Marbella Messenger (June 2008)

UPDATING THE CC&R’S After many months of working on updating the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&R’s) for Marbella, we will be mailing out the final version for your vote in the next couple of weeks. As mentioned in previous articles, our CC&R’s are over 20 years old and new laws adopted over the years have made many provisions in our CC&R’s obsolete. Our attorney has reviewed the changes and we made a draft copy available to the owners to review upon request. A handful of owners took the time to review the draft and we even had a General Meeting of the members with our attorney to answer any questions. Please take the time to read through the materials we send you AND VOTE!!! Please keep the revised CC&R’s you receive for your files. Once they are approved by the voters, you will receive a recorded certification to keep with that document. BOARD ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER There will be three (3) vacancies on the Marbella Board in the November elections. If you are interested in running for election to the Board, you must submit your name and a brief biographical sketch by September 25, 2008. If you have questions on the duties of the Board members, you may contact any of the current Board members for this information. Please consider becoming involved in our community. NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH Another way to become involved is to volunteer as a Block Captain with the Neighborhood Watch Program in Oaks North. We have included a flyer with the newsletter that provides you with information on who to contact about this very important program. This is a great way to get to know your neighbors and to help one another in case of an emergency like last year’s wildfires. LANDSCAPE CORNER ENTRY: Good News! According to the company that maintains our Entry Palms, they are going to survive the fire damage that they sustained. They will soon be undergoing their annual trimming and cleanup. The Myoporum (ground cover) in the median has been removed. Our landscaping company has informed us that the palm tree roots are making it very difficult for anything to grow and flourish. At this point we are going to leave it as is and let the Indian Hawthorn grow naturally, in time making the dirt less noticeable. CITRUS GROVE: We added quite a few new plants to make it a little more eye appealing. Some Society Garlics were transplanted from the Entry, some volunteer Dusty Millers were donated and the rest purchased. We hope you enjoy the additions. GREENBELT; In addition to not much May gray, we've seen very little June gloom. So, same story, different year. A couple of us attended a workshop a month ago for info and ideas on water conservation, plants, etc. We are in the process of talking with Landscape Architects to get an idea of cost to create a more appealing and water conservation design. This is taking longer than expected, there's a lot of information out there, but we do want to do it right. STREET AND SIDEWALK WEEDS; We are again asking for your assistance in spraying weeds in the cracks of sidewalks and streets in the front and alongside your home. The city no longer provides this service. Our Landscaper can do the work, but it'll be an additional cost to the Association. Please help us in saving money and maintaining an attractive appearance in Marbella If you have any questions or concerns with the Common Area, please contact your Landscape Committee, Karen Wiley, Larry Allen or Jim Coote. REBUILDING UPDATE As most of you know, construction is in progress on four of the burned lots and the fifth is just being started. We're hoping to have plans for the sixth and final lot in the very near future. The Builders/Owners have worked very closely with the Board to ensure that they're in total compliance of requirements. It's our understanding that the Builders are being as considerate as possible of nearby neighbors and we do appreciate that. Please know that we also very much appreciate your patience and tolerance during this period. We all look forward to the day when Marbella has been put back together again. UNSCRUPULOUS PLUMBING COMPANIES Recently one of our residents had a very costly experience with a local plumber. Fortunately, a friend and neighbor got involved, contacted Adult Protective Services and was able to get a fairly reasonable refund. This company was listed as satisfactory with the San Diego Better Business Bureau (SDBBB), even though they have had 8 complaints in the last three years, 4 in the past 12 months. Anyone can log onto the SDBBB and get this info, as well as email a request for a bid to any number of listed companies. If you have a plumbing problem you may not have time to go through the above process, but do call friends and neighbors for recommendations. Don't go to the yellow pages and pick out the company with the biggest ad- you may very well pay for it. Our local RB Community Phone Book has a limited number of local plumbers listed, it may be wise to use that as your reference. COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BOARD All communications, including complaints, should be in writing and mailed to: Oaks North Marbella HOA, P. O. Box 300164, Escondido, CA 92030. You can email the Board members at the following: Karen Wiley: karewile133@wmconnect.com Larry Allen: lallengolf@aol.com Marilyn Tipler: mdtipler@yahoo.com Maurice Nahum: mhuman@aol.com Jim Coote: jcoote@san.rr.com Questions regarding your billing, refinance information or escrow information should be directed to our accounting service at (760) 751-5444. Copies of Board meeting minutes and financial statements are kept in the Oaks North Community Center Library for your review. The notice and agenda for the monthly Board meetings are now posted on the Community Center bulletin board four days in advance of our meetings. The Board meets on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m. at the Oaks North Community Center. The meeting is open to all owners. Please come and join us! WILD FIRE HINTS During the recent wild fire there were some lessons learned we would like to relay to the residents. 1. Only telephone sets that plug in (the old-fashioned way) and are not portable will work when the power is cut off. Residents may want to have at least one phone that is not portable to use in emergencies. The reverse 911 call usually takes 10 to 15 seconds to start it's message, give it time before hanging up. It is also voice activated so you must say sometime when answering the call. 2. When the power is off, and you need to open your garage door, just pull the red handle that hangs down from the rail. This will release your door from the electric opener. Then You can now open the door manually by lifting the door with your hands. 3. A few residents left windows open when they evaluated. If you have time, close all windows and doors to keep the ash and smoke out. This also will reduce the chance of burning embers getting to the interior of your home. 4. Don't stack firewood close to the house or on the patio, embers can ignite the firewood easily. 5. Avoid having large amounts of combustible materials on your patio. Chair cushions, straw rugs or any other easily burnt items should be stored indoors when not in use or fire danger is present.