News - January 2012

FVCA ANNUAL MEETING IS JANUARY 9, 2012

The Annual Meeting of the Fonn Villas Civic Association will be on Monday, January 9, at 7:15 p.m., in the Fellowship Hall of Pines Presbyterian Church.  The agenda will include election of three new members to the Board of Directors.  The FVCA Board urges all block reps and every homeowner to attend and vote.  Those unable to attend may mail in the attached ballot, which must be received by January 9. 

Maintenance fees due January 1^st

Fonn Villas maintenance fees are due and payable on January 1 of each year.  Millage rates were set at the November FVCA Board meeting and invoices were mailed to all residents.  Any homeowner who did not receive a bill should notify Moore & Associates LLP immediately at 713-789-5293 to arrange for payment of your fees.  A late fee of $50 and 6% interest applies to any Maintenance Fees not paid by January 31, 2012.

Election of New Board Members

Under Fonn Villas bylaws, a nine-member Board of Directors governs the Fonn Villas Civic Association.  Each year, three new members are elected to three-year terms, replacing three outgoing members.  Please cast your attached ballot following the instructions provided.  At the December board meeting, the following persons were nominated:

• Will Frederking (Taylorcrest)
• David Valerius (Val Lena)
• David Robertson(Trail Hollow)

Section 4, 5 of the bylaws states:  “Nominations may also be made from the floor at each Annual Meeting.  All nominations shall be made for the election to a specific directorship position.”  Floor nominations are welcome, provided the candidates meet the qualifications for directorship as provided in the bylaws.

The new members will succeed outgoing directors Greg Holloway, Charles Williams, and Nick Hiemstra, who have completed their terms.  Following are brief biographical sketches of the nominees:

Will Frederking was born and raised in Houston, Texas.  He attended the University of Texas and the University of Houston Law School.  He works for Aquilex Hydrochem.  Will and his wife Kim have three daughters – Meredith (10), Margaret (10) and Courtney (7).  The family has lived in Fonn Villas for 6 years.  Will serves on the area Young Life Board and coaches area sports for his daughters.

David Valerius has lived in Fonn Villas for eight years.  A graduate of Texas Tech University, he has practiced architecture in Dallas, the US Virgin Islands and of course Houston.  David has served on the Fonn Villas Architectural Standards Committee for several years.  Married to Sarah, they have two daughters, Lillian (12) and Grace (10) and reside on Val Lena.

David Robertson and his family have lived in Fonn Villas for almost 8 years.  David is a lifelong Texan, a graduate of Trinity University, and a computer consultant.  David currently serves as Fonn Villas News editor and Secretary of the Board.  He is married to Beth, a teacher at Cornerstone Academy (SBISD), and is the proud father of Hannah (11) and Rachel (13). 

Fonn Villas 50^th Celebration - Tickets

Come one, come all! It's time to get your tickets. $20 per person.

Valet parking for all.

This is a sit down dinner and will be a fun time.

Starting at 6:00.

See you at the Omni.

Please see attached flyer for details.   

Email List – Sign up now!

The Fonn Villas Civic Association is catching up and getting electrified.  We now have an official email distribution list to be used for official FVCA business, including notices of the annual members meeting and the agendas of the monthly board meetings.

To sign up for these emails, please visit the Fonn Villas website (www.fonnvillas.org) and click on the “Email” link at the top of the page (next to “About”).  You can put in your email address and stay up-to-date with official FVCA news.  And, not to worry, you can easily unsubscribe at any time. 

Changes in the Welcoming Crew

From Nete Sundt:  Joke Bergen will no longer be part of the Welcome Committee as she and Henk are moving to Round Top.  I would like to thank Joke for sharing the job with me.  We have had good teamwork and both of us have enjoyed greeting our many new families.  Zoe Nagle has graciously agreed to step in and I look forward to her helping me.  Please call Zoe (713-464-8181) AND Nete (713-467-1795) and leave a message if you have a new neighbor on your street.  We don't have to have their names, just the address.

New Families

Mark and Karen Drummond moved into 622 Hallie.  They moved here from Katy and will be living in the home Mark grew up in.

Patrick & Jade Wang moved into 618 Bendwood with Colgin (2 1/2).

