Are You Ready? Come to CHOA Disaster Preparedness Meeting

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DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

THURSDAY March 30, 2017

4:00 PM

POOL HOUSE C

LAFAYETTE WAY

 

Are you a new resident to CHOA in the past 12 months?

 

OR

 

Have you been unable to attend the

meetings for our residents about the specific protections and procedures established by your preparedness team?

 OR

Are you interested in helping out at the neighborhood level in the event of a disaster?

We focus on EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS and provide the information you need to be self sufficient for the time period first responders WILL NOT be able to reach us.

  

CONTACT Eric Hoem, CHOA Disaster Preparedness Coordinator

 erichoem@comcast.net.

Busy Squirrels

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Have you noticed how busy the squirrels are?

Ground-dwelling squirrels are busy creatures. During the four to five months of spring and summer, they are feverishly raising a family of four to 14 kits, while at the same time trying to put on layers of fat. They will need that fat to get them through the next eight months of true hibernation where body temperature, heart rate and breathing all drop significantly.

The good news, like beavers, ground squirrels  are ecosystem engineers. As squirrels create extensive tunnels underground, they move and aerate tons of soil. This in turn improves water infiltration, reduces soil compaction, improves soil fertility and increases plant production. Their digging also brings buried seeds to the surface, improving plant diversity.  So looks like they could be good for our course

PREVENTING AND ADDRESSING CONFLICTS

Here are a few suggestions that make living with squirrels easier.

  • Per previous articles on this site – Don’t Feed Squirrels

Squirrels that are fed by humans can lose their fear of people and become aggressive when they don’t get food as expected.  Many of you might remember the squirrel down by the putting green who was very aggressive with trying to find food in golf bags

  • Remove bird feeders if squirrels are a problem. (Remember to use the right bird seed if you have a bird feeder)
  • Eliminate Access to Buildings

Squirrels without young can be encouraged to leave attic spaces by introducing light and noise, such as a radio. Human presence is often enough to cause the squirrel to leave.

There is a rumor in Charbonneau that a fire was caused by a squirrel getting into an attic and chewing through wiring.  This is just a rumor, but we still need to do our part in  home protection, so that there are no easy openings for squirrels to access

  • Repair or replace loose or rotting siding, boards and shingles.
  • Close openings to buildings with heavy 1/4 to 1/2 inch wire mesh.
  • Cover the dryer vent with a commercial vent screen designed to exclude animals without clogging lint.
  • Install approved roof-vent caps that are designed to exclude squirrels.
  • Trim limbs and trees to 6 to 8 feet away from buildings to prevent squirrels from jumping onto roofs.
  • Remove vines or other plants that provide a squirrel a way to climb structures.

 

It’s fun to watch the wild life in our neighborhood, but remember they are wild and designed to find their own food, so please enjoy them but don’t feed them and protect your home.

  • Disclaimer: I used the joke of a squirrel asking for food to get your attention, but it was just that, a joke not an endorsement to feed them

Happy Spring

 

 

January Board Meeting canceled

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January 11 2017 Board Meeting was canceled because of snow.

Next meeting

February 8th at 10:00 AM – Rec Hall C on Lafeyette St

Check your insurance = Make sure you are appropriately covered

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Back in October of 2016 a post was sent to warn all homeowners of the danger of burst pipes and the precaution of shutting off your water when you are not in residence.

With the recent cold spells, we did have a house where the water pipes burst.  Unfortunately for the home owner, they had not obtained the correct dual homeowner insurance coverage.

Your HOA has a policy (Condominium/Association Policy) for all of our homeowners as part of the requirement to live in an HOA.   This coverage is through State Farm and covers your home and garage structures, but not your personal property.  The State Farm policy has a deductible of “In case of loss for All Peril of $10,000.  Water damage would come under “All Peril”

All homeowners should purchase a separate policy covering contents and other items not physically attached to the structure.  Please check with your insurance agent to make sure that you are appropriately covered, and that your Separate policy will cover what is not covered by the Association policy. Specifically, consider a rider to your contents coverage for structural damage up to $10,000 that will cover your deductible on the CHOA insurance policy.

Help with your New Year’s resolutions? – Exercise classes at Rec Hall C

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Rec Hall C on Lafyette has 2 exercise classes available – all CHOA residents welcome:

Class taught by Jules Moody (Contact Jules Moody jules.moody@comcast.net)

When:

Mondays: 10:30-11:30 Body sculpt/ball/weights

Fridays: 10:30-11:30 pilates sculpt

 Bring Mat, water, towel

Jan 2-March 24th  12 weeks (minus week of feb 20th ill be out of town) so 11 weeks!

