about anything. I will not be working the area though, so if you need a deputy, it’s still 911 in an emergency and 713-221-6000 when it’s not an emergency. Although as a nation we are currently suffering some tough economic times, I know that most of us will make it through without too much difficulty as most of you are law abiding, morally upright people that I have come to love and respect over the years. It has been my privilege to serve as your community deputy and I wish all of you much luck in the future.

-Officer Mook

Crime Watch News

Happy New Year! It is a new year; we have a new president, a new sheriff, a new district attorney and a whole bunch of new judges. Now let's see if anything changes.

Last month I went to two calls out of the subdivision involving gang members. The first was a burglary in progress in Sommerall. The call was placed by a neighbor across the street who looked out her window to see three males running in and out of her neighbor's house, wearing bandannas over their faces and carrying out her property. Thinking this was rather suspicious, she called 911. Upon our arrival, minutes later, the crooks were gone and we found the back door kicked in and the house ransacked. Fortunately our reportee got the license plate and vehicle description of the burglars. One of our intrepid deputies went hunting for the vehicle and found it with only two crooks in it. We were able to trap them in the subdivision before they could flee and recover not only the property in this burglary, but we were able to find their partners, one being a pregnant girl, and tie them in to other burglaries that had taken place recently. After I went through their personal stuff, I was able to determine that three of them were gang members, not of the same gang though, and this information was sent along with their charges to the district attorney's office where it will be used against them. Interestingly enough, of the three males involved in this, one was an adult and already out on bond for intoxication assault (he was driving drunk and ran into another vehicle causing serious bodily injury) and the other two were juveniles who should have been in school.

The other call occurred when I was going to take a report on West Road and noticed some activity on the Cy-Ridge campus. While assisting their campus security and administrators, I found three juveniles who were all gang members, but not the same one, cutting school, but not this one, along with two “blunts” (cigars that had been emptied of the tobacco and stuffed with marijuana). Another item I found was a picture of two sisters, one who was now in custody for the drugs in a drug free zone, dressed in gang colors, with their bandannas and “throwing” gang signs. This was attached to the arrest report and sent to the district attorney's office. Amazingly enough, mom showed up at the station while I was filing the charge and when I showed her the picture, she immediately exclaimed “My daughters are not a gang members, they're just playing dress up.” Whether she actually believes her daughters aren't gang members or if she mistakenly believed that was going to keep me from adding the gang information to the charge, I don't know. What I do know is that the daughter I did charge, had just gotten off probation for assault/bodily injury, when she and her gang buddies jumped another kid at school. I wanted to tell mom to get a clue, but some people just can't be shown the light.

This year has already started out with one of our school-aged members getting caught with a gun at Cy-Ridge. This managed a blurb in the news and letters were sent home with students, but essentially the kid, who's old enough to go to the big boy's jail, got out of school, went home and retrieved a gun, then went back to school (a weapons free zone) to get on a bus to take care of some problem with a rival gang member. Another student saw the gun and thinking there might be a shooting on the bus, told an administrator, who managed to notify campus security and get the problem settled in a timely manner. Now our resident has a gun charge, enhanced because it occurred on school property, and a gang member designation on the charge which will be used to hammer him. I managed to speak with him and his parents shortly after he got bonded out and amazingly enough, he's dressed in his gang colors when I show up at the house. I'm going to attempt to help get him on the right track, but it's going to be up to him. As I told the family, his friends beat the crap out of him so he could join, gave him a list of rules to live by and if he failed to abide by them, they beat the crap out of him and if he wanted out, they would beat the crap out of him. In addition, rival gang members want to beat the crap out of him or maybe even kill him and then the cops want to jack him up and throw him in jail whenever possible. Amazingly enough, his gang buddies didn't bond him out of jail nor are they paying for his lawyer, so when I posed the question of “What's the attraction of being a gang member?” there's nothing but silence.

By the way, none of the gang members mentioned belonged to the former gang that for so long populated Chimney Hill, however, it appears that we have other gang members, although less organized, that have moved in recently. It is my sworn duty to make gang members' lives as miserable as possible. If there is any problem with that, anyone who is a gang member may want to move. This also applies to other various forms of crooks, but especially gang members.

I know we are all facing a tough road ahead with the economy and all the other ills of the world, but as President Obama has stated, we all must sacrifice for the good of the country. The “me” mentality of decades past has brought us to this point and if there is no “us” mentality, things will get even worse. Many things we cannot control, however, we must not forget, “Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil.” Doug Patton, Magpul Industries

Until next month, let's watch out for each other.

-Officer Mook