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Spring-Summer
2015
The News in Champions Place
WELCOME TO CHAMPIONS PLACE
We want to take this opportunity to welcome all New Residents to our subdivision. All new residents are asked to please
give us your telephone number/s and email address/s by either calling the Association office or by completing the form
supplied in your Welcome Packet. This will ensure that we are able to reach you in case of an emergency. Be sure to
also keep the office informed of any updates. Please be assured that your information is safe with us and will only be
used as a means of keeping you informed about important information in your Champions Place Association. Please
note that phone numbers will be published in the Resident Directory unless otherwise requested.
New Residents
Nell McDonald - 13903 Jupiter Hills
Craig Stattler & Dabney Hegen - 14103 Jupiter Hills
Scott & Robin Stubbs - 6547 Prairie Dunes
Office Information
Office Manager - Janye Anderson
Office Hours - Tuesday from 12:00 noon to 6:00 PM
Office Phone - 281-583-8922
Office Email - [email protected]
Website - www.championsplace.org
Champions Place Homeowners Association
Board of Directors
President - Linn Smyth
Vice President - Mike Carrier
Treasurer - Bob Ziegler
Secretary - Patricia Morrow
Architectural Control - Steve Nowell
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT, Linn Smyth
Please join the Board in welcoming our NEW Office Manager, Janye Anderson! She will be in the Office on
Tuesdays, from noon until 6 p.m. and also available to help you via e-mail ([email protected]) or by
phone (281-583-8922).
Many of you have been following my updates on HCFWSD #52's Board and Town Hall Meetings. The CPHA Board is
very pleased that 52 chose NOT to go forward with calling a bond election in May 2015, for the purpose of funding a
walking trail and park amenity along Paradise Valley. Without an election looming, 52 can now focus on developing its
future plans and engage the community more amenably.
Creating a vision plan for the next few decades is a worthy endeavor for the 52 community, but it will take time to evaluate needs and choices in order to gain consensus. Taking on debt to fund such a vision plan, whether through taxes or
conventional loans, can be done with deliberation and the participation of all who will pay for it. Toward that goal,
HCFWSD 52 has committed to additional town hall meetings with the community, and I hope you will continue to attend
and join the discussion. In addition, you can join me at their monthly Board meetings on the second Monday of each
month, at 3 p.m., at John Wesley Church.
On a lighter note…Spring has “sprung”! Summer is almost here, and I hope everyone will enjoy the longer days to visit
with neighbors, work in the garden, walk your dogs, swim in the pool and play tennis!
Have a glorious SPRING and SUMMER!
Linn
SECURITY INFORMATION
DUTIES OF OUR HOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The CPHA Board meets the second Wednesday of the month, at 6:00 p.m., in the Office by the pool. These
meetings are open to all residents.
Our HOA Board of Directors is charged with maintaining, preserving and enhancing the common assets of
our association. In order to perform those duties, our Board depends upon the advice and counsel of experts
in various fields of community association management such as accountants, attorneys, landscapers, insurance specialists and the like.
When making decisions regarding our community, our Board is expected to consider all facts and factors
involved in the issue, including Deed Restrictions, and make the best business decision possible for all.
However, if each owner understood all of the underlying issues that go into making the decision, they would
understand that the board's choice of action is usually the most practical and well thought out.
The Board is also in communication with the larger Champions community surrounding us. We are
continually looking for opportunities to maximize benefit to CP residents from partnering with other HOAs,
possibly to reduce costs of services like trash removal, or to add to security for all.
In addition to dealing with insurance, maintenance, financial and contractual decisions, the Board must
also balance their positions on the Board with their role as a homeowner. If assessments are increased,
that means they are increased for them also. If rules are enacted, that means they have to obey them too.
Being a board member does not grant one immunity from the responsibilities of living in an association. In
fact, serving on the Board reflects just how seriously they take that responsibility. So, please keep in mind
that our board members are actually doing "double-duty" for our community: they serve as board member
and neighbor.
Steve Nowell
Director
Architectural Controls
Approval Ensures Conformity and Promotes Property Values
Our governing documents require that our Association approve all proposed architectural changes before
any work is started. There are many common misconceptions about what are and are not included in these
controls. To see the scope of all categories of the architectural controls in our Deeds Restrictions, see Article
1, Section 13 of our Deed Restrictions (www.championplace.org/Original Deed Restrictions). The importance
of these requirements cannot be overstated when you consider the reason for such restrictions.
