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The Acorn-Fall 2002 Presidents Message Minutes Oak Ridge Estates Financial Statements Fire Protection Update Annual Rummage Sale Thanksgiving Gathering / Cookie Exchange Tele-Care Program Horseshoe Bay Presenting New Community Members Congratulations A World of Thanks Our Sympathy Is With You POA Meetings Schedule for 2002 E-mail and Directory Changes Lots/Homes For Sale In Oak Ridge Architectural Committee Recent Approvals POA Lots deerdeerdeerdeerdeerdeer T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classes Mark Your Calendar/Boat Dock Combination

Presidents Message

Webster defines community as "a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society." The common characteristic we share in Oak Ridge is that this is our home. The actions of our property owners association should benefit each of us equally, but even in a democratic society like ours, this is a challenging objective because our individual needs are so different.

Acting as a community has been difficult as we struggle to find the "right" answer to our fire protection needs. Some feel nearby fire protection is critical and could be a matter of life or death, and they are willing to pay nearly $2,500 per month to have it. Others would rather wait for a fire engine to be dispatched from outside our area because we are already paying for this service with our property tax dollars.

The response rate to our summer survey on this subject was less than 50%, and fewer than 30 people (representing 19 families) attended our September POA meeting.

It must be acknowledged that we have not formally heard from the "majority" of our POA membership. The board based its decision to support continuing to receive fire protection from Lake LBJ MUD because that was the will of the majority who responded to the survey and 100% of those who attended the 9/20 POA meeting. I know this opens us to criticism that the board is governing our community on the basis of minority rule, but given the information available to us, I believe we made the correct decision.

Dorothy Gaisbauer, Jerry Huff, Lynn and Tom Liles, Ron Slothower and Sandra Thompson volunteered to form a Fire Protection Committee tasked with visiting every member of our community and contacting those who do not live here full- time to discuss the importance of paying their assessment for nearby fire protection.

The group's willingness to put forth this extra effort benefits everyone and is a wonderful example of how to pull a community together. The board and I truly appreciate what they have done.

I would like to close by thanking Sandra Thompson for taking the lead in coordinating this year's very successful rummage sale. It resulted in the most money this event has ever raised. As she points out in a letter elsewhere in the Acorn, she had lots of valuable help, and that's what being a community is all about.

Gil Blount
President

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Minutes

The POA meeting was called to order at 6:00pm by Bill Manno. Board members present for the meeting were;
Wilda Meixner, Phil Roth, Tom Graham, and Ed Steiniger, in addition to Bill.

The sign-up sheet indicated 51 people in attendance.

The first business - A presentation by Nila Roberts, Llano County Dispatcher (911)

Nila gave an overview of how the dispatch system would work for the Fire dept., after our contract with HSB expires, if not renewed.

The Fire Dept. from either Blue Lake or Deer Haven, both volunteer, would be the most likely responders.

If Oak Ridge were to establish its own Vol. Dept. it would take 2 to 3 years to achieve accreditation, through Texas A&M.

Nila gave the phone #'s for emergency use. These are already listed in the Oak Ridge directory. Liz Hinkle presented Nila with a copy of our new directory.

Bill Manno then talked to what would typically happen to our Home Owners Insurance rates, if the Fire Responder is greater than (5) miles. Both Blue Lake & Deer Haven are more than (5) miles. Bill's example indicated that for a $200,000 policy the increase would be $253.

George Burriss then gave us an update for HSB water rates. George was able to get them to rollback the rates from a proposed increase. HSB had proposed rates as if he were a single customer, rather than a composite of 150. The rate allows for use of 5000 gal. times 150 customers = 750000 gal. before triggering the next higher rate. Present usage is considerably under the 5000 gal. average.

George is going to provide us with a sample letter to Senator Frazier requesting regulations for water suppliers. This letter would be used by each of us to request the Senator's attention to this matter.

The meeting adjourned at 6:50pm.

A good time was had by all at the Ice Cream Social. Jo Manno's sherbet was voted the best offering of the evening.

Respectfully
Submitted,

Ed Steiniger,
Secretary

Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm, by President Gil Blount.

Board members in attendance were Gil Blount, Bill Manno, Wilda Meixner, Phil Roth, Steve Gibbs and Ed Steiniger.

The signup sheet indicated 26 people, representing 19 families in attendance.

Ed Steiniger read the minutes from the Aug. 10th POA meeting and Ice Cream Social. Minutes were approved as read.

Wilda Meixner gave the Treasurers report. This was followed with Gil Blount discussing reasons for overuns vs budget.

The board approved payment for the new air conditioner recently installed in the center.

Gil made a presentation of the Fire Protection Survey results. Bill Manno expanded and offered his estimate of anticipated contributions for next years contract with LBJ MUD for fire protection.

