From the Desk of the President
by
Glenn L. Davis
At the May 18th Board of Directors meeting, the only item on the agenda was a discussion regarding the use of the common area amenities by those owners or guests who are not in good standing with their financial obligations to the Association. This is covered in the By-Laws of Cedar Creek, Article VII, Section 7.2. This section reads, “Additionally, the Board may suspend the right of any Regular Members to use recreational facilities located on the Common Property for any period during which an assessment against such regular member’s property remains unpaid.” These recreational facilities include the community swimming pool & spa, the tennis courts, the bocce court, the canoe launch, the children’s playground and the Cabana. Any owner in arrears (see list below) observed using the facilities will be asked to leave.The next Board meeting will be on Monday, July 20th at 7:00 p.m. in the Cabana.
The recent renovation of the pier & canoe launch is completed. Great workmanship was exhibited by Dennis Berens, Rick Hall, Beau Mascali, Bobby Berkeley and Lloyd Zimmerman. The materials cost nearly $900.00, but was offset by the rental fees that have been paid by the owners of the stored canoes. Had we paid a contractor to do the work, it likely would have been in the $2,000.00 price range.
On May 16th, Lloyd Zimmerman and I went to all 12 of the irrigation meters in the common areas and shut off the valves, thus disabling the irrigation system during the “rainy” season. This move will save the Association around $3,000.00 per month, hopefully thru mid-October. If we see that we will incur another dry spell, then we will re-open the valves for normal use.
We have recently learned that Ken Kosbab is resigning his chairmanship of the Cedar Creek Architectural Review Committee (ARC). Current committee member, Karen DeVoll, has graciously stated that she will take Ken's place as Chairperson. Current committee member Jim Tindall has agreed to remain on the committee. Karen asked Kathy Guyitt to serve on this all-important committee and Kathy has agreed to do so.
As of this writing, Ken has not officially resigned, but he has turned over the Archives of the ARC to me. Anyone who has had an association with Ken is well aware of the tremendous job that he did during the past 90 months and he should be applauded for his untiring dedication.
Delinquencies
In accordance with the By-Laws of the Cedar Creek Property Owners’ Association, Inc., Article XI, Section 11.7, the 11 properties listed below have not paid their required assessments, late fees and interest for the calendar year 2009, as of May 31, 2009 and are in the hands of the Association attorney for lien attachments:
25871 Creekbend Dr. 945.28
8850 Springwood Ct. 1,050.19
8811 Springwood Ct. 1,137.45
8890 Springwood Ct. 1,137.45
25857 Pebblecreek Dr. 1,137.45
8810 Creek Run Dr. 1,154.43
25611 Inlet Way Ct. 1,220.24
25541 Inlet Way Ct. 1,953.59
9521 Cedar Creek Dr. 2,456.37
25860 Creekbend Dr. 2,456.37
25949 Pebblecreek Dr. 2,456.37
As of the deadline for this edition of The Cedar Creek News, the 7 owners of properties listed below paid their assessments late, but neglected to pay the late fee and/or the interest. The following had their accounts referred to the Association attorney for collection:
9451 Cedar Creek Dr. 29.89
8880 Springwood Ct. 59.33
9071 Cedar Creek Dr. 61.86
25813 Pebblecreek Dr. 61.86
25651 Springtide Ct. 61.86
25842 Pebblecreek Dr. 65.39
9050 Cedar Creek Dr. 67.60
The total of account receivables is $17,676.67, including assessments, late fees and interests through May 31, 2009 on the above accounts. By now, all of the above properties have had their account turned over to the Association attorney for collection, which will include the May interest charge. The attorney’s lien fees are in excess of an additional $500.00.
In addition to the above, the Association is currently maintaining seven (7) properties that have been vacated by the respective owners. These incurred costs total $3,864.91, over and above the total accounts receivable. If this trend continues and the Association is unable to re-coup the bulk of these monies by the end of this year, we may have to increase significantly the proposed Assessment for 2010.
As an added note, there are at least eight properties in Cedar Creek that are in foreclosure proceedings with their individual mortgage companies, plus the Association will be foreclosing on one additional property. On the advice of the Association attorney, we will wait until each of these properties sell and collect any outstanding debts via estoppel letters when they go to closing with new owners, or when the banks release them from their indebtedness.
