Westlake LaSalle HOA

Thanks to Vanessa C Goodmana for sharing this

Debris pickup is underway throughout Montgomery County. Please be patient with us as the shear volume of cleanup has exceeded over one million cubic yards of vegetative debris.

Pickup includes all residents of Montgomery County except residents within the City limits of Conroe.

To ensure your vegetation debris is collected, property owners are encouraged to complete the debris removal survey by visiting:

https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/d29e232a390c4c499fa77a130f7c4c7d

Debris should be placed in the county right-of-way nearest to the curb/street. Debris will not be picked up if its contained within any plastic bags. The only debris being picked up is vegetation such as trees, branches, logs, plants etc.

To look up what debris zone you live within please visit: https://moco.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/lookup/index.html?appid=8ca3d6f3a8ca48fc9e80ac517870d881

The following Debris zones will see trucks begin debris pickup today and run for several weeks. A second pass of these zones will be scheduled in the future.

Current Debris Zones with ongoing pickup:

A3-expected to take 2 weeks for completion of first pass
B8-expected to take 1 month for completion of first pass
B9-expected to take 2 weeks for completion of first pass
B11-expected to take 2 weeks for completion of first pass
C12- expected to take 2 weeks for completion of first pass
C13-expected to take 3 weeks for completion of first pass
C14-expected to take 3 weeks for completion of first pass
C15-expected to take 1 week for completion of first pass
D22-expected to take 2 weeks for completion of first pass

Additional zones will be added in the coming weeks. Check back here for notices of when new zones will expect a first pass attempt.

Update (Important!):
1. We reached a settlement with the company who damaged our entry sign. The monument will be demolished and the process begun designing a new monument to be placed at our lake park visible from La Salle Avenue. Residents will be given the opportunity to offer feedback on design options.

The curbed area at the existing entrance monument may remain for a bit longer depending on the condition of the underlying pavement/base. We won’t remove that material until that intersection can be redesigned.

Discussions will also begin with the County and TxDOT regarding addition of an another right turn lane coming out of the community.

2. We have a draft deed for the potential transfer of the lake to MUD 42. It includes provisions that we requested allowing docks to be built by ANY lakeside homeowners and other provisions related to access, use, etc.

The MUD conducted a detailed engineering analysis at its own cost and developed about $2 million of improvements including levee improvements, steps for regulatory compliance, sedimentation remediation, etc. It is probable that bond funds we approved a year ago will be used to address these needs. Essentially, everything we’ve asked for is included and the MUD has been a great partner thus far.

Transferring the lake will save the HOA from having to raise dues in an 5-10 year assessment to pay for these needed improvements. These costs will instead be borne across the ENTIRE community of ALL neighborhoods via our property taxes and on much better terms than we could secure as an HOA.

To be clear - our park and the small pond will remain with the HOA and under our control.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for next steps as we work through details. This summer will be an active one and we will need your help.

Hills of Westlake is dealing with a problem of teens from outside the neighborhood jumping their pool fence and using the pool. Furthermore, these kids have been rude and disruptive.

Neighborhood amenities are paid for by the neighborhoods they’re located in. The pools at Westridge Cove and Hills of Westlake are only accessible to those residents.

There’s no plea of ignorance either - one can’t access those properties without gate codes unless they’re jumping the fence.

Please ensure your teens respect private property EVERYWHERE and to show some respect by not using neighbors’ amenities that aren’t theirs for use.

Good neighbor reminder -

It’s that time of year when we start spending evenings and goodly parts of our days outside.

Let’s remember to be respectful of our neighbors with the sounds and smells of our activities.

For example, not all of our neighbors enjoy the same music we do…keep it at a volume that doesn’t force your next door neighbors to yell at each other on their own porch just to hear what the other is saying.

Also, many of us MAY possibly enjoy burning herbal “supplements” on occasion. 🤓 If you’re doing so outdoors, keep in mind that the folks around you may find the resulting odors to be offensive or they may not approve of what could be an illegal activity taking place that closely to them. Be conscientious.

And finally, for ALL of us - let’s ensure we live and let live a bit. One of the great things about this community is the vibrancy of life coming from different age groups and cultural backgrounds that makes us unique in the suburban mediocrity of this region. It’s why my wife and I fell in love with this small community. We need to not be so hard on each other. So, let’s only complain when something is truly a problem and not just a mild annoyance. Please.

Have a great spring and summer.

