To all kids & grownups with bicycles
We invite you to the 4th of July Bicycle Parade which, this year, will be held on July 5th, rather than July 4th. This is because July 4 falls on a Sunday – and Sunday morning belongs to family. On Monday, July 5, the event will start at 10 a.m., opened by a flag ceremony conducted by Barkers Ridge’s own Boy Scout troop 1235. The West Lake Volunteer Fire Department will bring its ladder trucks and emergency vehicles to lead the parade. The event will culminate with a celebration of ice cream and lemonade, coupled with a clown on hand to entertain the kids, and a dedication to WLVD, to which we owe so much.

For those of you who live along the parade route, we respectfully ask that you remove your vehicles from the street during 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – not only so the ladder trucks can get by, but to protect the safety of the participants. Last year, many of you had cars on the street, and it was a difficult journey for all to navigate around them. I will send you a separate email to ask you and get with you on Monday before the parade, if you forget or do not pick up this email.

More news from WLVD
The community relations director for WLVD tells us that the property on Saums Road between the Katy Bingo hall and Brazos Valley Credit Union has been purchased by the HCESD#47. The ESD will be building a new fire station for Westlake Fire Departmentt. The station will be built within the next two years.

Welcome to the dog days of summer! Please find an update to community events/issues below:

4th of July Bicycle Parade
The Barkers Ridge HOA will sponsor its annual 4th of July Bicycle Parade again this year – but we will be doing this on the morning of July 5 (Monday) , rather than on Sunday morning. The event will start at 10a on Monday morning, led by Barkers Ridge’s own Boy Scout Troop 1235, who will start the event with a flag ceremony, and who will also be on hand to provide cool treats & lemonade after the ride. The Westlake Volunteer Fire Department will lead the parade with their ladder trucks and emergency vehicles – and we plan to have a clown on hand after the parade for the kids. We will also be awarding 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prices to the best decorated bicycle!

All are invited to join in the event: non-motorized vehicles only - but that includes strollers, walkers & other forms of transport besides bicycles. The parade starts at the pool, heads north on Barkers Forest Lane, west on Appletree Hill Lane, south on Eagle Ridge Way, and east on Buffalo River Way. If you have a home along this route, we kindly ask that you keep the street as clear of cars as possible for the safety of the participants.

Swim Meets
The Barkers Ridge Swim Team has begun its competitive season. They will be hosting a visiting team on June 19, from 9a to 2p, which means the pool will be closed for that period, and there will be increased traffic & cars parked on the street.

MUD 238
MUD 238 directors want to remind you that, if you have not paid your MUD taxes by July 1, a 20% penalty fee will be assessed. Contact Stacey Wagner, at Wheeler & Associates (713) 462-8906, if you have any questions or comments about your account.

Update from Harris County Constables Pct 5
The Harris County Office of Emergency Management has also issued a list of things that are recommended to do in the event of a hurricane:

Residents are urged to get a kit, make a plan and stay informed this hurricane season.

Your emergency supply kit should include:

* NOAA weather radio and batteries
* Flashlight and batteries
* Extra eye glasses
* Bottled water
* Non-perishable food
* Clothing
* Bedding
* Medications
* Copies of prescriptions
* Special products for babies, elderly and medicallyfragile family members
* Cash and credit cards
* Photo ID, important documents and records

If you live in an area threatened by storm surge - an EVACUATION ZONE - discuss evacuation plans with your family. Check with city or county officials to find out if your home is in an evacuation zone.

Make a checklist of preparations to be made before an evacuation and go over it with your family. Review it again when a storm is in the Gulf of Mexico.

If you plan to stay in a hotel or motel, make reservations and confirm your reservations before you leave. If you plan to stay in a shelter, bring what you need to be comfortable, including bedding and toys for kids.

Prepare an emergency kit for your pets and a plan for how to care for them when you are on the road and in a shelter or motel. Do not leave your pets behind!

Please find below a summary of recent security events in & near the Barkers Ridge community, as prepared by our Security Director, Carolyn Pharr.

I want to reiterate that our community has increased its use of off-duty patrols, and actively supports a neighborhood watch program. Talk to your neighbors, and agree on when and how you will watch out for each other.

We published what has been mistakenly termed security “tips” in the last newsletter. This is a misnomer because it assumes that we are doing all that is required to ensure our own safety, and that only some fine-tuning is required. The reality is that these “tips” are the basic elements of your own safety and you should implement those that make sense for you. The responsibility for your security and that of your family ultimately belongs to you.

Another excellent report from Carolyn:
Like the rest of Houston and its surrounding suburbs, Barkers Ridge is not immune from the increase in criminal activity that’s being seen across the country. Home burglaries, car burglaries and vehicle thefts are all on the rise. For Barkers Ridge, most of the home burglaries we have witnessed in recent months were perpetrated by breaking in to the residents’ homes through the back door or window. I spoke with Deputy Wilkerson at length this weekend to get her perspective as to why certain areas of Barkers Ridge are being targeted.

