FALL/WINTER News and Reminders. Covenant Enforcement. Just a reminder: The Fianna covenants prohibit

Transcription

1 Reminder: 2011 Dues must be paid by January 31. RENEW TODAY!!! Contents: Pg. 2 - Letter from FPOA President Pg. 3 - Fianna Hills Garden Club Pg. 4 - Missing Pet Hotline Pg. 5 - New Board Members Pg. 7 - Bradford & Udouj Pg. 8 - Questions & Answers Pg Survey Pg Cook School Calendar Covenant Enforcement News and Reminders During the past year your FPOA has corrected many covenant violations and are in the process of working to correct others. We ask for your help in not only reporting violations, but encouraging your neighbors to comply with these covenants in order to keep our neighborhood beautiful. A couple of years ago the board decided to begin focusing on small target areas to correct violations in an effort to help correct violations in a consistent manner. We first targeted the Roxbury & Ramsgate area in the fall of 2009 and then in the spring of 2010 we targeted the Glen Flora and Bryn Mawr area correcting many trailer and boat parking violations. We have made progress in all of these areas although we do not have 100% compliance as yet, we will continue to follow up on these. Our target area for the spring of 2011 is the Edinburg, Londonderry, Erin Oaks and South 30th areas north of Brooken Hill. We did a preliminary inspection last month and found 38 violations in this area. If you live in this area we will be sending our a notice soon with a list of all violations found and ask that if you have a violation to correct it and if you neighbor has one for you to explain to them why they should comply. We will then re-inspect in March and begin to actively seek compliance from any that have not already corrected the violations at that time. Please remember, no one is picking on you if you receive a notice, the covenants apply to EVERYONE who lives in Fianna! Thank you to those who comply when asked! Thanks to your generous donations to the landscaping fund in 2010, your FPOA has been able to expand the landscaping around the main entrance sign and provide mums and pansies for fall and winter color. We also have just ordered 16 trees for the south end of the median on Jenny Lind that will be planted this winter by the City of Fort Smith Parks Department. We are working to find someone to remove the old damaged pine trees from that area of the median before the new ones are planted. If you know of anyone that would like to remove these at little or no cost to the FPOA please contact us. Just a reminder: The Fianna covenants prohibit display of any sign other than one advertising the property for sale. The FPOA does not enforce this covenant in relation to political signs during political election times, however please be courteous to your neighbors and limit the number and size of political signs. We have received several complaints recently about other signs such as the school, church, sports and advertising signs being placed in yards for extended periods of time. The FPOA has always been lenient regarding enforcement of the sign covenant for school and church related signs but it is also our duty to act on any complaint received regarding any covenant violation. However we would ask that everyone refrain from placing school or church activity related signs in your yard for more than 5 days and remember no advertising signs are allowed other than contractor signs during the time a job is actually underway. For example, a roofer may put their sign in the yard while they are working but must remove it after the job is complete. Thank you for your assistance in this matter to help keep our community beautiful and not proliferated with signs. Finally, the FPOA will not remove any sign placed on private property without giving written notice to the property owner first. No signs are permitted anywhere in the Jenny Lind median. FALL/WINTER 2010 Fall/Winter Page

2 FROM YOUR FPOA PRESIDENT Friends and Neighbors, It seems like each year flies by faster than the last! Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us once again and the end of the year brings with it the end of a term for four FPOA board members. The nominating committee will be discussing the re-nomination of these members for a new term between now and the January 20, 2011 Annual Meeting and we welcome nominations from all members of the Fianna POA. If you or someone you know would be an asset to our neighborhood, please contact us before January 15, We are trying to finish up the ballot counting for the renewal and changes in Fianna Heights and all changes, including making dues mandatory. As of print time, the YES votes are leading, but we still need 6 more votes returned before we can certify the vote. If you live in Fianna Heights, please return your ballot immediately. As I mentioned before, this is the first phase in making dues mandatory in all of Fianna. Fact is $35 per year is a small price to pay for the property value protection the FPOA provides to all homeowners in Fianna not to mention all the great things we can do as the income from dues increases. We currently are supporting one covenant violation scheduled to go to court and have several more lawsuits that may be filed in coming months if the property owners do not adhere to the covenants being violated. We are also looking to add some decorative street lighting in the Jenny Lind median and will begin a long term capital improvement campaign to begin replacing the old wooden pole street lights with decorative lights! With the current revenue stream this will take 20+ years to replace all existing lights, however with 80% paid memberships we could complete this in only 2 years. Yes mandatory dues can make a difference in what we can do for ALL of Fianna! Mandatory dues can and will be enforced at which time they are approved and this will benefit every Fianna resident! In the back of this edition of your newsletter, you will find the 2010 FPOA survey. This is a follow up to the survey we published in 2008 asking you to prioritize different projects that the board was discussing and to give us some guidance as to the direction you wanted your POA to be headed. We have used that survey as a basis for what we have done in the past two years and now we ask that you fill out this new survey and let us know how we are doing in the areas that were chosen. You will also find on page 11 a chart showing the 10 items on the 2008 survey and how you rated those items. We have chosen not to publish a membership directory by a unanimous board vote, but we are looking into an online directory. Please take the time to answer this survey and return it with your 2011 membership dues before the end of January Look for results of this survey to be published in next summer s newsletter. Thanks to the increased 2010 membership and the extra landscaping donations from many members and with the help of the Fort Smith Parks Dept. we will be planting new trees in the Jenny Lind median between Heather Oaks street cut and the south end of the median. This is the second part of a median enhancement project that we hope to soon have a solid stand of trees through the entire median and eventually decorative lighting installed. Finally, our first two neighborhood garage sale days were a HUGE success! We received many compliments from many neighbors. We would ask that you not have garage sales on any day other than the FPOA garage sale days. We will have two designated sale days next year again, one in May and one in October. This is in compliance with city ordinance that states a resident can only have one garage sale every 6 months and don't forget you are required to have a permit for your garage sale which is available at your nearest fire station. Mike Lorenz FPOA President Fall/Winter Page 2

