Beverly Oaks News

2,600 feet of siding replaced in 2011

2011-07-21T13:46:00.003-05:00

Over 2,100 sq feet of siding was replaced this year on the east side of Wilshire (12 homes). This does not include an additional 550 sq feet that the residents at 1918-1920 purchased in addition to the community contract. This compares to 334 sq feet of siding that was replaced on west side of the street in 2009 - a 700% increase.

The homes had a lot of painted over damage from years past. One of the worst areas was 1920 Wilshire (see photo) where the siding was open and taking on water in more than 10 locations. 2011 was the first year of the Association made repairs to the rear of the buildings as part of the annual painting. The damages on the rear of the building was relatively minor as most homes have trees protecting the backs of the homes from the elements.

This is also the second year that the Association conducted spot repairs throughout the community to clean up small and highly visible damages. Small repairs were made to 101, 107, 109, 111, 115, 117, 119, 121, 1524, and 1526 Brentwood and 1919 and 2005 Wilshire. There were several areas on Brentwood Court that were taking on water and we wanted to stop the damage from spreading and creating a more expensive future repair for the Association. This was especially important for Brentwood Ct as it is not scheduled to be painted until 2014.

The 1500 block of Brentwood is scheduled to be painted and repaired in 2012.

Irving police help resolve vandelism of the entry lights

2011-06-23T18:30:00.000-05:00

As you most likely noticed, the lights have been out at the entry numerous times during recent weeks. The problem was do to vandalism - apparently our entry was being used to sell drugs and in some cases use the drugs in a remote corner behind the entry wall (see photo). Lights were being vandalized to make the entry area darker.

In a joint effort with the Irving police and the Village at the Crossroads apartments, the area has been monitored and the problem has been resolved.

On June 23rd (today), the entry lights were repaired and are now fully functioning. While the problem seem to be resolved, owners are encourage to report any suspicious activity at the entry to both the board ad Irving police.

Going to Online Account Records

2011-03-07T07:00:00.003-06:00

The Beverly Oaks Homeowners' Association is updating its current accounting system. The Association is partnering with Associa to provide real time on-line account access to account records. Owners will now be able to check balances, see when payments have been received, make purchases and pay on-line. The new service will be available by March 15, 2011.

This new system is part of an overall effort to provide information to owners so that they may be more involved in the business of the Association. Additionally, the project is largely paperless and will reduce photocopy and courier expenses and is better for the environment.

Associa started as a small property management firm in Dallas, Texas in 1979 and has grown to becomethe nation's largest company devoted exclusively to the management of homeowners' associations.

The net cost, of this initiative to owners, after the elimination of other management services, is $0.52 per month per home. The other management services were terminated on 12/31/10. We have not included the savings for copies in this figure.

2011 Landscaper Replaced

2011-02-24T06:00:00.010-06:00

The Association and SMH Landscaping agreed to terminate their 2011 landscaping contract effective February 14th. The Association has signed a new contract with Steven's Lawn Service to begin March 1st.

SMH Landscaping's first engagement, the spring cutback on February 12, was fraught with problems. The crew showed up short handed and the one day project was not completed after two days. The hedge cutback was uneven and large clippings were left on the ground and in the shrubs. The company did not want to return to pick up and bag the debris. Another company was paid to clean up the community on (February 16).

In the agreement, the Association does not pay SMH for service rendered in 2011.

Steven's Lawn serviced the Beverly Oaks community in 2010. They initially were not rehired because of increased rates. The Board of Directors has negotiated a budget neutral contact renewal. Steven's will service the lawn on Thursdays.

Exterior Paint Warranty Repairs

2011-02-11T16:00:00.002-06:00

The paint contractors were on property today to complete warranty repairs to 1901-1905 Wilshire and 1601 Brentwood Drive. The FoxBlack paint on these units was showing discoloration after only 17 months. The contractors are priming the discolored areas with oil based primer (white) and will then repaint the FoxBlack color.

It is expected that the work will be completed today or Monday.

We have been in contact with the paint manufacturer and are trying to understand the nature of the problem so that it can be prevented in the future. This same washout appears on homes painted in the old color scheme in 2004.

Spring Hedge Cutback Started Today

2011-02-11T08:12:00.003-06:00

The landscapers were on property today to start the spring hedge cutback - like last year, we are cutting back years of overgrowth prior to the budding of the shrubs in the spring. This allow us to downsize shrubs and recover in a few months.

