The President's Corner Archive

March 19, 2009 will begin a new era for the Willowbend Community Association, Inc. Three members of your Board of Directors will be stepping down and three new members will be taking their place. As your President, I would like to express my appreciation for the work effort and dedication of your current Board.

1. Ken Lindberg, Board Secretary, has supported the work efforts of the past year by participating in all the Board meetings. Ken has shared his expertise in operational maters and was timely in preparing minutes of meetings where LPM, Inc. was not present. Ken supported your community by accepting the Board Representative for the ARC Committee, Recreation Facilities Committee, Security Committee and the Document Review and Revision Committee. Ken is a valuable member of the Board and will be remaining on the Board for another year of his two year term.
2. George Dellos, Vice President, has supported the work efforts of the Board by contributing his time and expertise in several matters of Board business. George contributed in the efforts to complete contract negotiations/preparations with Property Management and Landscaping. He further contributed as Board Representative in the daily communications with our Landscaping Contractor to assure the work efforts are correct and timely. George is a valuable member of the Board and will be remaining on the Board for another year of his two year term.
3. Kenji Asakura, Board Treasurer, has supported the fiduciary responsibility of the Board by his numerous activities as our Treasurer. Kenji has faithfully monitored the financial status, signed the invoiced checks and interviewed with the Financial Auditors. He has reviewed the Association’s required insurance coverage and recommended changes to avoid excessive costs of coverage. He has monitored the foreclosure situation and has participated in several meetings with Attorneys and Bank Officers to protect our interests. He chaired the Finance Committee that prepared the Budget for our community. Kenji is a dedicated Board Officer and his leaving the Board will cause a large void in the financial expertise.
4. Brian Gorden, Member at Large, has supported the work efforts of the Board by contributing his time and expertise as Board Representative for the Social Committee, Web Site Committee and the Compliance Committee. He has represented the Board at the Monday morning meetings with the residents and the Landscaping personnel. Brian is extremely energetic and monitors the Community by making daily walkabouts. Brian is a dedicated Board member and he will be missed as he leaves the Board after just one year.
5. Edward Schonegg, President, has completed two years as President of the Board of Directors and will not be returning for another term. Hopefully, the accomplishments contributing to the improvements of our property are generally recognized as beneficial and attributes to a well managed organization. This message will be the final Presidents Corner message prepared by me. I wish that the future Board has success in the continuing improvements of our Community

Ed Schonegg, President

VERIZON ANNOUNCES NEW PROCESS

Verizon has announced that they have a new process in place to handle all issues related to the Verizon FiOS service in Willowbend. See the Verizon FiOS item on the Information & News for the Community page.

IRRIGATION SCHEDULE

Your Board is currently working with Sun State and our Irrigation Committee to evaluate the physical irrigation system and prepare an effective irrigation schedule that will satisfy the requirements of our permit and adequately water our facility. Although we have previously posted an irrigation schedule on our web site, this will be changing as the revision process continues. In the next few weeks a workable schedule will be completed and put into service. The final results of this new schedule will be announced on the web site as well as will be posted at the Recreation Facility bulletin board.

Ed Schonegg, President

Your Board of Directors wishes a happy new year to all Willowbenders. We hope that 2009 brings prosperity and happiness to all.

The year 2008 was not a very good year in a lot of respects. The economy tanked, foreclosures were wide spread, 401-K and IRA’s lost their value by huge amounts. The real estate market suffered by the loss of the value of the home and the market change from sellers to a buyer’s advantage.

Through out all the turmoil about the aforementioned, you Board managed to accomplish significant advancements toward the improvement of the Willowbend appearance. In June, Sun State Landscaping Company was hired to complete the year’s final 7 months of landscaping responsibilities. Sun State was awarded the contracts to improve the streetscapes with the installation of St. Augustine grass and installation of Bahia grass on Heron and Eagle lake banks. These projects were very successful and our community has responded with favorable comments about these accomplishments.

Further accomplishments were realized with the improvements of several areas where unsightly plantings were replaced, a nursery was implemented with plants that were removed from the streetscapes. Nursery plants were utilized for plant replacement projects whereby saving a lot of money when compared to having to purchaser new plants.

The Board would like to thank those committee volunteers that served by contributing their time, talent and resources to help to make Willowbend community a better place to live and enjoy.

Please take notice that there will be three vacancies to fill for the Board of Directors for 2009. The announcement will be coming out soon about the annual Membership meeting to be held on March 19, 2009 at the Osprey Inn. Those interested in serving on the Board should submit their name as a candidate for the March election.

Ed Schonegg, President

Your Board of Directors approved the CY 2009 Financial Budget at the November 20, 2008 Budget Adoption meeting. There is a 5.4% increase in the CY 2009 Budget ($961,981.00) when compared to the CY 2008 Budget ($912,875.00). The monthly assessments for 2009 will be as follows: Villa: $288, Club: $300, Executive: $310. The Board Treasurer, Ken Asakura, provided a description of the past years Budgets and an explanation of the status of each year relative to the monthly assessments. From CY 2002 and including CY 2007 there were no increases in the monthly assessments although the expenses since CY 2005 had gone up by an average of 3.68% per year. This was due to the Budgets being supported by rolling over funds from previous years at the rate of- CY 2006, $78,967 funds were rolled over; CY 2007- $128,604 funds were rolled over; CY 2008- $32,785 funds were rolled over in addition to a increase in the Assessment by 7.8%. The CY 2009 Budget adoption indicates an estimated $10,000 available for rollover to support the 5.4% increase in the expenses.

In addition, Vice-President George Dellos, provided an excellent slide show program whereby George explained how the expenses of the Association are allocated. He also described how the funds remaining from previous years were used to provide funding for the Willowbend Streetscapes and Irrigation Enhancement Project as well as other enhancements to improve the overall appearance at Willowbend.

The proposed Budget that was sent out by U.S. Mail to each homeowner was adopted without any changes. The Board appreciates the efforts by Ken and George and the Finance Committee to provide an annual Budget that fairly represents the position of the Association.

Ed Schonegg, President

VERIZON FiOS HIGH SPEED INTERNET CUSTOMER SERVICE: There have been several problems with homeowner’s ability to contact a service representative for Verizon FiOS high speed internet. The phone numbers previously provided to homeowners were to be used for the installation process and are not applicable for service related calls. Willowbend Liaison with Verizon, Deena Roberts has reported to the Board that a customer service representative center has been established and there are 50 personal account managers (Pam’s) that are available to assist homeowners with any service related problems. The toll free phone number is 1-888-913-0875 and there should be a service representative available to you with a wait time almost non existent. (per Deena Roberts).

