New Dues for 2018
At their meeting on October 21, 2017, the Board of Directors voted to accept the 2018 budget as proposed by the Budget Committee. The new dues amounts for 2018 are below. If you use your bank’s autopay service to pay your dues, please adjust your payment amount accordingly, beginning with your January payment. If you’re not sure whether your next payment is for this month, next month or last month, contact the office, and we’ll set you straight!
Undeveloped lots: $126/month ($4 increase)
Cottages: $134/month ($5 increase)
Townhomes: $254/month ($6 increase)
Single Family Homes: $134/month ($5 increase)
Last Call for Payment Books
If you haven’t yet ordered your 2018 dues payment book and YOU WANT ONE, run – do not walk! – to this link right here and fill out the 2018 Dues Notification Preferences form before it’s too late. Books will be ordered on November 27th*, and if you have not yet filled out the form indicating that you would like one by then, guess who won’t be getting one? You have been warned!
This form can also be used to sign up for email reminders (you choose the frequency – monthly, every other month, twice a year, quarterly, or annual) or to let the office know that no reminders are necessary. If you have already submitted this form, you are all set – no need to fill it out again until next year.
*The original deadline was to be December 4th, but that date has been moved up by 1 week in order to allow enough time for processing and distribution of the books.
Chimney Cleaning is Important!
Do you have a fireplace at The Capes? When’s the last time you had your chimney inspected and cleaned? An owner on Fall Creek Drive recently had a scary experience with a minor chimney fire and would like to recommend that everyone have their chimney inspected and cleaned annually – and the office seconds that recommendation! For less than $200, Tillamook Fireplace Center can inspect and clean your chimney and fireplace, making sure that everything is in good working order. [They inspect both inside and out, so let the office know if you’re not a full time resident and would like some assistance with getting them access.]
Think you don’t need an inspection because your fireplace doesn’t burn wood? Think again! This interesting blog post by Northeastern Chimney, LLC explains why it’s just as important to have your gas fireplace inspected annually: https://www.ctsweep.com/blog/top-sweep-stories/gas-fireplace-annual-inspections/
Doggie Doo’s
Capers, I *think* I witnessed something quite distressing the other day, and I really, really hope that my eyes were just playing tricks on me. As I stood at the office window enjoying a sunny October morning, I watched a man in a black t-shirt walking with his small dog along Promontory Lane. The dog paused to do his or her business, as dogs are prone to do, and I saw the man bend down clean up after his 4-legged friend. Or so I thought. Bearing in mind that I was quite far away (and wear contact lenses with a prescription of -7.25), it looked like what he actually did was pick up the poo and toss it into the foliage along the road. Surely that can’t be right, can it?
I sincerely hope that I misinterpreted what I saw, because the thought that an owner (or their relative or guest) would have such little regard for someone else’s property and for the landscapers that work so hard to keep our community beautiful is disheartening. (I’m not mad, just disappointed.) BUT…I will take this opportunity to go over the rules once again…just in case.
- All dogs must be on a leash or otherwise under your physical control at all times when they are outside of your home – even if they are perfectly nice dogs who love all other dogs and never, ever fight with anyone. When your dog is allowed to roam loose and unattended:
- He could poop in your neighbor’s yard – how can you clean up after your pet if you don’t know where he left it?
- He could wander into the street and into the path of an oncoming car.
- He could approach another owner walking a leashed dog. You cannot assume that all dogs are happy to meet your dog. Some dogs are frightened when approached by other dogs, and some react negatively. If an owner is trying to remove their frightened or angry dog from your dog’s vicinity, and your unleashed and unattended dog follows them, your dog could wind up getting hurt. (Or the other owner could be injured while trying to separate the animals.)
- Letting your dog off leash on the beach is great, BUT, keep them on leash until you actually get TO the beach. Excited dogs and people and stairs are not a good combination. Please keep your dog on leash while using the stairs down to the beach.
- It is your responsibility to clean up after your dog. Period. End of story. This means put it in a bag and throw it in the garbage. This does not mean toss it onto someone else’s lot or leave it in a common area.
This last note is not a nag, but a caution. It’s been reported there have been some sea lions in this area with leptospirosis – a bacterial infection that can be transferred to dogs by contact with an infected sea lion’s urine. If you see a sick or dead sea lion on the beach, and your dog has not been vaccinated for lepto, take care and steer clear!
Dumpster Don’ts
Just a reminder: please do not place hazardous materials such as paint, stain, spa/hot tub chemicals, pesticides, motor oil, fertilizer, batteries, propane tanks, mercury thermometers or thermostats, fire extinguishers, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or fluorescent tubes in the dumpsters. These items must be taken to the Tillamook Transfer Station during one of their hazardous household waste collection events. The next event will be on December 2, 2017 from 9am to 1pm. (Check their website for 2018 collection dates: http://www.co.tillamook.or.us/gov/solidwaste/HazardousWaste.htm)
The address for the Tillamook Transfer Station and Recycling Center is 1315 Ekloff Road in Tillamook. (Note: this station does not accept ammunition, explosives or medical waste – and neither do our dumpsters.)