We are very pleased to announce our new banking relationship with Community Association Banc. Community Association Banc was created with the sole purpose of providing banking services to community associations nationwide. They understand the unique needs of community associations and management companies.

Here are a few of the benefits you'll see:

• All accounts earn interest and certificate of deposit have competitive rates
• One signature card handles all community accounts
• Free lockbox processing services
• FDIC coverage up to $300,000 on deposit accounts
• Extended FDIC coverage on certificates of deposit up to $25,000,000
• On line credit card, e-check and direct debit payments for assessments
• Debit cards available to Board as an alternative to a petty cash fund

More benefits and the transition details will be included in your next Board Package. Our goal is to be fully transitioned by 12/31/06. We are excited to be working with Community Association Banc and being able to provide additional services to our communities and homeowners.

Please contact your Community Manager or visit www.CABanc.com if you have any questions.

Three great seminars from our popular C.I.A. Services Seminar Series are coming up in September and October. Each seminar begins at 6:30 p.m. and runs 2-1/2 hours. Since we always provide deli sandwiches, you won't have to rush to eat dinner beforehand. You’ll leave with knowledge you can use immediately and a great notebook with the seminar slides, samples and other reference materials.

“Super-Budgeting” is our term for preparing a comprehensive long term budget and business plan. We’ll break the process down into understandable components and show you how assets and reserves fit in the picture. We’ll start with a simple question that very few people can answer correctly: “How much money should our Association have in the bank?” By the end of the seminar, you’ll know the correct answer for your Association. This is a critical seminar to take before you start looking at budgets.

• September 13, 2006 (Wednesday), 6:30 p.m. — Southwest Office
• September 19, 2006 (Tuesday), 6:30 p.m. — North Office

This seminar is a must for all new Board members and a great refresher for seasoned veterans. It will help you get up to speed quickly by understanding your responsibilities and authorities. We'll review each of the documents that govern the way you do business. We'll give you an overview of collections, deed restrictions, architectural control, contracts, facilities, insurance, conduct of meetings, elections, communications and many other important topics.

• October 11, 2006 (Wednesday), 6:30 p.m. — Southwest Office
• October 19, 2006 (Thursday), 6:30 p.m. — North Office

This is the required training course for certification as a Community Website Administrator (CWSA) on the C.I.A Services web site. As a CWSA you'll be able to maintain the pages for your community. You'll be able to create news flashes, update key personnel, add community information, display photos, conduct surveys and much more. At the end of the seminar we'll give you a taste of HTML - the web language that will allow you to do some pretty advanced things if you like. Being a website administrator is very easy and you can do it from anywhere you have an internet connection.

• October 24, 2006 (Tuesday), 6:30 p.m. — North Office

Please call our Southwest Office at 713-981-9000 or email us at seminars@ciaservices.com to register for any of the seminars. The complete list of seminars and descriptions are on the Library page of our web site or you can just click here to view the information.

In last month's issue of eNews Monthly, we highlighted the Clear Lake City Boulevard Association's (CLCBA) two year test using organic, environmentally friendly fertilizers. The CLCBA Board of Directors is also installing intelligent irrigation control systems.

The CLCBA is responsible for the landscaping along a 4 mile stretch of Clear Lake City Boulevard. All conventional irrigation controllers along the boulevard are being replaced with advanced controllers using ET (evapotranspiration) technology and wireless communications.

The controllers are setup and maintained through an internet site. Each station on each controller is defined in terms of soil type, ground slope, vegetation and sun exposure. The ET algorithm utilizes local weather data for rainfall, humidity, solar radiation and temperature to determine how much water is required at each station. Finally, based on the porosity of the soil, the algorithm determines how much water can be put down continuously before run off will occur (if 15 minutes of water is required but runoff occurs after 5 minutes, the station will run for three five minutes bursts with 30 minutes soak times in between). It then sends a wireless signal to the controller that tells each station what to do.