JUST COMPOST: The Board is continuing to investigate opportunities to reduce the cost of maintaining the Willowbend property. As we know, placing mulch on the plant beds on lots and on common areas has been a very expensive line item on our budget. Monies are identified this year for mulch to “patch up” areas that are sparse after the re-distribution has been completed by the raking process. Further, $50,000 has been estimated to cover the cost of mulching in the 2009 proposed budget. These dollars in 2009 will not be enough to provide sufficient mulch to completely re-mulch the entire areas where mulch is needed.

Sun State has recommended to the Board to try a new approach to mulching the lots. A product identified as “Just Compost” can replace the routinely marketed wood chip and pine bark mulch. The cost of the Compost is approximately one half the costs of the routine products. The Board has accepted the using the Compost on the lot of 584 Crane Prairie Way as a demonstration for all homeowners to view and provide comments. The County Compost Company, LLC is the contractor of record and they have a web site that you may visit to learn more about their product. (www.usecompost.com). The Board welcomes homeowners to view and evaluate the Compost at 584 CPW and provide your feedback to the Board.

Ed Schonegg, President

This message is to alert Willowbend Residents about vandalism and unfriendly confrontation at the Recreation Facility workout room. On two separate occasions a Mr. Ed Damit has been confrontational with residents. The first occasion was an altercation with a resident about the resident entering the workout room while barefoot Mr. Damit proceeded to harass the resident and presented himself in a threatening manner. Fortunately the resident did not accept the challenge and there was no physical contact. Coincidently, there were small pieces of glass shards spread on the carpet the following morning. There was a sufficient amount spread on the carpet that would have cut a person entering the workout room while barefooted. Since the surveillance camera showed Mr. Damit’s presence very timely with the glass being placed on the carpet and since he was confrontational about a resident entering the workout room while barefooted, he became a suspect for placing the glass on the carpet. The police were called and upon questioning Mr. Damit about this incident, there was a dramatic denial by Mr. Damit and, as reported by the police, he rudely concluded any further conversation and went into his house and closed the door.

The second altercation occurred in the workout room between Mr. Damit and a resident when the resident asked Mr. Damit to lower the volume on the TV. Mr. Damit stated that the rules are posted to the effect that first come first served and that since he was first, he could play the TV as loud as he wanted. An argument ensued and Mr. Damit became threatening while making demands to the resident to strike him for the purpose of starting a physical fight. Again, fortunately, the resident had the fortitude to not pursue physical contact with Mr. Damit. He was forced to leave the workout room which ended the confrontation.

The Board has recognized these situations as a continuing problem where Mr. Damit has been an aggressor. This announcement is being published to alert all residents and guests that Mr. Damit presents an unfriendly atmosphere when communicating with others. Remedial measures are in process to help to remedy this situation.

Ed Schonegg, President

The Willowbend Landscaping and Irrigation Enhancement Project is nearing completion and the results of the project are outstanding. The Streetscapes with the newly installed St. Augustine grass presents a very clean appearance and presents a look of a widening of the streets. In order to have consistency in the street look, 58 streetscapes where there were no sidewalks were enhanced by rearranging or removing some plants and placing St. Augustine sod. All the newly placed sod has been fertilized and treated for cinch bugs.

The enhancement of the lake banks has been completed with the cleanup of plantings and placement of Bahia grass sod on Heron, Eagle and the north end of Pelican lakes. The western end of Egret Lake was cleared of the high growing grasses and replanted with the low growing grasses in order to obtain uniformity around the circumference of the lake. The newly planted Bahia grass has been established with homeowner support by watering and by current rains. There will be no need for any further irrigation for the Bahia grass which will contribute to a reduction of water consumption.

Your Board extends its appreciation to all those homeowners who contributed to the success of the enhancement project with the timely suggestions and support. This endeavor has been extremely difficult to propose, gain appropriate local legal authorization, complete the planning that included cost estimates and homeowner approval of a special assessment, , prepare all the necessary documents, select an appropriate contractor, follow-up on the details and deal with the daily problems that this enormous project has presented. Your Board of Directors has been diligent in pursuit of this project to ensure its success. My compliments go out to your Board for their individual contributions. This project would not have been successful without the individual participations and dedication.

The Monday morning meetings with Sun State have been very well attended by homeowners who have problems and suggestions to improve their properties. This interface has provided an avenue to expedite homeowner requests and has provided a method of tracking the progress and completion of the requests. There have been about 20 requests each Monday morning that are being followed-up timely by Sun State and schedules prepared for doing the work.

Homeowners are reminded that the ARC program is still in effect for those who want changes made to their landscape. Arcs should be submitted to Lighthouse for entering into the system and forwarding to the Board for approvals.

Ed Schonegg

The association has reinstated the Monday mornings meetings at the Recreation Center Gazebo at 9:30 A.M. for homeowners who wish to report discrepancies in the landscaping and irrigation. Sun State will have a representative present to take your requests/information and prepare a three part work order. This process will replace the current procedure of calling Lighthouse Property Management to report discrepancies. Following the meeting, a Sun State crew chief will inspect the area(s) of reported concern and enter the request on a priority list. Not all requests will be honored by Sun State if a Board consultation and approval is required. Most requests that are routine, repairing water leaks or other irrigation problems, replacing dead plants where necessary, etc. may be honored and the work scheduled. Homeowners that have unusual requests are encouraged to submit an ARC request for Board review and approval. Hopefully, this process will help to eliminate a time delay in getting your requests honored and work completed.

Sun State is working aggressively in the checking and making the necessary repairs to the irrigation systems on homeowner’s lots and common areas. The current plan is to use the plants that are in the nursery to replace any dead plants that are reported by the homeowner. Requests for additional plants will require an ARC and will be planted following the ARC approval by the Board and at the homeowner’s expense. Nursery plants can be purchased at $6.00 but they will not be guaranteed by Sun State.

The Willowbend Landscaping and Irrigation Enhancement program is progressing at a very good pace. The Heron lake bank work has been completed and work has begun on Eagle lake bank. For the most part, Heron lake banks look very good. Thanks go out to the lot owners that helped to provide irrigation during the 10 day establishment period. Some of the Bahia sod was delivered and installed on Heron lake bank that appeared to be lower quality. It was brown in color and did not appear to have a lot of live grass. This problem is being monitored by Sun State and the sod will be replaced if necessary, at no additional cost to the Association. The Streetscape program is progressing very well and is nearing completion. All Streetscapes that have sidewalks have had the former plantings removed, plot leveled, irrigation placed and St. Augustine sod installed. The watering schedule has been done on a daily basis until the new sod is established; watering will then be reduced in frequency, slowly until a one day per week schedule is established. Work has begun on those Streetscapes where there is no sidewalk. Sun State has completed 6 of those Streetscapes as a demonstration of what may be accomplished for enhancement. Work will commence on the remaining Streetscapes on Monday June 30.