To all out-of-area owners who have either had an address change or a problem with receiving mail from MMI, please contact MMI at: FCofey@miamimanagement.com with your correct mailing address.
Cedar Creek Ladies’ Coffee
Meet Your Neighbors
The June Luncheon has been postponed until WEDNESDAY, September 16th because of so many ladies being away. Look for further announcements. The Coffees will resume then. We are in need of volunteers for October, December and 2010.
You can keep it simple, coffee, tea and cookies are fine. To volunteer call LaVerne Stein at 498-9647. Let's keep our pleasant times together going.
Resales
Even in this sluggish economy, we have had several resales in Cedar Creek. If you are a new owner/resident, we welcome you and ask that you contact Greg Coury at greg@globalsecurityusa.com to get your contact information registered. This will allow you easier access to Cedar Creek after 5:00 p.m. daily.
Along those lines, we also will be publishing this newsletter on line, at www.ourcedarcreek.com Please contact either Greg or me with your correct e-mail address and telephone number. That way, if we have news that can’t wait until the first of the month, we can do a mass e-mailing to those residents who have provided that information to us. Your information will not be distributed outside of Cedar Creek and will be for residential use only.
Neighborhood Watch
Neighborhood Watch volunteers are still needed to complete the monthly schedules. If you are interested, please contact Angela Elmore at Angelaelmore@verizon.net or by phone at 206-6650. There are five more dates that need coverage, so, if you can assist one night a month for approximately 30 minutes. Your involvement will be greatly appreciated.
Email Subscriptions
If you would like to be on the community e-mail list, please fill in the form on the front page of the Cedar Creek website at
http://www.ourcedarcreek.com/
Gate Access Card Available
We have had many requests for an access code to the front gate. Since a code can easily be passed from one person to another thus reducing the security of the neighborhood, we have chosen not to issue a general access code.These cards are now available for purchase. The first card is $20 and each additional card is $10. If you would like to get a card to access the neighborhood, please contact resident Greg Coury at his compnay, Global Security 239-949-3357. Greg also has a supply of new Genie brand garage/gate remote control openers. They are available for $40.00, which includes the programming of the openers.
New Neighborhood Directories Available
Requests continue to come in for copies of the Cedar Creek directories. As reported in last month’s “Current,” we have updated directories available for our residents only. The most recent updated version is current as of May 25, 2009. We still have phone numbers and/or e-mail vacancies that need to be filled. If you haven’t provided your e-mail address or phone number to either Greg Coury or me for inclusion in the directories, please take the time to do so if you want this information included. Upon request, a directory can be transmitted to you electronically. These directories are for non-commercial use only. They are not intended to be used for mass-mailing lists. Just e-mail me with your request to GLDavis88@aol.com or drop me a line requesting a paper copy for $0.50 for either an alphabetical listing or a “by street” listing or $1.00 for both. Please enclose the required amount and, if I am home, I will get a copy to you within 48 hours. If you receive a copy of our Directory, please check it over for any typos, misinformation or missing info, such as e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, etc. and advise Greg or me of any errors so that corrections can be made.
Community Management
MMI of the Gulf Coast, Inc., is our management company. MMI may be reached at 949-7741. The Property Managers are Frank Coffey and Jennifer Waters. They oversee the day-to-day operations of Cedar Creek and they will be in the community on a weekly basis to identify problems, notifying any owner(s) of observed violations. If the violations are not resolved in a timely fashion, they will articulate such to the Board for possible action. We believe that MMI is very responsive to the needs of the owners as well as the Board.
Cabana Rental
If you are planning to hold an event at the Cabana, contact MMI of the Gulf Coast, Inc., to reserve the area for your function. Keep in mind that there is a $100.00 deposit required which is fully refundable, as long as only Cedar Creek residents are in attendance and there is no damage in the Cabana, Chickee Hut or pool area. If your event involves non-Cedar Creek residents, there will be a $25.00 usage charge. In this case, $75.00 will be returned if no extra clean-up charges are incurred. Please note that even though you have reserved the Cabana for a function, the facilities, including pool & spa, still are available to residents of Cedar Creek and their guests.