Membership in a community association requires compliance to pre-existing conditions and regulations.
One of the biggest advantages of these conditions is the protection of our property values. The value of your
home is directly related to the condition, appearances and aesthetics of our community, as a whole. By
regulating the kind and types of architectural changes that can be done, our Association is better able to
maintain our property values.
Getting our Association to approve all proposed architectural changes is not just a good idea to protect your
investment, it is a requirement! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your board
members. Send us an e-mail, come by the Association’s office or attend one of the monthly Board Meetings.
Contact Information
Website – www.championsplace.org
Office Address - 14001 Jupiter Hills Drive, Houston, Texas 77069
Phone - 281-583-8922 (The little house by the pool.)
Hours - Tuesday, 12:00 noon - 6:00 PM
Email - [email protected]
Special recognition goes to the following “Yard of the Month” winners.
August 2014 - Ruth Clarson, 6542 Shinnecock Hills
September 2014 - George & Colleen McCullough, 6510 Pauma
October 2014 - Sarah Calhoun, 14010 Jupiter Hills
November 2014 - Julie Harter, 13818 Jupiter Hills
December 2014 - Avaro Alvarez, 13906 Jupiter Hills
January 2015 - Bob & Joan Ziegler, 6507 Pauma
February 2015 - N/A
March, 2015 - Janice Kelley, 6538 Shinnecock
LANDSCAPING SCHEDULE
Mar 2015
3rd
n/a
10th
11th
17th
18th
24th
25th
31st
n/a
Apr 2015
n/a
1st
7th
8th
14th
15th
21st
22nd
28th
29th
May 2015
5th
6th
12th
13th
19th
20th
26th
27th
n/a
n/a
Jun 2015
2nd
3rd
9th
10th
16th
17th
23rd
24th
30th
n/a
Jul 2015
n/a
1st
7th
8th
14th
15th
21st
22nd
28th
29th
Aug 2015
4th
5th
11th
12th
18th
19th
25th
26th
n/a
n/a
Sep 2015
1st
2nd
8th
9th
15th
16th
22nd
23rd
29th
30th
Oct 2015
6th
n/a
13th
n/a
20th
n/a
27th
28th
n/a
n/a
Nov 2015
3rd
n/a
10th
n/a
17th
n/a
24th
25th
n/a
n/a
Dec 2015
1st
n/a
8th
n/a
15th
n/a
22nd
23rd
29th
n/a
Blowing Only
(Blow dates includes front yards only)
*** Dates may change due to weather.
*** Plans for re-landscaping of the rear entrance to Champions Place is still in progress. ***
SELLING & LEASING
If your home is for sale or lease, the Champions Place Deed Restrictions
require that the Association be provided with a completed Association’s
Notice of Sale or Lease form. The office can provide you with a form at
your request. There is a $200 transfer fee required for any property sold
or leased, and a $50 fee will be charged if the issued pool key is not
returned.
POOL NOTES
The pool is closed and cleaned twice a week during summer, normally Monday and Thursday
mornings. If a holiday falls on a Monday, the pool will be open. Pool hours are from 8:00 AM to
10:00 PM.
POOL RULES
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A Champions Place resident must be present at all times for guests or children 12 and under.
Children not toilet trained must wear water resistant swim diapers.
NO GLASS containers or loud music.
No alcohol or tobacco products.
No pets.
No private parties unless authorized by the Champions Place Homeowners Association Board of Directors.
Keys to the pool and tennis courts are not to be loaned out or used by anyone other than a resident.
Children 12 years and under are not to be granted the use of the keys.
DO NOT open the gate for anyone who does not have a key. Please keep gates closed and locked.
In order to keep our insurance for the recreational areas, these areas must be as secured as possible.
A key for the pool/tennis courts/restrooms can be obtained from the office. Keys must be picked up and signed for at the
office. If you are leasing, the form must be signed by the owner of the property. A $50.00 fee will be assessed for a
replacement, if the key is lost. As the office is staffed only on a part time basis, please call first and leave a message.
Your call will be returned as soon as possible. The office number is 281-583-8922.
