Announcements & News

Coyote Issue

Research of the coyote issue:
1. Animal Control does not provide nuisance wildlife removal. If a coyote
becomes a danger to property or animals, you can submit a request to the
police chief, who MAY authorize and direct the humane trapping of A
SPECIFIC animal responsible for the damages. Again this is directed at one
animal which is creating a problem.

2. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks: I visited their office in
Shawnee to discuss the issue of coyotes and potential solutions. I was told
that there have been many more sightings this year within the county
largely the result of the dry conditions that have been prevalent this
year. These dry conditions have reduced their food supply in their natural
habitat and as a result they are coming to areas where food is more
plentiful. I was given names of individuals who are in business to remove
unwanted wildlife.

3. Town and Country: (Not affiliated with our trash folks). I talked to
James who is the owner and he advised that Overland Park is very reluctant
to issue permits for the trapping of coyotes, unless an INDIVIDUAL animal
is posing imminent danger to pets or humans. The time required to catch a
coyote can take weeks and if there are sightings throughout our
neighborhood, which there have been in the past, where do you start and
where do you stop. With the Overland Park golf course to our west with its
large wooded area just south of 119th Street, this is a prime area for
coyotes to nest. This and Indian Creek provide both safe haven and water
for them.

4. Animal Protection: I talked to Gary, the owner, about the prospects of
removing coyotes from our area. His discussion mirrored that of James
above. Coyotes have no natural enemies in our location. Mountain lions are
a threat to coyotes but they do not exist in this area so there is nothing
to scare them away from our environment. If a coyote is trapped there is no
one that wants them relocated to their area which results in the animal
being put down. Coyotes are very trap wary and if one is caught, it is
almost impossible to catch another one in the same area. The cost could
potentially run into thousands of dollars with no guarantee of success.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, along with
the two individuals above, stated that the best solution is to inform your
residents that coyotes are being sighted in the area more than usual as a
result of the dry weather that has been experienced over the last 6 months.
Small pets should not be let outside without being watched, particularly in
homes that do not have a fenced in yard. Small children should not even be
an issue. even without coyotes being present.

Bird feeders are one example of how coyotes are attracted to an area. As
the birds drop the seeds to the ground, small rodents (mice, rats,
squirrels, chipmunks) are attracted to the area to feed and the coyote is
able to catch the scent of these animals as a food source. Food waste left
outdoors also attracts them. If the trash can is left outside, even with a
cover on it, the coyote is able to smell the contents and has found another
food source. The worst situation is where people leave food out for wild
animals. This only encourages them to return to the same area for feeding.

 

Trash Container Issues/Problems
Please contact our Property Manager, Steve Parker at 322-1039.

Nottingham Forest Work
The work in Nottingham Forest involves a total of four electric transmission structures, two of which are in the right-of-way between Switzer and Nieman and two that are west of Nieman Rd. These structures are scheduled to be replaced in early 2011, weather permitting. The work in Nottingham Forest will require the removal of some trees and the temporary removal of a few sections offence and garden borders. Both the fences and garden borders will be restored to their original condition. There will be minimal tree trimming needed for truck access.

Below is general information about the project. It is not intended to replace individual meetings with customers along the right-of-way who have specific questions about the impact to their property. Individual meetings are the best way to address residence-specific issues and will be held prior to doing any work on a customer's property.

The right-of-way will be accessed from Nieman Road for two structures. The one structure farthest to the east will be accessed from 123rd Terrace, and the structure farthest to the west will be accessed from the golf course.

The new structures will be galvanized steel, and each pole will come in two pieces for easier access to the right-of-way (4 pieces per 2-pole structure). Galvanized steel provides more longevity, less maintenance, and eliminates the need for the X braces, improving the aesthetics. The new structures will have smaller insulators and the same number of wires as the existing structures. Each new structure is an average of 6-10 feet taller in order to try to preserve lower-growing vegetation.

Construction work process and equipment (Par Electrical Contractors)
• Poles delivered to site using trailer and 30-ton crane
• Poles set near existing structure
• Holes for new structures dug by digger derrick (new holes eliminate the need to
bring in another crane)
• Digger derrick sets new pole, and holes will be backfilled with dirt and rock
• Crew installs the new arm
• Old wire transferred to new structure
• Old structure removed by cutting it into pieces and hauling the pieces out by crane
• Hole from old structure will be filled in
• Other equipment will include pickup trucks, material hauler and gravel truck

The above work should take about 2 days to complete each structure, weather permitting. The total project should take about 45 days. The line has to be in service for summer heat (end of May). Otherwise construction maybe delayed until fall (September - October).

