All posts by Cristina Donovan

Keeping You Informed – Fire Hydrant Flushing To Start On October 10, 2016

The local fire district requires fire hydrants to be tested regularly so they can be rated for firefighting and insurance purposes.  The district has scheduled testing in Beau Chene to start on Monday, October 10.  The Homeowners Association will flush hydrants, as necessary, during the week of October 3rd thru 7th to remove loose mineral deposits from the system prior to the high flows involved with testing.  Flushing operations will be performed between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.  If, as a result of either our flushing or fire district testing, you should experience deposits in your water, please open outside faucets and run them until your system is clear.  Problems with deposits should be minimal because the water has been treated since 1996 for the mineral deposits. Please call Lindsey Adkins at 985-231-6285, ext. 3, if you have any questions concerning these procedures.

 

Cristina Donovan
Chief Administrative Office

 

Keeping You Informed – Opening Day of East Gate Guardhouse

Beginning on Monday, October 3rd, the security guards will be operating from the newly constructed Fontainbleau (East) entrance guardhouse. This guardhouse has been equipped with a barrier gate arm in the right or outer lane. Procedures for entering this entrance remain the same as current traffic flow with a few exceptions. All vehicles, members and visitors, will be directed into the left or inner lane to enter the subdivision with the following exceptions:

Monday thru Friday:

•During the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. the gate arm will remain in the UP position and the Patrol/Rover will staff the outer lane to allow vehicles with decals to enter the subdivision freely.
•During the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. the gate arm will remain in the UP position and a second guard will cover the outer lane to allow vehicles with decals to enter the subdivision freely.

All other hours of day and night the gate arm will remain in the DOWN position. The guard on duty will have the ability to open the gate arm remotely for:
•Oversized vehicles that cannot clear the clearance of 11’ 0” or 11 feet.
•To alleviate a temporary backup of vehicles if necessary
The existing white cones will continue to be used for a period of time to direct the traffic flow into the left or inner lane while entering the subdivision.

You may contact either Bill Maier at billm@bchoa.org or me at cristinad@bchoa.org if you have any questions concerning these procedures.

Cristina Donovan
Chief Administrative Office

Cross-connection Control Program Residential Surveys Scheduled For September 22, 2016

As mandated by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals-Office of Public Health (LDHH-OPH), Beau Chene Public Works Staff and Compliance Testing and Remediation personnel will continue residential Cross-Connection Control Surveys on Thursday, September 22, 2016.  These Surveys will require brief access to your outdoor property in order to identify possible sources of cross-connection of Beau Chene’s potable water system with water of unknown quality.  The Surveys will identify pools, lawn irrigation systems, hot tubs, garden fountains, and hose bib vacuum breakers at each residence.  Existing backflow prevention methods will be evaluated for proper installation of backflow assemblies as required by LDHH-OPH and the Louisiana State Plumbing Code.

The surveys scheduled for Thursday, September 22, 2016 will include residences on the following streets:

  • East Ruelle
  • Tete L’Ours (800 Block)

Our Public Works staff will “door to door” contact each resident on the above listed streets prior to the actual survey.  “Door-Knockers” will be left if a resident is not at home.

You may find further information regarding this program on our website under the Homeowners tab and select Cross Connection Control Program.

http://www.bchoa.org/homeowners/cross-connection-control-program/

If you have any questions concerning this program please contact the office at 985-231-6285.

David W. Vinson
BCHOA Public Works Director

Cross-connection Control Program Residential Surveys Scheduled For September 15, 2016

As mandated by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals-Office of Public Health (LDHH-OPH), Beau Chene Public Works Staff and Compliance Testing and Remediation personnel will continue residential Cross-Connection Control Surveys on Thursday, September 15, 2016.  These Surveys will require brief access to your outdoor property in order to identify possible sources of cross-connection of Beau Chene’s potable water system with water of unknown quality.  The Surveys will identify pools, lawn irrigation systems, hot tubs, garden fountains, and hose bib vacuum breakers at each residence.  Existing backflow prevention methods will be evaluated for proper installation of backflow assemblies as required by LDHH-OPH and the Louisiana State Plumbing Code.

The surveys scheduled for Thursday, September 15, 2016 will include residences on the following streets:

  • Longwood Drive (100 Block)
  • West Ruelle
  • Audubon Lane
  • Tete L’Ours (700 Block)

Our Public Works staff will “door to door” contact each resident on the above listed streets prior to the actual survey.  “Door-Knockers” will be left if a resident is not at home.

