Volume 18, Issue 04
April 2017
CORNERSTONE PLACE NEWS
WOW! What a great turnout Cornerstone!
Cornerstone’s
First Annual Movie in the
Park
May 5, 2017 @ 7:30 p.m.
Bring your blankets, chairs, and family as
we will enjoy a movie, popcorn, and
drinks. Feel free to bring snacks to share.
What’s Inside
The weather was absolutely PERFECT for an Easter
Egg Hunt. We had about 20 kiddos participate this
year. They had over 350 eggs to find along with crafts
and snacks to enjoy. The Easter Bunny posed with
the kids and interacted with them before, during, and
after the event. A special Thank you to the following
families for donating items or assisting with setup and
clean up: The Polanskis, The Tinsleys, The Logans,
The Hopkinses, The Lacys, The Pickerings, The
Roziers, and the Schaefers. A special Thank You to
Tony Adams for assisting with taking pictures and
opening the bathrooms for the attendees. I also appreciate all the families that came out to enjoy such a
fun event. I look forward to the Easter Egg Hunt next
year!
Kimberly Kristensen
Event Coordinator
Resident’s Recipe ......................................... Page 2
Yard Of The Month ....................................... Page 3
Fire Ant Week ................................................ Page 3
Trivia/Fun Facts For April............................. Page 3
Resident News .............................................. Page 4
Phantom Diner ............................................... Page 4
Security / Services Recommended ............. Page 5
Resident Business Services ........................ Page 6
Used Medication Disposal ........................... Page 7
Editorials ........................................................ Page 8
President’s Letter .......................................... Page 9
Home Advantage .......................................... Page 10
POOL OPENS FOR WEEKENDS IN MAY
A FULL SCHEDULE WILL BE IN NEXT MONTH’S NEWSLETTER.
Page 1
Volume 18, Issue 04
Cornerstone Place Newsletter
APRIL 2017
RESIDENT’S RECIPE!
NEIMAN-MARCUS SALAD
1 small can black olives, sliced
1 box cherry tomatoes, halved
2 small jars marinated artichoke hearts
1 pint button mushrooms
Combine and cover, and chill overnight. Serve on lettuce leaves.
QUICK BEET BORSCHT (SOUP)
3 cans diced beets and juice
Juice of 2 lemons
Parsley, salt and pepper to taste
2 cans water
6 tablespoons sugar
Bring oil to a quick boil; remove from stove, and cool.
Beat 4 eggs well and mix into cooled soup.
When serving, top with a big dollop of sour cream.
NOTE: WHAT? ARE THERE NO RUSSIANS IN CORNERSTONE?
Submitted by Shirl Kamish - Thanks, Mrs. Kamish!
NEXTDOOR.COM
We have 155 residents who have joined. Please remember that it is free, and it is a good way to learn what
is going on in your neighborhood and the surrounding neighborhoods. Please think about joining. As mentioned, it is free. Cornerstone has placed some important information at times for residents on
Nextdoor.com. Please consider signing up. 155 residents have joined.
CORNERSTONE PLACE NEWSLETTER
CORNERSTONE PLACE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
Editor: Marlene Adams
JOHN IRWIN
Proofreader: Phyllis George
C/O IRWIN COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT
Phone: 281-693-0207
E-mail: [email protected]
P.O. BOX 6544
Web Site: www.cornerstoneplace.org
KATY, TX 77491
THE CORNERSTONE NEWSLETTER IS PUBLISHED BY THE
CORNERSTONE PLACE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, A
501(c)3 ORGANIZATION. IT IS THE POLICY OF THE NEWSLETTER TO ACCEPT ARTICLES OF INTEREST TO THE COMMUNITY
FROM OUTSIDE SOURCES AS WELL AS FROM NEWSLETTER
STAFF. VIEWS EXPRESSED IN PUBLISHED ARTICLES ARE
THOSE OF THE WRITER AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE AN OPINION OR ENDORSEMENT BY THE NEWSLETTER OR BY THE
CORNERSTONE PLACE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION.
PHONE: 281-392-2484
FAX: 281-392-1488
EMAIL: [email protected]
PROPERTY MANAGER: JOHN IRWIN
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Volume 18, Issue 04
Cornerstone Place Newsletter
APRIL 2017
YARD OF THE MONTH FOR APRIL
Yard of the Month
for APRIL went to:
Lox and Linda Shingleton of
1710 Kent Falls Court
Great Job!