3 Fianna Hills Garden Club, What is it? We are a group of men, women and junior gardeners who gather together to enjoy friendship, fellowship and the love of gardening. We meet monthly from September through May on the 3rd Friday of each month. Our meeting are very informative to educating us on what to grow in this area, learning about wildflowers and sharing gardening tips among members. The group meets each month with speakers providing educational and entertaining programs as well as occasional road trips to other areas for fun, learning and inspiration. We support the Nature Conservancy, Habitat for Humanity and Heifer International and are members of the Arkansas Federation of Garden Clubs, Northwest District Garden Club and the Greater Fort Smith Council of Garden Clubs. We also participate in the Greater Fort Smith Lawn and Garden show and are in charge of the yearly Flower Show. Since its inception in 1979, founded by Mrs. Sheila Croxton, the Fianna Hills Garden Club has been involved in many projects within our community. Our annual projects include a Spring Begonia Sale, Fianna Hills Yard of the Month and our Christmas Lighting Contest. We also have an educational display at the Miller Branch Library on 28th street which is changed monthly and covers everything from planting spring bulbs to what plants attract butterflies and bees. We also sponsor the Cook School Junior Gardners in conjunction with the Cook School Butterfly Garden and Pavilion. This year, our 30th Anniversary year, the Fianna Hills Garden Club won an national level award for our work with the Cook School Gardens. For more information or to join the Fianna Hills Garden Club please contact the club president, Linda Bucher at Winter Garden Tips From Your Fianna Hills Garden Club Remember to fertilize your Pansy s every 2 months during the winter with pansy fertilizer to keep them blooming. Be sure to dead head them to keep them from getting to leggy. Now is the time to plant bulbs for extra color in the spring. Dig a large deep hole about 12 inches deep and place your spring bulbs in the bottom of the hole and top with some soil to about 6 inches and then you can plant your pansies on top of your spring bulbs. When spring arrives you will have a wonderful display of spring flowers. Also, now is a good time to protect your roses and young plants by putting leaves around the base of these plants to protect from a cold winter blast and don't forget to have your sprinkler system winterized to protect it from freezing and damage over the winter. 1 can of lemon- Do-it-yourself floral preservative that works wonderful for most flowers: lime soda, 3 cans of water, 1/4 tsp. bleach Fall/Winter Page 3

4 MISSING PET HOTLINE: Arkansas Christian Counseling Dr. Tom MacMahon, L.A.C., MA, DMin, MDiv, BSC Relationship in trouble? Stressed? Depressed? Don t put off getting help! I can help you get your life back on track Fort Smith Central Mall, Suite ANNUAL FPOA MEMBERSHIP MEETING JANUARY 20, 2011 All Fianna residents are encouraged to attend this annual meeting held at Fianna Hills Country Club. Drinks and excellent snacks will be provided and we will have guest speakers including Fort Smith Fire and Police Department and others. We will also elect our 2011 board members and have 4 director positions up for election this year. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the FPOA board of directors please contact us prior to January 15, 2011 at either or mike@fiannapoa.org. Be sure to check the website fiannapoa.org for more information regarding your POA, the annual meeting and the guest speakers! Fall/Winter Page 4

5 Don L. Wright, Agent 3600 Old Greenwood Road Fort Smith, AR Phone Fax Don Wright Insurance Agency, Inc Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois New Board Member Salvatore F. Salamone: Salvatore has lived in Fianna Hills for 4 years with his wife Marcie, daughter Alexandra and mother-in-law Fern. The Salamone s are transplants from the northeast via Tampa, Florida. Salvatore really enjoys living in Fort Smith and look forward to helping fellow board members continue making Fianna Hills a great neighborhood to live in. Director Salamone was appointed to the position vacated by long-time board member Terri Settle who resigned in October to pursue other nonprofit activities. Best of luck to Director Settle with her future endeavors, you will be missed! Fall/Winter Page 5

