What the “Fire Drill” Taught Us
As I’m sure everyone knows by now, we had quite a scare on Labor Day. At around 10:30 pm, a fire broke out just on the other side of Highway 131 during a weather event when everything was already extremely dry and we were experiencing 20-30 mph winds (and even higher gusts). Thankfully, the Netarts Oceanside Fire District got to it quickly and was able to keep it from crossing the highway to The Capes. We were extremely lucky that night, when so many others in Oregon – even some as close as Bay City – were not. As awful as it may be to think about, we may not be so lucky the next time – so the best thing that we can do for ourselves and as a community is to use this as a learning experience. One thing we learned that night is that we need to make some improvements to our emergency plans.
To that end, we are looking for a few volunteers to serve on The Capes’ Emergency Preparedness Committee. The specific purpose of the committee will be to develop plans and procedures that would help keep The Capes and all of those in residence safe in the event of an emergency. If you are willing to serve on this committee, please contact the office. We will need to have at least 3 volunteers (but more are welcome!) in order to get started.
Tales from the Bridge House…The Moth!
For those of you who are following our Tales from the Bridge House series, Chapter 4 is coming up on Thursday, October 22, 2020. The October event will be a little different from the first three. On “The Moth Night,” four storytellers from The Capes will compete in front of the audience and a panel of judges to see who can tell the best story in 8 minutes or less. (For more information on Moth events, visit The Moth Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moth) If you’re interested in being one of the judges, please send an email to manager@thecapeshoa.org. This event will take place entirely on Zoom video conferencing, so watch your inboxes for a link!
Coming Soon(ish)…
Please be advised that the following tree work is scheduled to take place at The Capes sometime in the (maybe) near future. We are awaiting the availability of the tree service.
- Approximately 10 trees will be removed from the common area on Capes Drive where the storm drain repair work was done early last year. (Around undeveloped lots 1 and 2) This is being done upon the advice of the geotechnical engineer who evaluated the area prior to the repair work in order to remove the weight from the hillside and avoid further damage to the storm drain system.
- Several damaged and/or leaning trees, dead trees and ‘snags’ will be removed from the heavily wooded area around the Bridge House.
- Tract A tree maintenance on Fall Creek Drive.
The (Bark) Dust is Settled
After careful consideration at their last meeting on September 19, 2020, the Board has decided not to move forward with bark-dusting the townhome lots and common areas this year. Some factors contributing to this decision were:
- The supplier inadvertently held aside the wrong bark. We had requested a dark fir, and when the company called to confirm the appointment, we learned they had intended to bring the regular (reddish-brown) fir. There is now a supply issue with the dark fir, and it is not going to be possible for them to get it in the quantities that we would need for some time. If we were to proceed with the work, a different product would need to be chosen.
- Bark dust (or mulch) can be extremely flammable. As the wood particles begin to decompose they give off heat, and given the right weather conditions can spontaneously combust. Considering the current wildfire issues plaguing Oregon, it seems to be for the best to leave it for now.
Fall Clean-Up
Our Fall Clean-Up has been scheduled for Friday, October 9th through Sunday, October 18th. Here are all of the details again, if you need them:
WHAT: Our spring and fall clean-ups are your opportunity to do a little yard work without having to worry about what to do with the debris. We will set up 5 collection areas throughout the neighborhood where you can discard your leftover plant material and other woody debris, and we’ll dispose of it for you.
WHEN: The clean up will run from Friday, October 9, 2020 through Sunday, October 18, 2020.
WHERE: The collection sites will be marked with orange stakes (or cones) as follows:
- The front of Lot #115 on Fall Creek Drive. (East side of the road, just south of 475 Fall Creek Dr.)
- The Meadow (where Capes Drive, Capes Loop and Capes Point all come together)
- Tract F on Capes Drive (the northernmost point of Capes Drive, right at the point where the road makes a 180° turn)
- Tract N on Promontory Lane (near where the observation platform used to be)
- BONUS site: New this year, we have added a pick-up location near the tennis court!
Here is a map for the more visual among us. The sites are marked with a big, red X:
https://www.thecapeshoa.org/documents/forms-and-information/Landscape/Clean%20Up%20Location%20Map.pdf
WHO: Josh Vance of His Glory Landscape Care and Home Maintenance will be organizing the collection sites and disposing of the debris. He is also available to assist with any yard maintenance or tree trimming that you would like (at your expense). Josh can be reached by telephone (503-812-5716) or email (hisglorylandscapecare@gmail.com)
THE FINE PRINT:
- All woody debris (trees and tree limbs) should be limited to NO LARGER THAN 4 INCHES IN DIAMETER. Anything larger is your responsibility and should not be taken to a clean up site.
- Please remember that this is for “clean up” and not “clearing”. If you are clearing or significantly thinning a vacant lot, disposal of large amounts of trees will be your responsibility. (Our budget will not handle the disposal of an entire forest. Sorry!) If you are not sure whether or not what you are planning to remove constitutes a “large amount of trees” then it probably does…but feel free to contact the office and make sure!
- Debris must be taken to one of the staked sites in order to be disposed of as part of the Clean-Up. If for some reason you need Josh to collect debris directly from your lot, it is your responsibility to contact him and let him know. If the debris meets the criteria for items #1 and 2 above (it’s less than 4 inches in diameter and is not a significant number of trees) he will still include it with the HOA disposal items, however, you will be billed for any time/labor charges incurred while collecting the debris from your property. Our contract/arrangement with Josh is for setting up and clearing the 5 collection areas only. Anything above and beyond that requested by a homeowner will need to be done at that homeowner’s expense.
If You SEE Something, SAY Something
We’re coming up on the wet, wild and windy time of year at the coast that’s otherwise known as “winter.” Typically after a significant weather event, Storm Front Construction does a cursory tour through the neighborhood looking for obvious signs of damage that could lead to water intrusion – missing chimney caps, damaged gutters, roof shingles, trees down, broken windows, things of that nature. If they find something, they are able to do emergency repairs that will keep the water out of your home until you are able to have more expensive repairs done.
The fun thing about winter at the coast, though, is that the wind pretty much blows all the time, so sometimes things can happen that aren’t attributed to any particular storm. If you are ever out and about in the neighborhood and you see something wrong, please report it – either to the office, or to the homeowner themselves. As the sole employee of The Capes, I can’t be everywhere at once, so I depend on you to be my eyes and ears! Don’t be afraid that someone else may have already told me – I’d rather hear about the same missing chimney cap from five different people than not hear about it at all.