Discussions indicated a strong community spirit to continue with the LBJ MUD fire protection. Volunteers to form a "Fire Protection Committee" were: Dorothy Gaisbauer, Jerry Huff, Tom & Lynn Lilies, Ron Slothower and Sandra Thompson.

All families present voted on the issue. It was unanimous to continue the contract.

Gil requested a follow-up board meeting to plan how we collect the required money for the contract renewal. The meeting was scheduled for the next day at 10:00am.

AD Robinett announced he would no longer be responsible for road fund raising.

Gil announced that Don Reid would soon be leaving the area, and we had to find someone for his spot on the architectural committee.

The meeting adjourned at 8:30pm.

Respectfully
Submitted,

Ed Steiniger,
Secretary

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Oak Ridge Estates Financial Statements

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Fire Protection Update

By now, you should have received an invoice for the first quarter to cover fire protection from Horseshoe Bay. By now we have collected from 95 property owners and hopefully if you have not paid your invoice yet, you will do so within a few days. Without your support, we can not fulfill our commitment to Lake LBJ Mud. With your support, we will have the best possible coverage in the area.

Thanks to the Fire Protection Committee ( Dorothy Gaisbauer, Jerry Huff, Lynn and Tom Liles, Ron Slothower and Sandra Thompson) for all their work so far.

If you have any questions about the above, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Committee members .

MAIL YOUR CHECK TODAY!

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Annual Rummage Sale

The Annual Oak Ridge Rummage Sale held Saturday, October 12th, made $2000.00 for our POA.

There are few words that can express my gratitude for those who contributed items, baked goods and their time to make the sale such a success.

From the men who picked up donated items from my garage and from the residents who couldn't make it to the sale, to those who brought car loads to us, we thank you!

I must admit on Monday when pick-ups were being delivered and all of you started bringing items to the Community Center I wondered what I had gotten into. I stood in the middle of the back room and thought, 'this is impossible to get all this 'stuff' in order'.

Then two Wonder Women appeared and stayed by my side through the whole week.

I would like to list and thank every volunteer and donor by name but that is almost impossible.

But I do have to thank Jan Harris and Cleo Robinett for being there everyday. They made my job easy.

I think all of us had a good time and enjoyed what we were doing or the sale would not have been successful.

There was a lot of pain from lifting, a lot of bruises from running into 'stuff' but most important, a lot of laughter.

I didn't realize when I moved to Oak Ridge 3 years ago, what a wonderful community it really was and how many great people live here!

I truly enjoyed serving as the 2002 chairperson.

Thanks again to ALL who worked, donated, baked or just came by to say hello.

Sandra

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Thanksgiving Gathering With Men

November 21st at 12:00 noon

Ladies Cookie Exchange

December 12th at 2:00 p.m.

Cleo Robinett has graciously committed again to host the Cookie Exchange in her home. Also bring a wrapped gift(about $5.00)for our gift exchange.

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TELE-CARE PROGRAM HORSESHOE BAY

Tele-care is offered by the Lake LBJ MUD's police, EMS and Fire Departments. It was started in January 1990. Residents of Blue Lake, Horseshoe Bay, Oak Ridge and other areas served by Horsehoe Bay EMS are eligible to sign up.

Starting October 1, 2002 Deer Haven, Sandy Harbor and Highway 71 from Burnet County line to Sandy Creek will be included. The program, coordinated by Beverly Swennes, is conducted each weekday morning from the firehall.

If you live alone, you might be interested in this program.

Briefly, it works like this:

A member calls the firehall 598-6953, each weekday morning between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. to let us know you are okay. If we do not receive a member's call during that time, we will call the residence and/or send someone to check on you. At the same time on weekends, a volunteer will call you.

To register, or for more information about the telecare program, stop in at the Fire Hall any weekday morning or call Beverly at 698-6754 or our own Oak Ridge Estates resident Bonnie Raffels at 598-1363.

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Presenting New Community Members

• Jennifer & Michael Wuarnett, 224 Pecan Creek Dr.(formerly Causey)
• Jennifer & Ken Cooper, 447 Granite Loop (formerly Lesley)
• The Crawfords, 425 Pecan Creek Dr. (formerly Vi Anderson)

If you have not received your welcome package yet, please contact Bobby Walker at 598-8939 when you are in Oak Ridge.

Note: Please add the above new residents to your Directory.

WELCOME
WE ARE GLAD YOU ARE HERE!

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CONGRATULATIONS

On Friday, October 4th, Casey Lynn Drummond was born to Charles and Kay Drummond. Big Brother, Cody, is really proud of his baby sister.

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A WORLD OF THANKS

Neighbors,

Here are a few words to express our gratitude for your acts of kindness during Pauls recouping time. There were many things we could not do and our neighbors took over. Thank you all.

