Welcome to River Mountain Ranch, a wonderful countryside community nestled in the Texas Hill Country just east of Wimberley, Texas. River Mountain Ranch is a beautiful location where Lone Man Creek flows into the Blanco River. The River Mountain Ranch Property Owners Association is an enthusiastic group providing positive support for a continued superior neighborhood. We hope the information furnished is helpful and we welcome your suggestions and comments.

For additional information about Wimberley, please click on this link to the Chamber of Commerce.

The picture below is of the lower River Mountain Ranch (RMR) entrance (joint entrance with the White Wings Subdivision) along FM 3237.

To get to RMR, go through the lower gate onto River Mountain Road and continue for approximately one mile until you get to the RMR inner gate shown at the top of the page.

2012 POA Annual Meeting Held on 21 January 2012 (UPDATE)

The Annual Meeting of the RMRPOA Membership was held on 21 January 2012 in the Blanco Room at the Wimberley Community Center. Approximately 55-60 residents/property owners attended the meeting. The results of the recent election of new Board Members was announced (see Board page for the members of the 2012 Board of Directors). Meeting Minutes and financial reports are also posted on the Board page.

RMRPOA_Wimberley Yahoo Users' Group

The POA Board has launched the Yahoo Users' Group for all members and associate members of the RMRPOA. Through 9 November, we have had 15 members join the group. Please consider joining the group.

It is now a convenient way of communicating with your neighbors about carpooling, getting a recommendation for a good local business service (e.g., electrician, plumber, HVAC, etc), getting answers to questions about living in RMR, recommendations for babysitters, announce garage sales, etc. We are hoping that this Users' Group will replace the Forum that we used to have a few years ago.

To find out how to join the group, please see the links below:

Hays County Lifts Burn Ban on 15 November 2011 until Further Notice

Brief window of opportunity exists to burn off debris, etc

Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – Hays County Judge Bert Cobb, M.D., and Fire Marshal Mark Chambers have announced a temporary lift of the burn ban due to rain and some greening of grass due to recent showers.

The burn ban is lifted immediately and is expected to last until authorities determine that conditions warrant reinstating it. The rain is expected to be a temporary relief, and that dry conditions will return quickly.

Chambers cautioned those who decide to burn to be extremely cautious, as there is still potential for fires to easily get out of control. “Never leave a fire unattended, even for a few minutes,” he said. “Always keep a source of water close at hand.”

NOTE: Please be extremely careful if you decide to burn debris within RMR and follow the guidelines if you do decide to burn, i.e., DO NOT leave a fire unattended and have sufficient water nearby to put the fire out!!!

Emergency Access to/from RMR

The Hays County Sheriff's Department and the Wimberley Fire Department will keep us informed as to what the residents of River Mountain Ranch should do In the event of an emergency, such as a bad accident on RIver Mountain Road (that keeps the road blocked for several hours) or in the event of a wildfire. Our main entry road is the desired egress route from the subdivision, however, there are two emergency exits that could be used:

1. White Wings - through the gate past the landing strip to Red Hawk Road
2. The Morales' property - through the gate on the right side of lower end of Water Park Road past Hidden Creek, go across the low water crossing (Lone Man Creek) to Red Hawk Road

RMR is a "NO SOLICITING" Neighborhood (REMINDER)

This fact is clearly stated on two separate signs posted along River Mountain Road. The first sign is at the lower entrance off FM3237 and the second one just before our inner gate. These "No Soliciting" signs were installed in late 2008 in response to several incidents where strangers/non-residents were walking up 1/4 mile driveways and/or going around closed/locked gates to approach the homes while claiming they were selling magazines. Our signage clearly warns that Soliciting is NOT ALLOWED.

The "No Soliciting" policy also applies to residents and their families for purposes of business and/or commercial solicitation.  However, residents and their families may visit the homes of friends in RMR in support of their schools if they call and/or coordinate permission in advance. 

The exact wording of the signs was, in fact, coordinated by the POA Board with the Hays County District Attorney's Office since RMR does not have an entry control gate. The POA may, in fact, seek to prosecute flagrant violations of our policy.

On 13 September 2011, we again had an individual in our neighborhood that claimed to be a resident (unverified) that claimed that he was selling magazines for his child in school sometime between 6-7PM on Winding Trail. Whether or not he is a resident, he was in clear violation of our "No Soliciting" policy.

Please contact any Board member if you have any questions regarding this policy.

A Few Web Sites of Interest

NOAA's Storm Prediction Center site provides an interactive overview of national weather, watches and warnings, severe weather predictions, and weather discussions about various areas.

The Stormpulse site is dedicated to providing information about tropical storms and hurricanes. It provides a variety of information about current and predicted tropical development.

The Texas DPS Division of Emergency Management Situation Reports site posts information daily that detail what is going on in the state.

The Wimberley Fire Department website has up to date fire and other emergency information listed that is tweeted from the WFD Twitter account. You can also sign up to follow their tweets on their website's Home page at http://www.wimberleyfire.com/ .

Hays County Government - visit their website for up to date information on the progress of the fires, evacuations, contact info, and to sign up for emergency notifications on your cell phone.  

http://www.co.hays.tx.us/index.php/living-and-visiting/recent-news/hays-county-fire-evacuation-information/

You can also follow them on twitter for instant updates at @hayscounty.

Building and/or Installation of Water Storage Tanks & Wind Turbines (IMPORTANT)

The Architectural Control Committee has received several queries concerning the process for the building and/or installation of water storage tanks and wind turbines. Property owners should first contact the Hays County Development Services to obtain a FEMA Permit (required by the FEMA to determine if the structure is or is not in a flood plain) and to determine if their project will require a regular building permit from the County. Property owners should also contact RMRPOA Architectural Control (contact information is on the Board page of this website) to coordinate and verify that the project site location meets all setback requirements (i.e, sidelines, frontline, and backline) and to determine if a construction deposit will be required prior to the beginning of any construction.

Hays County Development Services Department is located at 2171 Yarrington Rd., San Marcos, TX 78666, mailing address P.O. Box 1006, San Marcos, TX 78667, phone 512-393-2150, fax 512-493-1915.  

NOTE: Wind Turbines have been discovered to have two issues for a neighborhood where they are installed. The first issue is that the spinning of the turbine blades in conjunction with the on-board or associated generator causes disruption of RF signals across a very wide spectrum. This disruption has the potential to substantially affect the operation of remote telephones (non-wired), cell phones, satellite TV signals, certain internet RF type systems (such as TXWINET and ANVIL), and other electronic items. The second issue is that some homeowners insurance companies may opt to raise the home insurance on surrounding properties as well as on the property where the turbine is installed. The reasoning for the increase is the potential danger to property and humans should a wind turbine come apart while turning at speed. There is an example of the insurance issue in the Dallas area. Any RMR property owner considering the installation of a wind turbine must contact the Architectural Control Committee before beginning any installation.

Have a Safe & FIREWISE 2012

Remember, River Mountain Ranch is located in a grassland and forested area that is extremely dry and where a potential wildfire could start very easily.  It was just a couple of years ago when a wildfire burned over 500 acres in a subdivision on the west side of Wimberley due to a child playing with matches.  

USE OF THE WATER PARK:

Please remember that ALL FIRES of any kind are banned in the RMR Blanco River Water Park.  This includes NO use of the barbecue pits or NO use of member owned barbecue grills brought into the Water Park.  If you are planning a picnic then please cook at home and bring the prepared food to the park.

Remember, use of the Blanco River Water Park is for POA Members and their guests only and at your own risk.  There are no lifeguards.  Should an emergency occur, you will need to move to a higher point on Water Park Road since cell phone coverage is very limited or not at all in the park.

Also, please be extremely careful if cooking on a barbecue at your home.  Do not set up the barbecue in an area where a wildfire may start (e.g. tall grass, etc); Do not leave the barbecue unattended; Have a hose available and ensure that the fire is out when you are done cooking.

Thank you,

River Mountain Ranch POA Board of Directors

Animal Control is the Animal Owner's Responsibility!! (REMINDER)

The RMRPOA Board is routinely called regarding pets roaming the neighborhood and this item was a significant area of discussion at many of the last few Annual and Summer POA meetings.

Please note that our covenants state "Any and all animals, including household pets, require appropriate fencing to confine them to their lot." Furthermore, Hay County law stipulates "Dogs are to be restrained by a leash or fence, unless the owner is on the property and is able to verbally command the animal to stay on his/her property. If the animal is found unrestrained, Hays County Animal Control can either issue a citation to the owner (if the owner is known) or impound the animal at PAWS Animal Shelter in Kyle, Texas."

All RMR residents are reminded to follow the requirements defined in Hays County Animal Control Ordinance # 20893. A copy of the Ordnance may be viewed or downloaded at this link: Animal Control Ordinance.

If you walk your dog, please keep it on a leash. If you find a dog running loose, or being a nuisance, please do not call the Board. The Hays County Sheriff's Office contains the County Animal Control Office and may be contacted at 512-393-7896.

If you have a serious incident (if you are attacked by a dog for instance) and you call the Sheriff's office, requesting that a citation be issued to the owner (if known) will expedite the process of getting restitution from the owner.

Further information regarding Hays County animal control laws can be found at this link: http://www.sheriff.co.hays.tx.us/.

Hays County Sheriff's Department - Crime Information (REMINDER)

The Hays County Sheriff's Department has launched a new feature on their website and it is called "Spot Crime." Either of the two links below will take you to the crimes that have occurred in Hays County with location information. The Spot Crime - crime mapping system is a tool for citizens to see daily updates of crime occurring in Hays County and receive email alerts if a crime occurs near their home or office.

http://www.co.hays.tx.us/index.php/law-enforcement/sheriff/

http://spotcrime.com/tx/hays+county