Vol. 3, Issue 34 816.872.4176 May 2018 Stonebridge News WEBSITE and EMAIL Email: stonebridgelanehoa@gmail.com Website: www.stonebridgelanehoa.com FIRE HYDRANT PARKING According to Smithville City Ordinance, Section 355.010, Stopping, Standing or Parking Prohibited: within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant. Please observe this Ordinance. Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2018 Time: 5:00 PM Place: Jo Buchanan s House #237 Date: Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Time: 5:00 PM Place: Jo Buchanan s House #237 TRASH SERVICE Pursuant to the HOA s Bylaws and CC&Rs, please keep all trash bins inside your garage OR outside if no room in your garage. Please remove the bins by the next day after trash pickup. GEESE / SWANS All residents are advised NOT feed the geese pursuant to the Missouri Department of Conservation s website. We can place signs at the pond but that will incur more costs to the HOA. Page 1 of 5
Source: https://mdc.mo.gov/wildlife/nuisance-problem-species/nuisance-native-species/canada-goose-control If you want to feed swans, give them fresh bread (mold is poisonous to them), grain such as wheat or corn, fresh greens such as lettuce or spinach and potatoes. The food should be thrown onto the water so that they can swallow water with the food feeding them on land is environmentally unsound and encourages the swans to leave the water whenever they see people which can bring them into harm from cars, dogs etc. DOGS/PETS The topic of dogs was addressed and the need for everyone to cooperate with picking up after their dogs in our community. It is also a violation of HOA rules to tether a pet outside of a residence and it also assists our landscapers in keeping our community looking great. Let s all be good neighbors. Finnegan s Fundamentals of Responsible Canine Companionship My name is Finnegan and I live in an HOA. Since I understand people complain a lot in HOAs about dogs, I thought it might be helpful for pet parents to hear directly from a beagle about the fundamentals of being a responsible canine companion. Here s what you need to know: 1. Dogs poop. Since our pet parents don t want us to poop in the house, we are told we have to poop outside. We even get pushed out the door to poop when it s freezing outside or raining! Unlike our pet parents, dogs don t have opposing thumbs and fingers. That means we don t have the ability to open up a poop bag, pick up our poop and throw it in the garbage. Trust me, to stop people from complaining about piles of poop, we would pick-up our own poop if we could! If you live in an HOA and there are piles of poop all over, don t blame the dogs. Blame our pet parents for being bad canine companions. My pet mom, tells me that after notice, pet parents can be fined for not picking up poop. She even told me that some HOAs use doggie DNA to figure out where the poop came from. That sounds like a great idea to me. Instead of pointing the finger at innocent dogs who can t stop ourselves from pooping, hold our pet parents responsible for not picking up our poop! Page 2 of 5
2. Dogs bark. As a beagle, I have to tell you that we have the best darn bark of any dogs on the planet. There s nothing I love better than to bark at rabbits in the neighborhood or to bark a greeting to other dogs as they walk by. We bark when we are happy and we bark when we are protecting our family. We can t help it - dogs just bark! I really hate it when my pet mom makes me come in the house when I m having a bark fest in the yard. She tells me that I m being a bad citizen and ruins all of my fun. She also tells me that she loves me and doesn t want the HOA to make me leave because my barking causes a nuisance. What the heck is a nuisance? Maybe that s why it is the responsibility of canine companions to make sure their dogs don t cause a nuisance with their barking. So folks should: (1) not to leave their dogs outside unattended; (2) to bring their dogs into the house when the barking gets out of control; and (3) talk with a trainer or try a citronella bark collar for dogs who can t control their impulse to bark. 3. Dogs are your best and most loyal friend. My pet mom and dad adopted me from Beagle Rescue and they tell me that I m their best friend. While we live in an HOA and have to follow the rules, we still have a lot of fun and a great life together. It hurts our feelings when people yell at us for things that are perfectly natural like pooping and barking. For those of us who live in HOAs, we have to count on our canine companions to protect us from finger pointing and anger. Please help us by being responsible canine companions! Be Good Neighbors! Since so many of us love to spend time out of our homes during the spring and summer, it s important to remember to take into account the feelings of our neighbors when we are outside. This is particularly true