THE WOODLANDS NEWS

GULF HARBORS WOODLANDS ASSOCIATION, INC.

JUNE/JULY, 2003

Clubhouse Office Hours: Mon. 1-7 pm, Tues through Fri. 9am Clubhouse Phone # 727-847-4266 Clubhouse Fax # 727-847-pm
Personal contributions from individuals do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the GHWA Bd. of Directors. This publication is an official document of the Gulf Harbors Woodlands Association, Inc. 3936 Marine Parkway, New Port Richey, FL. 34652 Editor: Carol Kamps, 849-0487 e-mail - Donka@aol.com
Input is needed from all Woodland residents. The Woodlands Association is only as strong as its members are. An issue cannot be addressed if it is unknown or is misunderstood. Please contact your Board of Directors with specific concerns and ideas, as well as facts and possible solutions. Better yet, please attend the meetings, which are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m.
NEXT ASSOCIATION MEETING DATE

TUESDAY, July 15, 2003

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
John Kreider, President 859-9193 Lee Jensen Bd. Chmn. 842-5258 Shirlee Briley- Vice Chmn./V.P. 817-1051 George Duncan, Treas. - 846-9458 Bill Downs, Secty. 849-4805
THE FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS WILL BE HERE SOON. PLEASE BE CAREFUL IF YOU ARE USING FOREWORKS. DO NOT SHOOT THEM OFF AND ENDANGER OTHERS AS WELL AS YOUR NEIGHBORS PROPERTY.
President s Report- John Kreider: MAY This spring we are seeing a number of residents that are taking out applications to fix up or repair their homes. As a board we are hearing so many positive things that are happening around our neighborhoods. Yes, it does feel good to hear good things about our neighbors. On Saturday the 10th of this month, many of us witnessed the culmination of a vision, a vision that clearly was thinking out of the box , a vision that some thought was impossible. But, through time and much effort, that dream came to fruition. First, it is imperative that we give a big big THANK YOU to our community for the vote of support through a one time annual assessment to be able to provide the funding for the vision. Without the community support, what you see with our newly renovated pool could not have happened. Let me say up front, that the project will be completed ON BUDGET. To begin to thank all of our community volunteers would be a monumental endeavor. We had volunteers that served on the initial committee that discussed ideas, made trips to visit other pools to see workmanship and materials, get user input, and then make recommendations to the board. We had volunteers that spent many many man-hours assisting our maintenance man Larry in preparing the premises for renovation. We had volunteers that spent days repainting the building. There were WOW s volunteers that cleaned up an area by the parking lot entrance and then planted flowers to make the entrance look so nice. We had volunteers that helped to wash the chairs and tables before they were put back out for use. We had volunteers that helped to plan the grand -2-
President s Report continued: Reopening day event with food and table decorations. We had volunteers that sold new Woodlands T-shirts and golf shirts. Yes, many residents spent many many hours of community service for the vision to become a reality. I am not going to try to list all of the volunteers tonight. However, let me say to all of the volunteers, you know who you are and that each of you have helped to make this vision such a success. Please know that this community is indebted to you and we all give each of you as well a big big thank you. With that said, there are two volunteers that I believe deserve special thanks for their time and effort that really kept the project on target. George Duncan I believe should be listed as the community volunteer of the year. Not only for the pool renovation project, but for his many many deeds that he does not only for the hours that he spends here at the clubhouse, but for the many acts of kindness that he does throughout our community. Many of his acts of kindness and hours spent here at the clubhouse go on unnoticed by many. But, George is a much-valued person within the Woodlands. For this project, George took on the responsibility of coordinating the mechanical issues. He and several others that worked with him painted and trimmed this entire building. It seemed that whenever a job needed to be done, George just happened to be there to add a helping hand. He repaired several underground broken water lines and sprinklers. He almost single handily mulched the flower areas. He would always be so very positive, telling me not to worry, things will get done and they did. Probably one of the best decisions this board made for the vision to become a reality was to appoint Linda Kirker as the liaison person between the board and the hired pool consultant and the contractor. Linda was on the pool committee from it inception and later took over as the chairperson. She is very knowledgeable about this kind of endeavor and her being tough on several issues caused some headache for some, but in the long run, the final result was best for all of us. I remember the Saturday morning that Linda called while I was packing to leave for my Dad s funeral that I had to come to the pool immediately that she had put out a stop order on the installing the PVC liner. There was a serious color match of the blue liner. My heart went into palpitations, I had no extra time to pack and get to my flight. She handled that situation very professionally and we can all be happy that she was there for all of us. Then on another Saturday morning, I received another call from Linda that she had put a stop on the laying the cement tile on the sidewalk by the tennis courts. It was hoped that the job would be completed that Saturday. The tile layers had run out of gray tile and were just going to finish up the job with whatever they had. Again, Linda s being on site and on the ball provided for us a much better finished project. So Linda and George, please accept a big big thank you from this board and an even bigger thank you from our community. I would be remiss if I didn t say a word of thanks to Carl Shoffstall who is the owner of S&S Pools from Plant City and is the general contractor for the renovation. And thanks I believe should go to Kerry Dowling from Largo for his efforts in working with us to resolve the paving issues. Kerry is part owner of C&D Thin Pavers and Coping. PRESIIDENTS REPORT JUNE: I have stated over and over that the heart of our community is within our volunteers. The completion of this vision certainly points that out. I have always believed in the committee concept. I believe in giving persons some guides and goals - get the heck out of their way and let them figure out how to make the project a success. The tennis committee did an excellent job with their assignment, the clubhouse committee continues to do an excellent job with their assignments, the environmental committee is a very hard working committee that works hard and successfully, and now the pool committee has led and is completing a very successful vision. Since the pool has reopened there has been a beehive of activity in the use of the pool. There were nearly 200 people that attended the renovation open house. There was a well-attended luau this past Saturday evening. -3-

