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QUILL COVE NE WSLETTER
May 2016
QUILL COVE NEWSLETTER
It’s not here yet, but you can tell it’s coming! That time of the
year when there is no better place to be but in Western Wash-
ington and especially here at Quill Cove in Lake Stevens.
We are fortunate to live in one of the most desirable locations
in Snohomish County and so that Quill Cove may continue to
be considered a most desirable place to live we all must do
our part to keep our properties up and this is the time of year
to do it.
This year we will be devoting much space in our newsletter to
the subject of fence maintenance. If you have any questions
on this or any other topic in our newsletter, or Quill Cove in
general, please feel free to contact the board at
[email protected], visit our website at www.quillcove.com
or our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/
groups/399166203462407/.
HERE COMES SUMMER!
(Page 1 of 4)
FENCE REPAIR
Fence front shows the top hats (or caps) and places where the
boards have been nailed. With a bag of nails and a hammer in
hand, we go along and tug on each of the boards from the top.
Some will loosen up and into those we bang a fresh nail.
Screws are better for a longer term solution. We do the same
from the bottom of the board.
The tops hats (or caps) have a tendency to split. When they do
and half of it falls to the ground, we find the fallen half and
using outdoor glue, re-attach it to the top of the post.
Fence back shows the other side of the fence with the two
horizontal boards that join all the vertical boards together.
We've indicated where it may be necessary to add a brace to
support the section of fence to the 4x4 post. A metal brace
that's available at hardware stores is shown in the third photo.
It's been over twelve years since our houses were built and the
fences put up. The fences are beginning to deteriorate and will
be requiring regular maintenance to keep them from falling
completely apart. We have found a way to keep them going
and we’re going to share that information with you.
Attached are three photos: 1) Fence front 2) Fence back and
3) Brace.
(page 2 of 4)
If the fence post top hat or cap is beyond repair or lost, it can
easily be replaced. They cost just a couple of dollars at the
hardware store and may be nailed in place or, in order to
avoid splitting, may be glued on using outdoor cement.
Doing these things periodically could extend the life of our
fences indefinitely, but it will require diligent efforts on all
our parts for this to work.
REPAIRING A ROTTED FENCE POST
1.) Remove the rotten fence post. Measure the length.
When removing the old fence post, don't try and remove the
concrete, or the rotten portion of the post inside the concrete.
You only need to remove the portion of the post that is ex-
posed and above ground.
2.) Purchase (2) Simpson EZ Fence Mender brackets, and one
4x4 treated fence post at least as long as your measurement.
3.) Cut the new post to size.
4.) Using a sledge, drive the brackets into the remaining, rot-
ten fence post that is still trapped in the concrete. The brack-
ets will act like spikes and should be driven into the old
rotten base until there is about 1 foot of the bracket left above
ground. We recommend using the brackets on the inside and
outside of the fence instead of the left and right to avoid the
horizontal ties of the fence.
3.) After the brackets are driven into the old post base, slide
the new post into the brackets.
4.) Using galvinized screws or nails, secure the brackets to the
post.
5.) Reattach horizontal fence ties to the new post.
6.) Replace or reattach old cap to the top of the new post.
There is a great video that walks you through the process as
well! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIC3UG6lsxM)
SECURE YOUR VEHICLESSECURE YOUR VEHICLESSECURE YOUR VEHICLESSECURE YOUR VEHICLES Several cars have been
broken into here at Quill
Cove in the past.
Please secure your vehi-
cles by keeping your
doors locked and remove
all valuables before leav-
ing your car.
Of course, the best protection you can give your vehicles is
to keep them parked in your garage. Take the time to
clear out your garage and keep your vehicles protected.
If you see anything suspicious going on, call 911.
(page 3 of 4)
If you are on Facebook, join us on the Quill Cove Homeown-
ers Group Page.
When in Facebook, look for the box
that reads “Search for people, places
and things”. Enter Quill Cove
Homeowners and you’ll see it come
up, then click on it to enter the page.
You’ll need to request joining the
group. Anyone of us who already
belong will approve you.
This can be an excellent way to communicate with other Quill
Cove Homeowners. Tenants, who are renting homes at Quill
Cove, are also welcome to join.
We’ve had people advertise items for sale who actually sold
them. People who’ve alerted us to thefts, break-ins, coyote
sightings and more. Those of us who’ve been using it find it
very worthwhile.
QUILL COVE FACEBOOK QUILL COVE FACEBOOK QUILL COVE FACEBOOK QUILL COVE FACEBOOK
GROUP PAGEGROUP PAGEGROUP PAGEGROUP PAGE
NICE PLUSH LAWNNICE PLUSH LAWNNICE PLUSH LAWNNICE PLUSH LAWN
You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to have a nice, plush,
weed-free lawn!
Here’s what you do:
1. Go to Ace Hardware.
2. Buy Ace Green Turf
Weed and Feed Con-
centrate liquid fertil-
izer and weed elimi-
nator.
3. Bring home and at-
tach to your garden hose.
4. Water your entire lawn, up to 6000
square feet.
5. In two weeks, the weeds will be
virtually gone and the grass will be
greener and healthier. If you want
closer to 100% elimination of
weeds, apply it a second time.
Note: You can probably get a similar
product at Home Depot, Lowe’s or any
other hardware store. It just happens
that we know for certain that Ace Hard-
ware has it and that theirs works.
PLAYGROUND
Please observe the rules that are posted on the signs at the en-
trance to the tot lots. If you have children old enough to go
out to the playground on their own, please be sure to instruct
them to not go onto the toddler swings. They are designed for
toddlers (who weigh less than 40 pounds) and will become
damaged when older, heavier children climb up onto them.
