News for Mar 2023

Hey N69,

Time for your March issue, but first, for the ladies attending the Kentucky Derby Party and wondering how to win the Hat contest:

You are Invited!! 

Northpoint Ladies Hat-making Party at the Oaks

Saturday April 1st, 12:30 - 2:30pm 

Light Lunch & Beverage Provided

Bring your hat, possible decorations, & glue gun (if you have one)

RSVP:  [email protected] or 303-589-6028 by March 30th

 

Rummage thru your decorations for ribbon, lace, flowers, feathers, and trinkets. Bring stuff to share, if you like! 

There are still some May 6th Party tickets available. Contact Deb soon!

OK, back to business. Here are the highlights from today’s NRO meeting, which was mostly about modifications, permitting, what happens when you don’t follow the Design Guidelines, and the Covenants Committee, which is the final arbiter for resident complaints or misdeeds.

1. John Schwebke, Modifications Committee Chair, began with the good news that the Design Guidelines (DG) are actually shrinking in the number of pages, as they review and remove some outdated rules. The new version will be presented to the CA Board in May, so watch for an updated DG on the Sun City website. If  you’re really interested in changing or enforcing the DG, they have 2 vacancies on their committee—you can apply for those positions. Info on how to do that was in the NRO Bulletin today. 

In general, if you want to put in a modification request, the forms are online. Take them to the Community Standards office and have the two ladies there review it—they’ll tell you if you’re missing some info or need more pictures, etc. (the Committee loves pictures!). They’ve been doing this for years and really can help you get what you want, but you need to follow their advice. Remember that if a contractor is doing the work and creating the paperwork, YOU still have to sign it and are responsible for what it says. The Committee meets every 2 weeks and the results are sent out that day; nearly always if your request is Returned (not Approved), it’s because it’ s missing some info. Once the installation is either ongoing or finished, an inspector must check to see if it was done according to the request. They can come onto your property to do so, but they will knock on your door to let you know they’re coming.

We know already of one DG change: you no longer have to have screening of some type in front of your AC unit outside—this doesn’t mean you must remove yours, but if you wanted to change or remove it, you can without problems. If you choose to keep it, it must still follow the DG rules. Other changes being considered to the DG include artificial turf—they’ve been studying the various types, their longevity, the effect they might have on the deer eating it, etc. It’s not allowed yet but may be in the near future. Also, xeriscaping is still restricted to 40% of each property at this time, even though it’s a great water saver.

2. Next, Carl Zimmerman, head of Community Standards, gave a brief overview of his office, which basically enforces the DG and the Covenants (CC&Rs) that you all read when you bought your house (you DID read them, right?). He gets lots of emails and phone calls asking simple questions that could have been answered with a little research on the CA website, so he’s a busy guy. He also discussed what happens when residents don’t follow the DG or have complaints filed against them by other residents:

1. 1st Notice of Violation letter, certified mail: DON’T IGNORE IT! The resident has 7-30 days to comply, depending on the situation. An inspector will verify compliance. Seventy percent of violations are resolved by this letter.
2. 2nd Notice of Violation letter, certified mail, comes from Carl himself, and it’s not a friendly letter; residents have 7-14 days to comply. Eleven percent of violations reach this point and are resolved.
3. 3rd Notice of Violation letter (certified) is final, before the Covenants Committee takes some sort of action against the resident, which ranges from fines and sanctions to loss of CA privileges. Only 3% of complaints get this far. The resident can appeal this action to the CA Board but they nearly always support the Committee’s decision.

3. Bob Anderson, Covenants Committee Chair, explained that his committee provides advice on the CC&Rs to resolve issues before they go too far, as explained above.

4. Aly Van Dyke, City of Georgetown Public Affairs, reassured folks that the city is still picking up tree branches and will be for some time. They have seven of those big black trucks running 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. She also listed some upcoming events:

1. Two Step Inn (music) festival, April 15-16 at San Gabriel Park
2. Downtown Art Stroll, April 20, 4-8pm
3. Red Poppy Festival, downtown, April 28-30, which will also celebrate Georgetown’s 175th birthday

5. Britt James, CA Communications and Lifestyle, reminded everyone to update their Resident Profile on the Sun City website by this Friday, March 17. Some CA events coming up:

1. Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC) Town Hall, March 24 at 9:00am in the Ballroom
2. Sun City Garage Sale in front of the Social Center, April 1, all day
3. Sun City Recycles Town Hall, April 21, 9:00am in the Ballroom

That’s it for now,

Deb