SUMMER 2010

You can view a color version of this newsletter at www.FiannaPOA.org. If you haven’t yet paid your 2010 dues...mail them today!

Covenant Enforcement New Website Address

This year, your FPOA has committed to As many of you have noticed, the FPOA website has increased covenant enforcement as a result been off line for several weeks. Turns out the renewal of member surveys and comments we have deadline passed without us being notified by the received from residents. We have made domain registration company and we lost access to this our #1 priority for this year and while the website name. After weeks of trying to re-acquire we have had some success in correcting the address through the registration company and violations, we have met with some other secondary parties with no success the board resistance in some areas. decided it would be best to just purchase a new domain name and quit trying to acquire the old one. Through mid year we have addressed over The new address is only slightly different than the old 50 complaints with a large amount of these one and we paid for 10 years of renewals so that we being trailers, boats and campers. Just to will not have to worry about this problem again for a clarify the Fianna Covenants do not allow very long time. the exterior storage of any trailer, boat, RV or camper on any lot whether in the Please make a note of the new address: driveway or the yard. You are allowed to www.FiannaPOA.org keep such items in your driveway for up to 48hrs for the purpose of loading, Just as before you can find all Fianna covenants, color unloading or minor repairs. Another copies of each newsletter edition for downloading recent issue that has arisen is the use of and printing as well as other neighborhood chain link dog pens. The Architectural information and contact info for residents to ask Control Committee of Fianna Hills has a questions and report violations. We also hope to be published statement of position on fences able to include a membership list in the near future. to clarify the covenants regarding fencing Please feel free to email suggestions or newsletter and any type of chain link fencing is articles to us at [email protected] prohibited on any Fianna property. This includes temporary and permanent structures. Neighborhood Garage Sale Day

We will continue to look for violations The spring garage sale weekend was a tremendous success! and take action to correct when We heard numerous stories of what a successful sale appropriate. The procedure in place for everyone had that participated. We will be sponsoring a correcting violations is that the FPOA first fall garage sale day so mark your calendar for October 9th! sends a letter to the resident notifying The POA will once again purchase a two day ad in the them of the violation and gives 30 days to comply. If there is no compliance at that Times Record advertising the neighborhood sale day. time the FPOA attorney sends a certified Our intention with this program is to reduce the number letter with a warning to comply within a of garage sales that are in the area during the year and specified time or face possible legal action. concentrate them to one weekend in the spring and one If there is still no compliance, a paid in the fall. Remember to keep the median and member of the FPOA must file suit to get landscaping areas free of garage sale or other signs. All the violation corrected, the suit cannot be signs placed in the median will be removed . initiated by the FPOA board itself.

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FROM YOUR FPOA PRESIDENT Friends and Neighbors, From the triple digit temps in the past week, it looks like we are not going to have a mild summer again like we did last year. Your FPOA has been quite busy in the past 3 months with everything from the usual covenant enforcement to sign replacement and landscaping enhancements. We will be sending out ballots for a covenant change for those homes in Fianna Heights this fall. We will be asking for these property owners to approve a 2010 update to the covenants for Fianna Heights which will include some clarifications in the satellite dish section, boats and watercraft section and also adding a paragraph requiring payment of dues to be mandatory. This is essentially the same update we will be requesting for Fianna I-X when it renews in 2013. In order to assure the future protection of all Fianna Subdivisions we have to make mandatory dues part of all Fianna covenants. This will be a 10-15 year process to get this change made to all subdivisions as they can only be changed at time of renewal which is different for each area and most are 10 year renewal periods. As covenant enforcement continues to be a challenge, it will be necessary for the FPOA to incur the cost of some legal action in the future as violations are becoming increasingly hard to get corrected without this threat. While the POA cannot file a violation suit against a resident, it can pay the legal fees associated with such a suit provided it is initiated by a member of the FPOA. The board is currently considering financial support for two such suits this year. This year has been a good year for membership, with nearly 400 members paying their dues and many taking advantage of the discount to purchase multiple year memberships. We also had a great response from the request for specific donations on the membership invoices this year and the year to date totals for each are $725 for the flag display maintenance, $675 for landscaping upgrades and $580 for general fund expenses. We replaced several worn flags and damaged poles this spring and with the great response to our request have funding in place to maintain the flag display in top condition for a long time to come. The landscaping upgrades which included enhancements to the irrigation system has been completed at a cost of just under $800 which was partially funded by the landscape donation s and the balance from the general fund additional donations. We will have an increase in annual maintenance costs associated with the new landscaping, but it greatly enhances the main entrance to the neighborhood. We are also looking to add some decorative street lighting in the Jenny Lind median in the near future! As many have noticed, work has started on painting the water tower on Jenny Lind and will be complete in a few weeks. The golf ball icon of Fianna will receive its new coat of paint along with the historic “dimples” that have been a part of our neighborhood since it was developed. Also, this fall the Parks department will begin removing many of the trees in the Jenny Lind median on top of the hill. Many of these have been damaged over the years from ice storms and vehicles and just don't look very good anymore. After the old trees are removed, the FPOA in conjunction with the Fort Smith Parks Dept. will begin replanting new trees that will be more resistant to winter storm damage and also provide some color in the springtime. Please be patient as this project will take some time to complete. October 9th will be the fall Fianna Neighborhood Garage Sale day! Your FPOA will again purchase advertising in the newspaper and would request that all residents refrain from having garage sales except on the two official Fianna Garage Sale Days. According to city ordinance, residents must not have garage sales closer than 6 months apart. The FPOA will sponsor one in the spring and one in the fall in order to reduce the number of garage sales and non-resident traffic in the neighborhood throughout the year. For the protection of the neighborhood, we will also notify the police department so we may have extra patrols and security that day.

