Covenant Enforcement Neighborhood Garage Sale Day New

SUMMER 2010
You can view a color version of this newsletter at www.FiannaPOA.org.
If you haven’t yet paid your 2010 dues...mail them today!
Covenant Enforcement
New Website Address
This year, your FPOA has committed to
increased covenant enforcement as a result
of member surveys and comments we have
received from residents. We have made
this our #1 priority for this year and while
we have had some success in correcting
violations, we have met with some
resistance in some areas.
As many of you have noticed, the FPOA website has
been off line for several weeks. Turns out the renewal
deadline passed without us being notified by the
domain registration company and we lost access to
the website name. After weeks of trying to re-acquire
the address through the registration company and
other secondary parties with no success the board
decided it would be best to just purchase a new
domain name and quit trying to acquire the old one.
The new address is only slightly different than the old
one and we paid for 10 years of renewals so that we
will not have to worry about this problem again for a
very long time.
Through mid year we have addressed over
50 complaints with a large amount of these
being trailers, boats and campers. Just to
clarify the Fianna Covenants do not allow
the exterior storage of any trailer, boat, RV
or camper on any lot whether in the
driveway or the yard. You are allowed to
keep such items in your driveway for up to
48hrs for the purpose of loading,
unloading or minor repairs. Another
recent issue that has arisen is the use of
chain link dog pens. The Architectural
Control Committee of Fianna Hills has a
published statement of position on fences
to clarify the covenants regarding fencing
and any type of chain link fencing is
prohibited on any Fianna property. This
includes temporary and permanent
structures.
We will continue to look for violations
and take action to correct when
appropriate. The procedure in place for
correcting violations is that the FPOA first
sends a letter to the resident notifying
them of the violation and gives 30 days to
comply. If there is no compliance at that
time the FPOA attorney sends a certified
letter with a warning to comply within a
specified time or face possible legal action.
If there is still no compliance, a paid
member of the FPOA must file suit to get
the violation corrected, the suit cannot be
initiated by the FPOA board itself.
SUMMER 2010
Please make a note of the new address:
www.FiannaPOA.org
Just as before you can find all Fianna covenants, color
copies of each newsletter edition for downloading
and printing as well as other neighborhood
information and contact info for residents to ask
questions and report violations. We also hope to be
able to include a membership list in the near future.
Please feel free to email suggestions or newsletter
articles to us at [email protected]
Neighborhood Garage Sale Day
The spring garage sale weekend was a tremendous success!
We heard numerous stories of what a successful sale
everyone had that participated. We will be sponsoring a
fall garage sale day so mark your calendar for October 9th!
The POA will once again purchase a two day ad in the
Times Record advertising the neighborhood sale day.
Our intention with this program is to reduce the number
of garage sales that are in the area during the year and
concentrate them to one weekend in the spring and one
in the fall. Remember to keep the median and
landscaping areas free of garage sale or other signs. All
signs placed in the median will be removed .
www.fiannapoa.org
Page
FROM YOUR FPOA PRESIDENT
Friends and Neighbors,
From the triple digit temps in the past week, it looks like we are not going to have a mild summer
again like we did last year. Your FPOA has been quite busy in the past 3 months with everything from the
usual covenant enforcement to sign replacement and landscaping enhancements. We will be sending out
ballots for a covenant change for those homes in Fianna Heights this fall. We will be asking for these
property owners to approve a 2010 update to the covenants for Fianna Heights which will include some
clarifications in the satellite dish section, boats and watercraft section and also adding a paragraph requiring
payment of dues to be mandatory. This is essentially the same update we will be requesting for Fianna I-X
when it renews in 2013. In order to assure the future protection of all Fianna Subdivisions we have to make
mandatory dues part of all Fianna covenants. This will be a 10-15 year process to get this change made to
all subdivisions as they can only be changed at time of renewal which is different for each area and most
are 10 year renewal periods. As covenant enforcement continues to be a challenge, it will be necessary for
the FPOA to incur the cost of some legal action in the future as violations are becoming increasingly hard to
get corrected without this threat. While the POA cannot file a violation suit against a resident, it can pay
the legal fees associated with such a suit provided it is initiated by a member of the FPOA. The board is
currently considering financial support for two such suits this year.
