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J AN U ARY / F EBRU ARY
2015
January/February FUN Facts!
The Village News
Annual Member’s Association
Meeting Scheduled February 19
Once again, it is time for the Annual Meeting of The Village at High Meadow. This year, the Annual
Meeting of the members will be held on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at The Ranch House
located at 37300 Golf Club Trail. The main purpose of this meeting will be to elect 3 new Board Members and to transact any other properly presented business.

January is National
“THANK YOU” Month

January 27 is Squirrel
Appreciation Day

January is the coldest
month of the year within
most of the Northern
Hemisphere

February registers 423
million hits on Google.
The misspelt Febuary
registers 310 million

February ends on the
same day of the week as
October every year.
Three Village residents, Bud Irving, Andra Heitzman and Pat Kennedy, are running for the open Board positions on the 2015
Homeowner’s Board. The following are the “biographies” given by each candidate to the HOA Board and their photo:
Thurman A Irving,
Jr
Pat Kennedy
Andra Heitzman
( Bud Irving)
I have been a Board member for the
past 2 years as well as Director of
Security, Coordinator of our Neighborhood Watch Program, coordinator of the High Meadow monthly
Stargazing Party, and chairman of
the Recreation Center Expansion
Committee.
My wife Lynn and I have lived in
The Village for 4 years. We are retired and may often be seen walking
our dogs. We own 2 lots in The Village and enjoy gardening. We are
still working on deer-proofing our
landscaping. Our mailbox won first
prize in this year's mailbox decorating contest. I enjoy golf when I can
and Lynn is active in several ladies
groups.
I wish to serve on our board because
I care about The Village.
I want to serve as a board member to
serve my neighbors. I will not bore you
with my education and professional
background because it does not add value making a good public servant.
I have previously served as an alternate
to the board, and took over a
position that was vacated by another
public servant for personal reasons.
I served as the Architectural Control
Committee (ACC) chair while I was on
the board, and I am currently on the
ACC.
I have a Libertarian point of view as it
pertains to the community and have
no ulterior motives.
Ever since moving to The Village in
2005, I have been active in the “social
development” of The Village. Over the
years I have served as the Chairman of
the Activity Committee as well as serving with the Welcoming Committee,
organizing and publishing the first
“bound” Village Directory (and subsequent directories), and editing The Village Newsletter. This past year I served
as Secretary for the Board of Directors.
I have watched our tiny neighborhood
as it has grown from 12 houses to over
100 homes. I have lived in neighborhoods where the Homeowner’s Association did not keep pace with the growing
population of a neighborhood, which
ultimately hurt the overall development.
I love this neighborhood, and want to
see it continue to grow and develop.
Issues such as security, community development and community facilities top
my list of concerns, which is why I have
decided to seek a position on The Village Community Association Board.
2014 HOA Goals and Accomplishments
2014 Goals (set by Board in March 2013) and Status:
1)
Implement Capital Reserve Study
After much feed-back from the community and current Board, it was voted to reject study approved
by prior Board. A Volunteer committee has been established to revisit Capital Reserve Strategy, and
will report to 2015 Board.
2)
Draft By-Laws and present to community for comment
No progress at this time. The 2015 Board will attempt to complete this goal.
3)
Progress the Recreation Center expansion study
After preparing plans, the architect found site unsuitable for building. Committee recommended new
building in different location. Due to lack of information, the Board voted to delay community vote until later in 2015
4)
Evaluate fill station and/or hydrant options (contingent upon 2014 completion of well station #3
by Johnston Utilities)
Well station #3 not completed at this time (completion expected in 1Q 2015). Due to lack of information, the Board voted to delay community vote until later in 2015.
