Landscaping ideas (and helpers!) needed

A Landscaping Committee was officially formed at the August 17 Board meeting. This new committee has an important role in maintaining & improving the landscape of our community -- helping to maximize our home values!

Anyone is welcome! Share your ideas, ideas, ideas! Sue Swanson is the committee lead, Jason Pynn is the Board representative and six others have already volunteered to serve. Volunteers will be needed to help plan, make recommendations to the Board, plant, and maintain any newly planted areas.

To join the fun -- and participate in planning meetings or planting parties -- contact Sue Swanson at 425-441-8162.

Early ideas include:

Landscaping around unsightly utility boxes.

Planting between homes to beautify & "screen" barked areas.

Enhancing the sparse landscaping in beds in front of homes.

Adding flowers (bulbs) beneath the trees along Hancock.

Replacing the dead/missing plants & trees that are no longer under warranty by Quadrant Homes.

Join the Conversation! Pest Control.

Some homeowners have recently voiced concern about "bug problems" in our community (particularly hornets & ants). Consider this:

• Hornets have been a big problem recently. As of last week, of the 44 homes in Mt. Si Cottages, 37 homes had at least two nests visible. Fourteen homes had three or more nests. One cottage alone had 9 hanging nests! Yowsa! Late last week we had an exterminator remove these nests, to hopefully resolve the concern.
  
  
• Most homes have ants around the foundation. Since we live "in the wilderness", this is pretty common. But some homeowners are concerned that ants are getting inside. Fortunately they are not destructive ants, but they can be annoying.

How big of a problem do you think the bugs are? Considering the VERY high cost of pest control, is pest control something to prioritize in the budget? (Or to allocate money from the emergency fund for?) Or, would you prefer to use the money for other things?

Bees?

Do you have bees or wasp nests? Please call The CWD Group at 206-706-8000 and ask to speak with Sandy to report the locations of the nests. The pest control company is coming to Mount Si Cottages on Friday, August 21st so please let CWD know as soon as possible if you know of any nests that need to be removed.

Join the Conversation! HOA Priorities?

Our community is impacted by decisions from budgeting to landscaping, rule enforcement to social activities -- and everything in between. Decisions in these areas impact our quality of life, resale values and household pocketbooks. Very important stuff.

Please tell us:

• What issues are the most important to you?
• What do you think the HOA Board's top 3 priorities should be?

Join the Conversation! Community Polls.

Your HOA Board needs to hear from you. Your feedback is the only way HOA decisions can align with community priorities. Your Board will post questions on this blog, and ask for your feedback. New polls and questions will be added often! Check out the "Join the Conversation" polls to the right! Topics include landscaping, committes and rules & regulations.

A helpful resource

Did you know our management company (CWD Group) has a web page dedicated to Mt. Si Cottages? It's worth a visit! Here's a glimpse of what you'll find:

• Questioning the rules? Find rules & regulations, bylaws, newsletters, etc.
• Wondering what's going on? Find meeting minutes -- to see what's being discussed at board meetings.
• Need to call a neighbor? Find a directory for contact information. (You can also voluntarily share information about yourself, and find other neighbors with common interests such as hobbies, clubs, etc.) Since the website is secure, only association members have access to this information.
• Something broken? Report a repair issue within the community.
• Contact the Board
• Contact the CWD Group
• Need a baby-sitter (or want to baby-sit)? Have something to sell? Post a classified, or find out about items for sale, lost and found, babysitters, etc.
• View your dues-payment history

The site is secure, so you need to login (or register if it's your first time -- it's easy!).

The web site address is: https://www.associationvoice.com/member/signin_secure.asp?assn_id=287

Tell us in the comments if you think the CWD web site is helpful.