You may find further information regarding this program on our website under the Homeowners tab and select Cross Connection Control Program.

http://www.bchoa.org/homeowners/cross-connection-control-program/

If you have any questions concerning this program please contact the office at 985-231-6285.

David W. Vinson
BCHOA Public Works Director

 

Cross-connection Control Program Residential Surveys Scheduled For September 7, 2016

As mandated by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals-Office of Public Health (LDHH-OPH), Beau Chene Public Works Staff and Compliance Testing and Remediation personnel will continue residential Cross-Connection Control Surveys on Wednesday, September 7, 2016.  These Surveys will require brief access to your outdoor property in order to identify possible sources of cross-connection of Beau Chene’s potable water system with water of unknown quality.  The Surveys will identify pools, lawn irrigation systems, hot tubs, garden fountains, and hose bib vacuum breakers at each residence.  Existing backflow prevention methods will be evaluated for proper installation of backflow assemblies as required by LDHH-OPH and the Louisiana State Plumbing Code.

The surveys scheduled for Wednesday, September 7, 2016 will include residences on the following streets:

Beau Chene Dr. (500 Block)                                    Longwood Drive (74-100)
Crepe Myrtle Place                                                     Beau Soleil Place
Hawthorne Place                                                        Cerf Place
Linden Place                                                                 Choctaw Place
Brandon Place

Our Public Works staff will “door to door” contact each resident on the above listed streets prior to the actual survey.  “Door-Knockers” will be left if a resident is not at home.

You may find further information regarding this program on our website under the Homeowners tab and select Cross Connection Control Program.

http://www.bchoa.org/homeowners/cross-connection-control-program/

If you have any questions concerning this program please contact the office at 985-231-6285.

David W. Vinson
BCHOA Public Works Director

Keeping You Informed – 2016 Labor Day Holiday

Labor Day

Dear Homeowners and Residents,

The Beau Chene Homeowners Association office will be closed on Monday, September 5th for Labor Day. We will be open regular hours 8:00 AM untill 5:00 PM (closed one hour for lunch) the rest of the week. Garbage pickup will still occur as scheduled, but please place your garbage out by 7:00 A.M.

For any water or sewer emergencies please call our main number at 985-231-6285 and press #3 for Lindsey.

For all other emergencies call the Security Guards at:
Main Guard Gate 985-845-7560
East Guard Gate 985-845-8495
Marina Guard Gate 985-845-7022

Have a safe and happy weekend!
Cristina Donovan
Chief Administrative Officer

Keeping You Informed –  St. Tammany Property Tax Roles

Dear Homeowners and Residents,

The property tax rolls for St. Tammany Parish are now open for public inspection through September 14th.  Assessor Louis Fitzmorris is urging all owners to check the assessed value of their property.

Here is a link to an article on NOLA.com regarding access to the property tax rolls: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/08/st_tammany_parish_tax_roll_for.html

Cristina Donovan
Chief Administrative Officer

Keeping You Informed – Armed Man Surrenders to Deputies in Beau Chene

An incident began around 3:00 a.m. today, Thursday, September 1, 2016, which involved a man with a gun barricading himself inside a home on Evangeline Dr. The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office (STPSO) SWAT team responded. The man eventually surrendered to deputies and no one evidently was harmed. Because the incident happened so early in the morning, the Beau Chene Homeowners Association (BCHOA) staff was not aware of the incident until it was over.

Please see the following links to the initial posting about this incident on the STPSO Facebook site.

LINK

LINK

The STPSO deputies kept residents away from the area while the incident was happening so there was no danger to other residents. The STPSO does not usually give the BCHOA any details of incidents in Beau Chene which are not otherwise available to the public, especially while the incidents are happening nor immediately afterward. This is because there are sometimes privacy issues involved and then often on-going investigations. Therefore, when some residents demand details about what happened, the BCHOA staff simply don’t have any details other than the barest minimum of information. In addition, there are times where detectives later investigating an incident ask staff not to share certain aspects of a given investigation the detectives have shared, because to do so would hamper the investigation.

Thank you

Cross-connection Control Program Residential Surveys Scheduled For September 1, 2016

As mandated by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals-Office of Public Health (LDHH-OPH), Beau Chene Public Works Staff and Compliance Testing and Remediation personnel will continue residential Cross-Connection Control Surveys on Thursday, September 1, 2016.  These Surveys will require brief access to your outdoor property in order to identify possible sources of cross-connection of Beau Chene’s potable water system with water of unknown quality.  The Surveys will identify pools, lawn irrigation systems, hot tubs, garden fountains, and hose bib vacuum breakers at each residence.  Existing backflow prevention methods will be evaluated for proper installation of backflow assemblies as required by LDHH-OPH and the Louisiana State Plumbing Code.

