Board of Directors News
The Milburn Fields HOA Board has experienced some changes over the past year. At the beginning of the year Kelli Smith announced that she would be moving. I choose to remain in my position as Vice President and Renee Grigg was chosen by the board to become its President. During the summer months, Renee announced that she found a home in western Shawnee and would be moving by fall. At the same time, Glenda Olivas and Megan Olsen also chose to step down. (Our congratulations to Meg and Jonathon on the birth of their baby boy.)
Renee was creative and innovative and was also serving on the NEC Board. Glenda did monumental work in helping us to create a directory for Milburn Fields and Megan created some new designs for us. Milburn Fields and the Board thank them for all of the time and effort they put in to the quality and spirit of our community.
I have moved into the position of President as directed by the Bylaws and Janelle Pullen, who was elected to the Board at our last annual meeting to fill the opening created by Kelli’s move, was elected to the position of Vice President by the Board.
Karen Clark and Jan Schwerdt remained in their respective positions of Treasure and Secretary. Doug Lay, of Newton Dr. was added to the Board and his IT skills are being appreciated by all of us. Catalina Velarde, of Lowell Dr., who expressed interest in the Board at the 2017 Annual Meeting has also been added to the Board. She is an attorney and her expertise is also a good addition to your Board of Directors.
We do have one opening to be filled and anyone who has an interest should let us know. We are continually working to maintain this community of Milburn Fields that is our home.
~ Jane Doerflinger
November Home of the Month Winner
One of the goals of the HOA Board is to celebrate homeowners, who do an exceptional job in maintaining the exterior their home and landscape. Each month one homeowner is awarded a $25 gift card and bragging rights. November winner is Traci Higbee at 7104 Robinson. Congratulations Traci!!
A big thank you to all the homes that decorated for Halloween, especially in the 7100 block of Newton. We encourage all who choose to decorate for the upcoming holidays. In 2018, we hope to have formal contests rules and prizes for best Halloween and Christmas displays.
Leaf Pickup
Our goal to have an organized HOA wide curbside leaf pick up is not working out. The Board had hoped to arraign yard waste pick up in January and February, the time period that WCA does not pick up yard waste. We can recommend that homeowners contact Benjamin Lawn, Breton Lawn or other lawn care companies for yard clean up services if you need help.
No matter if you take care of your own leaves or hire it done, please keep the following in mind. We all have a role in protecting our water quality. Storm drains flow directly into our streams and rivers. Keeping leaves and grass clippings out of the street helps protect our water quality. Please don’t blow leaves or grass clippings into the street. Mulching leaves and leaving them on your lawn to break down over the winter will put nutrients back into the lawn. Or if you don’t want to leave them on the lawn mulching before you bag will allow you to put more leaves into fewer bags.
House Numbers
In driving around the neighborhood, it has been noticed that many of our homes are missing address numbers, or the numbers are not easy to see, blocked by plants or flags. A few tips: House numbers should be at least 4” tall and 3” wide. They should be in a high contrast color to the house. Silver numbers on a white house do not show up as well as black numbers. They should be lit at night. We ask you to take a few minutes to step across the street from your home, and see if you can spot your house numbers in less than two seconds. Do this both in daylight and at night. Link to OP muni code. http://online.encodeplus.com/regs/overlandpark-ks/doc-viewer.aspx#secid-4941
Capt. Mark Fitzgerald, OPPD posted on Nextdoor.com last week about Curb Painting of addresses. ”The City of Overland Park is not requiring or even suggesting you paint your address on the curb in front of your home. The Curb Address painting is ineffective since cars parked on the street and debris in the street will likely block it from view.”
Smoke Alarms
With the time change the Fire Department recommends changing the batteries in your smoke detectors. They also recommend replacing them if older than 10 years old as the sensors can fail. Here is a link to the OPFD website regarding smoke detectors. https://www.opkansas.org/city-government/fire-department/prevention-and-safety-tips/alarms/
Cold Weather and Warming Up Cars on Driveways
As the weather gets colder many people leave their cars warming up in the driveway. This makes them prime targets for theft if they are left unlock. It only takes seconds for someone to jump out of one car and into yours and drive away. OPPD will issue tickets to owners of vehicles found running unattended.