Greetings & happy holidays to you & your family! Please find below a few items of interest as we head toward the new year:

 Allied Waste Pickup
As if missing one pickup was difficult, two will be even tougher at this time of year. But, as it turns out, Christmas & New Year’s both fall on a Thursday, which means we’re out of luck again.

Deputy Wilkerson advises that, for security reasons, you break down your boxes & don’t put them out until they are to be picked up. From a recycling point of view, cardboard is very recyclable, but you have to break down your boxes to allow them to be stacked in the recycling vehicle. Since we miss our recycling turn on the 1^st. hold on to your boxes until the next Thursday, and you can accomplish both security & recycling objectives.

Allied has discussed updating our contract, and it would be a good opportunity to attempt to change our days of pickup, from Monday/Thursday to Tuesday/Friday. Most new trash pickup contracts include polycarts for general trash & recycled waste, and AW will be introducing a green waste option in the future. Let me know your thoughts on the days of pickup, and I will provide more information on future services/costs. We will re-bid our contract to all haulers to determine market rates.

Christmas Tree Recycling
Drop off points in Harris County Precinct 3 are at Bear Creek Pioneers Park, 3535 War Memorial Drive, or George Bush Park, 16756 Westheimer Parkway.

Fireworks
A message from the fire marshall: “The holiday fireworks sales season is ready to begin, and the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office is asking everyone to BE CAREFUL, and reconsider their use of fireworks this holiday season. Even though the greater Houston area has received significant rainfall, any carelessly used firework has the potential to start a fire or cause injury.” Go to http://www.co.harris.tx.us/fmarshal/ for more information. 

From a neighbor’s point of view, fireworks are allowed outside of the Houston City limits but, certainly, please take care when used by or around minors, and be watchful of traffic that may attempt to pass during your celebration.  And, of course, plan to clean up your street by the next morning – it’s a good show of respect for your neighbors – not all of whom may enjoy fireworks as much as you.

 Greenhouse Road to I-10
At last, the official notice of the extension of Greenhouse Road to I-10. Long overdue, to be sure, but all good things are worth the wait. 

Barkers Ridge Village Perimeter Fence
The tear-down & construction of the Village fence is to start January 5, and will take 2 weeks to complete. The fence will be a 6’ fence in total, with a 12” rot board, and will be sealed to give it a longer life (than if not sealed).  We had to wait for the final recommendation of our insurance adjuster, that did not come until late November, followed by some difficulties in scheduling around the holidays.

Explanation of Annual Assessment
Please e-mail me if you’d like a copy of the 2009 budget, from which our decision to raise the 2009 annual assessment was made.

 On a related note, I am told that the site www.crest-management.com was down for a few days during the Christmas holiday, but is functional once again. Crest Management provides for on-line payment of our annual dues.

On behalf of the other members of the HOA Board, I’d like to extend you all our wishes to you & your family for a safe and happy 2009.

M.U.D. Update
Yesterday, our water district’s water plant #2 had an issue with the air compressor. Apparently, condensation kept the air compressor from shutting off and therefore allowed too much air into the water system. As a result, the water coming out of our faucets looks milky – that’s the excess air. Once the water sets, the air dissipates and the water is clear again. There was no breach to our water system and the water quality remains as good as before this incident. Once discovered yesterday, measures were taken to alleviate the problem. Once the excess air has been purged from our lines, the water will again look clear. This may take a day or two depending on usage within the district.

Larry Biediger

President, HC MUD 238

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Greenhouse Landfill
We wanted to update you that Kathryn, Victor Treat, and I met with Greg Weiss on Tuesday (October 28) at the Greenhouse Landfill facility. We discussed the following issues:

* Overview of the development plan for the landfill, historically & on a go-forward basis.
* A reported increase in the frequency & intensity of the methane gas odor that has been noted in the north & east sections of Barkers Ridge.
* Reports of truck-related activity in the landfill after business hours & in early morning hours.
* The landfill’s responsibility to share in the cost of fences damaged by Hurricane Ike.
* Incidents of vandalism of the landfill’s equipment this summer & possible actions to prevent such incidents in the future.

