WILDFIRE PREPAREDNESS AND WHAT’S HAPPENING IN DAVENPORT RIM
Dear Neighbor - As you know, Central Texas is currently in a “severe to extreme” drought condition: https://www.drought.gov/states/texas
This has led to a number of active wildfires and wildfires that have been contained, with active fires as of today in Travis and Hays Counties: https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/CurrentSituation/, and
Importantly, the City of Austin is currently in a “Very High” risk category for fire danger: https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/DailyFireDanger/
Our current situation and what we have done:
A recent inspection by our contractor Bartlett Tree Experts has indicated that there are a number of dead trees and branches in the backyards of homes in our neighborhood, particularly behind units 1-27 that are close to the greenbelt on the west-northwest sides of our property. The Board takes our current fire alert seriously, especially to reduce the danger for our owners in case of a catastrophic fire that moves in from our most vulnerable sides of the neighborhood. To this end, the Board has:
obtained Firewise Certification from the Austin Police Department and City of Austin,
cleared a 20-ft. firebreak corridor behind the above units, with a Yellowstone contract that includes 3 times a year removal of brush, grass, and dead limbs,
consulted with Austin Energy to remove high level trees above our utility right-of-way behind units 7-23 to prune tops of trees that could act as fire-jumps to our neighborhood from the greenbelt trees (trees to be removed or pruned have already been marked),
consulted with Bartlett trees to remove or prune a total of 20 more dead trees in the greenbelt and inner greenbelt areas (i.e., not included in the Austin Energy removal plan) – removal costs have been approved; the work should occur by September 1, and
inspected our property to identify back yards that contain dead or decaying tree material that constitute a fire hazard to their unit and units on each side of their unit.
What you can do:
The Board has identified several unit back yards that contain a tree or other material that needs to be removed, and those units were recently notified. This is because Firewise suggestions to homeowners in the community include removal of dead trees and branches around the home, as well as many other tips: https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Fire-causes-and-risks/Wildfire/Firewise-USA
Even though you may not have received a notice to remove dead branches, trees, etc., the Board wants to once again make you aware of new Rule 32 in the Association’s Rules and Regulations that require all homeowners to maintain the appearance of their back and side yards (see attached Rule). This rule states that owners “shall keep all shrubs, trees, grass and plantings of every kind ….cultivated, pruned, free of trash, and other unsightly material.”
The Board has done all it can reasonably do at this time to reduce fire danger in our community, and we are now asking YOU to help in reducing our overall fire danger. You can do this very simply by being aware of the easy suggestions found in the Firewise link above.
The Board considers a fire in the community as one of the major disasters for which we cannot totally plan. Our budget reserves are not fully prepared for a catastrophic weather event, although we do carry insurance that will cover the cost of common area rebuilds such as the mail hut, lost trees, etc. Please remember that our HOA insurance does not cover individual units. The Texas Department of Insurance advises Texans to check their insurance policies to recover from disasters like wildfires, particularly since home values have increased recently.
If you have any questions or concerns about this issue, please contact Paul Meisler at Pioneer/Beck management.
Thanks for your awareness of this problem, and for supporting your community!
Davenport Rim HOA Board of Directors
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