Craig Ranch Telegram September 2023

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C RAIG R ANCH

C OMMUNITY A SSOCIATION , I NC.

7850 Collin McKinney Parkway, Suite 103, McKinney Texas 75070

Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Ph: (972) 548-9191

website: www.craigranchliving.com

CMA Customer Care: (972) 943-2828

B OARD O F D IRECTORS

President Stephanie Miller

Vice President John Palmer

Treasurer Connie Baker

Secretary Tim Stephens

S TAFF

Director of Operations

David Meyer | dbmeyer@cmamanagement.com

Operations Manager

Brandy Hotchkiss | bhotchkiss@cmamanagement.com

Common Area Manager

Roxanne Webb | rwebb@cmamanagement.com

Maintenance Director

Randy Cain | rcain@cmamanagement.com

Lead Administrative Assistant

Kris Sims | ksims@cmamanagement.com

Operations Support Assistant

Lu Ann Patton | lpatton@cmamanagement.com

Lifestyle Coordinator

Melody Krill | mkrill@cmamanagement.com

Communications Coordinator

Cathy Dreyer | cdreyer@cmamanagement.com

Community Service Coordinator

Tamra Collins | tcollins@cmamanagement.com

Design Review/Modifications Coordinator

Melba Siebel | msiebel@cmamanagement.com

Compliance Coordinators

Avery Baril | abaril@cmamanagement.com

Jennifer Peterson | jpeterson@cmamanagement.com

Maintenance Technicians

Monte Cepeda

Joel Rincon | jrincon@cmamanagement.com

UBLISHER

To place an advertisement, please contact: Community Matters, Inc., PO Box 5900, Frisco, TX 75035 Ph: (972) 370-1778 website: www.communitymattersinc.com

Craig Ranch Telegram is the only authorized publication of the Craig Ranch Community Association, Inc. It is published on behalf of residents for informational purposes only. The Association does not guarantee any work or claims made by advertisers herein and claims no responsibility or liability for statements made in the publication. The Association does not support or take responsibility for services, whether paid or volunteer, mentioned herein, nor for statements published in articles or letters herein which are not endorsed by group decision of the Board of Directors.

raig r an C h T elegram

Manager’s Message: 2024 Budget Preparations

The Craig Ranch Board of Directors, along with the Craig Ranch Community Association (CRCA) staff, are in the midst of preparing the budgets for 2024. Due to Craig Ranch’s size, the budget preparations actually begin during the summer (June or July) each year. During this time, all income and expenses for the community are heavily scrutinized, and the needs and wants of the community are prioritized. A carefully crafted budget is necessary for a community to minimize unexpected expenses while maintaining the high standard of service that owners deserve.

Numerous items are given consideration when planning the upcoming year’s budgets, including (but not limited to) revenue and expenditure actuals from the previous year, changes in vendor pricing, rising cost of insurance, and expected inflation for utilities such as water and electricity. The management team (CMA) develops a budget based on the aforementioned items, and the Board holds several workshops where they review each expense line item for accuracy and necessity.

CRCA has 10 Service Areas, with each Service Area maintaining its own operating and reserve budget. The Board of Directors and CRCA staff will schedule meetings with each Service Area Committee to review the current year’s budgets and discuss the areas where changes are necessary for the 2024 budgets.

Each year, CRCA takes the following steps when creating the budget:

• Looking at goals to ensure financial stability.

• Calculating operating expenses.

• Budgeting for the unexpected as it is a sound financial practice to have a contingency for unforeseen expenses.

Once the budgets have been finalized, the Craig Ranch Board of Directors will schedule a Board meeting, which will be open to the entire community, in October or November to approve the budgets. Once approved, all Craig Ranch owners (residential and commercial) will be notified via USPS letter with the results of the 2024 budgeting process. ◀

September Gardening Tips

North Texas experienced an extremely hot summer, and your lawn most likely struggled to stay green and healthy. With the anticipation of cooler temperatures, September is a pivotal month for your landscape. Your lawn should now begin to recover from summer’s drought-induced dormancy.

Fall is an excellent time to fertilize your warm season turf grasses (such as Bermuda grass). Apply a watersoluble fertilizer high in nitrogen and potassium and low in phosphorus sometime during the last two weeks of September. Always follow the directions on the package

and avoid over-fertilizing, which could damage your lawn. Depending on the fall temperatures, a second fall fertilization may be possible, provided it occurs about 6-8 weeks before the first frost.

Continue to water your lawn as long as the grass is growing, while still following the city’s lawn watering recommendations. You can decrease watering when you notice a decline in growth.

Fall is also the best season to install any large plant material, including trees and shrubs. According to Dallas-based landscape architect David Hocker, fall is the best time to establish a framework so that your larger, investment-type plant materials can get in the ground after the weather breaks and have a chance to develop. The plants may not actively grow above ground during the fall, but the root development will begin to happen which will give the plants a long head start before experiencing the heat of summer the following year.

There is also a benefit in selecting plants that are native to this area. Native plants demand less resources, thus requiring less water and fertilization. Also, native plant species are less susceptible to disease and hungry pests.

Before planting any trees and shrubs, please submit an ACC Modification Request. This request can be submitted through the CMA portal at www. cmamanagement.com. Reminder: If you are removing a shrub/tree and replacing with the same shrub/tree, no ACC Request is required. ◀

Meet Okja!

