Northcliffe

Articles from the March 2008 newsletter

Mar 09, 2008

THE NORTHCLIFFFE NEWSLETTER HAS NOW GONE
TO QUARTERLY PUBLICATION!!!



SCHERTZ CITY PARK AT NORTHCLIFFE ALMOST COMPLETE

After two years of planning, the City of Schertz Park upgrade at Northcliffe is almost complete.

The park was built by the developer of Northcliffe, US Homes, 30 years ago. They turned it over to our HOA in the early 80?’s when they left.

For many years, residents worked endlessly to support the HOA owned Park & Pool by raising funds to maintain the pool and surrounding park area. As the number of volunteers grew smaller, it became more difficult to maintain. In 2001, the park was sold to the developer of the Whisper Meadow Community for $1,700.00. He spent an additional $100,000.00 dollars to improve the pool and pool house, then donated the park to Schertz for a City Park.

In 2006, some residents of Northcliffe, The Fairways, Whisper Meadow and Scenic Hills formed an organization called ?“Friends of Northern Schertz Parks?” because they felt that the park needed to be upgraded to meet recreational needs of our growing youth population. Councilman Tony Wilenchik provided support and direction to help us get started on the project.

A community meeting was held to ask citizens how they would like the park to look. As a result of input from the community, the City of Schertz hired a professional to draw up a plan, which included a basketball court, walking trails, two new playscapes, a pavilion, picnic tables, benches and landscaping. Total cost of the project $120,000.00.

Schertz agreed to pay $60,000.00 to upgrade the park, but the ?“Friends of Northern Schertz?” would have to raise the other $60,000.00. Thru the kind donations of several businesses and builders in the area, we were able to raise $68,00.00 in cash and donated services over the last two years.

It is through the efforts of the Northcliffe HOA, several committed homeowners in our surrounding communities and the City Park Dept., that we are now going to have a park to be proud of!

When the picnic pavilion, tables, benches and landscaping are completed, the Friends of Northern Schertz Parks, in conjunction with the City, will have a grand opening of the new park. The exact date and specific details will be placed on the message boards on Chelsea & Country Club Blvd.


SOME POLICE CALLS INCREASE IN NORTHCLIFFE IN 2007

The HOA Board met with Officer
Chris Duprat, the Schertz Police Department
HOA liaison to address crime concerns in our community.Community residents have expressed
their concern about the increase in
the number of car break-ins, other
criminal mischief and noise disturbances.
Another resident stated that a primary
concern is the graffiti blitz in the ditch
behind the park. Is it one of those
visual indicators that may show there
are problems in the neighborhood
that could lead to worse crime if not
dealt with? Officer Duprat stated
there has been such an increase in
graffiti city-wide that a special section
has been formed to deal with it.
Police Call data from Northcliffe show
that criminal mischief is up 80% and
noise disturbances are up 129% .
Growth in our area has increased 66%
in the last six years with the addition
of three new developments: Whisper
Meadow, Fairways and Fairhaven. The
Board asked Officer Duprat if the
growth in our area would justify a
Police Substation at the Old Fire Station.
He stated that all police vehicles
will have computers installed shortly,
and a substation for reporting will not
be needed. They will be able to do
everything from their patrol cars.
Officer Duprat stated that there has
been an increase in the number of
unlocked cars that have been burglarized
throughout the City. He warned
citizens not to leave cars unlocked. Additionally,thieves can take a garage
door opener and have an automatic key to your
house. This is especially true when homeowners also leave the door from the house to the garage unlocked. Duprat stated that any concern,
no matter how big or small, needs to be shared
with the police department. The smaller concerns could be connected to larger issues.
Residents need to report noise or suspicious sightings to police using the non-emergency
number (210) 619-1200, they will not ask for your name.


TRASH CAN PLEA!

Have you ever followed the trash truck
on its Wednesday pick up through our
neighborhood? WOW, those young men throw the large cans back at the curb with no regard for any kind of neatness. Some are tipped over,
most have their lids open, and some are
almost in the center of the street. It is a visual disgrace to our Northcliffe neighborhood.
Most of the residents of our little community
come home from a hard day?’s work and dutifully drag that monstrous trash can back to its weekly hiding place. A great big ?“Thank you?” to those
neighbors. But the point of this article is
to plea with those people who don?’t take
care of their trash can in a proper and timely
fashion. So here it is:?“PLEASE STORE YOUR TRASH CAN AS SOON AS YOU CAN AFTER THE TRASH MAN COMETH?”. Your Northcliffe HOA has contacted the
Waste Company and made a request for a more orderly handling of the trash cans after they pick up our trash. Thank you in advancefor your help with this problem.