Your Property
Trash receptacles should be kept in your garage until trash collection day. Don’t wait until you get a phone call or a letter from the Management Company calling a violation(s) to your attention. We would like to see our community maintain the high standards that were present when you purchased your home in Cedar Creek. Remember, recycled goods are collected on Wednesdays, as is household waste. We still have a few residents who put newspapers in their recycle bin without first either securing them with twine or putting them in an empty grocery bag. A gust of wind will blow these unsecured newspapers throughout the neighborhood. Please put items by the curb on the scheduled pick-up day only. If you have boxes containing “popcorn” Styrofoam packing material, please secure the shipping container with twine or tape to prevent the wind from blowing the Styrofoam throughout the neighborhood. Yard waste is collected on Thursdays. If there is a major holiday during the week, the collections will be delayed by one day following the holiday. Monday, September 7th will be the next holiday that will impact Cedar Creek. Household waste and Recyclable items will be picked up on Thursday. Yard waste collections will be on Friday of that week. Please make a note of this. Your cooperation in taking care of your property will go a long way in keeping the property values high, and your neighbors will appreciate having community members who care.
Parking near and/or blocking access to mail boxes may result in the mail not being delivered. This is the Post Office policy for mail carriers and they will hold your mail for days before you are ever notified to pick it up.
We continue to receive complaints about some of our residents walking their dogs, allowing them to defecate, then not picking up after them. For health and cosmetic reasons, please pick up after your pets. It also has come to our attention that dogs are being walked on private property instead of the common grounds. If you don’t want to walk your pet on your own property, please understand that your neighbor doesn’t want you walking them on their property either! A little common sense and respect for fellow residents will go a long way.
Monthly Workshops
The Board of Directors holds workshops at 10:00 a.m. on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month at the Cabana. These “workshops” will be open to all property owners for observation only, as the workshops will be used for an exchange of ideas between Board members. If you have a concern, we will address it either before we open the workshop or after we have exhausted our agenda for the day. The Property Manager also will be in attendance.
Extended Absence
For those of you who will be out of town for extended stays, or even if you are only away for a few days, you should ask a neighbor or friend to look after your property in your absence. Quite often, newspapers, especially the Bonita Banner, will be delivered to your driveway or the The Cedar Creek News will be placed by your mailbox and remain there until you return. This is one of the signs burglars look for to determine that the house is currently unoccupied. If a friend or neighbor would make sure the papers are picked up and also look for any other problem, such as broken tree limbs, broken water pipes or any other damage, then you will be aware of any problems before they magnify.
Website
All owners and residents who are connected to the internet now have access to all of the governing documents for Cedar Creek. This includes the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for Cedar Creek, the Articles of Incorporation of the CCPOA, Inc, the By-Laws of the Association, and all of the amendments to those Covenants and By-Laws that affect the operation of the Association. From time-to-time, we hear property owners say they have never received a copy of these Documents. Now, with the aid of our improved web site, www.OurCedarCreek.com these Documents can be read and/or printed out for future reference. If you are one of those owners maintaining that you have not been given a copy of the documents specific to Cedar Creek, please retrieve them online.
A Winner Every Week
Poker players play every Thursday at the Cabana 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Call Mike Hochrun for more info at 992-3731
Hand & Foot Canasta?
CEDAR CREEK LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
Would you like to learn how to play hand & foot Canasta? It's fun and easy. We meet at the cabana every Monday at 1:00 p.m. If interested, please contact Marlene Ciani at 992-9395 or email mciani15@yahoo.com. Hope to hear from you.
Pool, Spa, Bocce and Tennis Court
Please remember, hours for pool, spa, bocce and tennis court usage are from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. For the concern and respect of your neighbors, please abide by these posted times. If you open an umbrella at the pool, please make sure you wind it down before you leave to avoid damage should a windstorm arise. To show consideration of others, and for the cleanliness of the pool area, please refrain from smoking in the pool and spa areas.
The Cedar Creek Bocce court has been a hit with the residents. The game is great fun and easy to play. This is not a game for men only. The ladies who have been playing love it. Rules for the use of the court are posted on the tennis court fence. Rules for playing the game are posted on the bulletin board in the cabana. There is no shortage of Bocce ball sets in the neighborhood so it is not necessary to have your own set to play. For more information feel free to call one of the following: Dan Durante 498-9982; or Bill Schwessinger 992-4539. These numbers also will be posted in the cabana.