This year has been a good year for membership, with nearly 400 members paying their dues and
many taking advantage of the discount to purchase multiple year memberships. We also had a great
response from the request for specific donations on the membership invoices this year and the year to date
totals for each are $725 for the flag display maintenance, $675 for landscaping upgrades and $580 for
general fund expenses. We replaced several worn flags and damaged poles this spring and with the great
response to our request have funding in place to maintain the flag display in top condition for a long time to
come. The landscaping upgrades which included enhancements to the irrigation system has been completed
at a cost of just under $800 which was partially funded by the landscape donation s and the balance from
the general fund additional donations. We will have an increase in annual maintenance costs associated
with the new landscaping, but it greatly enhances the main entrance to the neighborhood. We are also
looking to add some decorative street lighting in the Jenny Lind median in the near future!
As many have noticed, work has started on painting the water tower on Jenny Lind and will be
complete in a few weeks. The golf ball icon of Fianna will receive its new coat of paint along with the
historic “dimples” that have been a part of our neighborhood since it was developed. Also, this fall the
Parks department will begin removing many of the trees in the Jenny Lind median on top of the hill. Many
of these have been damaged over the years from ice storms and vehicles and just don't look very good
anymore. After the old trees are removed, the FPOA in conjunction with the Fort Smith Parks Dept. will
begin replanting new trees that will be more resistant to winter storm damage and also provide some color
in the springtime. Please be patient as this project will take some time to complete.
October 9th will be the fall Fianna Neighborhood Garage Sale day! Your FPOA will again
purchase advertising in the newspaper and would request that all residents refrain from having garage sales
except on the two official Fianna Garage Sale Days. According to city ordinance, residents must not have
garage sales closer than 6 months apart. The FPOA will sponsor one in the spring and one in the fall in
order to reduce the number of garage sales and non-resident traffic in the neighborhood throughout the year.
For the protection of the neighborhood, we will also notify the police department so we may have extra
patrols and security that day.
Mike Lorenz
2010 FPOA President
SUMMER 2010
www.fiannapoa.org
Page 2
Handle Your Biggest Summer Lawn Care Problems
Summer days mean lots of sun, fun and hopefully a yard that will hold up to the weather as well as outdoor
gatherings. If you are like most of us, you want to know how to have a nice lawn all year, and especially during the summer when you spend more time there. The following are some of my best tips for keeping your
lawn healthy and looking great throughout the summer months.
Raise the mowing height a little bit. Taking the mowing height up a notch will do wonders for your lawn
during the summer. First, it will make scalping less likely. You never want to cut more than one-third the
height of your lawn in a single mowing. If you don’t scalp your lawn, it will make weed encroachment more
difficult. The greater amount of leaf blade showing will keep your yard appearing greener while the roots
have a chance to grow deeper, which helps the lawn during times of drought.
Manage high traffic areas. Before mid-summer, you know where these are. If the grass is being worn down
on the walkway off the patio or other high-traffic areas, you can do a couple of things. First, give these areas
a little extra shot of fertilizer (this can be the extra 0.5 lb. of urea or just simply go over the area a second
time with your regular fertilizer application). The grass blades are constantly being worn and are trying to
regenerate, so a bit more nitrogen will help them recover. This is exactly what the landscape pros do in high
traffic areas of sports stadiums. Next, consider topdressing the areas with crumb rubber from used tires. Your
objective is to build up an inch layer (this equates to about 1.0 lb. / sq. ft.). The idea is to have a mat that will
absorb the traffic (instead of the soil) but still be porous enough to allow the lawn to grow and water to move
through it. The product can be found in 50 lb bags. Make sure you buy the size particles that range from 0.53.0 mm in diameter.
