Earlier this week we received parish building permits allowing us to begin the Marina Entrance Reconstruction Project!

Starting next week, the BCHOA and our contractor, McMath Construction, will be performing the following:

• BCHOA will be moving our temporary guardhouse building to the Marina entrance  
• BCHOA Public Works and an outside boring company will be boring and installing new water and sewer lines to the median
• Ricky Jarrell’s Tree Services will be removing a pine tree and trimming branches of a live oak tree on the entrance side of the property
• McMath Construction and Cleco will be installing a temporary power pole to provide power to the site

During the above work activities, we anticipate there may be temporary traffic delays, but both the entrance and exit will remain open. 

At this point we anticipate the demolition of the existing guardhouse could start the first week of October.  During demolition, we will have to close some lanes of traffic on a short-term basis, maybe for a few days. As of now, we plan to close the exit lanes only and keep the entrance lanes open throughout the demolition.  

Please be on the lookout for signage, e-mail, website and Facebook announcements with updates, progress reports and any traffic flow changes.

Cristina Donovan

CAO

DOUG TATE ~ BEAU CHENE LETTER TO HOMEOWNERS

JULY 24, 2019

Ben Franklin was not a resident of Beau Chene, but he sure would have loved it here.  From the sparkling yachts in the marina with their nautical American flags to the massive July 4th celebration at the Beau Chene Country Club, Ben Franklin would have loved this great American neighborhood.          

Franklin famously said that an ounce of preparation is worth a pound of cure. This quote also rings true when Louisiana finds itself in Atlantic Hurricane season. The Beau Chene HOA Board manages the books with hurricane preparation in mind.  Lance Rase, the treasurer of the Beau Chene Board, along with his finance committee manages all accounts with the thought it may be necessary to use major funds for a post hurricane clean-up.

While Hurricane Barry was a non-event, this does not mean that the Beau Chene HOA and the staff were sitting at home watching Bosch on Amazon.  Our CAO, Cristina Donovan, was on site and oversaw the major preparation pre-storm, during the storm, and post-storm.  

Beau Chene HOA Pre Storm Preparation Action Items

• BCHOA Public Works (PW) Staff inspected all community drainage ditches and culverts throughout and removed debris
• Fueled and tested all equipment (including chain saws, pumps, trackhoe, backhoe, dump truck and trailers) and generators to ensure operational status.
• Brought in and stored adequate diesel and gasoline fuel to operate equipment & generators through the storm’s potential impact
• BCHOA PWs implemented storm protocols for water and sewerage locations

Beau Chene HOA During Storm

• Public Works staff stayed on site from Friday afternoon through Sunday
• Water system (2 water wells) and wastewater system (sewer plant and 20 lift stations) closely monitored throughout the weekend to ensure operational status

• Public Works Operator, Marty Vining, stayed on-site Friday night and Saturday night monitoring all systems and roadways
• Public Works Operator, Jacob Killian, worked all day Saturday and Sunday monitoring all systems and roadways
• Asst. Dir of PW, Lindsey Adkins, was on call all weekend and on-site Saturday and Sunday at varying times
• Dave Vinson and Lindsey Adkins kept all parties involved via phone

Beau Chene HOA Tree Removal on Beau Chene Drive

• Cristina Donovan, CAO, was notified of fallen tree by a neighbor and immediately contacted on-site PW Operator, Jacob Killian.
• Jacob Killian placed “Road Closed” signage and followed on-call protocol contacting Lindsey Adkins
• Three more BCHOA PW Operators arrived within 30 minutes to assist in removal of tree – Marty Vining, Paul Hunt and Michael Flocke (main equipment operator)
• Jarrells Tree Service was called and was also able to respond quickly
• Tree removal was completed within two hours and Beau Chene Drive re-opened 

Beau Chene is a massive neighborhood, and we are very lucky to have such great employees.  We were ready for the storm, and we will be ready for the next one. On behalf of all Beau Chene homeowners, I would like to publicly thank all those who make this the best neighborhood in Louisiana.

I would also like to thank Louise Rusch, the chairwoman of the CEC, and Don Beaver with Beau Chene Country Club.  They put on a great firework display that brought together both club members and non-members and treated Beau Chene residents to an incredible celebration beneath the stately oaks.  Mark your calendars for Friday, September 27th which is the next party Louise and Don have planned.

