Spring Newsletter 2015

Kestrel Landing Strip
Singing Hills-The Build Begins
Spring 2015
Volume 4,
Issue 1
Reporter: Emily Sutter
Design: Joyce Allen
Singing Hill development viewed from south looking north
After months of seeing the
hillsides planed, pipes and poles
planted, and yellow machines of
every description busily doing their
thing in the dirt, at last we are seeing
the walls for Walmart arise. Walmart
is the main anchor store for the 250acre mixed commercial/residential
Singing Hills development on our
southern border. Billed as a “Service
Center” it will focus on businesses
that offer basic services to local
residents such as restaurants, medical,
money management, car services, etc.
N o w t h a t Wa l m a r t i s u n d e r
construction and scheduled for
opening in September of this year,
other entities have begun to commit.
Todd Gold of REOC, the developers
of Singing Hills, has confirmed that
Whataburger, Popeyes, and Discount
Tire have committed to be in the
project, but he could not yet comment
on any other potential businesses.
While completely
unconfirmed, but elsewhere rumored,
the following may be looking into a
Singing Hills location: Burger King,
Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, Jiffy Lube,
Mattress Firm and Security Service
(Federal Credit Union). There was
some chance that Academy might
locate in Singing Hills, but apparently
they cannot wait long enough for the
building to be completed and Petco
may now be looking at that spot.
Some 3 companies are looking at the
multi-screen movie theatre and
several hotels are interested in the
planned 80-room extended-stay hotel.
However, there are no takers so far
for the 160-unit apartment building.
Palladium (USA) International, who
had been courted by the Bulverde
Chamber of Commerce, opted for a
different geographical location and
withdrew its proposal. The apartment
unit is projected for construction in
2016 for opening in 2017.
Page 1
Inside this
issue:
Singing Hills-The Build
Begins
1-2
Calendar of Events
2
Neighborhood News
3-6
Master Plan
7
Resident Spotlight
8
KAPRA “Strat. Plan”
9
Have suggestions or
items for the
newsletter?
Contact Emily Sutter
Looking for a back
issue?
They are all on our web
site.
www.kestrelairpark.com
Singing Hills- The Build Begins (cont.)
Site drawing of Singing Hills Development
Of particular interest is the office complex
planned for the area now being cleared just
opposite Kestrel’s runway.
Those offices are
rumored to be of a medical focus: urgent care,
skilled nursing facilities, dental and medical
doctors’ offices.
Some 30 business pads are
planned for the commercial section, which will run
along U.S. Hwy 281 and a short distance west on
Hwy 46 (see site drawing taken from the Singing
Hill website, www.singinghillstx.com). Pad site
construction is slated to begin late this spring with
the first inline retail spaces ready for occupancy by
mid-summer. Roads in the project are expected to
be open this summer as well.
The 120 acres devoted to residential lots
will be under construction after the commercial
part is operational. The estimated 350 lots mean
each acre will contain an average of 3 homes. Lots
are approximately 60 x 100 to 120. Homes are
estimated to average $350,000 to $400,000.
Builders have already been selected. They are the
Jeffrey Harrison Homes Division of Armadillo and
Ashton Woods. The first homes are expected to be
constructed by (are you ready for this?) October of
this year. Happy New Year!
Calendar of Events
Date/Time
Tue. Feb. 17, 6:00 PM
Fri. Feb. 27, 5:00 PM
Sun. Mar. 8, 2:00 AM
Fri. Mar. 16-Mon. Mar 20
Fri. Mar. 20
Sat. April 11, 10:30 AM
Sat. April 18, 9:00 AM
Sat. April 25, 10:30 AM
Description
Location
KAPRA BOD meeting
Kestrel FBO
Unit 1 POA Dues Due
Barbara’s Bookkeeping
Daylight Savings begins – “spring forward”
Spring Break
Comal ISD
Probable last freeze
78070
Unit 1 POA Meeting
BSB Library
Clean-Up Day
Kestrel Entrance
KAPRA Meeting
BSB Library
Page 2
Neighborhood News
Halloween Party Success. Earlier than usual this
year, October 25, residents and extended family
members gathered in the Creek Landing cul-de-sac
for a spread of Mexican food, visiting for the adults
and a “Bouncy” for the kids. Gail Digman and Terry
Deardurff coordinated the event with the help of the
social committee.
