Update on Storm Damage

The Board is heartbroken about the look of the neighborhood and the trees we have lost. Even today, after the worst of the ice storm, branches are still coming down and more trees are being damaged.

We have been in touch with our landscape company, Yellowstone, and they have promised to come out tomorrow, Friday (they’re in strategic planning mode today since they have several neighborhoods to cover).

1. If anyone cannot get out of their driveway because of downed limbs that you cannot move yourself, please let me know (carl.erickson@austin.utexas.edu) and you will be a priority for removal of tree limbs.

2. Yellowstone will begin the process of clearing our road tomorrow and will do as much as they can in the time available.

3. Our Yellowstone manager told us that cleaning up the neighborhood will be a week-long process, since they will do what they can within the limits of their liability, and will be working on the common areas on a non-priority basis.

4. Please be aware that as thawing of the ice continues, there will be further damage to trees (I hear branches still coming down as I write this).

Our other concern is the large trees that have damage that cannot be handled by Yellowstone. Bartlett Tree Experts has promised to stop by tomorrow (Friday) and do a walk-through to look at the damage to the tops of our large trees. They are aware that our neighborhood has several uprooted and/or broken trees in the higher levels, and it is going to be extensive (and expensive!) repair and replacement. Their representative will provide a timeline tomorrow as to when those repairs will be done. We will let you know that timeline when we have it.

The Board is holding its previously-postponed meeting tomorrow (Friday) and will discuss how to pay for the weather related damage. It is amazing that we are still replacing damaged trees from the February 2021 freeze, and now we have another highly damaging weather situation to maneuver, two years later.

Finally, in the city’s press conference today, it was mentioned that trash pickup will start up again today, so unless we hear otherwise, plan to put out your trash, compost, and recycle bins tonight (Thursday) for pick-up on Friday, in whatever space along the curb that is not impacted by broken limbs. Pickups may be late, as much as a day later. If you wish to put some small piles of broken limbs next to your trash can, they might pick them up and save the HOA some money, but our guess is that the City will not have a lot of time/resources to do that.

Hopefully, everyone's electricity is now back on, after being off for almost 24 hours.

Thanks to everyone for your patience in the cleanup of our neighborhood!

Your HOA Board