Well, folks, I think we can all agree yesterday (May 2) was quite a harrowing adventure. Thankfully, once the SJRA started lowering the release rate last night we got relief. Personally, our yard was at 6-7’ deep at the worst point but is actually fully receded back to the banks of the drainage easement. Thanks to everyone for keeping a calm head and taking care of each other.

All that said, here’s some news and some points of interest:

1. The garage sale for this weekend is being postponed to May 18. Honestly, the whole area is distracted and likely a bit mentally tired after this week and attendance/participation probably would have been light.

So, let’s instead rock it on May 18

2. The lake is full and the new drain appears to have performed well.

3. We have not seen the alligator that was spotted last week. HOWEVER, the high flood levels and water flow may have brought some in so please stay vigilant. Same for snakes and deer who were pressed out of their habitat.

This should not have to be said but, here goes:

Our deed restrictions are not your personal weapon in feuds with neighbors. If you only want us to enforce against the most egregious violations, don’t snitch on each other for minor or temporary violations and force our hand. We have to enforce equitably.

Also, using social media to whine when you’ve not reported something or you yourself have engaged in such behavior is not a good look and while I’m on the board am not going to be real nice about. Get a life.

If you see things that affect safety or are an authentic eyesore that isn’t temporary, report it to the HOA management company, IMC. The board does our best to pick up your authentic issues on the neighborhood page and address those that we become aware of but that is not a replacement for actually reporting it.

Brenda is our manager and is doing a good job. Please treat her with dignity and respect. She will do the same. She can be reached at (936) 756-0032

I spoke to the game warden.

If anyone spots the alligator in their neighborhood, if you come across a nest (usually in higher grass around the banks of ponds/ditches), or if it becomes aggressive, call Montgomery County Animal Control (number below) or one of the game wardens for relocation.

We will talk to TPWD on Monday and get their advice on whether relocation is warranted.

Don’t feed the alligator. Don’t antagonize it, both for ethical and safety reasons. Stay alert along the banks and ditches. Keep your dogs and kids close in those areas. If you come across a nest, go the other direction (lol). Gators will usually leave folks alone if they’re left alone or their nests aren’t perceived as threatened. Dogs and small animals or children are a slightly different matter. Especially dogs. Don’t let them wander along the banks alone.

MC Animal Control - 936-442-7738

Montgomery County - Texas Game Wardens - TPWD Montgomery County Game Warden contact information from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

We received a message from a resident today that a large alligator was spotted by our pond. These were the pictures sent.

I have not verified this and am trying to get follow up but the source is a responsible and reliable person and don’t have reason to doubt him.

Please keep an eye out along the banks. We will work to verify the info then contact wildlife control if appropriate.

Update 4/13/24
Happy spring!!

1. We are getting estimates for demolition and reconstruction of the entry monument. This cost will be used to, a) to assess how much we are due from the contractor who hit the monument, and b) at the very least demolish the remains.

We are not sure that reconstructing the monument in its current location is feasible due to TxDOT regulations. That’s one of the issues the sign builder is also working through.

Once demolished, we will have two options:

A. Rebuild the monument in the same or different location. If we do rebuild, it may be better to locate the monument at the lake park. First, now that the whole community is being built out, our neighborhood lacks a unique monument. Moving it to the lake would help differentiate us from the other 3 neighborhoods. Finally, we may not be able to rebuild at 105 due to regulation and safety.

B. Add a right turning lane on the outbound side of La Salle Ave/105 and reinforce the turning “lane” inbound to the community at 105. This seems to be a pretty easy choice most would agree with leaving only the question of whether to rebuild a monument at all.

2. We will be re-activating the lake bubblers and fountain now that the lake is refilling at a good pace.

3. A community-wide garage sale on Saturday May 4. This will include all 4 of our Westlake neighborhoods. Signs will be placed in advance.

4. April showers are working to bring us flowers. It’s also bringing grass and weeds. Please make sure you’re keeping your lawn and yard reasonably maintained. We don’t ping anyone unless it’s something egregious so please just be a good neighbor and steward of our neighborhood.

Be well and joyful.

As many of you are likely aware, our entry monument at Hwy 105 was taken out by a vehicle today.

The developer of Hills of Westlake just called me to inform us that one of DR Horton’s contractors was responsible. They are embarrassed and apologize. They will pay the replacement cost of the monument.

We will keep everyone informed as this unfolds.

Repairs on the levee and drain are well underway.

