Richard Rabe—President
Ruth Hurst—Vice President
Wanda Mommsen—Secretary
Dibbon Rowe—Treasurer
Braeburn Valley is still very much involved in trying to stop this transfer station from being built at 9720 Ruffino Road. Greater Fondren Southwest Super Neighborhood #36 puts all of its forces behind trying to stop this atrocity for our residential area.
A small group in the community has put together a plan (or hatched a plan) a quote from the Chronicle. To do feasibility studies for some type of recreational facilities for this property. Our committee does not support these plans.
Please go to our NEW WEBSITE at www.cartts.com for all the latest information concerning this landfill. Braeburn Valley is still asking for all of your support to help us stop this project. We need numbers of people to come out and support us. The City Officials, the State of Texas Officials and the Federal Officials will listen to numbers of people, but if only a few speak against a cause WELLLLLLL!!! This is an election year folks and our City Officials are listening.
Please join us on June 26, 2003 at 7pm at Valley West Elementary School located at Gessner and Creekbend.
Everyone is invited to the National Night Out Celebration to be held on August 5, 2003 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Braeburn Valley Swimming Pool. This is a great chance to meet your neighbors. All you need to do is bring a smile and a lawn chair. The Braeburn Valley Association will be providing hot dogs for all those who attend. Together, as neighbors, we can stamp out crime. We have the power to keep our neighborhoods safe.
When: Friday, July 4, 2003 (11 a.m. - ????)
Where: Parade starts at 8000 Twin Hills and ends at pool.
Lunch will begin at 12 p.m. There will be a prize awarded for the best decorated bike.
When: Thursday, July 17, 2003 (7 - 8:30 p.m.)
Where: Home of Gene Yi, 10014 Murray Brook (713) 484-7700
Objective: To organize special interest clubs and to meet BV residents and develop friendships. The topic to be discussed is Medicare, Medicaid and Long Term Care. Refreshments will be provided. If you have any questions, please contact Gene Yi at (713) 484-7700 or e-mail her at geneyi@houston.rr.com
By Mary Ann Waite
Here are some wonderful recipes for you to try on your grill. We cook out a lot in the summer and I love trying out new recipes. Here are some of my favorites!! For our next newsletter, I will put in “kids favorites” recipes that your kids/grandkids like to eat.
GRILLED phpARAGUS (It is
good but you need a vegetable grate for your grill to try this)
1 or 2 lbs. fresh phparagus
1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
4 Tablespoons to 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons Garlic Salt
Wash phparagus and break off the thick bottoms and put in a large sealable bag. Pour oil and vinegar in the bag and marinate at least 30 minutes. Take the phparagus out with thongs and place on the grill - sprinkle with lots of garlic salt. If you’ve never tried it grilled before you will really like it this way the best!!
GRILLED SHRIMP SCAMPI
1/4 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Ground black pepper to taste
1/4 tephpoon crushed red pepper
1-1/2 lbs. shrimp - peeled & de-veined (leave tails on)
1) In a medium glass or plastic bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Stir in shrimp to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes or less.
2) Preheat grill for high heat.
3) Remove shrimp from marinade and thread onto skewers. Grill for about 2 0r 3 minutes on each side, or until done. These are really great as an appetizer!!!
GRILLED ASIAN CHICKEN (OR SALMON)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tephpoons ginger paste
2 tephpoons chopped garlic
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1) In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, honey , ginger paste and garlic. Heat in microwave on medium for 1 minute, then stir. Heat again for 30 seconds, watching closely to prevent boiling.
2) Pour soy sauce mixture over chicken in a shallow medium dish or bowl and marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3) Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil grate.
4) Cook chicken on the prepared grill for 5 to 8 minutes per side, or until no longer pink and juices run clear. Baste frequently with remaining marinade. Chicken will turn a beautiful golden brown. (I have used this marinade on salmon and it is really good!)
YARD OF THE MONTH
Congratulation to the following homeowners who have won “Yard of the Month”!!!!
