HACKBERRY CREEK NEWSFLASH!

January 21st, 2023

Greetings this Saturday morning Hackberry Residents!

We have LOTS of NEW information in this edition of the NewsFlash so be sure to read completely from top to bottom.

Something NEW is a speed limit change here in Hackberry Creek - be sure to see all the details below! Also, two intersections on Ruston will be converted back to 2-Way Stops.

If you have not yet downloaded the Hackberry Creek App, please do so soon to ensure you can get the latest important and critical updates when they occur! (See links towards the bottom of this email).

This NewsFlash also includes information on...

• Radar Cameras Coming Soon!
• On The Horizon - Projects Update
• Traffic Study - 210 Page Info Packet Released
• School Crossing Volunteers Needed!
• All Holiday Decor Should Now Be Removed
• Littering in Hackberry Creek
• Flash Survey Results - Gate 1 Fountain
• Animal Safety Committee Still Needs Your Feedback!
• New Hackberry Creek App for Residents
• Call for Volunteers for Your Committees
• New Hackberry Creek Cookbook Project - 75 More Recipes Needed!

Have a great week and as always, if you have any questions, please call the Hackberry Creek office at 972-401-4946.

The Board of Directors voted at the January 2023 Board Meeting to revert the 2 intersections listed above back to their original configuration as being 2-way stops. We are working to secure a vendor for the sign removal and the re-installation of "cross traffic does not stop" signage on the original poles.

The removal will take place no earlier than Friday, January 27th and could be potentially delayed a few days depending on vendor availability.

Stay tuned for more information!

The office has vests and signs ready for use - now we just need volunteers to act as crossing guards! Denelle Alexander is heading up the project so please reach out to her with any questions. (denelle.alexander@gmail.com)

A sign-up genius has been created and you can find the link below!

The community has ordered and awaiting arrival of 3 SafePace Guardian Pro radar cameras to track, monitor, and cite speeding in the neighborhood. The intention behind the installation and use of these cameras is to change behavior and encourage residents to always travel at or below the posted speed limit.

SafePace Guardian Pro is a fully integrated multi-beam infrared speed enforcement camera developed by Traffic Logix. The camera uses a 16-channel light sensor to actively illuminate an area of interest and, based on precise time-of-flight measurements, determine vehicle speed and location. In addition the low intensity infrared light emitted by the camera is invisible to radar detectors.

SafePace Guardian Pro also works with SafePace Cloud, which allows us to remotely manage our cameras from our computers, with detailed reporting, customized alerts, and real-time data. We can see statistics for each camera, change settings, check battery levels and import ticket data without having to travel to the various camera locations.

SafePace Guardian Pro is highly configurable and the on board camera interface allows us to adjust the following parameters among others:

• Official Local Speed Limit
• Violation Speed Limit (Limit which triggers the recording of a speed violation incident)
• Number of images recorded for each speed violation incident

SafePace Guardian Pro keeps a detailed log of internal events which allows us to perform a complete audit of its operations.

Coming soon!

The previous Board of Directors (prior to October 19th, 2022) had voted to compile for review all documents and communications related to the Traffic Study conducted in early 2022. This includes invoices, board and committee meeting minutes, communications, comments, feedback, board discussions, committee discussions, two drafts and the final traffic study report into one packet of information that was for their review.

In the interest of transparency, the current board voted at the January 2023 meeting to release to the community all of the information previously gathered so residents could see all of the information and communication surrounding the Traffic Study.

By following the link below, you will be taken to the community website where this 200 plus page document can be found, viewable by registered members only.

Email addresses, physical addresses, and phone numbers have been redacted from all of the documents.

At the January 2023 Board meeting the Board of Directors finalized speed limit discussions concerning Southern Oak. The speed limit on Southern Oak (only), once new signage is installed, will be 20mph from the intersection of Summitview and Southern Oak to the intersection of Sumac and Southern Oak.

A new traffic fining schedule is in the works to include this new speed limit and enforcement limits and is expected to be voted on at the February 2023 Board Meeting. We expect the speed limit (plus pedestrian crossing signs) to be installed before the February Board meeting. The board would like to provide the community this notice starting today and approximately no less than 45 days from now the new speed limit of 20mph will be enforced in this area. The proposed enforcement will see the issuance of a fine at any vehicle travelling 24mph or more.

Stay tuned for more information as we get closer to the installation of new signage.

• Swing at McKee Park repaired
• Mckee Park water fountain repaired
• Several street light photos cells replaced - still pending electrical on 4 locations with ONCOR
• New stop signs at Ruston and Clearspring and Ruston and Creekside North to be removed in next week.
• New VOIP Phone system pending for office and guard houses. New system has more functionality, and annual cost-savings of approximately $600 annually to community.
• Pedestrian Crossing and Speed Limit Signs to be installed on Southern Oak in next 30 days.
• Three Radar Cameras to be installed - awaiting ship date
• New Gate House Cloud-based Cameras system to be installed in next 30 days.
• New Monument Lighting at all entrances to be installed - projected by March 1st.
• Reserve Study engineer to visit property for initial review with Manager next week in preparation of formulation of updated Reserve Study.
• RFID / Toll Tag control panels - expected ship date January 24th - awaiting ship date / tracking number confirmation.
• Painting at all entrances complete.

Thank you to all who participated in the poll! After removing duplicate responses from the same email addresses we had 367 unique "votes" in the survey.

249 Residents would like to see the fountain converted to a decorative planter.

118 Residents would like to see the fountain restored to its original condition.

This equates to 67.8% selecting the planter option and 32.2% selecting the restoration option.

If you haven't already, please remove all exterior holiday decor as quickly as possible. Notices are going out to those who still have holiday decor up. Thank you!