The hay wagons toured the
neighborhood afterward for the children to fill their
“trick or treat” bags.
The Lively Family
Bouncy Fun
New Holiday Decorations.
Misty Blocker
unveiled new lights, garlands and wreaths for the
season this year as residents turned out for the
decorating and undecorating days.
The old
decorations were very shop-worn and badly
needed replacing. Some of the lights may remain
up all year to brighten our entry.
Jim Ferguson and
Connie White
Kestrel’s Entrance
Charity Abounds. Holiday giving occurred in many forms this
year, but special note was made of the Quilting Bee project,
baking 75 bags of assorted cookies (450 cookies in all) for senior
citizens that receive assistance through the Hope Center Food
Pantry on US Hwy 281. The Quilting Bee ladies also donated
blankets to the Provision Food Pantry in downtown Bulverde.
Kestrel Quilting Bee
Hannah Dances her Dream. Hannah Koop, a senior at Smithson Valley
High School was accepted as a member of the newly formed Valley Girls JV
Dance Team. The dance team performs at all home JV football games as
well as home Varsity football games. The springtime is filled with
competition season. While she is currently on homebound status due to
illness, being on the dance team was a huge accomplishment for her! It has
always been a dream of hers to dance on the SV Football field. Hannah's
parents say that by the grace of God, her dream finally came true this year!
It’s a memory that will never be forgotten by her or her parents.
Hannah Koop and
Rachael Deardurff
Page 3
Neighborhood News (cont.)
Nolan Blank
Nolan Blank Passes. This past winter Rev. Nolan D. Blank, an 8-year
resident of Kestrel, joined the Lord he served since the age of 20.
According to wife, Willie, Nolan's accomplishments could fill a book. He
received his Master's in business (MBA) weeks before his 60th birthday.
He was a Navy veteran from the Korean war, a pilot, ski instructor for
handicapped, interim pastor, minister of music, Karate Green Belt, college
Associate Professor, pyrotechnic specialist for the space shuttle program
and many more. He had a beautiful voice and his favorite activity was
singing gospel songs. Those who knew him enjoyed his encouraging,
tolerant and positive outlook on life and his love of his family. He loved
Kestrel and would want to say "Thank You" to each that helped him through
the past two years of declining health.
Hangar Lot Sold. Our own Unit 1 residents, Doug and Lisa
Hooker, are the new owners of the Hangar Lot in Unit 2. They
purchased the lot from original owner, Casey Rubey, this past
fall. In addition to the FBO, the lot contains 41 hangars (24
rental and 17 owned). Doug plans to add a block of 10 additional
hangars shortly. He hopes to energize the services offered at the
lot, starting with a complete refurbishing of the FBO – new paint,
plumbing, furniture, fireplace, TV and Wi-Fi. Of the 13 lots in
Unit 2, the Hangar Lot is the largest at 8 acres, carrying 8 votes.
To learn more about Unit 2, see the summer, 2014, issue of the
newsletter, available on the Kestrel website.
Doug Hooker at the FBO
Never Too Late To Learn. Hats off to Vic White who is about to
begin the 3rd career of his lifetime. An aviator all his life, Vic
obtained his BS from Texas A&M in Aerospace Engineering and an
MS from Embry-Riddle in Aeronautical Science & Technology.
Retiring after 26 years in the Air Force, Vic went on to become a
Project Manager with Global Rail Systems, managing the installation
of computerized railroad switch-control systems. But he has always
enjoyed working on his 1946 Cessna 140 and dreamed of restoring
antique airplanes. To make that dream a reality he has now completed
an Associates Degree program in Aircraft Technology, earning his
Airframe & Powerplant license this month. He will be working in
Bulverde at Julicher Aviation.
Way to go, Vic!
Vic White with A&P license
Page 4
Neighborhood News (cont.)