APRIL
Sharon and Lawrence
MAY
Robert
JUNE
Rosemary and Michael
The Board of Directors received an urgent message from a BV Concerned Resident. To quote “Braesview is a parking lot for residents cars. It’s becoming so difficult and unsafe to drive there. The visibility of the coming traffic is nearly impossible, which me and my neighbor almost had a crash. All of our neighbors complain about that too, especially 7823, 7814 and a couple of houses. This morning at the curve of Braesview and Valley Hills across from each other. I was unable to see any coming traffic. So I had to drive very slow, and my husband had to stick his head out of the window to check for any oncoming cars.”
This issue had been addressed in the last issue of the newsletter, but some residents didn’t follow up and still park their cars on the streets.
Reply to Our Concerned Residents Letter: First of all thank you for taking the time to make us aware of YOUR problem. (PLEASE KEEP US UPDATED.)
We have many of these problem pockets throughout the subdivision that have been reported to us. We put the article into the newsletter to inform each and every resident of this growing automobile problem. It is not the intent of this board to try to tell anyone what to do. This board’s job is to protect the quality of life for all that live in Braeburn Valley. To run the subdivision in an efficient manor and to enforce the deed restrictions. If you do not have a copy of the deed restrictions, go online to our website (www.braeburnvalley.com) and you will find them. Restrictions read: Parking of commercial vehicle in view overnight is not allowed. Commercial is any vehicle with a sign of any kind that sells a service of any kind, no exceptions. No trailer, boats, etc. These vehicles can only be parked in an enclosed garage. NO more than 3 cars. 2 cars in the garage and 1 car in the driveway. Not in the street. We have tried to inform all residents by articles in our newsletters, however, now we will have to start the task of enforcing them. Some of the cul-de-sacs are impossible to pass. Police and Fire Marshals have brought this to our attention. Please clean out your garages and put your cars in them. Some of the violators have already been turned over to our attorney. (Meaning action against the violation is already in the works.) Our board voted unanimously to pursue these violators.
THE REPORTS FROM RESIDENTS ARE: CANNOT SEE AROUND CARS, CANNOT PASS AND CANNOT BACK OUT OF DRIVEWAY. FIRE AND POLICE HAVE WARNED US OF SAFETY CONCERNS.
The quality of life our total community is being affected by these violators.
For any resident that has a problem, until the board can get them corrected, please call (713) 222-3131, which is the Houston Police Department Non-Emergency Dispatch number. It might take a while for them to come, but when they do they will first warn the violator, after that when you call them out again, they will issue a ticket. If we have to go to court on any issue, pictures will help. Make sure you get the license number in the picture. Please date the picture on the back and mail to AVR Management. This is for any car parked in a manner that impairs your visibility ONLY. The other violators will fall under our deed restrictions.
FIGHT BACK -
STOP MOSQUITOES
A dead bird has been found in Braeburn Valley. It was bagged and taken to Bayland Community Center for Harris County Mosquito Control to inspect. We will keep our residents informed as to the results of why the bird died. You can help by getting rid of old tires, empty your tin cans, bottles, jars, buckets, drums and other containers. You should repair leaky pipes, outside faucets and move house cooler drain hoses frequently. You should change water and scrub vases holding flowers or cuttings twice each week - or grow cuttings in sand; scrub and change water in bird baths twice weekly; empty watering pans of pats daily.
Mosquitoes carry serious diseases such as: Encephalitis, yellow fever, Dengue, Malaria and West Nile Virus.
Do your part in eliminating the breeding places for mosquitoes. If necessary you may contact, Harris County Mosquito Control Division at (713) 440-4800.
Braeburn Valley Board has increased the spraying in our subdivision to 6 days a week.
PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY
The next time you order checks have only your first initial (instead of your first name) and last name put on the checks. If lost or stolen, no one will know how you sign your checks. Your bank knows.
Never, never have your Social Security Number printed on your checks. You can add it if it is necessary.
When writing checks to pay your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the check. Instead, use only the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number.
