The Jackson Journal - The Association of Jackson Communities

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The Jackson Journal
News and Happenings in the Neighborhood
Issue 3, 2010
Jackson Hills and Jackson Meadows
Jackson Hills & Jackson Meadows
www.jacksoncommunities.com
Teresa Lamb, CMA Association Manager: 972-943-2874
Calendar
August 21 (Saturday)...........2nd Annual “Men Who Cook” Dinner
August 23 (Monday).............................................. Back to School
September 6 (Monday)..................................................Labor Day
September 23 (Thursday).....................................Autumn Begins
October 5 (Tuesday).........................................National Night Out
October 11 (Monday)..............................................Columbus Day
October 16 (Saturday)......................................National Boss Day
October 20 (Wednesday).............................. Next Board Meeting
October 31 (Sunday).....................................................Halloween
November 2 (Tuesday).............................................. Election Day
November 7 (Sunday)........................Daylight Saving Time Ends
November 11 (Thursday)..........................................Veterans Day
November 25 (Thursday)..................................Thanksgiving Day
2nd Annual “Men Who Cook” Dinner
The Sachse Chamber of Commerce is hosting the
2nd Annual “Men Who Cook” Dinner on Saturday,
August 21st at the Swingin’ D Ranch in Parker. The
fun starts at 6:30 PM and ends at 9:00 PM.
In addition to the celebrity chefs and their favorite
recipes, there will be music, drinks and dancing.
Individual tickets are $25 per person and include
all the sampling.
Call 972-496-1212 or visit the Chamber’s website at
www.sachsechamber.com for more information.R
Fire (Non emergency): 972-675-1633
Police (Non emergency): 972-495-2271
take pictures of local events for our neighborhood
newsletter and website. If interested, send an email
to [email protected]
Back to School – August 23
The list of general supplies needed by elementary
students is available online at: www.garlandisd.net/
departments/school_operations/backtoschool.asp
Some classes may require additional supplies. As
well as availability at local retailers, some local
PTAs sell prepackaged supplies as a fund raiser.
The district does not provide a standardized list for
secondary students.
School Zones, Buses and Kids
Keep in mind the following safety tips when driving
near schools:
• Flashing red lights on school buses
Flashing red lights mean
a bus is either loading or
unloading students. The
law requires that drivers
stop and wait until the red
lights stop flashing and the
stop arm is retracted before
proceeding.
Neighborhood Photographer Wanted
• School Zone
Keep in mind that the speed in a school zone is
20 mph. Be alert for children crossing the street
when driving through school zones.
If you love taking pictures and would like to
volunteer as the “neighborhood photographer,” then
we’d love to hear from you. We need someone to
• School Dismissal Time
Be cautious of heavy bus traffic at school dismissal
time.R
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Jackson Communities Safety Team
Jackson Communities Website
The Association of Jackson Communities
Homeowners Association is currently seeking
volunteers to work on the new Association Safety
Team.
We have received positive feedback from our
neighbors regarding the Jackson Communities
website (www.jacksoncommunities.com).
As our community continues to grow, we are
beginning to see an increase in the number of
property crimes, including automobile break-ins,
home burglary, vandalism, and many others. The
Sachse police are doing a great job of protecting us,
but the coming of the expanded infrastructure, such
as the PGBT and Highway 78, will mean an everincreasing flow of newcomers, both good and bad,
into our community. This increase will mean that
our police department will have their hands even
more full, and citizen involvement will be even more
critical! By taking an active role in this effort, we
can ensure that our community remains a safe place
for all of us.
Safety Team members will let their neighbors know
about:
• Open doors – especially garage doors
• Unlocked vehicles
• Valuables left in sight in parked vehicles
• Suspicious persons or activities in the neighborhood
• Loose animals
• Any other anomaly that may create a dangerous
situation
The home page is updated frequently with special
announcements and details of upcoming events, so
be sure to visit the website frequently in order to
stay informed of what’s happening and to be aware
of upcoming events.
We have also added a new page to our website called
“Board Minutes,” which was done as a result of
your input during the annual meeting. This is where
minutes from each of our Board meetings will be
posted. The minutes from the most recent Board
meeting will appear as the main content of the page.
As additional Board meetings are held, then the
prior minutes will be archived and listed on the right
portion of the page. Note that archived minutes will
still be available for review.
