 12/16/00 - Neighborhood Update |
06/28/00 - Neighborhood Update |
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10/17/00 - Info From Board Meeting |
2000 News
Morton Road Fences
Construction should begin on the Morton Rd. fence replacement the first week of January, 2001. It is anticipated the construction will take about one month to complete.
The company that is building the fence is offering special discounts to homeowners during the construction. If you are interested in having any fence work done on your property contact Mark McDonald with Southwestern Fence Co.
2001 HOA Maintenance Fees
Since receiving your 2001 HOA maintenance fee billing, you should have noticed an increase of $35 vs. the last several years. Although several residents have asked if this increase is needed in order to pay for new Morton Road fencing which will soon be going up, it is expected that HOA capital reserves built up over the past few years will entirely fund the new Morton Road fencing.
But Barkers Ridge is facing a substantial expense of at least $25,000 in the next few years to re-gunite the pool due to the fact the current gunite is becoming more and more porous, which in turn is creating a black algae problem that is difficult and expensive to control. Additionally, the HOA Board is planning to perform several Morton Road (non-fencing) beautification projects over the next few years, which may include constructing a new entry/exit monument to replace our monument lost during the County’s Morton Road expansion project, cleaning and beautifying the existing monuments and entryways, planting additional trees, shrubbery and flowers and installing an irrigation system in the median to help keep us from losing any more trees, and to allow us to plant and maintain shrubbery, flowers and additional trees in the median. If you have any other ideas for beautifying Morton Road or any of our common areas, please e-mail them to a Board member for consideration.
Additionally, although there has not been an increase in the annual maintenance fees for several years, our Barkers Ridge expenses have increased considerably. Our regular re-occurring major expenses which have increased include electricity and street lights, landscaping services (primarily mowing and edging our common areas), pool maintenance and life guard services, management company services and Constable services.
Take heart though if you are among the residents that have recently heard the rumor that our maintenance fees will be increasing $25 to $35 every year for the next three to four years. Recently prepared long-term cost analysis show that such rumored increases will not be required. Once we have completed our Morton Road beautification projects and re-gunited the pool, monies put into the reserve fund annually should cover expected future capital expenditures and major maintenance needs.
Morton Road Fencing:
Currently the HOA Board is working to obtain a right of easement from all Barkers Ridge residents backing up to either Morton or Greenhouse. Concentrating on Morton Road first, Board members are visiting with those Morton Road residents that have not yet signed the agreements. This effort has reduced the number of unsigned residents to only a handful. It is the Board’s goal to have all signatures completed by November 20th.
Subsequent to obtaining the necessary rights of easement, the fencing project should begin within a one-month timeframe. Through a bidding and interview process, the Board has selected the fencing contractor and is now in final negotiations with them. As many residents have asked, the Board is negotiating with the chosen contractor to obtain discounted pricing for any Barkers Ridge residents wanting to put in new fencing on their own. After negotiations have been completed, the Board will communicate the discounted pricing to you via this web page.
Once construction begins, we anticipate each Morton Road home will require two days of construction activity … one day to tear down the old fence and to set the new posts, and the 2nd day to install the rails, footer board, pickets and cap rail. Temporary fencing will be installed overnight as necessary. It is expected that such temporary fencing will be chain link.
All Morton Road homeowners will be notified in advance as to when construction will begin on their particular property’s fence line. This notification will occur via a written letter left at their front door.
Jogging Trail:
Although the Board does not yet know when construction of the jogging trail is expected to begin, County engineers are working with the developer of the new neighborhood to be located between Barkers Ridge and Ashley Road to finalize the plans. Because the necessary funds from the State have already been received by the County, the project is expected to start very shortly after the plans are completed. The HOA Board will update you as additional information is learned.
Info from the last board meeting. - 10/17/00
1) We are hoping to get the new fence construction started sometime in early December. We are in the final stages of getting final approvals.
2) We discussed the sprucing up of Morton road. That project will start in February/March. (Spring plantings at the entrances and in front of the pool)
FROM: Barkers Ridge Homeowners Association
DATE: June 28, 2000
Morton Road Expansion
The County’s expansion of Morton Road between Greenhouse and Barker Cypress is nearly complete as of this writing. As requested by the HOA and MUD 238, the County is constructing sidewalks along the north side of Morton Road from Piney Forest Drive to Deeds Road, and on the south side between Morton Court and Dulaney. Additionally, curbing has been installed on the north side of Morton as well, which will make sidewalk use safer and Morton Road more attractive visibly.
Although the County does not normally construct sidewalks when expanding existing streets or building new one’s, our sidewalks (which total nearly $100,000 due to all the drainage work involved) are being constructed at no cost to Barkers Ridge.
Hike & Bike Trail
The County was successful in securing funds from the State to build a hike & bike trail from Appletree Hill, through KISD property between Mayde Creek High School and the Junior High to the existing Cullen Park Hike & Bike Trail. Engineering plans for this hike & bike trail are being completed, with construction expected to begin late this year.
Further to this installation, the County is also planning to connect the Cullen Park trail into the City of Houston Hike & Bike trails which run west of Eldridge through Hershey Park. When these hike & bike trail expansions are completed, Barkers Ridge residents will be able to access a long stretch of trails taking us well into Houston.
New Neighborhood Construction
As most of you have heard, the unimproved land located just to the south of us, between Barkers Ridge and Ashley Road, has been purchased by Longlake Development. Longlake plans to develop the property by building approximately 350 homes of roughly the same size, quality and price as those located throughout Barkers Ridge. Per the developers current plans, only one street of this new development will be accessible directly through Barkers Ridge. As such, only the homes on that street, which will run parallel to Cherry Tree Grove and intersect with Eagle Ridge Way, are currently planned to become part of Barkers Ridge. All other homes are planned to be a part of a separate subdivision. This could change depending on future negotiations between the HOA and the developer.
Although other builders may be added in the future, current plans include two builders throughout this new development: Ashwood Homes and Postwood Homes. It is expected that Ashwood will build 2,400 – 3,300 square foot homes on the larger lots and Postwood will build 2,000 – 2,500 square foot homes on the smaller lots. Currently, Ashwood is building homes in Kellywood Enclave and Postwood is building in Villages of Bear Creek.
Construction of the streets and utilities is expected to begin soon, with construction of actual homes beginning in early to mid 2001. Current plans have homes being built west to east, meaning they will start with the homes closest to Greenhouse Road and work their way back towards Dulaney. This means that the section of homes currently expected to become a part of Barkers Ridge will probably not be built for another two years or more.