No one wants to be a victim of mail theft. Sadly, it's not always avoidable, but one of the most effective things you can do to help avoid theft is to check your mail every day. Do not allow mail to sit in the box overnight or accumulate over multiple days, even if you are out of town. The post office will hold mail for you if you won't be able to retrieve if for a period of time (set this up at USPS). If you have the option, switch to paperless billing statements and payments to avoid sending sensitive, personal information through the mail. Try to find out what time your mail is typically delivered. Empty mailboxes are a deterrent for thieves. 

Unfortunately, sometimes vandals do strike our mailboxes. The best thing to do when you discover a vandalized cluster mailbox is to immediately file a report with the police. If you were expecting anything important in the mail, contact the sender. We each have a responsibility to help protect our community.

Austin-area home invasions have been in the news lately, making this a good time to refresh your family’s safety and security practices.

If you spot suspicious persons in the District at any time, please report them to Williamson County Sheriff’s Office at their non-emergency line: (512) 864-8282. If you believe a crime is in progress, call 911 immediately.

  Some tips to improve your home’s safety and lower the appeal to would-be thieves:  

• Install solid core doors with heavy duty locks.
• Lock all windows and doors at all times.
• Use a peephole or window to check to see who is outside before answering your door. If you don’t know them and weren’t expecting them, don’t open it.
• Turn on your exterior lights after dark.
• Never rely on a chain latch as a barrier to partially open your door.
• Alert your neighbors to suspicious solicitors in the area. Social media is an excellent tool for this.
• Discuss your family’s safety rules with your children and babysitters.

Did you know that pedestrians walking or running on Texas streets must use a sidewalk if there is one provided and accessible, and NOT the street? It’s the law! As stated in chapter 552 of the Texas Transportation Code:

 (a)  A pedestrian may not walk along and on a roadway if an adjacent sidewalk is provided and is accessible to the pedestrian.

(b)  If a sidewalk is not provided, a pedestrian walking along and on a highway shall if possible walk on:

(1)  the left side of the roadway; or

(2)  the shoulder of the highway facing oncoming traffic.

If you are riding a bicycle, you must ride WITH the flow of traffic (on the same side). If you are moving slower than the other traffic on the roadway, you must ride as near as practicable to the right curb or edge of the roadway. 

Also, when turning right onto 183A from Scottsdale Drive (leaving Block House Creek), you must come to a complete stop when the light is red. Be aware of the crosswalk, and use the dedicated lanes for right turns.

In recent months, the Block House Municipal Utility District has received multple reports of coyote sightings within Block House Creek specifically in Comanche and Tumlinson parks during the daylight hours and along streets where houses back up to the creek or drainage areas. 

Reports of coyotes in the Central Texas area are not unusual and have been reported in residential neighborhoods throughout the state and in and around Austin, Cedar Park, Leander and Georgetown.

A Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) game warden has been notified about the coyote sightings as well as the Williamson County Animal Control Office. The game warden said urban coyotes are not uncommon and the only solution would be to humanely trap the coyote and relocate.

Common-sense precautions people can take to minimize the potential for danger associated with urban coyotes include:

• Do not feed coyotes! Keep pet food and water inside. Keep garbage securely stored, especially if it has to be put on the curb for collection; use tight-locking or bungee-cordwrapped trash cans that are not easily opened.

• Keep compost piles securely covered; correct composting never includes animal matter like bones or fat, which can draw coyotes even more quickly that decomposing vegetable matter.

• Keep pets inside, confined securely in a kennel or covered exercise yard, or within the close presence of an adult.

• Walk pets on a leash and accompany them outside, especially at night.

• Do not feed wildlife on the ground; keep wild bird seed in feeders designed for birds elevated or hanging above ground, and clean up spilled seed from the ground; coyotes can either be drawn directly to the seed, or to the rodents drawn to the seed. • Keep fruit trees fenced or pick up fruit that falls to the ground.

• Do not feed feral cats (domestics gone wild); this can encourage coyotes to prey on cats, as well as feed on cat food left out for them.

• Minimize clusters of shrubs, trees and other cover and food plants near buildings and children's play areas to avoid attracting rodents and small mammals that will in turn attract coyotes

The Texas Department of Public Safety has published some great information that all residents should take to heart in the emergency wildfire conditions that we are experiencing.

They point out that 80% of wildfires occur within two miles of residential neighborhoods and suburbs. The recent Bois d'Arc, Moonglow, and Steiner Ranch fires are examples of how residential areas can be involved very quickly. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the DPS's information.

Grill safety - Please Be Safe When Grilling

The following information has been provided by Cedar Park Fire Department:
Please be safe when grilling.
Uncontrolled sparks have caused many fires, especially during the extremely dry conditions we are seeing.
Safety tips for grilling include:
• Place grill away from flammable materials
• Have a water source or extinguisher nearby when grilling
• Watch for flying embers especially when first lighting a fire
• Never leave a fire unattended
• Make sure your coals are completely out after you are done cooking
Remember fire safety is everyone’s responsibility!

The MUD Board and management are aware of low-hanging tree branches along Creek Run Drive and elsewhere in the District. The trees are full of seeds and water from the rain, and the goal of our landscaping team is to allow the seeds to drop and water to recede naturally, rather than trim back otherwise healthy branches. Thank you for your concern for these trees and your vigilance in protecting the neighborhood. Please use caution when driving throughout the neighborhood and while enjoying the parks.

As a reminder, residents are welcome to take the pecans that fall from trees in common areas, but thrashing or any similar action to remove the nuts from trees is not permitted.

The signs have been installed and the ground has been painted, so traffic entering and exiting Apache Park and Pool is now following a REVERSED pattern. 

Please remember to enter the parking lot on the side furthest from the pool, and exit near the pool. This will eliminate the blind crosswalk caused when exiting on the opposite side. Thank you for your flexibility and willingness to help increase the safety of our Block House residents and guests.