Is the Woodland Subdivision included in this group? I read through the by-laws but there is no mention. There was a reference to a boundary map but I could not locate the map. I have lived in the neighborhood 27 years and would like to support the effort. Just wondering if this was an oversight?
Thank you for your interest and signing up for the website. Right now the association includes Stonegate and Homestead. After a meeting last October a representative of the Woodlands said their neighborhood was not interested. We are having a board meeting Monday night and will discuss with the group. My guess is we will eventually update the Bylaws and Articles of Organization. I still think you can be involved but just would not be able to vote or hold an office at this time. We definitely want to include everyone and appreciate everyone’s input. Will keep you posted. Next week’s Woodford Sun should have an article about the association too. Thanks again.
Thank you for the reply. Curious to know who this “representative” is that thinks they have the authority to act as a voice for me. I will wait to hear back if the board votes to include The Woodlands.
Wanted to provide an update to last Monday’s board meeting. Adding the Woodlands to the neighborhood association seemed favorabe however voting was tabled since there are several steps to make this happen. For now anyone can sign up for website and we can see who might be interested in joining.
I expect a question or two about The Woodlands at the membership table. I think we came up with response. What’s odd is I put flyers on all the houses about our first organizational meeting.
Thank you for the update. I will continue to monitor our status for inclusion in the association.
I am glad you have decided to consider Woodlands as a part of this Association. I would assume the association would want to be inclusive of all interested home owners. We did receive a flyer about an organizational meeting one time. I want to say it was in the fall of 2018 (could have been spring of 2019) but neither me or my wife can pinpoint the exact time. What we do know is that the meeting was to be held at the park under the pavilion. We walked over at the assigned time but when we arrived we were told the meeting was cancelled and would be rescheduled. We never received a notice for another meeting.
Hi, Mr. Bobzien. I’m the Secretary for the Stonegate-Homestead Neighborhood Association. My name is Connie Davis. I believe I can answer some of your questions and address some unresolved issues.
I have lived in Stonegate for 34 years. Another person I know has lived in Stonegate over 40 years. We met each other purely by accident while walking around the neighborhood one day in August 2019. She and I came up with the idea to start a community group. We decided to seek a person from each subdivision to serve as a representative at some discussion meetings. Since the other person knew more people in the neighborhood that I, she contacted a person to represent Homestead and The Woodlands. She and I represented the original Stonegate group. Thus, there were four representatives: 2 from Stonegate, 1 from Homestead, and 1 from The Woodlands. Homestead Estates has its own Homeowner’s Association. At the time, our small group felt Homestead Estates would not be interested in any group we might form.
The group met a few times (maybe 4 or 5 times). The representatives from The Woodlands and Homestead were charged with soliciting interest by polling neighbors, who spread the word, and ultimately reported back to the person representing the group. The representative from The Woodlands provided a bad email address. I was unable to contact the person. Therefore, the other Stonegate representative, who knows The Woodlands representative personally, eventually phoned that person to inquire about The Woodlands’ interest in a community group. The representative stated The Woodlands was not interested. This would have been sometime in September 2019.
Meanwhile, our group (The Woodlands representative stopped attending the discussion group meetings) decided to hold a meeting to determine overall interest. A small group of volunteers handed out flyers to the 3 subdivisions: Stonegate, Homestead, and The Woodlands. I personally was in charge of delivering flyers to The Woodlands. The flyer announced an “organizational meeting” for interest in forming some sort of community group or association. The meeting was scheduled for October 7, 2019, at the First Christian Church in downtown Versailles. Unfortunately, many residents assumed our group was attempting to revitalize an abandoned and defunct HOA original to Stonegate. That meeting had about 100 people in attendance. We had invited our magistrate to that meeting to speak about the positive things a community group could do for every resident. Simply put, our magistrate’s message miscommunicated our groups’ intentions, making it sound like we were attempting to revitalize the HOA. It was a meeting that went wrong very quickly simply because bad information was presented. That is, we were not trying to restart a defunct HOA (first of all, that would be impossible due to the requirements of an HOA being 100% participation, second, if it failed the first time, it would probably fail again, and third, it would require we pay back fees since 1992 to date; otherwise, very expensive). However, it is the idea that stuck regardless of the true nature of our groups’ intentions.
We held another meeting later in October that drew a much smaller group. Yes, at one point, and I can’t tell you when we (as yet not a formed group and without officers but working just as a small group seeking input) had to move the meeting from the neighborhood park to the First Christian Church due to bad weather. I did not put the sign up at the park, so I can’t tell you anything about the sign. I am sorry, and I apologize on behalf of the group for any confusion or problems caused by that particular event. Honestly, I vaguely remember the matter, but as an unofficial group without officers, there are no minutes. So, that must have been between October and December 16, 2019.
The first recorded minutes occurred on December 16, 2019. Interim officers were elected. We had reached a decision to form an association or organization of some type. With the help of 3 CONA representatives (Council of Neighborhood Associations) and about 8 residents, on December 16, 2019, we began the process of drafting By-Laws and working to start a neighborhood association.