in townhouses and densely built associations where homes are constructed very close together. We need to think about how much noise we are making and whether we are causing a neighborhood disturbance. We need to pick up our summer recreational, picnic and gardening stuff and put it away when we are finished with it. We need to make sure that our beloved pets are not causing an unreasonable disturbance in the neighborhood by incessantly barking. While you may think these common sense tips do not need to be mentioned, I can assure you that nuisance complaints are a major issue in HOAs during the spring and summer months. I m going to go out on a limb and say that we have seen the last snow we will have until fall. So head outside and have a safe and enjoyable time free from controversy and violation letters! Pick Up the Poop! While folks might get away with not being as vigilant about picking up dog poop during the winter, I can assure you that this will become a major issue in the spring and summer. Let s face it, poop is just nasty and dog owners should have enough respect for their neighbors to pick up after their pets. Please don t make us think about instituting a poop patrol. Page 3 of 5
FIREPITs/CHIMINEAs Now that summer and nice weather is in full swing, please remember that firepits are allowed but NOT within 10 feet of our buildings. Please use with caution. Please also see below contained in our CC&Rs at Article X. Anyone lighting a fire in a chiminea or fire pit should have a means of extinguishing the fire near the device. Sand, dirt or a portable dry chemical fire extinguisher are effective ways to extinguish a fire in a chiminea or fire pit. Never use water or a CO2 extinguisher to put out a fire in a chiminea because the rapid cooling and steam can crack the clay and damage the appliance. In multi-residential housing, the risk of fire to one homeowner is a risk to all homeowners sharing the same and nearby buildings. Failure to take adequate precautions to prevent the spread of fire can result in injury or death to fellow residents TOYS Personal possessions (e.g. stereos, tools, bicycles, and toys) must not be left in the Common Elements, in parking areas, in driveways or on sidewalks. When not in use, all such articles must be stored inside the unit. ASSOCIATION DUES Association dues are now $105.00 per month ($100.00 dues and $5.00 Long Term Capital Account). If you are still owing on the siding assessment, the payment continues to be 75.00 per month and your new monthly total is $180.00. Dues are paid on the first of each month. If not received by the 15th of the month, a late fee of $50.00 per violation will be charged. If you pay several months at once, payment must be made in advance and not after-the-fact (e.g., dues for January through June must be made in January and not June, or you will have accrued $250.00 in late fees, plus an additional $250.00 in late fees for the assessment). Those consistently delinquent will be prosecuted. Due to security issues, your dues should be mailed as follows: Stonebridge Homeowners Association 199 Stonebridge Lane Smithville, MO 64089 Individual Board members are not responsible for checks or envelopes left outside storm doors. Unit 237 is not the Association office. If you have questions, please call 816.872.4176 or write the Association at the address listed above. ATTENTION LANDLORDS Please keep your tenants advised of the current rules and activities of our Community. Page 4 of 5
CITY OF SMITHVILLE PROJECT DRUG DROP Smithville has a permanent drop box for unused prescription and over the counter drugs There is a drug disposal program in Smithville. A permanent drop box is located inside City Hall for old and unused medications. Dispose of expired, unwanted or unused medications at City Hall (located at 107 W. Main Street). There is no paperwork and the program is free and anonymous. Bring the medication to City Hall and put it in the drop box - no questions asked! City Hall is open Monday thru Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Pills and tablets should be put into a sealed bag for drop-off (bags are available at City Hall). What can and cannot be dropped off? You CAN turn in: prescription medications, over the counter medications, medication samples, pet medications, vitamins, inhalers, syrups, ointments, creams and lotions (liquids should be in leak proof containers). You CANNOT turn in: syringes, needles or lancets, mercury or cadmium products (thermometers & batteries), IV bags, used bandages, gowns or bio-hazardous items, aerosol cans, hydrogen peroxide and EpiPens. We Count On All Residents To Keep Our Community Looking Its Best Thank You! The Stonebridge News is written and distributed for the purpose of opening communications with our neighbors. Please feel free to participate. Contact: Cathy Knight at stonebridgelanehoa@gmail.com Page 5 of 5