A.J. and Brooke Day and son, Ravi, (3 months) moved into 12722 Trail Hollow.  They moved from the Galleria area.  A J. grew up in the neighborhood and is the son of J.B. and Radhika Day on Broken Bough. 

News - December 2011

NEXT FVCA MEETING - December 5

The next meeting of the Fonn Villas Civic Association will be on Monday, December 5th, at 7:15 p.m. at Pines Presbyterian Church, in the Fellowship Hall.  If you would like to add an item to the agenda please contact Greg Holloway at bridgetholloway@gmail.com or by phone at 713-961-9681.

Caroling in the park – December 18th

Arno Bommer and wife Erin Dietsch invite all Fonn Villas families and their friends to join them for the neighborhood's 7th annual Christmas sing-along.  The caroling will be held at the gazebo in Bendwood Park on Sunday, December 18, from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m.  Come early and enjoy some pre-caroling treats.  Guests are welcome to bring their own holiday specialties.  The rain date is Monday evening.  Arno and Erin will play French horns and provide lyrics for everyone to sing along with traditional carols and children’s favorites.  

Holy Spirit carolers on the way

On the afternoon of Monday, December 12^th, parts of Fonn Villas will be visited by a troop of Girl Scout Brownies from Holy Spirit Episcopal School, located just around the corner from us.  The girls will be singing Christmas Carols and hoping to solicit donations of canned goods for the Houston Food Bank. 

Fitness Station – Belated thanks

Your forgetful Fonn Villas News editor neglected to mention in the last edition our thanks to Vic and Nancy Condrey for donating the border limestone around the new fitness station.  Thank you!

Alf and Lee Klaveness

Alf, 97, passed away recently; Lee, 96, passed away in March.  Alf & Lee moved to Fonn Villas in 1962.  Lee was a Garden Club enthusiast and Alf was a Fonn Villas Civic Association pioneer and long time supporter.  Alf was instrumental in making sure that the part of Beltway 8 which passes by our neighborhood is below ground. 

For the past few years they have been living in Florida, while maintaining their home here.

Fonn Villas 50^th Celebration - Tickets

This is an event you do NOT want to miss.

January 14, 2012 – Omni Hotel on Katy Fwy
6:00 – 7:00 – Social Hour
7:00 – 10:00 – Sit down dinner

Someone will be ringing your doorbell soon to sell you tickets.  If you have not been contacted, please call Cyndy Davis @ 713-461-8321, and she’ll get you a ticket. 

Email List – coming soon

To facilitate better communication with Fonn Villas residents, the FVCA will be launching a new email list, starting in January.  This list will be used for sending out FVCA meeting agendas and other important news.  Details about how to sign up will be in the next (paper!) newsletter.

New Families

Yuging Wang and Jing Du with children, Tristan (8) and Kate (4) moved into 12615 Vindon.  They moved from North West Houston.

Kelly and Annie Lawson with children, Sadie (2 1/2) and Paige (5 months), moved into 12623 Vindon.  They moved from 77007 area of Houston.

David & Angelica Haas moved from Midtown to 12714 Broken Bough.

Sandra and Carlos Carrasco have moved into 12615 Pinerock along with their son, Mathias (2).  They can be reached at sandra.s.carrasco@gmail.com. 

If you know of any other families that have moved into Fonn Villas recently that haven’t been welcome, please let Joke Bergen (713-932-9766) and Nete Sundt (713-467-1795) know, so we can extend a warm welcome.

News - November 2011

NEXT FVCA MEETING - November 7

The next meeting of the Fonn Villas Civic Association will be on Monday, November 7th, at 7:15 p.m. at Pines Presbyterian Church, in the Fellowship Hall.  If you would like to add an item to the agenda please contact Greg Holloway at bridgetholloway@gmail.com or by phone at 713-961-9681.

Tuesday is Election Day

The next election day is Tuesday, November 8^th, and our voting spot is Bendwood Elementary.  If you have questions, feel free to contact Republican Precinct Chairman Eric Waligura (ericwaligura@sbcglobal.net).

Tree Trimming

Good advice from Jack Long:  The brutal heat of the summer and our ongoing draught have impacted nearly every property in Fonn Villas.  Dead tree branches can be seen throughout the neighborhood.  Residents are urged to have them cut down as soon as possible, both for safety and appearance.