The contractor replaced the entirety of the drain pipe and structure. It had collapsed internally.

So, the drain is being replaced with a cement-reinforced collar where the intersection is. The remainder of the levee breach is being rebuilt with cement stabilized sand as the bulk and then will be covered with 1-2’ of clay.

Work could be complete in the next 2-5 days

Intermediate repairs will begin on the lake levee drain early the week of February 19. The repairs will take about 2 weeks.

Hills of Westlake, Ltd, the developer for Hills of Westlake and owner of half of the lake, is undertaking these repairs with no cost to the HOA. We are appreciative of the relationship we have formed with Nino Corbett (the owner of the development) and are thankful he’s agreed to take on these mutually beneficial costs.

The contractor will access the levee via the new phase of Hills of Westlake and a temporary easement we have granted the developer.

This repair will be better than short-term but not a decades long fix. That specific process will take awhile to engineer and design before construction.

Thanks for your patience as we work through this and developing long-term solutions related to the lake. I expect we will have a very significant and positive update on a myriad of lake issues (e.g. sediment dredging) in the next 45-60 days.

The lake breached when the overflow pipe became obstructed with debris. The water pressure cut into the levee at that point.

The integrity of the levee appears to be sound but it will be further evaluated.

We have engaged the appropriate engineers and others to begin the process of assessment, planning, and ultimately, design and construction to not only repair damage but conduct the existing work that needed to be completed in regards to sediment.

We will not tarry but this is not on overnight solution. We will keep you apprised as we move forward.

The lake WILL refill and will do so quickly.

You may have noticed the main lake has dropped precipitously.

The lake overflow had a blowout due to all the rain we’ve received.

We are working to get a handle on it and figure out next steps.

You’ll also note that the river levels are very high and flowing downstream at the bottom of La Salle Park Dr. due to Lake Conroe dam releases.

Please do not let your children go down into that area at the bottom of the LaSalle Park Dr cul de sac. It is a flowing river with some depth.

Community garage sale date has not been set yet. Sorry for the other post.

The annual meeting is being moved to a virtual meeting due to the extreme (comparatively) winter weather expected Tuesday night.

The meeting will be on Teams at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, January 16.

Follow the link below and enter the Meeting ID and passcode when prompted.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/join-a-meeting?rtc=1

Meeting ID: 287 752 614 374
Passcode: FxhwDV

Join a Microsoft Teams Meeting by ID | Microsoft Teams Learn how to join a Microsoft Teams meeting quickly and easily with just a meeting ID. Once you’re in, explore Teams features to make your meeting successful.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays! We have a few items of note for our residents:

1. HOA dues are due in January 2024. You can either pay by mail via the notice sent to you on December 5 or via the homeowner portal on IMC’s (our management company) website at https://imcmanagement.net/communities/conroe/.

Dues remain at $320 annually and are not paid via escrow. If you are behind on earlier years, we do offer payment plans. Contact Kimberly Jones at IMC if you need a payment plan for past due amounts.

2. Please remember that parking on grass in the neighborhood is allowed. It’s fine if you’re having an event for a day and guests come over. But, parking on grass as a permanent feature is not acceptable.

3. One of our larger complaints and violations is failure to keep yards cut and edges reasonably trimmed. This is one of the biggest ways our community can begin to look ratty yet one of the easiest things to fix. Please help your neighbors out if this applies to you.

4. We are working to get the County to assess and develop a long-term plan for the condition of the roads of LaSalle Avenue and LaSalle Crossing.

5. We also are working to finalize concepts and proposals for mitigation of lake sediment. This hasn’t been easy as it is a challenge 20 years in the making. We will keep you updated.

6. There are still 3 open board seats. We need your help. Contact Kimberly Jones if you’re interested or reach out to us if you’re curious about the responsibilities and workload.

Have a wonderful time with your family and friends as we wrap up this year.

Conroe – IMC Management

We will be shutting off the bubblers in the lake temporarily until we can recover the lake health and troubleshoot some existing problems.

The refurbished fountain should be delivered in the next 2 weeks and installed within a week of its arrival. We will decide when to turn it on once we know doing so won’t damage it.

We are still awaiting dredging estimates.

Our goal is to begin mitigating a sufficient quantity of lake silt and restore water quality by mid fall. By then, the rains will also help with the water quality issue.

Thanks for your patience.

General Update:
1. The fountain is in the process of being repaired. We will receive a progress report at the Sept 12 board meeting.

