TOWN OAKS NEWS
The Town Oaks Board meets every other month to discuss and make decisions on matters that affect our townhome community. Town Oaks homeowners who have a concern about a particular issue are given time at the beginning of the meeting to express their feelings or ask for clarification on an architectural request. We welcome homeowners to attend these meetings to give input and observe the process. The next board meeting is scheduled for Monday, September 16th at 6:00 p.m.
The Board sent out a newsletter in June but we wanted to update the information. Here’s the latest Town Oaks news.
LIGHTING: The Board received several bids and selected a vendor to replace the parking lot lights. The project will include replacing the light poles and updating the bulbs to LED fixtures which will reduce the overall electrical load. However, since most of our wiring is over 40 years old we may have to replace some (or all) of the underground wiring. We will not know the condition of the wiring until the project is underway. The new light heads will be similar to the light that is located at the south end of lot A. While we are replacing the light poles we will also cap off and bury the exposed electrical outlets in the lots. Please do not chain bicycles to any of the light poles.
LOT C PAVING: The paving of lot C is underway. Once this work is complete it will mark the end of the lot repaving project. The new blacktop is slated to last for about 25 years so most homeowners will likely not have to deal with the inconvenience of lot repaving again.
NEW FENCING: The first phase of the fence replacement project started last month. It began with the removal of the old fences. The new PostMaster posts were sunk and, a few days later, the planking was installed. There was a mix-up on the gate latches which will be corrected soon. All gate latches will be installed on the inside so that homeowners are able to grant access to their patio area. Some of the concerns from homeowners who received new patio fences are being addresses in the weeks ahead. We are looking at raising the fence planks that are too close to the ground and closing the gaps around the gates to ensure owner privacy of the patio. The board will look at the condition of the remaining patio fences to determine which lots will be next for fence replacement.
GUTTERS: There have been a number of homeowners who have called Omega (our management company) to report issues with eave troughs (gutters) and downspouts. This has been an on-going problem because our large, old trees drop twigs and leaves in the gutters which clog the downspouts and results in water going over the sides of the gutters. The Board is aware of this issue and recognizes the need to address this problem as soon as possible. To this end, the Board has reached out to a different contractor to clean out the downspouts in an effort to correct the problem until we can look at full replacement of gutters and downspouts. If you have rain water going over the sides of the gutter let Omega know so the new contractor can clear the clog in the downspout. Be aware that gutter cleaning will likely result in debris in your patio area. This is unfortunately a necessary side-effect of the gutter cleaning process.
KEEPING RODENTS AT BAY: No one wants squirrels, raccoons and opossums in their patio or garbage can area but these pests will come around if food is available. If you store bird seed or pet food outside, make sure that you store these items in a metal container with a tight-fitting lid. Most rodents can easily chew through plastic containers and will make your patio/garbage can area home if food is available.
DISPOSE OF ELECTRONICS/YARD WASTE PROPERLY: If you have items you want to discard (old televisions, couches, bags of yard waste, etc.) please do so properly. Do not place these items on the boulevards expecting others to take them. Items that are left on the boulevard detract from the appeal of the property and invite vandalism. When discarded items are not removed/taken promptly, a call must be made to our waste management company to take the items and this fee is passed along to all homeowners.
OMEGA PHONE APP: Omega now has a phone app that you can download, https://app.appnotch.com/converter/download/storetenant/21353. It allows you to quickly access vital information about your account and you can set up to receive notifications. The notifications can be used to let you know when project work is going to begin, or if the water will be turned off or when the snow plow is going to clear the parking lots in the winter.
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT: National Night Out is just around the corner. It will take place on Tuesday, August 6th. Please come out to the green space in the middle of the complex and get to know your neighbors. The Board will provide hot dogs, hamburgers, buns, fixings and plates. Bring a side dish to pass and your own (non-alcoholic) beverage. There will be children’s games and some adult games to help us get to know our neighbors. This year we will have some fun prizes for participants.
This is the second newsletter the Board has put out this summer. We hope this information has been helpful to you. If you would be interested in receiving information like this regularly, please let the Board know.
