The third and final annual installment of the Special Assessment for street repairs is due today, January 31. Members that chose to pay in annual installments can either mail their check to 256 Pheasant Hill (in this subdivision) or just drop it in the mailbox at this address.
Author Archives: QCHOA
Front Entrance Street Repairs
Beginning Monday, February 5, the front entrance into the subdivision will be under construction to replace up to 120 feet of continuous road. These repairs will cover one side of the road at a time (henceforth referred to as North and South sides). The Southside will be repaired first with Northside repairs planned to begin on Monday, February 19. Please be advised the entrance and exit to the subdivision will be combined into one lane during the construction.
Lawn Maintenance Policy Is Now Effective
To help ensure that the beauty of our neighborhood is not diminished by neglectful homeowners, the Board has enacted a Lawn Maintenance Policy that establishes basic standards. Most already go well above and beyond these standards but the new policy enables the Board to hold those who don’t accountable. To read the new policy, select from the main menu above “HOA Business”; submenus “Records & Documents”; “Policies.”
Quail Creek Neighbor Achieves Rank of DFD Chief!
Quail Creek resident, Justin Hood, has risen to the rank of Chief in the Dallas Fire Department!
This achievement is extraordinary, especially in light of the size of the department and highly competitive atmosphere among firefighters. As he did when he was working to earn the rank of Lieutenant and Captain, Justin faced a comprehensive written exam to qualify as a finalist.
The real test took place a few weeks later at the Kay Bailey Convention Center in Dallas where he faced a rigorous three day interview process, where Fire Chief’s from around the nation were flown in to evaluate candidates that were confronted with mock scenarios of real-world situations. Candidates were required to respond to and demonstrate their ability to prioritize and work through the problems, and as they did that, new situations and challenges were added to mirror the dynamic nature of command.
Incredibly, Justin ranked #8 out of a large pool of finalists, with just fractions of points separating him from those who ranked higher!
Though the ceremony recognizing the elevation in rank is several weeks away, with ten openings in the department, Captain Hood is now officially Chief Hood, though we can still call him Justin!
Justin and his wife Jennifer have lived in Quail Creek for seven years and have a ten year old daughter, Abby. Three years ago this May, the Lord took their four year old son, David, home to heaven following a lifetime of medical challenges due to a rare heart defect.
Those who know him best see Justin as a hard-charging individual whose life is not defined by his duties with the fire department, but by his faith in Jesus Christ. His family, friends and neighbors, whose life has been guided by his faith in Jesus Christ. As an example of this, many will remember when Justin officiated the funeral of his next-door neighbor and friend, Lonnie Cannon, last month.
We are all very proud to have a DFD fire chief living in our neighborhood, but even more grateful to have a man like Justin as our neighbor.
The Passing of a Wonderful Neighbor
Last night at approximately 10pm our dear neighbor Mr. Lonnie Cannon passed away at his home surrounded by his family. Lonnie & his beloved wife Marilyn moved here about three years ago from East Texas so that Marilyn could be closer to doctors as she successfully battled cancer. A few months ago, however, Lonnie was diagnosed with stage four cancer.
Lonnie & Marilyn Cannon Celebrate 51 years of Marriage
Lonnie loved sitting on his back porch looking out to watch the cows graze in the open pasture. When warm weather came around each year he was often seen mounted on his riding mower or tending the landscape that has always looked pristine and well manicured.
His immediate neighbors, Justin & Jennifer Hood, shared how much they have enjoyed having the Cannons for neighbors as Lonnie loved teasing Justin about how tired he got from watching Justin do every project “the hard way.” Despite the fact that he was more than twice Justin’s age, Lonnie would often take it upon himself to come over and help fix a project Justin may have been working on. Most of all, the Hoods shared that they will miss those times that they just sat out on Lonnie’s back porch to talk as neighbors.
Over the past couple of weeks, Mr. Cannon was most enthusiastic about his love for his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He shared about how he accepted the gift of eternal life that he could never have earned on his own without the good news of grace through Christ alone.
The Cannon’s and the Hoods have both shared in the grief of losing a son at very young ages. So it is understandable that in one of the last times they spoke, Justin asked Lonnie that when he sees their son David in Heaven to give him a hug for his daddy, which Mr. Cannon said he was eager to do.