Article from yardsmarts.com
Fianna Police Reports
In the last 30 days there have been at least 11 times the Fort Smith Police have been called
to Fianna Hills for criminal activity. Remember to keep your cars locked and garages closed!
Carrolton Place, 2200 block, prowler
Queensbury, 1900 block, criminal mischief
Cannongate, 3400, 3400, & the 1900 block property crime
Glen Flora, 3500 block, breaking & entering vehicle
Bryn Mawr Cir, 9600 block, prowler
Edinburgh Dr. 3000 block, breaking & entering vehicle
Edinburgh Dr. 3000 block, breaking & entering vehicle
Heather Oaks, 2700 block, breaking & entering vehicle
Jenny Lind, 9300 block, prowler
Londonderry, 3400 block, prowler
SUMMER 2010
www.fiannapoa.org
Page 3
2010 Covenant Violations
New Board Member
The following covenant violation have been
reported through the end of July this year.
BOAT
BOAT & UTILITY TRAILER
VACANT HOUSE ROOF TARPED
TRASH PILES, CAR PARTS
UNAPPROVED ADDIITION
UTILITY TRAILER
TRASH AND BOAT IN FRONT YARD
UNSIGHTLY STORAGE OF TRASH
ENCLOSED WORK TRAILER
BOAT AND UTILITY TRAILER
BARKING DOGS
PARKING IN YARD
BOAT IN YARD
VACANT HOUSE OVERGROWN YARD
BARKING DOGS
CHAIN LINK DOG PEN
CAMPING TRAILER IN YARD
BOAT AND TRASH PILE BESIDE HOUSE
BOAT AND UTILITY TRAILER
PEDESTRIAN DAMAGE TO YARD
BROOKEN HILL– SPEEDING
DOGS BARKING AND SMELL
LARGE BOAT
CAMPER IN BACK YARD
RV IN DRIVEWAY +2 WEEKS
UTILITY /WORK TRAILER
JUNK BESIDE HOUSE
OVERGROWN YARD
OVER GROWN BUSHES
4 WHEELER STORED IN FRONT YARD
APPLIANCES IN DRIVEWAY
CAMPING TRAILER IN DRIVE +1 WEEK
BOAT IN DRIVEWAY + 1 WEEK
BASKETALL CT PAINTED IN STREET
STORAGE BUILDING NOT APPROVED
Please welcome Shawn Zachary,
the newest member of the Fianna
POA Board of Directors. For the
first time in several years, all board
positions are filled with no
vacancies! Shawn and his wife
moved to Fianna in 2009 and he
joined the FPOA board in May
2010. Shawn is representing the
Glen Flora and areas to the north
so please contact him with
questions or complaints if you live in that area. Also,
the board would like to say a special thanks for his
adoption of the median flags this year as he has been
in charge of putting them up and taking them down
since joining the board this year! Contact info. for
all board members can be found at FiannaPOA.org.
Arkansas Christian Counseling
Dr. Tom MacMahon, L.A.C., MA, DMin, MDiv, BSC
Relationship in trouble? Stressed? Depressed?
Don’t put off getting help!
I can help you get your life back on track.
Call today for your FREE confidential session.
Roxbury Revitalization
Special thanks to John Lumpkin for his
hard work and dedication to making
Fianna a great place to live! Mr.
Lumpkin embarked on a project to
improve his neighborhood on Roxbury
Lane as well as increase FPOA
membership there as well. With the
help of the FPOA, Roxbury has
improved greatly in the past two years
but this could not have happened
without the help of Mr. Lumpkin.
SUMMER 2010
www.fiannapoa.org
479 452-3466
Fort Smith Central Mall, Suite 525
www.ArkansasChristianCounseling.com
$75 per hour, first session no charge
Page 4
Don L. Wright, Agent
3600 Old Greenwood Road
Fort Smith, AR 72903
Phone 479-649-8001
Fax 479-649-8003
[email protected]
Don Wright Insurance Agency, Inc
Providing Insurance and Financial Services
Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710
Recent Board Actions











Glen Flora Area THANK YOU
Had attorney send letters to multiple
covenant violations, process ongoing.
