Check out the ALPHA Facebook Page

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Check out the ALPHA Facebook page. This is the place where ALPHA homeowners can post comments, concerns, and other information about Lilac Park and Arnold.

This is a closed group, so only ALPHA Homeowners can access it

Root Beer Float Social at the ALPHA Pool

WHAT : Root Beer Float Social
WHEN : Saturday, June 2 – noon to 2:30pm (ish)
WHERE : At the ALPHA Swimming Pool

Details : The ALPHA Social Events Committee is proud to announce the kick-off of the 2012 swimming season and to mark the occasion, they’re hosting a Root Beer Float Social on the first Saturday in June.

The Board of Directors will be personally serving FREE Root Beer Floats to ALPHA Homeowners and their guests from noon to about 2:30pm, so come down to the pool, meet your neighbors, and enjoy a float on us!

Don’t forget to bring your swim suit because the pool will be open and ready for swimming. Your Board of Directors is working hard to get the new solar panels installed in time, and we hope to have them up early enough in the month to help push the water temps up to around 80 degress.

Of course weather and air temperatures are huge factors in how warm the water will actually be, so keep your fingers crossed that we have good weather in May.

Mark your calendar, come on out and join in the fun!

Cal-Fire Inspections Scheduled

The lack of rain and snow and several days of heavy winds this past winter has left a lot of debris on the ground in Lilac Park this year. It’s expected that the lack of precipitation is a precursor to high fire danger in our community for the coming summer season.

For the first time in several years, ALPHA does not have a board member participating in the VIP program therefore we cannot answer any specific questions regarding the upcoming inspections. Please note that ALPHA and the Cal-Fire VIPs are completely independent of each other, though ALPHA supports a fire-safe community and urges homeowners to prepare their property according to Cal-Fire mandates.

Cal Fire VIP first inspections are scheduled from May 29 to May 31 and second inspections are from June 18 to June 22. If you do not have your lot cleared to Cal-Fire standards by May 29, be prepared to receive a notice in the mail, but don’t wait for that notice to get your lot cleaned up appropriately.

If you receive a notice from Cal-Fire, don’t ignore it, act on it. The first notice you receive is a courtesy letter to inform you that your lot isn’t fire-safe. If you receive a second notice, this too, is a courtesy to remind you that your lot doesn’t meet Cal-Fire standards. There are no third notices and more than one homeowner was fined last year. A few homeowners indicated that they never received anything in the mail, so your best bet is to get your lot(s) prepared before 5/29/12. These fines can be stiff, require an appearance in court, and can be time consuming to resolve.

VIP Inspectors are expected to adhere to specific standards. If anything about your property is questionable including property lines, appropriate foliage, or clearances, ALPHA encourages you to contact Cal-Fire directly for more information or clarification of their mandates. The number to dial is 209.428.1131.

For a printable PDF copy of Cal-Fire’s most current lot clearance guidelines, click the link below.

Cal Fire Guidelines 2012

Fire safety is everyone’s business.

Summer is Almost Here!

Hi ALPHA Homeowners!

The change in weather is upon us. The warmer temps no doubt signals the coming of summer and all of the activity that the season brings.

This is going to be a busy month for emailed information from the Board of Directors as we have been feverishly working on a number of projects and have several important dates to pass on. Watch your email or check back here often to see what’s coming up.

ALPHA Pool to Open June 1st

Weather permitting, the ALPHA pool is scheduled to open on Friday, June 1st 2012. We’ll be installing the solar panels this month and hope to have them installed early enough so that the water is warm on opening day.

However, there is still a lot of work to do in order to get the pool ready and we could use your help. The Spring Clean Up Day has yet to be scheduled, but it’s coming very soon. If you can lend a hand in the month of May, even for just an hour or two, drop us a note.

ALPHA Board Meeting

We apologize for the late notice.

The ALPHA Board Meeting will take place at 3:00pm on Saturday, May 5, 2012.

LOCATION: ALPHA Swimming Pool

ALPHA Site Update Complete … mostly.

Well, the update is pretty well done. The look and feel of the site may not be really different, which is by design, but the blog theme we’re using was almost two years old and some major code revisions have been made in that time.

Breadcrumbs will now be displayed along with a search window at the bottom of each page allowing you to quickly find any other information we’ve previously posted.

We’ve removed many pages that haven’t been viewed much and will be adding other, more relevant content over the next few months, which we’ll update you with via email as changes are made.

There are a number of other enhancements, but we’ll let you find those out on your own.

 

Rental Information / Rentals and the ALPHA Pool

THIS IS A THREE PART MESSAGE FOR
ALPHA HOMEOWNERS
WHO RENT THEIR CABIN.
————————————- Part 1 ——————————————

UPDATING RENTAL INFORMATION

As a way to help us update and manage the information regarding rentals in Lilac Park, the Board of Directors is requesting that all ALPHA Homeowners complete a short form. See link below.