The controllers also establish watering days by allowing the roots to dry to a horticulturally recommended levels. In other words, if the weather conditions would require 26 days for the soil to dry out to a 15% moisture level (or the correct level for the type of vegetation on that station), then the controller will not run that station again for 26 days. The wireless signals are send out several times a day so the calculations are constantly updated as conditions change.

TruGreen LandCare is installing and operating the ET controllers provided by ET Water. Visit their web site to learn more about the technology and its application.

Bob Olsen ET Water		Frank Follina TruGreen LandCare

We can't wait for the Houston Aeros to start their season in October. They finished near the top of the American Hockey League again last season so we expect good things from the team this year.

C.I.A. Services in already planning our 9th annual Hockey Night with the Houston Aeros. Each year we invite all of our community board members and their families to join us to cheer on the Aeros. Many join us for a dinner before the game. We have lots of nice door prizes. Check out the photos from 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

This season, Hockey Night will be on Saturday, March 10th. The Aeros will take on their Western Conference rival the Peoria Rivermen. We'll mail out an official invitation in January. However, if you can't wait, feel free to reserve your tickets now by sending an email HockeyNight@ciaservices.com.

Hockey Night 2003		Hockey Night 2004
Hockey Night 2005		Hockey Night 2006

We are proud of every one of our communities so it is always hard to find just one to highlight. We start by having each of our 20 Community Managers write a nomination for one of their communities. We then read them all take a vote. Here are our most recent selections:

• September — Southdown Community Association
  Southwest Office — Libby Hodges, Community Manager
• August — Summerwood Community Association
  North Office — Brandy Berry, Community Manager
• July — Kings Lake Forest Homeowners Association
  North Office — Brenda Alvarez, Community Manager

To see the full story on these communities and to see the past winners, visit the Community of the Month page on our web site.

C.I.A Services continues to grow as more communities hear about our unique approach to community association management. We would like to welcome our newest clients that have come onboard in the last three months.

• Briargate Community Improvement Association — Southwest Office — Tina Jameson, Community Manager
• Bridgewater Community Association — Southwest Office — Libby Hodges, Community Manager
• Eagle Point Estates Homeowners Association — North Office — Evelyn Abram, Community Manager
• Silvercreek Community Association — Southwest Office — Libby Hodges, Community Manager
• Telfair Community Council — Southwest Office — Ralph Troiano, Community Manager

Every month we appreciate the communities that are celebrating their anniversaries with us. Here are our clients that started with us in September.

• Valley Lodge Property Owners Association — 13 years
• Hearthstone Homeowners Association — 8 years
• Old Bridge Lake Community Services Corporation — 7 years
• West Place Green Homeowners Association — 7 years
• Settlers Park Homeowners Association — 6 years
• Westfield Glen Property Owners Association — 6 years
• Eldridge Park Village Community Association — 4 years
• Woodforest North II Homeowners Association — 4 years
• Clear Lake City Boulevard Association — 1 year

Our goal has always been to create a positive, long term relationship with all of our client communities. We are very proud to be managing all of these communities.

• Congratulations to our company founders Ralph Troiano and Tina Jameson on their 22nd anniversary with C.I.A. Services.
• Thanks to Tina Jameson and Ralph Troiano for teaching two seminars on Super Budgeting in August.
• We are pleased to welcome Wilma Semiens who will be greeting visitors and callers to the Southwest Office as a receptionist.
• We would also like to welcome David Blaylock who will be providing computer technical support at both offices.

Ralph Troiano		Tina Jameson		Wilma Semiens		David Blaylock

On August 29, 2006, the world lost a great man. Ralph Troiano Sr., the father of C.I.A. Services President Ralph Troiano, passed from this world surrounded by his family in Portland, Maine. He was an honest, hard-working and genuine man. He would greet you with a compliment and leave you with a smile. Everyone at C.I.A. Services looked forward to his annual visits to Houston where he would prepare Italian feasts for each office and entertain with his stories. He will be missed.

He was and will continue to be an inspiration. Please read his tribute.

Ralph Troiano Sr.