Sincerely,

Doug Tate

President Beau Chene HOA

The Beau Chene Homeowners Association office will be closed on Thursday, July 4th for Independence Day.  We will be open regular hours 8:00 AM till 5:00 PM (closed one hour for lunch) the rest of the week.  There will be normal garbage pickups. 

For any water or sewer emergencies please call our main number at (985) 231-6285 and press #3 for Lindsey. 

For all other emergencies call the Security Guards at: 

Main Guard Gate     (985) 845-7560

East Guard Gate       (985) 845-8495

Marina Guard Gate (985) 845-7022

Enjoy a safe and happy 4th of July! 

Cristina Donovan

CAO

BEAU CHÊNE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.

June 21, 2019

Summer is in full swing in this great neighborhood. Kids are avoiding their summer reading and opting for sleeping late, fighting with their sister, eating the remaining Easter candy, watching YouTube, and that is just at my house. From summer camps to Destin vacations to learning how to mow the lawn, summer means something different to every resident.

The Beau Chene HOA Board has been busy with elections and preparing for the new marina entrance. At the HOA meeting on Friday June 14, 2019 the following members were elected to executive positions:
Doug Tate – President
deShea Richardson – Vice President
Lance Rase – Treasurer
Jay Whealdon – Secretary

This will be my second term as president, and I would like to thank all homeowners for allowing me to serve. I moved here 2 months before Katrina and my life has unfolded within the 3 gates of Beau Chene. My son learned how to hit a baseball in our backyard and my daughter would choose to go to the Beau Chene pool over a family trip to Austin. Professionally, I manage money for the working affluent at Benjamin F. Edwards, hold a BA in Communications and a MBA from LSU. I am married to the former Alexandra Sampedro, and have 2 children, Lucy who attends CES, and Preston who attends SPS.

deShea Richardson is the newly elected vice president of the Beau Chene Homeowners Association. She is a native of Baton Rouge where she earned multiple degrees including a law degree. She and her husband James Richardson have 3 beautiful kids JP, Constance and Charlotte. The Richardsons love this neighborhood so much, that they are on their second home in Beau Chene. deShea is a partner in the Mandeville law firm Harrison & Richardson.

Lance Rase was recently re-elected to the Beau Chene Board and continues his role as Treasurer. Lance is married to the former Erika Laughlin and they have 2 beautiful children, Abby and Nicholas. Lance is an executive with Consolidated Grain & Barge and holds an undergraduate degree from LSU and a graduate degree from Tulane. Lance is active on many boards but is most proud of chairing Crawfish Cookin for a Cause, a 501c3 charitable organization, which recently raised over $60k for families affected by catastrophic illness.

Jay Whealdon has been a board member and its corporate secretary for 7 years. Jay and his wife, Phoebe, have lived in Beau Chene for 17 years and are next door neighbors of Doug and Alex Tate. Jay has been engaged in the insurance and reinsurance industries for over 40 years. Phoebe is a full-time real estate agent with Coldwell Banker TEC. Both Jay and Phoebe are involved with business and local charitable organizations and are active members of First Baptist Covington in various capacities.

The 2019-2020 committees will be chaired by the following individuals:

Louise Rusch – Community Enhancement Committee
Paul Angelle – Environmental Control Committee
Lance Rase – Finance Committee
David Parnell – Governance/Legal Committee
Jay Whealdon – Insurance Committee
David Pesses & Neal Hennegan – Infrastructure Committee
Geoff Hingle – Security Committee
David Pesses & Louise Rusch – Liaison Committee

As we enter hurricane season, we want to remind our residents to have an evacuation plan. Additionally, our HOA balance sheet is managed with an eye on storms in the gulf. A large sum of money is kept liquid and semi-liquid in case of emergencies like Katrina. History tells us that we will take a hit from a storm within the next 5 years. We need to be financially and organizationally prepared for a hurricane.

