1. I worked with Diego of Heritage to accomplish a lot of the following: The Irritrol irrigation control boxes have been replaced with Hunter at the Little Park, Swing Park, and 36th Ave. The Hunter boxes are now lockable and locked. Marie and I both have keys for ‘just in case’. I have a couple of extra sets available. The electrical box is also locked. The keys are all the same for all three locations. Hunter has a rechargeable battery that eliminates the need to change out the 9VDC battery every couple years. As in our case, the old ones were overdue for replacement 6 years ago. This should eliminate the need to reprogram after every power loss.
2. Both irrigation filters at the Little and Swing Parks were replaced. The metal types are easier to remove the cap and clean the screen inside. For a little tribal knowledge, the wires that are attached are not for grounding, but for tracing. The piping underground is plastic vice the usual copper alloy.
3. A lot of the dry spots in the Little and Swing Parks were due to missing screws that didn’t allow the water to hit the low area underneath the impact sprinklers. One impact sprinkler was relocated in each park to allow watering in the corners. For those discerning eyes, several sprinklers have a white cup around them. This was done to protect the sprinkler head when driven over (mostly in the Main Park). Several of the impact sprinklers were replaced in all three parks to protect little feet from stepping into the open area of the sprinkler head and hurting themselves. Also, as grass and dirt was accumulating inside it was preventing the sprinkler head to retract properly.
4. You will notice a lot of dead grass along the edge of the park sidewalks. This is crab grass. I treated these areas with crab grass control (preventer) to slow down any new seed germination and I’m following up with crab grass killer. It is going to look ugly. Crab grass is an annual, but will slowly crowd out all other grasses as it spreads each year. I talked with John at Heritage about getting an early start before crab grass season (usually when the forsythia turns yellow) in the early spring.
5. A lot of elbow grease went into removing the old tape, glue, and dirt on the mailboxes. Please try to limit postings. A little acetone helps remove the residual glue that attracts dirt.
6. It would be nice to organize a raking party to level out the pea gravel in both parks.
7. Because of a vandalism complaint that I got from one the neighbors that border the park, I tasked Heritage to remove a lot of the old growth in the Main Park. Sue Finney and I worked with John to be able to see the tops of all the fences from the sidewalk and to remove all hiding places within the park while retaining as much shade as possible. This neighbor replaced both boards that were broken because of the vandalism.
8. Tami Ottley and I met with Jason (206 799-5573) of Cascade Recreation, Inc. on 7/9/14. He mentioned that the amount of filler material was incorrect. We had 6 inches, but should have at least 12 inches. He said that better material is available than pea gravel. At 12 inches, I did a quick (which means I could be wrong) that we would need around 308 cubic yards of filler material. We asked about adding some smaller equipment for those that have smaller children besides 5-12 year olds. There are approach distances between equipment that we weren’t aware of. As of 8/21/14, I received some information from Jason about the filler material and equipment.
9. I still have some stinging insect spray if we need it again. It was better for me to be stung then some young children before the nest was discovered.
10. I still have some left over paint if needed for the fence.
11. We had one tree along 36th Ave. that didn’t look like it would make through the dry summer. It looks like it has recovered.
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As of this writing, we still have a few things left to do.
1. The Hunter control box at the 33rd entrance needs to have its wiring corrected.
2. A permanent irrigation control box needs to be installed in the Main Park. The one installed is only temporary.
3. The irrigation filter box at the main entrance fills up with water. KID has come over to look at it, but hasn’t given me an answer. Because of the depression in the ground, the filter and box needs to be raised up and leveled.
4. Permanent location of the Community Bulletin Board. That is going to be a coordination nightmare for whoever steps forward to lead that project.
5. We have 11 maple trees that will need to be replaced in the spring.
6. It looks like one tree at the 33rd entrance and one at the front of the Main Park are diseased. Brenda Schuhmacher is looking into this matter.
7. A homeowner said he has a friend that might donate the concrete if we decide to put in a basketball court in the Main Park.
8. It’s going to take awhile for the new trees to produce shade. It would be nice to put a cover over the picnic table in the Swing Park. The area measures 12 foot square.
We would like to hear from you. There are four ways to get a hold of a Board member.
1. You know one of us.
2. Log onto the Shadow Run website and e-mail one of us
3. Snail mail us a note to PO Box 6388 Kennewick, WA 99336
4. Call us on the Shadow Run phone: 430-3151
I must say, the past months serving as your board president has been very interesting and has included a sharp learning curve, finding out how our subdivision is run. I have learned that there are things that are within the control of the HOA Board and other things that are not. For example, we aren’t able to take care of all the roaming and barking dogs as an Association. But when we do find out what is available to help you, we will try and post it on our website to make it as helpful as possible.
Directions on how to take care of those pesky critters are indeed on the Home Page of our website if you scroll down. Please review those areas listed on our website before calling the HOA number listed and complaining. We will only redirect you back to the website. We are not going to call the police or other agencies for you. In talking with one of police sergeants, it is better to have ten people call about a problem, then to have one person call ten times. If I understood the information correctly, we have eleven officers to cover 100,000 people during a shift. I would think they are spread pretty thin.
