Presenting, the 2019 Calendar of Community Events

The Cinco Ranch Southwest Community Council Board of Directors is pleased to announce our lineup of community events for 2019.  We have many returning favorites, as well as a few new ones!  This schedule, as well as more information, can also be found at mycincoranch.com/upcomingevents

Ongoing Events:

Food Truck Friday – third Friday of the month, January through October

Farmer’s Market at Food Truck Friday – March – October

Dinner & a Movie – March and October Food Truck Fridays

Garage Sales – March 30 and October 5

Summer – Super Summer Cinco Discovery!

Special Events:

Family Bingo – January 25 and May 31

Adult ONLY Bingo – March 23 and November 16

NEW, Happy Hour – February 9, with 3 more TBA

Summer Camp Open House – March 23

Spring Eggstravaganza (AM) – April 6

Adult ONLY Easter Egg Hunt (PM) – April 6

Family Dive-In Movies – June 14 and August 9

NEW, Teen & Adult Dive-In Movie – date TBA in July (this WILL be a movie rated PG-13 or R)

4^th of July Jubilee – July 4

Back-to-School Blowout – date TBA

Zombie Walk – October 27

Family Fest – December 8

In 2019, we will support these local charities:

January and February – CAP

March and April – The Ballard House

May – Food Drive

July through mid August – YMCA Operation Backpack

September – Lunches of Love

November through early December – toy drive

Stay tuned for more events and activities in Cinco Ranch!

It’s time to start thinking about hanging lights and decking out your front yard with creative and festive decorations for the holidays.  The Beautification Committee is sponsoring the second annual Holiday Decorating Contest for all homes within CRRA2.  Due to the size of the community, the Committee will group neighborhoods into three separate sections.  Judging will be done by the Committee members starting the week of December 3rd, and one home from each section will be selected as a winner.  Winners will have a sign placed in their yard and receive a special gift.  Let your creative juices start flowing and get ready for the holiday season!      

Trick-Or-Treating, Safety Tips

The following information is from safekids.org and the American Pediatric Association (APA) and provides some valuable information to ensure that we all have a happy, and safe, Halloween.

Walk Safely

• Cross the street at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
• Look left, right and left again when crossing and keep looking as you cross.
• Put electronic devices down and keep heads up, and walk, don’t run, across the street.
• Teach children to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
• Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
• Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.

Trick or Treat With an Adult

• Children under the age of 12 should not be alone at night without adult supervision. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, remind them to stick to familiar areas that are well lit, and trick-or-treat in groups.

Keep Costumes Both Creative and Safe

• Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.
• Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.
• Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.
• When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.

Drive Extra Safely on Halloween

• Slow down and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.
• Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
• Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.
• Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.
• Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.

Cinco Ranch II - Role of the Management Company

Have you ever wondered exactly what it is that C.I.A. Services, Inc., the management company, handles for Cinco Ranch?  The management company has a much bigger role than sending residents a letter when the deed restrictions have been violated. 

C.I.A. Services was hired by the Homeowners Association (HOA) and is charged with making sure the day-to-day business of the community is handled.  One of the management company’s most well-known contractual obligations is the enforcement of the deed restrictions.  The enforcement procedure followed is approved by the Board and meets any requirements of both the governing documents and local, state, and county laws.  The procedure for Cinco Ranch II requires advance approval by the Board of Directors before any issues are sent to the attorney.  The process often takes time and each owners’ due process must be afforded to them. 

Another area handled by C.I.A. Services is financial management.  The commonly known aspect of financial management is the collection of assessments.  However, it also includes issuing checks for payable items, preparing monthly financial reports, and presenting an annual budget for Board approval.  The yearly budget is set by the Board, and funds are expended at the Board’s authorization.

Another item handled by C.I.A. Services is the coordination of common area maintenance.  Two Maintenance Coordinators are assigned to the community to regularly inspect the common areas, solicit bids, issue work orders for maintenance needs, and negotiate contracts for landscaping, pool management, and pest control. 

C.I.A. Services processes architectural control applications and communicates decisions to homeowners.  They also schedule and prepare information packages for Board meetings and answer homeowner questions received either via email or phone.

Things C.I.A. Services does not do include changing or modifying deed restrictions, attending to street light outages, or reporting street and curb issues.  They are not the decision makers; rather, they are the facilitator of the Board’s decisions. 