New wire pulled in after all structures are changed between Switzer and 124th Street west of Quivira (KCP&L crews)
• Wire pulled into place using wire trailer and rope rig equipment
• Wire attached to structures using 85' Elliot man lift
• New wire energized, completing construction work

Restoration
• Thorne Tree Service will make all repairs to property and easement.
• Restoration will consist of area clean-up, fence repair and repairing any vehicle
damage to grass by seeding or sod.

Environmental concern
• The poles were treated with an EPA permitted/registered pesticide under FIFRA
(Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act) and were used in
compliance with the Act. That act does not require testing of former pole sites.

Distribution line
The lower voltage distribution line will be left as it is and is unaffected by this project.

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Trash Pick-up will be on Tuesday morning beginning May 3, 2011. This includes recycling.

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Please see Financial Report page for information on Fiscal 2012 Dues.

ATTENTION: There have been a number of thefts in Nottingham Forest in the past several weeks. Items have been stolen from inside cars parked on the street or in driveways and from garages when the door has been left open. Additionally, a resident had their car stolen from their driveway during the middle of the night, it is still missing, and the police are not hopeful of recovering it. Please be diligent in securing your home, cars, and belongings!!

 

NEWS FROM THE BOARD - Posted 3/26/09

* There have been questions concerning the lettering on the new monuments along Switzer. The words "Nottingham Forest" face the "interior" of the subdivision, 121st and 123rd streets, not Switzer. There will be plaques with the letters "NF" placed on the monuments, once they are completed, that will face Switzer. This design was approved by the Board at the advice of the contractor. His rationale: when traveling down a busy street such as Switzer, a motorist doesn't have time to read lots of letters. The "NF" is short and succinct and will draw attention to our subdivision. The complete interior lettering obviously gives our full name. Hope this answers any questions; as usual, please be patient as this project progresses.

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Nottingham Forest Homes Association Dues

• Oct. 17, 2011: Annual NFHA meeting.
• Oct. 2011: Dues Statements mailed
• Dec. 20, 2011: Dues of $595 are due to be paid
• Dec. 21, 2011: Late fee of $100 applies

If you have any questions or do NOT receive a statement, please notify us via our web site www.nottinghamforest.org, or call 913-685-1996, or mail us a letter to NFHA, PO Box 25523, OP, KS 66225. Please remit payment to this address.

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Town & Country Disposal Service Changes - Questions Contact Steve Parker at

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Changes in NF Board Procedure & Policy
The Board has determined that we will only address violations of deed restrictions and will not serve as a mediation body between conflicts with neighbors. Thanks for all of NF continued support to the Board!

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Care of Pine Trees Affected By Needle Blight - There has been stress on pine trees due to the heat and needle blight. A tree specialist is recommending the following steps to try and save these trees. This Fall, pick-up needles on the ground, cut off dead branches, water and fertilize with a pine fertilizer. In the Spring (mid-April), spray all the needles with a copper bordeaux fungicide before the "candles" on the needles develop. The candles are the new growth on the trees. The most affected pines are Austrian, Ponderosa and Mugo. Contact a tree specialist if you have any specific questions on the pine trees in your yard. You can also Google "needle blight" for articles on this subject.

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NFHA RECORDS

If you are a past member of the NFHA Board of Directors and have records that belong to the Association, please give us a call at 913-685-1996 so we can retrieve those records. We are missing several years of information and documents that pertain to NF.

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Boats, Trailers, etc. Parked In Violation - Notice 6/23/05: Many homes are in violation of the deed restrictions governing Nottingham Forest which state that “no vehicle, truck, trailer, bus, campers, boats or other apparatus, except passenger automobiles, shall be left or stored on said property, except in an enclosed garage.” Letters are being sent to each homeowner we see in violation. It is the Board’s goal to maintain the integrity of Nottingham Forest, so we thank you in advance for your cooperation in relocating this type of property.

Placement of Political Signs
Please avoid placing political campaign signs in the common ground or by the neighborhood sign monuments. As a neighborhood, we do not support any particular candidate or issue.

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SOME WARNING WHEN HIRING A REMODELER (posted 08-04-04)

Your NFHA Board has received inquiries from our residents as to how to warn other residents on what home remodeler’s not to use. We cannot post individual remodeler names on our web site or in our newsletter for a recommendation or blacklist; however, we can offer the following advice to you if you are considering a home remodel:

Have defined Scope of Work to be completed to obtain bids

Check with the Better Business Bureau on your list of contractor(s)

Are the contractors licensed in Kansas

Obtain references for other similar work completed

Be sure you have a Overland Park Building Permit (if required)

Check Nottingham Forest Restriction of Deed requirements, available on-line in our Web Site

Have a signed contract containing, but not limited to:

Scope of Work to be completed

Work schedule

Quoted cost of work and how to manage cost and scheduling of changes

How to handle Progress Payments, and a Hold Back Dollar clause until final completion and acceptance of work

Arrange for a Final Inspection for acceptance, prior to releasing Hold Back Dollars

Assignment and subcontracting of work

Liability and Workmen’s Compensation Insurance

Waiver of Liens (mechanic’s lien)

Guarantees of work

Assignment of guarantees and warranties for sub-contractor work and equipment (appliances as an example) and materials (roof materials as an example)

If a contractor refuses any of the above, then this might be a warning signal of potential problems to come.

