14 | SUNRAYS FEBRUARY 2015
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SCTXCA.ORG
CA NEWS
With spring approaching, it is a good
time to take a look around your yard to
see which plants need to be replaced.
Our highly successful Waterwise and
Firewise programs suggest using na-
tive plants, which require less water
and are of a non-oily nature. Exhibit G,
found on the website under Documents
(Community Association Info > Docu-
ments > Design Guidelines)
features a
new spreadsheet listing plants and their
suitability in various areas.
Don’t forget to use the photo binder our
Garden Club has assembled to help when
choosing plants. This binder is available
at the Social Center and Cowan Creek
Monitors’ Desks. As long as the size of
the bed, material for the edging, and one
plant per 100 square feet guidelines are
followed, an application isn’t necessary,
even if you are changing out the edging of
the bed. Just remember to keep all plants
under 36” in the sight triangle of a corner
lot and at least twenty feet from the rear
perimeter of a golf course lot.
A number of landscape project work-
sheets have been developed by the
Community Standards Office to help
you with landscape projects that require
a B-1 Application Form. The worksheets
can be downloaded from the website,
picked up from our office or emailed
to you at your request. They condense
the Design Guidelines requirements,
providing a simple checklist to ensure
everything is provided for the Commit-
tee’s review.
Valentine’s Day is Saturday, February
14. As per page 55 of the Design Guide-
lines, decorations may be displayed for
seven days prior to and seven days after
the holiday. Feel free to put out hearts,
flowers, and flags with cupids beginning
February 7 until February 22!
Ginny Wagner can be reached at
512-948-7462 or email
Bits of Info from Ginny’s Desk
Submitted by Ginny Wagner, Community Standards Supervisor
IN THE EVENT OF INCLEMENT
WEATHER
Go to
or our face-
book page,
/
SunCityTexasCommunityAssociation
for up-to-the-minute information
on CA facility closures or delayed
openings.
COPs Update
By Susanne White
By now, you have probably heard of Aus-
tin’s hands-free ordinance, which made
texting while driving illegal as of Janu-
ary 1. Hopefully, you learned of this law
from the newspaper or a friend and not
from an officer issuing you a ticket!
Violating this new law is a Class C Mis-
demeanor and offenders will be hit with
a hefty $500 fine. Seem excessive? Well,
perhaps you haven’t been paying atten-
tion. In the last three years, distracted
driving has been responsible for more
than 22,000 crashes and claimed 82 lives
in the Austin area alone. According to
TxDOT, one out of every five crashes in
Texas is caused by a distracted driver,
and in 2013, 459 Texans died as a result
of these accidents.
So what, exactly, constitutes “distracted
driving”? The list may surprise you:
• Texting
• Using a cell phone for any reason*
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player or MP3
player
* Hand-held cell phone use while driving
is permitted only for contacting police
about an emergency, accident or crime.
Austin is currently leading the state in
an effort to refocus on the task of driv-
ing. If some gadget diverts your atten-
tion from driving your car, truck, golf
cart or bicycle, or endangers the safety
of a driver, passenger or bystander, it’s
illegal in Austin. More than 20 other
cities (including San Antonio) have local
ordinances prohibiting or limiting cell
phone use and texting.
Texas does not yet have a statewide
ban on cell phone use, but we do have
a number of restrictions – bus drivers
transporting children and novice drivers
(those with learners’ permits) are barred
from using cell phones (hands-free or oth-
erwise) while driving. Handheld phone
use is also restricted in school zones.
If you travel with an electronic device,
consider investing in one that’s hands-
free or which supports hands-free ac-
cessories. This will allow you to keep in
touch while lowering your risk of distrac-
tion. And no matter what device you use,
remember: stay safe, drive alert. That’s
what COPs do, always looking out for
your safety!
COPs (Citizens on Patrol) needs
you!
Volunteer just four hours a month
– drive, office staff (from your home, our
cell phone) or performmaintenance tasks
(gas up vehicles, take in for service or
a car wash). Please call 512-966-1362,
Monday–Friday 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
