Spring/Summer 2024 Newsletter

Happy Spring and Summer, Cross Creek Neighbors!

To those who recently moved here...welcome! And to those who haven't visited our website in a while, be sure to check out the other pages to learn about our neighborhood and find answers to questions you may have. If you don’t see what you are looking for, send an email to the Board or ACC through your Elite Housing Management Portal or Contact HOA on this website.

Annual HOA Meeting

The Cross Creek HOA met for our Annual Meeting on March 21, 2024, at our Clubhouse. We had a small turnout and did not meet the required quorum.

HOA President, Jim Frederick, gave his report of the HOA’s 2023 business and the repairs to our common areas over the last year.
Treasurer Christian Smitherman explained the HOA's 2023 annual financial report. Treasurer reports are located on the HOA Reports page. (You must log in to view).
Members expressed concerns with Knox Creek flooding and the impact of additional housing being built in the area. Will storm drain-off cause an increase in flood waters?
Parking concerns were brought up and noted by the Secretary.
There were no submissions for a Treasurer/Director position.
Community parking was a topic. See the article in this newsletter.
Additional meeting information can be found on the HOA Reports page (You must log in to view).

Thank You to Christian Smitherman

The Board, ACC, and the HOA community would like to express our appreciation to our outgoing Treasurer, Christian Smitherman. He served 2 years on the Board and worked diligently to make sure that HOA business was conducted in a professional manner, ensuring our accounts, records and overall finances were ready for any audit. We have been very fortunate to have people like Christian who volunteer to serve on our HOA Board as a volunteer.

HOA Board for 2024

President: Jim Frederick
Jim is originally from Iowa but has not lived there since the winter of 1983. After graduating from High School, Jim spent the summer at home then left for a career in the United States Navy. He retired from Active Duty in 2008, serving 24 years. Currently working at Raytheon for 16 years. His NAVY career has allowed him to travel all over the world. He and his family have lived in Virginia, Washington State, California, Kentucky and now here in Huntsville/Madison area. This summer he would like to visit the last two states and finish checking off all 50.

Vice-President: Toni Smedley
Toni has been in the medical field for over 36 years, serving at civilian hospitals and all the military clinics on Oahu, Hawaii, and the Army hospital on Oahu. Currently, she is an on-call nurse for several hospitals in various locations and the VA Clinic in Huntsville.

Treasurer: Vacant

We are still in need of a Treasurer. Elite handles the invoicing/billing and bookkeeping for us. Our Treasurer monitors and ensures that invoices are applied to the proper charge numbers and approves invoices that need to be paid. The Treasurer also creates the annual budget which is approved by the Board of Directors. Christian stated many times that whoever takes over as Treasurer, he is willing to help with this document. A CPA is not necessary or required to fill this position. Anyone with a finance background would be nice but not required.

Secretary: Bill Schlosser

Bill is a retired sales and marketing executive who spent his career in multiple markets including electronic warfare systems, online grocery shopping, public relations and personal computing. For the last 15 years, Bill was focused on the vacation rental industry working for a tech company in Bend, Oregon and later established his own marketing firm with clients across the U.S. Bill has a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton. He and his wife Patti are from Ohio originally, lived in the San Francisco Bay area for 7 years, Bend for 6 and Huntsville for 36.

The Architectural Control Committee (ACC)

The ACC is responsible for:

Ensuring the Covenants and Guidelines are being followed within the community.
Reviewing all resident submissions for approval.
Reviewing the results of Elite drive throughs.

The ACC does a good job of helping to keep the community looking great.

ACC Chairman: Victor Pratt
Vic retired from the Navy in 2014 after 34 years both active and reserve. He works for SAIC as a contractor for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a cloud computing engineer.

ACC Member: Bev Gallegos
Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Bev has lived in North Alabama since 2004. She was in the financial services industry in marketing for over 20 years, moving to Delaware, Orlando, Atlanta, Tampa, and eventually to Madison to work with Compass Bank (PNC). When that chapter closed, she began a career in real estate and has been licensed since 2013.

ACC Member: Vacant

If you would like to be an active part of the community and help maintain the appearance/aesthetics of our community, an opening for the ACC is available. Contact Elite if you would like to know more about this or if you are interested.

Cross Creek Welcome Committee

Members visit new Cross Creek residents to share information about the community and the HOA, and to present them with a welcome gift.