A routine maintenance schedule is being developed and will be announced soon on the web site and by posting at the Recreation Center on the bulletin boards.

Ed Schonegg, President

Fellow home owners that are the recipient of the clearing off of the Lake Bank and Bahia grass installed in the areas between your lanai and the Lake, YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED AND APPRECIATED. There is no formal irrigation necessary for the Bahia grass, ONCE IT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. In order to provide the establishment, the new Bahia grass sod requires a daily (or more) watering. The Board is asking that all recipients of the newly installed Bahia grass sod to provide the daily watering at your own expense for a period of the first 10 days after the sod has been placed on the lake bank. A period of about 20 minutes of daily water spraying will be enough to provide the necessary amount of water to establish the grass.

Thanks in advance of your cooperation.

Ed Schonegg

The following represents the proposed schedule of work for the streetscape project.

Streetscape areas with sidewalks: Houses with street numbers ending in an EVEN number.

Thornapple entire east side of street has been completed with exception of the end unit at Habitat and the end unit at Crane Prairie way.

Next area: Crane Prairie Way, all even number houses.

Next area: Luminary, all even number houses.

Next area: Latitude, all even number houses.

Next area: Chalet Court, all even number houses.

Streetscape areas with sidewalks: Houses with an ODD number.

Next area: Crane prairie Way, all odd number houses.

Next area: Luminary, all odd number houses.

Next area: Latitude, all odd number houses.

Next area: Chalet Court, all odd number houses.

Next area: Habitat, all odd number houses.

Streetscape areas without sidewalks.

Next area: Thornapple all remaining houses that do not have sidewalks

Next area: Crane Prairie Way, all houses that do not have sidewalks.

Next area: Habitat, all houses that do not have sidewalks.

We have two weeks of experience with the streetscape project installations and Sun State has averaged about 8 streetscapes per day. 275 homes – 8 previously completed= 267/8= ~34 working days. There have been 10 working days to date and ~80 homes completed.

Ed Schonegg
May 18, 2008

Due to the various inquiries received for additional clarification regarding the proposed total scope of work of the Willowbend Landscape and Irrigation Enhancement Project, your Board of Directors offers the following more detailed overview of the various components of the program. We hope it will better clarify the objectives being undertaken to enhance the community, and the supporting funding proposals recommended, using (a) existing funds that can be directed to the project, and (b) raising additional funds required through the assessment being requested from Willowbend homeowners. We believe that we are being responsive to resident wishes to get the projects done NOW, rather than proceeding through future budgets. It is a fact to be considered that none of these projects, if delayed, will be completed in the future without dues increases. It is also suggested that because of the current downturn in new housing developments that have impacted landscapers, the time is right to take advantage of more competitive pricing.

There are actually several initiatives that comprise the total enhancement project. Two of these were identified in the Wilhelm's 90 day assessment from September 2007. Redistribution of the mulch on everyone's lot at a cost of $27,000, and replacement of 1800 plants that were identified as "dead" in everyone's lot at a cost of $27,000. This portion of the enhancement project was undertaken based on urgent needs expressed to the Board by residents whose properties were affected and has been completed.

Lake Bank restoration. This portion of the Enhancement project is defined as renovation of Lake Banks on Eagle, Heron, Egret (west bank) and Pelican (north end). For Eagle, Heron and Pelican (north end) the leather ferns will be removed, vegetation removed to soil in the areas located directly behind the lanai. Bahia grass sod will be installed in those areas that were cleared. In the areas between lots, the vegetation will remain to afford cover for habitat. The west end of Egret Lake will be renovated and replanted to match the cover that currently surrounds the lake. The total cost of this effort is $78,200. Crane Lake was renovated last year as part of a test project. There are no renovations planned in the current project for Owl Lake and Ibis Pond based on the criteria selected for determining which banks needed practical improvement and enhancement.

Streetscapes portion. The common areas of landscape between the sidewalk and the street for 193 locations will be completely renovated by grass installation. Current plantings will be removed and stored in a temporary on-site nursery to provide for plants replacement needs during the enhancement project and for future needs. The soil will be prepared, irrigation lines installed and St. Augustine grass sod installed. For the 65 street fronts that do not have sidewalks, relocation of some of the existing plants to accommodate the installation of sod along curbs in a flowing pattern will be accomplished to provide an enhanced appearance. Since Copperwood enhancement was completed last year, there will be no further renovations to Copperwood at this time. Total cost of the streetscape enhancement projects will be $107,550.

The Lake Bank restoration and the Streetscape projects were competitively bid. Selection of contractors is being made both on prices bid and total scope of work being pledged by the contractors under the bid package criteria. This information is part of Willowbend official records and is available to residents at Lighthouse Property Management, Inc.

We urge all in our community to support this Board objective that we believe will significantly improve the appearance of our community, bolster our property values, and save maintenance expenditures in the future. We recognize that this project may not fulfill the personal wishes of each resident however; we hope that you will agree that it is a formidable start. Please support this project by voting yes on your ballot.

Sincerely,

Your Willowbend Board of Directors,

Ed Schonegg, President

Willowbend homeowners were given an opportunity to express their opinion on the number of Directors required to represent our community. At the March 5 annual membership meeting voting took place, either by proxy or in person, to decide on a 5 member or a 7 member Board of Directors. The voting results were 71 votes for a 5 member Board and 38 votes for a 7 member Board. The by-laws require a majority vote of the attending members, in person or by proxy, at the meeting. The Board of Directors will proceed with a 5 member Board for the current year through February 2009.

Homeowners that submitted their names for consideration for being elected to the Board of Directors are to be commended for their efforts to serve our community. George Dellos and Ken Lindberg were elected to serve a 2 year term and join Ed Schonegg, Kenji Asakura and Rachel Rivlin to make up your 2008 five member Board. Thanks to Brian Gorden, Richard Harmon and Betsy Weis for submitting their names to be included as a candidate.

An organizational meeting was held following the election and the results are as follows:
President — Ed Schonegg
Vice President — George Dellos
Treasurer — Ken Asakura
Secretary — Ken Lindberg
Member at Large — Rachel Rivlin

The first official meeting of your new Board was in the format of a workshop held on March 14, 2008 at the First America Bank conference room. Agenda items explored and discussed were; Web site security for sensitive information, evaluation of two bids submitted for the Lake bank restoration, scope of work for the remaining 185 streetscapes that have sidewalks, discussion on the 64 streetscape frontages where there are no sidewalks, preliminary evaluation of the projected total cost of the Enhancement project, and appointments of Board representative for the committees. These items will be on the agenda at the March 20, 2008 Board meeting for potential resolution.

