With freezing temperatures right around the corner, it’s a good time to refresh ourselves on precautionary measures for drops in temperature and cold weather.

The Four P’s to Prepare your Home this Winter:

• People
• Pets
• Pipes
• Plants

People

• Avoid going outside if it is not necessary. If you do, make sure you layer up from head to toe.
• To keep you and your family safe, it is imperative your home is warm.
• Make sure your heat is set to an appropriate temperature to make your entire home comfortable. Remember, heat rises so if you sleep upstairs, your room may be warmer than rooms downstairs.
• If you use a fireplace, make sure you have a screen to catch any embers that might escape or a rolling log.
• Never use your stove or oven to heat your home.
• If you smell smoke or see flames, call 9-1-1 immediately.

Pets

• While protecting your family, it is imperative to protect your pets as well.
• Pets, like humans, are vulnerable to cold temperatures. If not taken care of properly, they can succumb to frostbite and even hypothermia.
• If you have a dog that typically lives outdoors, consider letting them inside when temperatures drop to freezing. While their fur does help to keep them warm, it provides little help in freezing temperatures.
• If you absolutely cannot bring them inside, make sure they have a warm shelter, plenty of food and fresh water so it does not freeze.
• If your pet looks like it has any symptoms resembling frostbite or hypothermia, call your vet.

Pipes

• Turn off the sprinkler system shut-off valve. Most residential devices have two shut-off valves. These are typically covered in blue on the valve handles and located before and after the sprinkler system backflow device. A diagram is shown below.
• Release the water pressure from the bleeder valves. The bleeder valves are usually located under the top of the backflow device. If the water does not stop flowing you may have not shut the valves off completely.
• Leave the smaller bleeder valve open, this will let any remaining water in the line expand without breaking the device. Insulate your backflow device. Most hardware/home services stores carry backflow insulation supplies.
• Make sure to cover all your exposed pipes with a cover. You can also cover your pipes with towels, duct tape or another adhesive strip as long as they are wrapped tightly.
• You can also open up the cabinets to let warm air circulate throughout your home. Just make sure any harmful chemicals are out of reach for children and pets.

Plants

• When cold weather hits, it’s a good idea to bring in all of your outdoor plants.
• If you can’t bring in the plant, cover it with a blanket to make sure they do not die.

Other Tips

• Don’t forget to make sure your car is okay for the freezing temperatures. Check your anti-freeze and your batteries. Also make sure to check your tire pressure and the tread.
• Speaking of cars, make sure when you are on the road that you are mindful parts of the roads may be frozen, particularly bridges. Do not speed and never slam on the brakes.
• Make sure if you use a generator, it is outdoors. Do not use a generator inside, including in your garage.

At the Board meeting held on Monday, July 28, several key initiatives were approved to improve the long-term sustainability and aesthetics of our community:

✅ Approved Projects:

• Well Injector System Installation:
  A new system will be installed at our pump stations to enhance water quality. This improvement will reduce reliance on mixing in city water during drought restrictions—leading to substantial cost savings for the district.
• Direct Water Flow from Bridgewater Well:
  A more efficient trench route is being implemented from the Bridgewater well to improve water delivery to the lakes west of Bridgewater Dr.
• Irrigation Line Repairs:
  Ongoing repairs continue throughout the neighborhood to address maintenance issues affecting irrigation performance

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💧 Irrigation & Wells Update:

Thanks to our ongoing partnership with Woodlake Outdoor, we’re making steady progress in revitalizing the neighborhood’s irrigation and well systems.

• To date, Woodlake has completed work on approximately one-third of the 60 sprinkler controllers across the community
• Many of these controllers had broken lines, faulty stations, and other issues that had long been neglected
• In addition to the authorized July repairs/enhancements, the Board also approved multiple enhancements and repairs to the Cypress, Bridgewater, Constellation and Indigo well pumps in the June meeting
  • The Board has committed over $300,000 to irrigation and well enhancements/repairs since Woodlake came on board

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📅 Looking Ahead:

The Board remains committed to the long-term aesthetics of Light Farms. Landscape enhancement projects are currently under review for Fall and Spring installation timelines. These will be prioritized and presented once all irrigation systems are fully repaired and operational.

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🗂️ Meeting Information: 

The next scheduled meeting for the Board will be held on MON. AUG. 25 at the Celina Police Headquarters.

Information regarding our previous meetings (including agendas, packets and official minutes) can be found under the Meetings section on our website.

UPDATE 6/19/2025:

Around 600 goats will arrive at Light Farms on Sunday, June 22nd. They will be on-site for around seven to ten days! 

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UPDATE 6/16/2025:

The previous job that the goats were working on was delayed due to weather. They will now be arriving in Light Farms on or around Friday, June 20th.

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During the week of June 16, you might notice some very special guests in Light Farms. A herd of nearly 400 goats will be moving in (temporarily!) to help with eco-friendly vegetation clearing.

Brought to you by Open Space TX and in collaboration with Collin County MUD No. 1, this natural land-clearing crew is here to munch through 18 acres of overgrown brush and invasive plants — all without heavy machinery or harmful chemicals.

The goats will be focused on the area south of Constellation Lake but north of the Graham neighborhood.

Please feel free to stop by during the week and watch the goats at work!

While the goats are working, we kindly ask for your help:

1. Please don’t touch the electric fence
   • It’s low voltage but still has a zap — we want everyone to stay safe!
2. Please don’t feed the goats
   • They’ve got all the snacks they need right under their hooves
3. Please keep your dogs from disturbing the goats
   • Even the friendliest pup can scare the herd, and scared goats can’t focus on their job

The MUD Board is excited to bring this natural solution to our community and we appreciate your support!

For more information on Open Space TX, visit their website at www.openspacetx.com.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the board HERE.

The Board of Directors voted yesterday to terminate its contract with Gold Landscaping and has hired Woodlake Outdoor to maintain MUD-owned property in the Light Farms community—including all roadways, trails, and greenbelts. Woodlake will also service our irrigation and well systems to ensure they remain fully operational and well-maintained.

Woodlake brings a stellar reputation and a passion for transforming outdoor spaces combined with a wealth of experience servicing many other prestigious neighborhoods around the area such as Trinity Falls, Frisco Lakes and Windsong Ranch.

This will take time and will not be an overnight fix, but it’s necessary to restore the landscaping to the standard we believe in. Woodlake will help us achieve our goal of ensuring Light Farms remains one of the most beautiful, welcoming and vibrant neighborhoods in north Texas!

This does not impact the HOA’s separate agreement with Gold Landscaping. Gold is still the service provider for front yards and HOA-owned common areas such as the Barn Yard and Constellation Lake. You can reference the Light Farms map HERE to see separate ownership responsibilities.

Woodlake’s Achievements:

• Over 20 years of professional landscaping experience
• 2023 winner of the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Bronze Award of Excellence for the Trinity Falls neighborhood in McKinney, TX
• 2024 winner of the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Bronze Award of Excellence for the Inspiration neighborhood in Wylie, TX

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the board HERE.