Since that original December 16, 2019, official meeting and election of interim officers, we have met regularly. Until the COVID pandemic, we met at the First Christian Church. Since February, we have met at board members’ residences, the board members have changed, we have By-Laws, we have filed for (and been approved) Articles of Organization, received a small grant from CONA (to replace the Stonegate sign), opened a checking account, bought American flags to put out for holidays, had a dead tree cut down in Kulhman Loop, created a website, created a logo (brand), made yard signs (at the All-Way Stop), designed a postcard, had it printed to individual addresses, delivered the postcards, opened a bank account, and made a lot of plans that are listed on our website. All of the plans we have on the website take two things: active members and dues.
Since we have just launched the website to membership (passed out postcards announcing the neighborhood association recently), we are operating with 7 board members. We are trying to get the neighborhood association active by providing membership opportunities.
We are officially incorporated with the Secretary of State as Stonegate-Homestead Neighborhood Association. Our By-Laws are listed under the same name.
On Saturday, September 12, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., the SHNA (Stonegate-Homestead Neighborhood Association) will be holding a membership drive at the entrance to Stonegate. To carry out the plans (see list on the website), we must have active members who pay dues and participate.
Anyone in The Woodlands, or for that matter, Homestead Estates, can sign up for our website. One of the things we will be doing this weekend is seeking input from The Woodlands (even Homestead Estates) as to interest in becoming part of the NA. That is not something that happens quickly and certainly not overnight. It would require rewriting By-Laws and rewriting and refiling the Articles of Organization. That’s just time and some filing money, but if the interest exists, we will pursue this avenue.
Please feel free to join the website. While our By-Laws do not currently allow non-Stonegate-Homestead residents to hold office or vote, you can still be active and participate. You can even make a donation to assist us in reaching some of our goals. If there is enough interest, the Board will have to vote to include The Woodlands, the By-Laws, and Articles of Organization will need to be changed, and other assorted things will change like the logo (brand), the bank account, etc. We can and will do whatever needs to be done if there is a genuine interest.
Rest assured, we want to include everyone who has a genuine interest in enhancing the community, getting people together for social events, holding activities, and participating in all the interests and plans you will find on the website. It’s taken a year for our board to get this far, so you can tell that this is an effort that requires time, planning, and interest, but the results are well worth it. Just think what the community could accomplish with more active members!
If I can be of further assistance or if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me, any officer, or post to the website. We are taking action to address your issue and that starts with discovering the level of interest. I will be putting flyers in your subdivision tomorrow, inviting residents to stop by our membership tent on Saturday to get more information. You will either find the flyer taped to your front door or behind the mailbox flag. If your flyer is not in either spot, then it likely blew away or otherwise got lost. Just know you are invited to stop by our membership tent on Saturday, and please spread the word throughout your subdivision. That way, maybe the oversight that occurred originally last October won’t happen again.
Thank you for reaching out to the NA with your concerns.
The flyers have been posted to homes in The Woodlands. All but two flyers are attached to the front door, One is attached to a garage entrance door. One is attached to the mailbox front door (large wreath on front door and no flag on mailbox).
For additional questions, post to the website or email association@stonegate-homestead.com.
Connie Davis
SHNA Secretary
Hi Connie,
Thank you for your reply. It was very enlightening and I appreciate all the effort you have put into this endeavor. I will spread the word to my neighbors and the flyers were clearly posted in the Woodlands neighborhood… Hopefully there will be interest shown. Best of luck!
Thank you Connie! Hopefully some will signup for website and we can eventually add them to the association. Just one active member can make a difference 
Hello, Ken. I just wanted to follow up with you regarding the membership drive. We had some people from The Woodlands sign up and pay to become members, and we had some people become website users only. We are taking this matter under serious consideration. We find no particular reason why we cannot add The Woodlands; however, we are extending our offer to Homestead Estates, too, even though they have their own Homeowner’s Association. As I stated before, we are NOT an HOA. We are a neighborhood association only. To find out about our goals, you can view our Articles of Organization on our website. Our By-Laws are posted, as well. We will discuss the addition of The Woodlands (and Homestead Estates) further at our next board meeting on Monday, September 21. It is a process that takes some planning, processing, and thought. Our board asks your patience as we sort out the steps we need to take to make the change(s).
We are planning a neighborhood meeting for the park on Sunday, October 11, 2020, from 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. Communication is via our website and verbally spreading the word among neighbors. I am unsure if we plan to distribute flyers due to the expense. This will be further discussed during the upcoming board meeting. I encourage you to attend to get further details and offer your input. Please bring a mask and chair to the October 11th meeting. Social distancing is required. In case of inclement weather, please be aware this date may change. Again, please check our website for updates or look for emails from our website administrator.
Meanwhile, check our website regularly for updates. If you signed up to be a user or paid to be a member, I believe our IT board member is sending blast notices to emails. This is an area above my head, so I don’t know how that all works.
Thank you for your interest. Please stay in touch! You can always post interests, questions or concerns to our website. Our administrators or a board member will answer your questions to the best of our ability. Our email is: association@stonegate-homestead.com.
Connie Davis,
SHNA Secretary