Colonies June 2017

CHARLESTOWN COLONY
(CHC) YARD OF THE MONTH
Our neighbors of 5606 Towerglen Loop happily greet May with a
multicolor of flowers waving gaily from their freshly mulched beds.
Playing “ring-around-the-rosy” around the pines are burgundy
chrysanthemums; neon orange impatiens, vincas morphing from
red to rose to blush to white and little scarlet/green/cream mini
elephant ears of caladiums. This house is the winner of May’s yardof-the-month
prize ...a gift certificate to Home Depot for more yard
work items (or whatever they please). Their home looks bright and
clean and happy in the spring sunshine.
It’s hard to believe that our Charlestown Colony was started in the
1980’s and it has been nearly 30 years since we were brand new.
Our families are starting to remodel and update their homes and
yards and fences. Our neighborhood is looking fresher. It is lovely,
also, that we have tall, established trees and shady sidewalks to
stroll. Thomas Fuller wrote: “He that plants a tree loves others besides
himself.” The same could be said about neighbors that tend
greenery to beautify ALL of our landscapes. It lightens our moods
to live with sunshine and flowers.
(CHC) “HURRICANE SEASON”
Hurricane season starts June 1 st . Do you know how to be prepared
for a hurricane? There are countless websites that will help you
be prepared. Read up on how much food and water should be on
hand based on the number of people in your household. Remember
canned goods require a manual can opener. Remember to fill
bathtubs with water. While you may not want to drink water from
a bathtub, this water can be used to flush toilets. Generators can
never be found once a hurricane is in the Gulf. If you can afford a
generator and have a place to store one, think ahead and get one early.
Make sure to fill gas cans to run the generator. Camping equipment really
comes in handy when the power is out. That camp stove will help
cook the contents of your freezer so it doesn’t all go to waste! Camping
lanterns shed a lot more light than flashlights. Some homes along the
bayou have flooded in the past. Are you prepared? Remember that
flood insurance has a 30 day waiting period. Once you have the proper
amount of food/water per person and ever think to do laundry before
a hurricane? This is not a common thought but is very good advice.
When Hurricane Ike knocked out power for over 9 days to our area, clean
clothes were a nice thing to have.
(CHC) DEED RESTRICTIONS
Did you ever get a letter regarding a deed restriction violation and think
that your neighbor turned you in? Chances are your neighbor knows
nothing about the deed restriction violation letter you received. While
neighbors can contact PMG with a deed restriction complaint, most
deed restriction violation letters are generated from the management
company’s inspections of the neighborhood.
Everyone talks about the “Deed Restrictions” but do you really know
what they are? Deed Restrictions are a declaration of covenants, conditions
and restrictions for the neighborhood. Deed restrictions are set
up either when the neighborhood is platted out or shortly thereafter.
Charlestown Colony has two sets of deed restrictions, one for the town
home area (section one) and another for the single family homes (section
two). These restrictions cover use of the homes as single family dwellings,
to changes you can make to your home, the types of improvements,
types of material storage of automobiles, boats, trailers, etc, animal
husbandry, walls, fences and hedges, visual obstructions at intersections
of public streets, maintenance of grounds, roofing materials, height of
an antenna and more. The deed restrictions also govern membership
and voting rights in the community; penalties, leans and enforcement.
Deed restrictions are a very important document for homeowners to
be familiar with. How do you get your copy? Contact our neighborhood
management company, Principal Management Group of Houston, AAMC-
An Associa® Company, www.pmghouston.com. Our area manager is
Linda Bartel. She can be reached by email, l.bartel@pmghouston.com
and by phone (Office: 713-329-7100, Direct: 713-329-7169).
Trashcan violations are some of the most common violation letters.
These fall under Section 15 of the deed restrictions; Visual Screening
on Lots. This paragraph basically says anything stored on the property
must be out of sight from a ground level view of neighboring lots. Trash
cans must be behind a fence. If you have a clothesline in your back yard,
it can’t be visible from the street level.
Araoz Painting &
Remodeling
Painting Exterior & Interior
Sheet Rock Repairs • Carpentry & Siding
Fences • Decks & Patios • Roofing
Kitchen & Bath Remodeling
Enrique Araoz
Owner
281-733-3830
enriquearaoz44@gmail.com
Another problem neighbors encounter is parking. This is especially
difficult as our children grow and get vehicles. The cars don’t all fit in
the driveway. Section 9 of the deed restrictions states, “No boat trailer,
boats, travel trailers, inoperative automobiles, campers or vehicles of
any kind shall be stored in the driveway, public street right-of-way or
in any location forward of the front building line. As used herein, the
term “stored” is defined as exceeding twelve (12) hours out of any seventy-two
(72) hour period.”
A large number of cars parked on both sides of a street is a safety issue.
Emergency vehicles (firetrucks and ambulances) need enough room to
get by. School busses can also have difficulty when there are too many
parked cars directly across from one-another. Yard vehicles with trailers
have side-swiped cars parked on the street. The homeowner has little
or no recourse because the offending vehicle is long gone before the
homeowner is aware of the damage. Alternate side of the street parking
is helpful. This is when cars parked on both sides of the street are offset
from one another. Work together to keep the streets passable at all
times by all vehicles.
4 Colonies | June 2017