2. We are have reported multiple street pavement issues that appear to be heaves from the heat and lack of moisture. Will update as we get a plan in place.

3. We will receive info on lake silt dredging opportunities at the Sept 12 board meeting.

We have received multiple reports of dogs off of leashes, including some disturbing accounts of attacks on other dogs.

The HOA has no authority on this except as relates the park so we are asking all of our neighbors - Do the right thing, put your dog on a leash when out and about.

Let’s take care of each other. We’ve got a great community but it takes ACTS of community to keep it that way. Be a good neighbor.

Thanks!!

We held preliminary discussions with the Hills of Westlake II developer on Thursday.

He knows it’s a bad look to be pulling water out but he has the right. The amount he’s pulled out and will pull out is not enough to affect the lake depth more than 1/4” and that’s on the high side. I’ve calculated this myself.

The lake is evaporating. That’s the primary cause of the lower lake levels. We are in a long drought.

With that said, I’ve asked the management company to verify a few regulatory items for us to ensure everything is fully legal.

The developer and I had a very constructive discussion on lake maintenance and damage mitigation from earlier actions by others. The new Hills subdivision will participate in these costs. We have some ways to go as we get scopes of work for what the lake NEEDS for both mitigation and proper ongoing maintenance. The goal is to have this fleshed out by September/October and a contact signed between our entities to ensure we never have to go it alone again.

The new homeowner-HOA interface app is now available. It is currently only compatible with iOS devices. However, the website is still available.

Login instructions:
Download the new homeowner app in the App Store here. It is called: Home by Vantaca

Use the same credentials for your homeowner portal to log into the mobile app.

After login, you will be prompted to select a management company to continue. Please select IMC/( association name).

*At this time, Home by Vantaca is only available for iOS and only compatible with the modern portal.

Some of you may notice a boat out on the lake today.

Our lake management company, Solitude, is conducting a bathymetric survey of the lake and pond bottoms as well as a sediment sounding to give us an idea of how deep the lake is and identify unacceptable sediment buildup.

When we receive the report in a few weeks, this information will help us decide on what steps to take to help restore the health of the lake and pond. This report will be shared online.

We also hope to soon have a report from the fountain manufacturer regarding our broken fountain system.

We will keep you updated in the coming weeks.

imcsharepoint-my.sharepoint.com

Neighbors - We currently have two openings on the HOA Board.

If you are interested in serving, please email your interest and information to our management company (IMC Property Management):

Kimberly Jones
[email protected]

It’s not a lot of work but the impact is vital to our community’s health. Come check us out.

Next board meeting is August 8, 6:00 PM at the IMC Property Management offices.

Bluebird nest has a couple of eggs.

I’m asking for your thoughts on this. Between the two lakes at our park, is a bunch of trees that are bent over. Not broken just bent. I’m completely puzzled as to why. I’m thinking a powerful wind. This happened may 19th.

Good morning everyone, I’d like to report on our “Yard of the month “  and thank the neighborhood for keeping the homes tidy and trimmed. We choose one home a month ,for three months, give a $25 gift certificate, and a card. this year I looked for homes with color to attract butterflies and bees. We had to two on LaSalle woods and one on LaSalle Oaks. Again thank you.

Good morning everyone. You likely have seen a few posts that have absolutely nothing to do with the HOA.

One of our board members is an admin along with me and she didn’t realize that she was in the HOA page mode instead of her personal page mode when posting. Those posts were intended for her personal page

Sorry for the hassle.

We had our May HOA Board meeting tonight. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a quorum so weren’t able to conduct official business. Agenda items will be pushed to the June meeting.

However, our lake management consultant was present and we received a briefing. Key points from the briefing:

1. The lake management company has conducted a silt test to see if a gypsum infiltration can help settle the silt. We will have those test results in the next few days. Early indications are that the lake is likely a good candidate for the treatment.

2. Timing will be the important issue here as gypsum is somewhat of a short term band aid if the inflows to the lake aren’t mitigated further. We may wait until the dry months to take this step. Cost will also be a determining factor.

3. We will be conducting a bathymetric survey in the coming weeks to determine the sediment levels in the lake and determine what kind of dredging quantities may be appropriate for longer term solutions. We will keep everyone up to date as we work through this.

4. The fountain is undergoing troubleshooting and we are checking warranty to see if the issue is covered. Will update ASAP on this issue as well.

Thanks, everyone!