We found Greg to be extremely sympathetic with the methane odors that we have been experiencing. He is aware that the vents that were installed in 2006 have resulted in the transmission of methane gas into the Barkers Ridge community, but has not been able to measure the frequency/intensity issues that we discussed. Inspections by TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) have been made, the results have been inconclusive. We agreed that a more direct communication of any detection of odors, and their intensity, would be more useful in validating this problem, and Greg asked that you retain a log (as also requested by TCEQ), and that you provide me with daily updates to these logs so that I can summarize & communicate this information to Greg. In the meantime, Greg will be talking to his engineers to look at options for re-directing or remediating these odors. Greg will respond back to us within about 2 weeks.

We have attached a log that we would like you to use to describe the incidence & intensity of any odors that you detect. Please use this log, either electronically or in hard copy format to help capture this information.

Methane gas does not pose a health risk, but is combustible at various levels of concentration. The Greenhouse Landfill has never achieved a methane gas content greater than 3%, but it did first detect methane gas in 2003. It installed 4 vents in 2006, which is a passive system to mitigate the safety risk at the facility. Other options are available to mitigate the odors that have occurred.

Greg was not aware of the reports that trucks have been active in the landfill after business hours. The landfill’s permit does not allow such activity after 5p, and he is concerned about these reports. He will investigate these reports, using the security camera system that is installed at the gates & various points within the landfill’s perimeter.

We discussed the possibility that organic waste has been accepted by the landfill. Greg believes that organic waste may have been accepted, but that it is segregated for disposition elsewhere and is not retained by the landfill in order to comply with his permit. The odors that we have detected, however, are clearly those associated with methane gas.

The landfill has received several calls regarding its responsibility to share in the cost of replacing fences damaged by the hurricane. It is the landfill’s view that the fence was constructed by the developer, and belongs to the individual homeowner. If the landfill was to construct a fence to improve its security, it would install a chain link fence with barbed wire, and has done so on its perimeter fence adjacent to the Rolling Green subdivision. My own inquiry of this issue is that there are no laws specifying that a fence on a common property line is shared or not shared – in fact, the Legislature & courts have been very unclear on this issue.

Security has become a more critical issue with the vandalism incidents that occurred this summer. It appears that the fence at the “T” (next to the MUD’s water well) is the one that has been compromised in order to gain access. We will look at what we in Barkers Ridge can do to help prevent this access, and certainly, if you see any suspicious activity, calling the constables to investigate is requested.

Judith

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A few updates this warm Sunday October afternoon:

Storm Debris Pickup
We at last have been visited by the County’s Storm Debris crew, at least in the hardest hit areas. I don’t know if you drove through Autumn Bridge Trail, but it was amazing what the storm had done to that one street. All of this section sustained the brunt of the storm’s wrath, a great loss of trees coupled with damaged roofs & lost fences. Word from Autumn Bridge Lane was that it took 6 dump truck loads to clear the debris.

According to one of our block captains on the street, “I know that debris pick-up is their job, but these guys were great. I can only imagine the number of hours and days that they have been working, but each of them was pleasant, conscientious and thorough. They were careful with the lawns. They helped us sweep and pick up the leftover leaves from the trees. One guy stopped and said, ‘You guys probably already know this, but you have a really great thing going here. Everybody out working together, we just don't see this kind of thing often.’ We do know this to be true, but it was nice to be reminded of what a great street and community we have.”

I don’t have any information on when the rest of the debris will be picked up, but call the Debris Hotline at 1-800-207-2325, who also has instructions about the proper separation & placement of the debris. The County reminds us that the haulers are not able to move debris from private property, but will move from the right-of-way generally located between the edge of the private property line, sidewalk, or ditch and the street. Thanks to Sarah Moore for this information.