We also post new photos on a regular basis to the
Photo Gallery on our website. If you want to get
prints of any picture, you can either click on the BUY
button to order photo prints, coffee mugs, etc., or you
can right-click and download any photo(s) you want
and then print them on your own printer. R
We will be working closely with the Sachse police
department in organizing this team in the coming
weeks. This is a great opportunity for those of you
who currently walk in the neighborhood to not
only get some exercise, but help your neighbors
prevent possible crimes to their home and property.
Additionally, for those of you that need an extra
"nudge" to start that planned regular exercise, this
is the perfect excuse!
Anyone interested in learning more about this new
opportunity should contact Butch Davis by email at
[email protected] or by phone at 214-2360458. We look forward to hearing from you very
soon!R
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Most Recent Minutes
Archived Minutes
DRAFT Minutes from July 15 Board Meeting
Even though minutes from the July 15 Board meeting
have been posted to the website, they also appear
here for those who do not have internet access.
Note: These minutes are still in DRAFT form and
are subject to change by the Board at the upcoming
Board meeting where they will be reviewed and
corrected/approved.
ATTENDEES
• Scott Branan, President
• Joe Huber, Secretary
• Kendall Roland, Director
• Cheryl Shipley, Director
• Teresa Lamb, CMA Association Manager
• Rosemary Thomas & Kathy Barrett – Yard of the
Month Committee
CALL TO ORDER
Scott Branan called the Meeting to order at 7:05 pm.
APPROVAL of MINUTES
Copies of minutes have not been received by prior
Secretary, so none were read or approved. Manager
will contact Secretary for copies.
MANAGEMENT REPORT
Teresa gave the management report. Financials were
emailed in advance of the meeting.
OLD BUSINESS
Kendall gave an update on the signs and announced
they should be in place by August 15th. Scott reported
that the concrete walkway was poured to connect to
the walking path of Armstrong Elementary to prevent
walking in the mud.
NEW BUSINESS
President, Joe Huber will be the Secretary. Discussion
was held about the Position of Treasurer, but since
Michael Light was not present, this office will be
appointed later.
Joe was named to head Communications Committee
and Scott to head the Landscaping Committee. Cheryl
volunteered to take on the responsibility of putting out
signs at entrances to keep owners aware of upcoming
events.
Rosemary Thomas and Kathy Barrett were there to
discuss issues regarding yard of the month and the
violations process.
A motion was made by Scott to draft a priority list
of violations that the Board wants addressed on a
consistent basis by CMA Code Compliance. Joe Huber
seconded the motion and the motion carried.
The Board agreed that the current policy to allow no
metal sheds be enforced per the CC&R’s.
Rosemary Thomas and Kathy Barrett left the meeting
to allow the Board to continue in Executive Session.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Board reviewed delinquent accounts and waiver
requests. The Board agreed that waiving costs for
collection of delinquent accounts was not fair to the
majority of the owners that pay on time.
Discussion was held for the upcoming National Night
Out on October 5th and that both neighborhoods would
be part of the celebration.
Date for the next Board Meeting was set for October
20th at 7:00 pm.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:35 p.m.R
Election of officers was held. Scott Branan will remain
Scott Branan,
President
Kendall Roland,
Vice President
Joe Huber,
Secretary
Michael Light,
Treasurer
Cheryl Shipley,
Member-at-Large
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Cheryl Shipley, Our Newest Board Member
As the newest member of the Jackson Communities
HOA Board, please allow me to introduce myself.
I was born in Detroit, Michigan and lived there for
the first 21 years of my life. I moved around a bit,
living in Indiana and Pennsylvania. I finally made
my way to Texas and have lived here for the past 23
years. My husband and I have lived in Jackson Hills
for six years and we love it here.
I am employed by EPA as a Budget Analyst/
Accountant and have worked downtown for 22 years.
Surprisingly, I still enjoy going to work. My other
interests include playing with my granddaughters,
swimming, working in the yard and riding our
Motorcycle (Trike) all over Texas. Perhaps you
have even seen us!!
The whole reason that I wanted
to be elected was to help keep
our community a great place to
live and help build a better line of
communication between the HOA
and the homeowners that it serves.
I would like for each homeowner
to know that if you have a problem, don’t let it give
you heartburn, don’t fuss and fume, bring it to the
HOA Board where we can work it out together.
I am interested in heading-up the group for Rules &
Regulations, specifically concentrating on Section
7 and 8, pages 25-37, of the CCRs, which are the
sections that most affect the homeowners. I propose
to have a committee of at least 5 and no more than 7,
with a good mix of both neighborhoods. Since these
sections involve the ACC, I suggest (and if Kendall
agrees) that he be used as a consultant as we review
these sections and have him review our suggested
revisions before they are presented to the full Board.