Anytime you have questions regarding Cinco Ranch II, do not hesitate to contact C.I. A. Services.  The management team assigned to Cinco Ranch II includes Laura Tate, General Manager; Kim Cowart, Community Manager, Norris Daniels and Anderson Campbell, Maintenance Coordinators; Kassye Deggs, Administrative Assistant; Lindsay Scholfield, Community Coordinator; and Ryne Williams, Community Assistant.  The team is supported by a full Customer Service department that is available to assist with any community need.  The On-Site staff at the Lake House can be contacted via phone at 281-394-7195; messages left off hours will be returned during Lake House business hours.  C.I.A. Services can be emailed at through their website at www.ciaservices.com or at CustomerCare@ciaservices.com.  You can also call at 713-981-9000; Customer Care offers extended customer service hours from 8 am to 8 pm Monday through Friday. 

The Board of Directors for Cinco Southwest MUD No. 3 are pleased to announce the installation of smart meters in the District.  The smart meters replaced your old positive displacement water meter.  Please note, installation should be completed by end of October 2018.  Once your meter has been replaced it takes 5 – 10 business days to provision before you can start utilizing the data.  On the back of your water bill is the notification regarding how to set up your “Eye on Water” account.   The enrollment process is less than five minutes, this will allow you to monitor your usage and set up a leak alert.  The leak alert will notify you via test or email if the meter detects continuous usage for a 24 hour period.  If you have any questions regarding setting up the “eye on water” account or the changeover, please email elizabeth.reeves@inframark.com.

If you are unsure as to which MUD you reside in, please see the MUD Map at the Community Maps page. 

Cinco SW MUD 3 encompasses the following area:

You’ve probably heard it before, but have no clue what it means.  So, what is the “Community Council,” you ask?  The Cinco Ranch Southwest Community Council is not affiliated, endorsed, nor sponsored by Cinco Ranch Residential Association II, however, they are the Association that hosts all events, activities, classes, and camps within Cinco Ranch II.  In other words, your HOA does not present the community events you regularly see, as they are handled by a separate entity. 

The Cinco Ranch Southwest Community Council is administered by a Board of Trustees and is part of the team planning and bringing you the wonderful events and various fitness and education classes held in or around the Lake House.  The Council is a separate entity from the Residential Association, which means the HOA does not have a hand in planning community events and classes whatsoever.  However, the Council does communicate and interact with the Residential Association Board because a very small portion of your assessment money goes to help fund community events and activities (approximately $8 per year).  In addition, the Council solicits support from our contractors and Katy area businesses in the form of in-kind or financial donations/sponsorships.  The individuals who serve on the Council Board are not elected per the legal documents, but instead are appointed by both the Residential Association Board and the Board Trustees of the Community Council.  We recently added two new resident members to the Council Board.  This means we now have four Cinco Ranch II residents appointed to the Council and three non-resident Trustees.  If you’ve been to any of the events recently, you’ve seen our enthusiastic Community Coordinator, Lindsay Scholfield.  Lindsay has suggested to the Trustees some new events that have already occurred or will be offered in the near future.  The first was the highly successful Alligator Education Seminar.  It was standing room only for that event.  Other new events are adults only casino and bingo nights, and more to come soon! 

Another role of the Council is to provide health and wellness programs to encourage fitness for all ages, and educational programs to develop skills that will help foster learning in children of all ages.  Over the last few months we’ve added new classes to the Lake House, including Zumba, Taekwondo, Drama, and we have amped up the schedules of a few of our existing classes, to better meet your needs.  We’ve also added several new camps to the Lake House lineup this year

Giving back to the community has really been stepped up under Lindsay’s leadership.  Every month we select a local charity to support.  For instance, this past winter, we partnered with The Ballard House, located in Cinco Ranch.  The Ballard House is a home away from home for patients and their families receiving medical treatment in the Katy/Houston area.  Our generous residents brought in household items, such as paper products and cleaning supplies to donate.  This was crucial for The Ballard House, as they recently re-opened after substantial flooding damaged the house during Hurricane Harvey. 

If you have any questions about the Community Council, please contact Lindsay at lifestyle@mycincoranch.com.  We look forward to seeing you at all of our community events, classes, and camps.