Allied Waste Pickup
Operations should have resumed to normal for AW, which means that the company should be picking up non-storm related yard waste as it did before. This pickup is usually restricted to 2-4 bags per household. If you feel that AW is not picking up according to this guideline, call the Customer Service line at 713-937-9955. I have asked our Account Manager to track calls from Barkers Ridge to make sure Operations is meeting their obligation.

Storm Communications
We mentioned that the HOA could have done a better job in communicating with our residents in the aftermath of the storm, and have taken steps to better engage our block captains. Short of land lines & electricity, the only method for communicating may well be cell phones & person-to-person, an odd conclusion which shows how we take technology for granted.

We had some reports from residents with concerns about our water service, even boiling water days after the storm had passed. Please let me know if you had concerns or questions about the water service in the aftermath of the storm, and we will pass them on to the MUD & Severn Trent, so they might be able to consider alternative communications methods as well.

Recycling Event – November 1
With apologies, I misreported the recycling event on November 1. Unlike the hazardous household waste event sponsored by the County, this event is for electronics only. This includes desktop and laptop computers, printers, keyboards & mice, monitors, telephones, cell phone, wires & cables – but excludes televisions, lead acid batteries, air conditioners and refrigerators (remember that AW will haul off refrigerators if the freon has been removed & the unit red-tagged by a professional).

The event is November 1, at LaCenterra at 23501 Cinco Ranch Boulevard at the Grand Parkway, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on November 1.
 

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Friends, please find below a follow-up to our communications on September 21.

We have been working on alternatives to the storm debris pick-up, as well as addressing complaints on the plethora of mosquitoes that accompany the large accumulations of brush.

General Trash Pick-Up
I continue to receive complaints about the failure of Allied Waste to pick up only household waste after the hurricane. Reports on Thursday suggested that some small brush was picked up. I spoke to the General Manager on Friday afternoon, and he confirmed that Allied Waste is able to suspend normal operations in the aftermath of the hurricane or other “acts of God” under the terms of our contract. This meant, for the week following the hurricane, that they limited their pick up to household waste only. However, by Thursday last, they have begun to pick up bagged garbage, but only at the normal rate of 2-4 bags per household. They will continue to pick up at this rate until all debris is removed.

The General Manager had additional information about the storm contractors retained by the County. He told me that the County will pick up in three “sweeps”. The first will be for very large vegetation (mainly, downed trees), and the time frame for this is 4-6 weeks. The next sweep is for construction debris (such as fencing & smaller limbs), which will occur in the 3-5 weeks after the first sweep. The third sweep will be “everything else”. However, the County will not pick up the bagged debris, as it is not in their contract with the third party contractors.

I have spoken with some residents who do not believe that any bagged debris is being picked up. All I can tell you is to document what you have before the next pickup, and what is left after AW picks up, and call this to the customer service representative. Unfortunately, I will not be able to handle the complaints, as I face my last week of work before taking time for minor surgery. The phone number for customer service is 713-937-9955.

Storm Debris Pick-Up
Given this information, we cannot be sure when the County’s contracted debris removal trucks will be in our neighborhood. We are will be starting week 3 on Monday. I did speak with a County representative, who confirmed that the County supplemented its own fleet of trucks with third party providers. However, it was their strategic decision to start the clean up in the most affected parts of the County, which means the trucks are working their way down from the northeast section, moving south & west. There are County-owned trucks that are working in the southern part of the County, and the 2 efforts are to merge in the 3 month time frame. Given that our damage was lighter than in other parts of the County, we are not expecting to be first, or even in the middle, of their pickup schedule.

Some residents have already removed their debris, either through third parties or by taking the debris to the City of Houston’s collection sites. As mentioned on the 21st, the City of Houston has established 4 sites around the city for the drop off of small loads of Hurricane Ike debris - accepting the equivalent of a pick-up truck load of debris. The one nearest our area is just off Hempstead Highway at 6023 Windfern. The link http://ktrk.typepad.com/abc13/2008/09/debri-drop-off.html contains a map & details of these sites.