I look forward to meeting many of you and I promise
to give my very best for the improvement of the
Jackson Communities. R
there was no winner from Jackson Meadows for
May 2010.
August 2010 Winner – Jackson Hills:
4621 Jackson Drive, home of Margaret Naumann
August 2010 Winner – Jackson Meadows:
4505 Sawgrass Drive, home of Don Lancaster
July 2010 Winner – Jackson Hills:
2608 Simmons Drive, home of Trang Nguyen
Yard-of-the-Month Winners
Congratulations to the following Yard-of-the-Month
winners for 2010 (May through August). Note, that
July 2010 Winner – Jackson Meadows:
4518 Sunmeadow Ln., home of Samuel and Karolyn Ripinski
Yard-of-the-Month Winners – Continued on page 5
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Yard-of-the-Month Winners – Continued from page 4
In addition to this, Calloway’s provides us with a
discount coupon worth $5 off every $25 purchase.
To print a copy of this coupon, click on the
picture of the coupon that appears on the website:
www.jacksoncommunities.com/YOM.htm; or you
can cutout the coupon that appears below. This
makes us all winners. Thanks, Calloway’s! R
June 2010 Winner – Jackson Hills:
2714 Simmons Drive, home of Joe and Wendy Huber
Award-Winning Landscapes by Rosemary Thomas
June 2010 Winner – Jackson Meadows:
5102 Smithfield Court, home of Monica Smith
May 2010 Winner – Jackson Hills:
4406 Jackson Drive, home of Vinh-Tran
Calloway’s is our Yard-of-the-Month Sponsor
A special THANK YOU goes to Calloway’s Nursery
for sponsoring our Good Neighbor Yard-of-theMonth program. Each month, two winners are
selected. (One is from Jackson Meadows and one
is from Jackson Hills.) Each winner receives a $25
gift certificate from Calloway’s Nursery.
What makes one yard stand out above the others?
What makes it catch your eye as you drive by?
Sometime the exact quality is elusive – you just know
it appeals. Here are a few characteristics we notice
when looking for a Yard of the Month.
1. A “given” is that the yard look neat, clean, and
healthy. The lawn is mowed and edged, the beds
are generally free of weeds and grass, and the
flowers are in their prime. Grass that’s rich green
without bare spots or noticeable weeds rearing
their heads above the lawn
certainly speaks well
of owner’s care. Now
if you’re one who likes
to let the flowers go to
seed for next year’s crop,
that’s fine: economical
and conservational. But
then you have to accept a
landscape that looks a little
ragged that month.
2. The next attractive quality is design. You don’t
have to be a professional landscape designer – or
hire one – to bring these elements into your yard.
Award-Winning Landscapes – Continued on page 6
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Award-Winning Landscapes – Continued from page 5
You’ll notice that the builders’ layout is the same
for all similar house plans. No stand-outs. But
with a little planning and attention to the basic
elements of design, you can set yours apart from
the ordinary.
Elements of design include balance, line,
repetition, focus, texture, color, and scale.
Balance for example does not necessarily mean
symmetry and can be achieved with choice and
placement of plants. The focal point can be
one showy specimen plant or a single item like
a fountain or sculpture or bench or simply the
front door.
3. C
reativity and originality can lift an ordinary
neat, green landscape above its neighbors. One
of the easiest ways to bring this element into your
landscape (besides a unique design) is with choice
of plant materials.
Make a visit to a nursery or garden center
to look for plants your haven’t seen in your
neighborhood, or take note of landscapes you
see elsewhere with attractive grasses, shrubs
of different colors or textures, ground covers,
small trees. If you see something you like, talk
to your professional nurseryman to see how you
could use it.
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Stone also offers possibilities for special design
elements. Creativity in design may mean breaking
away from the basic foundation plantings. Island
beds can be effective if well-planned in the
overall design.
4. Color is the spring and summer addition most
home owners make to their landscape, and with the
abundance of choices available, it’s a shame not to
take advantage of our long growing season.
If you have small space in which to add seasonal
color (or lots of time), you can even change your
color scheme
with each
season. Pansies
look pretty
ragged by May,
and petunias
become leggy
by July, and
vincas will
freeze in November, so take a tip from the maintenance
companies who manage commercial landscapes:
rip out the plants when they start looking spent,
and replace them with the next season’s best.
An alternative to seasonal color is perennials,
which do not have to be replaced, but may not
be as showy as the annuals that have only one
season to live.