Chair Member: Yvonne Britton

Members: Mary Dulaney, Beth Pratt, and Martha Petri

Cross Creek Website

Bill Schlosser (Primary) and Alan Whitten manage the content of the HOA website. Thank you, gents, for doing this important task which is unnoticed by many since it is always done behind the scenes.

Clubhouse

Jan Nolin has been a great volunteer helping with the Clubhouse and ensuring the trash cans are taken care of. She no longer can help due to her new job. Thank you, Jan, for all you have done these past years.

Toni Smedley has graciously taken over ensuring the Clubhouse is clean before and after private events.

We could use some help ensuring the trash cans get to the curb and back again.

HOAly Cow!

Since some Cross Creekers think our annual fee of $375 is excessive, we thought a comparison with other HOA communities in the area would be helpful. Just looking at Jeff Benton properties in the area that have a pool and/or clubhouse, we discovered the following HOA fees, from lowest to highest:

$350 Creekstone
$375 Cross Creek
$375 Summerfield
$400 Legacy Cove
$400 Sage Creek
$450 Willow Creek
$475 Millstone
$500 Crown Pointe
$500 Grayson Place
$520 Renaissance
$550 Flint Crossing
$550 Pine Brook
$600 River Ridge
$650 River Park

Also found this info from HomeAndTexture.com where they list the states with the most expensive HOA fees. Here are the top 5:

Missouri
1. Annual cost - $5,627
2. Monthly cost - $469
Arizona
1. Annual cost - $5,371
2. Monthly cost - $448
Oregon
1. Annual cost - $4,825
2. Monthly cost - $402
Colorado
1. Annual cost - $4,815
2. Monthly cost - $401
Maryland
1. Annual cost - $4,810
2. Monthly cost - $401

So…looks like we are doing very well.

Mailboxes and Posts

As we get out and about walking the neighborhood it has been noticed by many that it is time to take a closer look at mailboxes and posts. Some are looking great and others need some clean up and new paint. Elite does look at these items during the drive throughs as well as HOA/ACC members.

To prevent a letter and/or fine, please clean up and paint your mailbox and posts. Posts and mailboxes must be black. Refer to the Cross Creek Covenants and Guidelines. For replacement and cost information, please see the FAQ page.

Annual Yard Maintenance Reminders

Mow grass regularly. Look at the back of your yards or fences to ensure the weeds are controlled and grass is cut.
To control weeds, treat them consistently throughout the year.
Bag grass clippings or blow them into your yard. Avoid blowing them on the street or sidewalks. Please sweep up anything that may have gone into the street.
Edge grass properly and weed-eat around your house and yard where needed.
Keep flower beds weeded, mulched, and properly maintained.
Trim shrubbery when needed.
Properly clean, power wash, and maintain the exterior of your home when needed.
Keep garbage and recycling cans out of sight. Only put them out the night before they are to be emptied, and remove them from the street as soon as possible.

Sidewalks

Now that the weather is getting warmer and people are outdoors walking, more people will be using the sidewalks.

As per the Covenants, sidewalks shall not be obstructed/blocked with trash, yard/tree debris, or vehicles. This is not only for appearance but also for our neighbors’ safety.

*Article VI Section 32. Sidewalks: Sidewalks shall not be altered or obstructed by any Owner or Occupant. Any sidewalk located on a Lot shall be maintained by the Owner in accordance with Article V, Section 2, hereof.

Flood Zones

Knox Creek and flooding are concerns of some residents. The FEMA Flood Map allows you to enter your address and see where you are in the flood zone. There are a number of homes with back yards facing the creek on South Back Creek and Winding Creek that could be affected. Use the link provided, type in in your address and see how affected you are. This next link shows Madison City and County limits in Yellow, Huntsville City Limits in Lavender, and County in White. It also lists who to contact with your concerns of creek water levels during heavy storms.

Concerns were mentioned at the Annual meeting about construction at Clift Farms with additional runoff into the creek and the impact of potential water levels increasing. We contacted Huntsville City and have heard nothing back. We may have to contact Madison County to ask questions. The more voices heard by the community, the more light is placed on the matter. Use these links and help each other out to get answers.

Weather-Damaged Shrubs, Trees, and Plants

This year, our yards may have some shrubbery or trees that did not survive the extremely cold weather we had in early March. Horticulturists and local greenhouse nurseries recommend waiting until early-to-mid May to see if they are still viable.

Alabama A&M and Auburn University Extension have an informative article entitled Post Freeze Ornamental Plant Care.