Presidents report June cont.: The ladies exercise class uses the pool three mornings a week. We have residents using the pool as early as 7 in the morning. There virtually been no time the pool has not been used since it has opened. We continue to see an increase in pool usage. We continue to see new residents that have not used our pool before. We continue to receive compliments on the renovated pool. We continue to thank our community for passing the assessment to allow the renovation. The Clubhouse and facilities are being utilized more and more. We have a beautiful place of which we can all be very proud. The move to change our banking institution to Wachovia has been quite smooth. That transition is now nearly complete. Wachovia has provided a very good money market rate for our reserve fund and that transfer from BPT has also been completed. Should any resident have a problem or issues with Wachovia, please contact the office so that we can help to resolve the issues.
We have been made aware of some vandalism that is occurring in our neighborhoods. We have contacted the Sheriff s Department to ask for additional patrols on our streets. Should you see anyone that is vandalizing property, please immediately contact the Sheriff s department immediately. Or, if you do not wish to contact the sheriff s office directly, please contact a board member immediately. Often, time is of the essence. (PLEASE DO NOT CONFRONT VANDALS ON YOUR OWN!!!!!!)
Your board has listened to our residents that have concerns about the appearance of the islands. You will hear a report from Board Member Shirley Briley on a proposal to clean up those islands. We have hired two summer students (a brother and sister combination) to work around the pool area. George will report on whom we have hired. As a Board, we are proud that we can offer to young people in our community an opportunity to earn some summer money. TREASURERS REPORT: Current Asset Balance: $70,497.00 POOL COMMITTEE REPORT: The heat pumps will be installed next week. The project will then be complete. The pavers will be sealed in the near future. This may require the closing of the pool for a day to seal them. Notice will be given in advance of any closure. WHEN BOARDS GO BAD. By Richard White, St. Petersburg Times, 24 May 2003 Question: I am a real estate agent who has successfully sold units in a particular community for about three years. Last week I had a problem with a transaction that was due to close in 48 hours. The lender sent a condo questionnaire to the management company, which reported that the complex has a 19% delinquency rate on association payments. Fannie Mae allows a maximum of 15 percent. The loan was denied, and the transaction failed to close. Several lenders told me that the only way a buyer will be approved under these circumstances is to put at least 25percent down so the lender won t require a condo questionnaire. This is going to be very unlikely in a complex where the average sale price is $170,000. What can a seller do, and what can I do as the neighborhood realtor? Answer: The situation you describe shows what happens when directors aren t doing their duty. When boards fail to enforce the covenants and restrictions, the value of all the units declines. Now this community will earn a reputation as a place where owners can t sell and buyers can t buy. As a realtor, you can start selling property in other communities, because the buyer and you do manage to put into that community is going to discover that the values aren t going to increase. -4-