Other Board Activities in 2014:
5)
Switched Property Management Company from CKM to Spectrum
6)
Approved policy banning bow and arrow and crossbow hunting in Village (firearm use already
banned in DR’s)
2014 Committee Reports
ACC/Melissa Boland
The community has seen a large
amount of growth this year due to in
part the efforts of the ACC committee. The committee, whose members include Steve Heitzman, Pat
Kennedy, Liz Glass, Gay Lewis, and
chair Melissa Boland have worked
very hard to give the committee a
fresh start. The committee met after
the election and decided to revamp
the entire ACC process, starting with
Page 2
the dismissal of service by CKM in
April of last year. Communication
delays had caused some issues with
homeowners and builders alike, the
ACC committee decided this was not
the first impression we wanted for our
community. By doing so we got back
to the basics. The committee understood that the first point of contact
for our future neighbors is likely to be
the contact with the ACC in the
building process. We chose to take a
more personal approach with dealing
with builders and homeowners alike.
The ACC became more accessible
by email and telephone. The
chair made certain that her personal cell phone and the ACC
new general email was given to
each and every builder and homeowner in the building process.
To cut down on the large amounts
of theft in the community the
ACC along with Security Advisor
Bud Irving, partnered with the
constables office to provide more
attentive service to construction
sites.
Volume 1, Issue 1
2014 Committee Reports (continued)
ACC/Melissa Boland (continued)
The ACC also changed the builder’s
packet to include stricter guidelines for
contractor’s onsite by requiring vehicles
either be marked externally or to display
work permits.
The ACC committee also met as soon as
a builder’s packet was received. This cut
down the wait time and sometimes
meant the committee met as many as 3
times a month. This ensured turn
around times were under 10 days. This
is reflected in the amount of revenue
that the ACC has generated this year,
closing the year with nearly $30,000 in
revenue.
With as many as 18 homes under construction at one point the ACC decided
to hire a contractor to assist in their
duties. The ACC sought help from our
sister community High Meadow Ranch,
and hired their administrative assistant
Colleen King who has worked with their
committee for 9 years. She has become
a wealth of knowledge for the community and is in the process of digitizing every
aspect of the ACC process. All records
by 2015-year end will be in a digital database. This ensures that all revenue and
records can be easily accessible at all
times. This is something that has never
been offered to the ACC and is a welcome change. All reporting databases
are now in spreadsheet form and will be
delivered to the board going forward in
this manner.
With 2015 upon us the ACC continues
to see a rise in new home applications.
We expect the next year to be just a busy
as 2014 and are very excited about the
growth that our community is witnessing. With the change in our community
the growth is a great thing for not only
the community but also homeowners
alike. Without the sacrifice and accessibility of the committee members to
meet on such a routine basis, none of
this would be possible. As chair, I would
like to thank each of my committee
members for their service this past year
and I look forward to another great year
in 2015.
The Village News
Activities/Andra Heitzman
Maintenance/Darrel Weidner
2014 was an active year in The Village:
•New Pool Furniture purchases – 4
Tables, 16 Chairs, 2 Adirondack Chairs
and 5 Chase Lounge Chairs – Product
includes a 20 Year Warranty (old furniture was donated to SOS)
March 1 was the annual Village Clean
Up.
April 19 The Village and High Meadow
Ranch joined forces to hold the annual
Easter Egg Hunt at The Village Recreation Center. An estimated 79 children
hunted over 500 eggs stuffed with
sweets and surprises. An appearance by
the Easter Bunny made the event extra
special.
October 5 was our annual Village Family Picnic, and it was attended by a record crowd. Once again, the HOA provided the main course and drinks, and
neighbors brought a dish to share. An
auction of donated items was held, and
$1778 was raised for the Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department. New this year
were carnival-style games and a “bouncy
house” for the kids with prizes for all.
October 31 was Trunk or Treat in the
parking lot of The Village Recreation
Center. Trick or Treaters from the
Ranch and Village went “trunk to
trunk” collecting sweets from many
Village residents. One car was designated to collect canned goods for the Food
Bank of Society of St Vincent de Paul at
St Matthias Catholic Church in Magnolia.
For the first time, HMR and The Village joined together for a “Complete
Neighborhood Christmas Gathering”
on December 6 at the Balmorhea
Events Center in Pinehurst.
The Village ended the year with Breakfast With Santa on December 13. Once
again, we collected toys from those participating and donated toys to St. Vincent de Paul at St. Mattias Catholic
Church in Magnolia.
Other on-going activities in The Village
included BINGO night once a month
from April thru August, and Star Gazing held once a month.
