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Silverlake is located just west of Pearland, Texas, which is just south of Houston. Silverlake combines the convenience of city living with the quiet, safety, and beauty of living in a small town. Located in the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) of Pearland, we're not yet within city limits. Several Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) cover Silverlake and surrounding areas. The City of Pearland will annex these MUDs, and eventually Silverlake will be part of Pearland. Until then (and certainly after), we are proudly Silverlake, Texas.
I constructed the SilverlakeTexas website in response to some issues that were confronting our community. A community Yahoo! message board had already been built by fellow residents, and was succeeding in pulling together a large number of us in response to the issues at hand. Given the nature of message boards, there was a need for a separate encapsulated and updated version of the on-going history on our issues. Rather than limiting myself to the construction of a simple text and history-sharing website, I constructed what I hoped would be a central community website that everyone could go to, not only to learn about the issues, but learn about their community, join in an online directory, and generally be more apt to get involved.
After discussing it a few times with some folks in the community, some friends, and the HOA Board of Directors, I decided to not ask for HOA funding for the website. So, this website is currently owned, operated, and maintained by myself, with some input and content from area residents. All expenses for this website come out of my own pocket, and I don't ask for any funding or donations from anyone. The costs are minimal, with the most costly aspect being my time. I also do not accept any proposals for business advertisements, as I do not want this to become a business venture. It is something I do purely for the satisfaction of having done a service for my community. Of course, I am always open to the idea of individual resident support, so please contact me if you are interested.
You may ask "What about the 'HOA'? Where do they factor into this?" One thing to keep in mind here is that you are the HOA. There is an HOA Board of Directors, that is (for the most part) comprised of paying Association members. But, you are also paying members, and you have every right to have a voice in this community and its day-to-day operations. There are always going to be important issues impacting our community, and unless we band together as a community, using all resources at hand, those issues will overtake us and turn this into a place we no longer love to live. It was somewhat with this in mind that I, as an Association member, refused to utilize HOA funds, even though they had been tentatively approved by the HOA Board. I want to keep the possibility open to speaking out and for this community, and that may sometimes include speaking out against the HOA Board of Directors. It would prove a conflict of interest to accept any funding from them.
There is always going to be some issue confronting our community. The more people involved the better. There are currently around 4500 homes in Silverlake. Add onto that all of the neighboring communities that share our concerns (Silvercreek, Lakes of Edgewater Estates, etc), we are a large potential voice in not only the city area but in northern Brazoria County. Join our Yahoo! message board, keep an eye on this website, and get to know your neighbors, and you can be a part of that voice.
Depending on what Homeowners Association you are a member in, you may have direct and approachable representatives within your HOA. Visit the Homeowners Association section to determine which HOA you are in. If you are a part of the Silverlake HOA, you may even have a Neighborhood Representative who would be the perfect person to contact. You can also find information in the Homeowners Association section on who your Neighborhood Rep is.
I hope you find this website useful, and I hope you enjoy living in this community as much as I do.
Sincerely,
Che' Smith
Proud resident of Silverlake, Texas
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