Nottingham Country Newsletter

July 2007 …

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NCCIA BOARD NEWS

THE SUMMER IS HERE!

Hello neighbors!  Well, it's here.  The LONGEST summer we have seen from KISD!  As you already know, the kids are out of school and that means they are EVERYWHERE.  Please drive very carefully in and around the neighborhood.  We have lots of cars parked on the streets, which presents a great hazard for children playing in the streets.  Be alert to the parked cars and watch for children running out from behind them.

PARENTS, please remind your young drivers of the dangers the high number of children out of school represent.  Also, have them be extra careful, as they are no longer one of a few teens on the road during the summer months.  Watch for cars at the new light at Westgreen.  I have seen cars run the light, probably thinking of the stop sign that used to be there.  Never TAKE the right of way... ALWAYS give it!

It is going to be a HOT one this year and that means dry, dead grass and plants if we are not careful.  Please be sure to water your lawn as needed.  Don't forget that the foundation needs to be kept from drying out as well.  A cracked slab could cost thousands!  Take the time to keep your yard maintained and avoid the high cost of replacement and repairs.

Watch the website for the date of the Back To School Pool Party!  Last year we had close to 100 residents attend for the free pizza and the last chance to swim in the pool.  I think all had a good time and are looking forward to another this year.

Shanon Hole

Social Committee Director

Nottingham Country Social Corner

As the Social Committee, I get to learn of some of the interesting facets of the residents in Nottingham Country.  That has to be one of the perks of  being the entire committee!  Two years ago, I actually learned what BUNKO was. It's a  dice game...who knew?  And did you know we have a book club that is still meeting after nearly two years? 

Did you know Nottingham Country has a rather large group of home-schooled children?   In a highly rated school district like KISD, I wouldn't' have thought there would be people interested in home schooling.  But for reasons that are all over the board, there seems to be an increasing number of families withdrawing their children and teaching them at home.  Support types groups (called co-ops) are gaining members in several prominent neighborhoods.  After talking to one Nottingham Country resident, I took a look around the net.  It is overwhelming, I must say. 

So, in an effort to help out any families that may be interested or are already involved with home schooling here in Nottingham Country, I decided the easiest way to help our residents is to give you ONE simple point to start gathering information.

Go to the website nottinghamcountry.org and click on the contacts.  Email Shanon Hole from there and I will point you in the right direction (hopefully!!) to at least get started. 

Be sure to let me know any other tidbits that might be of interest to our residents.  You never know who you might meet or what group you might form!

Shanon Hole

Social Committee Director

Some Notes From The Treasurer

Your Association works on a budget and at each monthly meeting the directors discuss the status of the annual expenditures.  For the current year, as of May 1st  we are at expenditures of 33% and the budget was also at 33%.  We expect to continue through the rest of the year keeping within the budget. 

During the past two years the Association has made improvements to the park, to entrance markers and to some of the alleys most need of repairs.  The Association has reserves to cover anticipated major repairs to assets and we do not anticipate any increase in the dues within the near future.  In addition to the maintenance of our park, mowing of all the common areas, keeping our entrances maintained, handling any deed restriction violations, looking after our many cul-de-sacs and keeping our alleys serviceable, the association uses about 50% of the dues to fund some of the Harris County Constables you see in your area.  We have dedicated patrols during some of the busy times of the week. 

Considering all we have accomplished with the dues, we still have reserves available for suggested improvements.  If any resident has a suggestion for improvements please email the Association or request time to address the board at one of the monthly meetings.  Often if a suggested improvement has appeal, our neighborhood MUD, Mason Creek Utility District, maybe willing to assist us with the costs.

As our subdivision gets older, it is only natural that there will be an increase in rental properties.  While it is somewhat difficult to place an exact number, it would appear that on any given day, there are between 125 and 150 rental homes in the subdivision.  That figures represents approximately 7% on the high side and is not an overly alarming percentage.

While many rental homes are maintained as well as owner occupied homes, it is a known fact that a large number of rental properties will damage the home values of a particular subdivision.  Thus far we have not seen that trend in Nottingham Country and hopefully it will remain as such.

