Bear's in Highland Park, OH MY!

I want to start this posting out with a quote from an Officer of the Wa. State Department of Fish and Wildlife. "A fed bear is a dead bear".

Recently, many reports have come in about bears in our neighborhood. Although they have always been around they are becoming more of a presence in our streets, backyards and casing our garbage containers and bird feeders. Harmless? Yes for the most part but caution should be heeded as these are wild animals and subject to primitive reactions that they are hard-wired to perform. Such as...getting between a Sow bear and her cubs and/or walking up and surprising them especially around food and or a feeding bear. These situations can be avoided. Here are some general points to follow, taken from a website about Yellowstone National Park.

Bear-Proofing Your Property

• In northern states like Montana, take down, clean and put away bird feeders by April 1. Store the bird feeder until early winter. (Birds will do just fine with the natural foods available.) Bear damage due to bird feeders is a very common and growing complaint. Do not begin feeding birds again, until mid-November when most bears have gone into hibernation.
  
  
• Clean up spilled seed below feeder stations.
  
  
• Keep garbage in airtight containers inside your garage or storage area until day of pickup. Double bagging and the use of ammonia will reduce odors that attract bears. Freeze food scraps before discarding into the garbage can.
  
  
• Garbage for pickup should be put outside the morning of collection and not the night before.
  
  
• A plastic garbage bag alone does not provide enough security. Always place bagged garbage in a secondary container.
  
  
• Do not place meat or sweet food scraps in your compost pile.
  
  
• Do not leave pet food or dishes outdoors at night.
  
  
• Clean up and/or store outdoor grills after use.
  
  
• Use a bear-proof dumpster, can, or store all garbage in a secure storage area without windows until day of pickup.
  
  
• Erect portable solar powered electric fences around fruit trees and gardens. Do not allow fruit or vegetables to rot on the ground.
  
  
• Compost Piles, if you must have a compost pile, enclose it with electric fencing. Don’t put meat, fish,melon rinds and other pungent scraps in the pile. Keep it aerated and properly turned. Add lime to promote decomposition and reduce odor.
  
  
• Never intentionally feed bears to attract them to your yard for viewing.

We don't have Grizzly bears in our area but just to add that bear bells are effective. I think it's a good idea to use these, especially on our kids getting out to bus stops in the darkness of the morning. Put one on the back pack so they warn a bear [if present] that they are approaching.

If you store your garbage container outside then it is recommended that you switch to a bear proof container. Here is a link to that information. Some additional information needs to come from Allied Waste as they would need to recommend or provide a Bear proof container that will work with their equipment. Their phone number is: 206-682-3037.

http://www.bearicuda.com/enclosures/garbage_can_storage.php --BEAR PROOF CONTAINER

Just to add, I have seen these bears and they are big. The Sow is about 250-300 lbs and the cubs are now about 100-120 lbs apiece. They will lay down in awhile for winter but are still very active feeding for the long sleep right now. On Oct 28th, about 10 pm I had to stop and wait for the 2 cubs to cross the road in front of my car on Iss-Fall City Rd intersection with Iss-Pine Lake Rd. The green belt along the entire perimeter of Highland Park is their corridors of travel. They are part of our environment and are here to stay. Just take caution, be aware and be pro-active in not attracting them for the wrong reasons. Be safe out there!

Wood Decks; repair, replacement, maintenance and installation:

While many in HP have no deck what so ever, many do. Some homes have 3 levels of decks and accessories to boot [hot tub, BBQ and heaters]. Open for discussion and hearing about your experiences.

Window Replacement

Window Replacement:

[copied and pasted from www.reliableremodeler.com]

When is the Best Time of Year to Consider Buying Replacement Windows?

Buying replacement windows can be a big project. Here are some tips to get you started on the right track to a successful window replacement.

The best time of year to consider buying replacement windows is around spring or fall. Buying replacement windows and having them installed will leave your home open to the elements for a day or so. You want to avoid hot, cold and rainy times of the year if possible.

You need to know which windows, if not all, have to be replaced. Look at the type of window and decide on whether you want to replace it with a new style or use a style just like your old ones. This is especially true with the Highland Park CC&R's. Consult that first. You'll need to evaluate how your original windows were installed as well as note any potential problems with tear-out and preparation for the new windows.

Let's start this discussion as many have done replacement and we all need to hear what they have experienced and learned.

Recommended Contractors of Highland Park

Over the last several issues of the Highland Park Newsletter, many have commented on Contractors that they recommend for services to the neighborhood. In an attempt to keep that information around longer than the eventual recycling of the newsletter, this entry gives you the chance to post that recommendation. Others can add on comments after that of course but never the less your experiences are needing to be shared.
Please include the basics of who they are, phone numbers, names of those you dealt with and perhaps in general some costs, perhaps in relation to other bids you found from others. Have at it
1

Back-flow valves? Do we have a stinking back-flow valve?

Up until a couple of months ago I wouldn't know a Back-Flow valve from any other valve in a hardware store or Plumbers shop. In came the question from a neighbor about Back-Flow valve testing and hundreds of dollar's to test them and the City of Sammamish requiring testing yearly and on and on. What the heck?
Back-flow valves are installed between your main water line and your sprinkler system. Other BFV's are installed between the main water line and say a building's fire prevention sprinkler system. The valve prevents water that enters your sprinkler system [potentially dirty] from re-entering the general water system and contaminating the water lines throughout.
I called a local and popular Sprinkler Contractor and was informed that when Highland Park was established no back- flow valve testing was required by the County. Now that Sammamish has jurisdiction they require testing by a certified [you guessed it] Back Flow Valve Tester. This Contractor told me that it is the responsibility of the City of Sammamish to contact the homeowner about testing your back-flow valve. If you have had main water line hookup or alteration like adding a sprinkler system then they will contact you of required testing. Some published rates of BFV failure are no more than 9%.
Has anyone had Back flow valve testing done and what recommendations do you have. What contractors have you used?