We will be sending out Letters of Determination today to those who have applied for the Visitor Parking Permits. The majority of applicants were approved, a few will be denied for not meeting qualifications. Those who are approved need to visit the Office to fill out a Vehicle information sheet and pick up their Parking stickers.
We still have about 10-15 applications available for homeowners who would like to be considered for a Visitor Lot Permit. Tomorrow, we will be checking those who have already applied and will be sending out letters of determination later this week.
We have already towed several vehicles for violating the Visitor Parking Lot rules and will continue to do so. A 6 month permit is way cheaper than one towing fee. If you own more than 2 vehicles, it would behoove you fill out an application.
There is one permit per townhouse.
We will be going back to our guys doing trash beginning Monday, August 3rd. By having all maintenance guys concentrating on painting, we have gotten the base coat painting done for the year and are finishing up with the trim colors.
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It seems like anytime we send a Violation warning letter to a resident to inform them that they are in violation of the CC&R or other enforceable HOA rules, we often hear the same phrase, “But, I pay my dues!” Sometimes, they will include “on time” to bolster their position, apparently. We have even had a supplemental phrase of “I pay my taxes!”, although I am unsure what that has to do with HOA rules. We have even had someone tell Terry that their dues pay her salary, so they are her boss. Really??
So, perhaps we should revisit what your monthly, mandatory dues include:
These are the main things your monthly dues cover but also includes payroll, grounds maintenance, landscaping, pool costs and maintenance, and picking up the exorbitant amount of trash people toss out around our 22 acres. We have one maintenance guy whose primary job is to pick up trash that inconsiderate individuals toss out all over the property; his salary is better utilized maintaining the 416 homes here, but we do have prevent the area from looking like a landfill. We also acknowledge and thank the homeowners who pick up trash from near their properties; we have others, mostly renters, who believe we are here to pick up after them, as if we were their Mom.
To date, we have less than 15 homeowners apply for a Visitors Parking Permit. Anyone interested has until the July 31 deadline to apply. We will issue a final warning to those violating the Visitor Parking Only rules. In addition to the possible towing of vehicles at $300 each instance, violators are also subject to monetary fines per the CC&R, Fines and Enforcement Policy and other governing documents.
There seems to be some confusion about one of the requirements to get a rented visitor space, which states:
No visitor parking permits will be issued to any property where these two parking spaces are used for any other purpose than for parking operable motor vehicles. There are boat, trailer and RV storage places where space can be rented for those items or other recreational vehicles.
A few people think this says that you cannot park a boat, trailer or RV camper on your own property under your carport; it says no such thing. What it does say is that you will not be considered for a rental visitor parking space if you use your carport for something besides a place to park 2 cars.
We remind everyone that we do require any vehicle, boat or trailer to have current registration, inspections, or other state required permits while parked under your carport, as stated in our Parking Rules. You can be issued fines if they are expired, even under your own carport.
We are doing periodic patrols throughout the subdivision looking for any vehicles with expired Inspection or Registration. The following comes from the TxDPS website: (emphasis added)
New Timelines for Inspections
Prior to Feb, 29, 2016, you must have a passing vehicle inspection at the time you register or renew your vehicle’s registration.
If your inspection expires before your registration, you are required to get your vehicle inspected before the inspection expiration date.
After March 1, 2016, you must pass a vehicle inspection within 90 calendar days prior to registration or renewing your vehicle.
The towing company tells me they have to give someone 10 days after tagging their vehicle for expired stickers, according to State law. However, if we tag your vehicle or call it in, there is no 10 day grace period, primarily due to the fact that the Visitor Lots are located on private property. Secondarily, we have Parking rules in place that do not allow any vehicle with expired registration (tags) or inspection to park in these visitor lots, so we are towing these expired vehicles off the property.
Each Visitor Lot is well-marked with signs, so it’s not like people have not been warned.
Pool will be closed Monday, July 20, until further notice for maintenance. Pool is open today, Sunday, July 19th
We are re-instituting Pool Passes following large numbers of people using the Pool whom we cannot verify are actual residents, renters or guests. We have had several instances of MANY people showing up and saying they are the guests of some address, when the people that live at that address have never heard of them.
Residents who have already paid their $5 can come to the office and pick up a pool pass sometime next week. We will be putting out notices to properties that have already paid.
These passes are the key chain type, and are numbered. We will keep track of which pass is issued to which property. If you or your guests do not present this pool pass, you will not be allowed to use the pool. We may also rethink the number of guests allowed per pass since that has also been abused by some people.
The large number of people using the pool has caused a lot of problems with pool chemistry. Moreover, since some of these people are not residents, renters, or actual guests, you and I are paying for the added chemicals to keep the pool as it should be. We are having enough people use the pool that the water gets cloudy almost daily.
Due to the chemistry issues, we will keep the pool closed next week so we can drain part-way and refill it.
Join the 
The city of Grand Prairie Neighborhood Enrichment Team (NET) is a collaborative effort between city departments focusing on nuisance and chronic problem properties that have not responded to traditional methods of compliance. The Police Department, Code Enforcement, Fire Department, Housing and Neighborhood Services, Building Inspections, Environmental Services, Public Works, City Attorney and parks, Arts and Recreation Department are all part of the NET.
Saturday, Aug. 22
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