Board voted to not allow political ads of any
kind in the FPOA newsletter.
Reminders to be sent to area Realtors
regarding providing covenants to new
homeowners who purchase in Fianna.
New board member appointed May 20th.
Neighborhood watch reported an average of
one call to police ever 1.6 days in June.
Numerous reports of prowlers in June and
July have been noted by the FSPD.
Decision not to proceed with possible
addition of Fianna Place edition into the
FPOA due to excessive cost and limited
potential return of investment.
Board voted to update Fianna Place covenants
upon renewal in January 2011 to update
sections and add mandatory dues.
Sign on south 30th has been vandalized again
and at the July meeting, the board voted to
not repair the sign again, and have the
damaged rock base removed.
Board to review possible installation of sign at
rear (hwy 253) entrance.
Request made to FSPD for increased patrols
on Brooken Hill in coming weeks.
SUMMER 2010
Early this spring it was brought to the board’s
attention that there were numerous violations of
the covenant prohibiting boats, trailers and
watercraft on Glen Flora and in the immediate
surrounding areas. I am proud to announce that
as of August 5 there are NO such vehicles stored
in plain sight in this area. Thank you to
everyone who complied with your FPOA’s
requests and moved your vehicles to alternate
storage rather than in the yards! Please continue
to remind your neighbors that there is a 48 hour
time limit on boats, trailers and watercraft!
ADVERTISE IN THE FALL/WINTER
EDITION OF YOUR FIANNA
NEWSLETTER
www.fiannapoa.org
FULL PAGE $150
HALF PAGE $75
QUARTER PAGE $45
Page 5
Fianna Hills Garden Club
Garden of the Month Winner August
SUMMER 2010
www.fiannapoa.org
Page 6
Bobbie Miller
Ronnie Udouj
Tom Cannava
Margaret Cannava
Principal Broker
John Hagen
Julie Hagen
Executive Broker
Jeanette Jones
Fred Patterson
As the developer of Fianna Hills, we know the area.
Jim Simmons
Brenda Harvel
Call the name you can trust.
Rachel Brown
Bradford & Udouj will promote your property. We advertise
more than our competitors. Check out our huge Sunday ad in the
Southwest Times. Among advertising in all the real estate
Brinda Garrett
magazine, we advertise on the Realtor.com, Loopnet.com,
BradfordUdouj.com, & provide curb side flyers. Public Open
Houses and Realtor Open houses are also a plus when you list
with us.
Sue Shields
We do more than just stick a sign in your yard!
2605 Market Trace
Ashley Boyd
479-646-5539
www.bradfordudouj.com
Hollie Byers
Tanya
Lisa Mundai
Connie Ellis
Roberson
SUMMER 2010
Dan Howell
Amanda
Tincher
Jim Grady
Ellie
Glidewell
www.fiannapoa.org
Nick
Glidewell
Ashley
Ahlert
Jim Morocco
Page 7
Questions & Answers
From Fianna Residents
CALL FOR
APPOINTMENT
Question: Why can’t the FPOA do something
TODAY!
about barking dogs?
479-646-4243
Answer: There is nothing in the covenants of
BEAUTIFUL HAIR
BEAUTIFUL NAILS
CLASSY
ATTITUDES
Missy Littleton– Cosmetologist
Anita Johnson– Nail Tech
Becky Bugh– Massage Therapist
Lisa Conyers-Cosmetologist
any subdivision of Fianna (or most others for
that matter) that gives any jurisdiction for
addressing the nuisance of barking dogs. When
these are reported to us we can only forward the
complaint to the Fort Smith Police Department.
It is best for you to report it directly to the FSPD
immediately as the responding officer must be
able to verify the complaint in order for it to be
acted upon. The non-emergency number for the
FPSD is 709-5100. Always report suspected
animal neglect immediately!