Mike Lorenz 2010 FPOA President

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Handle Your Biggest Summer Lawn Care Problems

Summer days mean lots of sun, fun and hopefully a yard that will hold up to the weather as well as outdoor gatherings. If you are like most of us, you want to know how to have a nice lawn all year, and especially dur- ing the summer when you spend more time there. The following are some of my best tips for keeping your lawn healthy and looking great throughout the summer months.

Raise the mowing height a little bit. Taking the mowing height up a notch will do wonders for your lawn during the summer. First, it will make scalping less likely. You never want to cut more than one-third the height of your lawn in a single mowing. If you don’t scalp your lawn, it will make weed encroachment more difficult. The greater amount of leaf blade showing will keep your yard appearing greener while the roots have a chance to grow deeper, which helps the lawn during times of drought.

Manage high traffic areas. Before mid-summer, you know where these are. If the grass is being worn down on the walkway off the patio or other high-traffic areas, you can do a couple of things. First, give these areas a little extra shot of fertilizer (this can be the extra 0.5 lb. of urea or just simply go over the area a second time with your regular fertilizer application). The grass blades are constantly being worn and are trying to regenerate, so a bit more nitrogen will help them recover. This is exactly what the landscape pros do in high traffic areas of sports stadiums. Next, consider topdressing the areas with crumb rubber from used tires. Your objective is to build up an inch layer (this equates to about 1.0 lb. / sq. ft.). The idea is to have a mat that will absorb the traffic (instead of the soil) but still be porous enough to allow the lawn to grow and water to move through it. The product can be found in 50 lb bags. Make sure you buy the size particles that range from 0.5- 3.0 mm in diameter.

Article from yardsmarts.com

Fianna Police Reports In the last 30 days there have been at least 11 times the Fort Smith Police have been called to Fianna Hills for criminal activity. Remember to keep your cars locked and garages closed! Carrolton Place, 2200 block, prowler Queensbury, 1900 block, criminal mischief Cannongate, 3400, 3400, & the 1900 block property crime Glen Flora, 3500 block, breaking & entering vehicle Bryn Mawr Cir, 9600 block, prowler Edinburgh Dr. 3000 block, breaking & entering vehicle Edinburgh Dr. 3000 block, breaking & entering vehicle Heather Oaks, 2700 block, breaking & entering vehicle Jenny Lind, 9300 block, prowler Londonderry, 3400 block, prowler