Ed Schonegg, President

The County Commissioners voted yesterday, February 20, 2008, to grant a Major Work permit to the Southbay Yacht and Racquet Club for the dredging of their marina. Mr. Howard Berna, Environmental Supervisor of the Environmental Services-Resource Protection division, presented his recommendation to accept the Southbay proposal to grant the dredging permit with the stipulation that the dredged material NOT be deposited on the property adjacent to the Willowbend Community. There was considerable discussion about the eventual site for the disposal of the dredged material and the County Commissioners committed to a review of the Earth Moving permit process to ensure that the appropriate reviews take place for the deposition of fill material. Southbay will now proceed to select a contractor to carry out the marina dredging and dispose of the material on a site to be chosen by the contractor but still subject to the conditions of an Earth Moving permit.

The owner of the property does have plans to either sell or develop the property adjacent to Willowbend but the future use is not known. It is currently zoned OPI, which allows the use of the property for Office, Professional, or Institutional use. The Board will continue to monitor activities on the site.

Ed Schonegg
February 21, 2008

Howard Berna of Sarasota County Environmental Services called several Willowbend residents today to inform them that the Southbay Yacht and Racket Club has changed their direction for the disposition of the spoils generated from the maintenance dredging of their marina. The original plan described a disposal site within the 10.5 acre site located between the north and south entrances to Willowbend. Howard informed Willowbend residents that this plan is no longer being considered and that other disposal sites are being considered. Howard said that the dredging company has suggested alternative disposal sites but, he didn’t elaborate on any alternate locations. Willowbend residents should still keep apprised of the Southbay plans when they become available. Howard recommended that a group attend the February 20, Sarasota County Commissioners meeting when the continuance of the project will be revisited and possibly approved.

Ed Schonegg, President, WCA, Inc.

Our Willowbend community has a new website entitled “willowbendcommunity.com”. Rudy Stehl is your website committee chairman and Jay Berkowitz has volunteered to be on the committee. Vice-president Rachel Rivlin is our Board representative to the website committee. Hopefully this change of websites and the transition from the old website will be smooth. Those going onto the website by clicking on “willowbendosprey.com” will be automatically transferred to “willowbendcommunity.com”. Initially the new website will look similar to the old website. However, the committee has ideas and plans to hopefully improve the new site as they gain more experience with the project. Thanks to Rudy, Jay and Rachel for their participation to help make this program a success.

Our community has recently been notified that there is a dredging of the marina at Southbay Yacht and Racket Club and that the proposed site for the dumping of about 1360 cubic yards of the spoils is to be in our backyard. The wooded area of approximately 10 acres that lies between our North and South entrances has been identified as the selected dump site. The exact composition of the contamination in the spoils is not currently known. Although samples have been reported to have been taken, there are no analyses available to our community. Because of recent investigations by a task group of Rudy Stehl, George Dellos, Ken Lindberg and myself, evidence has been brought to light that the spoils that are to be dredged out of the marina may well be contaminated with chemical and biological waste materials.

A workgroup meeting was held on Monday December 10, 2007 with about 40 concerned residents in attendance. All voiced concerns about the dumping of the spoils at the designated site and wanted the project stopped or delayed until a more appropriate dump site is located. A petition was started at the meeting and volunteers came forth to canvas our community to acquire additional signatures.

The Sarasota County Commissioners have a meeting scheduled on December 18, 2007 at their southern location in Venice to decide to approve or not approve the proposed dredging and disposal of the Southbay marina. There will be presentations made by Willowbend in protest of the approval of the project. Willowbend homeowners should attend this Commissioners meeting to show support in the protest of the project.

Ed Schonegg, President

Welcome Back Seasonal Homeowners and..............

The Board would like to welcome back to Willowbend all those returning residents that have spent time away during the really hot summer months. Those returning residents who have retained the Comcast ISP during their time away should notify Verizon of your return and arrange a date for your ISP hook up. Please telephone 813-483-2450 and either speak to, or leave a message for, Mr. Romeo of Verizon to arrange an appointment for the installation of the Verizon wiring/equipment.

IF you are presently not a Verizon telephone subscriber, you will be asked to provide information to Verizon regarding your identity, i.e. your social security number. This information is considered privileged by Verizon and is required because Verizon is providing a Modem/Router for your use at no cost to the Association and the individual resident is responsible for the security of the Verizon equipment. Please be cooperative with Verizon schedulers as you will not be scheduled until you have confirmed your identity. Once you are hooked up and are using the Verizon ISP service, and you have been extended with Comcast ISP, please contact Comcast to cancel your ISP service with them and return the Comcast Modem. Please submit all your paid invoices for your extended ISP service with Comcast to the Lighthouse Property Management office so you will be included in the computation for reimbursement of these charges.

Swing Set Safety Recall

A safety recall has recently been made by the manufacturer regarding the top bar of our swing set at the Pool Gazebo area. The bar will have to be replaced by the manufacturer at no cost to the Association; additionally, the Board has been advised to remove the swings until the bar has been replaced. This has been done to help ensure the safety of those children presently using the swing facility. We apologize for this inconvenience, but this action was taken at the advice of the manufacturer. The manufacturer has been notified of our position and a replacement bar is expected to be in place soon.

Hurricane Shutters & Additional Security Equipment at the Recreational Facilities

We are pleased to announce that hurricane shutters have been placed on the seven windows at the Recreation Facility conference room (3) and the rest rooms (4). The exercise facility windows were previously protected by the installation of the window film. Also, the Board approved the installation of an additional camera to be mounted inside the exercise room with an upgrade of the monitoring equipment to accept the additional camera. The camera and monitor have been installed and are now functioning.

Architectural Change Requests

The Board would like to remind our residents that a request for Architecture changes on your home or lot must have an approved ACR PRIOR to any action taken. We recognize that waiting for the process to be completed may present an inconvenience, but the overall control of our Association is the responsibility of the Board as defined in the CC&R’s. Residents not in compliance may be facing corrective action by the Board.

Pets

A reminder, those with pets (dogs) that use the Willowbend property for their exercise venue are reminded that these animals are expected to do their duty while outside the home. The Board asks for your cooperation in selecting the places the animals use for their duty and are aware that the deposit must be picked up and properly discarded. Yards that are directly in front of or on a personal lot is not a preferred area for dog deposits, regardless of whether or not the deposit is removed.