Still another method of bringing color into the
landscape is colorful foliage plants. Again, have
a plan – a color scheme. Fewer different colors
make a bigger impact than a variety of colors. R
Sachse PD Arrests Two for Vehicle Burglary
by Patty Montagno, Staff Writer for Sachse News
Date: Thursday, July 15, 2010
[email protected]
Sachse police have arrested two people for
investigation of burglarizing vehicles. Jesse Lee
Cowan, 18, and his 16 year-old sister of Rockwall
were arrested Sunday morning (July 11) on Abilene
Street in Sachse.
“At approximately 2 AM, Police Officer Brandon
Penrod and Sgt. Garry Jordan responded to a call
from a citizen regarding a suspicious vehicle on
his street,” Detective Chris Burns said. “Officer
Penrod located the vehicle, and Sgt. Jordan noticed
a man walking away from the vehicle. Sgt. Jordan
questioned the man and determined that he had no
business being in the area.”
The officers called for backup, and officer James
Glover responded. Glover went to the driveway of
the house where Cowan was detained and found a
vehicle with the interior light on in the driveway.
“Officer Glover contacted the owner who furnished
a list of items taken from the vehicle,” Burns said.
“Those items were found on Cowan.”
After the two were
a r r e s t e d , o ff i c e r s
inspected their
vehicle and found
what appeared to be
other stolen items such
as cell phones, GPS
devices and wallets.
T h e s u s p e c t s a r e Sachse Police Detective Chris Burns
believed to have been inventories some of the suspected
stolen items that were removed from
involved in 40 to 50 the vehicle belonging to a Rockwall
burglaries in Garland, man charged with burglary of a
Rowlett, Wylie and vehicle. Photo by Patty Montagno.
Rockwall over the past three days. About 60
suspected stolen items were removed from the
suspect’s vehicle. There is an on going investigation.
A third suspect is still at large.
Burns said during the investigation, Sachse PD will
reach out to the other cities to help them clear up
their offenses.
Phillip Amundson of Sachse will receive a citizen
commendation from the council for alerting
police of the suspicious vehicle in his
neighborhood.
“This is an excellent example of the
positive difference our citizens can
make,” Police Chief Dennis Veach said.
“Years ago, the police began to realize
that we need the interaction from the
community to be the most effective at our
jobs. The community is helping us protect
the community.”
Theft Alert issued by Sachse Police Department
On July 29, 2010, at approximately 4:29 AM,
officers were dispatched to the 2700 block of Herring
Circle in reference to a theft. Upon arriving in the
area, an officer observed two white male subjects,
wearing white t-shirts and dark colored shorts at the
intersection of Longmeadow and Blackburn. The two
subjects ran from the officer, and upon other officer’s
arrival, they were observed on Canyon Meadow
and Indian Meadow, running through backyards of
various houses. It is believed that these two subjects
may have been involved in the theft itself.
Upon speaking with the person who reported the
theft, he said that someone attempted to enter his
garage, and then stole an item from the side of his
residence.
This is just a reminder to report anything that you
believe is suspicious to the Sachse Police Department.
If you have any information on this incident, please
contact the Sachse Police Department. For full details,
go to https://local.nixle.com/alert/2984867/.
If you would like to receive an email of upcoming
Crime Watch alerts, you can subscribe by going to
https://local.nixle.com/accounts/.
Spring Fling
Be sure to checkout all the pictures on the website from
the Spring Fling (http://www.jacksoncommunities.
com/Photos.htm). 
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Teresa Lamb, CMCA
Association Manager for Jackson Communities
RTI/Community Management Associates Inc., “CMA”
Allen Regional Office
1301 Central Expressway South, Suite 110
Allen, TX 75013
Check Out the New Walkway Near
Armstrong School
A new walkway was created near Armstrong
Elementary School for the residents of Jackson Hills
area to access the walking trail and not track mud on
it. Special thanks goes to Greenbrook Homes who
took on this project. They did a marvelous job!
Howdy Newcomers!
We’re glad you have chosen to join us in the Jackson Communities. For newcomer information, send an
e-mail to [email protected] or visit the web site at www.jacksoncommunities.com. There
is lots of information available ... and welcome to the neighborhood. 
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This newsletter is a regular publication of the Jackson Communities, Inc. Homeowners’ Association. Views expressed in this newsletter do not
necessarily represent those of Jackson Hills, Jackson Meadows and/or Jackson Communities, Inc., its officers, directors, or constituents.
Newsletter published by Kouba Graphics, Inc. [email protected] or [email protected]