Question: Why can’t the FPOA fix the
problem of drivers speeding on Brooken Hill?
6206 South 31st St. Fort Smith, AR 72908
FEATURING

18 Hole Golf Course

4 Tennis Courts

Newly Remodeled Fitness Room

Junior Olympic Swimming Pool

Fort Smith’s Finest Dining
Come join the Club!
Answer: This was the #1 issue brought up at
the Neighborhood Problem Solving Meetings in
that area last fall sponsored by the City of Fort
Smith and the Fort Smith Police Department.
Through requests from residents and the FPOA,
the FSPD stepped up patrols in the area and
issued numerous citations not only on Brooken
Hill, but also on Fianna Way and Jenny Lind
and other areas. A follow up with the FSPD this
spring uncovered an interesting fact that a
majority of the citations issued were to Fianna
residents, which is in direct contrast to the belief
that the problem is mostly non-residents
travelling through our neighborhood.
Obviously, the FSPD cannot patrol any one
street continuously, however they will continue
to operate directed patrols to areas that residents
and the FPOA report to be problem areas!
Contact Gary at (479) 646-7861
The FPOA received comments and questions
from residents during the year, and while we try
to respond to each one individually, sharing the
information here will be useful to all residents!
SUMMER 2010
www.fiannapoa.org
Page 8
SUMMER 2010
www.fiannapoa.org
Page 9
City of Fort Smith Property Maintenance and Parking Regulations
A few important Regulations for Homeowners
302.1 Sanitation.
All exterior property and premises shall be maintained in a clean, safe and sanitary condition. The occupant
shall keep that part of the exterior property which such occupant occupies or controls in a clean and sanitary
condition.
303.1 Swimming pools.
Swimming pools shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition, and in good repair.
304.2 Protective treatment.
All exterior surfaces, including but not limited to, doors, door and window frames, cornices, porches, trim,
balconies, decks and fences shall be maintained in good condition. Exterior wood surfaces, other than decayresistant woods, shall be protected from the elements and decay by painting or other protective covering or
treatment. Peeling, flaking and chipped paint shall be eliminated and surfaces repainted. All siding and
masonry joints as well as those between the building envelope and the perimeter of windows, doors, and
skylights shall be maintained weather resistant and water tight. All metal surfaces subject to rust or corrosion
shall be coated to inhibit such rust and corrosion and all surfaces with rust or corrosion shall be stabilized
and coated to inhibit future rust and corrosion. Oxidation stains shall be removed from exterior surfaces.
Surfaces designed for stabilization by oxidation are exempt from this requirement.
307.1 Accumulation of rubbish or garbage.
All exterior property and premises, and the interior of every structure, shall be free from any accumulation of
rubbish or garbage.
DON’T FORGET:
SUMMER 2010
Any remodeling or additions (including fences and roofs) must be approved by the
Fianna Architectural Control Committee prior to applying for a building permit.
www.fiannapoa.org
Page 10
COOK SCHOOL
FALL 2010
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
August 19 - First Day of School
September 6 - NO SCHOOL
September 13-17 - Book Fair
September 14 - Ice Cream Social 5-7pm
October 18 - Fall Fundraiser Kickoff!!!
October 22 - NO SCHOOL
October 29 - Halloween Parade 2pm
November 11– Dads & Donuts 7-8am
November 24, 25, 26 - NO SCHOOL
December 7 - Christmas Program 6pm
December 10 - Cookies with Santa 3-6pm
December 14, 15, 16 - Santa Shop
December 20-31 CHRISTMAS BREAK
SUMMER 2010
www.fiannapoa.org
Page 11
Presorted-Standard
U.S. Postage
Paid
Fort Smith, AR
Permit No. 704
P.O. Box 180182 • Fort Smith, AR 72918-0182
SUMMER 2010
www.fiannapoa.org
Page 12