City Council Workshop and Meeting 5/20/10

There will be a City Council Workshop Thursday evening at 7:00 PM. This is a gathering in which the community can interact with the Council. I encourage all of you to attend.
The agenda is posted outside the office.
Please come and let us know what is on your mind.
There will be a very short special Council Meeting immediately following the Workshop so please plan on being with us for both.
See you Thursday.
Cathy Bennett

FYI - Posting and Reading Comments

I was visiting with someone last night and she mentioned having read my post on the blog but had not been able to read the comments I was referring to. It occurred to me that there were probably many of us that did not know how to post or read a comment.
At the end of each post, it says"comments". If there is one, it will say "1comments". If you click on this, you can read the post, if there is one or make a comment if that is what you chose to do.
It really is great to read other people's comments and to post your own. THAT'S COMMUNICATION!
Let us hear from you!
Cathy Bennett

BENEFIT BAR-B-QUE

For the Ivanhoe Volunteer Fire Department

MAY 29th 2010

From 10 a.m. until it runs out at the Ivanhoe Front Entrance

Brisket and Link sandwiches, Brisket, Link or combination plates with beans, potato salad and bread. Cold Drinks are also available.

SUPPORT YOUR FIREFIGHTERS

Response & History

I must admit that I have not kept up with our blog. I just became aware of the comments posted in March in response to the post announcing the incorporation of Ivanhoe.

I think that perhaps a little piece of history might be in order.........

In 2001 a group of property owners sued the IPOIA (Ivanhoe Property Owner's Improvement Association) saying basically that the fees that were being collected were illegal and that according to the original agreement the fees should only be $6.00 per year.

In an agreed judgment, the IPOIA was given until August of 2012 to continue collecting the fees they were currently collecting and at that point, the fees would revert to $6.00.

We have 5 dams and 69 miles of roads to maintain, not to mention the maintenance of our parks, mowing of roadsides, etc. It is impossible to support the community with only $6.00 annual maintenance fees.

Since the time of the lawsuit, expert lawyers have been consulted to see what we could do and if there was any other solution outside of incorporation that would enable us to keep our beloved community going. Over and over we were told that the only solution for us was to incorporate.

None of the people involved in running the IPOIA wanted to incorporate. Becoming a city was the only alternative we had. It is sad that because of a small number of people, and entire community suffers. And why? So that they would not have to pay a measly $100.00 per year (average)

Your frustration is shared. We all feel it. It has not been easy for any of us but if the finger of blame is to be pointed in any direction, it should be pointed at those people who decided to sue Ivanhoe rather than support their community.

The people involved in the incorporation effort should be thanked for caring enough about Ivanhoe to work to see that it is maintained.

Those of us that were here during the loss of the lakes remember what happened to our property values. They plummeted. With $6.00 a year maintenance fees, our dams cannot be maintained and we would not only lose the lakes but our roads would deteriorate at an incredibly rapid rate. We are working to maintain our community and our property values.

I personally was against incorporation and so when I heard the rumors, I decided to get involved so that I could be a part of the decision making process. I came to understand why the effort was being made. I am inviting all of you to become involved in our ongoing effort to preserve Ivanhoe.

Meetings are open and your input is very important to us. Please come. IPOIA meets at 10:00 AM on the second Saturday of each month and the City Council meets at 11:15 AM on the same day.We are also holding a City Council Workshop on the 20th of May at 7:00 PM at which the citizens are invited to interact with the Council.

Agendas are posted on the bulletin board outside of the Ivanhoe office at least 72 hours prior to any meeting. If you would like something to be included on the agenda for the 20th, please let us know by noon Saturday the 15th.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me at revcathyb@gmail.com or by phone at 409-429-6752.

Also, please place your comments on the Blog. Communication is important.

Thanks much for your patience and understanding as we go through our transitional process.

Cathy Bennett, Secretary/Treasurer IPOIA and Commissioner of the City of Ivanhoe

INCORPORATION PASSED!

Yesterday's results in the vote to Incorporate Ivanhoe into a Class "C" city the results were as follows: Ivanhoe North 75 In Favor and 27 Against - City of Ivanhoe 159 In Favor and 52 Against. We will be updating what this means for property owners in the near future.

ANNUAL REPORT TO MEMBERS

The Annual Report to Members is in the mail and on it's way to your home. Please make note that the envelope will include the ballots for the IPOIA election as well as your Maintenance Fee statement. Please Note: If you wish to attend the Annual Membership Meeting, it will take place November 14, 2009 at 2 p.m. Location: Ivanhoe Community Center

IVANHOE BLOG

If you are reading this blog, please email me at kesikora@yahoo.com, send me your email address and I will let you know when the blog has been updated............Thanks, Karen

COMMUNITY WORKSHOP - OCTOBER 8th - 7 p.m.

