Balfour Beatty Communities Summer rules

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephanie Morris
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  As the summer season at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., starts to get into full swing, flickertail squirrels and song birds make their annual appearance, flowers bloom and the grass begins to grow again.

Meanwhile, in the Balfour Beatty Housing Community, on base, seasonal rules regarding lawn care, recycling, curfews for minors, yard sales, parking and holidays go into effect.

According to the BBC residents guide, residents in housing are responsible for watering the lawn trees and shrubs that surround their home as well as mowing their back yard and trimming their fence lines. It goes on to state that the optimal time for watering lawns falls between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

"Residents who don't have a fenced in back yard are not responsible for mowing it," said Tana Waldren, BBC community manager.

Fencing is currently being installed on base from West to East with recent progress located in the Sunflower Haven neighborhood, said Waldren. The size of the new fencing in each backyard is determined by the closing documents residents completed with BBC.

The lawn care schedule, which shows the day's workers will be mowing specific neighborhoods, can be found on the BBC Facebook page titled Minot Family Housing along with the schedule for trash pickup. If a resident's lawn is not mowed on their specified day due to inclement weather workers will mow it on Friday of that week.

Those who do not own lawn care equipment are able to check it out from the self help building near the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 289 Peackeeper. Also, spouses of deployed members can choose to have their lawn care accomplished by BBC contractors after they turn in a copy of the member's orders to the housing office and they are put on the deployed spouses list.

"The most important thing is for residents to know we are always available to answer any questions they might have," said Waldren. "My door is always open."

All unwanted pests found in and around resident's homes such as flicker tailed squirrels and snakes can also be dealt with by BBC maintenance staff, which can be reached at 727-9312.

Once a resident has tackled the issue of lawn care they may then wish to install a children's play set, storage shed or perform landscaping of their own to include planting new trees and shrubs, said Waldren. In order to make these types of changes to their property residents need to complete a Request to Make Alterations Form and turn it in to community management for approval.

Other items kept out doors such as recreational vehicles and boats must be kept at the outdoor storage area near the base's horse stables at all times other than 24 hours before and after they are to be used. During that span of time they may be parked in the resident's driveway.

According to the BBC resident guide, items such as fire pits are to be kept a minimum of 10 feet from the residence or any other structure and must comply with the MAFB fire rules dictated by the base fire department.

In addition to increased RV and outdoor equipment use, the warm weather also heralds the beginning of the garage and yard sale season. Residents are able to host one two-day sale per calendar year and must register it at the BBC leasing office. Once the sale has been approved the resident will receive signs, to use while directing potential shoppers, which must be returned two days after the sale ends. No other form of signage is allowed.

Warm sunny days also turn into warm summer nights and residents are able to extend their day accordingly. It is important to keep in mind however, that all dependants and guests 18 years of age and under are subject to a base curfew. Sunday through Thursday the curfew runs from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and on Friday and Saturday it is in effect between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m.

In addition to activities near home some residents will also take the opportunity to go on a summer vacation with their families. During such trips, lasting more than three days, BBC requires that the resident notify the leasing office and designate a responsible party to monitor the home in their absence.

"We will need the name and phone number of the individual watching the home," said Waldren. "This allows us to have someone in the local area that we can contact incase anything happens to the home."

Summer also brings a variety of holidays including Independence Day which has long been celebrated by conducting a fireworks display. However, current base policy, as well as BBC's policy, dictates that explosive and aerial fireworks are prohibited.

BBC will also be starting a new recycling initiative this summer called Comingled Curbside Recycling. Beginning July 1, 2014, residents living in the community will be able to sort recyclable items and garbage using their green and brown trash cans. BBC will be conducting audits to ensure that each home has one of each can and those who are missing one can contact housing maintenance to receive a replacement.

This initiative is a first of its kind in Minot making BBC a pioneer in the area, said Waldren.

Recycling will be picked up on Mondays for residents with Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday trash days and on Thursdays for residents with a Thursday or Friday trash pickup day.

Items that are acceptable for recycling include but are not limited to number one and two plastics, aluminum cans, magazines and office paper. Trash placed in the green bin after July 1, will not be collected and will have to be placed into the brown bin by the resident for pick up on their next scheduled trash day. The trash pickup day schedule is also located on BBC's Facebook page.

For more information on what can and cannot be recycled or to learn more about summer housing rules contact BBC at 727-9312 or refer to your BBC resident guide.