As a point of reference for the below, Allied Waste estimates that the ‘typical’ volume of storm debris per household is 4 cubic yards. A cubic yard is roughly the size of a refrigerator.

Below are third party contractors that have been used in the neighborhood: Neither will pick up carpeting, but both will pick up trees, limbs, and fencing debris.

* Katy’s Own Delivery Service – owner Fred Reed has done a survey of the neighborhood & may be able to give you a good estimate over the phone. He has a 39-cubic yard trailer for high waste volumes, as well as smaller trailers for lower volumes. You can contact Fred at 832-434-3551. His company is based in Katy, TX.

* L & L Services – contact Kelly Langley at 281-858-1869. They are currently quoting a price of $165 per truckload, which includes the $65 cost for disposal at the landfill, plus equipment & labor for pickup. Residents with low volumes have used this service, and split the cost amongst several families. They ask that you bundle the tree limbs to help keep costs low. If your tree is not cut up & cannot fit in the truck, they do not have equipment to do so on site and will not be able to pick it up.

We encourage you to seek these opportunities, given the impact of the debris on mosquito activity and the possible infestation by unwanted rodents.

We did obtain quotes for the removal of debris, to be funded by the HOA, but the dollar amount was well beyond our budget. In addition, since many have already removed their debris, and because there is no good way to allocate cost, we have elected to make this a private enterprise. However, we very much hope that you can find a way to remove the debris before the County comes (possibly, November), perhaps working together with your neighbors to take truckloads to Windfern or to the Greenhouse Landfill – or utilizing the services that we identified.

Please do NOT dispose of your storm debris waste in Cullen Park or in the trail area owned by MUD 238. Both are illegal, unsafe, and much better options are available to you.

Mosquitoes
The debris & filled creeks have attracted an increase in mosquitoes, and we have asked our service (Excalibur Pest Control) to double their weekly visits to the neighborhood. Hopefully, the cooler air of late will allow nature to handle this problem itself.

Hazardous Household Waste
The County’s collection of hazardous household waste at the Precinct 5 facility on the Katy Freeway (just east of Barkers Cypress) was today. Another event is planned for November 1, sponsored by the Arc of Katy at LaCenterra in Cinco Ranch (from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.). The Arc is the world’s largest community based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Local recycler AERC is providing the services to the general public. The address is 23501 Cinco Ranch Boulevard at Grand Parkway, in Katy. Please direct any inquiries to info@aercrecycling.com or 866-447-5177.

Trail
I also spoke with the County on the trail & the very deep cracks on the trail south of Morton Road. This was the trail built by the State of Texas. There is a one-year warranty with contractors who built this trail before it is turned over to the County – and the County is seeking recourse after a number of complaints have been filed. The reason for the cracks is that the trail was built with a rigid base, coupled with a flexible surface – a design that the County does not use.

National Night Out
We still plan to celebrate National Night Out on October 7. With all that we have been through together, the neighbors that stepped up to help each other, I think it’s worth celebrating our luck (in missing the brunt of the storm), our fortunes (by keeping that which is most precious, our lives & our homes), and our shared pain (no A/C for about ½ of us for 2 days). We hopefully will be celebrating the removal of all storm debris and the return to normal (or as much as we can make that return). As in the past, we will ask our block captains to hold small block parties, attended by you & visited by our constables (in cars) and my family (on bikes).

So it took a hurricane to come together? We rose to the occasion & we deserve to celebrate. Your participating block captains will be in touch.

Judith McGlaughlin

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I am aware of the frustration regarding the storm debris, & Allied Waste’s seemingly inconsistent service delivery. One of our board members has been helping family in LaPorte, where the storm caused flooding in the community’s homes. She writes (and reminds us of how things could be): “I am at a loss for words when it comes to trying to explain how lucky we are when it comes to the damage we as a neighborhood have suffered. I’m literally up to my knees in mud and muck, and trying to clear out one single home that only had 3 feet of flood damage. It’s beyond words.”

