The Results Are In…

Beau Chêne

Election of Directors Results

The results of the board of director elections were announced at our annual meeting last night, Wednesday, May 16th.  This year there were four (4) Directors elected for a three (3) year term each.

The newly elected directors are: David Parnell, C. DeShea Richardson, Michael Riggs and Doug Tate.  DeShea and Doug are reelected to another term and David and Michael are elected to their first terms.  Thank you for your willingness to volunteer your time and energies to positively impact our wonderful community. Congratulations!

Cristina Donovan
Chief Administrative Officer

BCHOA Election Reminder

Beau Chêne

Your vote matters! All property owners should have received the 2018 Ballot materials for the election of four (4) Directors in the mail. Each homeowner has the privilege and right to vote for their BCHOA Directors. Your vote also counts toward the establishment of a quorum for the transaction of business at the Annual Meeting. Carefully review the materials and cast your vote according to the instructions contained in the mailing.

All ballots must be received by The Ballot Box by May 9th to be counted. The results of the election will be announced at the Annual Meeting of homeowners on May 16, 2017.

If you did not receive the ballot materials, please notify me as soon as possible so I can have The Ballot Box resend the materials to your mailing address. I may be reached by phone at 985-231-6285 or email at cristinad@bchoa.org.

Please mark your calendars for these important dates. You can refer to our calendar on our website at www.bchoa.org/calendar/ for these and other important dates.

 

Regards,

Cristina Donovan
Chief Administrative Officer
Beau Chene Homeowners Association

Main Entrance Roadway Work April 10 & 11, 2018

Beau Chêne

 Dear Homeowners and Residents,
 
Starting this Tuesday, April 10th  thru Wednesday, April 11th, roadwork will be performed on the inside left lane of the Main Entrance.  The right entrance lane will remain open for all vehicles during this period.  The roadwork consists of improvements and sealant to the stamped concrete under the porte cochere roof.
Please contact the BCHOA office at 985-231-6285 or via e-mail at cristinad@bchoa.org with any questions.

Cristina Donovan
Chief Administrative Officer

 

 

Fire Hydrant Flushing

Beau Chêne
To:  Beau Chene Water System Homeowners and Residents

As part of Beau Chene’s Public Works Operation and Maintenance program, water system operators will be flushing fire hydrants beginning April 9th and continuing through April 20th, as necessary.  This operation will be conducted at night between the hours of 11:30p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

The purpose of flushing the fire hydrants is to remove loose mineral deposits from the water system distribution pipes.  Flushing operations are performed on a bi-annual basis, normally early in the year and then again immediately before the local fire district conducts required hydrant flow tests for firefighting and insurance rating purposes.

If as a result of either our hydrant flushing or fire district flow testing, you experience mineral deposits in your water, please open your outdoor faucet where water enters the house, and run water slowly until it is clear.  Then slowly run your indoor faucets until your system is clear.  Problems with deposits should be minimal as Beau Chene’s potable water system has been treated to sequester these naturally occurring well water minerals since 1996.

Very truly yours,

David Vinson
Public Works Director

Beau Chene’s Best Service Contractor – Northshore Disposal Services, Inc.

Beau Chêne, Beautiful Oak Living,

Northshore Disposal Services, Inc. (NSD) has been collecting Beau Chene’s garbage and yard trash for over 45 years! This tenure of service is not an accident, but a testament to the quality and level of service that this company has always maintained year after year. This family-owned and operated business was founded by Rodney Keys, Sr. in 1959 shortly after Mr. Keys married the love of his life, Victoria. They started servicing Beau Chene residents in 1973 when there were only seven houses built on Bocage Lane. Today, we have 1,185 single family homes and 339 condos all being serviced by NSD.

According to Rodney Jr., the eldest son, his father’s business philosophy was “Do it Right!” “Work Smart!” and “Do Quality Work!”. This work philosophy was ingrained into the family members and employees. Today, NSD is operated by the second generation of the Keys family. Rodney and Victoria had three children; Rodney Jr., Richard (Ricky) and a daughter named Robin. Robin passed away in 1986 from cancer at the age of 14. Rodney Jr. and Ricky are now the principal operators of the family business with their mother, Victoria, still performing administrative functions. Both Rodney Jr. and Ricky started working in the business during their junior high school years. Now they are both married and have families of their own. Rodney Jr. is married to Denean Trigs-Keys with two children; Robin-Renee (19 yrs. old) and Rodney, III (17 yrs. old). Ricky is married to Vanessa McKenzia Keys and they have two children as well; Raven (17 yrs. old) and Reina (13 yrs. old).

