[cid:image001.png@01DAB653.04473FD0] The Vuecrest View Newsletter, May 2024 In this issue: * June Vuecrest Board meeting info (Join us!) * How to keep your Vuecrest Owner contact information up-to-date * Vuecrest volunteers needed * Community Clean-up day June 14-16th * Safety Matters * Roundabout upgrade coming soon * City of Bellevue APP for Vuecrest Community members June Vuecrest Board meeting (reminder) Owners are always welcome to join our monthly Vuecrest Community Board of Directors meeting. The next meeting is Thursday, June 6th, at 6:00P See you there! Join Zoom Meeting click here<https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5687915826?pwd=b1c5L0phbEx2TXV3Z1EvMm1PSnlQZz09&omn=85681800768> Meeting ID: 568 791 5826 Passcode: 962269 PLAN AHEAD - Upcoming 2024 Monthly Board and Annual Meetings * June 6th 6-7pm, Zoom virtual call * July - tbd * August 1st 6-7pm, Zoom virtual call * September 5th 6-7pm, Zoom virtual call * October 3rd 6-7pm, Zoom virtual call * November 7th 6-7pm, Zoom virtual call * November 12th 6-7pm, Vuecrest Community Annual Meeting, Zoom virtual call * December 5th 6-7pm, Zoom virtual call Vuecrest volunteers Needed We're looking for volunteers to help the gears of Vuecrest go around. Right now we are looking for a Vuecrest Secretary, Newsletter writer and more social committee volunteers. Please contact the Vuecrest Board of Directors at directors@vuecrest.net<mailto:directors@vuecrest.net> if you are interested. [cid:image002.png@01DAB653.04473FD0] Vuecrest Community Clean-up day June 14th Vuecrest Community Clean-up day dumpsters will be back June 14 to 16th and ready to load! Three (3) large dumpsters (Recycle, Yard Waste, and Garbage) will be centrally located on Park Rd in the pull out at 1004 Park Rd (see map below). This is your chance to clean out the house, garage and yard, helping keep Vuecrest Community clean inside & out. Normal Republic/Waste Management sorting methods apply, so be sure to review the signage on each dumpster to determine the best one for your items. The dumpsters are for Vuecrest Owners only. Please , no contractor dumping or other items from outside Vuecrest. Space is limited and is on a first come, first serve basis (if the dumpster is full, do not leave items outside of the dumpsters) so, plan ahead and get ready to Spring clean! [cid:image003.png@01DAB653.04473FD0] [cid:image004.png@01DAB653.04473FD0] Keep Vuecrest Clean We have a treasured neighborhood that many of us enjoy walking. Many residents have noticed an increasing amount of dog waste in yards and on the street. PLEASE not only bag up any dog waste, but then ensure that your dog poop bags make their way to a proper receptacle. It is truly unfortunate to see dog waste and dog waste bags strewn around Vuecrest. Occasionally animals, wind or other factors cause garbage to be strewn about Thursday & Friday as garbage cans go up for collection. Please be a good neighbor and clean up any litter around your property or surrounding areas. Let's keep it clean! [cid:image005.png@01DAB653.04473FD0] Safety Matters, Mike Wittman, Safety Committee Lead [cid:image006.png@01DAB653.04473FD0] In this issue of Safety Matters, we share some helpful tips provided by former Vuecrest HOA board chair, Matt LaPine. These are some simple things anyone can do to improve safety and security. Many of these are just plain common sense. Most of these have previously been shared with the community by Bellevue PD. None of these involve significant expense. Additionally, thank-you Chris and Kristin Bodiford for reporting helpful safety issues you find on your daily walks! We encourage everyone to keep an eye on our community as you get out to enjoy a stroll! 1. When you see any suspicious activity, call 9-1-1. The police don't mind if it turns out to be a false alarm. Really. 2. Leave your porch light on all night. Get a dusk-to-dawn sensor to control it if needed. Lights are a deterrent. Your Safety Committee Lead, Mike Wittman has installed some nifty dusk to dawn light switches that operate on an algorithm using our latitude and longitude to determine sunset and sunrise, made by Honeywell. Easy to install in place of your normal light switch, they also automatically adjust for DST. (Honeywell Home - RPLS740B, programmable switch). 3. Keep your garage door closed. If you have a carport, store items out of sight from the street. 4. Keep your vehicle locked at all times, and do not store items, especially firearms, inside the vehicle. Car prowls for firearms are on the rise. At a minimum, store firearms in a secure container and/or use trigger locks. 5. Park your vehicles in your garage. If you don't have room due to stored items, consider leasing a storage unit for those items so that your vehicles can be placed in the garage. 6. Store bicycles and other valuable large items out of sight from the street. If feasible, keep them locked. 7. Store jewelry and other valuables in non-obvious locations. The first-place thieves look is in the master bedroom / bathroom and closets. 8. Write down information on and take pictures of valuables. Use a cloud-based service to record this information. For example, www.bikeindex.org<http://www.bikeindex.org/> is a free service for storing bicycle information. 9. Install motion-activated security lights at your property. Please adjust them so they aren't too sensitive, and don't shine into your neighbor's property, though. 10. Place signs in visible locations advising would-be troublemakers of trouble for them - security system, cameras, dogs. 11. Get timers or WiFi plugs/switches to control interior lights. Set them to randomize so your lights are on/off at various times. Most apps that support WiFi switches and plugs offer considerable programming flexibility. This is particularly important if you plan to be away from your Vuecrest home for any number of days. 12. Get a "fake TV" device, and use it when you'll be away. These inexpensive devices come on at dusk and run for a period of time, simulating the look of a real television. Place it so that the glow illuminates windows visible from the street. 