With that, please find below updates for our community:

Crest Management
Crest’s roof was extensively damaged and they are in the process of relocating. Their main number will still be the contact number for you, and Bernita Armstrong is our property manager. Crest’s number is 281-579-0761.

General Trash Pick-Up
I’ve received many emails on the failure of Allied Waste to pick up anything but household waste, including any small storm debris that has been neatly bagged. AW also apparently did not separate the recycled waste from normal household waste on Thursday. I spoke with Allied Waste, who informed me that they have suspended some of the terms of our contract by implementing the “Force Majeure” language in our contract. As you know, Force Majeure language requires the client to excuse a Contractor from the performance of its duties when they are prevented from doing so by certain conditions, including hurricanes. Allied Waste maintains that they cannot pick up anything but household waste because of the volume of waste generated by the hurricane, and can only maintain a reasonably normal pickup schedule if they suspend certain activities specified under the contract.

Allied Waste will resume normal operations within “a few weeks” (possibly October 1) but has not specified the time period for this suspension.

Storm Debris Pick-Up
While we were initially optimistic about the County’s plans to pick up storm debris, the County is not able to provide a schedule for pick up for Barkers Ridge, and it could be several weeks before they come. There are a number of alternatives for those with the ability to pick up & haul their waste, including the landfill on Greenhouse Road. I believe there is a $25 charge per truckload.

In addition, the City of Houston has established 4 sites around the city for the drop off of small loads of Hurricane Ike debris. They will only accept the equivalent of a pick-up truck load of debris. The one nearest our area is just off Hempstead Highway at 6023 Windfern. They are open 7 days a week from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. One of our residents took a 14 -foot section of yard fence, broken down into individual boards, along with 12 plastic garbage sacks of leaves and 2 plastic bags of small vegetation also broken down into pieces and placed in bags. Persons with larger tree limbs and vegetation were diverted to a separate line to go to a special area on the west side of Windfern where their debris was unloaded. There is no cost associated with disposing of storm debris at these sites. The link http://ktrk.typepad.com/abc13/2008/09/debri-drop-off.html contains a map & details of these sites. Our neighbor tells that Channel 13 advised individuals to bring ID and proof of being a resident of Houston, but that “when I went to the Windfern site, they did not ask me for any ID or proof I was a city resident.”

We have heard of private companies/individuals providing this service. We are attempting to contact these individuals as a potential source for those residents who do not have access to a truck or other vehicle to haul their debris – and for debris that can be safely loaded & transported in a light truck. This would include bagged vegetation and treated/untreated lumber. I am not sure about carpeting, I will follow up with details as I have them.

Finally, Allied Waste has presented us with a proposal that includes a brush truck & 30 cubic yard container, both of which are charged at an hourly rate. In addition, there is a $7.40/cubic yard charge for the removal of debris. They will pick up only organic waste (mainly, trees & limbs), and will not pick up the bagged vegetation or treated lumber. The truck will pick up at the curbside from your home & when the container is full, it is transported a short distance offsite to mulch the waste. They estimate that typical waste per household is 4 cubic yards, and that the 30 cubic yard container is filled in 30 minutes. A quick calculation puts this at 15 households per hour, or $52/household for the equipment charge, and $30/household for the debris removal – for an estimated total of $82/household. I have some questions for Allied Waste to confirm these numbers, but it should give you an order of magnitude. I believe this option is required for the large trees that were felled during the storm & the large branches that cannot be loaded in a light truck. The HOA would coordinate with Allied Waste to provide a list of homes that want to use this service, and billing would be individually-based.

Neither the HOA nor the MUD has the funds to pay for this debris removal, and many residents have already begun to remove their debris, and should not have to bear this cost. However, for those who want to have their large debris removed, this is a cost effective options, compared with a tree removal service.

Please do NOT dispose of your storm debris waste in Cullen Park or in the trail area owned by MUD 238. Both are illegal, unsafe, and much better options are available to you.