Our management company makes regular inspections of the subdivision in order to monitor deed restriction violations.  The Board has seen an increase in violations particularly with rental properties during the past few years.  Most of the violations are a result of commercial vehicles parked in driveways, non-operative vehicles stored on premises, poor yard and landscaping maintenance, rotted wood, trash and debris laying in driveways and alleyways and operating businesses out of the residence.  Needless to say these are the types of problems which will rapidly erode the values of each of our homes if they are not corrected immediately.  Unfortunately we have one home in NC which is owned by a corporate entity that owns hundreds of rental homes in the Houston area.  This particular home has had a history of undesirable tenants and very poor maintenance.  In fact at one time, multi-family tenants were living there without an operative kitchen!   That problem was corrected some time ago but this property is on the “Bad List” on a regular basis.  As a result the Board is seeking the assistance of all homeowners in order to control this problem.

If you have a known rental property on your street and it is NOT being maintained in a satisfactory manner, we ask you to contact the management company and the Board member that handles deed restriction matters in your particular section.  We will view the property and send a letter to the property owner asking for immediate corrections. Please keep in mind, however, that it does take time for change to happen as the legal process, if necessary,  can be very slow.  Of course there are also owner-occupied homes that are in violation of deed restriction matters so we don’t mean to just single out rental homes but there is clearly a trend in our subdivision of rental homes violating our restrictions.  That being said, it’s rather difficult to condemn rental homes if and when our own owner-occupied homes are not being maintained to a higher standard.  As a result we need to send a message to those absentee owners that we will not allow them to rent to unsavory tenants, such as multi-families, druggies, etc and allow their properties to turn into slums.

Please note that problem rental homes are not unique to Nottingham Country and they exist in most every subdivision in Harris County.  In recent years there has been on outpouring of programs and seminars enticing folks to purchase homes, put little money into them and rent them out for a nice profit.  While that may be a profitable business venture, it does not mean that a landlord should not be held accountable for the condition of the property and the quality of the tenants who reside there.  That is the message we hope to send to any and all who own rental homes in Nottingham Country. 

THIS PROBLEM IS A CONCERN FOR ALL OF US.  PLEASE ASSIST IN MAKING OUR COMMUNITY A SAFE AND DESIREABLE AREA TO LIVE.

Don Mach

NCCIA Vice President and Legal Liaison

The Nottingham Country Board sends its condolences to the family, staff and friends of Constable Glen Cheek of Precinct 5, who passed away last month.   Constable Cheek’s Chief Deputy, Phil Camus, has been appointed by the Commissioners court to fill the Constable’s position.  At his invitation, I will be taking the opportunity to meet with Constable Camus later this month and will be reporting to the full Board anything that may affect operations in Nottingham Country.

The number to report any suspicious activity or to request deputy assistance is 281-463-6666.

Web Site Report

Thanks to all of you who visited http://www.nottinghamcounty.org/ and offered suggestions and comments on the web site content.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you were one of the “Everyone’s Internet” (EV1) customers who had to change your provide or otherwise change your email address, please go to http://www.nottinghamcounty.org sign up again for our email list, as you were removed from the list if your email bounced back to me.

If you haven't visited our web site lately, let me remind you that the latest happenings in Nottingham Country are posted on the Website first.  Items like Heavy Trash Pickup dates, Election Results, Lost Pets and Safety/Security Incidents in our neighborhood are posted on the site.  We also have applications and forms posted on the website – we will have our General Meeting and Election of Board Members coming up in November.  If you think you might be interested in serving on the Board of Directors for the Nottingham Country Community Improvement Association, please visit our web site and download an application form.  The forms can be found by clicking on the "Forms & Maps" link on the Nottingham Country Home Page: http://www.nottinghamcountry.org/.

Also, as a reminder, we do have a link to Sex Offenders on our site called Predator Check.  Please check it out if you haven’t already.  It’s good information especially for all parents and grandparents.

Please take a moment to visit our web site and Click on the “Suggestions” Link to offer your comments or suggestions or email the webmaster directly by sending an email to: WebMaster@NottinghamCountry.org.

We appreciate any and all ideas from our neighbors as to how we can improve our Internet presence and make our web site a useful tool for our neighborhood.

Remember, the “NEW STUFF” Button always denotes where the latest information is.

As a reminder, the Deed Restrictions for All NC sections, as well as, the By-Laws, are posted on the web site.