We got an early start this year - there is still snow on the ground. One area that is being cut back significantly is the south cul-de-sac garden. The Hawthorns will look like sticks this spring but should fill out nicely by summer. During the April planting weekend we will trim the Live Oak on and plant sod in the front center of the flower bed and use the slopping sides as the flower bed in the future.

Election Results are In!

2011-01-22T19:53:00.009-06:00

Assessments: The assessments are to be $219 a quarter and $816 per year. The due date for the first quarter has been extended to February 25th.

Board of Directors: There was a tie for fifth place and the 4 elected members have decided to have six people on the board this year. The board will be Robert Bauer, Steve Hillier, Brenda Madison, Randy Ranew, Laurie Waldrum, and John Ward.

Capital Reserve Engineering Study: The community agreed to accept the engineering study prepared by the Board of Directors is 2010 as the current plan for the maintenance of the community infrastructure.

Garage Door Standard: The agreed garage door style is a flush door with no panels or designs.

Fence Standard: The agreed fence style will be 6 inch wide pickets, stained black witha trim board on top. For fences in the back, the agreed fence heightis eight feet tall for any new fence put up.

We would like to thank everyone who came out today and everyone who voted and we encourage anyone would did not vote to vote next time so you can have a say. Several items were decide by just a few votes.

The 2011 Election and Referendums are Online

2011-01-15T11:27:00.005-06:00

The ballots are up and ready for your votes! The polling period will run until mid-day on Saturday, January 22.

The vote is set up in the same format as prior votes.There are a number of very important decisions facing the community and we did our best to provide all the support documents, photos, graphs and diagrams, pricing, bids, reports, meeting minutes and other information that an owner might want to see in order to make an informed decision.

If you have a questions on anything, just send us an email and we will respond as quickly as possible.We apologize for the delay in getting this posted. It was a huge task getting all the information together to make this complex decision process relatively easy. The holidays and a personal emergency with one of the board members added to the difficulty. The due dates on the assessments have been adjusted accordingly.

2011 Voting and Dues Update

2011-01-06T18:28:00.005-06:00

Polling: Electronic polling will open at midnight on January 15th and close at midnight on January 22st. Ballots will be counted at 10:00 AM in a meeting to be held at 2023 Wilshire. Owners will receive an email with a link to the ballot and all support documents including the minutes from the December meeting. Paper ballots are being provided to the two owners who do not have an email address registered.

Dues: The annual assessment amount will be determined by this vote and announced on the 22nd. Dues will be increased this year to fund the capital reserve for road and other infrastructure repairs. The annual rate is expected to be between $816 - $995 with a quarterly rate between $219-$264.

Payment Date: The due date for the first quarter payment has been extended to January 31st. Owners paying the minimum ($816 annual, $219 first quarter) before the 31st will be considered current and will qualify for early payment discounts as long as the difference (if any) is paid before February 15.

Last Call for Candidates: Currently Robert Bauer (1915), Steve Hillier (121) , Brenda Madison (120), David Ocamb (2017), Randy Renew (1607), Laurie Waldrum (1512) , John Ward (1610) are running for the board of directors. Hal Pilgram has volunteered to serve on a committee. If you are interested in serving as a director or as a committeeman please let us know before the polling begins so that your name can be included on the ballot.

This is an important vote - owners will vote on:

2011 community budget and planned projects for 2011
Election of 2011 Directors,
Proposed Amendments to the Covenants and Restrictions
Proposed Capital Repair Plans (roads, sewer, water mains, etc.)

Annual Elections and Budgeting Process Started

2010-12-07T21:42:00.002-06:00

The community will elect its 2011 Board of Directors, approve its 2011 budget, and vote on proposed amendments to the Covenants and Restrictions between December 15 and January 8, 2011.

The kickoff meeting was held earlier tonight, December 7th. Prior to the business meeting, owners shared their holiday spirit with each other in a party organized by Joann Johnson (left in photo), Candy Gianuzzi, Brenda Madison, Kathleen Williams, and Laurie Waldrum.

During the business meeting the proposed Covenants and Restrictions amendments were discussed in detail. The amendments were also reviewed during a community meeting on July 7th. Discussions were also held on the need to build the capital reserve fund that is seriously low.

Anyone wanting to run for the Board of Directors for 2011, please let us know so that we can get your name on the e-ballot.

We thank everyone for their participation and look forward to a productive vote. If any owner has any questions, please contact the board or post a note in the community blog.

