This next year, your board is looking at updating CC&Rs and making other, long needed changes to some of the administrative elements of ALPHA.
Our latest update has been to our Lot Map. Please take a moment and view that the information we have listed for your lot is correct. The lot number is above or beside the street address, which is in parenthesis.
If you find an error or omission, please let us know by dropping us a note.
Click the map to the right to view a larger version. Adobe Acrobat Reader required.
Just a short note to let you know that the Fall 2011 edition of the Treetop Times has been published to the web site. You can download the .pdf file here. (~3mb)
Requires Adobe .pdf
Most topics have been covered on the front page of the web site, but there are a few new items as well.
The Christmas Dinner Party is less than a month away, SAVE THE DATE! Friends and neighbors will come together for a night of food, fun, and friendship. Come and celebrate the Holidays with your Lilac Park neighbors. If you don’t know any, this is a great opportunity to get to meet some new people who live in your community.
WHAT: Christmas Dinner and Party Dress is “dinner casual,” this is NOT a coat and tie affair. After all, we’re in the mountains.
WHO: Lilac Park Residents and their guests
WHERE: The Snowflake Lodge, Blue Lake Springs
(map with directions forthcoming)
WHEN: Saturday, December 3, 2011
Drinks at 5:30, dinner will be served at 6:30. Ends: ?
This is a BYOB event and as of this posting, NO decanting/cork fees will be charged.
HOW MUCH: Estimated Cost per plate is approximately $30, which includes desert and tip.
More information to follow.
RSVP: Please RSVP by November 22, 2011 by clicking here and filling out the short form so we can let the Snowflake Lodge know how many to expect.
HOA Billing Statements To Go Out November 22, 2011.
Please visit our web site for new payment information including details on how you can now pay your annual dues with a credit card!
You will need the Homeowner Password to access this page. If you’ve forgotten it or otherwise need the password, please send us a note to info@arnoldlilacparkhoa.org and we’ll send it to you.
To access the Payment Portal, click on “Payments” on the right side of the menu bar at the top of the page.
Known as “The People’s Tree”, the 2011 Nation’s Capitol Christmas Tree will be harvested from the Stanislaus National Forest located in the Central Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.
The Forest Service recommends 8 to 10 trees to the superintendent of the capitol grounds, who makes the final selection of which tree will be the official U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree.
Several aspects are taken into account during the selection, including the shape and fullness of the tree, the tree color and foliage condition, and species characteristics of needle retention and branch pliability. Of course, access to the tree for ease of cutting, loading, and transporting are also considered.
Click on the picture or HERE for more information.
Thanks go to Grace Neurath for forwarding this info to the board.
The fall Equinox is a good time of year to start thinking about preparing your home for winter, because as temperatures begin to dip, your home will require maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape through the winter.
Autumn is invariably a prelude to falling winter temperatures, regardless of where you live. It might rain or snow or, as David Letterman says, “Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.” Did you know there is only one state in the United States where the temperatures have never dipped below zero? Give up? It’s Hawaii.
Here are ten tips to help you prepare your home for winter:
1) Furnace Inspection
Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts.
Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.
Consider switching out your thermostat for a programmable thermostat.
If your home is heated by a hot-water radiator, bleed the valves by opening them slightly and when water appears, close them.
Remove all flammable material from the area surrounding your furnace.
2) Get the Fireplace Ready
Cap or screen the top of the chimney to keep out rodents and birds.
If the chimney hasn’t been cleaned for a while, call a chimney sweep to remove soot and creosote.
Buy firewood or chop wood. Store it in a dry place away from the exterior of your home.
Inspect the fireplace damper for proper opening and closing.
Check the mortar between bricks and tuckpoint, if necessary.
Top off your propane tank BEFORE the snow arrives.
3) Check the Exterior, Doors and Windows
Inspect exterior for crevice cracks and exposed entry points around pipes; seal them.
Use weatherstripping around doors to prevent cold air from entering the home and caulk windows.
Replace cracked glass in windows and, if you end up replacing the entire window, prime and paint exposed wood.
If your home has a basement, consider protecting its window wells by covering them with plastic shields.