Georges Return from Abroad. Work took Bruce George to the Netherlands
for several months this past fall. While there he and wife, Kerri, took full
advantage of visiting the countryside, such as a little country town north of
Amsterdam called Zaanse Schans. The whole town smelled like hot chocolate
because of a Dutch chocolate factory down the road. The winds blow
through town 24/7. They took another bus south toward Delft and toured the
De Delftse Pauw blue pottery factory. On the weekends, they were able to
take trips to Bruges, Belgium, Cologne, Germany and Paris, France, etc. The
trip back to Amsterdam from Paris was only about 3 hours by the high speed
Thalys train. Bruce found that his co-workers in Europe do not have a grasp
of how big Texas really is since they can visit several countries in three hours
time. It was getting pretty cold the first two weeks of December in
Amsterdam so Bruce and Kerri were more than ready to return to Spring
Branch. They would love to go back in the spring some year to visit the tulip
fields in bloom.
Bruce and Kerri George
Dear, Dear, More Deer. The deer population is growing.
The reasons vary but there is no question the herd numbers
have increased over the past couple of years and the danger
to our pilots is escalating. There have been three documented
near misses over the holidays. At least two distinct herds
have been routinely spotted roaming through Kestrel, usually
crossing the runway from north to south. They have become
so bold, they graze along the side of the runway, usually at
dawn and dusk. Approaching planes get the “deer in the
headlights” look and in one recent case it took a honking
truck to move them off the runway. A deer strike by a
landing aircraft can mean injuries or death for pilot and passengers. At the very least, please do not feed the
deer or otherwise encourage their overpopulation here at the air park. There is proof of increasing danger to
our pilots.
Board Nominees Needed. The terms of two members of the Unit 1 Board of
Directors will be completed with the semi-annual Property Owners Association
(POA) meeting April 11. Board members serve three-year terms and meet bimonthly to handle the business of the POA. Rotating off the board will be Wade
Lively and Brian Lloyd. Those remaining on the board are Misty Blocker, Mari
Brown and Bob Monetti. Chuck Luther has been appointed chair of the
nominations committee to find potential nominees to fill the two open positions. If
you, or someone you know would be a good candidate for a board position, please
contact Chuck. More information on the nomination process will be emailed
shortly.
Chuck Luther
Neighborhood News (cont.)
Simulator Offer. Brian Lloyd is making a very generous offer to Kestrel residents. He has purchased a
TouchTrainer flight simulator from FlyThisSim. It is considered to be a Basic Air Training Device (BATD),
which means pilots may use it to log time toward an instrument rating and may use it to maintain IFR currency
and meet the FAA requirements. This is much less expensive than flying
even the simplest airplane. Brian’s offer to Kestrel neighbors is to come
over and try out the simulator (and get IFR current) to see how they like
it (no charge). It is equipped with all the different aircraft simulations that
FTS offers, including Beechcraft Bonanza and Baron; Cessna 172, 182,
and 206; Piper Cherokee, Warrior, Archer, Arrow, Malibu, and Seneca,
the Diamond aircraft, and all the Cirrus aircraft. Most of the aircraft have
simulations for most different panels including G1000, G500, Aspen, and
older "steam" gauges. Thanks, Brian!
Brian Lloyd
Walgreens.
It’s hard to imagine how a big building can be
constructed on the steep hillside at the entrance to Windmill Ranch
across from HEB. Yet that’s where the future Walgreens will sit on a
gigantic concrete slab.
Manny Garcia, the construction
Superintendent, says the 14,000 square foot store should be open by
this fall. That will give us four drug stores in the immediate area
with HEB, CVS, Walgreens, and the Walmart under construction.
Post Office Site Selected. In the
summer newsletter we noted that
the Postal Service had narrowed
their search for a new site to 5
locations, 4 of them close to us
and 1 to the north of the present
site. Did you bet money on this one? They
picked the site furthest from us. It’s at 12,111
U.S. Hwy 281 at the Blazing Meadows
intersection. That’s 1 mile north of the present
post office and 7 miles north of Kestrel. Now
bids will be requested to build. We’ll keep you
posted (no pun intended).
Page 6
4S Ranch Coming. Last spring’s newsletter
profiled 6 new developments coming to our area
(the 7th being Singing Hills, on our doorstep).
Now we learn of another development coming,
even larger than Johnson Ranch. 4S Ranch is
approximately 780 acres located in the Bulverde
ETJ, less than a mile east of US Highway 281 on
Smithson Valley Road (approximately one mile of
frontage) and Stahl Road (approximately 1⁄2 mile
of frontage.) The Master Plan is for 1,800 singlefamily lots, averaging 2.31 lots/acre. There are
also plans for a school, a church site, and a 360unit apartment.