183 Development Predicted to take 10 Years

2010-11-01T09:30:00.004-05:00

The City of Irving predicts that the development of the 183 corridor will not be fully completed until 2019. The City leased Texas Stadium to TxDot for a 10 year term starting in 2009. As the Association learned late last year when TxDOT withdrew its offer to buy Association land near 183, the $500M needed for this expansion is mostly unfunded at this time. In this video, Doug Janeway explains that it will continue to clear the land that has been purchased to ready it for redevelopment. The City is losing $383K a year in tax revenues from the loss of business along 183. Timing on the funding for the highway expansion is unclear as apparently changes in the design have sent TxDOT seeking another round of federal approval.

Receive Automatic Notification of Community News

2010-10-25T09:54:00.001-05:00

At the request of several members, the Association has added an automated notification capability to the website. You can now receive automatic notice of all news releases posted on this site. You no longer have to keep checking in or wait for a newsletter. These notification can happen one of three ways.

e-mail You can quickly set up automated feeds to any email address. The process takes less than 10 seconds to set up and can be turned off at any time.

Yahoo Homepage You can quickly set up so that all the newrelease will appear in your Yahoo or Google startup page along side the local news, weather, stock quotes, your horoscope, local movie listing and whatever else interests you. The processtakes less than 5 seconds to set up and can beturned off at any time.

Internet Explorer You can quickly set up so that all the new release can be accessed via a pull down menu on your browser toolbar. Anytime news is released you browser toolbar is updated . The process takes less than 10 seconds to set up and can beturned off at any time.

Donation to North Texas Food Bank

2010-10-15T09:00:00.005-05:00

Leftover food from the October 9th block party / pancake breakfast was donated to the North Texas Food Bank on October 18th to help those lessfortunate than ourselves.

The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a nonprofit hunger relief organization that distributes donated, purchased and prepared foods through a network of 1,184 feeding programs in 13 North Texas counties. Our donation is tax deductible.

Pay Online Using Your Credit Card

2010-10-14T10:30:00.006-05:00

At the request of several members, the Association has partnered withGoogle to provide a secure way to handle the small purchases like theflowers you buy for planting weekend and larger payments like anassessment you forgot to mail before heading out of town.

You can now make online payments to the Association using your debit orcredit card. This 24 hour service will be available starting October14, 2010 at 12 Noon.

Pancake Breakfast Fun

2010-10-09T16:31:00.011-05:00

Perfect weather, great food, and good times. We had a good turnout Saturday morning as 33 attended our first ever Pancake Breakfast. After 140 pancakes, 72 eggs, 6 lbs of bacon, 6 lbs of sausage, and a music selection that ranged from Frédéric Chopin to Grover Washington, with some 50's rock thrown in for good measure, we closed the doors.

Special thanks to Brenda Madison for the decorations, thanks to the chefs (Robert Bauer, Steve Hillier, Randy Ranew, and Suzan Ranew), thanks to Gail Simpson and Mary Kussman for bringing side dishes, and thanks to Rodney Lehmen for distributing invitations. A complete write up on this weekends event will follow in the next few days.

Long time resident passes on October 5th

2010-10-05T13:13:00.011-05:00

Long time Brentwood resident Keith R. Fulmer passed away today after a long battle with liver disease. Keith was 53 years old. The community extends its condolences to his family and loved ones.

Fertilization Completed Today

2010-10-04T13:18:00.013-05:00

The Diamond Lawn Service company completed the third lawn fertilization and weed treatments today. The company has one more fertilization planned for 2010.

Fall Garage Sale Well Attended

2010-10-02T21:00:00.010-05:00

Great fall weather and an exceptional turnout marked this fall event. Eight homes participated in the garage sale. After weeks of promotion, traffic was very good, especially in the morning.

Audit and Reserve Study Analysis

2010-09-30T12:07:00.011-05:00

All documents and files have been given to the auditor for the 2009 audit. A preliminary 40 year reserve study was also completed by the board to help understand the reserve needs of the community. The board is now talking to engineering firms to look at possible future cost reductions. The following firms have been contacted:

CRITERIUM-DOTSON ENGINEERS, 808 South College Street, Suite 225A, McKinney, Texas 75069

FISHER-SMOUCHA CONSULTING, 18208 Preston Road, Suite D-9, #205, Dallas, Texas 75252

LM CONSULTANTS, INC., 2625 North Josey Lane, Suite 305, Carrollton, Texas 75007

FACILITY ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES, P.C., 16800 North Dallas Parkway, Suite 290, Dallas, Texas 75248

City Removes Sign at Association Request

2010-09-29T17:33:00.005-05:00

The Association has filed a complaint with the City of Irving regarding the chevron sign placed in the entry garden. Apparently there was an accident recently in which a car drove through the fence at Chevis square apartments.

