Landscape plan – and a request for your patience

Dan Hickox, chairman of the Landscape Committee for Shadowood Greenways HOA, requests that you read the following:

As you know, in January of 2025 we made a change in landscape contractors.

Shadowood is unique in the fact that we have large common areas, irrigation, lighting, walkways, the bridge and tennis courts, thus this infrastructure must be maintained. Along with that we are responsible for paving all the streets and for certain sewer lines within the community apart from 11th Street. The HOA maintains a budget for normal expenses and a reserve fund for longer-term expenses. 

HOAs are required by law to maintain a reserve fund to plan years in advance for these things. The current Board took over with no reserve fund or long-term reserve study and minimal savings. In the past three years we have brought Shadowood back to legal status by performing a reserve study, building up a savings account, opening a CD account and restructuring our landscape contract with our new contractor Solitude.

The Board is aware of the current appearance and condition of Shadowood. During the changeout to a new landscape contractor, we reduced the service level to (1) save money, and (2) determine what services we really needed. Landscape maintenance continues to be our largest expense, and to validate what we need to spend we had to do this. It has become apparent that a couple of areas will need to be upgraded in the future:

  1. Tree maintenance and preservation
  2. Weed control

Tree maintenance is a separate item in the budget and has cost about $18,000 the last two years. We expect this to continue as there are several trees in the common areas that will require maintenance in the future.

In the next few weeks, Solitude will complete the drainage and irrigation upgrades in the common area by the tennis courts. Following that, if we have funds remaining, we will have some of the areas wood-chipped or mulched and others cleaned up. We will be starting an annual weed control program with Solitude in the fall so there will not be the weed issue we experienced in 2025. We are beginning to discuss any other add-in items needed for the 2026 contract, but the end result will be that we are getting the service we need and saving money on our overall contract.

In closing, I would ask for your patience as we move forward to 2026. We have made many improvements for the community, upgrading the website, updating legal issues with our law firm, online payments, and many others. The sacrifices we had to make in 2025 will be well worth it in the long term.

The bottom line is all about money. Our goal is to not raise dues if possible, and the current Board was elected to maintain Shadowood and be financially responsible. 

If you want to know what goes on in the HOA, come to the meetings, visit the website, or chat with a Board member.

Dan Hickox, Shadowood Greenways Treasurer and Landscape Chair

New handrails installed on creek footbridge

Members of the Shadowood Volunteer Committee have repaired the handrails on the creek footbridge in the common area.

Don Dyer, Nancy Vaughan, Vivien Pence and Roger Pence of the Volunteer Committee did the work on Sunday.

“The old ones were splintery and coming unattached, so new side timbers and sanded top rails were installed,” Roger Pence said.

“Additional foot treads will be installed when they arrive.”

This improvement was the result of a Shadowood resident’s submission of a concern form, citing the safety of the old handrails.

Fixed! The footbridge has new handrails, thanks to the Volunteer Committee.

New dog waste container added

A new dog waste container has been installed on the pole on Springwood Lane that has the “No Outlet” sign on it.

According to Roger Pence, Shadowood’s board president and chair of the maintenance committee, four new dog waste containers were acquired last fall. Three well-aged ones were replaced during the winter.

With the installation of the fourth container, dog  waste containers are now on Springwood Lane; at the intersection of Shadywood and 11th Street; on 11th Street by the tennis courts; and in the grass common area along the creek path.

The containers are serviced weekly by Solitude, Shadowood’s contracted landscaping service.

Minutes of the June 17 Shadowood board meeting

Shadowood Homeowners Association

HOA Board Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 – 6:00 p.m.

1000 NW Springwood Lane

Those board members attending were Peggy Rouse, Dan Hickox, Roger Pence, Mark & Kelli Hilliard and Bill McGann along with two residents, Nancy Vaughn and Don Dyer.

The meeting was called to order at 6:01 pm.

Secretary’s report: Roger reported that the April 2025 minutes were approved by a majority vote on 4-18-25 by email and the changes to Exhibit A Schedule of Fines was approved by a 2/3 vote on 4-18-25 by email.

Treasurer & Budget reports: Dan Hickox reported that as of 5-31-25 the association has $33,964.74 in checking, $18,189.59 in savings and $40,443.88 in the CD. The CD has earned year-to-date interest of $381.25.

We are exceeding our projected expenses in Accounting, Landscape contract, the lighting/water budget and the tree budget. To remain on budget for the remainder of the year, we will need to keep the Landscape and Maintenance committees actions under $5,400.