“Meaningful Changes” Coming to Master Plan
This 2nd. draft was presented to the membership
last year in 2 forms, DRAFT 2.0 showed all the
changes with explanations and DRAFT 2.1
showed this more readable document “cleanedup” with all changes incorporated.
No
substantive changes in meaning were made
with this second draft.
Committee consults with Doug Koop of the ACC
Finally! It’s the beginning of the end. Having
worked diligently for the past 3 years, first on the
Unit 1 By-laws and now the Master Plan and
CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions),
the committee is moving into what it hopes will be
the final draft. Our original Master Plan and
CC&Rs were set down by Kestrel’s developer,
Scott Knowlton, over 16 years ago before anything
but a runway existed on the property.
It
established the rules by which Mr. Knowlton
envisioned Kestrel would operate. MUCH has
changed since then and Kestrel’s Master Plan and
CC&Rs badly need updating.
The committee began by translating the
documents into Word format so they could be
edited (DRAFT 1). Then the 6 Amendments were
incorporated into the document, the exhibits and
attachments condensed, redundant material
removed, illegal material updated to reflect current
law, and paragraphs reordered and labeled where
needed for better readability.
Page 7
Throughout the process, the committee meetings
have been open to the membership and meeting
summaries posted on the Kestrel web under the
Notices section. Every effort is being made to
keep this process transparent and open to
feedback! This is especially important as DRAFT
3 begins to make meaningful, substantive changes
to the document. What changes would you like
in the Master Plan or CC&Rs? Haven’t read
them? Take a look at DRAFT 2.1 on the Kestrel
Website (www.kestrelairpark.com) under the
Master Plan Committee menu item. Better yet,
wait for DRAFT 3.0, which should be coming to
you by email very shortly.
It will take a 60% approval vote of BOTH Unit
1 and 2 to pass a new version of the Master Plan
and CC&Rs. That means all changes put before
the lot owners must have 60% approval, so
highly controversial changes will NOT likely be
proposed by the committee. The committee
must know what you want and don’t want. All
changes will be proposed to lot owners in
several ways: website, email, meetings, and
special interactive sites.
All committee
members seek and are available to hear your
opinions. Committee members are Wade Lively
(Chair), Willie Blank, Brian Lloyd, Chuck Luther,
Cliff McFarlane, Emily Sutter and Connie White.
Please, let your voice be heard in this important
matter!
Resident Spotlight
Mike and Sheridan Buck
Sheridan, Mike, Caroline and Woody
Kestrel welcomes another pilot and
family. Mike and Sheridan Buck bought the
Armen’s former home on Flightline, selling the
Kestrel lot they owned previously just north of
their current house. The Bucks began looking for
places to retire some time ago, talking with
friends around the country. Then Mike saw an
aerial view of Kestrel in a YouTube video and the
rest is history. Mike even showed his military
friend, John DelToro, what he found in Kestrel
and, as we know, General DelToro purchased the
first house on the left coming up Flightline (see
Resident Spotlight in the Summer, 2013
newsletter on the Kestrel website).
The San Antonio area is not entirely new
to the Bucks. They lived here 25 years ago when
Mike was assigned to Randolph AFB. Their
oldest child, Michael, was born here. Michael is
now a Korean Language Specialist with the
Army, living in Korea. San Antonio remained
high on the Buck’s list of places to retire,
although retirement is not yet in the cards for
Page 8
either parent. Mike is currently with United
Airlines, a First Officer and Flight Instructor on
the Boeing 777. He retired from the Air Force
some 3 years ago after a 28-year career. During
much of this time Sheridan was an Air Force wife
and mother. Caroline, their middle child, just
completed her bachelor’s degree at Wilmington
University in Delaware.
She is pursuing a
commission in the Air Force Reserve at Kelly
AFB while studying for her master’s degree at
UTSA.
Caroline is living here during this
process, helping with the house and the pets (a
Dachshund named Bandit and a Rat Terrier
named Chico). Youngest child, son Woody, is a
Midshipman at the US Merchant Marine
Academy in Long Island, NY, who will graduate
in 2016 then perhaps consider a Navy
commission.