Neighbors with lampposts in their front yards are requested to have overhanging branches removed if they are blocking street illumination. 

Note:  There are many tree trimming yard crews around, so getting a good price should not be a problem.  If you are engaging a contractor, please have them haul off the trimmings. 

Fitness Station Update

Perhaps the final update on this project, from Jack Long:  The fitness station in Bendwood Park has finally been completed after a 2-month delay.  Located by the Pinerock entrance, it is gaining more activity.  Come on down and check it out.

We again would like to thank all of the donors who made this happen.  Major contributors were

David and Susanne Lim
Patrick and Terri Clynes

Other donors include (Kingsride East Residents):

Nicholas and April Hiemstra
Charles and Kristie Williams
Michael and Valerie Lynn
Russell and Julie Masraff
Charles and Joanna Graham
Robert Hand
and the Fonn Villas Civic Association.

Directory updates & Block Reps

As many of you know, some of the same folks have very generously served as your Block Representative for a long while.  This is a voluntary position; each individual street selects this person/couple.  It is the best way to ensure your street stays informed of information, activities of the neighborhood, etc.  It takes very little time.  With email, most of this can be handled efficiently through your computer.  Would you like to take over that responsibility for your street?  It is a great way to meet people, and we have many new neighbors!  It's a great way for new neighbors to get involved and help in a small way. 

As we prepare to print our 2012 Directory, we are trying to make it as accurate as possible for you.  If you are a Block Representative and are willing to continue this job, great!  If you want to pass along this job to someone else, please communicate with those on your street and select a new Representative.

Please email your Block Representative name change to Russ Calhoun at russcalhoun@gmail.com.  If we do not get an update from your street, we will keep the information as in the 2011 Directory.  Thank you to all who help with this job!

Also, please review your personal information in the Directory. If you have any changes, please email Russ at the above address. We make every attempt to be sure the directory you get in the spring is accurate and as up to date as possible...Thank You!

Fonn Villas 50^th Celebration - Tickets

The Fonn Villas 50th Celebration will be on January 14, 2012, at the Omni Hotel, on Eldridge at the Katy Freeway. 

TICKET ALERT!

Ladies of Fonn Villlas will be in your neigborhood starting November 27, 2011 to sell tickets for our anniversary event.  Ticket sales will end on December 3, 2011, so have your checks made out to FVCA in the amount of $20.00 per person.

If anyone has a name & address of former home owners, please send to Betty Winters (bettyswinters@gmail.com) or call 713-465-8101.  We need this information no later than November 15th, 2011.

See you at the Omni on January 14, 2012.

Live-in housekeeper for day Jobs

Sheryn Bates writes:  The Bates household now has a live-in housekeeper who is looking for some other day jobs in our neighborhood or surrounding neighborhoods, and is available immediately.  Silvia has been in our family since the ‘90’s, taking care of Andy’s grandparents prior to their passing, has worked for us continuously since then, and also works for our next door neighbor.  She is looking to start work at 8am or 9am (your choice) until 3pm (we need her back by 3:15 to get our girls from the bus).  She is an extremely happy person, loves to clean (it’s her “hobby”), has had lots of live-in experience with nannying/housekeeping, is available to babysit, and is completely honest and trustworthy.  She’s interested in weekly or bi-weekly work.  She also loves all dogs and loves to walk them just for fun. She has worked in our neighborhood, surrounding neighborhoods, and River Oaks.  She charges $70 per house (newer ones would probably be a little more).  Please contact Sheryn at 713.468.5922 (home) or 832.347.0888 (cell), if you’d like to meet her. 

New Families

Gus and Jenny Johansson moved into 12610 Rocky Meadow in September.  They have three children:  Kiersten(5), Brayden(3), and Zack(2).  They moved here from New Orleans, and can be reached at jennyhjohansson@yahoo.com.

Paul & Lara Tate along with Claire (13) and Kelly (11) are living on 627 Bendwood for a few months while their own house is being remodeled.

If you know of any other families that have moved into Fonn Villas recently that haven’t been welcome, please let Joke Bergen (713-932-9766) and Nete Sundt (713-467-1795) know, so we can extend a warm welcome.