Okja is a Shiba Inu that was rescued from a Korean meat market. She was bought by an agency in California and transported to the states. We adopted her in San Diego. She made the move to Texas and has loved living in Craig Ranch. She loves taking walks around Riverwalk Park and going to dog parks. She also loves to chase squirrels in the backyard.

Crossroads Park in Craig Ranch

Crossroads Park is a Craig Ranch master park located on Grand Ranch Parkway, just north of SH 121. The park consists of a walking path and a picnic table that overlooks a small pond with a beautiful fountain.

To access the park and walking path, you may park around the corner at Craig Ranch’s event center, The Compass, which is located at 7225 Henneman Parkway (just east of the Independent Financial Bank building).

If an event is being held at The Compass, parking spots might be limited. Otherwise, you can park in The Compass parking lot and access the walking path on the west side of The Compass. Follow the walking path around the back of the bank building to the pond and fountain. If visiting the park on a Friday or Saturday evening, you may even happen to hear and/or see the live concerts being held at Hub 121 depending on the concert schedule. ◀

Save These Dates for October

As we leave the hot summer months behind us (hopefully), please “save the date” for the following events planned for October. More information will be announced in the weekly newsletter and the October Telegram.

Craig Ranch Bingo: Monday, October 2nd, 7 PM

National Night Out: Tuesday, October 3rd, 6:30 PM

Shred Fest: Thursday, October 5th, 5 PM – 7 PM

Community Garage Sale: Saturday, October 7th, 8 AM – 2 PM

Craig Ranch Halloween Carnival: Saturday, October 14th, 4 PM – 6 PM

Movie Night – Hocus Pocus: Friday, October 20th, 7 PM

District 121 Now Open in McKinney

District 121 is McKinney’s newest premier destination for dining, events, and entertainment. Conveniently located near Craig Ranch at the northeast corner of the Sam Rayburn Tollway (SH 121) and Alma, this vibrant mixeduse development offers a dynamic mix of leisure, dining, and entertainment options that are easily accessible to residents of McKinney, Allen, Plano, Frisco and beyond. Dining options currently include Bob’s Steak & Chop House, Mi Cocina, and The Common Table bar and restaurant.

The main attraction of District 121 is an area known as The Commons – a beautifully designed green space that serves as a common gathering place consisting of the following:

• Dynamic open space design

• Outdoor stage with LED screen and high-quality sound system

• Comfortable patio space

• Outdoor gas fire pits and lawn games

Make a note of the scheduled events that will be happening at District 121 on the following days of the month:

• On the first Friday of each month visitors will be treated to live music from an array of talented artists.

• The second Saturday of the month will feature a diverse selection of movies on the big screen.

• The third Thursday of the month sees more enthralling entertainment with a look back at classic concerts on the big screen. ◀

For more information and to view the event calendar, visit the District 121 website at:

https://www.district121.com

September is National Food Safety Education Month

This month you are encouraged to take an active role in preventing food-borne illness, also known as “food poisoning.” The Federal government estimates that there are about 48 million cases of food-borne illness annually – that’s about 1 in 6 Americans each year. Each year, these illnesses result in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.

Anyone can get sick from a food-borne illness (also called food poisoning), but some groups of people are more likely to get sick and to have a more serious illness.

These groups are:

• Adults aged 65 and older

• Children younger than 5

• People with health problems or who take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness

• Pregnant women

Following these 4 food safety tips can help keep you and your family safe from food poisoning:

• Clean: Wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces often when you cook.

• Separate: Raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs can spread germs. Separate them from cooked food and fresh produce.

• Cook: Use a food thermometer to make sure foods are cooked to an internal temperature that kills germs.

• Chill: Refrigerate perishable foods and leftovers within two hours. Chill within one hour if it’s above 90°F

The information above was taken from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration website at https://www.fda. gov/food/consumers/ food-safety-education-month.

September is National Rice Month! Rice is the oldest known food still consumed today. It was rst grown about 130 million years ago in the southeastern part of Asia. In addition, rice is the second-highest grain produced worldwide after maize (corn). Nearly 85% of rice consumed in the U.S. is grown domestically in six states: Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. Rice is a complex carb, low in fat, making it very healthy to eat! Below is an easy recipe for a crowd favorite, Broccoli Rice Casserole.

Broccoli Rice Cassarole

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 8 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, stemmed and chopped

• 1 cup chopped yellow onion

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon nely chopped fresh thyme

• 2 (8.8 ounce) packages microwavable brown rice or 3 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

• 1 cup unsalted chicken broth or vegetable broth

• ½ cup sour cream

Directions:

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground pepper

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

• 3 cups broccoli orets, cut into bite-size pieces

• 1 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat broiler and position a rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source. Melt butter in a large high-sided broiler-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and onion; cook, stirring often, until browned and tender, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat and break up clumps

2. Whisk broth, sour cream, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in cornstarch. Add the mixture to the pan; stir to combine. Stir in broccoli; let the mixture come to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook until the broccoli is bright green and tender, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat; sprinkle with cheese.

3. Transfer the skillet to the oven; broil until the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Dollars at WorkBench Relocation

The Craig Ranch Community Association (CRCA) maintenance staff relocated a bench at Riverwalk Park in Craig Ranch North. A request was submitted to move the bench to an area that would provide more shade

for the bench. The staff was able to accommodate the request, and they found a more suitable shaded area for the bench. ◀

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