Nottingham Country Newsletter

September 2007 …

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NCCIA BOARD NEWS

NOTTINGHAM HAPPENINGS 

By the time you read this article, a number of things will have happened in Nottingham Country.  First of all, the long awaited entrance markers at Cranfield and Westgreen should be installed or will be shortly.  We have heard from residents in that section calling for improvements to the signage and although it took a long time, improvements are taking place.  When Harris County decided to put up a traffic signal at that intersection we were on hold until the signal was completed in order to determine the amount of space we had available for the signage. Then we considered putting brick columns along the fence line but those would have been on private homeowner property and we ran into problems with that idea.  As a result we have contracted to have two new brick monuments placed on either side of Cranfield.  I trust it will be a great improvement.

Secondly the drainage culvert on Mason Creek at Hoveden was washed out during the heavy rainfall.  At the time I am writing this article, construction equipment is on site and it appears the drainage culvert is being replaced and the erosion repaired.

Thirdly, many of you on Hardwidge Court have complained about the poor condition of the fence which separates the alleyway from the Place at Green Trails Apartment complex.  Various NCCIA board members tried to contact Alliance Management, the apartment owners, but they would not return calls.  As a result the matter was referred to the NCCIA attorney who in turn received a call from an attorney representing the apartment ownership.  We have been told that the fence will be replaced within the next 45 days.  We shall see!  It is indeed in horrible condition and an eyesore to the community.

Finally, SCS Management is sending out Deed Restriction violation letters to many homeowners who have commercial vehicles parked in their driveways or on the street.  A commercial vehicle is defined as one larger than a normal pickup truck or any vehicle which has the name of the business on the vehicle.  This is a violation of our Deed Restrictions.  If you drive a company vehicle with a name on it, you must park it in your garage or you will be cited.  If you have a vehicle with a commercial magnetic sign, please remove the sign if you leave your vehicle parked in view from the street or park it in your garage.  If you have a vehicle larger than a normal pickup, it must be parked in your garage or outside of Nottingham Country.  The Board intends to aggressive pursue violators and if you do not voluntarily comply, the matter will be referred to the Association attorney which will result in unnecessary legal fees to you.  If you are a homeowner who lives near a home that is in constant violation of this restriction, please let us know and we will follow up on the matter.  Nottingham Country is a community of homes, not a commercial parking lot!

Don Mach

Vice President and Legal Liaison

A SPECIAL THANKS TO SOME HOMEOWNERS

Two months ago, Board Member Bruce Hamelin listed some beautiful homes on the south side of Mason Creek.  So, I’ve been looking at the north side of the Creek for equal time.  There are some really pretty front yards on this side too.  So I thought, in the interest of equal time and attention, we should publish some of them this month. 

It has been a challenge because many beautiful yards needed mowing after all the rain.  It’s not a good thing to mow a soggy lawn, and it’s almost impossible to mow in the rain!!!  So if I missed your house, please know it is because I drove by the day before you mowed.

In Bruce’s comments he noted that we usually focus on the ‘sore thumb’ houses, and we do.  But the thing I noticed during my equal time drive is how much one or two houses with unkempt lawns – even if it is only mowing and edging – can spoil the appearance of an entire block, and certainly the surrounding houses.

However, the following yards (I stayed between Kingsland and Mason Creek) are just beautiful. 

There are so many houses with such nice yards that the task was bigger than I anticipated.  And there are many that should be on this list that aren’t because I drove by before you mowed and edged.

 The Caladiums and Crepe Myrtles are prettier this year than they have been for several years.  A number of homeowners have done some very nice things using the Caladiums and Crepes.

 Several homeowners have asked us why we don’t have a Yard of the Month.  We did have at one time and would like to have it again.  If you’d be interested in being on a committee to choose a Yard of the month, please contact someone on the Board.  If we have enough interest, we can do it again, but we’ll need your help!

Thanks again to those of you who help make Nottingham beautiful.  We have so many of the ingredients of a beautiful subdivision:  mature yards; big and old trees, mature grass, etc.  Thanks for keeping it up.

Carol Neef-Brown,

NCCIA Director

SCHOOL ZONES...SCHOOL ZONES…SCHOOL ZONES…..

School, though starting later than in the past, is returning to full activity shortly.  The Constables Office, Sheriff’s Dept. and Katy ISD Police will all be watching not only the school zones but also those areas with increased traffic to assure safe and compliant vehicle operation.

Residents should remember to not only comply with the reduce speeds but should also be alert for young pedestrians and “pick-up / drop-off” traffic patterns.   HOUSEHOLDS WITH YOUNG DRIVERS SHOULD HAVE THE ANNUAL “REMINDER” TALK ABOUT APPROPRIATE SPEEDS IN THE SUBDIVISION AND NEAR SCHOOLS.   It also can be beneficial to remind expected guests of the presence of the school zones.

The Board wants everyone to have a safe, productive, and “ticket-free” school year

Ken Gentile 

Web Site Report

Thanks to all of you who visited http://www.nottinghamcounty.org/ and offered suggestions and comments on the web site content.  Also, if you have signed up on our email list, you will receive the latest notices of important / urgent events such as security events – For instance: One of our residents reported the sighting of an alligator in Mason Creek in July after a very rainy period.  To sign up for the email list, go to: http://www.nottinghamcounty.org/ and click on the Email List link.

If you already haven’t, 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.

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.

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.