Published monthly by the Villages of Westcreek Owners' Association

Communications Committee - November 1, 2022 Edition!

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Q. What is your role here at Westcreek? 

A. As the Front Office Manager, I support training and supervise the front office staff.

Q. What brought you here/what makes you stay? 

A.  I lived in and love this community. I am committed to helping your community become a better place to live. 

Q. How long have you been with Villages of Westcreek?

A.  I’ve been working for Westcreek for nine years. I have grown so much as a leader and manager. Thank you for the opportunity to work for the community.

Q. What are your hobbies outside of work?

A. Fishing, Dancing, Exercising, and Interior Design.

“We are so proud to have you as part of our team!”

Submitted by: Brian Bush, VWOA Assistant Secretary

We received an update from the project supervisor with Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, the Military Drive project will begin the week of November 7th with them taking up the old curbs and sidewalks. There will be signage to inform the community of the construction start date. 

Once construction begins, please give yourself more time as you drive through the neighborhood, since traffic will be heavy as people find other ways to get in and out of the area. The VWOA Board of Directors and staff have a good rapport with the project supervisor and will monitor this construction project and update the community as we obtain information.

Please remember to watch your speed in the community and to be a courteous driver, let’s not make this any more frustrating than it needs to be.

We appreciate your support!

Submitted by: Elaine Maurer - VWOA President

NOVEMBER BOARD MEETING DATES CHANGED

The November 2022 Open and Executive Board Meetings will be moved from the third week of November to Wednesday, November 30, 2022 (Executive), and Thursday, December 1, 2022 (Open), at 6:00 PM. The meeting notices will be sent out with the zoom link for Open Session in Mid-November via Constant Contact. 

Submitted by: Maria Robinson - VWOA Community Manager

BOARD APPROVES 2023 BUDGET AND ASSESSMENTS 

With a few minor changes to the Finance and Reserve Study Committee proposal, the VWOA Board unanimously approved the new 2023 Operating Budget at the Open Board Meeting held on September 15^th. After much debate, the Board agreed on a 9.09% increase in assessments. The increase in assessments was necessary to maintain needed funding levels in the Reserve accounts to continue to maintain existing amenities and save for future capital improvement projects.

The new assessment amount will be $108 a quarter ($432 per year). This is the first increase in assessments in 6 years. The new assessment amount goes into effect on January 1, 2023.  If your assessments are set to autopay through your bank or the SpectrumAM Homeowner Portal, please make sure to adjust the amount to avoid any late fees due to unpaid assessments.

Remember that all HOA financials, budgets, and the Reserve Study are accessible through your Spectrum Homeowner portal.



Submitted by: Heather Mallia, VWOA Treasurer

SOLICITATION FOR VOLUNTEER ARC REGULAR MEMBER

The Villages of Westcreek Owners' Association is currently recruiting to fill a Regular Member vacancy on the Architectural Review Committee (ARC).  You must be a homeowner to be appointed by the Board of Directors to serve on this committee.

The primary objective of the ARC is to enhance and preserve property values throughout the community while being as consistent and fair as possible with their decisions and recommendations. The ARC has the authority to:

•  Adopt and administer the review process on behalf of the VWOA;  
• Review and approve or disapprove plans and specifications for each Property Improvement Application (PIA) regarding changes to the premises;  
• Make changes to the "Standards for Architectural Design and Property Maintenance" as deemed necessary in accordance with the CC&Rs and applicable Federal, State, and local laws; and, 
• Make reasonable efforts to assist the applicants with their requests and any other concerns regarding the "Standards."

ARC members will be trained and expected to conduct business using an automated system. This system allows ARC members to digitally view, comment, approve or deny PIAs.

Ideal candidates will need to

• have access to a computer and the internet.
• be available consistently to meet in person should homeowners request a meeting to discuss their PIA. 
• have knowledge of the CC&Rs and the VWOA's standards.

Additional duties and responsibilities are outlined in the "Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (Article IX - Architectural Review Committee)" and "Standards for Architectural Design and Property Maintenance."

HOW TO APPLY!

CLICK HERE to send an email to the VWOA Community Manager to submit your name for consideration. Be sure to include your home address, phone number, and email address.

Submitted by: Lynette Bradley - Chair, Architectural Review Committee

The Board of Directors strongly encourages all residents to join our "Let's Light Up Westcreek Crime Prevention Campaign."  By turning on your outdoor lighting from "dusk to dawn" every night, criminals and vandals will have no place to hide in our community!