ALERT - NEW AGE CAR THIEVES
Car thieves have yet again found a way around the system to steal your car or truck without any effort at all.
The car thieves peer through the windshield of your car or truck, write down the VIN number from the label on the dash, go into the local dealership for the car brand and request a duplicate key for your vehicle from the VIN number.
Car dealerships make up a duplicate key from the VIN number, collect payment from the customer who’s really a would-be car thief. The thief goes back to your vehicle, inserts the key and off they drive with your car or truck on their way to a chop shop.
To avoid this from happening to you, simply put opaque tape (like a strip of electrical tape, duct tape or medical tape) across the VIN number located on the dash board. You can’t remove the VIN number legally under most state laws, so cover it so that it can’t be viewed through the windshield by a car thief.
POOL & PLAYGROUND
REPORT
Welcome, summer is up on us again and you know what that means, a nice cool dip in the pool. We had a nice turnout for the Memorial Day Picnic. We had plenty of food, drinks and fun. Remember the July 4th Parade coming soon and you know what that means more food, drinks and a great time to meet new and old neighbors. In the last newsletter, the new Pool Rules was inserted and in order to get your pool tag, you had to sign the Pool Rules and return it to AVR Management for them to mail you your pool tag for 2003. If you are interested in having a pool party this summer, you will need to contact Cathy Winfield with AVR Management at (281) 481-8062 to make arrangements. Remember safety is the key to having fun and enjoy your summer.
GARBAGE COLLECTION
INFORMATION
Please note that garbage will be collected on Wednesday & Saturday. Your regular waste should be placed at the backdoor in a waste container not exceeding 35 gallons or in a plastic trash bag. Your yard waste should be placed at the curbside, within 5 feet of the paved roadway by 7 a.m. All branches and tree limbs must be cut to 4 feet lengths and tied in small bundles that can be lifted and handled by a single person. Bundles should be no longer than 18 inches in diameter and weight no more that 50 pounds. Curbside Recycling is picked up on Wednesday and be set in your bin within 5 feet of your curb by 7 a.m. to assure service. Heavy trash is collected on Saturday and shall be placed within 5 feet of the curbside. For specifics on garbage collection, you can contact Republic Services Customer Service at (281) 446-2030 or Cathy Winfield with AVR Management at (281) 481-8062.
In the event that one of the collection days falls on a holiday, we will collect your waste on the next regularly scheduled collection day (excluding Sunday).
RULES FOR SAFE FUELING
Turn off your engine.
Don’t smoke while pumping gas.
Don’t use your cell phone - leave it inside the vehicle or turn it off.
Don’t re-enter your vehicle during fueling.
Shell Oil Company recently issued a warning after three incidents in which cell phones ignited fumes during fueling operations.
SECURITY REPORT
The following is a summary of the security report provided by Security Sure for the month of May 2003.
8 Alarms
2 House Watches
1 Juvenile
4 Routine Patrol
1 Solicitor
1 Suspicious Person
Total = 13
LOCAL ADVERTISEMENTS
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SERVICE
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Lomeli Construction
General Remodeling including: roofing, painting, sheet rock work, tile work, granite counter tops, carpentry, fencing and installation of sprinkler systems.
Call Luis for a free estimate at
832-279-8572
IMPORTANT PHONE
NUMBERS
DON’T FORGET 3-1-1
AVR
Management (281) 481-8062
Security Sure—Patrol (713) 778-1233
Garbage Collection (281) 446-2030
Harris
County Tax Assessor, Paul Bettencourt (713) 755-528
www.tax.co.harris.tx.us
City of Houston:
Mayor’s
Office (713) 247-2200
Council Member Goldberg (713) 247-3991
Houston Police Department (713) 222-3131
Neighborhood Protection 311
Public Works & Engineering 311
City of Bellaire:
7008 South Rice Ave.,
Bellaire, TX 77401-4495.
Mayor: Mary Ann Goode
City Manager: Bernard Satterwhite, Jr.