Recognition of Our Neighborhood Heroes
Here are some of the comments I received in response to my invitation to name neighbors whose help with neighbors during the storm & its aftermath were so appreciated:

“Thank you for this information and I agree with you – we were lucky in the amount of damage we incurred. I would like to recognize Tom Adams on Autumn Bridge. He went from house to house cutting down trees with his chain saw and piling the debris in the street. He really motivated our end of the street to help each other out. He was amazing and such a true picture of a Christian neighbor.”

“Andy Akers was the hero on our street. He helped multiple houses on our street and around the corner put boards up on the windows. He also was very helpful to me with my generator and making sure I was ok before and after the storm. I was very proud of how everyone on our street banded together both before and after the storm. A few of us were linked via walkie-talkies during the storm and everyone helped clean each others yards after the storm. Barkers Ridge is truly a great place to live.”

“Judith - one of our neighbors, a widow that lives next to the Hill's, had both of her pear trees split and caused damage to the Hill's home. I understand that she evacuated and her boyfriend was there checking on her home. A consortium of neighbor men – Eric Hill, Bill Randolph, Tom Adams, and Jeff Richards - were out clearing her trees and getting them out of the way of making any more damage.”

“Hector Galvan got people up to move their cars out of the street after the thunderstorm as they were in danger of being flooded. He also arranged a roof repair for me on Monday as I was leaving town on Tuesday on a business trip. He also facilitated the tarping of some roofs that had significant damage.....and on and on and on.....I am sure that this is a very small part of what he did to help his neighbors.”

“Thank you Judith for that excellent report & useful info. I would like to commend my neighbour Mr Mario Ramon for securing my house & moving my car into the garage before the storm as the fence came down and would have ruined the car.”

“Attached is a sample of neighbors helping neighbors. David Rouke lost a tree in front of his house. 5 neighbors pitched in! David Rouke is the 3 one from the right. David (Zoch) had a chain saw which came in very handy.”

National Night Out
We still plan to celebrate National Night Out on October 7. With all that we have been through together, the neighbors that stepped up to help each other, I think it’s worth celebrating our luck (in missing the brunt of the storm), our fortunes (by keeping that which is most precious, our lives & our homes), and our shared pain (no A/C for about ½ of us for 2 days). We hopefully will be celebrating the removal of all storm debris and the return to normal (or as much as we can make that return). As in the past, we will ask our block captains to hold small block parties, attended by you & visited by our constables (in cars) and my family (on bikes).

So it took a hurricane to come together? We rose to the occasion & we deserve to celebrate. Your participating block captains will be in touch.

Special Pals
Please take a moment to learn what our own Special Pals has been doing to help the Bay Area Pet Adoption Shelter after it evacuated 100 animals from its San Leon location. It's important to note that the animals evacuated are adoptable animals which had been in the care of the shelter, and are not lost or stray animals due to the storm. Donations from the Katy and Houston community are urgently needed to help people and animals evacuated from San Leon, said Special Pals Executive Director Yvonne David. "We have plenty of pet food, but we didn't expect to be hosting displaced people as well. We hope a local hotel might donate a few rooms for them so they can shower and sleep." http://blogs.chron.com/hurricanes/2008/09/katyarea_animal_shelter_takes.html

Replacing Fencing & Roofs
Another concerned resident reminds us that you should NOT replace fences by yourself, or do any repairs that could involve the utility lines, without calling the utility companies to have the utilities marked. This homeowner detected a strong natural gas smell, & called Centerpoint. While no gas leak was found on the property or gas meter, the Centerpoint repairman said that he had already been called out to repair two other gas leaks due to contractors/homeowners cutting gas lines to do repairs to fences - as well as damaging gas lines when they are pulling up tree stumps. To report a natural gas leak or emergency, please call Centerpoint Energy, at 800-722-9326.

Given the delay in securing contractors, you should have enough time to notify Crest Management of the replacement of roofs and fences, and we will process quickly. As a reminder, if you are replacing a roof with the same shingle type, quality, and color, then no ACC application is required. Shingle type, quality and color must be harmonious with the color scheme established for the subdivision; repairs or partial replacements must be done with shingles of the same type, quality and color of the existing roof.