LITTERING IN HACKBERRY CREEK

The weather has been great for outdoor walks and the streets of Hackberry are a wonderful place to take one! However, due to the increased number of residents out and about we have seen a sharp increase in the number of residents who are reporting litter left in the streets, along walks and in the bushes. Some debris can be attributed to windy days and travelling near or far from elsewhere. However, some of the litter is not due to the wind. One area of concern is along Waterford Drive and the brick wall where one or several individuals continue to throw out empty beer cans and bottles. We have the landscape crew address these areas regularly but yet just one day after cleaning - more litter appears.

At the parks, please ensure trash cans are being utilized and if you happen to see something blown about, please be a good neighbor and help it find its way to the trash can. Trash at the parks is emptied weekly.



Everyone wants to see Hackberry Creek as the beautiful neighborhood it is. If you see someone littering, let them know you saw it and report to the office if necessary if you know the individual(s) responsible. Thank you!

Animal Safety (re-named!) Committee Seeks More Resident Input and Ideas

The Hackberry Creek ‘Animal Safety Committee’ (ASC) was formed to advise the HOA Board of Directors on what actions should be taken in the event of an animal attack on another animal or human within Hackberry Creek Village. The Committee has begun its work; however, the committee believes that it should also focus on the underlying cause of those attacks—finding ways to decrease the number of loose or off-leash dogs in the neighborhood to PREVENT any such attack from happening.

This Committee would like to encourage residents to submit any constructive ideas they might have on how to:

1. Effectively address the aftermath of animal attack.
2. Decrease the number of loose or off-leash dogs in the neighborhood.

The Animal Safety Committee welcomes your ideas on these two items. Please submit your input by January 31st to: HackberryAACcommittee@gmail.com

NEW YEAR - NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE!

Your Association is looking for volunteers for several committees! Here is a list of opportunities below and contact information for each Board Liaison and Committee Chairperson. Start the New Year off right by getting involved! You can email any of the contact people by clicking the buttons below for information on how to be a part!

Communications Committee

Finance Committee

Governing Documents Committee

Security Committee

We are happy to announce that Hackberry Creek now has its own resident's app for Apple and Android devices!

The app will allow you to contact the office, view other website members, utilize the forum and receive push notifications for important news and updates! The app does not have as many features as the full website but is still a great tool to stay in touch with neighbors and up-to-date with Association news! And, if you prefer the app language other than English, you can change that setting as well.

After downloading (links below) for your specific device, please follow these steps to get connected and logged in to the app:

1. Download the app for your device using appropriate link below or simply search "Hackberry Creek" to find it in the App Store or on Google Play. You should see the green Hackberry Logo and the name of the app is Hackberry Creek HOA App.
2. Open the App
3. In the far upper left of the home screen you will see a little round grey and white profile icon. Tap that icon.
4. You should see the Hackberry Name and logo and a button that says "Get Started". Tap "Get Started".
5. Enter your email address.
6. Click "Continue"
7. If you already are a member of the website registered with the email address you entered, look at bottom of screen and select "Already have a password? Log in". Skip to step 9.
8. If you are not already a member of the website, go to your email account and click on the link provided within 20 minutes. Be sure to check your Spam folder. Follow the instructions to create an account. Once you've received notification your account is approved / created, close and re-open the app and start again at step 2.
9. Enter your password (the one you use for the website) and click "Log In"
10. A pop up should appear asking you if you'd like to allow notifications. Select Yes to ensure you are notified of any alerts or messages instantaneously.
11. If you have landed at your profile page, you can update accordingly or push the back arrow in the upper left to go to the home page.
12. You're in!

From the app Home Screen you will find Important Announcements below the menu bar. If you scroll to the bottom of the page you will see a Members list. To follow the Association Manager or specific board members, find them in the members list and select follow so you will be notified anytime they post something. At the moment you can only search by first name be we are working on expanding that capability.

By selecting the Contact menu option you can send a message or click to call us at the office. You can also go to the full mobile version of the website.

The Forum is available on the app so you can read, comment on, or add a post. If none of the categories are visible or are grayed out - it means you are not logged in as a member.

The Galley page has photos from recent events.

To manage notification settings, click on the round, gray notification icon (a bell) in the far upper right side of the screen. Click the 3 dots in the upper right, select "Notification Settings". On this screen you can select what type of notifications you'd like to receive. We recommend at a minimum you elect to receive "Announcements" under the General category (first selection) so any important push notifications will be delivered immediately. Ensure notification are also enabled on your phone for the Hackberry App in your phone's notifications settings.

To change the app language to a language other than English, from the Home screen, press the small round profile icon in the upper left. On the My Profile page, select the gear icon in far upper right to go to the Settings page. Select App Language and choose your preferred language from 23 different options. Once changed the app will close and re-open. Note that any text in Announcements will still display in English but all other navigation text should appear in the language of your choosing.

Click the icons below to download your app! 

We Want to Publish Your Favorite Recipes!

We need your help to create a community cookbook of favorite family recipes. To contribute is simple and can be done online in just a few minutes! Here's how you can contribute... Find the special recipe that your family loves to eat and you love to make. Click the button below to fill out a simple form to submit your recipe. It's that simple! 

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To help us know how many cookbooks you may want to order, be sure to include that information as well. This project is being done at cost. We expect the books to cost approximately $5 or less. The final exact cost will depend on how many copies are ordered and the number of recipes submitted.

(If you'd like to help edit or assist with the project please contact the office!)

The Deadline for entering Recipes is Saturday, December 31, 2022 in order to have our cookbooks printed and available late January 2023. Please help us to make this project a success and enter at least one recipe before the deadline! 

Click The Button Below To Submit Your Recipes!