Home Rentals
Please contact MMI of the Gulf Coast, Inc., at 949-7741 if you have intentions of using your property for rental purposes. They will provide you with a rental agreement form. If you have questions about the protocol for rental procedures, please refer to Amendment 8 of the Declaration of Covenants.
The Architectural Review Committee
According to our Covenants, any visible changes to your house or grounds require approval by the Board of Directors (BOD) by means of an Architectural Change Application Form submitted to the (ARC) for review prior to transmittal to the (BOD). The (ARC) will review the change request, discuss with the homeowner if necessary and transmit the request with (ARC) recommendation to the (BOD) for final review. A two to three week period is necessary for review and approval by the (ARC) and submittal to the (BOD) for their review and decision. Copies of the approved requests will be delivered to the residents. Residents also will be notified of any request denied by the (BOD) and the reasons for denial. Approval or rejection of all requests is the sole responsibility of the (BOD). The (ARC) responsibility is to fully review each request and make their recommendation to the (BOD). There have been cases in the past where residents have made changes to their property,
painted, etc. without requesting approval. When this happens and the (BOD) is made aware, the homeowner will be contacted by the (BOD), Violations Committee, and/or Property Manager to obtain and transmit an Architectural Change request form to the (ARC) for processing. Take note: there is no guarantee that the change will be approved just because it already has been completed.
As a result of concerns pertaining to house color changes, the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) has prepared the following guidelines for requests for exterior house painting.
According to the Cedar Creek Covenants, any visible property changes must be approved by the ARC and then by the Board of Directors (BOD). This must be done via a “Request for
Change/Addition Application Form,” which will be reviewed by the ARC prior to presentation to the BOD.
The “Request for Change/Addition Application Form” is to include the following information: Name of homeowner, Date of request, Address of property, Telephone number, Expected start and finish dates, Owner’s signature and Description of change: i.e. “We request approval to repaint the exterior of our home.” The following information must be included:
1.) Paint color chips for base color and trim with manufacture’s paint number;
2.) Color of garage door (base);
3.) Color of front door (base or trim color);
4.) Color of fascia, gables, gutter;
5.) Flat or semi-gloss paint
A “Request for Change/Addition Application Form,” is available from Karen DeVoll at 25511 Inlet Way Court (948-8831) or on line at:
http://ourcedarcreek.com/docs/archreviewform.pdf and must be returned to Karen. Since it is difficult to determine from a small paint chip how the base color will appear on a large wall, it may be beneficial to the owner to try a 2' x 2' square area on a rear wall. Preferences for colors are warm, light earth tones and muted pastels. Currently, Jim Tindal and Kathy Guyitt are serving on the (ARC) with Karen.
Litter Bugs
As you drive the streets of Cedar Creek, you have likely noticed from time-to-time, litter scattered through our otherwise beautiful community. If you do happen to see empty beverage cans or bottles, fast food containers or any other item that takes away from the aesthetics of Cedar Creek, please take a moment or two to stop and pick up the litter and dispose of it properly. We certainly hope it is outsiders, and not our residents that are responsible for this blight.
Street Lights
If you should notice a burned out street light or one that “cycles” - meaning that it comes on for a few minutes, then off for a few minutes - please take a moment to jot down the numbers that appear on the pole and call FPL at 1-800-4OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243). Once the menu comes on, touch 2 and then 3. You should be connected to an actual “live” person. At this point, inform them of the problem and give them the information that they request. FPL’s repair crew should respond in 5 to 10 days.
On The Road Again
On Friday, the 15th of May, we left on another trip in our RV, and thought you might wish to ride along with us again this year. This will be our fifth summer trip, and once again we have added some good friends to our mailing list….so welcome aboard! Thus far we have traveled over 44,000 miles and have visited 47 states and 6 Canadian provinces.
Our first stop was in Tampa for a couple of days to visit with Anita’s daughter and her husband Karl. Then on to Cumberland Island in Georgia at Crooked River State Park for a couple of nights, then four days and three nights on Jekyll Island, followed by the Memorial Day weekend in Charleston, SC. We plan on following the Atlantic coast on the back roads to Washington, DC where we hope to take in all the sights. From there, it’s anyone’s guess where we will go…but that’s the fun of traveling.
We will miss seeing many of you over the summer, so PLEASE drop us an e-mail whenever you can to keep us up to date on yourselves during the summer months. Thanx for traveling with us.
Bill, Anita and Hunter
