Hello Neighbors,
You may have noticed the streetlights have been upgraded. Yes, they are bright – No, the HOA did not request this.
A little background. Alabama Power (APC) has a system wide plan to upgrade all streetlights to more energy efficient LED bulbs. The Crossing at Deerfoot HOA did contact APC about the upgrade process, primarily to also install 3 new lights on Deer Crest Court and install 3 new lights on the extension of Deerfoot Crossing Road. The LED light temperature (brightness) was discussed but APC had NO options for the bulb. Only one LED lamp at 4000K is available from Alabama Power. We did choose the new “acorn” fixture. This is a slightly cheaper option than the prior “crown” fixture. In 2022 the HOA paid about $611 per month for the street lights. This is the “lease” fee for 13 of old 21 lights. The city pays for street lights at intersections and in cul-de-sacs. The new fee with acorn fixtures is $1,025.64 per month for 18 lamps. The city will pay for 9 lights. If we had continued with the crown fixtures, the monthly fee was estimated at $1,120. We considered a “buy down” to reduce the monthly fee but the only option was an upfront cost approaching $40,000. This would amortize over 8 ½ years to break even. This was not acceptable to the board – thus, our decision.
On a positive note, astute internet users will note faster internet speeds. A new contact with Spectrum has been approved. This installs the internet backbone for the 12 new lots on the Deerfoot Crossing Road. The prior internet service of 300 mb/sec download & 10 mb/sec upload speed has been increased to 500 mb/sec down & 20 mb/sec up. We actually got a slight decrease in the monthly bill given the larger number of homes served. This will insure that although there are at least 5% per year rate increases in the contract, the annual Spectrum HOA fee will be unchanged for the next 5 years on our contract and likely longer. The initially lower monthly Spectrum charge to the HOA will also help offset the substantial increase in our monthly APC bill and keep the HOA on budget.
Your HOA Board is constantly working to control cost, improve services, and make the Crossing at Deerfoot the best neighborhood in Trussville.
Jimmy Jones, President