6 Fall/Winter Page 6

7 Bobbie Miller Ronnie Udouj Tom Cannava Margaret Cannava John Hagen Julie Hagen Principal Broker Executive Broker Jeanette Jones Fred Patterson Jim Simmons As the developer of Fianna Hills, we know the area. Call the name you can trust. Brenda Harvel Rachel Brown Sue Shields Bradford & Udouj will promote your property. We advertise more than our competitors. Check out our huge Sunday ad in the Southwest Times. Among advertising in all the real estate magazine, we advertise on the Realtor.com, Loopnet.com, BradfordUdouj.com, & provide curb side flyers. Public Open Houses and Realtor Open houses are also a plus when you list with us. We do more than just stick a sign in your yard! Brinda Garrett Ashley Boyd 2605 Market Trace Hollie Byers Lisa Mundai Tanya Roberson Connie Ellis Dan Howell Amanda Tincher Jim Grady Ellie Glidewell Nick Glidewell Ashley Ahlert Jim Morocco Fall/Winter Page 7

8 BEAUTIFUL HAIR CALL FOR APPOINTMENT TODAY! BEAUTIFUL NAILS CLASSY ATTITUDES Missy Littleton Cosmetologist Anita Johnson Nail Tech Becky Bugh Massage Therapist Lisa Conyers-Cosmetologist 6206 South 31st St. Fort Smith, AR Questions & Answers Question: I am adding a utility shed in my back yard. How do I get approval to do this? Answer: You will need to get a site plan, even if hand drawn and show all structures and property lines along with measurements and a detailed description of the planned building. Take this information to the Bradford & Udouj office on Market Trace for ACC review and approval. The ACC meets every Wednesday as an on call committee. Plans submitted by noon Monday will be reviewed the same Wednesday. You will then need to obtain a building permit from the City of Fort Smith. Question: How long can I keep my boat or RV in the driveway when its being used? Answer: The covenants for all Fianna lots are very specific in that they allow residents to keep their trailer, RV, or boat in their driveway for 48 hours to make repairs or load and unload from trips. Fianna covenants strictly prohibit parking ANY vehicle in the grass or on any unimproved surface for any reason. FEATURING 18 Hole Golf Course 4 Tennis Courts Newly Remodeled Fitness Room Junior Olympic Swimming Pool Fort Smith s Finest Dining Come join the Club! Contact Gary at (479) Question: Can I replace my old fence with a new one of a different style? Answer: Just as with other exterior modifications to any Fianna home, you must obtain ACC approval to do anything other than replace a fence with the exact fence in the exact location. Also its important to remember that all fences must have the framework towards the inside of the yard and chain link is strictly prohibited in any form, either permanent or temporary. Chain link dog pens are prohibited. Fall/Winter Page 8

9 Fall/Winter Page 9

10 WINTER 2010 FPOA SURVEY In the summer of 2008 your FPOA Board of Directors sent out a survey to get feedback on potential projects and help set a direction and goals for the POA. After two years of working on those items we would like your feedback as to how we have done! Please rate your FPOA on the following items. (1=very poor, 3=needs improvement, 5=excellent) Jenny Lind Entrance Covenant Enforcement Neighborhood Watch Patrols Neighborhood Garage Sale Fianna Newsletter Website - FiannaPOA.org Would you support mandatory dues in order to fund capital improvements and neighborhood enhancements such as decorative lighting, a neighborhood park and others? Yes No Would you like to see decorative lighting installed in the median as well as replacing existing streetlights? Yes No Don t care Suggestion for projects not listed How long have you lived in Fianna? 0-4 years 5-9 years years 20+ years What is your age? Under Other comments or suggestions: Below is a chart reflecting the 10 items we asked you to rate in order of importance on that 2008 survey. As you can see, covenant enforcement was the #1 most important issue by a large amount and we have aggressively enforced the covenants in the past two years and will continue to do so in the future. This has involved numerous letters sent to homeowners with violations from the POA and from our attorney as well. We have come very close to filing 4 lawsuits and were forced to file one in August which we are awaiting a court date and outcome. Remember, we all want our neighbors to abide by the covenants and we will enforce them fairly and equally so do your part and be sure to know your covenants and follow them! PLEASE RETURN YOUR SURVEY TODAY!!! MAIL TO: PO BOX OR DROP OFF AT BRADFORD & UDOUJ REALTORS, OR ANSWERS TO 2011SURVEY@FIANNAPOA.ORG THANK YOU! Protective Covenant Enforcement Jenny Lind Median Improvements Security Patrol Service Neighborhood Directory Decorative Streetlights Neighborhood Playground Better Fianna Signage Neighborhood Festival Christmas Light Contest Fall/Winter Page 10

11 COOK SCHOOL CALENDAR December 14, 15, 16 - Santa Shop December CHRISTMAS BREAK January 3 - Classes Resume January 5 - PTA Meeting 2pm January 17 - No School January 20 - Skate Night 6-8PM January 25 - Moms and Muffins 7-8am February Penny Drive February 2 - PTA meeting 2pm February 14 - Valentine s Day Party 2pm February 17- Skate Night 6-8pm February 21 - No School March 2 - PTA Meeting 2pm March 10 - Chick-fil-A Night 4-8pm March Parent/Teacher Conferences March Spring Break Fall/Winter Page 11

12 Presorted-Standard U.S. Postage Paid Fort Smith, AR Permit No. 704 P.O. Box Fort Smith, AR Fall/Winter Page 12