FIRE ANT WEEK FOR CORNERSTONE
We hope that all residents have participated in this event. It is
not too late to still put the application on your property.
It doesn’t cost that much, and it is a worthwhile project to do. But for it to work for our subdivision, we
must all participate. The park and pool area was treated for fire ants. Remember how uncomfortable it is
to be bitten by fire ants. Keep your children and pets in mind also.
APRIL TRIVIA AND FUN FACTS!
The April Birthstone is Diamond, and the Flower is Daisy or Sweet Pea.
APRIL QUOTES
“Sweet April Showers do spring May Flowers” - Thomas Tusser 1557, (A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry).
The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year. - Mark Twain
TRIVIA
Small animals that hibernate are usually coming out of their burrows in April. Birds fly back northward, and
they settle down to have their families. The bees and butterflies begin to gather nectar from the first flowers of the season.
April Fool’s Day is the 1st day of April. No one knows where the custom began, but some historians believe
it started in France.
In April 1578, William Harvey, English physician, discovered the circulation of the blood.
In April 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln.
J.P. Morgan, American Financier, was born in 1837.
Paul Revere made his famous ride in 1775.
In 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state.
Television’s first public broadcast was from the Empire State Building in April of 1939.
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Volume 18, Issue 04
Cornerstone Place Newsletter
APRIL 2017
NEWS ABOUT CORNERSTONE RESIDENT!!!!
The residents of Kent Falls Court are pleased to invite you to come meet their neighbor and Katy ISD Board
Candidate, Bill Lacy. Wednesday, April 26th, 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. in the Kent Falls Court Cul-De-Sac! Bill
is excited to meet each of you and tell you about himself and why he’s running for this extremely important
position. At this time, with all the growth in our district, Bill is a fresh new voice that is desperately needed
on the board. With over 20 years of mortgage experience, he is fiscally responsible and knows how to
read and adhere to a budget. He will fight to protect our teachers, our students, and our money! We need
Bill, and he needs YOUR vote! Invite all your Katy ISD friends—the more, the merrier.
This is a come and go event, so we hope you’ll pop by!
For more information, please visit,
like, and share Bill’s Facebook
Page: Bill Lacy for KatyISD.
PHANTOM DINER STRIKES AGAIN!
Whiskey Cake Kitchen & Bar
23139 Grand Circle Blvd
Katy, TX 832-430-2253
Hours:
Mon.–Thurs. 11 a.m.–11 p.m.
Fri. 11 a.m.–12 a.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.–12 a.m.
Sun. 9 a.m.–10 p.m.
Go enjoy a movie and then have dinner—or have dinner and then go enjoy a movie next
door.
A great place to go. Not far. Prices reasonable, service was excellent, even though it was
very busy. Staff works as a team.
We started with the best fried tomatoes I have had. The Edamame Hummus was different,
but good.
The Wood-grilled pork brisket for $17.00 was excellent. It had poblano white cheddar grits,
apple, and tomatillo salsa.
The Live Wood Grilled Scottish Salmon for $20 also was very good. It came with roasted baby carrots, broccolini, celery root puree, and smoked chili butter. The OMG Burger for $14
was well worth it. A Brisket burger, beer battered onion rings, roasted criminis, muenster
cheese, grain mustard, red chili mayo, lettuce, tomato, challah bun. YUMMY.
CAN YOU BELIEVE, WE HAD ROOM TO SPLIT A DESSERT? The famous Whiskey Cake for $8,
Toffee torte, bourbon anglaise, spiced pecans, and whipped cream.
Try this place. You won’t be sorry.
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Volume 18, Issue 04
Cornerstone Place Newsletter
APRIL 2017
SECURITY REPORT
The security this month was given by John Irwin. He stated that there were two vehicle break ins reported
on Cornerstone Place Drive. The vehicles were unlocked. No property was reported missing. Another than
that, the neighborhood was very quiet. Please remember to lock your vehicles at all times and do not leave
valuables in plain sight in the vehicle.
JUST A LITTLE INFORMATION
Please remember to keep those shrubs and trees trimmed—not hanging on your neighbor’s roof, or house, or garage. Don’t let them hang over the sidewalk hitting pedestrians in the head when walking around the neighborhood.
