Fall is finally in the air!  It’s hard to mark our area’s fall season through any climate change, but with football starting back up, it most certainly is time for highs to drop under 100 degrees.  I hope that this edition of The Chatter finds you happy, healthy and enjoying life.   A reminder that this time of year brings a return to school for our children and dusk comes a little sooner in the evening.   Please make sure to slow down a notch and be cognizant of our younger generation on their walking routes and assigned bus stops.  Speaking of dusk, note that daylight savings ends on November 6 of this year and we will “fall back” one hour on that date.   Don’t let that make you late for the big event occurring the following Tuesday –  the presidential election is on Tuesday, November 8^th.  You may find your polling location by visiting http://www.votetexas.gov/voting/where/  or http://www.harrisvotes.com/   Hope everyone will get out and exercise their freedom to vote.  Of similar importance, is the next Cypress Forest CAI board meeting which will be held on October 20^th at 7pm in the meeting room next to the WCID #110 WWTP!!

October brings the Texas National Night Out event and many of you know from past years that our community throws a legendary celebration each year to mark the occasion.  This year’s event is on October 4^th and will be held at the WCID #110 community center at 19023 Joanleigh.  Credit must be given to the WCID #110 board, the Forest Oaks SRC staff, and Jody Dellinger as this group comprises an incredible team which organizes and funds a memorable evening each year.  This event, one which is recognized and observed across our country once each year, is a great opportunity for neighbors and citizens to join with local law enforcement for an informal meet and greet.   I can tell you from past experience that it’s a perfect chance to meet your neighbors and foster new friendships.   Many members of your respective HOA boards will be present and participating.  There will be plenty to keep the kids happy and an abundance of great food (no cost to citizens) and we invite you and your family to join us for an unforgettable evening.

Speaking of law enforcement and the criminals they protect us from, it seems both groups have been staying busy lately.   There has been a noticeable uptick in reported criminal activity within the neighborhoods receiving this publication (and NW Houston as a whole).  Our local Harris County Constables are working diligently to protect each of us, our families and our property and I hope you will take any opportunity afforded to thank them.  By layman count, we have over 600 homesteads spread throughout the distribution area of The Chatter.   The greater area around the distribution market comprises over 2,500 homes spread over many square miles and including significant commercial properties.  That’s a very large area and the commercial districts and freeway/byways only bring a higher level of complexity to the responsibilities of our officers.  Our valiant officers cannot be everywhere at every moment of the day.  They will be first to admit that their role is often a reactive one and we, as residents, must be proactive in the relationship to help prevent and deter crime.  We must all work assiduously and as a cohesive community to avoid making ourselves a target and an area where crooks wish to “work”.  A more detailed sidebar advising as to how we can all better protect against crime will be included in the next edition of The Chatter.  In the interim, there a few basic tips to help deter crime in our area.  First, if you see activity that is suspicious, regardless of how severe, report it immediately!  The Harris County Pct. 4 Constables can be dispatched by calling 281-376-3472.  To deter property crimes, lock your doors – both house and vehicle – at all times.  Remove valuables from vehicles and never leave them running if unattended; even for a moment.  Consider investing in a home alarm/surveillance system and also a dog.  Stay alert at all times and avoid becoming complacent to changes or situations occurring around you.   Situational awareness is one of the most critical elements in limiting and preventing crime.  Most importantly, know your neighbors and always stay involved in the activities of the community as preventing crime is a group effort and one that requires all of us to stay informed.   More to come in future editions of The Chatter…..

The associations and their board members have been fielding many calls and emails from residents concerned and troubled about the condition of the property at Cypress Oaks and Interstate 45.

The associations and their board members have been fielding many calls and emails from residents concerned and troubled about the condition of the property at Cypress Oaks and Interstate 45.  The area is often referred to as the “back entrance” to Cypress Forest and is the primary entrance/egress for residents of Cypress Forest Lakes.  The property in question, owned by Hendricks Interest, was cleared of trees several months ago yet the debris and tree trunks were left piled and seemingly abandoned.  This has created quite an eyesore for all of us who utilize this area and associate it with our respective communities.  The problem is on the radar of the local HOA’s and contact has been made with management at Hendricks.  Through this active dialogue, it was learned that there were several complications experienced by the developer in clearing the land; least of which was the major flooding in April 2016.  Hendricks has given us our assurance that they are working diligently to get the project back on track and have asked for our patience.  I trust that we will all see mobilization and progress within the next few months.  It would be a good gander that clearing would resume prior to the first quarter of 2017.  A concerted effort will be made to keep everyone posted in coming editions of The Chatter but you are welcome to contact me (or Hendricks directly) for updates in the interim.

For those of you who are not aware, there is an online social media application designed solely for community participation and networking.  The Nextdoor application (nextdoor.com) is a great facilitator for real-time updates and communication within our communities.  This national site, which is not sponsored or directly supported by any one local HOA/community, is a great way to stay informed of community events, buy/sell lightly used items, relay crime trends, post lost pets, find home care vendors (babysitters to handymen and beyond) and stay involved in an active dialogue on topics only related to our community.  For instance, the Cypress Forest Nextdoor page has 90+ active neighbors, but also gives access to over 1300 surrounding neighbors and many related nearby communities.   I find it of great personal value and invite you to join the online community.   If you are not signed up, you can go to nextdoor.com and enroll (no charge).  If you have any problems or have questions regarding the site, you are welcome to contact me for assistance.  Cypress Forest is actively working on renewing the local community website and our hope it to have it back active by the end of 2016.  An update will be provided when cypressforest.net is live once again along with a listing of other local community websites.  To use a line from above, More to come in future editions of The Chatter…..