The surveys scheduled for Thursday, September 1, 2016 will include residences on the following streets:

North Beau Chene Dr. (600 Block)                   Place Du Pine
Yupon Place                                                              Talisheek Place
Place Du Bois                                                            Fordoche Place
Place Du Chene                                                        Tunica Place
Place Du Vert                                                             Dulac Place
Beau Chene Dr. (600 Block)

Our Public Works staff will “door to door” contact each resident on the above listed streets prior to the actual survey.  “Door-Knockers” will be left if a resident is not at home.

You may find further information regarding this program on our website under the Homeowners tab and select Cross Connection Control Program.

http://www.bchoa.org/homeowners/cross-connection-control-program/

If you have any questions concerning this program please contact the office at 985-231-6285.

David W. Vinson
BCHOA Public Works Director

Keeping You Informed –  Important Updates – August 26, 2016

Dear Homeowners and Residents,

  • Status of the Fontainbleau (East) Gate Entrance Renovation

We are getting very close to “move in day”. The State Fire Marshall has been notified to schedule the inspections of the building. Once the Fire Marshall approval is received, the Parish will be able to issue a Certificate of Occupancy.  The concrete speed humps are currently being stamped in a slate pattern with yellow safety stripes and reflectors added.  Over the next two weeks, the gate arm will be installed in the outer entrance lane, security cameras will be installed and the landscape demo and installation will start.  Any changes in traffic flow during the remaining work will be communicated via Facebook, e-mail and our website plus onsite signage when necessary.

  • Gate Arm at East Entrance

The newly constructed guardhouse at the Fontainbleau (East) entrance includes a porte’ cochere (roof) that extends over the inside entrance lane.  The height of this roof will allow vehicle clearance as high as 11’ 6”.  Vehicles requiring more than this height clearance will need to use the outer or right entrance lane.  In order to maintain security levels and most effectively utilize the Vinson Guard Service contracted guards, the BCHOA security committee unanimously recommended the Board install a single gate arm for the outside entrance lane.  The gate arm will have remote access operated by the security guard to raise and lower the arm as needed.   This outside lane will be used for oversized vehicles and during peak times of day when traffic volume is heavier.  Additional benefits of the remote activated gate arm include reducing or eliminating the need for cones that are presently being used to limit access during non-peak times of the day and night and creating a more secure entrance for residents with valid vehicle decals.  The remote access will allow the security guard to raise the gate arm to accommodate a high volume of traffic when necessary including during designated peak times and if a temporary backup of entering vehicles occurs. The gate arm will result in an additional layer of security to our entrances allowing the guards to focus on scanning visitors’ IDs while still allowing member access during peak times.

  • Permissible and Prohibited Yard Signs

With the upcoming Presidential election around the corner it is a good time to clarify what signs are permitted in Beau Chene.  The Environmental Control Committee (ECC) is authorized by our Restrictive Covenants (Fourth Act of Modification and Third Supplementary Act of Dedication of Servitudes, Privileges and Restrictions by Beau Chene Inc.) to create guidelines for permissible signs.  Section D, page 5 of the ECC Guidelines addresses the permissible signs.  Permissible signs include: 1) Real estate signs for the purpose of resale; 2) Builder’s Signs for a housing unit under construction; 3) Parish Required Signs – for houses under construction; and 4) Home security signs alerting the public that a dwelling is protected by a certain company’s alarm system.  Prohibited signs are signs not specifically permitted in the guidelines.  Prohibited signs include all political signs and all contractor signs that are not required by the parish.

A copy of the ECC Guidelines may be found either on our website at http://www.bchoa.org/information/documents-forms/ or at the BCHOA office.

If you have any questions regarding signs and sign placement, please call the BCHOA office at 985-231-6285 and ask for Bill Maier or me.

  • Back to School Traffic and Safety Reminders

August is back to school month for children residing in Beau Chene. The school buses are back running through the community and the children are out waiting to be picked up or dropped off at their bus stops.  This is a great time to remind everyone of traffic and safety concerns.  Our SPEED LIMIT throughout the entire community is 25 MPH for vehicles and 20 MPH for trucks.  School buses are in the community to pick up children from 6:00AM to 8:30AM and drop-off between the hours of 2:45PM and 4:45PM. It is never acceptable to pass a stopped school bus in either direction on our roads!  Please drive with care and follow all posted traffic signs.

Cristina Donovan
Chief Administrative Officer
Beau Chene Homeowners Association