From the Board…written by Ralph Lentz

Greetings Winterwood Homeowners! They say it’s Spring but you wouldn’t know it from the weather. I can tell from my own yard that moss and weeds are a problem and will require some effort for me to gain control over them.

The appearance of our neighborhood is a concern to almost everyone. In order to maintain an attractive appearance requires cooperation from everyone. Every month one member of the Board drives around the neighborhood and takes pictures of yards that appear to be out of compliance with our Covenants. The pictures are brought to the monthly Board meeting and the Board agrees on sending out letters. We sent out a lot of letters this month and I will say that it is hard to get an appreciation from a small picture as to what a yard looks like, full size. So, if you received one of those letters and you think we made a mistake or you have a special circumstance you want to discuss, please contact us.

The most prevalent appearance issue would appear to be trash/recycle cans that are left in plain sight from the street. We need your help in making a conscious effort in moving your cans out of sight, after the trash/recycle pickup. We don’t come looking for cans the day after the pickup but allow adequate time to relocate the cans. So…please help maintaining the attractive appearance of our neighborhood by moving your cans out of sight.

Second to the visible trash/recycle can issue are visible blue tarps. These should not be visible from the street. I know there are numerous reasons why a temporary cover may be needed but an easy solution is a brown tarp. Blue stands out and does not blend in with anything, so there is a Covenant rule against blue tarps.

Screening of trailers is another issue that is not so easily solved. The committee looking at the covenants will be addressing improved solutions. For now, if you have a trailer, be sure that it is behind the closest front corner of your house and that you screen it as much as possible.

Starting in June, when compliance pictures are taken, pictures of the most attractive yards will be taken and posted along with the newsletter. We have some very attractive yards in our neighborhood and we would like to recognize them. We will be doing this in the months of June through August.

Security of our neighborhood is another topic of recent interest. In response to that we have started a Blockwatch Program in Winterwood. The primary activity of Blockwatch participants is to share information. We have 8 Blockwatch Captains that will be contacting you, if you live near them. We still need many more Captains to cover our entire neighborhood. When we see suspicious or criminal activities we share that information with those in our block, with Blockwatch Captains and with neighboring associations. In turn, we will receive information from neighboring associations. If you do see suspicious or criminal behavior, please call the Sheriff. If you would like to join the Blockwatch effort and help make our neighborhood safer, let me know.

The Covenant Committee has been making great progress toward updating our Covenants. We would like to thank everyone who has been participating in this effort and look forward to proposed new covenants that we call all live with.

The Board has approved a Girl Scout project to paint a labyrinth on the basketball court. The Girl Scouts will be raising money for the project and the Association will contribute up to $150. This should make the park more interesting and fun for visitors.

I would like to recognize the hard work and contributions of Mike and Tina Zimmer. Tina has provided much needed administrative support for the Association, for many years. Mike was the HOA President last year and Vice President this year. The Board has appointed Phil Boldman to complete Mike’s term on the Board. Cindy Haueisen will temporarily assume Tina’s responsibilities. Phil will assume Cindy’s ACC duties and Cindy will be Vice President.

Finally, I would like to reiterate that we are working on changing the culture of the neighborhood and the Board. While we are obligated to send out letters when there are apparent non-compliance issues, if you believe that we have made a mistake, please let us know. If you have an issue with a neighbor, you should attempt to resolve it directly. If you see something in our neighborhood that can be picked up or fixed, feel free to take care of it yourself. Let’s all work together to make Winterwood a great place to live and an attractive neighborhood to drive through.

Thanks for your support.