Please feel free to download a copy of the 2018 Newsletter
October 1st 2018
Hello everyone. This is our first official newsletter as the new team, and we are using the yearly mailing to reach out to every resident. In addition, this and all future newsletters can be found on our redeveloped website: www.thousandoaksmo.com . We encourage everyone to visit the site for official HOA information. In addition, please also join to receive our newsletter via email at TOHOA Email Blast . The email blast is managed by us through MailChimp. Hyperlink can be found on the contacts tab of the website.
2018 was a very busy year for the entire team. Many of the volunteers were new to their positions, and there was quite a learning curve. Several processes were streamlined and even more still could be improved. Many residents have shown their appreciation and there are still many more to meet. We look forward to meeting each and every one of our fellow residents.
In entering 2018 there were a lot of ideas and opportunities everyone wanted to see accomplished. The team needed to prioritize those ideas in order to maximize efforts. Although many things were accomplished there are many more projects both residents and the team would like to come to fruition. This letter will be our opportunity to inform you of what has occurred in 2018 as well as plans for the coming year. All of these topics will be covered in the November 8th annual meeting being held at the Parkville Presbyterian Church at 6pm. Please find location and info in the homeowner dues notification.
Projects this year consisted of several major erosion issues which were safety hazards, streetlights, Oasis pool repairs (both pool waterfalls), HVAC at both Oasis and Otter. In addition, we continued the maintenance of both pools, landscaping, and general neighborhood repairs.
Neighborhood Erosion
Although it may seem erosion should be lower on the priority list, we actually had several areas of Thousand Oaks which were unsafe and could cause harm to our residents, specifically children. The north waterfall at Horseshoe pond had collapsed from the top creating a giant hole. This hole was surrounded by lose boulders and dirt which continued to collapse and implode on itself. Orange fencing was put up to keep people away from the hole but was both an eyesore and a place where children liked to play due to how interesting it was.
The south waterfall at Horseshoe pond had stopped flowing over the waterfall spout and begun to completely erode under the concrete spout creating a cave. This was a huge danger since there wasn’t anything supporting the concrete, it created a hazard if someone walked on the spout or if a child decided the cave looked like a nice place to investigate.
Forest Drive / 60th Court. This was a major erosion project. Many will remember the washout of the trail off 60th court. It looked as if someone had taken a huge bite out of the trail. This was caused by a greater issue of water runoff from Forest Drive which fed through a drain into the HOA greenspace creating a huge trench which was constantly collapsing and ever widening. In addition, Platte County required Thousand Oaks HOA to repair this trench due to county regulations/laws. It should be noted; our previous President Megan Bogener was able to secure a grant in 2017 which covered 50% of the cost to repair. We really want to thank Megan for her hard work in securing this grant for TOHOA. The trail off 60th Court was temporarily repaired in order to save on costs in 2018. It will be a priority within the next two years to fix properly.
Oasis Pool
Oasis is one of our many amazing amenities, and we spent some time this year making minor updates. The waterfall at Oasis was found to have multiple leaks, including leaking into the waterfall service room. Repairs were made to stop the leaking and seal the waterfall. Prior to the season, the spillway and surrounding concrete was repaired. It had been cracking and tiles had fallen off of the spillway. It was necessary to make the repairs prior to the start of the season so further issues would be halted.
Oasis needs further updates. The plaster and deck are cracking and need to be replaced and repaired. Over the next couple of years, the team will be resurfacing the pools and making necessary repairs. Due to the design of Oasis, we are able to break the project into multiple jobs, and will do so to help save money for other repairs needed around the neighborhood.
Lastly, Dive-In Movie night was introduced in 2018 at Oasis. An event which had huge acceptance and participation we have decided to continue this into 2019. If you haven’t experienced this event, please come join us during the 2019 season. The pool and concessions are left open and a movie is shown at dusk.
Streetlights
Streetlights are a tough subject for the neighborhood. Unlike other major developments, our streetlights are 100% maintained by the HOA instead of the city. This is a very costly endeavor, which has caused us to overspend the streetlight budget by over 40% in 2018. It also should be noted the HOA does not develop in Thousand Oaks, we only maintain what the developers have installed. In late summer TOHOA moved way from the streetlight company we had been using, and hired a new company to manage our repairs. To date the new company has fixed several key areas including a pole which had become ungrounded and was carrying electrical current. In mid-September the west side of TO (66th – Whitetail) regained their lights, it is the focus of the HOA to return lights to Forest, South Nevada and 60th Court by mid-October.
UPDATE: 10/11/2018 Today most of the streetlights are up and running. We still have a few lights out around the neighborhood. A large portion of those out will be retrofit with LED bulbs before Halloween.
2019 and Beyond
There are many improvements and repairs everyone would like to see. However, it will take time to make those repairs happen as we must remain within budget and not overspend. In addition to repairs there are other responsibilities the HOA must maintain such as; service contracts (pool – landscaping), utilities, taxes, repairs, salaries (pool attendants & pool manger), and general repairs.
The team has donated a lot of time to help reduce cost to the HOA such as; cutting up fallen trees, cleaning up the pools prior to open, picking up trash on the trails, and even trimming the trail heads of underbrush so they remain nice.
In the coming years some of the focus will be on fixing broken trails, plastering Oasis, HVAC at Clubhouse, and updating our streetlights to LED to name a few things. We are also committed to community activities such as Fourth of July, Dive-In Movie Night, Easter Egg Hunt, Smokin’ Oaks BBQ Festival, and Cookies with Santa to name a few. Although we cannot do everything, we welcome ideas to what residents would like to see. If we can get enough interest on a particular idea, we might be able to make it happen. Please email the HOA with your ideas.
Website Refresh
The TOHOA website has gone through a massive refresh, and is now a destination for all information regarding the neighborhood. On the new website residents will find, a calendar of events, news, pool hours/rules, and link to the local swim team. There is a place to download the clubhouse contract and find out availability. Lastly, there is a general FAQ and a helpful links tab which will help new residents. This website along with our MailChimp account will be the main source of communication in 2019 and beyond. We encourage everyone to sign up for the email blast and bookmark the site.
A huge thanks to Chris O’Dell who has taken the time to help design and host our webpage. In addition, Chris provided his equipment in 2018 for our Dive-In Movie Nights.
UPCOMING Events
Smokin’ Oaks will be Saturday Oct 6th.
Annual HOA Resident Meeting November 8th
Cookies with Santa December 9th
Contact Us
Thousand Oaks Homeowners Association
6014 NW Highway 9, Suite B, Parkville, MO 64152