13. Install and monitor a security system. There are many inexpensive do-it-yourself security systems (e.g. SimpliSafe, Ring, Arlo) available now. If monitored, they will automatically notify a monitoring station if there is trouble. 14. Install security cameras. Get cameras that store recordings in the cloud, so that if the camera itself is taken, the recordings remain and can be used by the police. There are many inexpensive choices (e.g., Ring, Nest, Wyze). 15. Communicate with your neighbors. Let them know when you'll be away and ask them to keep watch on your property. Ask also if they will remove "door hangers" and other items left by solicitors, political candidates and others. And offer to do the same for them. 16. Discontinue subscriptions to print periodicals, e.g., newspapers. If you must continue a subscription, collect your paper every day and make arrangements with neighbors to collect them when you'll be away. It is not recommended to suspend/resume delivery as this is can be unreliable; you will likely return to find papers in your driveway more often than not. 17. Have US Mail held when you'll be away, and get it delivered upon your return. Packages sitting on your front porch are a red flag to troublemakers that nobody is home. Also, sign up for informed delivery with the USPS at https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action You will receive an email daily with a photo of each item of mail to be delivered that day. 18. Be sure to check the cubby underneath your mailbox for flyers, etc. that may be a tip-off that you are not home! If you plan to be away, have a neighbor clear out these materials on a daily basis. 19. Check on incoming shipments (e.g. Amazon, FedEx, UPS) when you'll be away, and have them held (Hold At Location). You can pick them up upon your return. Or, have them delivered to an alternate address. 20. Don't close all your window shades when you'll be away. This is a red flag to troublemakers that nobody is home. 21. If you'll be away when trash collection occurs, make arrangements with neighbors to put your trash cans out just before collection and to put them away just after collection. Trash cans sitting for days out by the street is a red flag to troublemakers that nobody is home. 22. If you have a regular subscription delivery (e.g., Amazon Subscribe & Save, Walmart, Chewy, Full Circle and many others), make sure it is suspended when you're away. 23. Prune bushes, hedges and other plantings so that all doors and windows are clearly visible from the street. If they are not visible from the street, then troublemakers have "cover" for breaking in. This is particularly important during spring as all our shrubs and hedges put on a lot of growth during the rainy season! 24. When an unwanted person comes to the front door, Answer the door. Don't open the door, but tell them through the door that you are not interested. If you don't answer the door, they may think nobody is home, and attempt to break in! Keep your phone handy so that you can call 9-1-1 if needed. 25. When you are home, be a visible presence! Try to undertake activities that involve being outside in your front yard. This sends a clear message that people are present. Plus, you have more opportunity to meet and keep an eye out for your neighbors! 26. Form or join a Block Watch group. The more we look out for each other, the more safe and secure we are! 27. Please keep all shrubbery, branches, dirt and such trimmed and clear of our prized Vuecrest Lampposts. Our lampposts provide security in the form of night-time light throughout the neighborhood, are expensive to maintain and the glass globes are subject to breakage on windy days when there are nearby branches. If you have a landscape service, please have them regularly check to insure this is being done. 28. Participate in the annual (to be renewed this year) clean-up days! We will have dumpsters available on-site in the neighborhood for your use, free of charge. Dates and locations to be announced, but we are aiming to have them available in the near future. 29. Please keep your lawn mowed! When it looks overgrown, that is a clear sign that you may not be home. If you need help getting it done, for instance if you regularly mow it yourself, but will be away, ask a neighbor to help while you're gone and be ready to reciprocate when you return! 30. Participate in the monthly board meetings of Vuecrest. You should be receiving a monthly notice from PropVivo of the times and sign-in information for these meetings. This will help you stay informed of matters that are important to the community, being addressed by the board, and will provide you with an opportunity to share input. We hope these tips are helpful; I'm sure there are others and we encourage you to share if think of more! Again, thanks to Matt LaPine and the Bodifords for their input! Roundabout upgrade coming soon The City of Bellevue plans to install a flashing "Yield" sign on the southbound lane of 100th Ave NE entering the roundabout that is triggered by moving vehicles so it is not flashing 24/7. The City also plans to attach a shield to the side of the yield sign so adjacent properties won't see the flashing lights of the sign. The City is in the process of scheduling this project so hopefully this upgrade will be completed so and improve the safety of the roundabout intersection for everyone. MyBellevue City Service App MyBellevue is a mobile app that makes it possible for people to easily report non-emergency issues like nonworking street lights, parking violations, abandoned grocery carts and much more. Download the app from your smartphone App Stores or here's a click here <https://bellevuewa.gov/city-government/departments/finance/mybellevue> to access from your computer and learn more. [cid:image007.png@01DAB653.04473FD0]