On May 24, a group of volunteers is meeting at the La Reata community park to cut down approximately 10 dead trees.  It will require about 8-10 volunteers to accomplish this task.   The work will begin about 9:00 AM and should be completed by early afternoon.  This task will require several chain saws, so when you volunteer, please let us know when responding, if you are able to bring a saw with you.   All volunteers are responsible for their own safety and should wear appropriate safely gear such as safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection and work boots.  Please respond through email to the BOD president at: president.laraataranch@gmail.com if you are volunteering for this community project.

We are pleased to serve the La Reata community as

2012′s Board of Directors and we wanted to take this opportunity to

reintroduce ourselves.

President — Cliff Coons

Cliff and Nancy moved to La Reata in April of 2009 and love it here. Both grew up in Pennsylvania but moved to Houston after graduating from College. They lived in Clear Lake Area for 29 years, 5 years in Nashville TN area, one year in the Woodlands, TX and then home to La Reata. They managed to raise two fantastic individuals along the way in Krista and Brett. Krista is currently living in Florida and Brett lives in Lubbock. Major goals in serving on the board are to continue efforts that others have done to build a sense of community in La Reata.

Secretary – Deb Wilson

Deb & Larry moved to LaReata in 2001. One of the original pioneer families. Deb has worked in the Semiconductor industry for the past 20 years while Larry was on the road.  Larry has worked as a musician all of his life. Last year they opened LarryLand Music in Bastrop to provide instruments & musical accessories to our community. Between them there are four children   (2 boys & 2 girls), plus 2 granddaughters and a grandson born in 2012.   The whole family is in the Austin area.   Deb & Larry both love LaReata & the strong sense of community there is.   Serving on the board is our way to give back to the neighborhood we love.

We wanted to pass on some helpful tips shared with us by our very own, Michele Rowcroft, at our last board meeting.

*In the event of an evacuation, please make sure to turn off the propane gas to your house, should you have a tank on your property. Help keep La Reata safe!

*As many of you noticed, a large amount of ash rained down on us during the Bastrop fires. A contractor pointed out that many of our air-conditioning compressor screens on the outside a/c units have accumulated some ash and dust. Use a garden hose and clean any ash from the outside compressor screens. For best results, spray from top to bottom. This should help keep your unit operating efficiently.

*If you are interested in brushing up on tips for saving lives and property from wildfires, please visit: http://www.firewise.org/

Thank you! Board of Directors La Reata Ranch

We couldn’t be more thrilled with the turnout for this year’s neighborhood clean-up! Our volunteers collected 15-20 bags of trash from our streets and common areas, including the strangest piece of debris, a black bumper near Pony Express and Corral. The clean-up crews must have worked up an appetite because all 48 hot dogs were devoured at the picnic and social gathering Carole organized at the park. With temperatures topping near 100 degrees we are honored to have such a wonderful group of neighbors that braved the heat to help keep our community clean. Thank you all for your help and a special thanks to Carole Thomas for putting this all together!

Friends and Neighbors, several neighbors have noticed folks burning in La Reata Ranch that are not following the Texas Rules for Outdoor Burning.

Please be aware that the State of Texas has very strict rules on what you can burn, when you can burn, and how you burn. Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 1 has posted the rules for outdoor burning on their website under the links section. You can find a copy of the rules and a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document at this address:

http://www.bastropesd1.com/link

Texas law makes it illegal to burn outdoors with very few exceptions. It is your responsibility to know the law and burn within rules defined in the law. Failure to follow the law may result in tickets, hefty environmental fines, and charges from responding fire departments to extinguish your fire.

In short, burning is allowed only from one hour after sunrise to one hour before sunset (the official times). You are only allowed to burn natural vegetation that grew on your property. You are not allowed to burn trash, waste, building materials, plastics, wire, oil, tires, etc… Anything found in a fire that didn’t grow on your property will likely result in a fine by local and/or state law enforcement agencies. Fines start at $500 and can easily be in the ten’s of thousands of dollars.

The exact language in the law states:

on-site burning of trees, brush, grass, leaves, branch trimmings, or other plant growth, by the owner of the property or any other person authorized by the owner, and when the material is generated only from that property

(3) Burning shall be commenced and conducted only when wind direction and other meteorological conditions are such that smoke and other pollutants will not cause adverse effects to any public road, landing strip, navigable water, or off-site structure containing sensitive receptor(s).

(4) If at any time the burning causes or may tend to cause smoke to blow onto or across a road or highway, it is the responsibility of the person initiating the burn to post flag-persons on affected roads.

(5) Burning must be conducted downwind of or at least 300 feet (90 meters) from any structure containing sensitive receptors located on adjacent properties unless prior written approval is obtained from the adjacent occupant with possessory control.

(6) Burning shall be conducted in compliance with the following meteorological and timing considerations:

(A) The initiation of burning shall commence no earlier than one hour after sunrise. Burning shall be completed on the same day not later than one hour before sunset, and shall be attended by a responsible party at all times during the active burn phase when the fire is progressing. In cases where residual fires and/or smoldering objects continue to emit smoke after this time, such areas shall be extinguished if the smoke from these areas has the potential to create a nuisance or traffic hazard condition. In no case shall the extent of the burn area be allowed to increase after this time.

(B) Burning shall not be commenced when surface wind speed is predicted to be less than six miles per hour (mph) (five knots) or greater than 23 mph (20 knots) during the burn period.

(C) Burning shall not be conducted during periods of actual or predicted persistent low-level atmospheric temperature inversions.

(7) Electrical insulation, treated lumber, plastics, non-wood construction/demolition materials, heavy oils, asphaltic materials, potentially explosive materials, chemical wastes, and items containing natural or synthetic rubber must not be burned.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for making La Reata Ranch a safe place to live.

David Gahagan Assistant Fire Chief, 3-N-1 Vol. Fire Dept. Commissioner, Bastrop County ESD No. 1 La Reata Resident