Mike is no longer moving around with the
Air Force and the children are mostly
independent, so Sheridan has been spreading her
wings for the past several years. She is interested
and involved in politics. A long-time volunteer
worker with the Republican Central Committee in
her local Montana county, Sheridan ran for state
Senator recently. She said she did not win, but
the race was quite a learning experience.
(Clearly, a potential future POA Board Member
has just moved into the neighborhood!) Sheridan
still resides in Montana due to her various
activities and responsibilities there. It will be
sometime before we see her on an extended basis.
This delightful family is a wonderful fit
for Kestrel and we look forward to welcoming
them into our community.
KAPRA “Strat. Plans”
Last year the Kestrel Air Park Runway
Association (KAPRA) got serious about its
financial situation. Without concrete and strategic
plans (Strat Plans), current dues would not cover
future expenses. At its February, 2014, meeting
several means were proposed to help ensure a
viable air park for the next 15-20 years. At present
KAPRA has 25 mandatory members in Unit 1 (i.e.
homes on the runway), 9.5 mandatory members in
Unit 2, and 4 voluntary members. Dues were
raised from $275 to $300 for 2014. Then a onetime special assessment of $180/mandatory
member was approved to pay for immediate crack
sealing. And finally, a $10/month runway/taxiway
usage fee was proposed for each aircraft hangared
or tied-down in the commercial area and each
hangar in the residential area (covering about 65
aircraft at present). These usage fees will be
placed in a reserve fund to be used exclusively to
maintain/repair/replace runway and taxiway
pavement. An amendment to the Master Plan to
provide for this usage fee went to Kestrel voters at
the POA meeting in October, 2014 and passed.
KAPRA’s semi-annual fall gathering in
November (re-convened December 13, 2014 due
to lack of quorum) discussed and approved a
proposed budget, based on the above new fees.
Every effort is being made to hold down costs of
maintaining the airpark. For instance, KAPRA
members have volunteered to cut the grass rather
than paying for this service, which can amount to
$3,600 for peak season mowing alone. Brian
Lloyd has replaced the runway lights at his own
expense and Mike Foster has volunteered his time
and equipment with earth-moving projects. While
electric, legal, office and insurance expenses run
up to $3,000/year, the big expense is routine
preventive maintenance on the runway and
taxiways.
This filling and sealing runway
pavement cracks with tar, applying a sealcoat
finish to the whole pavement surface and repainting runway markings needs to be done every
Page 9
5 to 7 years at a cost of approximately $38
thousand dollars. An aggressive runway/taxiway
maintenance program will extend the life of the
pavement but eventually the pavement will need to
be replaced and that cost will likely exceed
$300K. While trucks used in construction of
homes and hangars are NOT to use the taxiways,
they have and this has caused extra damage, wear
and tear. Fortunately, Kestel is mostly built-out at
this point.
Use of the runway and taxiways came
under discussion at the fall meeting(s) and remains
a continuing concern.
Residents need to let
visitors know to use Flightline Drive and not the
taxiways to drive into the subdivision. The airpark
is NOT a green belt and poses a risk if anything or
anyone other than planes accesses this area. The
pilots recount near misses all too frequently. Use
of additional signage at strategic points is being
considered to keep the area safe and installation of
the second gate should help the situation at night.
At the November meeting the use of rotary
aircraft and the practice of “touch and go”
exercises also came under discussion. Committees
are being formed to address these and other
operational concerns (such as the recent
proliferation of drone incursions at airfields). As
KAPRA grapples with operational issues, Chuck
Luther is proposing a Strategic Plan with goals
and objectives to guide the organization into the
future. Wade Lively also reminded the group that
the Master Plan and CC&Rs are being revised and
input from the group is desired. The work of
Wade’s committee is posted on the Kestrel web
and DRAFT 3.0 will soon be available by email.
Kestrel is an airpark and KAPRA is to be
commended for taking responsibility for the
current and future viability of our main reason for
being! Special thanks to KAPRA’s President,
Rick Kelley and the Board of Directors: John
Allen, Doug Hooker, Chuck Luther, Tom Puglise
and Gary Watson.