The Activity Committee is planning
another fun-packed year in 2015. To
get involved, please email Andra Heitzman (ajheitzman@gmail.com)
•Annual Flag Placement was moved up
in the year to be done prior to Memorial
Day
•Bi-Annual Color and mulch for our
entrance and rec center monuments was
implemented
•Maintenance Assessment for ROW
Ditch Mowing was re-assessed and the
assessment is now in line with the cost
incurred.
*A regular cleaning service is now being
performed at the rec center bathrooms
to be done once per week in the off season and twice per week in the peak season.
•Septic Service Maintenance Contract
was re-negotiated to include the regular
addition of chlorine to the system (this
was not being done before)
•Various Maintenance Items – Electrical Repairs to the rec center to include
outdoor plugs, after hours security lighting, evening lighting (column lights).
Gate repairs to each of the operable
gates at the rec center and tennis courts
to include new gate closure mechanisms
and gate stops as well as a decorative
header on the main gate to prevent sporadic operation of the key fob system.
Repair of the rec center AC Heat Pump.
(Committee Reports continue on page 4)
“Without volunteers,
nothing would ever be
accomplished!”
Page 3
2014 Committee Reports (continued)
Recreation Center Expansion /
Bud Irving
The Recreation Center Expansion
Committee is pursuing 2 projects, a
new Activity Center and a Splash
Pad.
The two projects will require extensive presentation and discussion,
more than is appropriate for the
annual meeting. The Expansion
Committee will request a special
meeting to discuss Capital Improvement Projects, including these 2
projects and the Fire Hydrant issue
to be held after the 2015 annual
meeting.
The Activity Center project has
reached a temporary impasse due to
the difficulty of locating a second,
handicapped enabled emergency
exit at the rear of the building as the
rear of the building abuts the drainage ditch. The Expansion Committee will present options for going
forward at the Capital Improvements meeting.
Last year at the 2014 annual meeting, you approved a budget of $6000
for the Expansion Committee to
pursue the design of the Activity
Center. To date we have spent
$5950 as listed below:
•Architect
$2800
•Soil Boring
$ 750
•Survey
$1500
•Foundation Engineering $900
Total
$5950
Security and Neighborhood
Watch /Bud Irving
Our evening patrol has been effective
this year. The Deputies continue to
patrol our neighborhood many mornings and evenings. We have seen a
significant reduction in traffic violations and in construction site theft.
There have been reports of poaching
in The Village and in High Meadow
Ranch. In one instance poachers
Page 4
were apprehended and are being prosecuted.
We wish to revitalize our neighborhood
watch program in 2015. We are looking
for block captains in most sections of
The Village. Inquire at the welcoming
table at our annual meeting if you are
interested or just curious.
Website/Cindy Hendrix
The website for the Village has continued to be filled with news, Homeowner
Reports and calendar events. With help
from Vickie Simon, the Meeting Minutes
and Financial Reports were put in a
more uniform order of reference. These
reports are available to all homeowners
and property owners under the “What’s
Happening” tab. There is still more organizational work to be done as each day
brings new things to be posted and updated. We are getting several hits each
week, so people are definitely looking at
our neighborhood with interest. If you
have something to post or ideas for the
site, please contact Cindy Hendrix at
hendrixr@sbcglobal.net.
Welcoming Committee/
Chris Ziegler
In 2014, welcomed to the neighborhood
and gave Name Rocks to the following:
Art & Lisa Castro
Greg & Kelly Steranko
Chick & Shari Chiczewski
Dana & LaVonna Butters
Scott & Leslie Wilson
Brad & Amy Wilson
Jeff & Debbie Perrin
Cliff & Amy Cornell
Greg & Amie Lucas
Carey & Sylvia White.
Chris & Michelle Johnson
Paul & Mandy Gonzales
Jake & Samantha Hammond
Jeff & Jodie Levers
Mike & Carolyn Roberts
Kirk & Amanda Hopkins
Jeff & Mandy Lauderdale
Billy & Erin Parks
Mike & Anita Trapnell
Every family was excited to receive
such a meaningful, personal Welcome Gift.
Met and chatted with several lot owners and potential owners re their
plans for building., exuded good will
to all!