A FEW POINTS TO REMEMBER!!!
if you move the chairs/tables around the pool, please replace them to their original location prior to leaving the pool. Always remember to lower the umbrella at your table prior to leaving the pool.
The pool rules are posted at poolside. It is the responsibility of all residents who use the pool to make sure that the rules are followed to ensure the safety of everyone. MAKE THAT PHONE CALL WHEN
YOU SUSPECT SOMEONE MAYBE USING THE POOL FACILITIES WHEN THEY ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO DO SO. YOU NOTICE ANYONE WHO MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF POOL RULES AND REGULATION IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS ARE LOCATED DIRECTLY ABOVE THE PHONE (LOCATED BY THE POOL ENTRANCE TO THE CLUBHOUSE. According to Jim Your third quarter Association dues are due on July 1, 2003 in the amount of $100.00. You may make your payment at Wachovia Bank. Please make sure you have your lot # on your check. The mailing address and phone number for Wachovia Bank is: Wachovia Bank Southgate Financial Center 5211 U. S. Highway 19 New Port Richey, FL 34652 Phone: (727) 843-4402 You may also make your dues payment at the Association office. There has been an increase in vandalism in the Woodlands Community. Please report any form of vandalism to the Pasco County Sheriffs Department as well as the Association office. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WISHES TO REMIND RESIDENT TO CHECK THE DEED RESTRICTIONS IN REGARD TO LIVING FENCES. If you have bushes that have grown too high or have grown together, they must be trimmed to no higher than 4 feet high and they cannot touch each other. You must be able to see through them. See last month s newsletter for exact wording. -5Editors note: Missing in action: It seems that someone has moved or stolen many items from the neighborhood lawns and gardens, as well as have destroyed mailboxes. It may seem funny to some vandals to create problems for their neighbors, but when it comes to destroying property, this changes the picture. The Sheriff has been advised of the problems and is adding patrols to the area. If you are missing or have found some items that we not in your yard please call the office and advise Jim. We may be able to find the proper homes for them.
(There is an anchor in our yard where our statue used to be I would rather have the statue.)

WALK NO DOGS.

ON YOUR NEIGHBORS PROPERTY EVEN IN THE EASEMENT AREA AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS SCOOP THE POOP EVEN IN THE ISLANDS AND OTHER COMMON AREAS OF WOODLANDS ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE REPORT: APPROVED APPLICATIONS FOR PROPERTY IMPROVEMENT APRIL-MAY-JUNE Marine Pkwy Enclosing screen porch, repainting exterior of house in same color,installing a window in front of house, replacing of bottlebrush tree in front of house with palm trees as well as the installation of french doors on the outside back wall of the master bedroom. 4640 Mitcher Road Installation of 4 vinyl see through fence down both sides of back yard 4450 Dewey Drive resurfacing of pool, pool deck, front steps walkway and lanai 4564 Ingersol Place Extension to driveway 4610 Ingersol Place Pressure washing and painting house 5612 Hull Court Replacement of roof 4277 Perry Place Painting of house 4032 Marine Parkway Upgrading boatlift and painting of dock 4055 Marine Parkway Dock addition 4215 Marine Parkway Double sea duo dock-77 feet from property line 4329 Reeves Road Addition of a walkway to dock 4523 Rickover Court PVC Shadow Box fence 4277 Perry Place Landscaping and staining of boat dock 5412 Dahlgren Drive Replacement of roof with shingle roof 4237 Dewey Drive Repaint Driveway/Window Boxes 5623 Hull Court Fence extension/fence repair/replace 4368 Marine Parkway Painting of residence in same color 4610 Ingersol Place Pressure washing/repainting house 4609 Dewey Drive Replace seawall 4422 Dewey Drive Replace of side door to garage, sliding glass door and 2 Windows 4645 Dewey Drive Replacement/repair roof over screen porch; replacement front door 4529 Rickover Court See thru gate/fence 4540 Rickover Court Repainting of garage door 4449 Rickover Court Addition to current residence 4523 Rickover Court Painting of house 5430 Dahlgren Drive Installation of seawall -6ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE cont.: 5442 Dahlgren Drive Resurfacing pool deck with acrylic concrete coating 4543 Dewey Drive Trimming of Brazilian Pepper Trees in rear of lawn 3966 Marine Parkway Planting of palm tree in rear of lawn as well as plants/shrubs on right side of house 4252 Perry Place Placement of sod in front lawn and plugs on side and rear lawn 4515 Mitcher Road Removal of overgrown shrubs around house and pool area and

