info@sommerplacehoa.comSommer Place Neighbors,
The members of the Sommer Place HOA Board would like to share some information with all homeowners about what has been going on lately around the neighborhood. We had a successful Members Meeting at Sommer Park on 4/21/18 and look forward to another great year as a neighborhood.
At the Members Meeting, Eric Bruce our new treasurer gave us an update about where we are financially. An updated financial statement will be put on the member’s website for anyone to take a look at the numbers more closely. Eric discussed where a majority of our money goes and what it is used for.
A big thank you to all households is due! We have collected 100% of our dues this past year.
Hopefully you all have noticed the improvement projects at the front of the neighborhood already. On the Clairmont Court entrance, lights have been installed and landscaping added to the north side of the street, along with improvements to the south side of the street. More trees have been added along with plants and irrigation. Landscaping along the Sommer Place entrance has been extended and improved.
A large amount of money was saved for the neighborhood on the bridge project last year too. The bridge that was falling over at the bottom of the hill on Sommer Place has been fixed. The fixed was paid for by the developer of the neighborhood. Our former president Candice Smith, worked with the developer, and convinced them, that it was their obligation to repair the portion that was almost falling over.
Sommer Place officially has a neighborhood watch program started. A kickoff meeting was held in March. Our city councilman Dennis Cyr, a police officer assigned to our area, and the neighborhood watch coordinator attended our meeting to answer any questions we had. What we learned and want to share with everyone here is, if you see something that is out of place for our neighborhood, please call the non-emergency phone number. Posting on Facebook is not the first thing we as a community should turn to. Keep an eye out for your fellow neighbors too, the few members that attended the meeting are not able to watch an entire neighborhood as large as ours. We encourage other groups/streets to organize another kickoff for your area of the neighborhood.
During our members meeting we discussed the option of installing cameras here at the front of the neighborhood. The Board has the authority to make this decision on its own, but felt it was best for the entire neighborhood to express how they feel and leave it up to a vote. At the meeting, the board asked for permission to spend up to $18,000, and will make a selection from 3 different firms that gave us estimates. The vote was approved with 13 households in favor, and 3 opposed. The Board Members will be meeting and choosing which camera system to install. We also created a policy, which was voted on at the same time to determine how to use the cameras. Our new policy states that data can only be given to legal authorities, not residents, with a subpoena or police report. The cameras will be installed on HOA property and viewing public space. Prior to the members meeting, the Board met with our HOA lawyer to make sure the cameras would be legal for a home owners association to use. Our original meeting was going to be after the Easter Egg hunt, but due to inclement weather, we rescheduled to allow more people to attend and voice their opinions. Letters were sent out after the reschedule to notify all homes of the agenda and vote for the security cameras.
The Weaver Farms rezoning proposal has been dropped by the Weaver family. Sommer Place worked in conjunction with Chadwick Place and Estate in this effort. The Weavers and surrounding neighborhoods could not come to an agreement for how the land should be zoned, so the proposal to the city has been pulled. At this time, if a developer chooses to purchase the land, it will be up to the developer to come up with a zoning plan, which is hopefully agreeable with the surrounding neighborhoods.
Please keep in mind, residents are not allowed to cut down trees in the common areas such as the gully. Those trees are not owned by the houses that back up, but are on land controlled by the HOA. Residents should not make fires on HOA property either.
Parking has become an issue in the neighborhood as well. If able, please park your vehicles in your driveway and be courteous to your neighbors regarding where your vehicles are parked in the street.
Please slow down while driving through our neighborhood. Nicer weather is upon us, and many kids are playing outside and people going for walks and runs.
Don’t forget to pick up after your pets. Keep everyone’s yards kept tidy!
We look forward to seeing another great year in the neighborhood!
Sommer Place Board Members