Dear Member:
December Weather
With the arctic cold gripping the East Coast and Midwest, I feel somewhat guilty wearing shorts to play golf. December was five full degrees higher than normal and January is starting out the same way. The amount of rain we received in December could almost qualify as a day of high humidity, 04". We are now over 3" behind normal rainfall. The Old Farmers Almanac is predicting drier than normal weather for the next two months.Congratulations
These past couple of weeks found a uniting of our friends and neighbors. Jack and Annie Engle and John and Tammy Paige moved from couples status to wedded bliss. Congratulations and best wishes for a long and happy life together.Watering Rules
Please water only three days per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Change your sprinkler controller seasonal setting to 10% unless you received a new free Rachio Smart Controller from Fresno County. It will make all the necessary adjustments for you. My total watering cycle for the month of January is 28 minutes. The Rachio also turns the sprinkler system off when it rains.
Neighborhood Disturbances
On December 20, I reported suspicious people in the neighborhood early in the morning. I received a response from Linda Kinchen that someone had taken a gift she had left for the waste removal people. No one else reported anything missing or damaged. The Belmont Country Club grounds crew saw a man carrying an object jump over the fence on the fourth fairway and speed away in a waiting car.
I have received comments about the possibility of installation of a gate on Sanders Court to prevent unwanted people from gaining access to the neighborhood. We looked into this several years ago and found that Sanders Court is a county road. The neighborhood would need to petition the county supervisors to abandon and deed it to an HOA. We would then be responsible for the upkeep of the road along with the gate. Abandonment of a public thoroughfare requires a unanimous vote of property owners of adjacent properties. This hurdle was impossible to overcome.
My suggestions are:
- We need to be vigilant and pay attention to unknown persons in the neighborhood.
- We need to keep watch on our neighbors and their homes. If you are going to be away for a period of time, let your neighbors know, ask them to pick up newspapers, mail, and deliveries.
- Install and turn on lights, street lights, yard lights, lights on timers in your home, motion sensor lights. The more light, the fewer places for people to hide and cause harm.
- Invest in an alarm system. There are many alarms for sale or rent at reasonable prices.
- Again, be vigilant and pay attention.
Water Conservation
On December 20, I reported suspicious people in the neighborhood early in the morning. I received a response from Linda Kinchen that someone had taken a gift she had left for the waste removal people. No one else reported anything missing or damaged. The Belmont Country Club grounds crew saw a man carrying an object jump over the fence on the fourth fairway and speed away in a waiting car.
I have received comments about the possibility of installation of a gate on Sanders Court to prevent unwanted people from gaining access to the neighborhood. We looked into this several years ago and found that Sanders Court is a county road. The neighborhood would need to petition the county supervisors to abandon and deed it to an HOA. We would then be responsible for the upkeep of the road along with the gate. Abandonment of a public thoroughfare requires a unanimous vote of property owners of adjacent properties. This hurdle was impossible to overcome.
My suggestions are:
- We need to be vigilant and pay attention to unknown persons in the neighborhood.
- We need to keep watch on our neighbors and their homes. If you are going to be away for a period of time, let your neighbors know, ask them to pick up newspapers, mail, and deliveries.
- Install and turn on lights, street lights, yard lights, lights on timers in your home, motion sensor lights. The more light, the fewer places for people to hide and cause harm.
- Invest in an alarm system. There are many alarms for sale or rent at reasonable prices.
- Again, be vigilant and pay attention.
Water Conservation
Water usage for the month was down from November to about 36,000 gallons per household. It was 84% worse than the target and 117% worse than last year. Year to date, we are now 8% worse than the target and 5% worse than last year. Click here for a larger view. Annual usage was 24,400,000 gallons. This volume is 1,000,000 gallons more than last year and 2,000,000 gallons more than the target. With the low rainfall experienced to date, it is likely that we will be required to reduce our usage again this coming year. Let's work together on reducing usage and waste.