Some funds will need to be moved from one account to another in order to pay the overages. At the time of the report, Roger moved that we transfer $1575 from the landscape account to the tree account and Bill seconded the motion. It was unanimously approved and passed by those attending Board members. Following that, Dan moved that the Board approve merging funds from the landscape and maintenance committees to accomplish drainage work in the common area and the irrigation controller switched to battery power near Lot 57 for $6,680; Bill seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved and passed by those attending Board members.

Old Business: Collection of Unpaid Assessments Resolution was passed on 4-15-25 and sent to Association owners on April 19 and April 21, 2025.

New Business:

  1. Peggy brought up the subject of umbrella policies for Board members and whether the Association should pay for the extra insurance coverage. Further discussion will be held at the next Board meeting to decide if it should be added to next year’s budget and for what amount.
  2. Peggy also brought up the need for painted no-parking lines at the end of Summerwood Drive to make it easier for delivery & emergency vehicles. The Maintenance and Volunteer committees will be responsible for making this happen.
  3. A resident brought up a question about a deteriorating retaining wall on Summerwood Drive through email. In answer to where to report this type of issue, the Maintenance Chair will be building a Maintenance Concern Form for the website so residents can bring up issues that don’t fit in the Architectural, Landscape or Enforcement forms which already exist on the website.

Committee reports:

  1. Architectural: Approximately 5 Request to Modify forms were submitted and approved; these were mainly for painting units.
  2. Hospitality: Peggy reported on the progress and planned events of the upcoming picnic on Saturday, 6-21-25. If the weather is very rainy, we can take it to Peggy’s house instead of the tennis courts.
  3. Landscape: Dan reported that Solitude cut down the weeds where all of the orange/red flags & tape were in the common areas. They will apply pre-emergent in the fall and continue applications approximately 8 times throughout the year, starting in 2026. Path and sidewalk weed removal/prevention will be part of the weed control package. We will be receiving free wood chips from several tree companies in order for us to disperse it as mulch. We’re hoping this will be a volunteer project, rather than having to pay someone else for the service. Some of the wood chips will be dispersed on the south side of the creek to help mitigate the drainage problem. The committee will be communicating with the residents adjacent to the area. A large tree leaning toward the tennis courts will be removed, which will also allow us to prep for drainage work in the area.
  4. Maintenance: Roger reported that, along with the Volunteer Committee, one tennis court was cleaned and the committee is hoping that more residents will be inspired to help clean the other court. New combination locks were purchased and will be installed on the tennis court gates. The combination was decided on by those board members attending and, in the future, residents will have to get the combination from, possibly, the Maintenance Chair. The bridge railings and more Grip Strips are needed and will be handled by the Maintenance Committee. The drainage project next to the bridge will be determined by the Maintenance and Landscape Committees. The Volunteer Committee will be installing the last dog waste container near the mailboxes at the Michelbook entrance.
  5. Volunteer: Don Dyer reported about the tennis court cleaning, which involved 8 volunteers and 44 hours combined. Sharon Scoltock allowed them to plug into her electric and water lines for the job. The committee will be installing the final dog waste container and bridge maintenance in conjunction with the Maintenance Committee. They are also planning to clear the underbrush along the creek and brainstorming weed control issues around the tennis courts in conjunction with the Landscape Committee.
  6. Website: Peggy reported that Paul McAfee has added the ACH link for online payments to the website, as well as the weed control notice and pictures of the tennis court clean-up. Paul asks that when anyone sends pictures for the Picture Gallery, they include captions.
  7. Mail & Correspondence: The Summer Letter was sent out at the beginning of June.

Discussion: There was discussion about changing the CC&Rs after getting a clearer definition from the city as to who is responsible for sewer repair in the Association. Roger will look into that.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 pm.

The next meeting is at 1000 NW Springwood Lane on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.

Weed control underway at Shadowood

Dan Hickox, Shadowood Greenways Association’s Landscape Committee chairman, issued the following notice:

This week our landscape company Solitude will be doing a weed treatment all around Shadowood. You probably noticed the orange flags and red tape in various areas. This is to identify the areas for the weed treatment.

Following this we will begin an annual weed control program. Once this initial treatment is completed we will begin applying wood chips and mulch to areas over time to help tamp down weed growth and improve appearance.

Why are we having a weed issue you may ask? When we changed contractors we wanted to take the contract back to the minimums to reevaluate what we actually require for service. 2025 is our evaluation year and we are monitoring as the year progresses and will add services back in as needed to make sure Shadowood stays looking good year round.

This is part of our overall effort to keep dues stable and still accomplish the improvements and maintenance that we all want.

Volunteers clean up tennis court

Several volunteers descended on the tennis courts in the Shadowood Greenways common area off 11th Street on Friday, May 16 to clean the surface of one of the courts.

