Capes News – June 2024

The Aurora Borealis over The Capes!

Special Meeting of the Board for Strategic Planning

The Board has scheduled a special meeting on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 from 10:00am – 1:00 pm on Zoom that will focus solely on strategic planning as they continue to work on The Capes’ 5-year plan. All homeowners are welcome to observe the meeting, we will be using the same Zoom link as the regular, monthly board meetings.

Records Resolution Approved

Back in January homeowners were informed that the Board was considering approval of a new Records Resolution that would set the standard for how long association documents are retained and how homeowner requests for documents are processed. The resolution itself was passed as presented on January 27, 2024 by the board, with the caveat that the President and the Manager would review some of the suggested retention periods listed in the Exhibit A Records Retention Schedule with The Capes attorney to ensure they were appropriate. Now that this has been completed, the Records Resolution is in full effect and posted with the rest of the governing documents, both in the Documents section of our public website (thecapeshoa.org) and in the owner portal library. If you need a refresher, you can review the resolution here.

Save the Date – The Annual BBQ is Coming!

While all of the details aren’t quite yet hammered out, our annual Independence Day get together is scheduled for Saturday, July 6, 2024 from 2-5pm, so save that date! We will send out a separate email with a link to RSVP soon.

My Semi-Annual Garbage Rant

In an effort to ensure that all Capes owners have space to dispose of their regular household garbage, we ask that you all please adhere to the following guidelines:

  • Break down your boxes – Due to a recent breakthrough in physics, it has been discovered that flattened boxes take up less room than the non-flattened variety.  (Who knew?) Please flatten all boxes before putting them in the dumpsters. (Or you could just recycle your cardboard…for information on recycling options, please keep reading.)
  • No furniture, appliances, elephants, automobiles, lawnmowers, fertilizer spreaders, mattresses, hot tubs, submarines, or any other large, unwieldy items – This is kind of a no-brainer…if it is bigger or longer than the dumpster itself, please don’t try to put it in the dumpster. Or next to the dumpster. Or on top of the dumpster. Or…well, you get the idea. These large items should go to the dump. If it doesn’t fit, you must uh…quit. (Keep reading for the dump address.)
  • No construction material – If you are re-siding your house, replacing a deck, remodeling your kitchen, etc., the old siding, deck boards, sink, cabinets, glass doors, etc. should be hauled away by you or your contractor, not thrown in the dumpsters. Please make sure your contractor is aware of this!
  • No hazardous, toxic or flammable materials – This is more of a fire hazard or an environmental issue than one of saving space, but still important. This includes things like paint, paint thinner, oil & gas, pesticides, yard waste, electronics, tires, lithium batteries, rechargeable batteries and car batteries.

Occasionally items are left in the dumpster (or surrounding area) that the sanitary company charges us extra to take or flat out will not take at all. Please be aware that there is a camera filming the dumpster area at all times, so violators can be identified. If you’ve left something that incurs extra fees, those fees will be passed on to you. If you’ve left something that the sanitary company refuses to take, you will be asked to remove it and dispose of it properly.

Recycling/Dump Information: The Tillamook County Transfer Station is located at 1315 Ekloff Road in Tillamook and is open daily from 8am to 4pm. For recycling, they accept cardboard, newspaper, waste paper, tin cans, magazines, plastics, glass (clear, brown and green) and scrap metal. For non-hazardous solid waste disposal, there is a minimum fee of $25 (that will get you up to 400 pounds!), with regular fees of $114.23 per ton ($0.057115 per pound…yes, I may be a little bit of a math geek). They regularly accept e-waste, vegetable oil and batteries, and other hazardous waste materials can be disposed of on scheduled event days. Visit their website for more information: https://www.tillamookcounty.gov/solid-waste/page/hazardous-waste-collection

Please Don’t Feed the <Insert Animal Name Here>

It has come to my attention that one or more kindhearted souls may be leaving food out for the wildlife.  Please do not do this. Here’s why:

  • Feeding deer, rabbits and other small critters will not only attract the animals you’re intending to feed – it will also attract their natural predators (coyote, bobcats, and cougars) and smaller, less desirable rodents such as mice and rats.
  • We have had 2 owners attacked by aggressive raccoons in the last couple of years, right around this time of year when they are starting to have babies. A convenient food source will only encourage them to remain in the area.
  • Artificial feeding concentrates wildlife, which leads to easier spread of disease and parasites.
  • Artificial feeding can cause deer to become habituated to humans and aggressive towards them.

If you have a bird feeder, please take precautions to ensure that other animals cannot get to it, and regularly clean up any loose seed that may fall to the ground below the feeder.

Recreational Shellfish Biotoxin Closures

The sport harvest of razor clams, bay clams, and mussels is currently CLOSED along the entire Oregon coast from the Washington border to the California border for high levels of the marine biotoxins paralytic shellfish poison and domoic acid. If you have any that were recreationally harvested since May 25th, the Oregon Health Authority advises you to throw them away and do not feed them to pets. Freezing or cooking them does not destroy the paralytic shellfish poison biotoxin.

At least 21 people have confirmed PSP from eating mussels harvested in Clatsop and Tillamook counties according to the OHA. If you have eaten any of these mussels and feel ill, see a doctor right away. The Oregon Poison Control Center can give advice at 1-800-222-1222. Symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning can appear 10 minutes to 3 hours after ingestion and include:

  • Tingling or burning lips, gums, tongue, face, neck, arms, legs, and toes
  • Numbness, spreading from lips and mouth to face, neck, and extremities
  • Dizziness
  • Arm and leg weakness, paralysis
  • Difficulty in breathing
  • Sense of floating or nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Hypersalivation
  • Abdominal pain

For the latest updates on shellfish biotoxin closures, visit the ODA’s Recreational Shellfish Biotoxin Closures web page or call the hotline at 1-800-448-2474.