Fence replacements also do not require ACC approval if they are made with similar materials and construction details as to the original fence. The ownership of existing fences that fall on a shared property line between two lots is considered to be shared equally by the respective homeowners. Replacement wood fences or repaired wood fences may have a horizontal “rot” or base boards, not to exceed six (6) inches in height. The overall height must remain consistent with existing and adjacent fences that face the street. Consequently, for an application for a fence in excess of six (6) feet to be approved, the applicant must gain the agreement of his/her neighbor to make similar changes to this adjacent fence that faces the street to meet the consistency standard. You may use a stain on your fence, but only if it is a clear stain (no color) and you provide a sample with your ACC application.

Judith McGlaughlin

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Friends, it is with great relief & gratitude that we can say that Barkers Ridge was spared much of the damage that affected so much of Houston & the Gulf Coast. I've outlined a few notes below, somewhat longer than most emails but hopefully of some use. There are some follow up items on this list to be sure. If you have comments or information on areas to be aware of, please send them my way.

Additionally, I have heard lots of stories of neighbors going the extra mile for their neighbors. If there are any "heroes" that you want to recognize, please let me know. I'd love to highlight those efforts.

As always, your safety is so very important. There are lots of risks in clearing debris, patching roofs, & putting things back in order. Always err on the side of caution, safety, and you & your family's long-term well-being!

MUD Update
MUD Board President Larry Biediger reports that the water stations never lost power during the storm, and water service & quality were not compromised. Downed phone & power service unfortunately prevented information updates until this time.

Trash Pick-Up
Allied Waste reports that it is picking up household waste, but will not be picking up storm debris. Keep in mind that AW does not pick up construction debris or carpeting within its Heavy Trash protocol, so you should not expect this to occur with normal pick-up services.

Allied Waste is offering a "roll-off" commercial container service to allow our residents to bring their curbside debris to a central point for pickup. We are obtaining a cost estimate at present but have made no decision regarding this service.

We spoke with Precinct 3 yesterday, and confirmed that the County has begun to collect storm debris as well. The County could not confirm a schedule for pickup for Barkers Ridge, but it will likely not be this week that the trucks will come. The County will pick up all vegetation, as well as lumber & shingles that were damaged by the storm.

Both AW and the County ask that you keep these "types" of debris (tree limbs, carpeting, roofing materials, other construction debris) separated, but there is no need to bundle & bind the tree limbs.

I will call the County again tomorrow about their pickup schedule before making a decision on utilizing the AW containers, versus waiting for the County to provide curbside pickup services. Your input would be very helpful.

HOA Damage Summary
Barkers Ridge sustained a fair amount of damage to its common facilities that you should be aware of.

• Both the tennis court fencing & pool metal fence were damaged by high winds, with the pool fence posts uprooted on the east side of the pool.
• The light pole on the east end of the tennis court was downed, and we have secured with caution tape until electrician's services can be secured.
• Some of the PVC piping leading to the pool's pumps was damaged, leading to flooding within the chemical room & pool house structure.
• Several sections of the perimeter fence around Barkers Ridge Village were fallen or damaged. We were able to prop the fence for backyards that were left unsecured.

Both the metal pool fence & the Village perimeter fence were scheduled for replacement/upgrades in 2009. We will be filing claims with our insurance carrier to recover some of the cost, and will likely accelerate the replacement of the Village fence. Depending upon how quickly we can secure a fence company to replace, we may secure the fence temporarily for those sections that are now being propped up.

Block Captains
A note of regret: with downed phone & power, we were unable to utilize our block captain network to pass information through to our residents. We will rectify with adding cellular phone contacts to our block captain network & good old fashioned face-to-face contact for information dissemination. I guess I forgot about that low-tech strategy.

