More Landscaping Progress!

The beautification of our community will continue this Saturday (Nov. 28)!

Volunteers are going to put in additional plants around some of the utility boxes, as part of the approved landscaping plan. Check out this truckload of donated (yes, free!) boxwood bushes! They're awesome! Thanks to Sue Swanson, Caddy Swanson & Wendy Pynn for digging 'em out & transporting them here. The Landscape Committee plans to plant these around 3 utility boxes on Saturday.

If you can help, just gather on Hancock at 9:15 am on Saturday (in front of the utility boxes planted last month), and we'll git 'r done! Everyone is invited!

As before, no HOA funds will be used for this new landscaping.

The Landscaping Plan was presented by the Landscape Committee and approved at the November Board meeting. The approved plan includes a master landscaping plan, identified priorities, an approved plants list, and a funding plan (which does not require HOA funds). To learn more -- or to learn how plantings like these can be added near your home -- please contact Sue Swanson (Committee chair) or Jason Pynn (Board member).

Board Meeting: Budget & Dues!

November's board meeting will be held Monday, Nov. 16, at 6:30 p.m., at the Snoqualmie Library.

As always, any interested homeowner is invited to attend!

One main topic of discussion will be the 2010 budget and homeowner dues. Your board has been working hard on this over the past few months -- and this November board meeting will likely be the final discussion before the budget ratification to be held in December. If you want to participate in this discussion you're encouraged to attend!

Rodent Problems?

Are rodents a problem around your home or vehicle?

Unfortunately, rodents are difficult to control since we live in a wooded area (and impossible to completely eliminate). Rodents seek shelter & food -- so they will try to nest in unsealed crawl spaces & unattended cars, especially if they can find even the tiniest food source. And professional rodent control is very expensive -- and experience shows that even the best control is not entirely effective.

Fortunately there are some simple things we can each do:

• For HOMES, we should be sure that crawlspace vent screens are intact. Rodents can easily get in through broken vent screens.
• For VEHICLES, it helps to carefully clean all food crumbs & wrappers out. This stuff attracts rodents & makes a car an inviting home. It is also smart not to leave your car sitting for several days; it's good to drive it (or at least move it) frequently. Sedintary, unattended cars are rodent targets.
• For OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, it's important that we all take steps to prevent & pick-up wind-blown garbage. This stuff gives rodents a buffet to enjoy, and makes them feel right at home. We must all use straps (or locking lids) on garbage cans to keep them tightly shut & garbage in.

Homeowners are welcome to try traps or sticky boards inside their homes or vehicles. (Poison is also an option, but poison can often cause rodents to die in a crawlspaces -- a stinky problem, worth avoiding.)

Great New Landscaping!

HUGE thanks to the landscaping committee for the great, new landscaping on Hancock! (It disguises the utility boxes on the west side of Hancock Ave, half-way down the hill.)
Ten wonderful homeowners volunteered a portion of their Saturday morning on Oct. 24 to plant this beautiful landscaped bed.
No HOA funds were used, and all costs were covered by funds raised during the Spring Garage Sale. If you want to learn how similar plantings can be added near your home, please contact Sue Swanson (Landscape Committee Chair) or Jason Pynn (HOA Board Member).

This is the first of several projects likely to come, and the committee's first landscaping priority is planting around all of the unsightly utility boxes.