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No lifeguard is on duty.
Swim at your own risk.
No diving, running or rough housing.
Thunder or lightning means the pool is CLOSED.
WORKER NEWS
We have a list of names of reliable persons or companies that have been
recommended to our residents. If you would like to see the list, please
come to the office and we will be glad to give you a copy.
Please continue to turn in names of reliable contractors so that we can
keep our residents updated. We also want to know of any on the list who should be
removed due to unsatisfactory work. It is also suggested that you join Angie’s List to
get other reliable names.
FINANCIAL REPORT, Bob Ziegler - Treasurer
See the website, www.championsplace.org, for full financials for 2014.
As of the end of May, our operating expenses are below budget.
CHAMPIONS ESD NEWS
ESCAPE PLANNING IN YOUR HOME
Plan Ahead! If a fire breaks out in your home, you may have only a few minutes to get out safely once the
smoke alarm sounds. Everyone needs to know what to do and where to go if there is a fire.
How to make a Home Fire Escape Plan
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Draw a map of your home. Show all doors and windows.
Visit each room. Find two ways out.
All windows and doors should open easily.
Make sure your home has smoke alarms and test each of them.
Pick a meeting place outside. It should be in front of your home and EVERYONE
should meet here.
Make sure your address is visible from the street.
Talk about and practice your plan! ~ GET OUT, CALL 911, AND STAY OUT.
Putting your plan to the test
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Practice your home fire escape plan twice a year, making the drill as realistic as possible.
Make arrangements in your plan for anyone in your home who has a disability.
Allow children to master fire escape planning and practice before holding a fire drill at night when they are
sleeping. The objective is to practice, not to frighten, so telling children there will be a drill before they go
to bed can be as effective as a surprise drill.
It's important to determine during the drill whether children and others can readily waken to the sound of
the smoke alarm. If they fail to awaken, make sure that someone is assigned to wake them up as part of
the drill and in a real emergency situation.
Always choose the escape route that is safest – the one with the least amount of smoke and heat – but
be prepared to escape under toxic smoke if necessary. When you do your fire drill, everyone in the family
should practice getting low and going under the smoke to your exit.
Closing doors on your way out slows the spread of fire, giving you more time to safely escape.
In some cases, smoke or fire may prevent you from exiting your home or apartment building. To prepare
for an emergency like this, practice "sealing yourself in for safety" as part of your home fire escape plan.
Close all doors between you and the fire. Use duct tape or towels to seal the door cracks and cover air
vents to keep smoke from coming in. If possible, open your windows at the top and bottom so fresh air
can get in. Call the fire department to report your exact location. Wave a flashlight or light-colored cloth at
the window to let the fire department know where you are located.
For more information visit
http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/escape-planning/basic-fire-escape-planning
www.championsfire.org
Facebook.com/ChampionsESD
Twitter: @ChampionsESD
Sign up for FREE Emergency alerts at
www.championsfire.org
RECYCLING
Recycling is in place at Yeager Elementary. They accept newspaper, cardboard, aluminum cans,
and plastic, numbers 1-5. If you have any questions about recycling, please call the Yeager
Elementary School office at 281-440-4914.
NEIGHBORHOOD CRAIGSLIST
Do you have furniture or something else you would like to sell, or just something you no longer
want? If so, we can create a neighborhood Craigslist, where you can list your items for sale.
We are looking for feedback to see if our owners and residents would be
interested in CPHA developing a list for our neighborhood.
ATTENTION ALL CURRENT OR FORMER MILITARY VETERANS
Yeager, our neighborhood elementary school, honors military veterans each year in
November, around the Veteran’s Day holiday. You can either contact the Champions Place
office by phone at 281-583-8922 or email at [email protected] or Yeager
Elementary at 281-440-4914. Please provide your name, address and branch of service
so you can receive an invitation to be honored at this event.
HURRICANE SEASON - BE PREPARED!
BEFORE A HURRICANE
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To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are well trimmed so they are more wind resistant.
Clean loose and clogged rain gutters and downspouts.
Plan to bring in pets, all outdoor furniture, decorations, garbage cans, and anything else that is not tied
down.
Fuel your vehicles and generators.
Listen to the radio or TV for information.
Secure your home and secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors.