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2010 Covenant Violations New Board Member Please welcome Shawn Zachary, The following covenant violation have been the newest member of the Fianna reported through the end of July this year. POA Board of Directors. For the first time in several years, all board BOAT positions are filled with no BOAT & UTILITY TRAILER vacancies! Shawn and his wife VACANT HOUSE ROOF TARPED moved to Fianna in 2009 and he TRASH PILES, CAR PARTS joined the FPOA board in May UNAPPROVED ADDIITION 2010. Shawn is representing the UTILITY TRAILER Glen Flora and areas to the north TRASH AND BOAT IN FRONT YARD so please contact him with UNSIGHTLY STORAGE OF TRASH questions or complaints if you live in that area. Also, ENCLOSED WORK TRAILER the board would like to say a special thanks for his BOAT AND UTILITY TRAILER adoption of the median flags this year as he has been BARKING DOGS in charge of putting them up and taking them down PARKING IN YARD since joining the board this year! Contact info. for BOAT IN YARD all board members can be found at FiannaPOA.org. VACANT HOUSE OVERGROWN YARD BARKING DOGS CHAIN LINK DOG PEN CAMPING TRAILER IN YARD BOAT AND TRASH PILE BESIDE HOUSE BOAT AND UTILITY TRAILER PEDESTRIAN DAMAGE TO YARD BROOKEN HILL– SPEEDING DOGS BARKING AND SMELL LARGE BOAT CAMPER IN BACK YARD RV IN DRIVEWAY +2 WEEKS UTILITY /WORK TRAILER JUNK BESIDE HOUSE OVERGROWN YARD OVER GROWN BUSHES 4 WHEELER STORED IN FRONT YARD APPLIANCES IN DRIVEWAY Arkansas Christian Counseling CAMPING TRAILER IN DRIVE +1 WEEK Dr. Tom MacMahon, L.A.C., MA, DMin, MDiv, BSC BOAT IN DRIVEWAY + 1 WEEK BASKETALL CT PAINTED IN STREET Relationship in trouble? Stressed? Depressed? Don’t put off getting help! STORAGE BUILDING NOT APPROVED I can help you get your life back on track. Call today for your FREE confidential session. 479 452-3466 Roxbury Revitalization Fort Smith Central Mall, Suite 525 www.ArkansasChristianCounseling.com Special thanks to John Lumpkin for his $75 per hour, first session no charge hard work and dedication to making Fianna a great place to live! Mr. Lumpkin embarked on a project to improve his neighborhood on Roxbury Lane as well as increase FPOA membership there as well. With the help of the FPOA, Roxbury has improved greatly in the past two years but this could not have happened without the help of Mr. Lumpkin.

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Don L. Wright, Agent 3600 Old Greenwood Road Fort Smith, AR 72903

Phone 479-649-8001 Fax 479-649-8003 [email protected]

Don Wright Insurance Agency, Inc

Providing Insurance and Financial Services Home Office, Bloomington, Illinois 61710

Recent Board Actions Glen Flora Area THANK YOU

 Had attorney send letters to multiple covenant violations, process ongoing. Early this spring it was brought to the board’s  Board voted to not allow political ads of any attention that there were numerous violations of kind in the FPOA newsletter. the covenant prohibiting boats, trailers and  Reminders to be sent to area Realtors regarding providing covenants to new watercraft on Glen Flora and in the immediate homeowners who purchase in Fianna. surrounding areas. I am proud to announce that  New board member appointed May 20th. as of August 5 there are NO such vehicles stored  Neighborhood watch reported an average of one call to police ever 1.6 days in June. in plain sight in this area. Thank you to  Numerous reports of prowlers in June and everyone who complied with your FPOA’s July have been noted by the FSPD. requests and moved your vehicles to alternate  Decision not to proceed with possible storage rather than in the yards! Please continue addition of Fianna Place edition into the FPOA due to excessive cost and limited to remind your neighbors that there is a 48 hour potential return of investment. time limit on boats, trailers and watercraft!  Board voted to update Fianna Place covenants upon renewal in January 2011 to update sections and add mandatory dues.  Sign on south 30th has been vandalized again and at the July meeting, the board voted to ADVERTISE IN THE FALL/WINTER not repair the sign again, and have the EDITION OF YOUR FIANNA damaged rock base removed.  Board to review possible installation of sign at NEWSLETTER rear (hwy 253) entrance. FULL PAGE $150  Request made to FSPD for increased patrols HALF PAGE $75 on Brooken Hill in coming weeks. QUARTER PAGE $45

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Fianna Hills Garden Club Garden of the Month Winner August

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Bobbie Miller Ronnie Udouj Tom Cannava Margaret Cannava John Hagen Julie Hagen Principal Broker Executive Broker

Jeanette Jones Fred Patterson

Jim Simmons As the developer of Fianna Hills, we know the area. Brenda Harvel Call the name you can trust.

