Welcome to the beautiful City of Eureka.  Located along highway 44 in St. Louis County, this city is adorned with beautiful trees and rolling hills that are especially breathtaking near fall.

Award-Winning Schools
Eureka is located within the award-winning Rockwood School District.  The Rockwood School District has been awarded the “Distinction in Performance” award by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and a “Gold Medal” rating from Expansion Management Magazine.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has given Rockwood School an Accreditation Rating of “Distinction in Performance with High Achievement.”
They have separate campuses for gifted, early childhood and alternative high school education.

Going Green
Not only does Rockwood School District strive to be the best in the area, they are strive to make a difference in the environment.
With Rockwood’s “Smarter Supplies� program, classrooms are provided with environmentally-friendly alternatives whenever possible.  All plastic cups used for science have now been replaced by 100% biodegradable corn cups.  Styrofoam is not an option for science supplies anymore- items are purchased in bulk and split up to save on packaging.  The food service department is working to convert Styrofoam cups, plates and trays to biodegradable paper products.

Custom Homes for Every Lifestyle
Payne Family Homes’ community Ashton Woods is located in Eureka’s Rockwood School District.
At Ashton Woods, Payne Family Homes introduces their new Lifestyle Series of 12 floor plans that include opulent master baths, 9-foot ceilings, see-through fireplaces that can open from the family room to a screened porch or to the living room, princess suites with their own private bath, kitchen center islands, three-car tandem garages for hobbyists and more.   Ranch models offer pre-designed finished lower levels, and prices start in the $190’s!

Eureka Days 2010
The City of Eureka will be hosting Eureka Days 2010 on September 9th – 11th.  The event will include carnival rides, a parade, car show/cruise, 5K Run, Cornhole Tournament, Kids’ Korner, live music and nearly 100 vendors.  Come visit Payne Family Homes and Melanie Cooper for giveaways and a drawing for St. Louis Blues Tickets!
Friday night will end with a high energy show by Smash Band, while Saturday will spotlight the Well Hungarians and a spectacular fireworks display !

Come see all the City of Eureka has to offer this weekend!  It truly is the perfect city to live in!

Payne Family Homes is justifiably proud of The Pointe at Heritage Crossing, the firm’s multi-lifestyle community in St. Peters.

The tree-lined development enjoys a fabulous location, close to the juncture of Highway 94 and the Page Extension, and has great curb appeal with its tasteful arrangement of single-family and villa homes.

In July, Payne Family opened a new ranch-style Cape Cod display in The Pointe’s 62-homesite villa section, which is now half-sold. Three story-&-a-half and 2-story luxury villa plans are also offered.  Only 19 of the community’s 68 single-family homesites remain for purchase – hardly surprising,  since the portfolio features seven of the builder’s wildly popular Lifestyle Series designs.

A Haven for Busy Young Professionals
The carefree villa lifestyle appeals to all kind of homebuyers, but Clay Brinker and Renee Riekena had very specific reasons for choosing The Pointe.  Clay and Renee both grew up in small Illinois towns. They met at SIU/Carbondale, have been together for five years, and are planning a November wedding. Career opportunities brought them to St. Louis, where Clay is an accountant with a major international firm and Renee is a meeting planner for a pharmaceutical company. So, “planning ahead� is obviously a trait this attractive, articulate young couple share.

With interest rates at an all-time low, Federal stimulus funds available, and their apartment lease coming up for renewal, this past spring seemed the right time to buy a home.
“The location first attracted us to The Pointe,� says Clay. “The neighborhood has a ‘hometown’ atmosphere that we really like, and having the Page Extension practically at our doorstep is huge! Renee works in Earth City, and it’s only a 25-minute commute to downtown St. Louis for me.�

Since both travel a great deal, the villa lifestyle was ideal.

“We’re seldom home at the same time, and when we are, we don’t want to waste time on yardwork,�

Renee noted. The pair moved into their newly-built Cape Cod in late June and insist that everything about their first-time homebuying experience has been thoroughly enjoyable.

“Everyone at Payne Family is so friendly, and they really work with you to get things done right,� both agree. “[Community sales manager] Julie Jones was a huge part of it – always available to answer questions. We made lots of changes, but [superintendent] Dave Wilcoxen genuinely wanted us to be satisfied with the house. And we just love it!�

A Tranquil Harbor for Families
Preeti and Rajul Patel’s path to The Pointe couldn’t have been more different. Rajul’s extended family moved from India to Texas when he was five. Preeti grew up in Indore, a major city in central India.  As a young man, Rajul returned to India for several months. While there, relatives decided that “Rajul needed to get married.� According to tradition, weeks of family negotiations and “interviewing� of prospective brides ensued, and Preeti was Rajul’s choice. The next day they were engaged – and married a week later!  Both laughingly describe their marriage as “semi-arranged,� since either could have declined.

“All good things come if you wait,� says Rajul with a smile, and nine years later, the Patels are clearly happy and the proud parents of two young sons.

Now general manager of the St. Charles Holiday Inn, Rajul brought Preeti to St. Louis to home shop last December.  He’d “done his homework,� finding solid reviews of Payne Family Homes, and the couple appreciated Julie Jones’ personable, “no-pressure� approach.

“Good schools and locationwere our number one priorities,� he says, “and The Pointe is a good family environment for our boys.�

Preeti, an esthetician, returned to California while their Lifestyle Series two-story was under construction. At home in The Pointe for just over a month, the Patels concur, “Payne made it easy for us, and the product shows where this company is.  Quality, not quantity, is what counts to them.�

The Pointe at Heritage Crossing, from the $170’s. 314-482-0769, or www.PayneFamilyHomes.com