Submitted by: Elaine Maurer - VWOA President

Submitted by: Elaine Maurer - VWOA President

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDoT, 2019), one in five crashes involves a distracted driver.  Distracted driving means not paying attention, driver distraction, or cell phone use.  TXDoT states, "As of September 1, 2017, a new statewide law makes it illegal for all drivers to read, write or send a text and drive in Texas."

One of the strengths of this community is the family-friendly and neighborly orientation.  Considering the many school zones and participants in outdoor activities of all ages, let's be extra diligent and remain focused while behind the wheel.  Here are some tips to limit distraction while out on the road:

• Put your phone away while driving
• Enable Driving Mode on cell phones that will prompt auto-replies to calls or texts
• If you must acknowledge your phone, get out of traffic and stop in a parking lot before reading or responding

Check out this very moving video below, and do our part to keep each other safe!

To learn more about distracted driving dangers and statistics, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Submitted by: Bill Fenstermacher, Communications Committee Vice-Chair

Submitted by: Bill Fenstermacher, Communications Committee Vice-Chair

Submitted by: Bill Fenstermacher, Communications Committee Vice-Chair

Submitted by: Bill Fenstermacher, Communications Committee Vice-Chair

HOLIDAY DECORATION SCHEDULE

As we approach the Holiday Season, we thought it would be a good time to review the timelines on when you can display your outdoor holiday decorations! 

Holiday decorations may be displayed on the premises, without ARC approval. Under our current guidelines, you can display your Christmas holiday decorations forty (40) days prior to the holiday thru the following 16th of January (which corresponds to the last day that the New Year's decorations may be displayed). At the 11/18/2021 Open Board Meeting, the Board reviewed and approved the request to change the standards to allow 45 days for Halloween decorating.

For all other holidays during the year, the decorations can be displayed 30 days before the holiday and must be removed no later than 15 days following the actual holiday date.

Special event decorations such as birthdays, anniversaries, newborns, returning veterans, etc., may only be displayed on the premises for three (3) days without the Standards Department's approval if the number of decorations are minimal and, the decorations and signs are not placed anywhere else within the Villages of Westcreek, including the properties fronting any entrance to the Villages of Westcreek.  

We hope you find the chart below helpful as you decorate for the upcoming Holiday Season!

Halloween

• Decorations Down - November 15, 2022

Thanksgiving

• Decorations Up - October 25, 2022
• Decorations Down - December 9, 2022

Christmas

• Decorations Up - November 15, 2022
• Decorations Down - January 16, 2023

New Year's

• Decorations Up - December 2, 2022
• Decorations Down - January 16, 2023

Reference:  Section 6.7 of the Standards

CLICK HERE to view the Standards!

Submitted by: Lynette Bradley, Chair Architectural Review Committee

Here are some important dates concerning the upcoming General Election to be held on November 8, 2022.

• Early Vote Period: Monday, October 24, 2022 – Friday, November 4, 2022
• Election Day: Tuesday, November 8, 2022 (7 am-7 pm)

Click here to visit the Bexar County Election Department for additional information!

Submitted by: Bill Fenstermacher, Communications Committee Vice-Chair

COMMUNITY UPDATES



1. Monuments at Daisy Field and Potranco-TABLED- The Community Manager spoke with a representative from TXDOT, and they informed her that TXDOT does not typically allow any type of construction within their right of ways.    
2. Garden Lily and Tally Rd.-TABLED- The Board has decided to table this project until the construction on Talley Road has been completed.     
3. Pointe Monument-OPEN- The Board approved the installation of Solar Lighting for this monument as the county does not allow trenching.    
4. Maintenance Shop Replacement-OPEN- The contract for this has been signed, and the deposit invoice has been paid; this project is currently scheduled to begin after the completion of the concrete pad and electrical installation. 
5. Maintenance Shop Concrete Pad-OPEN- The Board has made the decision to rebid the project due to the increased cost of moving the location. After receiving updated proposals, the Board made the decision to continue with Lonestar Kustom Construction at a cost of $38,435.  

Submitted by: Maria Robinson - VWOA Community Manager

Over the past year, the Board has been working toward monument beautification as funds allow. One goal was to install more effective lighting at all the monuments. Many monuments along Westcreek Oaks Drive do not have electricity running to the monument and have only dim garden-grade solar lights. The initial plan was to trench and have electricity run to every monument that currently does not have electricity. Unfortunately, Bexar County no longer allows 3rd party contractors to do this type of work. The cost to go through the County for trenching was far more than the HOA budget would allow. 