Bradford & Udouj will promote your property. We advertise more than our competitors. Check out our huge Sunday ad in the Rachel Brown Southwest Times. Among advertising in all the real estate Brinda Garrett magazine, we advertise on the Realtor.com, Loopnet.com, BradfordUdouj.com, & provide curb side flyers. Public Open Houses and Realtor Open houses are also a plus when you list with us. Sue Shields We do more than just stick a sign in your yard! Ashley Boyd

2605 Market Trace 479-646-5539 www.bradfordudouj.com Hollie Byers Lisa Mundai

Tanya Amanda Jim Grady Ellie Nick Ashley Connie Ellis Dan Howell Jim Morocco Tincher Glidewell Glidewell Roberson Ahlert SUMMER 2010 www.fiannapoa.org Page 7

Questions & Answers CALL FOR From Fianna Residents APPOINTMENT TODAY! Question: Why can’t the FPOA do something about barking dogs? 479-646-4243 Answer: There is nothing in the covenants of any subdivision of Fianna (or most others for BEAUTIFUL HAIR BEAUTIFUL NAILS that matter) that gives any jurisdiction for addressing the nuisance of barking dogs. When CLASSY these are reported to us we can only forward the complaint to the Fort Smith Police Department. It is best for you to report it directly to the FSPD ATTITUDES immediately as the responding officer must be able to verify the complaint in order for it to be Missy Littleton– Cosmetologist acted upon. The non-emergency number for the Anita Johnson– Nail Tech FPSD is 709-5100. Always report suspected animal neglect immediately! Becky Bugh– Massage Therapist

Lisa Conyers-Cosmetologist Question: Why can’t the FPOA fix the problem of drivers speeding on Brooken Hill?

6206 South 31st St. Fort Smith, AR 72908 Answer: This was the #1 issue brought up at the Neighborhood Problem Solving Meetings in that area last fall sponsored by the City of Fort Smith and the Fort Smith Police Department. Through requests from residents and the FPOA, the FSPD stepped up patrols in the area and issued numerous citations not only on Brooken Hill, but also on Fianna Way and Jenny Lind FEATURING and other areas. A follow up with the FSPD this spring uncovered an interesting fact that a  18 Hole Golf Course majority of the citations issued were to Fianna  4 Tennis Courts residents, which is in direct contrast to the belief that the problem is mostly non-residents  Newly Remodeled Fitness Room travelling through our neighborhood.  Junior Olympic Swimming Pool Obviously, the FSPD cannot patrol any one  Fort Smith’s Finest Dining street continuously, however they will continue to operate directed patrols to areas that residents Come join the Club! and the FPOA report to be problem areas! Contact Gary at (479) 646-7861 The FPOA received comments and questions from residents during the year, and while we try to respond to each one individually, sharing the information here will be useful to all residents!

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City of Fort Smith Property Maintenance and Parking Regulations A few important Regulations for Homeowners

302.1 Sanitation. All exterior property and premises shall be maintained in a clean, safe and sanitary condition. The occupant shall keep that part of the exterior property which such occupant occupies or controls in a clean and sanitary condition.

303.1 Swimming pools. Swimming pools shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition, and in good repair.

304.2 Protective treatment. All exterior surfaces, including but not limited to, doors, door and window frames, cornices, porches, trim, balconies, decks and fences shall be maintained in good condition. Exterior wood surfaces, other than decay- resistant woods, shall be protected from the elements and decay by painting or other protective covering or treatment. Peeling, flaking and chipped paint shall be eliminated and surfaces repainted. All siding and masonry joints as well as those between the building envelope and the perimeter of windows, doors, and skylights shall be maintained weather resistant and water tight. All metal surfaces subject to rust or corrosion shall be coated to inhibit such rust and corrosion and all surfaces with rust or corrosion shall be stabilized and coated to inhibit future rust and corrosion. Oxidation stains shall be removed from exterior surfaces. Surfaces designed for stabilization by oxidation are exempt from this requirement.

307.1 Accumulation of rubbish or garbage. All exterior property and premises, and the interior of every structure, shall be free from any accumulation of rubbish or garbage.

DON’T FORGET: Any remodeling or additions (including fences and roofs) must be approved by the Fianna Architectural Control Committee prior to applying for a building permit.

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COOK SCHOOL FALL 2010 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

August 19 - First Day of School September 6 - NO SCHOOL September 13-17 - Book Fair September 14 - Ice Cream Social 5-7pm October 18 - Fall Fundraiser Kickoff!!! October 22 - NO SCHOOL October 29 - Halloween Parade 2pm November 11– Dads & Donuts 7-8am November 24, 25, 26 - NO SCHOOL December 7 - Christmas Program 6pm December 10 - Cookies with Santa 3-6pm December 14, 15, 16 - Santa Shop December 20-31 CHRISTMAS BREAK

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Presorted-Standard U.S. Postage Paid Fort Smith, AR Permit No. 704

P.O. Box 180182 • Fort Smith, AR 72918-0182

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