AARP DRIVER SAFETY PROGRAM

Do you want to update your driving skills and
knowledge and get an insurance discount at
the same time? If the answer it ?“yes?” here is
your opportunity. A Driver Safety Program
class will be held on Thursday and Friday
April 17 and 18 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the
Scenic Hills Lodge. Attendance at both sessions is required to obtain a certificate. You do not have to be an AARP member to participate.
The course is designed to sharpen our driving
skills, prevent accidents and keep drivers on
the road longer and more safely. It is appropriate for drivers of any age.
Since most auto insurance carriers in Texas
offer a discount on premiums for this and similar
courses, most people will be able to save
money on their car insurance premiums.
Attendance at this course will not remove
a traffic citation from a driver?’s license. Cost
for the course is $10.00. If you are interested,
call John Connolly and reserve a place. His telephone number is 620-5065.

SCHERTZ CITY ELECTIONS IN MAY

In May, 2008 we will once again have the opportunity to vote in the City of Schertz election. Two council positions now held by Jim Fowler and David Scagliola, will be up for reelection. Mayor Hal Baldwin is also up
for re-election. You must be registered to vote by 10 April, if you plan to participate in the Schertz elections. Voter registration cards are available at the Corner Store on Country Club Blvd. Our community had a huge turn-out for the election two years ago, and we demonstrated that we can have a significant and positive impact on elections. Lets keep it going!

FM 1103/CHELSEA INTERESCTION TO CHANGE
In the near future, work will begin on the
Chelsea/FM 1103 intersection.Plans are to
realign the two roads into a common intersection.
Chelsea as we know it now will be moved to the left. Once the project is complete, the street
name of Chelsea may be changed to Old
Wiederstein. There are no plans to include
a traffic light at the intersection.
This project is one included in the 20 million dollar road improvements Bond that Schertz voters
approved in the 2006 election.
The upgrade of our streets in Northcliffe,which was also included in the Schertz Bond package is scheduled for 2010.


NORTHCLIFFE ASKED TO IDENTIFY COMMUNITY NEEDS FOR 2008

Through various means,residents were asked to
identify any goals that they felt were important
for our community in 2008. Needs that were
identified were: To continue to monitor crime,
continue to pay $128.00/yr electric bill for the light that illuminates the American flag on Country Club Blvd., build a stone Northcliffe Community Sign at the Chelsea entrance,publish the quarterly newsletter, continue the annual Christmas lighting contest, and the spring community wide garage sale. Accomplishing these goals will depend on the financial support of the North cliffe community. The January 08 HOA dues drive was successful, and almost 80 homeowners paid the annual dues of $25.00 per year in one month. Residents can elect to pay their dues at any time during the
year.

Checks can be mailed to
NCHOA P.O Box 502
Cibolo, TX 78108


COMMUNITY CENTER NORTH TO RECEIVE IMPROVEMENTS

The Schertz Community Center, North, on
Morning Drive (the Fire Station), is about to
receive a new look. The City will be upgrading
the plumbing, paving a small parking area
and installing a new exterior appearance. February 12th the City Council voted to
change rental rates for the building. The new
rates are:

Monday?—Thursday:
$15/Hr. (2 Hr. minimum)
Friday & Saturday:
$150 per day, all day

Schertz residents receive a
25% discount as do charitable
organizations. Kitchen facilities, tables
and chairs are available for dinners, large parties and meetings. Contact Sandy
at (210) 619-1600 to reserve the building.

SPRING GARAGE SALE!

Thanks to the generosity of two of our homeowners, we will again be having our Spring Garage Sale. The event is scheduled for April 12 with a ?“rain date?” of April 19. As always, the Homeowners Association will arrange for the community permit and advertising. The fee this year will be $5.00 per household. Reservations must be made by April 1st. We again anticipate that the Fairways and Whisper Meadow will also participate. All interested households should contact:
Vicki, (830) 629-9939 (Last name A-L)
Jan, (830) 237-1162 (Last names M-Z)


OFFICE AND PROFESSIONAL COMPLEX TO BE BUILT ON COUNTRY CLUB BLVD.

The look of our community is soon going to change. A developer is planning to build
an Office and ProfessionalComplex on Country Club
Blvd. Initial plans are for 16 individual businesses, one of which may be a Day Care
Center. Our HOA has been in contact with the developer and the City about the need for a
fence to be built on the back of the development so the residents on Wedgewood are protected from the noise, lights, traffic and view
of the garbage containers. The current City Ordinance requires the developer to build an 8 foot fence out of stone or metal to separate
commercial from residential development. The HOA has also contacted Councilman Mike Carpenter to voice their concerns. We feel that the residents comfort and home values should be protected

NORTHCLIFFE LADIES GOLF ASSOCIATION WANTS YOU TO JOIN!

The Northcliffe Golf Club has a very active ladies golf association and welcomes new members. You do not have to be a good golfer to join, just have a love of the game! The ladies play every Tuesday morning around 8 a.m. We play a lot of fun golf games and have some serious tournaments. We also play at other golf courses with other ladies?’golf associations. Every May we sponsor a Susan G. Komen ?“Golf For The Cure?” tournament with 70-80 golfers from all over. We come in all ages with all levels of play. If you would like to join us, please call Shirley at (830) 608-0150.