Capes News – May 2021

Election Results

We had a great homeowner turnout in this year’s Director Election with 159 ballots returned out of a possible 185. All four of our candidates deserve a huge THANK YOU for their willingness to volunteer their time and energy to our community! The results are below – by a very narrow margin, Cherie Plaisted and Petra Shapiro will retain their seats on the board.

Cherie Plaisted – 91 votes
Petra Shapiro – 86 votes
James Huegli – 84 votes
John Anderton – 26 votes

Let’s also give a huge “Thank you!” to our ballot counters John G, Jeremy A, Sheila M and Marla L. They worked hard to ensure that our ballots were counted fairly and accurately.

NO PAINT IN THE DUMPSTERS!

The office received an email from City Sanitary (the service provider for our dumpsters) on Friday, April 30, 2021 stating that they had found paint in our garbage during pick-up that morning, which is a BIG NO-NO. Paint (along with pesticide, fertilizer, motor oil, antifreeze, and a host of other items) is considered to be “hazardous waste,” and can not be thrown out with your regular garbage. It must instead be taken to the Hazardous Waste Facility located at the Tillamook Transfer Station at 1315 Ekloff Road on one of the scheduled Household Hazardous Waste collection days. (There are typically one of these events per month. Click here for more information.)

These rules are in place for a reason. Every time some sort of hazardous waste is found in our garbage, the HOA is fined. In this case, so far it sounds as if they are only charging a cleaning fee to remove the paint from their truck. In the past, we have been charged a $500 hazardous waste fine and told that the DEQ could potentially fine us as well. Fortunately, we have cameras at the dumpster area, and in the past we have been able to successfully locate the responsible parties and pass along the fines to them.

Beating Back the ‘Broom

As mentioned last month, the dreaded Scotch Broom has started to rear its yellow-blossomed ugly head, and it’s got to go. If you need help clearing this invasive, noxious weed from your single-family or undeveloped lot, Ground FX is available to perform this service at a rate of $40 per hour. We will be sending out notices soon to owners with scotch broom, but if you already know you have it and would like Ground FX to take care of it for you, please contact the office.

Kerry the Coyote is Still on the Loose

As you can see from the photo at the top of the page, Kerry the Coyote is still hanging out here at The Capes. This coyote has been spotted all over the place – the beach, Capes Drive, Capes Loop, Fall Creek Drive, the meadow, you name it! He/she does not seem to be particularly afraid of humans, and some Capers with small dogs have reported being “stalked” by Kerry on the beach. Please be careful when out and about with your little ones, and don’t leave them outside unattended!

La Oficina Está Cerrada Para el Cinco de Mayo

The office will be closed on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Cinco de Mayo actually has nothing to do with it, the Manager has appointments that day off-site. [Apologies to any native Spanish-speakers for the butchering of your language. I’m learning!]