Cut down overgrown bushes and trees in the backyard also. Noticed some people are starting to take the pine trees
down from out in front of their house. This is a good thing. They start to wreck your lawn and the sidewalk and your
driveways, roots start growing towards your house.
Don’t forget the power washing job either.
I would also like to thank those who helped with the Easter Egg Hunt. I didn’t attend, but I heard it was a success.
Kimberly Kristensen did a wonderful job of organizing this event. Thanks again to everyone who participated in the
event.
I do hope that Movie Night on May 5 goes well. Brenda has made a real effort to get this going.
Hope the Easter Bunny comes back to Cornerstone Place next year.
By: Marlene Adams, Newsletter Editor
RECOMMENDED TRADESPEOPLE
Lee and Nita Hines of Wildwood Grove want to share a tradesperson with all
their neighbors.
They recommend this company for repairing a sprinkler system.
It is James Irrigation (Neil James is the Owner); Phone: 281-855-4447. Bruce,
one of their three employees, did an excellent job repairing two of their broken
lines. He was very courteous, knowledgeable, and did good work. The company’s fees are very reasonable.
Thanks to the Hines Family for sharing this with us. Anyone else like to share
their information with us?
I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY I DON’T GET MORE SUBMISSIONS FOR THIS
COLUMN.
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Volume 18, Issue 04
Cornerstone Place Newsletter
APRIL 2017
If you are a resident, we can put your business card in the newsletter to give you some
free advertising.
Please don’t forget to give me your new business cards when you update them. I am trying really hard to keep this page as up-todate as I can. This is possible only if you give
me your newest information. Thanks! Marlene
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Volume 18, Issue 04
Cornerstone Place Newsletter
Page 7
APRIL 2017
Volume 18, Issue 04
Cornerstone Place Newsletter
APRIL 2017
REMINDER FOR RESIDENTS!
This is just a reminder for residents to remember some of their responsibilities as homeowners. You are responsible for the broken, uneven sidewalks in front of your house. Remember—if anyone falls on your property, they can sue you. This also includes broken, uneven driveways in need of repair or replacement.
Take the pine needles off your roof. They are not good for your roof. Also, trim your shrubs
and dead palm tree branches if they are hanging over your neighbor’s yard or on their
roof.
Please do not put your grass clippings down the storm drains. This is VERY important.
SPRING IS HERE!
Yes, spring is here already. Have you thought about all the spring projects needing to be done
around the house before the weather gets too hot? A big project is the power washing. Many of us
have mold on the sidewalks and driveways, and that needs to be handled—it presents bad curb
appeal. We have mold on the houses, especially on the siding. Even some houses that are too well
protected from the sun due to the trees have mold on the brick. All of this can be handled by power washing.
Then it is time to take a look at your landscaping. Are your bushes trimmed—and your trees? Are
branches hanging over into your neighbor’s yard and touching their garage or house? Are the windows of your house covered by shrubbery? If so, this is not safe and not curb appealing. Covering
up your windows can let someone hide in the shrubbery at night. Keep things away from your windows. Clean the pine needles off your roof—they are not good for your roof. The moisture can
cause your shingles to rot over time.
Take a look at your lawn. Sometimes it may need to be seeded or replaced if your tree is killing off
the grass. We all need to have a lawn for good curb appeal.
Last but not least, look at the condition of your driveway. Is it cracked? If so, it may mean you have
to replace or repair it. A broken and cracked driveway doesn’t help with your curb appeal. All this is
part of being a responsible homeowner.
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Volume 18, Issue 04
C
Cornerstone Place Newsletter
APRIL 2017
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
ornerstone was busy during the month of April. As you have probably already
read, our Easter Egg Hunt was a great success. My thanks go out to all of those residents who volunteered to set up and manage the event. Of course, a special
thanks goes to Kimberly Kristensen. This is Kimberley’s third year to coordinate the
activity, and it has been bigger and better each year.
We also went through Fire Ant Week. Hopefully, all residents treated their property to make
sure that the little devils do not find a new home in our subdivision. If you are one of those
who hasn’t treated yet, be warned. All your neighbors’ fire ants are packing up and moving
to your lawn. It’s still not too late to head them off by treating your lawn now.
As of this writing, I can’t say how the garage sale went, but hopefully we had a lot of participation. I will give you an update next month.
