BSHA Newsletter June 2007

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JUNE 2007

Who Are We?
The following residents volunteer their time to make the Baldwin Square Homeowners Association (BSHA) a responsible and well-run homeowner controlled organization. Please feel free to contact any of us with any comments, questions and suggestions directly or via email to: bsha@baldwinsquare.org We encourage you to become involved in the business affairs and day-to-day management of our Association!

2007 BSHA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

William A. Crawford, Jr President
Dr. Oliver Esch Vice President
Mike L. Oelke Secretary/ Treasurer

BSHA COMMITTEES
Modifications Committee
Luis D. Vivar

Neighborhood Watch Committee
Brian Rundall

ASSOCIATION ASSESSMENTS - 2007
As of the May 9th, we have received approximately 98% of the annual assessments. The BSHA Board of Directors would like to sincerely thank those who paid on time and those that have paid to date! For those who are still delinquent, please take advantage of this friendly reminder to pay your 2007 association assessments and save yourself monthly interest and late fees that are being added to your balance.

BALDWINSQUARE.ORG:
Our community website is regularly updated; it is the fastest and most cost-effective way to provide information on all BSHA relevant matters. You will find organizational information, forms such as a Modifications Request application, information on critical services, administrative matters and documents such as annual budgets, minutes of Board meetings, recommended service providers (landscaping, painting, maintenance, repairs, etc), and other news that may impact Baldwin Square and the Midtown area. We encourage you to also submit your latest email address to the Association to receive fast and cost-effective communications.

Recent Association Activities

Here are a few achievements since our November annual meeting that may be of interest to you …..

We finished 2006 in the black! By carefully monitoring our water costs, water consumption, and by reprogramming other 2006 non-essential expenses, we were able to meet budget goals for 2006 and to fully fund our capital reserve fund.

Investment of available funds – We have initiated a new policy to invest all BSHA revenues whenever possible into short term CDs in order to maximize return for BSHA membership dues.

Repairs to Baldwin Court sprinklers - Teas Nursery, our landscaping contractor, has provided a new landscape manager for our community – Mr. Dale Hawley. In the first few months on the job Dale has performed much needed repairs the sprinklers at Baldwin Court and is finishing an audit / repair check on all the other properties – if you see Dale or other Teas’ staff on the properties, talk to them about problems, and thank them for their work if appropriate.

2006 Financial Audit – Financial audits should be performed in regular intervals on all businesses. BSHA completed our first audit and will present the complete results at the November annual meeting. The auditor found that the BSHA financial statements were “in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the US….”

Fence Painting on Baldwin Square I and Anita I – our contractor, JrD Construction , has nearly completed the regularly scheduled repainting maintenance for two of the properties. More properties are scheduled for re-painting next year.
Replacement of Baldwin Square I entrance gate – After some delay in obtaining a good quote and a reliable contractor, the Baldwin Square I entrance gate controller was replaced in the first week of June. While unexpected, we have sufficient capital reserves for this and other repairs as they happen and are working to ensure more rapid response from repair contractors in the future.

Help us help you - Report Water Leaks!
Water bills are responsible for about 30% of all BSHA expenses!
With 165 homes in our association we have literally hundreds of sprinkler heads and pipe fittings that are potential sources of leaks. A single leak can cost over $100 / day! Please report any water leaks as soon as you notice them by calling our Management Company PMG at (713) 329-7100 . Thank you for helping to keep our water bills (and the association fees) as low as possible!

5 Steps to Improve Neighborhood Safety and Security

Crime prevention is a partnership between citizens in your neighborhood and the police. The following five tips are provided to help you make the Baldwin Square community safer and to reduce the possibility of being a victim of crime.

1) Lock your gates!

Several homeowners have noticed trespassers entering the gated areas through unlocked personal gates. A significant portion of your fees every year are spent on gate operation and maintenance. This money is not effective if you or your neighbors do not lock your own gates! This is especially timely since several homeowners had their house number plates stolen in the past few weeks. Please take the time to keep your gates locked – all it takes is one gate to be open!

2) Remove inviting targets

This is true for all areas of the city – Pearland, Bellaire, as well as Midtown. Follow some simple steps to avoid trouble:

If at all possible, don’t put out trash until the morning of pickup
Keep your garage door closed whenever possible
– leaving it open is an invitation
Don’t leave items like hoses outside that are easy targets for theft

3) Keep the lights on

One of the best deterrents to thefts and petty crimes is night lighting. It helps everyone in the community if you leave your outside lights on in the evening. Be sure to check for burned out bulbs and replace them (both front door and above garage). In addition – if you see street lights out report them through the Houston 311 line – be sure to provide the utility pole number. Most lights are replaced within a few days.