Ensure a supply of water for drinking as well as for sanitary purposes, such as
cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill the bathtub and other larger containers with
water.
DURING A HURRICANE
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Stay inside. Don’t go outside unless absolutely necessary. If the eye passes over, don’t get caught in the
calm of the storm.
Avoid windows and stay in the interior areas of your home.
Our HCFWSD 52 water and sewer provider is TNG. Their 24-hour phone number, with a back-up system
in place, is 281-350-0895. Both TNG and HCFWSD 52 will have emergency information available on their
websites as needed during an emergency. If our power goes out, or our surface water connections are not
operating with the Water Authority, they have back-up well water available and an emergency generator
(with diesel fuel on site to power it) to maintain water pressure and supply at the plant and sewer disposal.
Should we need to BOIL WATER; signs will be posted at locations throughout the community for all to see.
Know that fire and emergency medical services will not respond until winds are below 55 mph.
A SPRING GARDEN CHECKLIST - Linn Smyth - President
Remove any dead ANNUAL PLANTS that lasted through the winter. They have done their
job and brightened your winter landscape! Once you see new growth at the base of any
PERENNIALS left standing, it is safe to remove winter mulch and prune them down to the
ground around the new shoots.
WOODY STEMMED PLANTS also need to be cut back each spring, because they bloom on new wood.
You will know it is time to prune when they start showing buds on lower stems, or new growth at the base.
DIVIDE and TRANSPLANT unruly and overgrown plants now. They will recover beautifully from this abuse,
if done early in their growth spurt.
EVERGREEN and SEMI-EVERGREEN PLANTS (like Hellebores, Heuchera and bearded iris, for example)
never go totally dormant. Cut back the tattered foliage and encourage new growth to come in.
ORNAMENTAL GRASSES can be cut to within a few inches of the ground. They will come back up when
they are ready.
ROSES in our climate that never go dormant (all the Knockouts and the Drift varieties we love) still benefit
from a haircut. Removing the majority of leaves shocks them into thinking they WERE dormant, need to
wake up now, and start growing again. If you have the kind that did go dormant, spring care should begin
just as the leaf buds begin to plump up.
TREES AND SHRUBS that bloom in the spring set their flower buds in the summer or fall of last year. Pruning them now, before they bloom, would remove this year’s flowers. So leave them alone until early summer.
A word about “CREPE MURDER” -- the “oracle of the South”, Southern Living Magazine, has an excellent
article on this unfortunate practice and why it weakens your tree long term. Those guilty of “crepe murder”
know who you are! Please consider the options in the article and let’s all have healthier trees—they are a
big financial investment.
http://www.southernliving.com/home-garden/gardens/crepe-murder
http://thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2009/02/24/what-concerns-p/
EVERGREENS require little spring care other than tidying up. If your soil is not healthy and rich (from added
compost), spring is a good time to fertilize evergreens, because they are actively growing now. They should
only need a well-balanced food, labeled especially for evergreens, every other year.
WEEDING out any “volunteers” that have joined your garden (in spite of a winter mulch layer) will pay big
dividends when it gets too hot to think about garden work. Damp soil makes it much easier to pull them out,
and applying enhanced vinegar spray (available at Plants For All Seasons, on 249) to kill the stubborn ones
should do the trick.
Along driveway and walkway edges you may need something stronger, like Round Up. Be cautious when
using any chemical herbicides and “weed and feed” products. They wash into our storm drains and end up in
Galveston Bay, where they can kill things we may want to eat.
SOIL AMMEMDMENTS and FERTILIZER should not be needed if you added compost and manure to your
beds in the fall. If you didn’t, then do that now. A simple top dressing (one half inch) of compost, plus a
slow-release organic fertilizer will bring you healthy and beautiful plants for months to come.
MULCHING and EDGING are the finishing touches! A crisp edge makes a garden bed look polished and
helps prevent your lawn from crawling into your flower beds. Any barrier works, from materials like stacked
stone, to simply making a “V” cut to separate the two.
Mulching has several advantages: conserves water, cools plant roots, feeds the soil and - best of all smothers weeds. Be sure to keep it away from the stems and crowns of your plants, and also from piling up
next to tree trunks (they will rot at that point from being “smothered”).
HAPPY SPRING! - HAPPY GARDENING!