A Need for Help

Betty Stockton writes:  The Bastrop County Wild Fires caused devastating losses to a lot of people. During the fires, there were incidents of rescued people, rescued pets and entire structures saved by the people serving in the voluntary fire departments. My sister and I (she lives in the area) recently visited Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department, P O Box 98,Smithville, TX 78957 located off Highway 71 between Bastrop and Smithville. We took items there for those fire fighters who had lost their own homes and also noticed how used and worn their equipment became during the fires. They are trying to replace and upgrade the equipment as much as possible. These fire fighters will continue to be called on, especially while the drought conditions persist. The experiences and stories out of the Bastrop area are about dedicated people who could use a lot of community support. So if you are looking for a worthy cause, consider the voluntary fire fighters and their fire houses.

News - October 2011

NEXT FVCA MEETING - October 3

The next meeting of the Fonn Villas Civic Association will be on Monday, October 3rd, at 7:15 p.m. at Pines Presbyterian Church, in the Fellowship Hall.  If you would like to add an item to the agenda please contact Greg Holloway at bridgetholloway@gmail.com or by phone at 713-961-9681.

National Night out - Tuesday

National Night Out is coming up on Tuesday, October 4.  The event is a great chance to meet new neighbors and mingle with familiar ones with local law enforcement on sight and treats and prizes for the children.  Please come out to Bendwood Park from 6:00 to 7:30 on Tuesday night. 

National Night Out in Fonn Villas is sponsored by Joann Lammons of Martha Turner Properties.  She’ll be there on Tuesday night; please thank her for the support.

Yard Service from a neighbor

Lackey and Evans Lawn Care is available to mow your yard; $20 for the front and back yard.  Jacob Lackey can be reached at jacobclackey@gmail.com or 713-515-8578.

Save the date: Fonn Villas 50^th Party

Fonn Villas 50th Celebration
January 14, 2012

The event will be held at the Omni Hotel at Eldridge & Katy Freeway.  We will have a buffet sit down dinner.  Tickets will be available for current adult residents and former homeowners for only $20.00.

The committee is busy gathering addresses of former residents.  If you have a name and address of someone, or if you have any other comments or questions, please share this information by emailing it to: 
fonnvillas50@yahoo.com or contact Betty Winters at 713-465-8101.

 In the next newsletter we will have dates and times and more information on where to purchase your tickets.  

Swim Club – Annual Meeting

October 30^th – 1:00 pm, at the pool

Family Movie Night in the park

Arno Bommer writes:  You are invited to attend the first movie night at Bendwood Park on Saturday, October 15, at about 7:15 pm.  We’ll set up a screen near the playground and project a number of family-friendly short comedies (mostly old cartoons).  The temperature is getting nice and the sun is setting earlier, so we can get started and finished at a reasonable time for the kids.

Some of us will probably picnic at the park beforehand, and you’re welcome to join us.  Also feel free to contribute potluck desserts.  We recommend that people bring comfy portable chairs.  We’ll set up near the playground wall, but the concrete is probably not comfortable for very long.

If it rains, we’ll reschedule for another evening later in the month.

Mandatory water restrictions

Houston and Fonn Villas are still under Stage Two of the city’s water conservation plan.  Under the Stage Two plan, Houston residents are required to limit outdoor watering to two days a week.

Residents at even-numbered street addresses can water their lawns on Sundays and Thursdays, between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.  Residents with odd-numbered addresses can water on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

New Family

Peter and Veronica Barnhill moved into 12630 Pebblebrook in Sept. with Brooke (2) and are expecting little Jacob in mid October.  They came from Rosharon.

 November deadline:  Tuesday, November 1st.  David Robertson, editor, 12618 Trail Hollow, david@casa-robertson.org. 

Be Alert! Recent crime in Fonn Villas

We are very fortunate in Fonn Villas:  Although we are located in the middle of the fourth-largest city in the United States, we are normally very safe.  However, occasionally we have a small burst of crime, just to remind us to be cautious.

Within the last week, we've had a brand new car stolen in the middle of the night, and an attempted burglary in which the burglar actually came into the house while the residents were asleep.  

More information is on the Fonn Villas Yahoo Group, which can be found here.  If you want to regularly follow activity in Fonn Villas, you may wish to join this group.

Let's bring this small uptick in crime back down:  please remember to lock your home and car, keep your porch lights on, and keep an eye out for suspicious activity in our neighborhood.  Let's keep Fonn Villas safe!