Beau Chene is the premier neighborhood in St. Tammany Parish, and it is our responsibility to ensure it stays that way. With over 5,000 residents and over 1,500 properties, there is strength in numbers. If you have ideas, questions, concerns, comments, etc. please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Doug Tate
President Beau Chene HOA

Beau Chene Water System Customers:

The 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act requires potable water suppliers to inform our customers yearly concerning the quality of the water and services that we deliver to you each day.

Beau Chene’s 2018 ANNUAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY REPORT will be published in the ST. TAMMANY FARMER newspaper on June 12, 2019.  Paper copies of this report will not be mailed but will be available at the Beau Chene Administration Office as well as on our website at bchoa.org/information/documents-forms.

Your water system staff wants you to be assured that your potable water meets and exceeds all LDHH and Federal regulations and is delivered to you as SAFE, QUALITY WATER.

Please call me with any questions at (985) 231-6285.

Thanks to you our customers,

David W. Vinson 
Director of Public Works

The 2019 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1, 2019 and will end on November 30, 2019.  According to an updated outlook from the Colorado State University Tropical Meteorology Project, this year’s Atlantic hurricane season may see fewer storms and hurricanes than last year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will be any less dangerous.  The forecast is predicting a “near average” season. No matter what the forecast says, this is a good time to start your preparations.

Beau Chene Homeowners Association has several forms of communication in place if we are impacted directly by a hurricane.  The Beau Chêne Homeowners Association website is www.bchoa.org.  Messages and updates will be posted to the site when access is available and on our member only Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/BeauCheneHOA/ and our public Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BeauCheneCommunity/ .

The Beau Chêne Homeowners Association’s hotline phone number is 1- (314)–272-0288.  Please make note of this hotline phone number.  This is a message only hotline to keep residents – especially evacuated residents – informed of conditions in Beau Chêne and is only active during storm events.  Please refrain from leaving messages when calling this number.
Be prepared should a hurricane evacuation be ordered by the Parish.  Make sure your car is ready in the event of a possible evacuation. Make sure to map out a route before you get on the road to your destination.  To be informed of current conditions in the Parish please visit their website at: http://www.stpgov.org/residents/emergency-preparedness.

Dear Homeowners and Residents:

We will be closing our Beau Chene Homeowners Association (BCHOA) office tomorrow, Wednesday, May 1st at 11:00 am. Cleco will be providing a new electric line to our office building and will, out of necessity, shut the power off to the building while the work is performed. The BCHOA office will close at 11:00 am and remain closed the rest of the day.

We expect to reopen on Thursday, May 2nd at our normal business hours of 8:00 AM till 5:00 PM (closed for lunch 12:00 – 1:00 PM).

For any water or sewer emergencies while the office is closed, please call Lindsey at 985-630-2717.

For all other emergencies call the Security Guards at:

Main Guard Gate 985-845-7560

East Guard Gate 985-845-8495

Marina Guard Gate 985-845-7022

Beau Chêne Homeowners Association (BCHOA) and Beau Chêne CC (BCCC) have partnered this year to bring you a community concert featuring the sensational sounds of “SugarBomb”. The concert is from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm on Saturday April 27th at the outdoor Pavilion behind the clubhouse. The concert is complimentary and BCCC will provide food and beverage stations with the ability to handle cash and BCCC charge accounts.

Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the music! Outside food and beverages will not be permitted on the BCCC property.
Cristina Donovan
Chief Administrative Officer

To:  Beau Chene Water System Customers

As part of Beau Chene’s Public Works Operation and Maintenance program, water system operators will be flushing fire hydrants beginning Monday, April 1st and continuing through Friday, April 12th, as necessary.  This operation will be conducted at night between the hours of 11:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

The purpose of flushing the fire hydrants is to remove loose mineral deposits from the water system distribution pipes.  Flushing operations are performed on a bi-annual basis, normally early in the year and then again immediately before the local fire district conducts required hydrant flow tests for firefighting and insurance rating purposes.

If as a result of either our hydrant flushing or fire district flow testing, you experience mineral deposits in your water, please open your outdoor faucet where water enters the house, and run water slowly until it is clear.  Then slowly run your indoor faucets until your system is clear.  Problems with deposits should be minimal as Beau Chene’s potable water system has been treated to sequester these naturally occurring well water minerals since 1996.

Very truly yours,

David Vinson
Public Works Director