Lonnie said that he was ready to go Home but worried about leaving the love of his life Marilyn alone. Along with the Hoods, we have committed to help Marilyn in whatever ways we are able and invite all neighbors to join with us in taking care of Mrs. Cannon. Obviously her family is present and tending to her needs at this time but we know that as days pass the opportunity to reach out to her will be more abundant. We will post some opportunities to love Mrs. Cannon, like preparing meals, tending the lawn, etc, soon so if you or your family is interested in helping out then keep watching on Nextdoor or message me to let me know how you might be able to help.
VIDEO: Quail Creek Resident and Councilman, Robert Steinhagen, pays tribute to Mr. Cannon during the March 14 City Council Meeting
Better Safe Than Sorry
Two “near misses” have been recently reported to us at the corner of Pheasant Hill and Partridge when drivers have failed to observe the stop sign. There’s likely more. As a reminder, the members voted to keep the stop sign at the intersection in October of 2015 in an effort to increase safety. Please observe all the traffic signs in the neighborhood, stop signs and speed limit signs alike! Nobody wants to wreck their day!
Home Burglary Update
On January 10th, an email was sent to homeowners regarding the burglary of the Court residence, which stated:
This is part of a string of home burglaries that have hit Buffalo Creek, Stoneleigh, and now our neighborhood. There are 3 vehicles that have been linked to these burglaries:
- Gold minivan, paper plates on rear (no front plate), with passenger side damage
- Gold Buick, older model (big) Le Sabre, metal plate but unknown number
- Black or blue Nissan Maxima or Altima, metal plate but unknown number
- 3 black males were observed running from the back of the house and the two vehicles (gold minivan and gold Buick in yesterday’s incident) were driven by black males, for a total of 5 in all.
At the time the investigating officer felt like they had a solid lead on a suspect. To our knowledge, regrettably, no arrests have been made.
Most of these burglaries are during the day when homes are likely vacant. A car parked in the driveway may be a good deterrent.
The Sheriff’s Department asks that non-emergency calls, like the sighting of the vehicles above, be reported to their non-emergency line, 972-204-7001. If you witness suspicious or illegal activity, please dial 9-1-1. (All calls go to the same dispatcher, but they have different handling protocol.)
Blazing A Trail… Really?
Over the course of several weeks, homeowners have awoken to the images above, tracks through a portion of 3 different yards. It appears to have been made by a higher profile vehicle with a fairly narrow wheel base and tire tread. Besides the aesthetic aspect of mud tracks through the yards, there is potential for damage to sprinkler heads and other irrigation. It’s vandalism and could lead to unnecessary homeowner repairs. Please be watchful for unfamiliar vehicles and report suspicious vehicles or observed vandalism to the Sheriff’s Department.
New Board Elected During Annual Meeting
A new board was elected for the 2016/2017 term at the Annual Membership Meeting held on October 5 at the new City Hall building. By unanimous consent, members returned Shana Nalls to her post as President, Brad Peters as Vice President, Rhonda Smith as Treasurer, and Casey Berley as Secretary. All three members of the ARC, David Hoye, Ken Daulong, and David Fuller, where Ken Daulong received the most votes, which, by rule, makes him the Chair.
While the agenda had no other ballot items, members received updates about street repairs in the neighborhood, the HOA’s ongoing fight with the state & county assessor’s office regarding the disproportionately high property values.
Councilman Robert Steinhagen, who lives in Quail Creek, shared updates about the City Council’s adoption of city’s tax rate, which did not change from last year, and about the adoption of the city’s property tax cap option for seniors, where the property tax will be capped at the current rate that a property owner over 65 applies with the county assessor’s office (both the school district and the county taxes are capped too).
Street Crack Repairs Are Complete
Last week, preventative street maintenance was completed where the many cracks were routed out and filled in with a Urethane sealant, which is supposed to improve the longevity of the repairs.
We thank you for your patience throughout the process and for taking caution when approaching/passing the crews!
This marks the first phase of the repairs approved by the members at the annual meeting in October 2015. Funds from the Special Assessment are being used to pay for the repairs. Please reach out to any Board Member if you have questions about the repairs or assessment.