“A successful team is a
group of many hands
but of one mind “
Bill Bethel
Emergency Action Plan Update!
High Meadow Ranch and The
Village at High Meadow have
jointly entered into an Emergency Action Plan to be implemented in case of a general
emergency. The Plan was
reviewed with the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and has
been given to the leadership
of the emergency responders
for our area. Copies of the
Plan can be viewed on the
Residents Only section of the
High Meadow Ranch website
(www.hmrca.org). A summary
of the Plan is also contained
in the front of the High Meadow Ranch directory., and will
soon be available on The Village Website.
the first 48 hours of a general
emergency - until local emergency providers can respond.
The major items of the Plan
are:
This Plan was developed with
the knowledge that High
Meadow needs to be prepared
to fend for ourselves during
Over the next few months, the
Plan will be rolled out to The
Village residents. The Village
The identification of and
plans to abate emergency
events that could negatively
impact a large number of
High Meadow residents,
The need for an alternative
emergency only (911) exit for
High Meadow,
The purchase and prepositioning of emergency supplies, and
The development of a High
Meadow administered emergency alert notification system
using your telephone emergency contact information.
residents’ emergency contact
information will be placed
into a digital database. This
information will then be used
for a test of the emergency
notification system to all of
High Meadow in early June
2015. (The actual date and
time of the test will be announced as we get closer to
the test date.)
Negotiations are continuing
on developing the alternative
emergency only (911) exit.
More information on this exit
will be published as soon as
possible.
Be Prepared... the
Please contact Glen
Pankonien at
gpankonien@gmail.com or
Bud Irving at budirving@gmail.com if you
have any questions or comments about the Plan.
meaning of the motto is
that one must prepare
himself by previous
thinking out and
practicing how to act on
any accident or emergency
so that he is never taken by
surprise.
ID Your Pets!
Just a simple plea for dog
owners to put collars/ID tags
on their dogs! In the past 45
days I have taken in 3 lost
dogs…..all wearing Invisible
fence collars. None of these
dogs had another collar with
and ID. Of the two I took to
a vet…..none with microchips. Folks….electric fences
never keep your dogs in 100%
of the time…..and if your male
dog is not neutered, his escapes will be frequent! Please…..put an ID on
your dog so if he is lost he can
be immediately returned. Get
your dog micro chipped. It is
usually about $35……and I
The Village News
By Elsie English
believe that Abandoned Animal Rescue of Tomball still
and Montgomery Counties only to
end up for sale on Craig's List! Even
if you see your missing animal advertised….without a microchip ID you
cannot prove it is yours! This has
already happened once in the
Ranch…..thanks to a microchip this
responsible owner was able to successfully recover their dog.
Give your pet the best ever
gift!!!.....positive identification!
offers this service for
$25. Hundreds of pets are
stolen every week in Harris
Page 5
A Year In
Pictures
The VILLAGE
2014
Passing out 2014 Directories at Annual Meeting
New Fawns arrive!
Spring Fun at Village Ladies Lunch Bunch!
Bingo fun March—August
Easter Egg Hunt...Village Style!
Community Garage Sale….SOLD!
Neighbors enjoying new
pool furniture!
NINE Village kids started
Kindergarten in 2014!
Village Family Fun at the Annual Village Family Picnic!
SMASH the Police Horse & friend
Bouncy House...
Neighbors helping Neighbors in the Community!
Trunk or Treat Fun...
old & young alike!
TWINS!
Yes….there IS a Santa Claus
(and a Mrs. Santa too!)
FIRST PLACE goes to
Bud & Lynn Irving in
Mailbox Contest!!
Village & High Meadow Ranch Neighbors
joined together to celebrate Christmas!
It Takes a Village
As most of you know the Boland
Family grew by 4 tiny little feet on
October 28, 2014. We were so excited but a little scared as the twins were
making an earlier than expected arrival date. We hoped for the best but
secretly prepared for the worst.
What we were not prepared for was
the outpouring of love that our
neighborhood showed us as a family.
Each night someone showed up at
our door with a warm meal or a plate
of cookies or brownies. Not to mention the countless flowers and cards.