Speeding Drivers Beware

The Sarasota County Sheriffs office has been contacted and requested to increase their patrol frequency on Willowbend Community roads. Additionally, the Sheriffs office was requested to install a radar digital speed sign in order to alert drivers using Willowbend roads to their own actual driving speeds. Users of our roads (homeowners, renters, guests and those drivers coming to or from other neighborhoods) should respect the 25 miles per hour speed limit in effect for all of Willowbend roads as well as obeying the Stop signs.

Copperwood Streetscape

The streetscapes project for Copperwood has now been completed and for the past several weeks the results have been evaluated by our residents and committees. To date all reports have been very positive as Copperwood really has an outstanding appearance from the sidewalks to the street. The Board would like to show their appreciation for all the work efforts extended by everyone involved in this improvement effort. Comments are welcomed to your Board of Directors or to the GLIC committee members.

ISP Provider

Please remember that part of your monthly WCA monthly assessment fee provides for ISP service and the Association's bulk contract is now with Verizon FiOS. This means that all 275 homes should be Verizon FiOS wired and have a Verizon ISP router/modem available in the home.

Currently you can have Verizon FiOS wiring and equipment installed in your home at no charge.

If you wish to continue to use Comcast you may do so (at your own cost) but a portion of your WCA monthly assessment fee covers our Bulk ISP agreement with Verizon.

By installing the Verizon FiOS wiring etc. any subsequent owner of your property will be able to use the ISP service for which they are charged (in their WCA monthly homeowner assessment fee).

If you have not yet made an installation appointment please contact Verizon New Installations and Appointments (Mr. Romeo or his voicemail) at 813-483-2450.

Oh, one more word on this subject - please remember to return (to Comcast) your old, unused Comcast modem.

Pelican Lake

Our lake consultant, Russ Hoffman, has been diligently researching for a solution to control the algae bloom in our lakes, particularly Pelican Lake. Russ has recommended a process in which funding was approved by the Board at the August 16 Board meeting. This proposed process includes the removal of the algae mechanically and disposal by transporting away from the lake. The Board is asking for owners near Pelican lake to continue to have patience until this very unusual algae problem has been alleviated.

Aggressive and Harassing Behavior

The Board would like to acknowledge the receipt of recent reports of individuals being harassed at the Recreation Facility exercise room and individual Board members have expressed their disapproval of such incidents taking place. Our Governing Documents do not specifically cover the Board's responsibility to take corrective action in these types of incidents; however, we are researching the documents to help provide clarity of our position. We strongly encourage that anyone being harassed report the incident to the County Police and to Lighthouse Property Management. The Board has approved the funding to install an additional camera inside the exercise room to help deter any future incidents.

More Information Concerning Your ISP

The Association, on behalf of all Willowbend homeowners, entered into an improved bulk Internet Service Provider contract with Verizon on July 6, 2007. This new service provides for a 10 Mbps download speed and a 2 Mbps upload speed with Fiber Optics (FiOS). This system should be much faster than the previous service with Comcast. The cost avoidance is $6.73 per month, per homeowner, when Verizon cost is compared to Comcast's budgeted expense. This cost avoidance will help to offset the higher cost of our new Landscape Contractor for the remaining years budgeted expense. The contract with Verizon is for 5 years and the cost increases (5% or CPI + 2% per year, whichever is greater) is built into the contract language, allowing for better budget preparation in the future years.

If you are a member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. (SPCUG) - www.spcug.org - you will be able to access a link to The August edition of "Sarasota PC Monitor", and an article entitled "Comcast vs. Verizon FiOS" which provides information that validates the wisdom of our choice to change to Verizon.

The new Verizon Router/Modem is provided, at no cost, to each homeowner by Verizon as long as they remain at Willowbend. Any owner deciding to leave Willowbend MUST leave the Router/Modem for the next owner.

Your current Comcast Modem must be returned, by YOU, to a Comcast office in Venice or the Fruitville Road office. Be sure to get a receipt for your personal records.

For those Homeowners that are not currently in residence and not hooked up to Verizon by July 25, please remember that Comcast has offered an extension for each homeowner (at the homeowners cost) to maintain their ISP until you are finally hooked up to Verizon. Comcast has set up a local phone number 941-926-3067 and a toll free number 1-800-398-9883 with a dedicated group of service personnel to answer your questions. You should call soon since these numbers will not be provided long term.

The Board has requested that Verizon provide some monetary assistance in supporting those who are not hooked up to Verizon by July 25, 2007 and choose to retain Comcast until they are back in residence in Willowbend. A formal request has been submitted to Verizon and their response is favorable. There will likely be some assistance for those 'seasonal' homeowners; the complete details are still to be worked out. The amounts distributed to individuals will be determined based upon the number of requests and the amount of monies available.

A Mr. Romeo has been assigned to manage the Verizon scheduling for hooking up the service to each home. Should you need to call for hook up or rescheduling, you may call 813-483-2450. You should obtain information from your hook up technician at the time of service installation i.e. phone numbers to contact the proper people for any problems that may arise with the new service.

Here are the best contact numbers for problems or concerns with your Verizon FiOS ISP

813-483-2450 New Installations and Appointments (Mr. Romeo)
888-790-9799 FiOS Billing and Sales
888-553-1555 FiOS Technical Support

Important News about Your ISP

As previously stated, our bulk service contract with Comcast for ISP services expires on July 25, 2007.

Your Board of Directors recognizes that some Willowbend homeowners may not physically be here in Willowbend at that time and may wish to make individual and personal arrangements with Comcast to continue the Comcast ISP service until such time as they return to Willowbend. If you wish to make this sort of arrangement please telephone Comcast at 941-926-3067 or 1-800-398-9883 on or after Monday July 16, 2007. We have just been advised by Comcast that Willowbend homeowners may also deal with this situation, in person, at the Comcast kiosk in Sarasota Square Mall. Please remember to advise the Comcast representative that you are a homeowner in Willowbend, Osprey and once you are finally online with Verizon ISP, you will need to contact Comcast to cancel your individual account.

Appointments for Verizon FiOS hook up - Whether or not you are physically here in Willowbend, if you have not yet made an appointment with Verizon to have your new FiOS ISP service actually installed inside your home, please contact Verizon at 813-483-2450 to arrange a convenient date and time. (Note: this is a direct line to a Mr. Romeo of Verizon.)

Message from the President for End June 2007

The Grounds, Lakes and Irrigation Committee (GLIC) has submitted a report for the web site describing two initiatives, namely, renovation of the streetscape for Copperwood and removal of invasives (sword ferns and ruellia). The funding for these two initiatives was approved at the June 21, 2007 Board of Directors meeting. These activities should begin during July this year.