Texas Deceptive Trade Practices
We have had one report of a roofer seeking $15K for a roof that had been quoted at $6K. Be aware that price gouging is illegal according to the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, but only for items that are considered to be "necessities" (I would assume a roof is so classified but have not confirmed). If you are overcharged, you can seek 3X the overcharged amount in small claims court. Be sure to use reliable, bonded, insured contractors who can demonstrate their experience in their trades, and be sure to document all repairs before & after they are completed.

Unwanted Pests
One neighbor reports that unwanted pests (ok, rats) may have either drowned (and you will find them in your yards) or have sought higher ground (attics?). Please be aware & keep watch for your dogs who may discover them.

Household Hazardous Waste Collection - One Day Event September 27
Harris County still plans it HHW collection event on September 27. Residents may bring household quantities of paint products, pesticides, fertilizers, motor oil, gasoline, pool chemicals, household cleaners, aerosols, batteries and automotive tires (5 per household). Used electronics such as televisions, computers, word processors, printers, scanners, fax machines, cellular phones, VCRs, stereos and other small personal electronics are also accepted. Residents may bring up to five (5) of each of these items.

The location information is as follows:

Saturday, September 27, 2008
Annex 13 & Sports Complex
17423 Katy Freeway (enter via Barker-Clodine)
Houston, TX 77094

Below is some more general guidelines on who to call for problems related to Hurricane Ike:

General Assistance
Call 2-1-1 or, if you are calling from outside of Texas or have technical difficulties when dialing 2-1-1 from your cell/mobile, voice-over-IP, or office location phone, please dial the toll free alternate access number at 877-541-7905.

Road Conditions and Re-entry to Southeast Texas
The number to call for road conditions on state highways is 800-452-9292. Further updates can be found on the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) website at: http://www.txdot.gov/travel/hurricane.htm

TxDOT is advising against travel to Houston and Beaumont at this time and reports that motor fuel is in short supply. Check on road conditions before you decide to return.

Power Outages and Shortages
Power/electrical information and the status of each company in the impacted counties may be found on the website of the Public Utility Commission (PUC): http://www.puc.state.tx.us/files/ike.cfm If you have specific questions about electrical service problems, call the PUC Assistance Hot Line at 888-782-8477.

Phone Service
AT&T is reporting that the company’s core network supporting wireless and wireline services continues to perform well. Only two of the 154 central offices in the affected area-one on Galveston Island and a small central office in Port Bolivar-are out of service. They also report that they have 2,000 technicians deployed in affected areas along with 2,800 generators in position to keep up their network in areas without power. AT&T is putting up portable cell towers and supplementing coverage in areas where the network has been damaged.

Evacuees are being supported with free Wi-Fi access at hot spots across Texas including: select McDonald's restaurants, Barnes & Noble locations, and AT&T Experience StoresSM. Free voice, data, and entertainment services are being provided in large evacuation centers.

For more information, call AT&T customer support at 800-331-0500.

Gas Outage or Leaks
To report a natural gas leak or emergency, please call 800-959-LEAK (5325), if you are a Texas Gas Service customer.

If you are a CenterPoint Energy Customer, call 800-722-9326.

Do not assume your local gas company is aware of the problem, especially after a natural disaster.

If you smell gas, leave the area immediately. Do not use your phone, electric switches, computer, or anything that could cause a spark. Go directly to a safe location.

Tax Help
Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has created a one-stop webpage for hurricane-related tax information. The Comptroller’s Hurricane Ike information page is located at:
http://www.window.state.tx.us/disaster


Coastal Reconstruction
Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson has put emergency rules into place to allow coastal property owners to begin immediate work to stabilize structures and begin repairs caused by Hurricane Ike. The rules are available at:
http://www.glo.state.tx.us/res_mgmt/coastal/pdf/Ikeemergencyrules-09-12-08.pdf

Property owners can contact the Texas General Land Office at 800-998-4GLO.

Insurance Issues
If you need information, have a complaint, or can’t locate your agent or company, call the toll-free TDI Consumer Help Line at 800-252-3439. The Consumer Help Line is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday.