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We are happy to announce Robson Property Management as our new HOA Adminstration! 
 
Be sure to sign up with their online portal, Appfolio.
 
 
 
Please feel free to contact us with your comments and suggestions.
 
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Please note that our website will be retiring April 2024
 
Upcoming Events
Website Retiring 2024
Tuesday, August 15th to Monday, April 15th
http://www.theterritorybixby.com/ will be retired April 2024
 
New online portal available
Neighborhood News
Join your neighbors on the Nextdoor neighborhood app.
 
   
 
Territory residents we welcome you and hope you will join us on this new app. Nextdoor the app helps keep our community linked with updates on neighborhood news, classifieds, crime watch alerts, and the best part is it lets us get to know all of our neighbors better and grow stronger as a community.
 
Available for IPhone and Android
To download the Nextdoor App, please visit-http://nextdoor.com/mobile
 

GOPHER REMOVAL EFFORT IS UNDERWAY
(please leave the orange flags alone)

Pocket gophers are a plentiful problem in The Territory. They have chewed electrical wires for landscape lighting and sprinkler lines at the entrances to cause damage that has already cost well over $1,000 to repair – and we still haven’t assessed all the damage or know the full extent of the issues.

We are in the process of consulting with electricians and sprinkler-system installers.

Gophers digging in the common areas also caused erosion and our storm drain areas will require shoveling/cleaning to prevent water pooling and creating places for mosquitoes to multiply.

HOA President Kelly Bostian volunteered to trap gophers in the large common area this summer and kept the population at bay for most of the season that the young soccer players were practicing on the field.

He finally drew the line when he reached 30 gophers. It was simply too much work to stay ahead of them on a volunteer basis.

During a meeting the first week of November the board awarded Barry’s Pest Control a contract to remove gophers from the two main common areas and the entrances where wiring and sprinkler lines are located.

PLEASE if you see orange flagging around the entrances and common areas DO NOT DISTURB the traps. The flags are attached to wires that hold the traps in place. Please alert your children to leave those flags alone.

The Territory will be charged a replacement fee for traps that are lost/stolen.

We are happy to work with a Territory resident business owner on something that will help the entire neighborhood.

Good riddance, gophers!


GATED COMMUNITY OPTION RESEARCHED

After a number of thefts last spring several residents raised the idea that The Territory should become a gated community to add to the safety of our neighborhood.

Given what seemed to be persistent interest in the idea, we asked HOA-Administrators to do some research into what would be required of us to become a gated community and what the gate construction would cost.

The short answer to becoming a gated community is it is not recommended by local authorities, would be extremely expensive, and would require involvement of the HOA board at a level beyond what any found palatable.

The board was skeptical to begin with, but we all did our best to keep an open mind.

However, after hearing reports on the research the idea no longer has enough support among board members to merit further discussion or research.

We first reached out to Marcae Hilton, City of Bixby Planner on what would be the responsibilities of The Territory if we erected security gates.

She consulted with others at City Hall on the potential of The Territory becoming a gated community and reported the following:

She said the first step to becoming a gated community would require us to ask our attorney and hire an engineer to re-plat the streets and work up a new deed of dedication. That’s because everything inside our fences would become private property and all street and storm sewer maintenance would become the responsibility of the neighborhood.

Hilton said street and storm sewer maintenance costs, “could become very difficult for a small neighborhood to cover.”

Every inch of the property – including storm sewers and curb/gutter – would need to be newly surveyed to legally show precisely where our private property ends and public begins. We did not research the cost of that survey work (we could assume it would not be cheap).

Hilton said all plans, including detailed gate construction plans and how the neighborhood would manage the gates, would have to be submitted to the Planning Commission and then the City Council for approval. She said that gaining Council approval would be a months-long process.

Two strikes would be against us from the start, she said. Both the police and fire chiefs commented specifically against The Territory (but she said they do in general for most neighborhoods) becoming a gated community.

Gates make it more difficult for emergency responders to make random checks and routinely are a problem for police and ambulance response, she said.

“This would not be a favorable change from the City’s perspective,” she said.

Sam Sullivan with HOA-Administrators approached two contractors to provide bids for the job of building a main gate at the 160th Street entrance and a secondary gate off Riverview.

One was a no-show, but Jenks Fence, which builds neighborhood fences all around Tulsa, came through with a bid of $45,520, not including costs for required electrical and telephone hookup to residences. The construction amount would nearly drain all our savings, unless we charged residents a separate construction fee over and above dues to get the job done. The gates would require annual maintenance and we would need to budget for that as well.

The effort required for the months-long process to get the gates approved, the high cost of gate construction, and the recommendation against gating the community from the chiefs of both city public safety departments led The Territory board to dismiss gates as an public safety idea for our neighborhood.

Both city public safety officials said Alert Neighbors programs and regular use of tools like the Nextdoor App to keep residents in touch are more effective at preventing crime than are physical gates.

ALERT NEIGHBORS CRIME WATCH PROGRAM
THE SIGNS SAY WE'RE CRIME WATCHERS but we could use some help to keep our neighborhood safe, and that means volunteering. If we all pitch in just a little bit, we can make our neighborhood stronger.
Your help can be as small as agreeing to drive the neighborhood once in awhile or being a part of an emergency phone tree of people who know who to contact or can post things quickly to the Nextdoor App.
We have the signs up now we have to back them up by being an organized neighborhood.
 
If interested in becoming member of crime watch please contact Kelly Bostian at 918-231-1385

Thieves look for open opportunities. Please remember to lock your homes, cars and do not leave garage doors open
 

 
PARKING ISSUES
Recently we have received complaints from neighbors who continually put up with poorly parked vehicles or items (children's bikes or other toys) left in the street.
Our streets are relatively narrow and street-side parking is limited, so please be courteous to neighbors who might need to back out of their driveway while your car is parked nearby. (This is a good way to end up with a dent in your car!).
Please also do your best to avoid parking directly across the street from another vehicle. This is an important safety issue!
Fire trucks and EMSA can not pass down our streets if cars are left parked directly across from one another. The City of Bixby also has asked us all  to park in direction of travel and not to park too close to corners as it interferes with traffic and emergency vehicles.
Also, please be courteous to your neighbors and do not park in front of their homes.
 

PLAYGROUND IMPROVEMENTS/REPAIRS COMING SOON
The Board of Directors has taken note of major improvements needed for our playground area and we are working with qualified designers to upgrade and improve the area this winter.
 
We have secured the services of Play By Design, a small local company that has worked with Bixby Elementary School and is working on The Gathering Place. Their expert advice on replacing items, restoring and cleaning items, and enhancing the play area overall for neighborhood children has been invaluable.

In its November meeting the board discussed some options for Play By Design and they are working up quotes to help us make a final decision.

When the decision is final we will announce the planned changes and let everyone know about the work schedule with postings to The Territory Facebook page, Nextdoor App and this Web site.


 
Sincerely your HOA board members
 
President - Kelly Bostian
Treasurer - Candace Tapley
Board Member - Stephen Sullivan
Board Member - Ian Napier
Board Member - Kisha Simon
Board Member - Karla Fuentes
 
Please feel free to contact us with questions or comments at  kellybostian@gmail.com or call 918-231-1385
 

 
PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THE TERRITORY COVENANTS
The Territory is a great neighborhood and everyone needs to be aware of the covenants that were written to protect and enhance the value of our properties.
 
The most common covenant violations are cars improperly parked, yards not being kept up and barking dogs. Most people take great pride in their yards, vehicles, homes, etc. and choose neighborhoods like the Territory for the covenants so that everyone does the same. Please be courteous of your neighbors and abide by the covenants.
 
Unfortunately we have had to issue a few notices this past year to correct problems that could have been avoided in the first place.

Territory residents should be aware that the covenants demand prior board/architecture committee approval before construction or painting is done that changes the outward appearance of your home.

It is a simple process. An architecture form can be downloaded from this web site. Submit the form to the board of directors for approval and we will get it back to you asap with approval or to let you know if there is a problem with your plans.

It’s much easier to avoid building something that doesn’t mesh with neighborhood covenants than to have to correct the problem later. We do not recommend asking for forgiveness after the fact. The rules are clear on most topics and they apply to us all equally.