4th of July Fireworks

If you plan to celebrate the 4th of July with Fireworks here at home, please limit your fireworks to the cul-de-sac on Hancock Ave. Snoqualmie city laws allow legal fireworks to be discharged between 6 and 11 p.m. on July 4 only.

Remember, fireworks are not allowed on HOA property (parking lots, patios, lawns, porches, etc).

Keeping garbage can lids secured

Please remember: you MUST keep garbage can lids secured tightly. Straps are good; Cans with locking lids are great. But regardless of what you choose, lids need to be secured tightly.

When wind blows hard -- like it did last Monday night -- cans can blow over and trash can get spread around (especially on garbage day when the cans are on the street!). It looks bad when trash is scattered around (and it can attract rodents) so please keep your lids secured.

(Big thank you to the homeowners who took it upon themselves to clean the trash out of the wetland along our west side.)

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.)

Garbage Can Bandits

Apparently a few garbage cans have disappeared from our street after being left out for garbage day. (At least three homes have reported this.) Please be on guard. You might consider marking your cans with your house number so they're identifiable.

And a related reminder: with windy fall days here, it's important that we each strap our lids down (to keep trash from blowing all over). This will help keep our community clean.