We are truly humbled at the amazing
neighborhood that we live in and
blessed to call each and every one of
you not only neighbors but friends.
Thank you to everyone who has
stopped by and checked on the twins
and us. We are so very thankful for
each of you.
Save the Date - February 20th
Hearts of Gold Dinner and Barn Dance
(benefiting TOMAGWA)
It has been several years since a group from The Village organized to
raise money for TOMAGWA, a local organization who provides
healthcare to those in the surrounding communities (TOmball, MAGnolia,WAller). We hope you will consider joining us in our efforts to
support TOMAGWA as we have an evening of fun and fellowship on
February 20th. The event will start at 6:00 p.m. with a silent auctiion. Dinner will be served at 7:00 p.m. The Hearts of Gold Dinner
and Barn Dance will be held at Moffitt Oaks (off of 2920), 20125 Cedar Lane, Tomball, TX. The Shay Domann Band will provide entertainment.
For ticket or table information, contact Paula Scianna (281-259-2588)
or Lenora Price (281-259-9635). Sponsorships (Gold, Silver and Bronze
Levels) are available. Silent Auction Donations are gratefully accepted. Please contact Lenora Price or Thumper Jenkins (281-252-0225)
on sponsorships or auction donations.
Randy, Melissa, Major, Hawkins,
Duke, & Cy Boland
Each season, Girl Scouts sell over 200 million boxes of
cookies! Two of those cookies are in America’s top 5 most
sold cookies each year.
At $4 per box, you think you must be getting a great
cookie. You are. Each cookie is filled with opportunities
for girls to raise money to support their everyday activities,
campouts, saving for big trips, service projects, Bronze/
Silver/Gold Award projects, and money that is put back
into Girl Scout programs and facilities for them to participate in. Each cookie is also filled with girls learning public speaking, goal setting, business and customer service
skills, dedication and sacrifice of time. And on top of
that, they taste great!
If we miss you at your door, please email us at ccornell2@comcast.net or call/text 281-923-0546. We can either come to
your door or send you a link to order right from the comfort of your computer, tablet or phone. Cookie sales starts Saturday, January 10 and initial order taking lasts through almost 3 weeks so we can start delivering right around middle of February. And if they are gone in the first week and you realized you didn’t order enough (they freeze well!), give us a shout and
we’ll see what we can do to help you out.
Diabetic, dieting or just feeling generous? Support our military troops and buy cookies through our Cookie Share program
that will be sent to them. Trust me when I say, our family knows when that bit of home can make a difference to our soldiers.
Thanks! The Cornell Family off Quiet Way (281-923-0546)
Charitymiles.org has a
free app for both
Android and Apple.
Earn 25 cents for every
mile you log. Select an
organization from a list
of 30 and the app will
track your distance and
donate money for you.
A GREAT
IDEA!!
Activity Committee Notice!!
The 2015 Activity Committee is looking for volunteers! If you
would like to meet your neighbors, get involved in Village Activities, and enjoy a good time, then this committee is for you!
Please attend the “Kick Off” Activity Meeting of 2015 on
Monday, January 26 at 10 AM. The meeting will be held at
the home of Andra Heitzman 29322 Champions Drive.
Please attend!!!
For more information, please call (281-252-3264) or email
(ajheitzman@gmail.com).
January/February Calendar
January 26 (Monday) 2015 Village Activities Committee Meeting 10AM We need
volunteers! Contact Andra Heitzman (ajheitzman@gmail.com) for additional information.
January 29 (Thursday) Village Ladies Lunch Bunch Heitzman Home (29322 Champions Dr) 11:30AM Bring a dish to share and meet your neighbors!
February 2 (Monday) Village Ladies Bible Study 9AM Contact Paula Scianna
(psjsscianna@aol.com) for more information.
February 14 (Saturday)
VALENTINE’S DAY
February 16 (Monday) Village Ladies Bible Study 9AM Contact Paula Scianna
(psjsscianna@aol.com) for more information.
February 19 (Thursday) ANNUAL VILLAGE HOMEOWNER’S MEETING 7PM at
HMR Ranch House Coffee and dessert will be served. Please attend!
February 26 (Thursday) Village Ladies Lunch Bunch (time and place to be announced!)