Your NFHA Board

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Speeding within our subdivision

The NF Board has devoted a lot of discussion on how to handle the speeding issue in NF. Help has been sought from the OP councilman who represents our neighborhood (Terry Goodman, who is also a NF resident), and to have him solicit ideas from the city of Overland Park. The second step was to bring in a mobile speed monitoring trailer so residents and others can check their speeds to the posted speed limits. The trailer was brought in on 3/8/04 by the OP Police. Plans are to move it around the neighborhood with concentration on Nieman, 121/Bluejacket and 123rd streets, and possibly Goodard between 121st and 123rd streets and elsewhere.

Other solutions are being considered and more information on this issue will be posted here and in the NF newsletter.

Update 3/23/04
Dear NF residents:

My name is Brian Shields, and I am the City Traffic Engineer for Overland Park. Councilmember Goodman asked me to write a short message to outline some of the initiatives the City is undertaking to combat speeding problems like you have mentioned.

Some of the solutions offered typically include speed bumps (currently against City policy), lower speed limits, all-way stops and similar measures. Most of these are not possible or practical. Let me give you a few short reasons. The City has adopted federal guidelines covering the installation of all traffic control devices. For an all-way stop to be installed, certain minimum amounts of traffic must be present throughout a typical day. We only have about 35 to 40 locations city-wide that meet these guidelines (which is why you don't see many). Placing stop signs where they are not warranted will typically result in motorists having a higher disregard for them. As for reduced speed limits, drivers tend to drive at a speed that feels comfortable and appropriate for the given roadway conditions. We typically set the speed limit on a collector at 30 mph and for the most part a majority of drivers will tend to drive at or near this speed. Unfortunately, there are those drivers that are determined to make things bad for all of us by driving way above the speed limit.

We have been dealing with this issue for a long time and are proposing a new method for attacking the problem. You may have heard of it ... traffic calming. Traffic calming is a way to narrow roadways intermittently or install speed humps to slow traffic 24/7. We are working on a pilot project for this summer to test the effectiveness of traffic calming measures in OP. When the results are in this fall, we hope that the City Council will realize the benefits of using traffic calming measures in OP and approve a full program that would give residents a voice in the way traffic is managed in their neighborhood. If you would like to learn more about our proposed traffic calming program, please go to the following link:

http://www.opkansas.org/_Res/Traffic_&_Transportation/traffic_calming.cfm

We will collect some data in your neighborhood to determine the extent of speeding on the streets as well as the traffic volumes. This will help us later should we have a traffic calming program in place and need to select some locations for improvement.

I know this has been a short e-mail, but I would be happy to answer any of your questions in more detail. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail or by phone (913) 895-6024.

Sincerely,
Brian Shields
City Traffic Engineer

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Mailbox Update

New Mailbox Policy effective 9/20/04.
HEAVY DUTY RURAL MAILBOXES
U.S.P.S APPROVED
Made entirely of aluminum, Salsbury U.S.P.S. approved 4800 series heavy duty rural mailboxes feature a 1/8'' thick extruded aluminum body and a 1/8'' thick die cast Rural mailboxes also feature a durable powder coated finish and include an adjustable red signal
flag and a magnetic door catch. The die cast oor is attached to
the body with a full-width stainless steel hinge allowing for smooth operation. Rural mailboxes can be mounted on mailbox posts. Rural mailboxes are approved for U.S.P.S. curbside mail delivery.

 

 

• 7-1/2'' W x 9-1/2'' H x 20-1/2'' D
• 15 lbs.

Mailbox Repairs: Please call Steve Parker at 375-2261. This includes damaged posts.

 

 

 

 

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NOISE DISTURBANCE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

According to the City of Overland Park...

http://www.opkansas.org/ states the following in the Overland Park Municipal Code, Chapter 6.04 #8:

That the animals will not make disturbing noises, including but not limited to, continued and repeated or untimely howling, barking, whining or other utterances causing unreasonable annoyance, disturbance or discomfort to neighbors and others in close proximity to the premises where the animals are kept or harbored, or otherwise be offensive or dangerous to the public health, safety or welfare, by virtue of their behavior, number, type or manner of keeping.

 

To report animals running loose or noisy animals: 895-6300. See http://www.opkansas.org for more information on Animal Control and enforcement.

Please be considerate of your neighbors!!

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Overland Park’s Ordinance for Tree Maintenance

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