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

hoa@quillcove.com, 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: hoa@quillcove.com

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