Dear Residents,

 

We hope this newsletter finds you all doing well. Fall is upon us and so is hurricane season. August through September are usually the busiest times of year for hurricanes. Please make sure you are prepared.

 

Speaking of hurricane preparedness, back in June we paid for all of the palm trees on the medians to be trimmed up. There are five palm trees on Pin Oak and five on Pine Springs Boulevard. Make sure to trim up your own trees on your property. A small limb flying at 120 miles an hour can be very catastrophic if it breaks a window in your home, so get those trees prepared.

 

Another thing I have noticed during the rainy season is septic tank overflows. Be sure to maintain the septic tank. If your tank has not been drained in years, the extra rain can cause issues. The cost for maintaining every few years is somewhere around $250 to $325. The cost of your tank overflowing and ruining the drain field, resulting in replacing your lawn and sprinkler system, can cost thousands. So just a reminder. I've met quite a few homeowners that are from out of state or out of the country and don't even realize we're on septic tanks.

 

As always, the Board is still working behind the scenes. We are preparing to send out the Contribution Notices for our fiscal year that begins in September. Most of you know all the things that money is used for. We are always repairing items, maintaining all entrances, paying for an off-duty deputy, fertilizing, fixing sprinkler heads, on and on. When you receive the Contribution Notices, you can pay either by check or PayPal. If any of you feel you don't like either choice, notify me, and I'll personally come pick it up. I'm happy to do it. We normally send out three reminders:  September is the first, then November or December, and the final reminder is usually in March. It would be great if we only had to send out the first mailing. It sure would save a lot of money and time. Please do what you can.  

 

We are still in the middle of this pandemic. Please continue to be careful. It's been very tough for so many restaurants and shops. Quite a few families in Hidden Springs/Estates have businesses near us. Let's keep frequenting them in a safe way. Dr. Phillips is a special place to live. We're so lucky to have all the boutique-ish businesses so close to us.

 

Thank you all for being such great neighbors and making Hidden Springs/Estates a wonderful place.