I have asked the Board and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the GLIC to prioritize the renovation of our lake banks by commencement this year, of the renovation of at least one lake bank and to prepare a plan for the renovation of the remaining lake banks. The renovation of the lake banks has been described as the removal all of the weeds and unwanted vegetation and replacement with Bahia sod grass. This renovation project would also include the removal of the drip irrigation lines if necessary.

The Board and GLIC realize that the replacement of dead plants is necessary in order to maintain the integrity of our landscapes, both lots and common areas. This action is the responsibility of the Association and will continue to be done where necessary. We realize that the budget will be strained by trying to complete planned projects and maintain the plants. This strain will probably cause the mulching for our community to be delayed until the next annual budget.

We also realize that the different population at Willowbend would like the budget monies to be utilized for activities that are their personal concerns. Please remember that all owners have equal responsibility to contribute to the maintenance of common areas through the budget process and your monthly assessments.

JUNE 19th - Internet Service Provider Information Meeting

Ramada Inn Hotel, 6.00 – 8.00 P.M.Each homeowner will shortly receive the following notice from Verizon. I encourage you to attend this meeting in order to have an opportunity to learn what is going on with regard to your ISP.
Each homeowner will shortly receive the following notice from Verizon. I encourage you to attend this meeting in order to have an opportunity to learn what is going on with regard to your ISP.

The Willowbend Homeowners Association Board of Directors and Verizon would like to invite you to attend an information session regarding the new Verizon fiber-optic upgrade currently taking place in your community.

The network upgrades will involve replacing portions of Verizon’s copper facilities with brand new fiber-optic cables. These upgrades will enhance network reliability, improve service quality and enable Verizon to offer your community the most advanced Phone, Internet and TV service options today and in the future.

Verizon specialists will be on hand to answer any questions/concerns you may have regarding the deployment process and to provide you with detailed information regarding the new products and features available to Willowbend residents.

A formal 30-minute project summary will be given at 7:00 p.m. and refreshments will be provided.

Should you have any questions prior to the above session, please contact Willowbend HOA President Ed Schonegg @ 941-918-1634 or eschonegg@comcast.net. Additional information will also be made available on the Willowbend HOA website http://www.willowbendosprey.com

We look forward to seeing you on June 19th!

Respectfully,

The Verizon Marketing Team and Willowbend HOA Board of Directors

Change in Your Internet Service Provider (ISP)

The Associations current bulk contract agreement with Comcast regarding the ISP is going to expire on July 25, 2007. A Task Group has been working for the past few months to explore the options available for Willowbend residents. The options explored were:

• Extend the bulk contract agreement with Comcast for continuing ISP service.
• Allow the bulk contract agreement to expire without any commitment to extend the contract.
• Explore other ISP providers for obtaining a bulk contract agreement for Willowbend residents.

Should Option 1 have been selected, Comcast offered a 5 year bulk contract extension with no apparent improvement in service and a temporary small reduction in the monthly fee that would be increased on an annual basis. Comcast would probably agree to reducing the 5 year to a 2 year agreement.

Should Option 2 have been selected, there would be an ending of the ISP service from the bulk contract agreement with Comcast on July 25, 2007 and each individual homeowner would have to negotiate on their own behalf to obtain a service from a list of providers of their choice. Since the expense of the ISP is currently included in your monthly maintenance assessment, an adjustment would have to be provided by reducing your monthly fee accordingly.

In exploring other ISPs, Verizon was contacted for information relative to the company position on installing the Fiber Optics (FIOS) for our community, and the possibility of obtaining a bulk contract for ISP.

The task group chose Option 3. Verizon has offered an ISP bulk contract for Willowbend that the task group has recommended to the Board for approval. At a Board Workshop on May 31, 2007, the Board verbally agreed that Verizon proceed with the construction of the FIOS service. The signing of the contract is pending upon the review of the bulk contract by the Associations attorney and other concessions to be negotiated. The term of a 5 year agreement is in question as well as the period of ISP service that will be delayed for seasonal home owners in getting their homes wired for the FIOS service.

Homeowners will have an opportunity for a Q&A session with Verizon in the near term (date and time to be determined) at the Ramada Inn on U.S. 41, across the street from Willowbend.

Recreation Center Vandalism on April 27th and 28th, 2007

Recap

As many of you are aware, Friday evening our Recreation Center was vandalized by 8 teenagers. This occurred between 11:53 PM and 1:05 AM. Their actions required us, among other repairs and clean-up, to sanitize the pool through a chemical wash. The pool was closed through the weekend.

Pool Status

Anton, our pool maintenance expert, was notified immediately on Saturday and took all appropriate measures according to county health regulations. This included a thorough cleaning with his vacuum, draining and refilling the pool, changing the filters twice, and triple-shocking the pool. On Monday, he again vacuumed and took chemical tests that permitted him to re-open the pool that afternoon.

The pool is now safe and ready for your use.

Status of Our Investigation

Several members of the Board and the Recreational Facilities Committee worked over the weekend to go through the surveillance tapes and record pictures of the individuals who entered our Rec. center that evening. Our equipment worked great; we were able to obtain very clear pictures of each person.

The pictures allowed us to quickly identify the perpetrators. While nothing has been confirmed, one of them appears to be a male student at Venice High School who lives in our development. All of the individuals who did the damage have been identified by name by persons familiar with the Venice High School student body.

Law enforcement was contacted on Saturday and a police report was filed. At this point the plan is to bring the surveillance video, pictures and suspect names to the police and obtain guidance from them on how to proceed.

The Board would like to extend its gratitude to all who have been involved in the findings and reporting of this incident particularly our new Chair and Co-Chair of the Recreational Facilities Committee – David Welle and Rudy Stehl, our colleague Ken Lindberg (Board Liaison to the RFC) and his wife Mimi – Mimi volunteered to take on the sordid task of cleaning up the mess around the decking area so that you, our homeowners and residents, could enjoy the deck, if not the pool, over the weekend.

Message from the President for April 2007

Your Willowbend Board of Directors has been busy these past few weeks:

• Workshops were conducted on March 22 and April 17 to discuss and finalize several issues in order to conserve time at the regular Board Meetings.
• On March 22, the Board realigned the existing Committees and task groups.
• Assignments were established for the Liaisons for each Committee.

• Board Liaisons were asked to review the existing purpose statements for their respective committees and provide any revisions to Lin Ritenour. Lin will publish all of this new information on the web site.