The Board decided instead to have commercial-grade solar lighting installed. The first completed monument is The Hollow, and the difference is dramatic! The following monuments are also slated for lighting improvements: The Oaks at Westcreek Oaks, Willowbrook, The Summit, The Bluffs, The Hills, and The Estates. The Pointe is still a work in progress. It has electricity installed on one side, but we are waiting on the Military Road Project to be completed before determining the best route for the other side of the Pointe.

As you may have noticed, as you drive through the community, further monument beautification is occurring through power washing and paint refresh on many of the older monuments. Landscaping upgrades are also in the works.

Submitted by: Heather Mallia, VWOA Treasurer

The Villages of Westcreek offers a variety of Health and Fitness Programs throughout the year. Please click on the following link to see the latest information about these programs:  https://villagesofwestcreek.com/recreation/healthandfitness/

For more details, please click the link below:

https://files.constantcontact.com/a865254c001/29b3933d-f784-4f36-8ffe-fc40cd8945c8.jpg

For those who may wish to get more involved with this program, please click the link below:

https://villagesofwestcreek.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Blue-Santa-Toy-Drive-2022.pdf

Submitted by: Melissa Garcia - VWOA Office Manager

Submitted by: Melissa Garcia - VWOA Office Manager

Feeling grateful this Fall? Share the feeling and help patients in need.

For your convenience, the South Texas Bloodmobile will be in the VWOA Community Center Parking Lot on Saturday, November 5th, from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

Give blood in November and score a Give Cancer the Bird T-shirt! Plus, get 100 donor rewards redeemable in our donor store ($10 value).

Save lives this season and schedule your donation today using the link below! 

https://donor.southtexasblood.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/137406

AND ... all presenting donors will be entered to win a $40 gift card to the restaurant of their choice! 

Villages of Westcreek

12354 Military Drive West

San Antonio, TX 78253

Submitted by: Melissa Garcia - VWOA Office Manager

.Submitted by: Melissa Garcia - VWOA Office Manager

Contact:

Jason Dunbar

VWOA Parks & Recreation Manager

Phone - 210-748-2245

Email: activities@villagesofwestcreek.com

Submitted by: Jason Dunbar - VWOA Parks & Recreation Manager

After this excruciatingly hot summer, most of us are ready to make a cool change. Let’s look at some of our favorite colorful fall annuals for cool weather.

Snapdragons: Snapdragons come in a variety of colors and sizes. Dwarf varieties grow to about 9 inches, perfect for front borders. Intermediate snapdragons grow about 15″-18″ tall. These look great planted in masses or in the middle of dwarf and rocket varieties. Rocket snapdragons are the tallest of the bunch, reaching heights of 30″-36″. Snapdragons are quite cold hardy if kept well-watered. They go dormant through winter and pop back to life in spring.

Dianthus: Dianthus are actually biennials or short-lived perennials, but we tend to grow them as annuals here because they prefer the cooler temperatures. You will find these sweet fall ‘annuals’ in shades of white, pink, magenta, red and bicolor. On average they grow about 6″-12″ tall and wide, but you can usually find a few taller varieties as well.

Pansies and Violas (Johnny Jump Ups): These fall annual favorites really need the cooler weather to thrive. In fact, these beauties will see you through winter and into spring. They grow an average of 4″-10″ with a similar spread. Pansies have a larger flower than Violas, but otherwise, they are very similar. A huge range of colors is available. You can also find them solid, splotched, or whiskered.

Alyssum and Lobelia: These fall annuals thrive in mild cool temperatures, but they won’t survive through a very cold winter. Frost will most likely damage them. They are however a perfect ‘bridge’ from fall into winter and will bring you joy while you have them. These are both low-growing annuals (about 6″ tall). Alyssum grows in a somewhat carpet or mat-like form, while lobelia tends to take on a spilling, or trailing form. These habits make them great fall annuals to add to mixed containers or front edges of annual beds.

More Choices: Others include cyclamen (a favorite cold-loving annual for the shade), petunias and calibrachoas (which are more bridging annuals to enjoy until it gets too cold). There also are some perennials that get a second life once fall rolls around: salvias, sages, lantana, cupheas, coneflowers, and mums.



Information courtesy of Rainbow Gardens www.rainbowgardens.biz.

Submitted by: Michelle de Jongh - Communications Committee Secretary