Rodney Jr. and Ricky are maintaining the high quality of service by training their employees with the same work philosophy as their deceased father trained them. Their level of commitment to their work is evidenced in every day work ethics and by consistently going above the call of duty. An amazing example of their dedication recently happened when they found a resident’s wallet in the middle of the road and brought it to our office. We contacted the resident, who did not realize she had dropped the wallet, and she was delighted to retrieve it with all its’ contents intact. Another example of service above the call of duty was when Rodney Jr. went to the dump to go through the trash to find a resident’s stock certificates and bonds that accidently got thrown out. In addition, they have gone through their trucks to retrieve a lost wedding ring and, I am sure, many other lost valuables over the years.

Rodney Jr. and Ricky both expressed their appreciation for serving our community. They both feel like family and have seen so many kids grow up here and now see them as adults moving back into Beau Chene with their families. Despite the recent trends in the waste disposal industry of consolidations by “big business”, NSD continues to maintain their family owned business with the highest level of personal service. We are very grateful for NSD and hope to see the business carry on through the next generation for many years to come.

Keeping You Informed – Board Minutes Available

Beau Chêne


The most recently approved minutes, from the January 26, 2018 board meeting, are now available for viewing on the member access only website at www.bchoa.org. Click the tab “login” in the upper right corner on the home page. You will be prompted for an ID# and password to gain access. The ID# is your Homeowner member # (five or six digits). This member ID# may be obtained from the BCHOA office at 985-231-6285. For your first-time logging in use the member ID# for both the login and password.

If you experience any difficulty in logging into your secure member access site, please call the BCHOA office at 985-231-6285 and ask for Myrna or Misty.

Cristina Donovan
Chief Administrative Officer

Calling 811 Before You Dig

Beau Chêne

State law requires calling 811 to have any buried utility lines located and marked before digging on your property. Because natural gas and other underground utility lines are widespread, striking one can disrupt neighborhood utility services, result in large repair costs and fines, and cause injuries or loss of life.

Many home-improvement projects require calling 811, such as:

  • Excavating for a driveway
  • Installing a sprinkler system
  • Digging holes for fence posts or a mailbox
  • Anchoring supports for decks and swings
  • Installing a retainer wall
  • Contouring and landscaping
  • Planting trees
  • Removing tree roots
  • Driving landscaping stakes

The state of Louisiana requires calling 811 at least two working days before digging is to begin, excluding weekends and legal holidays.

With one call to 811, all underground utility lines will be located and marked on your property at no charge to you. Natural gas lines will be marked with yellow flags or spray paint, and other utility lines will be marked with different standard colors.

The 811 service does not locate customer-owned lines on a property or inside a building. You must hire a licensed plumber or contractor to mark those lines. Please stay safe and call 811 for any projects involving digging on your property.
Submitted by Cristina Donovan
(source – Atmos Energy)

 

New Pedestrian Designated Paths and Roadway Markings

Beau Chêne

A Letter From Cristina Donovan

In recent magazine articles, emails and social media posts, I have communicated an overriding goal developed from our Re-Image Master Plan to improve upon the safety, security, and social aspects of the community. To build upon the natural and manmade resources to provide safer walkability and recreational opportunities for residents, we implemented street re-designs in late 2017 as approved by the Board of Directors. The street re-design includes pedestrian walking paths and crosswalks around a central loop and secondary access paths.

Improved safety features include:

  • reduced width of vehicular/bike lanes from 12’ to 10’ (historically shown to reduce vehicular speeds)
  • 4-foot-wide designated walking paths marked with a solid white line and white on white raised reflective pavement markers
  • Crosswalks at all major intersections within the walking path loops
  • Vehicular stop bars at all major intersections within the walking path loops
  • Repainting of all speed humps throughout subdivision
  • Bicycle markings indicating lane sharing with vehicles
  • Pedestrian markings on the designated walking paths

The photos display some of the new markings mentioned above that are found on our re-designed streets. The bicycle symbol with the double directional arrow is the standard marking for a shared bike and vehicular lane traveling in the same direction. The marked crosswalks provide designated crossings for pedestrians to transition from one side of the street to the other. The new stop bars are placed within a few feet of the stop signs to signal the vehicular drivers where to stop.

I have received very positive feedback from residents about various aspects of the street re-design. Drivers of motor vehicles, on average, are slowing down and more aware of both the bikers and pedestrians. We have many miles of roadway within Beau Chene (a total of 17 miles) for bikers and pedestrians to explore and we hope the designated pedestrian walking paths on the re-designed streets will encourage more social interaction and promote healthier and more active lifestyles for our residents.

Cristina Donovan
CAO