4137 Marine Parkway 4042 Perry Place
replace with smaller shrubs and plants Repair roof Replacement of damages screens in pool area
PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THE TREES THAT ARE SURROUNDING YOUR HOME: This is the time to have the dead or weak branches, palm fronds, etc. removed and trimmed. The upcoming season for storms may turn branches into missiles that can harm your neighbors and your property.
OUR BEACH by Herb Patterson Board of Directors Arnold Arnold, President 848-3886, Bill Covert, 1st V.P. 842-6373 Lynn Thomas, 2nd V.P. 849-1130, Tom Llewellyn, 3rd V.P. 842-1903 Dolores Van Sickel, Secty 842-3289, Dolores Hurst, Treasurer, 846-8926 Sherri Hubach, Computer, 846-7158, Dennis Marcott, 846-1092 Herb Patterson, 849-3206 On May the 5th the ad-hoc committee, made-up to review the proposed budget for the period of April 2003 through March of 2004, gave its finding to the Board of Directors. The first budget, even though passed, would place the Beach Club in deficit nearly $36,000 by the end of the year. The Ad-hoc Committee Members were Dee Van Sickle, Herb Patterson and Tom Llewellyn. The committee met and received input from other Beach Club Directors before its final proposal. It was accepted and this one will hopefully place the Beach Club with a balanced budget with a reserve of $11,899. at the end of the fiscal year. To do this some things had to be cut, such as the new cabana for $40,000, reducing the ground expenditures by $4,000.00 and a few other items that were less than $1,000. National Construction is building 200 units at Sea Forest Drive and Cross-Bayou called the Sea Forest Beach Club Townhouses. They are considering making their complex mandatory to Gulf Harbors Beach Club. This will be welcome revenue for the Beach. Mr. Dennis Marcott has been appointed a new director, taking Joe Gorecki s place on the Board.
NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR: THANK YOU: To Greg Haller for donning his dive equipment to assist with some necessary maintenance with our pool. Don and Carol Kamps are proud to announce the birth of their third grandson, Nathaniel Eli Kamps. He weighed in at 8lbs 3 oz on May 23. (Of course he is gorgeous, look who his grandfather is!). -7Congratulations to Roger and Maryanne Freeman on the birth of Ruth Ann Vollmer, their 13th grandchild from their 9 children. Congratulations: to Maryanne Vollmar-Freeman was just awarded the prestigious SRES designation in Real Estate which enables her to be a Senior Real Estate specialist Consultant counseling residents with their real estate matters. Maryanne has been a waterfront realtor since 1977.

TENNIS PLAYERS WANTED

.848-0943
For Sale: 11 pieces of lattice wood - $12.00 for all 20gal. Aquarium with 5 fish, etc. $25.wood chairs $7.00 each formal gowns --$8.00 each Yamaha keyboard-PSR90 with rhythms, instruments, transposer, etc. many functions, 61 keys, Excellent!! Stand included. new $950.00 - Sell $350.00 848-0943

GOLF BALLS CHOICE USED BALLS 24 FOR $5.00. GUS-845-5211
FOR SALE: Nordik Track ski machine like new Ficus tree Anniversary Clock Pavers (44 full size / 31 half size
$75.00 25.00 100.00 10.00