We have scheduled a meeting of our Events Committee on May 3 at the Creekstone Clubhouse at 7:00 p.m. You are all welcome to attend. May 5 is our first Movie Night, and it
will take place in the Park. Sure hope we have a good attendance so that we can do this
again. On May 6, the pool opens on weekends during the month of May. It will also be open
on Memorial Day. A complete pool schedule of days and hours will be in the next newsletter. Then there is the 4th of July. We will have a picnic in the Park and Splash Day as our
celebration this year. We would like to line up some sponsors to defray costs for us. We
will talk about this at the Events Committee meeting. If you have any ideas about what you
want to do at the picnic or are willing to help, please let me know—or better yet—come to
the Events Committee meeting on May 3.
There are still some residents who have not yet paid the assessment fees. Are you aware
that you are being charged a penalty and interest for late payment of the assessments? You
need to get this taken care of ASAP to save yourself some money. If you are having financial
difficulty in paying the assessment, please call John Irwin. He will be glad to work with you
to arrange terms and methods of payment.
We have had another sighting in our subdivision of a raccoon using our storm sewers as
highways to infiltrate the neighborhood. We also have a family of large hawks frequenting
the area too. If you have small pets, you would be wise not to let them roam the neighborhood. With hawks in daylight hours, and coyotes and raccoons at night, anything smaller
than twenty-five pounds could be in danger. Be a responsible pet owner. Don’t let your pet
be the next victim.
Tony Adams
Cornerstone Place HOA President
Page 9
Volume
Issue 04
The18,Home
Advantage
by David and Barbara Rozier
The Hidden
Property Tax
Every year at this time the
trees start to bud and the
flowers bloom and everyone
begins the annual ritual of
cutting their lawns, unless
you’re like me and you hire
someone else to cut it for
you. Regardless you
recognize the beginning of
Spring and know that
Summer is just around the
corner.
But there is another annual
occurrence that takes place
every year about this time
and that is property tax
assessments are mailed out to
homeowners across the state
of Texas. You have probably
received one for your home
recently. If not you can rest
assured that it is on the way
to your mailbox.
In the state of Texas there is
no income tax (unless you’re
a corporation in which case
you pay a franchise tax which
amounts to an income tax on
business). But local and
county governments, school
districts, emergency services
districts and hospital districts
largely derive their operating
revenue from property taxes
(more than half of the
property taxes paid by tax
payers in Texas are levied by
school districts). Each year
April 2017
these taxing authorities are
required to propose a property
tax rate that they will charge
for operating that year. They
are legally required to hold
public hearings and provide
information to the public.
Taxes are calculated based on
the appraised value of the real
property within a taxing
authority’s jurisdiction. For
example, a home valued at
$300,000 with a total tax rate
of $2.50 per $100 dollars of
value would have a tax bill of
$7,500. This same calculation
is made for every property
within the district’s
jurisdiction to establish the
total revenue for the district.
So there are two ways that the
revenues can increase: (1) the
district can increase the tax
rate or, (2) the property values
can increase. Many districts
claimed to have kept taxes
rates low, but in reality tax
bills have been soaring
because property values have
been rising dramatically.
According to the Texas
Association of REALTORS,
“[o]ver the last two decades,
local property taxes have
increased so rapidly that many
property owners are being
forced to sell their
properties—and taxpayer
frustration is reaching a
boiling point.
“In recent years, local taxing
entities (cities, counties, etc.)
have netted tremendous gains
in tax revenue due to rapidly
increasing appraisal values.
Page 10
Relying on appraisal
increases—not rate
increases—enables taxing
entities to claim that they
‘haven’t raised taxes’, when
in truth, taxpayer bills have
been increasing dramatically.
This back door method of
increasing tax revenue is
being called the “Hidden
Property Tax” because
districts are not required to
actually be transparent with
the taxpayers. There is some
protection for the taxpayer in
the system and that is when
tax revenue increases more
that 8% for a taxing authority
then tax voters are allowed to
petition for a rollback
election.
There is a movement afoot in
the Texas Legislature to
effect property tax reform.
There are several bills
proposing to address this
issue and relieve the burden
on tax payers. If you are
interested in learning more
about this issue you can go to
www.hiddenpropertytax.com
where you will find
information and about how
property taxes are
established, find information
about what is happening in
Austin and even find a way to
contact your state
representatives.
David and Barbara are Realtors® with
Keller Williams Realty in Katy and live
on Kent Falls Dr. in Cornerstone Place.