There are several reasons the board wants to have this information, and providing it is required by law. If we receive any complaints or reports of inappropriate activity taking place on the property, the Board must have current information to be able to follow up in a timely fashion.

Additionally, over the last several months a few homeowners have noticed a significant increase in traffic at unusual hours to various homes in Lilac Park. While this traffic may very well be innocent, other concerned homeowners have noted that it may be attributed to illegal activity.

There have also been a number of thefts and other crimes reported recently in Lilac Park, including a case of arson. Having up-to-date information about who is living in our community will allow the board to communicate appropriately with renters, homeowners, and, if necessary, local law enforcement.

If you rent your Lilac Park home, for either short or long-term stays, please take a moment to fill out the Rental Information Form.

Click here to go to the Rental Information Form.

——————————————–  Part 2  ———————————————–

TENANT USE OF THE SWIMMING POOL IN 2012

If you want your tenants to have access to the pool in 2012, please be sure to complete the “Tenant Authorization Form.” Completing this form will send an authorization to you that you can give to your tenants, which will allow them access to the pool.

With the completion of the new solar panel installation planned for May, we expect to see an increase in pool use this year and it is our aim to avoid any miscommunication about who can and cannot use the pool.

Completion of this form is required for both short term and long term tenants.

Click here to go to the Tenant Authorization Form.

——————————————-  Part 3  ————————————————

CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS NOW REQUIRED BY LAW

If you rent your Lilac Park home, this is a just a friendly reminder that SB 183 (carbon monoxide detector), passed by the California Legislature in July, 2011. It is enforceable after January 1, 2013.

If you have any kind of appliance or heater that burns fossil fuels in your Lilac Park home, a carbon monoxide detector is required by law. If you do not install and maintain one and someone is injured due to a carbon monoxide poisoning, you could be liable both civilly and criminally.

The purpose of this note is simply to inform you of the new law. ALPHA is not going to be monitoring or enforcing this requirement and it’s unclear if anyone else is either. However, if you don’t have one installed and something happens in your rental, you could be liable for injuries resulting from a malfunctioning appliance or other problem.

Ace Hardware carries a few different types of CO detectors and cost is between $20 and $60. Many use wall power and do not require batteries.

Be Responsible, Report Suspicious Activity

The sheriff’s department cannot function effectively without the assistance of responsible citizens. They need your help in reporting suspicious activity. Some people fail to call because they are not aware of what is considered suspicious. Others notice suspicious activity and assume someone else will call. Still, others fail to call because they feel they are bothering the police.

We encourage everyone to call the police IMMEDIATELY if they feel a situation or circumstance is suspicious. DO NOT think you are bothering deputies; this is why they are here! DO NOT be embarrassed if your suspicions prove unfounded.

IF IN DOUBT, CALL! It is better to err on the side of safety. Following is a partial list of incidents that should be reported to the police by dialing 9-1-1. This list is not intended to be complete. Use your own judgment when calling the police.

  • Anyone needing police, fire, or medical assistance.
  • Alarms sounding or glass being broken.
  • Someone loitering around cars or going car to car peering into them.
  • Many different vehicles stopping at a home for a short time at late hours, every night.
  • Apparent business transactions being conducted from a vehicle.
  • Slow moving vehicles (at night without lights) driving aimlessly.
  • Someone seen being forced into a vehicle.
  • Abandoned vehicle parked on your block.
  • Anyone seen with a weapon.

While some, if not all, of the above situations could have innocent explanations, the police would rather prevent illegal activity than be called to investigate a crime after it is committed.

Please remember, timely reporting is important. Dial 9-1-1 as soon as you witness
suspicious activity and DO NOT take any action on your own!

Wireless Internet at the ALPHA Pool?

I was asked more than once last summer if the board had considered or was planning to install WiFi Internet Access at the ALPHA pool. The board discussed it at one meeting early last year, but because of the ongoing costs and the yearly contract involved with most hi-speed Internet providers, it was dismissed as too expensive.

Since we’re approaching the 2012 pool season, I thought I would ask you, the association, about whether or not you would use hi-speed Internet access at the pool. If you rent your home, your pool-authorized tenants would have access to the service too.

Authorized pool users could connect to the Internet wirelessly using their laptop, tablet, or other mobile device to check email, surf the web, check the weather, fishing conditions, etc.

The ALPHA Board could use it in a number of ways, too, including: homeowner/renter sign-in when using the pool, automated time card management for the Pool Attendant, snack bar sales tracking, a future web cam, and required pool-data logging, among other things. However, having the Internet just for administrative use doesn’t make much financial sense unless a large number of pool users could benefit from it, too.

When you get a moment, please vote in the pool, er … poll,  via the link below. You will need the homeowner password for the ALPHA web site to vote. We protected the page so that only ALPHA Homeowners and other authorized pool users can participate.

Vote Here.

I appreciate your feedback.

EDIT: Just to be clear, this is only an advisory poll designed to give us some idea of what association members are thinking. It is NOT an official election, nor will the results of the poll be the sole factor in the board’s action.

~Mark