Category Archives: Neighborhood Park

Annual Meeting Summary

Posted on by Posted in Board Related, Governance, Membership Meetings, Neighborhood Park, News & Notable, Street Damage/Repair, Voting & Elections

This year’s Annual Meeting was one of the highest attended since the completion of Phase II, where 70% of the Membership was represented, either in person or by proxy.  A new Board was voted in and many motions were considered.

  • The Board Officers for the 2015/2016 term are
    • Shana Nalls, President
    • Casey Berley, Vice President
    • Rhonda Smith, Treasurer
    • Brad Peters, Secretary
    • Architectural Review Committee
      • David Hoye, Chairman
      • David Fuller
      • Ken Daulong
  • The treasurer’s report is posted below under Budget 2015/2016.
  • President’s Report
    • Bob Steinhagen, outgoing president, spoke about the many accomplishments of the Board, which include:
        1. Improved communications with homeowners including a new website, the newsletters, and email correspondence for important matters.
        2. Amending the governing documents of the HOA, which include the CC&Rs & Bylaws to bring the Association into compliance with new state standards, through a Ballot initiative that the Board created & developed, as well as many new policies, most of which were state mandated.
        3. Improvements to the neighborhood streets, which include the opportunity for homeowners to consider a Special Assessment for preventative maintenance and major repairs to the front entrance of the development.
        4. The decision to place a mailbox at the front entrance of the neighborhood for HOA related matters, which included a detailed explanation of the option between a decorative metal mailbox, which, while it would not conform to neighborhood standards, would be more cost effective verses a brick mailbox, where homeowners voted, via a poll posted on the HOA website, for the brick mailbox.
    • Mr. Steinhagen also thanked the current board, Vice President, Brad Peters, Treasurer, Shana Nalls, Secretary, Glenna Brown, and the ARC, Ken Daulong, David Fuller, & David Hoye, for their tireless support to help reinvigorate homeowners confidence in the Board through their tireless and dedicated efforts.
  • A Motion to post a “No Soliciting” sign at the front entrance to the neighborhood passed, with the understanding that neighborhood school children may still go door to door to raise funds for their schools.
  •  Motion to remove the two stop signs on Pheasant Hill failed by just four votes.
  • A Motion to sell the lot that currently is the park in the community and use the proceeds to repair the road near the entrance of Quail Creek failed overwhelmingly, with just six votes in favor of the motion.
  • A Motion to rename Mockingbird Hill Lane to Clint Packer Way was withdrawn.
  • A Motion for the Association to, on January 1, 2016, levy a Special Assessment of $825.00 for neighborhood street repairs and preventative maintenance, which shall either be due in full on the 31st of the same month or may be paid in up to three annual installments of not less than $275.00, where each installment comes due on the 31st of January of the installment year passed overwhelmingly (93%), with just three votes against the motion.

The History Behind Our Neighborhood Park

Posted on by Posted in History, Neighborhood Park
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Shirley and Jerry Packer donated a lot in the McLendon-Chisolm neighborhood for a park as a tribute to their son, Clint, who died of lymphoma. “People 100 years from now will know that Clint Packer lived,” Mr. Packer said.

Many enjoy its benefits, but few know the history behind our neighborhood park, which is the only park in the city of McLendon-Chisholm!.

Prompted by neighbor Casey Berley, longtime resident Brett Packer attended the November 5th Board meeting to provide some background about our park named in honor of his older brother, Clint.  He has also provided the following August 11, 2006, Dallas Morning News article entitled, “Park groundbreaking for town; McLendon-Chisholm: It’s community’s first, and couple’s tribute to son.”

Following is the complete article:

Beverly Stibbens thought an odd-shaped lot in her McLendon-Chisholm neighborhood would be hard to sell, so why not make it a park?

Owners Jerry and Shirley Packer agreed to donate the land.  “Because we knew our son was dying,” said Mr. Packer, who, with his wife, cared for Clint Packer during the last five years of his life.

Diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after almost dying of a kidney infection, the Rockwall High School graduate passed away a year ago at 41.  “He was a young man … with no family who had a terminal illness,” Mr. Packer said. “There are no footprints in the sand. Was Clint Packer ever here?”

The park, dedicated last week with its monument sign reading “Clint Packer Memorial Park,” will be a lasting reminder that he was.  “People 100 years from now will know that Clint Packer lived,” Mr. Packer said.  Mrs. Packer said the park is a fitting tribute. As a teenager, Clint roamed the woods and pastures with his Irish setter, and some of his proudest moments were time spent with his young nieces and nephews.  “Clint loved children, so that park will fit with who he was,” his mother said.

The private park in the Quail Creek neighborhood is the first in the city.  “Being a large-lot community and mostly rural, there really wasn’t a desire for parks until all these subdivisions started coming in,” said Mrs. Stibbens, a longtime City Council member.

To allow children to interact, parents took them to schoolyards or Rockwall city parks.

Quail Creek has filled with young working families with children, said Dave Butler, president of the homeowners association.  A committee formed, homeowners voted, and fees were assessed to create the park.  A little more than a year later, children were riding their tricycles and bicycles to the dedication at last week’s National Night Out event.

“We’re pleasantly surprised about the number of children in the park every morning and every evening,” Mrs. Stibbens said.  Mr. Butler said the whole neighborhood got involved in making the park a reality. Fathers labored after work, he said, while wives watched the children and provided support.  Even Mr. Butler’s 7-year-old granddaughter, Nikki Paul, got involved. She made a work schedule for him. And, he said, “She could sure poke people in the ribs and get it going.”

Besides playground equipment, the park has shade pavilions, benches and barbecue grills.  With money left over from the $24,000 that was raised, the neighborhood will add picnic tables.

Mr. Packer said he’s proud that the park project fostered a spirit of community in the neighborhood.

Mr. Butler, who lives across the street from the park, relishes the sounds emanating from the playground.  “The music I hear coming out of it is the squeal of [children’s] voices and their laughter,” he said. “It’s the music of our future.  “In this day and age, where there is so much ugly going on, it’s a wonderful sound to hear.”

Written by LaKISHA LADSON, Staff Writer

Shirley and Jerry Packer donated a lot in the McLendon-Chisolm neighborhood for a park as a tribute to their son, Clint, who died of lymphoma. “People 100 years from now will know that Clint Packer lived,” Mr. Packer said.