Petition goes to the City!

Congratulations Royal Oak Estates—The petition has been verified valid by the City. The volunteers from the community were successful at getting 72.4% of the community that qualified to vote "yes", that's 5% over the City minimum (We actually got 79% but 6.3% were rejected, so it was a good idea to go over the required amount). The City will now prepare two letters to inform the community of it's intention to instate the levy, The first letter will start coming to homes this month, the next in November. The intention is to begin the new tax in June, 2011. Once all the homes have received the November letter, they have 120 days to dispute it. If there is no substantial dispute, then the petition will go before City Council in March/April 2011 to be ratified, but we don't see any serious objection at this point, as most people want to see improvements in the community.

You may ask why this process is taking so long. The City has several communities doing the same as us, so to be efficient, the City processes them all at once.

What's next

We can begin planning and categorizing the various elements and areas of concern in the community in preparation for getting bids on the maintenance in the Spring. This means areas will have to be photographed before the snow flies, and then a bid document will have to be prepared with photos and maps and a list of things we wish the potential contractor to take care of. If some part of this interests you, contact the board.

Royal Oak Estates rocks

Did you notice that around the ponds, especially around the gazebo that there are bare patches of landscape fabric? Thanks to Kelly Gaulton with City Parks, things look a lot better there now. Just a reminder—tell your kids to leave the rocks in place. Now that we will be responsible for the community, the next time we need rocks, we'll have to buy them.

Beautify Royal Oak Estates

Help keep Royal Oak Estates beautiful, It's easy! Call 311 if you see vandalism, illegal signage, loose dogs or graffiti. If your neighbor has weeds taller than your trees and junk all over, call 311, they will remind homeowners of their responsibility. Bring extra bags when you walk your dog, and please pick up an extra doggy-doo or two that careless dog owners have left behind. If you see vandalism or graffiti in progress call the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234

Don't be bored, be on BOARD

Your Board needs you, your expertise and your energy. The current board is almost a year old and could use new blood. The good thing is it's volunteer AND unpaid, the best thing is you get to meet a lot of great people and learn stuff you didn't know you needed to know. The interim board members have been working for over two years to make the Homeowner's Association a reality, and the volunteers put in four months this summer to make the petition happen. Join in, it's a lot more rewarding and interesting than you can imagine!

Give it up

It was two years ago, that's what I was told (more than once), when I said we were going to fix up this community. Now after the efforts of so many residents, in the roles of volunteer, board member, or just concerned resident–we've achieved the last huge hurdle to making Royal Oak Estates the Beauty she once was. I'd like to list all the people here, but there are too many in too many different roles. You know who you are, and you can pat yourself on the back (or get your spouse to) because without you–the naysayers would have won. I'm sure proud to have brushed shoulders with so many selfless generous people, it really gives me faith. So give it up for those folks when you see them, that's all the reward they get.

Proposed Casino

If you have any concerns over the proposed casino in the area or need more information, contact the Rocky Ridge Royal Oak Community Association at info@rrroca.org.