Cost: 1st Class free as trial,

$130 for twice a week

$75 for once a week

CO-Op Class – DVD’s and big screen TV Instructor (Contact Jan Landis 503-550-7264 or Janl4479@gmail.com)

Using the TV and DVD player, we will use an assortment of Workouts and follow along together.

Mondays: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Wednesdays:  7:00 pm – 8:00 pm

 Bring Mat, water, towel

Cost: Free

New Pruning Program

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Per homeowner requests, A new Pruning Program is going to be implemented this next year, which will change the schedule and amount of pruning done.

Details:

  • All window-viewing areas and overgrown plants will be cleaned up.
  • Fertilization will be changed so that plants will be green and nice looking, but not growing out too much.
  • Because this is a new program some of your plants will possibly look bad for a while until they grow new foliage
    • If you don’t wish to be part of this pruning, you have the option of being on a No Prune list and that means you will need to do your own pruning and haul it away.
    • Every one will be pruned alike. If the home owner wants one shrub pruned or not too much off another shrub and so on PLEASE CONTACT STEVE CHINN (503-682-0234) not the Garon’s Grounds employee.
  • Specific concerns can be brought to the attention of Steve, who will work with Ralph  Martin to seek the best course of action.

More Safety Alerts – Country Club warning and reminder to stay safe on the streets

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On December 22nd I sent out an announcement of recent robberies in our neighborhood.  Below are two more Safety Concerns:    Please see two articles below:

 

From the Country Club:

(Hopefully you all received this announcement from Kim at the country club.  We are asking all of our residents to be aware and to report suspicious activity).

Charbonneau Residents:

The CCC office has received numerous reports of a woman knocking on doors asking for a ride to get medicine or for cash to pay for medicine. Some residents report she has a child with her.

For your safety, please do not give her a ride and CCC suggests not giving her money. Although she is not committing a crime by asking for help, residents should call the police non-emergency number (503-655-8211) immediately if the child seems distressed or is not clothed properly, or the woman refuses to leave your property.

The woman is a guest of a tenant at Haven Apartments. The Wilsonville Police Dept. is aware of this situation.

From a resident of Charbonneau with a concern for walkers safety:

FYI on two occasions on the same day I was driving out Fairway Drive. On both occasions it was dark and I drove up on couples walking too far into the middle of the street, walking with the traffic, and dressed in dark clothing.  I actually saw one of the couples only at the last minute.
No flashlight, no concern of where they were in the street, no reflection material on their clothes.  Big time accident waiting to happen.
Mick Hergert

Yard Debris – New information to be more in compliance with Charbonneau HOA’s

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To be more in line with other HOA’s in Charbonneau, and being good Stewards of your CHOA  Dues, the board has decided to no longer provide yard debris or Christmas tree pickup by our grounds-keeping staff (Garron Grounds).  To that end:

  • Garron Grounds will no longer pick up Yard Debris.

 

  • We suggest all residents  use the debris containers provided by the garbage service (currently Republic) for their landscape trimmings.
    •  Republic provides the lawn debris can to all customers for free.  If you do not have a can please contact Republic to obtain a can.

 

  • Those without a can or with excess debris (more than your debris can will hold) can put a filled black garbage bag next to their garbage can for pick up.  Republic Services will charge $6 per bag for this pick up as trash.

 

  • Collection of Christmas trees or other debris (trash) found in the planting or parking areas will be billed to the homeowner at the rate of $51.50 per cubic yard/per hour.
    • This is what Garron charges your HOA for  removal of excess  Debris, which is then paid out of your dues.  (An extra Black garbage bag @$6. per bag is a much more economical choice).

Stay alert and report any suspicious activity

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According to the Country Club, this last Sunday there were three robberies of Christmas decorations from outside of residents homes in Charbonneau.  Outdoor Christmas lights and a wreath.

The cost of these items was not great, however, we ask that you call the Wilsonville Police if you have been robbed or noticed any activity around your home,  so that a record of events can be documented.  It may be that these were just pranks, but we do not want any escalation because of a perceived lack of concern.

Please report by calling:Emergency Dispatch 503-655-8211, this is the non-emergency number

There will be no 2016 CHOA Christmas Party

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For the past few years, your volunteer HOA Board has put on a Christmas Party.  Unfortunately, this year, because of scheduling conflicts we were unable to put on the Christmas party this year

We hope to see you all in April 2017 for the Annual Meeting, until then…..

From your whole Board, we wish you a joyous and blessed Christmas and New Year

 

Chuck Robertson

Mike Tewell

Ty Kuhns

Ron Reiter

Rosemary Ricken

Ralph Martin

Jan Landis

Sandie Maki

Bob Barnum