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the editor/publisher of The Chatter for her incredible devotion to our community.   Diana Baskett has been publishing and mailing this newsletter, unabated for over a decade now and she often does so only with the funds provided through advertisers.   There have been times when she has dug into her own pocket to make sure the publication goes out timely.  The Chatter has been the one constant for our community through much change and transition and I hope you’ll join me in thanking Diana for her commitment and tireless effort.  If you know anyone who would like to advertise within, please contact Diana or myself as we’d be happy to share the very cost-effective rates and discuss the potential to advertise here.

Remember that the kids are back in school, so please watch your speed and driving habits.  Also remember that it’s against the law to use your cell phone while driving in school zones and I’m told by the Constables that they’ll be watching closely for this behavior in the first few months of classes.

As always, I invite you to call on myself, the management company, or any board member if we can be of any assistance.  Have a great month!

Scott Hubert

Neighbor and CFCAI President

Happy Holidays neighbors!  It’s so great to be entering into another period of thanksgiving and celebration and I’m looking forward to so many things in the next few months; mostly a stuffed belly and great family time!

Now that daylight savings has ended, it’s a great time to perform two quick checks around your home.  First, it’s a good time to check the batteries and function of your smoke alarms.  Don’t take for granted that they are functional or that the batteries are still charged.  A quick test only takes a few minutes and could save your life and that of your family.  For those of you with yard lamps, please be sure that they are fully functional.  With dusk coming earlier and “longer” nights, the extra light these lamps provide is crucial for not only ambience but more importantly safety.   As is always the case, if you are elderly or disabled and are unable to change your bulbs or need someone to look at your lamp, I or one of the board member would be happy to come over and assist as best we can.  Just give us a ring.   The Cypress Forest community will be making a cursory check of working yard lights in the next month and will follow up with courtesy reminder letters to those whose lights are malfunctioning.

Speaking of lights, Cypress Forest will be again hosting our annual Christmas light and décor competition where we award a few of our residents that display the best lights/décor with gift cards and bragging rights.  Further information can be found on our website (cypressforest.net) and will also be included in next month’s Chatter.  Start putting on your best Clark Griswold face (National Lampoon’s Christmas) and plan something legendary!

Start putting on your best Clark Griswold face (National Lampoon’s Christmas) and plan something legendary!

If you are getting frustrated with the accompanying bill for those lights as well as other necessities such as air conditioning, please remember we live in a state with deregulated electric utilities and there is much competition in our area from several reputable retail providers.  I am not here to promote one over the other as they all have their merits.  However, if you have never researched or bid retail electric rates before or if your contract expired, do consider the 15 minutes it might take.  The public utility commission makes is quite simple with their comprehensive website (www.powertochoose.com).  This website is free, is unbiased (run by the PUC; a public state organization) and is actually quite efficient in finding the cheapest rate based on your inputs.  The site also has ratings and complaint ratios for the different providers.   Do note that some, but not all, of the listings might require a contract with the listed retail broker.  You’ve heard the old “you could save 15% in 15 minutes or more commercials…”?  Well, that holds true on this website also!

Assessments for Cypress Forest and many of the surrounding communities should be coming out this month.  Cypress Forest is due January 1, 2017 (not at the end of January).  Be sure you keep an eye out and if you don’t get your assessment statement prior to December 10, 2016, feel free to give one of the board members a call.

As noted previously, Cypress Forest is working on revamping its website at www.cypressforest.net.  The site should be close to being published and active within the coming weeks and certainly before the next year.  Do keep an eye out and we will update you on this website along with a list for all community websites for our area in future editions.   You were also promised a section on crime prevention; specifically related to auto theft and home protection.   That’s being pushed back to next month as the timing is more appropriate during the heavy shopping month.  However, I do want to warn everyone of another type of serious crime – identity theft – and give a few pointers on how not to be a victim.   First, protect your social security number at all costs.  Don’t carry your social security card with you in your wallet.  If you have one of the old Medicare cards with the number still printed on the card, then make a copy and redact the SSN.  Carry the copy with you and leave the original at home.  Be wary of phone scams that are becoming more and more prevalent in the modern day.   The two that seem to be popular currently are the IRS scam and the Microsoft tech desk scam.  The IRS scam is where a person, purporting to be an “IRS Agent”, calls and threatens you that you owe money to the IRS.  The slant is that they want you to pay immediately – usually in gift cards because they can’t take credit cards and gift cards are liquid and can’t be tracked easily.   This is a SCAM!  The IRS will never call you and definitely will not threaten you over the phone.  The Microsoft Tech Support is similar in that a “representative” from Microsoft calls and declares there is a problem with your computer.  This tech and the center he is calling from are both phonies and they are hoping you’ll log into a remote site so that they can take remote control of your workstation.  Just hang up.  The old-school “phishing” scams are still common in email form and I’ll remind you to never download a file or click on a web link unless you are sure of the source and know it is legitimate.  This includes on phone text messages; an emerging playing field for crooks.  Always use secure and complex passwords for login devices and do not ever share those logins with anyone.   It’s important to put a passcode on your phone and to have tracking applications installed and active (Android, Apple, and Microsoft devices all have this ability) in the event of loss.  Finally, don’t overlook the advantages that a good shredder brings.   If you believe you’ve been the victim of identity theft – regardless in what severity – get law enforcement involved immediately and work with credit agencies to protect your credit history and assets.  A credit freeze might be a good option in this case, but each situation must be weighed on its own merit.

The Board wishes you and yours a happy holiday season and a memorable Thanksgiving filled with fellowship and stuffed turkeys (along with full bellies)!  Warm wishes to all………

Scott D. Hubert

Neighbor and President