Blessings,
Paul and Floreine Hood

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OUR SYMPATHY IS WITH YOU

Dale and Marge Hewgley in the loss of their son-in-law, Terrance Onda

Les and Pat Fenter in the loss of Les's mother, Cassie Mae Fenter.

You are all in our hearts and prayers during this very difficult time in your lives.

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POA Meetings in 2002

• March 22
• May 18 (annual picnic)
• September 20
• December 13

We sure appreciate being able to send the ACORN out on the web; it saves lots of time for our volunteers for mass mailing and reduces POA costs for office supplies/stamps. So, if you have an email address you are not already sharing with us, please let us know by emailing it to ilblount@tstar.net. Also keep us in mind when you change your email address!

We would also like our treasurer, Wilda Meixner, to spend less time on the billing side. The new accounting software she is using can send invoices out via email. Wilda will send out reminders for the EMS/Fire in February for those who have not paid yet, and in March/April she will send out our annual billing. If you don't want your bills to be delivered via email, let her know by emailing her at wilda@tstar.net.

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E-mail Additions and Changes

DIRECTORY OF RESIDENTS CHANGES

Thanks again to Liz Hinkle for putting together the Directory 2002-2003 Oak Ridge Estates. Please note the following telephone changes in your copy:

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Lots/Homes For Sale In Oak Ridge

• LOT located on Candace Circle (next to 2904 Candace) for sale by Forest Oakley
• Herbert Seipp in Germany lot 12 Unit II (.505 acre)
• Elaine Farrar,210-599-6603 lot 11 Unit II (0.5738 acre)
• Greg L Moddle, lot 208 Unit I
• POA lots 1A and 1D Unit II
• Ronald Foust Lot 3A, Unit III
• Bob Sumrall, 830-596-1901 lots 45R and 46R Unit I(waterfront)
• Sarah Strait lots 49R and 50R Unit I (waterfront)
• O'Dell, Lot 12 Unit I (1.785 acre)
• O'Dell , lots 246, 247, Unit I

COMMUNITY CENTER

While Ivy Parizek is on a temporary assignment, Cleo Robinett will be the contact person to reserve the community center. Her phone number is 598-4263.

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Architectural Committee Recent Approvals

• Remodeling of 432 Pecan Creek (Christesson)
• New home on Lot 213, Unit I, Oak Ridge Drive (Burke)
• Fence, 311 Grandview (Rathkamp)
• Carport/patio, 3206 Oak Ridge Drive(Beyer)

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POA LOTS

We have now sold 2 of the 4 lots purchased by the POA at the entrance to Oak Ridge Estates. Property owners that contributed funds have now been reimbursed for the two lots.

When selling the lots, the price includes property taxes paid by the POA, and POA has been reimbursed for these expenses.

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**********DEERDEERDEERDEERDEERDEER********

The population of deer is growing, and many of you have read in the paper about Horseshoe Bay building a fence to keep new deer from coming into the area.

Every property owner in Horseshoe Bay got a letter explaining the project early in October. To keep you informed, clicking here will provide a copy of that letter. NO ACTION IS REQUIRED. Horseshoe Bay is asking their property owners for voluntary funding for the deer management. Horseshoe Bay has not asked Oak Ridge to fund any of the project (yet).

If you have any comments, let us know and we will publish them in the next ACORN.

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TRIP TO BOERNE

25th of September some of the ladies in Oak Ridge went on a day visit to Boerne. Good lunch, good shopping, and good friendship. If you missed this one, make sure you come along next time.

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DO YOU KNOW THE ANNUAL COST OF OWNING A LOT IN HORSESHOE BAY?

In addition to regular property tax, excluding POA dues, you have to pay the following on a lot with an assessed value of $1800:

In addition, if you don't mow your own lot, they will do it for you for $50.00

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Welcome to the Community

Bobbie Walker is our "Welcome to the Community" person, and delivers the "Welcome Packets" to all of our new residents. Included in these packets is important information you will want to receive about Oak Ridge Estates. These include Articles of Incorporation, Applicable Restrictions, Bylaws, Phone Directory, and other interesting information. Oak Ridge is growing, so please help Bobby identify new comers so we will not miss anyone.

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Material for the Acorn

Contribution of material for THE ACORN would be more than welcomed by the editor. Please call 596-8142 or email Inger Lise Blount with any local news you might have or any other items which would be of general interest to our community.

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T'ai Chi Ch'uan Classes

FOR MEN AND WOMEN

Gentle exercises for Health and Inner Peace
(all exercises standing)

Classes will be held
at
Oak Ridge Community Center
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 AM to 9 AM.
Wear comfortable clothing.

Starting November 5th, 2002

COME AND TRY IT AND SEE

Questions:

Noeline Harris 598-2119

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Mark Your Calendar

NEXT POA MEETING
December 13th, 2002

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

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