Wilkerson advised that the homes along the trail or with a field on the perimeter are favorable due their easy access through the back gate at the trail or as an easy getaway if they have to flee. With the recent burglary on Piney Forest, she explained that the back gate leading to the trail was open and the homeowner said it was closed before leaving the house. The burglary happened between 6:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., with access through the back door. The burglars cut the power before entering and were able to spend enough time to check the entire home before leaving. Wilkerson was on patrol that morning and her first patrol upon arrival starts with the Piney Forest area and streets that line the trail. For those of you that live along the trail with an access gate to the trail, Deputy Wilkerson strongly advised to keep the gate padlocked when not in use. Leaving it unlocked just makes it too easy for them.

Last Wednesday, May 19th, in the Green Trails subdivision south of I-10, a neighbor noticed a suspicious vehicle and suspicious activity at their neighbor’s home and called the constables. Many of you may have seen the story on the news or read it in the Chronicle. The end result was tagged as a “good old fashioned shoot out” leaving one suspect dead and two in custody. Green Trails, like Barkers Ridge, does have a patrol contract with Precinct 5 and a Neighborhood Watch program. Their contract deputy was on duty and patrolling at the time of the burglary. We all are well aware that we cannot be in two places at once, much less 762. Barkers Ridge has 762 homes and hiring deputies for each home, street, or section is unreasonable. The home in Green Trails would have become another victim to a burglary had it not been for the neighbor that noticed them and called in the suspicious activity.

Yesterday, Sunday, May 23rd, a resident in Barkers Ridge noticed three kids sitting in a car in front of their home on Plum Knoll Court (The Estates). The resident called another neighbor to let them know it was there. He looked from an upstairs window and could clearly see the kids in the vehicle. He called the constables and a few minutes later, the car filled with smoke (not “on fire” smoke either). Within minutes, the constable pulled up, the driver rolled down the window and out came the handcuffs. All three were arrested and the car was towed. Major kudos to those on Plum Knoll Court for watching and calling!!!

As unfortunate as it is, most people are not concerned with home security measures until something happens to them or a neighbor. According to security experts, the public's complacent attitude is the burglar's best friend and your worst enemy. This is the sole reason for our Neighborhood Watch program. To watch out for each other. I cannot express enough how important it is to meet your neighbor’s, get to know them, keep an eye out for each other, and call dispatch when you see anything unusual! Deputy Wilkerson and I agree that it is quite apparent that these burglars are not only working in a group, but are watching us as well. They are communicating with each other to know where Wilkerson is when she’s patrolling, when she’s here and when she’s not, when we usually leave our homes and how long we’re usually gone. This is their jobs – how they spend their time and how they make a living. They are watching us. We need to return the favor and watch for them.

Judith McGlaughlin

We hope you are enjoying the beautiful spring weather & wish it would continue through the coming months! But alas, summer will be upon us soon. Please find a few updates for your consideration:

MUD Elections
Early voting is now underway to fill three of the five positions on the MUD Board. Candidates include incumbents Larry Biediger, Mike McGlaughlin, and Patty Richardson, as well as Lake Ridge resident Joe Ellis. Voting is at 3431 Ridge Hill Lane from the hours of 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Monday through Friday, April 26 through April 30 and May 3-4, while regular voting takes place on May 8 (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.). As we wrote in the Spring 2010 newsletter, “Democracy isn’t something we are, it’s what we do ...” Please go out and vote.

Facebook Invitation Revisited
You can now follow us on facebook! A fun and exciting way to stay connected with family, friends, and now your neighborhood. Receive news and updates of upcoming events, swim team results, missing pets, and other interesting news such as “Resident Spotlight”. Did you know we had a published author living among us? Come see who it is on facebook. Signup is free. Only Barker’s Ridge residents will have access to our wall, and all privacy restrictions are based on personal user account settings.

Recycling
There was concern that our trash hauler, Republic Waste (who bought Allied Waste) was not properly handling our recycling volumes. We checked with the operations manager, who told us that they are using a rear loader for recycling, rather than a recycling truck. The recycling volumes are not being mixed with general trash and are being transported to the recycling facility.

Pool Tag Registration
Crest will be at the pool on May 1, from the hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for you to register for your pool tags. They will be on site again on May 24 from the hours of 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. If you registered on line, pool tags have been mailed out: receipt of said tags from the supplier were delayed by a week or so because of bad weather earlier in the year.

On line registration is still open: go to www.barkersridge.org and click on the “pool” icon on the left hand side of the screen.

The pool opens on May 29.