The City was very responsive and removed the sign two days later.

Electric Repairs on Common Grounds

2010-09-28T13:03:00.003-05:00

Volunteers worked together this afternoon to make electrical repairs to the entry and exit lighting fixtures. Some of the light fixture heads had corroded contacts that needed to be replaced. This is an ongoing problem as it is an open electrical system (vs sealed).

The electric eye and ground wiring was also repaired on the exit warning lamp.

Fall Landscaping Efforts Begin

2010-09-17T17:47:00.013-05:00

The summer turf has been scalped and a winter lawn seeded in. The sprinklers will water very briefly, 3x a day for the next 12 days as the seed germinates.

The "winter lawn" will be in place for 8-9 months (September - April/May).

The landscapers commented on how much more difficult the scalping was this year as the turf has improved and become thicker.

The entry flowers beds were also cleaned today. The beds will be replanted during planting weekend in mid-October.

Estate Sale - 1518 Brentwood

2010-09-16T13:58:00.000-05:00

An estate sale is being conducted at 1518 Brentwood on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Please come out and support the family.

Water Runoff Problem Resolved on Wilshire

2010-09-13T18:05:00.013-05:00

The issue of the running water on Wilshire and Brentwood has been resolved.

There was a water leak at a home on Belew Street that was running onto our streets for over a week now. The water source was located and the City of Irving Water department was contacted. The prolem is now resolved.

Landscape Repairs Completed Today

2010-07-31T11:11:00.004-05:00

General maintenance was conducted on the property today including replacement of 2 dead shrubs at 2023, 1 dead shrub at North cul-de-sac, sanding and painting the automatic gate boxes, the installation of 13 shrubs at entry, spreading 30 cubic yards of mulch in various beds, and replacement of entry light bulbs.

Exterior Rennovations of the 2023 Garage

2010-07-28T09:32:00.017-05:00

The 2023 building was painted in the new paint scheme and siding repaired this week. A fascia panel was added over the 16 foot garage door to serve as place to mount the an address number on the building. The numbers have been ordered. It is noted that the garage has 27 year old roof that is pretty well worn and will need to be replaced in the next three to five years.

Proposed Covenants and Restrictions Amendments Reviewed at Semi-annual Meeting

2010-07-13T09:40:00.004-05:00

At a well attended July 12th meeting (last night), a twenty-four page draft of proposed covenants and restrictions amendments was reviewed. A voting protocol that uses owners meetings as a discussion venue prior to a mail/electronic vote was presented. This will increase owner involvement and eliminate the problems of achieving meeting quorums. A architectural control plan was outlined that focuses on the major items (e.g. roofs, door, siding, windows, etc) and phases in as owners make future repairs was detailed. New financial checks and balances were discussed to ensure more reliable management of reserve and painting funds from board to board.

A copy of the draft may be downloaded here:

A discussion blog has been opened on the subject for members to share ideas:

2010 Painting Program Completed.

2010-07-09T22:59:00.013-05:00

2010 painting program was completed today. The west side of 1600 block of Brentwood was painted in the new color scheme. We thank Irving International for working with the Association to brink their house numbering into compliance with the building standard.

The east side of the 1900 block of Wilshire will be painted in 2011 (1900 ,1902, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1916, 1918, 1920, 1922). 2011 will be the first year that exterior repairs to the rear of the homes will be conducted.

New Web Format for Beverly Oaks

2010-06-03T18:01:00.001-05:00

We have adopted a new news release format that allows members to receive Asscoaition information on their browser homepage (google, yahoo, etc.)

The older news releases are located here:

Old News Release Archive

13 pallets of sod, 96 shrubs and 46 flats of marigolds

2010-04-17T21:31:00.011-05:00

The rain held off just long enough to let us get everything in before it poured.Lot's of turf improvements - we laid 13 pallets of sod, and planted 96 shrubs and 46 flats of marigolds.

All of the scraggly northcul-de-sac junipers were pulled out and the 19 year old junipers fromthe entry garden beds were put in their place.

We ran slightly (6%) over budget for the project - basically we ordered1 pallet of sod more than we needed - but we will trim a little in thefall to stay on track for the year.