Switch out summer screens with glass replacements from storage. If you have storm windows, install them.
4) Inspect Roof, Gutters & Downspouts
If your weather temperature will fall below 32 degrees in the winter, adding extra insulation to the attic will prevent warm air from creeping to your roof and causing ice dams.
Check flashing to ensure water cannot enter the home.
Replace worn roof shingles or tiles.
Clean out the gutters and use a hose to spray water down the downspouts to clear away debris.
Consider installing leaf guards on the gutters or extensions on the downspouts to direct water away from the home.
5) Service Weather-Specific Equipment
Drain gas from lawnmowers.
Service or tune-up snow blowers.
Replace worn rakes and snow shovels.
Clean, dry and store summer gardening equipment.
Sharpen ice choppers and buy bags of ice-melt / sand.
6) Check Foundations
Rake away all debris and edible vegetation from the foundation.
Seal up entry points to keep small animals from crawling under the house.
Tuckpoint or seal foundation cracks. Mice can slip through space as thin as a dime.
Inspect sill plates for dry rot or pest infestation.
Secure crawlspace entrances.
7) Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Some cities require a smoke detector in every room.
Buy extra smoke detector batteries and change them when daylight savings ends.
Install a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace and / or water heater.
Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work.
Buy a fire extinguisher or replace an extinguisher older than 10 years.
8.) Prevent Plumbing Freezes
Locate your water main in the event you need to shut it off in an emergency.
Drain all garden hoses.
Insulate exposed plumbing pipes.
Cover spiggots and faucets with insulation or insulating caps available at local hardware stores.
Drain air conditioner pipes and, if your AC has a water shut-off valve, turn it off.
If you go on vacation, leave the heat on, set to at least 55 degrees.
9) Prepare Landscaping & Outdoor Surfaces
Trim trees if branches hang too close to the house or electrical wires.
Ask a gardener when your trees should be pruned to prevent winter injury.
Plant spring flower bulbs and lift bulbs that cannot winter over such as dahlias in areas where the ground freezes.
Seal driveways, brick patios and wood decks.
Don’t automatically remove dead vegetation from gardens as some provide attractive scenery in an otherwise dreary, snow-drenched yard.
Move sensitive potted plants indoors or to a sheltered area.
10) Prepare an Emergency Kit
Buy indoor candles and matches / lighter for use during a power shortage.
Find the phone numbers for your utility companies and tape them near your phone or inside the phone book.
Buy a battery back-up to protect your computer and sensitive electronic equipment.
Store extra bottled water and non-perishable food supplies (including pet food, if you have a pet), blankets and a first-aid kit in a dry and easy-to-access location.
Prepare an evacuation plan in the event of an emergency.
Please take a moment to look through the Lilac Park web site. It is our primary source of communication with you, the members of our association.
FALL WEB SITE LAUNCH
With fall upon us, we felt that it was appropriate to update the Lilac Park web site to reflect the changing of the seasons. Our fall web site will only be active two months as is it our plan to update the site again in early December with a winter theme.
The web site will continue to have the same general look and feel that it does now, but once it launches, you’ll find updated colors, some new photos, and a few new features.
WE NEED PHOTOS
If you have any photos of the Arnold area that we can use for the Winter and Spring themes, please send them to us in .jpg format, high resolution (up to 1mb) each. We would love to include your pictures on our site and, of course, the photographer’s name will prominently displayed in any photos you send. Any photos submitted will only be used on our web site.
WEATHER/POWER/CONDITIONS UPDATES
As the bad weather moves in, we plan to use the web site and email to update our homeowners with the latest in weather and traffic information. As reports of power failures or other local events are discovered, information about those events will also be posted here. Remember, when traveling in the mountains in the winter months, be sure to plan ahead and be prepared for contingencies.
If there are features you would like to see on our homepage, drop us a note and let us know what you’re thinking. We’d like to hear from you.
This next year, your board is looking at updating CC&Rs and making other, long needed changes to some of the administrative elements of ALPHA.
The fall Equinox is a good time of year to start thinking about preparing your home for winter, because as temperatures begin to dip, your home will require maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape through the winter.