• The Board agreed to conduct all future Board meetings at 5:30 P.M.
• The GLIC Work Group provided an update on the progress of the landscaping bidding process. On April 17, a final evaluation of the landscaping contract bidding process was discussed and a recommendation was made by the GLIC work group. The impact on the FY 2007 Budget was discussed since the recommended new landscaping contractor fees are greater than presently budgeted. It was agreed that the cost increase incurred by the Association with the award of the new contract be underwritten for the remainder of the FY within the 2007 budget.

From Our New President

As the newly elected Board of Directors pursue the challenges of CY 2007, our thoughts reflect on the accomplishments of the former Board of CY 2006. The Willowbend community has prospered due to the efforts of past Board members Mark Malkasian, (President), Gene Raney (Treasurer) and Chuck Allen (Vice-President). A lot of hard work and commitment on their part is appreciated and thanks go out to them for a job well done.

The Board has recently reviewed the many Committees and renewed the Board Liaisons for each Committee. The mission statements are being reviewed by each Committee and all this will be on the Agenda for the April 19 Board Meeting for approval. The results will be published on the web site following the approval process.

From the forecast vision for Willowbend, the concepts of “work group” and “work shop” are to be utilized on a more frequent basis. Hopefully, by utilizing these concepts, the discussion time at the scheduled Board Meetings will be reduced and sometimes eliminated. Our goal is to maintain a reasonable time commitment for the Board meetings to less than 2 hours. (See below for definitions of “Work Group” and “Work Shop”.)

The Board would like to encourage owners to participate by contributing information for the “Around the Bend” and “FAQs” sections on the web site. The appropriate Committee Liaisons will be available to provide answers for the “FAQs”.

Board Directors Elected on March 1, 2007

This is the new slate of elected officers resulting from the Special Organizational meeting of the new Board (RE: By-Laws Para. 5.08) held immediately following the Annual meeting on March 1, 2007:

• Ed Schonegg - President
• Rachel Rivlin - VP
• Ken Lindberg - Secretary
• Ken Asakura - Treasurer
• Mark Malkasian - At-Large
• Lin Ritenour - At-Large
• Elizabeth (Betsy) Weis - At-Large

February 15, 2007 Board Proceedings

Highlights of the February Board meeting were:

• A suggested informal Compliance Committee Protocol was presented to the Board and tabled for further discussion.
• It was agreed that a Work Group be created to address the implications of the resolution, approved at the January Board meeting, to obtain a Automated External Defibrillator (AED) for the community.
• The Association’s revised and updated Rules and Regulations where approved for distribution by mail to the members.
• The lowest ($3,750) of three contractor quotes to repair and repaint the wall columns at both the North and South entrances was accepted.

Landscaping and Irrigation Bidding Update

Subsequent to the approval of the bid specifications during the January Board meeting, an Invitation For Bids was sent to 12 selected contractors at the end of January. On February 12th, six contractors attended a formal site visit and 5 bids were received by the submission deadline on Monday February 26th. Bids were opened at LPM on Wednesday, February 28th and are being reviewed by the Specifications Work Group. Potentially, a selection recommendation could be presented to the Board at its April 19th meeting.

Major Mailing

I call your attention to the very recent mailing of, among other items, the February 15, 2007 approved edition of the Associations Rules and Regulations. Also in the same mailing was a call for updated information for both our soft/online Homeowners Directory as well as the next edition of the bi-annual hard/paper copy the Homeowners Directory. Please note the Friday, March 27 submission deadline.

Stepping Aside

A year has swiftly passed since our last election and I wish to announce my intention to step aside as your Board President. I will honor the second year of my two-year term but will withhold my name from consideration for any officer position on the Board. My remarks that follow, as delivered at the March 1st Annual Election, capture–from my perspective– a challenging past and hopefully portend an exciting future for the Community.

Thank you for allowing me to serve.

President’s Annual Remarks

As I reflect back on the past year these highlights first come to mind. In roughly chronological order let me touch on the following seven topics.

1. Organizational Structure:
   A year ago the first seven-member board was duly constituted with the filling of six vacancies. In mid-March the new Board approved a new organizational structure-comprising nine committees - to address the challenge of being a not-for-profit corporation now responsible for over $940,000 in Association funds. In the interim, that structure and the directors and committees in it, have served us well and provides the new Board to come a viable platform from which to build and modify as future circumstances unfold.
2. Birth of a Website:
   An effort initiated by the prior Board to reach out for a Sarasota County Neighborhood Grant was successful in April with the award of a 50% contribution to the establishment of our Willowbend website. Since its birth in May, the site has drawn 144 household registrants and has become the community’s primary means of information exchange. Besides visiting the site often, I encourage homeowners to consider contributing to the ‘Around the Bend’ page for the sharing of activities and experiences within and beyond Willowbend. Now you don’t have to be registered to visit the site – it’s sitting right there on the Internet ready for you. Updates are posted at the end of each month. Time sensitive items have been and will be posted at anytime. Our new Rules and Regulations are already posted on the site. Once we know the results of this evening’s election of new directors and the subsequent officer election process, the site will be posted in a matter of a couple of days. Last year’s equivalent public announcement of officer election results was seven weeks after the fact.
3. Landscaping and Irrigation Master Plan:
   With the May launching of the website, we went public for the first time with a draft vision and goal statement and nine specific planning goals as part of a Master Plan for landscaping and irrigation. The plan was approved by the Board in August and now provides the roadmap for a host of activities designed to modify and enhance the exterior physical environment throughout the community. Some of these activities will be mentioned by the GLIC Co-Chair to follow.
4. New Landscaping and Irrigation Contract Specifications:
   A year ago at this podium, as the Chairman of the Grounds and Lakes Committee, I spoke about what since became the first planning goal of the Master Plan. Back then I announced the Board’s intention to address the landscaping and irrigation situation as reflected in the activities of the contractor we inherited upon turnover in March ‘05. Specifically I spoke to the need for the development of a bid specification that fully describes what we really expect for landscaping and irrigation services and not what a developer and contractor wanted to give us for same. The spec. writing effort was a year long task, encompassing several visits from outside experts in the appropriate disciplines, hiring a horticultural consultant, listening and learning from homeowners, attending County Extension Service presentations, interviewing numerous contractors, researching specs used by other communities, a legal review by our attorney and many hours of Work Group deliberations and Board review and approval. That document is now in hand and was sent out to twelve selected contractors in late January, six attended a site visit on February 12th and 5 bids were received by the February 26th deadline and opened just yesterday. We are actively reviewing the bids and will be interviewing a number of bidders as part of the selection process that we hope to complete with recommendations presented at our April 19th Board meeting. If we gain Board approval at that time, I would expect start up of a new contract NLT July 1st.
5. Disaster Preparedness and Response:
   In June, the Disaster Preparedness and Response plan was finalized and distributed shortly thereafter by your designated zone captains. The plan was the culmination of intense effort by many hands resulting in such a solid plan that it surely played a part in defying the weather prognosticators and Mother Nature by deflecting all storms elsewhere this past hurricane season Your community is certainly better positioned to prepare and respond to an emergency event with a plan supported by a considerable number of trained volunteers throughout the community. We thank those people for stepping forward for the potential benefit of all.
6. Mulching: aaah MULCHING!!!!!
   Well, for the first time, we did it – successfully - community wide . The bid specification was completed in March ’06 and after much soul searching by the GLIC and the Board on the proper timing of the work and contractor availability we finally finished the project this past fall. It took some 60,000 plus 3 cubic foot bags of Melaleuca/ FloriMulch to do it at a final cost to us of $108,000. This figure is with benefit of a $13,000 contribution from LWH honoring a past commitment made with the prior Board. Future mulching cycles will be addressed during this calendar year.
7. Rules and Regulations.
   Finally approved at the February Board meeting and since distributed to all - and we all own them collectively in that, for the only time in our Property Manager’s experience, your Board shared the proposed Rules and Regulations before final adoption. We received back 30 comments from 10 homeowners and an equal number of comments from Board members. From all that only one new topic was identified that was not in the original draft - a good indicator, I think, that the first cut was pretty close to the final mark. In it’s final form the document attempts to reflect and anticipate the community’s experiences built upon the foundation provided by our legal documents as a backdrop and guide. The rules and regulations were written with twin goals in mind – being reasonable and ENFORCEABLE.
   