You will get another chance to meet and question the candidates for the November 3rd election. We will be discussing issues pertaining to the Incorporation and questions that you may have. PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND IT YOU HAVEN'T COME IN THE PAST.

COMMUNITY WORKSHOP - SEPT. 12

We had a great turnout for the first Saturday evening Community Workshop. Candidates for the November 3 city election were introduced and questions were taken from the audience. It is really exciting to see this many people taking an interest in the future of Ivanhoe. You will get another opportunity to meet the candidates on October 8th @ 7 p.m. Please make plans to attend the IPOIA meeting at 10 a.m. at the community center Saturday, Oct. 10th.

AUGUST 2009 BOARD MTG. HIGHLIGHTS

SEPT 2009 IVANHOE NEWS

BENEFIT BAR-B-QUE FOR IVANHOE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT.

On SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2009, From 10 a.m. till it runs out we will be serving brisket and link sandwiches, brisket, link or combination plates with beans, potato salad and bread. Cold drinks will also be available. Please support your volunteer firefighters

On this same date the Ivanhoe Civic Club will hold it's Annual "Fundraiser/Bake Sale" from 9 a.m. till sold out.

Location for both events: IVANHOE FRONT ENTRANCE

IPOIA MEETING & COMMUNITY WORKSHOP

The next IPOIA meeting will be held on September 12th at 10 a.m. On this same date at 7 p.m. we will have another Community Workshop. This will give those who can not attend a weekly meeting an opportunity to come on a Saturday night.

Information Posted on Blog

I was asked why the Blog has not been updated and I am sorry to say that has been my fault. I have determined that I will make it a priority to start updating on a regular basis. You can help......let me know if there is something that you would like posted that is of interest to residents of Ivanhoe (email sikora51@yahoo.com) Information that I will be posting in the future is anything of interest that happens at the monthly IPOIA meetings, information on the Incorporation and our townhall meeting/discussions about incorporation, reminders about upcoming events here at Ivanhoe and any other items that are of interest. Karen Sikora

Town Hall Meeting with Congressman Kevin Brady

We had a very informative Townhall Meeting today with Congressman Kevin Brady. A good crowd of approx. 150 concerned citizens came out for a question and answer session with the Congressman.

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

From our ride around Ivanhoe it looked like everyone was enjoying the weekend. Thanks again to all those who checked stickers at the boat launch and park area. If you didn't get the B-B-Q that the Fire Dept. provided, you missed a treat! Deputy Dale was on duty and was roamin' the streets. Be careful out there. K.Sikora

SORRY YOU MISSED THE FUN MARCH 28TH.

We had a good bunch of hardy souls show up for Park cleanup day on Saturday. You had to stay busy to stay warm but I think we got a lot accomplished. You don't need to wait for a scheduled cleanup day if you see something that needs to be taken care of just "DO IT!" This is our community and our home, let's work together to cleanup Ivanhoe.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MARCH NEWSLETTER

CAULKING GALAHAD DAM - Work is underway to caulk the expansion joints in Galahad Dam. Road will need to be temporarily closed to traffic for a few days as work progresses. Closing Date will be posted on marquis at front gate.

DRAWDOWN VALVE WILL BE CLOSED MARCH 16 - (if all goes well)
Galahad Lake will refill as well as Charmaine of course this will happen more quickly if we get a few showers.

BURN BAN STILL IN EFFECT!

RED 2009 EAST TEXAS PHONE DIRECTORIES are available at the Association Office. They will not be delivered to your homes as in the past.

DEPUTY DALE FREEMAN is keeping his eyes on the speeders. The speed limits apply to 4-wheelers and dirt bikes. If you speed you will get pulled over! Tell Dale THANKS! for caring about the safety of our community the next time you see him.

COOKBOOK FUNDRAISER - The Ladies Civic Club is making a cookbook filled with all your best recipe's. Please contact Ann Odom or Anita Davis for a card to submit your recipe on.

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD - Thanks to Dee & David Baier for painting and adding the title to our signboard beside the Ivanhoe store driveway.

PARK CLEANUP & WORKDAY - SAT. MARCH 28
JIM GREMILLION HAS SCHEDULED THE ANNUAL CLEANUP FOR OUR PARKS. Come prepared with tools. Things to be done include mowing, weed eating, trimming bushes, filling holes, painting park equipment, repairing boundary fencing, etc. The association will supply sub sandwich lunch and drinks. MEET AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER AT 8 AM. (RAINOUT DATE WILL BE IN APRIL)

MARCH IS METAL MONTH
Reprint from the Tyler Co. Booster - With the weather beginning to moderate, Tyler County residents are starting to work in their yards again, and Tyler County Commissioners want to help. During the month of March, they will accept White Goods, and Metal at the Tyler County Collection Center at no charge to county residents. This is a service the county offers each year at this time.
PLEASE get the word out.......it would be a great opportunity to cleanup some unsightly areas of our neighborhood. K.Sikora