4) Report trespassers or suspicious behavior to HPD

Call HPD immediately ( 713-884-3131 ) if you see a trespasser inside the community. Be alert to suspicious activity or cars in the neighborhood and report this as well.

5) Get Involved

You can join the Neighborhood Watch, which is currently being organized by Janine Speckert (mariespec@aol.com) and Brian Rundall in Baldwin Square I (brundall@hotmail.com). We encourage to also attend the HPD South Central Positive Interaction Program Civic Club Meeting held the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 7 pm (Next meeting: Tuesday, July 17th at 7:00 PM at the South Central Station (2202 St. Emanuel); or the Midtown Public Safety Committee Meeting at Midtown Management District; 3rd Tuesday of month at 3pm.

SECURITY ALERT: Stolen House Number Plates Since Mid April 2007, a number of the original Perry brass house number plates have been forcibly removed from the entrance facade of town homes located in the BSHA townhomes, the Chenevert HOA, and other properties in the area. These thefts may be ongoing. PLEASE BE ALERT and report all criminal activity directly to HPD, or by using simple and fast online reporting links at www.baldwinsquare.org,

WE HAVE BEEN IDENTIFYING SOURCES FOR REPLACEMENT HOUSE NUMBER PLATES AND THESE WILL BE POSTED ON THE BSHA WEBSITE. PLEASE CONTACT WINDY COLLINS OF PMG IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION

Honey Do Lists – It’s Not Just About Landscaping
Repair your garage doors springs: We’ve seen this problem a lot lately – a broken garage door from either a tensioner spring or a cable that has jumped the pulley. Typical garage door springs last about 10 -15 years. Having a company replace them is easy and fast – often in less than an hour – and doesn’t cost much – typically less $150. Also consider replacing the bearings on the door – it will run much quieter and puts less stress on the rest of the system. Don’t wait to find yourself trapped in or out of your house!

Painting: Take a look at the trim wood of your house and the HardiPlank exterior walls (if you have it), and touch up the paint if needed. Don’t forget to submit a Modifications Request first, if you are using any color other than the original paint color. Perry used paints by Monarch Paint, but they are now Pittsburgh Paint. The closest store is at 2220 W. Alabama ( 713-526-3337 ). While most homes are painted with Grey/Green and Feather Gray, the shades may vary between properties. One easy way to be sure is to take a chip of your paint to the store and have them mix a direct match for your house.

Doors: Make your home look its best with a good entrance for guests! The front doors in the community, especially those that get the full sun, are fading and need to be repainted or re-stained. If you still have the original finish - clean first with some mineral spirits and then apply a coat of spar varnish – the job can be easily done in a few hours. We will be diligent with notifying these homeowners to get their doors back to like-new condition. Again, if you are changing colors or shades, then first submit a Modifications Request application for approval.

Scale bug treatment:
In addition to weeding, fertilizing, mulching, and re-landscaping be sure to treat your plants for pests. You may have noticed the white flecks appearing on the magnolia trees and other plants in the community. These are known as scale bugs

– and once established are very difficult to eliminate. They induce blight on the tree from which it will not recover unless it looses the leaves. To treat - Purchase an insecticide which treats for white scale or scale bugs and apply at least twice within a two week period. You may also need to switch brands to use difference active ingredients to ensure removal. And continue to monitor and re-treat as necessary!

WHO DO I CALL?

Please report all problems such as water leaks and gate malfunctions immediately (including nights and weekends) by calling Principal Management Group (main: 713-329-7100 , fax: 713-329-7198)

Our BSHA Managers are Ms. Windy Collins (x7l59) and Ms. Ann Osuna (x7177) who can be reached by phone during regular business hours, or via email at w.collins@pmghouston.com and a.osuna@pmghouston.com. The Principal Management Group is responsible for all services contracted by the BSHA including landscaping, most water and irrigation services of our properties, and trash collection. We encourage you to contact the BSHA Board of Directors through Principal Management, or directly at: bsha@baldwinsquare.com Please visit www.baldwinsquare.org for latest information and updates.

Baldwin Square Homeowners Association, Inc.

c/o Principal Management Group of Houston 11000 Corporate Centre Drive Houston, Texas 77041

Office: 713/329-7177 Fax: 713/329-7198

www.pmghouston.com