Residential Street Tree Pruning

The pruning will consist of raising the canopy of street trees to provide clearance of at least 14’ over the street and 10’ over the sidewalk. Limbs that are removed will be chipped and hauled away from the property on the same day the pruning takes place. Street trees are those located in the area between the sidewalk and the street; yard trees are not included in this service. As the trees are a living organism and are constantly growing, additional pruning may need to be done between visits. This is the responsibility of the homeowner as well as any damaged limbs that may need to be removed.

If you wish to continue to maintain your own street trees, you may do so by using the form located on our website to notify FCCA no later than two weeks prior to the beginning of the month of your neighborhood’s scheduled pruning. If you opt out of the program and later choose to join, your street trees will not be pruned until the next scheduled pruning of your neighborhood. You will need to inform FCCA in writing if you choose to opt back into the program. Also, if you choose to maintain your own street trees and receive a violation notice from the City or from FCCA, you will be responsible for bringing your trees into compliance and for any fines incurred for failure to do so.

For more information about the program you may contact Bill Grantham at (281) 634-9568 or e-mail at landscape@firstcolony.org.

Comprehensive Master Plan

In 2004 the First Colony Community Association (FCCA) Board of Directors formally adopted a Comprehensive Master Plan (CMP) detailing twenty-nine established goals to be accomplished over the course of ten years, 2005– 2014. This roadmap helped to guide the future of FCCA and proved to be a highly effective tool.

In January 2014, the FCCA Board approved and published their Amenities Philosophy which was guided by member input. In July 2014, the Board of Directors chartered a task force comprised of Association members (24 neighborhoods were represented), developer representatives, Sugar Land and Missouri City Staff, and FCCA Staff to update the existing CMP. The CMP update was developed in accordance with the Vision Statement adopted by the Board of Directors, which is as follows:

First Colony will be recognized as a superior community is which to live, work, and play, known for its natural beauty, architectural design integrity, amenities, recreational opportunities, and consistent deed restriction enforcement.

The task force, with the help of a facilitator, Mr. Jeff Evans (Management Matters LLC), met throughout 2014 and drafted and recommended the adoption of ten goals and a total of sixty-seven actions to guide the community over the next six years, 2015– 2020. A timeline was also incorporated into the plan for each goal/action based on current or anticipated need.

Additionally, the FCCA Board and Staff also worked with Clark Condon Associates to update the FCCA Amenities Master Plan. This update was aligned with the FCCA Amenities Philosophy and included evaluations of all parks and pools, and provides recommendations and priorities consistent with the CMP Goals and the FCCA Reserve Study.

The primary message from the membership throughout this process was to continue doing what the Association is doing to keep the community a first-class master-planned community.

While most of the goals are related to maintaining current assets or enhancing existing services, some new initiatives were identified through this process. Further, approximately 90% of the projected expenses for the goals are capital and/or reserves, with only 10% impacting operating costs over the course of five years. The CMP update includes a relatively detailed financial analysis that included very conservative assumptions. The model should be considered changeable and it will be necessary to modify it over time. It is also important to note that the model is not definitive in terms of the long-term financial needs of the Association. As annual budgets are prepared over time, this model will be updated to continually reflect the most accurate information available and provide a tool for the Board and Staff in setting future assessments and funding needs.

In order to ensure the Association stays focused on the established goals, the current FCCA governance policies require an annual CMP Monitoring Report be completed by the Executive Director to the Board of Directors. This policy notes that the goals will be reviewed annually for need, priority and available funding. A more thorough review of the entire document will be done every five years and as new issues are identified, they will also be considered for incorporation into the document.

A special thanks goes to the many volunteers and Staff who dedicated a significant amount of time in developing this useful tool to help guide the future of FCCA.