845-1478

WANTED: Yard fountain in good working order- 2 or 3 tiers. Call Maryanne 841-7631. FOR SALE: Dehumidifier Whirlpool Aaccudry, with dryness control $175 new- will sell for $75. Call Roger 841-7631. WANTED VOLUNTEER LIBRARIAN: To assist Elfers Christian School to set up a Library for the children to use. Call Lisa 817-1936 Children of the Woodlands: Chris Belloise, Children of the Woodlands Organizer Happy summer to all of you! And with summer comes long days that provide the perfect justification for extended ballgames on the street or cops-and-robbers on bicycles. So please pay extra attention when driving on our community roads and slow down. There have been several recent reports of near misses on our roads of both children and adult pedestrians and bicyclers. Marine Parkway runs less than a mile from the Southgate Shopping Plaza to the Yacht Club. The difference in time between traveling this distance doing the speed limit of 30mph and speeding at 35mph is less than 18 seconds. Unless you or a passenger is about to give birth, 18 seconds isn t going to do much for you so please slow down. In fact, drive 25mph and take the extra 24 seconds to enjoy how nice our neighborhood is looking lately! Roll down your window and say, Hi! to everyone you pass! There have also been reports of vandalism in the neighborhood. Mostly juvenile pranks like pulling mailboxes and taking yard ornaments for joyrides. It only takes a couple of these juvenile pranks to set off a negative reaction toward our neighborhood youth. Although the ages of the culprits are not known, the word is going around the neighborhood that this was done by youths. The Children of the Woodland organization would like to ask the following of our neighbors; First, if you have children of the age that can stay out until late night (or even early morning), please take a little extra time to talk with them about their plans, who they will be with, and how you can get in contact with them. Secondly, for the remaining residents, don t be too quick to judge. Most often these pranks are the result of only a couple of bored children looking for a little excitement. The community can be proud of the remaining 99.999% of the children. In fact, it is not known if a Woodlands resident or someone straying into our community committed these acts. -8CHILDREN OF THE WOODLANDS, cont.: Not to beat a dead horse, but this is not the first generation to pull such pranks. In our yesteryears, an unsuspecting victim of toilet-papered trees or a flaming paper bag at their doorstep probably cursed us all. And the curse was for us to become our parents and get served the same dishes we served them!

But we should all be more aware of our surroundings and report any unusual activity to law enforcement. Under no circumstance should you attempt to confront any suspicious individual or individuals. And now on a fun note, we are planning our first Parent s Night Out! We are tentatively setting the date for August 9th pending participation of parents and qualified volunteers. We are still planning this event, but this first night out will be for children between the ages of 2 and 8 and will be held at the Clubhouse. Drop off of children will start at 6:00pm with pick-up of sleeping children by 12am. Enough time to give Mom and Dad a nice night out or enjoy a quiet home! Activities include movies projected on the big projector screen, arts & crafts, games, story-time, and more. Donations of $20 per child will be accepted. 100% of these donations will go toward future Children of the Woodlands events Halloween will be here sooner than you think! There will be a limited amount of space so sign up now! Email us at children@gulfharborslife.com if you want your children to join in on the fun or if you wish to volunteer for the night, and please do, we will need volunteers! Again, the date might change due to participation, check our website at www.gulfharborslife.com/children.php or subscribe to our email newsletter for the latest information. To subscribe, email us and state that you wish to be added to our email list all email addresses are kept strictly confidential and there will be absolutely no spam. If you haven t taken your children to the newly renovated pool yet, get down there! The pool is absolutely gorgeous and the water temperature is refreshing. And kudos to the Board members and committees that accepted our request to modify the pool rules and make the pool more child-friendly and fun for all. The No Splashing rule has been replaced with No Horseplay and now small floating items are permitted such as small beach balls and the like. So go have some wet fun!
REMEMBER TO RECYCLE !!!!!!!
USE YOUR BLUE BAGS AND PUT OUT YOUR SODA CANS AND BOTTLES AND OTHER SUMMERTIME BEVERAGES, AS WELL AS VEGETABLE AND FOOD CANS, RINSED OF COURSE. THE NEXT RECYCLE DATE IS MONDAY JUNE 30. THE CYCLE IS EVERY OTHER MONDAY. PUT THEM OUT SUNDAY NIGHT AS THEY COME EARLY TP PICK THEM UP. THANK YOU.YOUR ENVIRONMENT