Mobile Vet Clinic
The Mobile Vet Clinic will be on site on Friday May 21, from the hours of 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., providing vaccinations and other services to your pet, if you do not have him/her under the care of a local vet. The website for additional information for this company is http://www.themobilevetclinic.com/.

This is a good time to check your pet for tags; if they are out of date or missing, please get a tag for your pet. There are so many times that we are contacted about a lost dog or cat, and more times than not, they do not have tags. If you read the Spring newsletter, you know you don’t want your pet to join the ranks of the abandoned pet population.

Heart Screening
Westlake Fire Department is hosting a Teen Heart Screening Event on Saturday, May 8. The cost is just $68. This is due to the fact that the Westlake Volunteer Fire Department is raising money to help defray the costs. If you have a teenager who is active in athletics or simply needs a heart screening, plan to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity. If you would like to donate to this most worthy cause, the information for donations is also below:

on May 8th from 0900 to 1600 hours and will continue to host further screenings as long as the need is there.

It is far too common that we hear that a high school athlete dies during an athletic event. We have researched the “Heart Screen for Teens” and feel it is a great program that may prevent one of our own teens from sudden death.

State of the art mobile ultrasound units will screen teen’s hearts and may detect potentially fatal conditions that cannot be identified during routine physicals. The echocardiogram exam is simple, safe, requires no preparation and takes only 10 to 15 minutes. A registered technologist uses an ultrasound unit, which utilizes high frequency sound waves to create images of the heart, as well as determines how well blood flows through the organ. The confidential results are analyzed by a board certified cardiologist and mailed to parents.

Normally, the cost of this echocardiogram can range anywhere from $900 to $1,500 and is not usually covered by insurance. “Heart Screen for Teens”, however, is able to provide this potentially life saving service for $68. This will be offered to all teens from the Houston area and beyond.

Westlake Fire Department has currently raised $5,000 to assist those children in its district that can not afford the $68. Parents in our district that can not afford this procedure are asked to contact fire Chief Mark Palmer to discuss financial assistance. Our goal is to prevent sudden death from occurring in one of our teens. Westlake will continue to provide financial assistance as long as the money is available. We are also looking for donations to exceed the current $5,000 so that this vital procedure can be offered to more teens. Those that are interested are encouraged to call (281) 492-0560 or contact Matt at (832) 865-7942 to set an appointment to prevent any delays.

The Board of Directors, Barkers Ridge HOA
Judith, Victor, Carolyn, Andy, and Brian

Pool Tags
We’ve received registrations for over 100 households, which is great. We normally register about ½ of the Barkers Ridge Community, or about 400 households, by the end of the registration period. As you recall, on-line registration is at www.barkersridge.org, and on-site registration is on May 1 and May 24.

If you are wondering where your tags are, do not worry: they should be going out in the mail next week, once Crest receives them from the supplier. They tell us that there were some weather problems in the vendor’s supply chain, which caused an unexpected delay.

Easter Egg Hunt
Our thanks to Victor Treat and volunteers who held the annual Barkers Ridge Easter Egg Hunt – which was well attended by our residents. A great time was had by all. If you have photos you can share, please send them to jmcglaughlin@sbcglobal.net.

Barkers Ridge on Facebook
Our new Board director, Brian Cheadle, has executed on his brilliant idea of setting up a secure and private Facebook page for the Barkers Ridge community. To request access, do a search for groups (versus friends) and type in Barker's Ridge HOA. From there you will have to submit a request to be admitted.

There are a few items already posted to show what this site can do to further build on our community network, including a Yard of the Month picture, Easter egg hunt pictures (from 2009), and a "scheduled event" regarding the pool opening. In the future, postings on the latest results from the Barkers Ridge Swim Team swim meets can be posted, community news about upcoming events, Yard of the Month winners, missing pets, security issues, or updates on trash pick-up schedules can be posted. We may also include information on changes to deed restrictions, or common points of confusion, so as better to manage our combined efforts to protect property values.

Thanks to Brian for a great idea, and contribution.

Mobile Vet Clinic
The Mobile Vet Clinic will be on site on Friday May 21, from the hours of 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., providing vaccinations and other services to your pet, if you do not have him/her under the care of a local vet. The website for additional information for this company is http://www.themobilevetclinic.com/.

This is a good time to check your pet for tags; if they are out of date or missing, please get a tag for your pet. There are so many times that we are contacted about a lost dog or cat, and more times than not, they do not have tags. If you read the Spring newsletter, you know you don’t want your pet to join the ranks of the abandoned pet population.

MUD Elections
MUD elections are scheduled for May 8, and will be held at 3431 Ridge Hill Lane, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting is also being held and the dates/hours can be found in your newsletter or www.barkersridge.org.

The Board of Directors, Barkers Ridge HOA
Judith, Victor, Carolyn, Andy, and Brian