The court is now ready for use, with the net also installed.

The Shadowood Volunteer Committee project is part of the Board of Directors’ effort to rehabilitate the tennis courts. Participating in the May 16 cleanup were Volunteer Committee Chairman Don Dyer, Board President Roger Pence, Architectural Committee Chair Vivien Pence, Board Secretary Peggy Rouse, Hospitality Committee member Nancy Vaughn, Budget Committee member Richard Rouse; and Shadowood residents Karen and Paul E.

Tennis court cleaning
Shadowood President Roger Pence scrubs the court surface as Richard and Peggy Rouse assist.

Among the tools used by the volunteers was a power sprayer with a 20-inch rotary scrubber, borrowed from the newly opened McMinnville Tool Library.

“We still plan to clean the other court in the near future and repaint the stripes, if needed,” said Don Dyer, volunteer committee chair.

For more information on the tennis courts cleanup effort, please contact Dyer at Don.Dyer9876@gmail.com or text Nancy Vaughn at  503-312-0289.

Before and after photos of the scrubbed court:

Before the tennis court was scrubbed.
Before
Volunteers finish scrubbing the surface of the tennis court.
After

Minutes of the Feb. 18 Shadowood Greenways board meeting

Here are the minutes of the Shadowood Greenways HOA Board of Directors meeting held at 1000 NW Springwood Lane on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 6:00 pm.

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 pm. The board members in attendance were Roger, Dan, Peggy, Mark/Kelli, Bill, Paul and KC (by proxy). Guests included Nancy & Don Dyer, Karen Hartsock and Lea Ann Knorr.

The minutes from the Annual Meeting and Organization Meeting were approved via email prior to this meeting.

Dan Hickox gave the following Treasurer’s report: as of 1-31-25 the checking account has $51,404.36, $21,285.79 in savings and $30,062.63 in the CD. There are still 20 households owing the current semi-annual dues. The report was accepted by the Board.

Old business: None

New Business:

a) Dan Hickox gave a report concerning online banking with First Federal. With the Board’s approval, two members of the Board can take care of banking business online.  Roger made the motion that “the Board of Directors approve Dan Hickox and Peggy Rouse as Senior Administrators for the purpose of online banking with First Federal as the depository.” The motion was seconded by Bill McGann. The Board unanimously approved the motion. Dawn Owens of McKenzie, Duncan, Johns CPAs, will be the Authorized Non-Signer/Employee User on this account in order to allow her access to the bank statements online, as well as other functions.

Dan also reported that he and Paul McAfee will be meeting with the bank’s representative who handles ACH transactions which could allow our homeowners to pay their dues through the website. Paul mentioned that the company receiving those transactions has their own encrypted security and that our website is only a gateway to them.

b) Dan presented the draft Delinquent Assessment Collection Policy that was composed in order to help the Board strengthen their authority in collecting delinquent accounts of homeowners. KC suggested one change in the first item listed and the remaining Board members agreed. The change will be made and then sent to the attorneys for their recommendations before it is presented to the Board at the next meeting for approval.

c) Summer Picnic: Peggy presented the idea of holding a picnic in June 2025 for the purpose of mingling with our neighbors, for the Board members and committee chairs to promote the need for more members and to give the opportunity to any homeowner/tenant of SGHOA who owns a business to hold a “meet & greet” to distribute their business cards and talk about their businesses. This does not imply that any of the businesses are sponsored by the Association. Food and drink will be supplied by the Association. Once a date is chosen, notices will be sent out to all.

d) Secretarial Responsibilities: Peggy reported about the responsibilities of an HOA secretary, such as recording all minutes. Because the Architectural Committee is the only one governed by our CC&Rs, it needs to present written minutes at each Board meeting in order to be recorded by the secretary. A copy of the Roles and Responsibilities of the Architectural Committee was written up and supplied to the Board by Peggy for approval, which it gave. Peggy will send copies to the committee for their records. There was also some discussion about the difficulty of finding the filed Request to Modify forms on the Canva website.

e) A Step-by-Step Guide for Board Members to Act on Enforcement Resolution Complaints was handed out by Peggy for certain Board members to follow when residents have complaints that are in violation of HOA rules. This is another area where recording the complaints and any further actions are imperative.

f) Surveys: The Board members were given sample survey forms for their review and comments at the next Board meeting. The surveys cover the tennis courts and the two different websites. We’ll also include a question about attending Zoom meetings.

g) Peggy presented her suggestion for how to better rotate the Board members terms by supplying a chart. She invited the rest of the board to produce their own suggestions for further discussion at the next Board meeting. This came about because five Board members’ terms are due to expire next January, leaving only two members before any nominations and elections.

h) Board members were sent the current copy of our insurance policy for discussion. Peggy will invite a State Farm agent to the Board meeting in April so we may get answers to our questions before the renewal date.

i) Roger will check out the requirements needed in order to have Zoom meetings in the future. If we choose to go that route, Peggy has handouts for anyone who needs instructions in joining.

