NEIGHBORHOOD STATUS UPDATE 11/7/16

Neighbors:

We have learned much over these past few weeks regarding the various requests and concerns within our neighborhood.  Below, I will detail what we know and our planned course of action on each issue. However, before I do that, I would like to clarify that "we' is a committee of a few individuals that are representing a group of interested neighbors that share common questions and concerns regarding the neighborhood.  We are not the HOA and we do not represent the HOA. We also are not the official communication arm of the neighborhood. To this point, we may decide on a course of action or recommendation that is not consistent with your individual views, and if we do, please feel free to contact the HOA or respective external entity that would be responsible for that issue and express your own individual opinion or pursuits.  With that in mind, this is where we are now:

Speed Control and Stop Signs- We have learned that the Denton County Municipal Water District (DCMWD) is responsible for the interior maintenance of most of our neighborhood including street maintenance, signage and street lighting.  We have engaged Denton County regarding the addition of more speed control and children at play signs particularly along Highwood and Winehart streets and a STOP sign at Highwood and Del Molin streets. . DCMWD has asked us to indicate, on a neighborhood map, where we would like to add the speed, STOP and street lights within our neighborhood.  The committee is in the process of doing this now.  DCMWD indicates that the signage should not bee too much of an issue, however the street lighting is very expensive and the number of additional street lights will be very limited.  They have already committed to add additional lighting in the park area. The committee will submit the map to DCMWD in the next week or so.  If you have a specific request for signage or lighting in an area, please let us know as soon as possible so it can be considered in our proposal.     

Work Out Center Amenities-  There was some concern expressed regarding the quality and extent of equipment at our work out facility compared to that in our sister community (Castle Hills North).  We were told that the equipment in both centers is exactly the same, although ours is newer. Iif there are any further concerns on this point, please let us know or contact the HOA directly. 

Playground Equipment-  We had some requests to add a volleyball or basketball court in the open area next to the park. In our meeting with the HOA, they indicated that this would be very cost prohibitive due to both construction and perimeter fencing requirement to construct such an amenity. These costs would far exceed the capacity of our annual dues as well as add the dilemma of encouraging individuals from outside our community (such as those from the apartments across the street) to use these facilities and frequent our neighborhood which we do not want. There are volleyball and basketball facilities at our sister neighborhood however those were constructed in an open, separate area adjacent to the community and were part of the original construction so the residents were not taxed with construction of those facilities. We are also welcome to use those facilities any time.    

Swings- We have had some interest in adding swings in the open area of the park as well. The HOA is opposed to doing this for insurance liability reasons.  However, there are swing sets in both our sister community and the main Castle Hills community, so we will continue to inquire about this option. It is not known what the cost would be, but it would have to be funded from the HOA dues that all Castle Hills residents pay so there will likely be some politics or timing issues here.

Benches- There have been numerous requests to add more benches in the community, particularly at the park. The HOA is agreeable to adding one more bench in the park area if they can find the same type and the cost is not too excessive. That is likely all we will get from the HOA this year in the park area.  The areas outside the park fall under the jurisdiction of the DCMWD so we will pursue the addition of benches in other areas, such as the cul-de-sac on Warwick and other open areas with DCMWD.  These additional bench locations will be presented on the same map we submit for signs and street lights.

Perimeter Wall- There is some concern regarding the low height of the perimeter wall in some areas of the community.  The HOA states that the height of the wall absolutely cannot be changed or increased. The cost to do this would be much too prohibitive and the wall was specifically designed as is when the neighborhood was constructed. The HOA specifically prohibits any independent manipulation of the wall as well.  They do recommend as an alternative, to plant barrier forming shrubs that would grow higher than the existing wall to form a higher sight barrier. There does not appear to be any further course of action on this issue.

Street Parking-  There is considerable concern regarding excessive street parking, particularly for large parties or social events. The HOA indicates that short duration parking of this nature is not enforceable by any entity.  All we can ask is that those neighbors hosting these events be sensitive to their neighbors around them and not block both sides of the street or any neighbors driveway  Regarding long term parking on the street, the HOA states that if they are notified of a specific violation with the description of the vehicle and the street address, they will send a violation letter to that individual.  

Security Systems-  There were several complaints regarding the requirement to have a landline to engage the security company. The HOA states that this is because the contract they have with the security company is a very old one and won't expire anytime soon.  They did also state that if a resident wants to pursue the wireless security system option, that the security company (Vector Security) will discount the monthly fee by $15.00 and the remaining monthly cost would be $30.00 per month instead of $45.00.  Anyone interested in discussing with Vector can contact them at. 817-424-3838.

Holiday Lighting- There were some concerns regarding the quality of the holiday lighting at the entrances of our community.  The HOA assured us that we would have the same quality of lighting as the other Castle Hills communities have at their entrances. 

Speed control at Winehart and Windhaven- As we all know, there is a blind curve along westbound Windhaven that presents a traffic hazard at the intersection with Winehart. This falls under the jurisdiction of the City of Lewisville. We have discussed this with the city and they have commissioned a traffic study to research this issue and they will be back in contact with us.  We will provide updates as we receive them.

Sorry for the length of this update, but there are many issues. We will provide more updates as we receive them in the future.

Thanks,

Scott Stauffer