It was called to the Boards attention by a concerned homeowner that some underage partying and vandalism was going on in the Main Park. After careful evaluation, the landscape committee and Heritage went to work on the Main Park. One can now stand on the sidewalk and see the tops of the fences that border the Main Park. No more tree limbs coming down to ground level which was a very good place to hide in the back. No more tall bushes for children to hide in while throwing rocks over peoples fences while the parents were sitting on the park benches. We made it a point to trim where needed while maintaining the shaded areas. Now I see a lot more children running all over the park instead of staying away from those darker areas. I even enjoyed watching a couple of young boys running through the sprinklers. Myself, I have very fond memories of doing that same thing during those hot summer days in Nevada. We still have more to do around all three parks.
My goal this summer was to start some long overdue maintenance with Heritage and the KID. We replaced both irrigation filters in the little parks. Both were crusted up making them hard to remove and clean. One had developed a continuous leak, and I was told by one of the neighbors that it has been leaking for years. If you notice something like that, please call or notify the HOA. We had the plastic piping on one of the irrigation filters develop a crack in the evening and flooded a neighbor’s back yard. Heritage Landscape came over the next day and repaired repair it. Last week while walking around the Main Park, I found myself in ankle deep water. One of the control valves didn’t turn off completely. Heritage Landscape came over immediately and fixed that problem. I thanked Heritage Landscape for responding on such short notice during the summer busy season.
We worked with KID (Kennewick Irrigation District) to have all nine branch lines within the subdivision flushed. Did you know we had branch lines? Do you know what a branch line is? Neither did I and when I found out about it I went down and made an appointment for them to get us on their schedule. The screens at the W. 36/Ely pump station are having to be cleaned a couple of times a day because of all the debris coming down the system. Neighbors have complained about having to clean their filters a couple of times a day. Myself, I have to do it at least once a week. Others claim to have never cleaned their filters. It seems that the pop-up impact sprinklers do have a screen at the bottom big enough to allow up to medium size boulders to pass through.
One of the items that we are currently working on is a Community Bulletin Board to be located in the Main Park. It took several man-hours to clean the old tape, glue, and dirt from all three of the mail boxes. A test spot was picked for the Community Bulletin Board to see how the “811 call before you dug” program worked. It was an eye opener for me to see where some of the high pressure gas lines run underground within our community and where electrical power enters the park. The spot chosen was free from utility company lines, but we would still be responsible for any irrigation lines that run inside the park. It was recommended that you call 811 if you plan on digging more than 6 inches down even in your own yard. I do have a couple of extra brochures at home.
While talking with the police recently, I learned that the speed limit in residential areas is 25 MPH. Too fast for me when you have large items left parked in the streets which can be a potential blind spot for young children to dart from. Years ago we investigated getting speed bumps installed but were told our streets were too narrow and they would become the hazard. Neighbors have again complained about the speeding through the streets and we encourage anyone that wants to take up that cause to form a committee and see if things might have changed with the City of Kennewick since our last try about 6 years ago. Technology and materials have changed and maybe now it might be a possibility.
We are all volunteers on this Board and committee members (residents that are retired, working part and full time jobs, and moms that still have multiple babies at home). We can only do so much and your help is always appreciated. If you have a complaint about how things are going, then join us and help us continue to make this an attractive community to live in.
We are still issuing fines to those households that continue to violate our CC&R’s. One unhappy homeowner called to say the guy down the street got to leave his RV on the street so he was too. Well, the guy down the street decided not to move it and was experiencing escalating fines and you will too if you decide to ignore it. We can work with those that are moving in or out, but not for long.
Last, I would like to take this opportunity to address an issue that is long overdue. In past years, it has caused a lot of frustration (and a waste of their personal time) on the part of the Rules and Regulation Committee when it comes to Section 6.2 Restrictions and Storage when a few of our neighbors have decided to play a game of cat and mouse with either their trailers, boats motor homes or recreational vehicles.
The game is played by leaving the said items on the street or driveways past the 48 hour window waiting for a courtesy letter to be posted. After which, the said item would be moved and then returned to the same spot only to start the cycle all over again. By playing this game the committee would throw up their collective hands and give up. The win goes to the sly neighbor, so they think but this is changing. The Rules and Regulations Committee has submitted a proposal and the HOA have approved a new FINAL NOTICE for future non-compliance. This has also been expanded to include Section 6.7 Garbage and Trash Removal. A Fine Schedule for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and thereafter Non-Compliance will have Fines Assessed at the $50, $100, and $150 maximum rate. This action can be mitigated by presenting extenuating circumstances. The Rules and Regulations Committee along with the HOA Board will review any such action on a case by case basis.
This action was not taken lightly. The majority, and I mean the majority, of us are in compliance with the Covenants even with a gentle reminder. We need to stop wasting the valuable time of our board members and committee members. If you get one of those Final Notices on your door, READ IT first before you make that angry phone call to the HOA phone and chew out a volunteer who is not on the board. No one including me is exempt from our CC&R’s. Money is spent on envelopes, stamps and paper to mail to residents reminding them to follow the rules. We feel we shouldn’t have to keep spending HOA money to do this, so we put the ball back in your court to take on that responsibility. It’s very simple, follow the CC&R’s and you have nothing to worry about. One resident called and said they are tired of receiving letters in the mail and one their door. Well, we are tired of sending them out. If you think things should be different, attend a board meeting or better yet get involved on a committee and find out why we do what we do.
Evan Meacham
2014 Board President