Committee reports:

a) Architectural: Aleena Stephens has resigned from the Architectural Committee as of 2-2-25, LV has also left the committee and Lea Ann Knorr was approved to join the committee making a total of four members. There were no Request to Modify forms filed in this period.

b) Budget: Dan presented the current budget with a spreadsheet showing all the categories and up-to-date accounts.

c) Landscape: Dan reported that Solitude Landscaping has started their contract effective February 1, 2025. They performed a walk-around in early February and will be assessing and repairing the irrigation system later in the year. There are plans to eliminate some of the lawn area behind Lots 32 & 33 and replace with landscaping that will help draw water from the flooded areas. There is extra rock that will be distributed to other areas of the commons and Tree Planet will be hired to work on the arborvitae along 11th Street. Along Wallace Road, the committee, along with the Maintenance Committee, will be evaluating what needs to be done to improve that area. Over 300 daffodils were planted throughout Shadowood by a few industrious volunteers. 

d) Maintenance: The committee accepted the non-renewal of position from Peggy Good as of January 21, 2024. A night survey will be conducted to identify and report inoperative street lights. The last dog-waste container will be placed near the intersection of 11th Street and Summerwood Drive. An investigation of what the tennis courts need will be undertaken. Dan mentioned that he’d like to get an estimate of what it would cost to rebuild the bridge for our knowledge at this time.

e) Volunteer: no report

f) Website: Paul is looking at some ideas of how to improve the dot-com website and its appearance.

Mail & Correspondence: Peggy reported that Lot 13 is in the process of closing at the end of this month and the CTA (Corporate Transparency Act) filing is currently on hold due to ongoing litigation.

There was no further discussion.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:38 pm.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 1000 NW Springwood Lane at 6:00 pm.

New Shadowood board holds organizational meeting Jan. 23

1-23-25 Organizational Meeting Minutes

The new Board of Directors met at 4:00 pm on 1-23-2025 for the Organizational Meeting to vote for the 2025 officers. Those officers are:

President – Roger Pence, who commenced running the meeting at 4:13 pm.

Vice-President – Bill McGann

Secretary – Peggy Rouse

Treasurer – Dan Hickox

The motion was made and seconded to approve the 2025 Budget presented by the Treasurer at the Annual Board Meeting of 1-21-25. It was passed unanimously by the board.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:25

*********************************************

Click here for a full list of 2025 Shadowood board members, including contact information

Click here for the dates of the 2025 Shadowood board meetings. The meetings are held every two months on Tuesdays. All Shadowood residents are welcome to attend.

Volunteers remove downed tree near Cozine Creek bridge

Pictured above are the volunteers who donated their time (and muscles!) to cut up a large downed tree near the Cozine Creek bridge on Saturday, March 30, 2024. From left to right are Volunteer Chair Don Dyer, along with Nancy Vaughn, Roger Pence, and Mike & Ester Jewett. Not pictured: Vivien Pence and Peggy Rouse.

Seven Shadowood volunteers cut up a large downed tree at the west end of the Cozine Creek bridge on Saturday, March 30, 2024.

The volunteer team also cut up many other storm-downed limbs and delivered a trailer-full of tree cuttings to the Recology facility.

They stacked piles of free firewood along the walkway adjacent to the bridge, available on a first-come basis.

Participating in the effort were Volunteer Chair Don Dyer, along with volunteers Nancy, Roger, Mike and Ester.

Not only did the volunteers clean up a hazard, they also saved Shadowood Greenway residents hundreds of dollars that would have otherwise gone to contractors, Dyer said.

Shadowood volunteers cut up a large downed tree at the west end of the Cozine Creek bridge on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
Shadowood volunteers cut up a large downed tree at the west end of the Cozine Creek bridge on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
Shadowood volunteers cut up a large downed tree at the west end of the Cozine Creek bridge on Saturday, March 30.
Shadowood volunteers cut up a large downed tree at the west end of the Cozine Creek bridge on Saturday, March 30.
Free firewood was left along the pathway for anyone who wanted it.
Volunteers who cut up a large downed tree near the Cozine Creek bridge on Saturday, March 30, 2024. From left to right are Volunteer Chair Don Dyer, along with Nancy Vaughn, Roger Pence, and Mike & Ester Jewett.