COVENANTS COMPLIANCE
Once again, we’d like to remind you of our H.O.A.’s policy
regarding Covenants compliance.
We believe all homeowners at Quill Cove are mature, respon-
sible adults. But we also recognize that working people are
very busy and sometimes don't see what is happening to their
property outdoors. That is why the HOA board members
walk around the neighborhood to observe where a property
may need attention.
When we send an e-mail notice to someone stating an obser-
vation, it is not meant to be a reprimand or an insult but rather
a helpful observation to a neighbor who may be so busy as to
not have noticed some aspect of the outside of their property.
As mature, responsible adults, it follows that once we're
aware of a matter requiring attention, we come through with
the necessary actions to make the situation right.
It is only if an individual, after becoming aware of a problem
chooses to then defiantly do nothing about it, that the HOA
board may find it necessary to proceed with the enforcement
provisions of the HOA governing documents. If for some
reason any homeowner is unable to proceed with the neces-
sary actions, they should then contact the HOA and explain
their situation. The HOA board tries to be reasonable and
will consider anyone's personal circumstances in order to ne-
gotiate an acceptable solution.
Quill Cove Homeowners Association P.O. Box 883 Lake Stevens, WA 98258 E-Mail: [email protected]
HOA BOARD MEMBERSHOA BOARD MEMBERSHOA BOARD MEMBERSHOA BOARD MEMBERS
President: Rich Gorczyca
Vice President: Al Bush
Secretary: Stephanie Hansen
Treasurer: Darlene Gorczyca
Chairperson in charge of Maintenance: Al Bush
Chairperson in charge of Ballots: Meg Barnum
Directors: Patrick Barnum, Jessica Taylor, Rich Gorczyca
COVENANTSCOVENANTSCOVENANTSCOVENANTS————HIGHLIGHTSHIGHLIGHTSHIGHLIGHTSHIGHLIGHTS
Here at Quill Cove we take pride in our homes and care for them
in accordance with our own personal values and the Covenants
that are a requirement of home ownership.
Here is a summary of some of the requirements called for in the
Covenants:
1. Waste Management, Inc. picks up all waste on Wednesday at
Quill Cove. Recyclable waste is picked up every other week.
Residents put their trash out by the curb late in the day Tues-
day or very early Wednesday morning. Please be sure to re-
turn your bins back into your garage or in your backyard,
behind the gate, by the end of the day Wednesday. By
Thursday morning there should be no waste containers visi-
ble from the street anywhere in Quill Cove.
2. Your lawn needs to be cut regularly so it is never overgrown.
Use a grass trimmer to cut the grass along borders such as
your foundation and fencing.
3. The beds where flowers, bushes or trees are planted are usu-
ally filled in with mulch, bark or stones. These should be
reasonably weed-free. Please don’t let them become over-
taken by weeds.
4. Please remove any weeds that grow in the crevices of the
driveway and sidewalk.
5. Alderwood trees can grow wild anywhere and should be
pulled out of the ground before they have a chance to mature.
It’s much easier to get rid of them when they are tiny sprouts
rather than cut them down when they’ve shot up to 12 feet or
more.
6. If any automotive oil drips on the driveway, have the leak
fixed immediately and clean the driveway up.
7. Avoid taking a permanent parking place in the street. Cars
should be parked in the garage and/or the driveway. Be-
tween the garage and driveway, you can easily fit up to four
cars.
8. No boats, campers, trailers or water sports equipment are
permitted to be parked anywhere in Quill Cove for more than
48 hours.
9. No signs of any kind can be placed on any residential site in
Quill Cove. The only exception is when a house is for sale,
one “for sale” sign is permitted.
10. Keep the siding, gutters, downspouts and driveway clean.
This requires periodic power washing.
11. The woodwork of the porch, deck, posts, doorway frames
and garage door frames need to be in good condition, which
requires periodic painting.
12. Do not permit your dogs to roam freely. When taking them
for a walk, have them under leash and carry a bag with you
to clean up after them.
Being mindful of these items and diligently caring for our homes
assures us of a pleasant, living environment. Let’s work together
to keep Quill Cove the attractive place it’s always been.
To read the Covenants in their entirety, please go to www.
quillcove.com. Click on “By-Laws and Covenants”. You don’t
need a username or password to enter the website. Those are for
the webmaster’s use only.
(Page 4 of 4)
The board wishes all our neighbors a happy Spring and
Summer season. Let’s enjoy this time that makes en-
during the wet, gloomy weather all worthwhile!
Snohomish County has a countywide
leash law, which requires any dog off the
property of the owner to be under the
control of a responsible individual. It is
against the law to allow your dog to roam
off your property.
PETS IN GENERAL
Please be sure your dog or cat is licensed. Be considerate of
your neighbors. Never allow your dog to roam freely. When
you take your dog for a walk be sure to have it under leash
and have a bag with you to clean up after it.
SNOHOMISH COUNTY LEASH LAW
The new housing development to go in west of Quill Cove has
been delayed once again. We’ve been informed that we may
now expect construction on this site to begin around the middle
of 2017.
For those who may not have known, the road leading into the
new development will be 14th Place via 113th Avenue. This has
been the plan since 2005. The builder negotiated with the Quill
Cove HOA Board in 2006 to be able to tap into our retention
ponds which the County deems to be adequate to support the
additional homes. In return for this and the hassle we will have
to put up with during construction, the builder paid one years
dues and paid for the fence we have around the upper park. He
has also promised to replace our mailboxes once the Postal Ser-
vice decides whether Quill Cove’s and the new housing devel-
opment’s mailboxes are to be combined in one unit or if they
are to be separate. We’re told this determination won’t be
made until construction is well underway.
NEW HOMES DELAYED ONCE AGAIN