A publication of Willow Creek Homeowners Association, Inc.
“Deed Restricted Single-Family Neighborhood”
President’s Message: Wow! Finally, we have some cooler weather. Our summer was hot, muggy and long. Some of us wondered if this was Houston in disguise! The combination of hot and muggy was overwhelming. One of our HOA residents told me three years ago that the humidity in San Marcos was worse than Houston! I admit I was shocked by her comment at that time. However, this summer proved the accuracy of her statement. Humidity (and rainy weather in general) affects my creaky bones and I know I am not alone. I’ve never been a hot weather fan so I’m glad to say good-bye to it for the time being.
Did you know that fall is deer mating season? Please watch out for the males chasing the does across the roadways or else you’ll hit two instead of one. At dusk I’ll hear deer crashing through the trees right before they run across our roads. It’s especially hard to see them at dusk or dawn. By the way, we do not recommend feeding the deer, but if you do, don’t forget the watering stations. Birds and many other critters need water too, so please keep them in mind. Try to locate the water in areas which can be reached easily by your hoses. For those of you with pools, good luck since some critters enjoy dips in large pools. Be sure your fences are in good shape so that neither children nor critters can gain unauthorized access.
Several yards in our HOA reflect the dry summer and our drought restrictions. Think about installing bladders or drip systems to help keep your yard plants alive for future summers. These systems release water slowly and carefully and many trees and plants will be saved. If possible, do the work now so your yards will be ready! A barren landscape is ugly and frankly, the more barren it gets, the hotter the area around your house will become. Please remember than even drought resistant plants need water. And our landscape is Hill Country “fragile” – so think of it as an act of kindness to preserve it.
I hope many of you had your air conditioning and/or heating systems evaluated and updated before ugly winter weather arrives. We had that done by Air One and they did a magnificent job. They cleaned out the air vents too and did one of those ugly jobs that my poor knees can no longer handle on a tall ladder. Courteous, conscientious and prompt service are what we need to help us prepare! Thank you Air One!
If you haven’t installed a rain barrel, please think about doing so. There are many types and our architectural board is willing to assist you in those decisions. We have a small, 55-gallon barrel that is unobtrusive and does the job! Other residents have installed larger ones. These are great for catching those sudden downpours that dump lots of water which runs off quickly. Rain barrels are an easy and practical solution in times like these. We’re not sure how much rain we will have this fall and winter so please plan ahead. -̶̶ Becky Dobbins, Your WCHOA President
Power Outages: These are unpleasant events made worse by batteries that fail and/or lack of preparedness. Those “lantern” type flashlights do a great job when there is no power. They are inexpensive and easy to use. Put together an emergency “backpack” with gloves, socks, flashlights, batteries, water, snacks, pet food, can opener, meds, etc. Remember, your automatic door or garage door openers will NOT work if your electricity is OUT. Garage doors used to be easy to open manually, but that is no longer the case. Put an emergency lantern in your garage so you will be able to see the manual pull for the garage door. Plan on three people at least to get that door open manually.
Our Willow Creek HOA: We have very few lots that become “eyesores” or safety hazards Be aware that each of the 15 sections within the Willow Creek Estates HOA has its own set of deed restrictions and covenants. However, some general rules are universal:
- Keep the property in decent shape.
- Do not park vehicles “willy-nilly” or haphazardly on city or county “zone areas” on the lots.
- Both the city and county have “right-of-way” areas which must be respected.
- Be sure the vehicles are inspected and have current tags or licenses.
- If you have an antique or an “I’m working on it” vehicle which is not in a garage or an enclosed area, please cover it.
Your neighbors will appreciate your thoughtfulness. Most of our HOA is beautiful so let’s keep it that way. Shabby, unsightly Recreational vehicles of any type should be removed or put behind a fence. Also, there are strict State of Texas rules which need to be followed before a vehicle can be officially “junked.”
While it can be confusing, our website wchoatx.com has a map of every lot and section for easy access and use. One item which causes many questions is the parking of recreational vehicles (RVs) in this HOA. This is posted prominently on the WCHOA website because each section has unique rules and restrictions. One common restriction is that you are not allowed to use an RV as a rental unit. This is specifically prohibited. When in doubt please use our website for advice or contact one of our WCHOA directors with your question. And don’t forget that the City of San Marcos has parking restrictions too. Please go to their website for information sanmarcostx.gov.
Pets and Critters: Please keep your dogs on leash when outside your yards. From time to time we see large dogs running and jumping through the neighborhoods. (We’re talking mostly BIG dogs!) We haven’t seen packs of smaller dogs in several years. Please keep in mind that we have a couple of bobcats who love tasty treats and if you end up with a missing critter, it might have met an untimely death. If you see a bobcat, please do not approach it. This is also true for a wild boar. It can turn nasty very quickly so before you decide to take matters “in your own hands,” contact Animal Control. I don’t know about you, but having a big, smelly, dead wild boar on my property is not something I want. And yes, wild boars have a unique smell that is like a skunk. Once you’ve smelled it: Oh my, oh my, oh my. If you want to adopt a domesticated critter, the San Marcos Animal Shelter or the PAWS Shelter of Central Texas have some excellent choices.
Holidays: We’ll have our annual Christmas/Holiday awards in December. We’ll be adding a landscape element to it so keep that in mind as you decorate. For example: Are the yard trees part of the display?
How to Contact Us:
Website: wchoatx.com
Email Address: wchoa99@gmail.com
Mailing Address: WCHOA, PO Box 1883, San Marcos, TX 78667-1883
~ NEWSLETTER EDITORS: WCHOA Board
| Director | Gordy Love | glove266@hotmail.com |
| Director | Fred Davis | fdavis0880@gmail.com |
| Director | Jeff Jewett | jewett@smcorridormail.com |
| President | Becky Dobbins | lizdobbins@rocketmail.com |
| Vice President | Debbie Harvey | topcooker@gmail.com |
| Vice President | Carol Short | carol2442@pm.me |
| Vice President | Lisa Walls | lislas0807@gmail.com |
| Secretary | Larry Lyles | llyles@cpamoore.com |
| Treasurer | Jon Leonard | jlwcehoa@gmail.com |
Email Address Request: To reduce paper and postage expenditures, newsletters and general announcements can be distributed to our HOA members electronically. Please send your email address to wchoa99@gmail.com. All family members are welcome to sign up for our emails. Your contact information is secure and will not be stored on our website.
Shop Local: We have several smaller businesses/restaurants that need our support to stay in business. Our sponsors are all locally owned businesses. Please support them and help keep San Marcos thriving.
Advertising on Our Website: We are happy that local businesses choose to use our website for advertising. There are still a limited number of ad slots available. Please contact our website facilitator Carol Short at wchoa99@gmail.com or give her a call at 512-396-2488 if you or someone you know would be interested in becoming a WCHOA Local Business Partner.
We want to acknowledge our great partners―all locally owned businesses located in southwest San Marcos. They all say they enjoy working with the great folks in Willow Creek Estates. Their support provides partial funding for our WCHOA sponsored events, maintaining/upgrading our website, and distribution of newsletters. Please consider supporting these local businesses whenever possible.
If you haven’t paid your annual dues yet for 2022, please pay them immediately. And, we recommend you pay for 2023 too! One transaction and all done for both years, At only $20 annually your dues are a bargain. Here is the link to pay via PayPal: https://wchoatx.com/membership/pay-dues/.
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