If you have any shrubs, plants, or trees that did not survive, you will need to remove and/or replace them*.

*Note that if replaced with something similar in size and style, it is not necessary to ask for ACC approval.

Ants and Other Critters

We have had ant infestations in and around the clubhouse, pool, and parking lot. You can help by making sure you don't leave food around the pool and patio and that all trash is put in the trash cans. If you spill liquids (other than water) or food, please clean it up so the little critters have nothing to eat.

We also have had a few mice get into the Clubhouse. We do use a pest-control service for these two issues. If you happen to see anything, please report it to the HOA Board via the Contact Us page.

Pool Opening

The pool will be prepared in April for the official opening on Saturday, May 18th.

As of May 18th, your keycard will work on the pool gate lock and the side door to the restrooms until the pool closes in the fall.

Remember to not let anyone into the pool gate with you just because they say they forgot or lost their keycard. They may not be an HOA resident or a resident whose access was rescinded by the HOA Board. If you have any incidents with someone doing that, please notify a Board member.

Help us keep the pool area clean and safe for everyone.

Pool Safety Rules

On the Pool page, you will find the Pool Safety Rules. Our rules are based on requirements and recommendations from the Alabama Public Health Department.

Please read these rules and discuss them with your children.

Especially note the following when at the clubhouse and pool:

No diving, running, bikes, skateboards, or loud music allowed.
No eating or drinking is allowed in the pool or near the pool’s edge.
To protect bare feet and the pool from broken glass, no glass bottles or containers are allowed inside the pool fence.
Smoking and vaping are not allowed anywhere in and around the pool area and clubhouse property.
No pets inside the pool fence, other than service dogs.
All trash should be put in the two small patio trash cans. If a bag is full, please put it in the large bins; additional garbage bags are at the bottom of the trash cans.
Only bagged trash goes in the large garbage bins.
Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a parent or adult over 21 years of age.

Updated Architectural Control Committee (ACC) Guidelines

Have plans to add or replace a fence? Want to add, remove, or replace trees or shrubs? Want to build a shed or repaint your house, fence, or shed?

It is always recommended that you check the list of Guidelines on the ACC’s webpage and, for most projects, ask for ACC approval on your Elite portal account, before beginning any projects around your home’s exterior. Doing so will prevent you from having to pay a fine and undo or redo your project.

Some things, like adding or replacing flowers or similar shrubs in an existing bed, DO NOT require ACC approval. Please read the Guidelines to clarify what is allowed. If you are unsure, contact the ACC through your Elite portal account.

Updated ACC Guidelines: The ACC recently reviewed and updated its Guidelines. To clarify what is appropriate and allowed for Cross Creek, it is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Cross Creek Covenants, in addition to the Guidelines.

IMPORTANT: There is a $150 immediate fine for implementing projects without prior ACC approval. This measure was necessary to dissuade people from starting projects without prior approval. Familiarize yourself with the Covenants and Guidelines before starting exterior projects.

The Schedule of Fines can be found on the ACC page.

Street Safety Concerns

Many of our neighbors have expressed concerns about drivers who exceed the speed limit on our neighborhood streets, those who do not obey the stop signs, a few who even go around other drivers. This is not SAFE and we all know that. Please be considerate while in the neighborhood. It is not just outsiders cutting through our community but mainly residents in our community. That extra 10-15 seconds is not going to make or break you, but it could hurt someone.

Please always use caution when driving through the neighborhood; be mindful of children riding their bicycles and playing in their yards close to the streets, as well as people and their pets who are walking in our neighborhood.

Cross Creek Covenants

As residents, we all received and agreed to adhere to the Covenants. The HOA Board as well as the other committees are made up of volunteers. Our goal is to maintain our community and keep it looking as nice as possible. There are items in the Covenants that are not as defined as others. We try and be as fair as possible and to be lenient to a point. If you see or have an issue with something taking place in the community know that that HOA Board will listen to your concerns and will take corrective action as it pertains to the Covenants and Guidelines.

Neighborhood Repairs

When you see items that require repair or maintenance (such as streetlights, hydrants, potholes, or drainage problems in the streets or the storm drains) and that are not within the HOA’s responsibility, please use the following website to report them: Click Fix Huntsville. The city is very responsive to requests.

(Note that the clubhouse property, parking lot and parking lot lights are the responsibility of the HOA.)

Have a great Spring and Summer!

Your HOA Board, ACC and Welcome Committee