   Resulting from the review process, a small few of homeowners, indeed, asked how the rules and regulations would be enforced. There is no simple answer to this question. An enforcement protocol is described briefly on the first page of the document that synthesizes the more detailed process in the By-laws. I tried to touch on this sensitive subject via the Good Neighbor - Top Ten List that I posted on our website last September. We also have benefit of a newly formed Compliance Committee - the only committee among our nine existing committees that the by-Laws specify must be in place. The committee has yet to be activated since no homeowner has yet been levied with a fine.
   
   So my response to the question is couched in terms first, of the need for resident awareness of and respect for our legal documents, as augmented by our rules and regulations, and lastly, on a more individual level, an appeal for shared resident concern for all residents and the greater good of the Community.

January 2007 Board Proceedings

These highlights are offered from the January 18th Board meeting (note: there was no December meeting due to a lack of a quorum):

• The resignation of Rudy Stehl, Board Secretary, was acknowledged
• Ed Schonegg was nominated and approved to join the Board as its new Secretary.
• Receipt of a $13,633 re-imbursement from LWH for turnover issues regarding mulching and work on the north boundary wetlands was acknowledged.
• The completion of the first, post- turnover audit of the Association’s financial records was announced with findings of the outside auditing firm deemed satisfactory.
• The Architectural Review Committee (ARC) received Board approval to exercise approval authority over those homeowner requests via the Architectural Change Request form limited to “...work to bring [dwellings] back to original condition e.g. repaint, re-screen, pressure cleaning (roofs)”; and for “work that is clearly “routine” e.g. requests for six-inch, white, aluminum gutters and contractor installed, commercial storm shutters; all other ACR requests and all ARC recommendations for disapproval will continue to be presented by the ARC to the Board for final action.
• The Recreation Facilities Committee presented a case for correcting the deterioration and disrepair of existing pool deck furniture and making selected additions to the furniture array; the Board subsequently approved a $4,400 request.
• The landscaping and irrigation services bid specification with review comments from the Association’s lawyer incorporated, received final Board approval. (NOTE: the spec has since, on January 26th, gone out to 12 contractors with an invitation to bid the work; the bid submission deadline is February 23rd)
• The efforts of the DP&R Committee to secure grants and a sponsorship were conditionally approved by the Board

Willowbend People

On behalf of the Board, I thank Rudy Stehl for his service to the Association as Board Secretary since March ’06.

Kudos to Mary Rainey for her recent award from the Southwest Florida Chapter of The American Red Cross announced at www.southwestflorida.redcross.org/index.php?pr=Chapter_News.

We welcome Mimi Lindberg as our new Social Committee Chairperson. Mimi replaces Sue Matteoli whom we thank for her community service of long duration.

New Name for Lighthouse

Effective on January 1st, LHM became LPM due to a name change to Lighthouse Property Management.

Holiday Greetings

Hopefully this finds you in the middle of a Happy Holiday season and looking back on a successful 2006. It has been a busy and productive year for the Association and I hope on behalf of the Board your Willowbend living continues to be a positive experience.

Things are just a bit quieter this time of year regarding Association business - made quieter still, unfortunately, by the lack of a quorum for our December 21st Board Meeting. This year’s quirk in the calendar where the third Thursday fell so close to Christmas led to holiday absences taking their toll.

Update on Draft Rules and Regulations

Subsequent to the November Board Meeting, two small, Board work groups closely considered each of the approximately 30 discrete comments/suggestions received from a total of 10 individual homeowners. We thank those homeowners who offered their opinion and advice including the single homeowner who identified a new item (trash receptacles) worthy of incorporation into the draft. Beyond that the Board members offered 30 more edits for consideration. Of the 60 total, 10 in all addressed the newly proposed storm and hurricane policy. At this writing, I anticipate the Board will provide final approval at the January 18, 2007 meeting.

Annual Election

This is a reminder that our Annual Meeting and Election is now scheduled for March 1, 2007 at 6:30PM at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church at 838 S. Tamiami Trail (Rt. 41) adjoining Wal-Mart. In the range of three to five openings out of seven Board positions will be in the mix for this election. My September President’s Corner “Good Neighbor-Top Ten List”, items 5 thru 7 would all come into play by your attendance and participation in the election process. Voting instructions and nomination forms will follow, by mail, in January. The Board encourages homeowners to step forward and place their names in nomination for the election. The continued well-being of this community depends not only on your ownership but your active participation.

Thank You

In closing, many thanks to Betsy Weiss and Sue Matteoli for their creative work in decorating all three of our community entrances in such a festive manner.

November Board Proceedings

Since there is still over a month lag time between an actual Board Meeting and the posting of the Minutes on this site, these highlights are offered from our recent November meeting:

• The 18 page draft of the landscaping and irrigation maintenance service contract was approved and legal review is being sought by the Board;
• The establishment of a Compliance Committee was announced with a membership of nine members who agreed to be on stand-by status when needed;
• A draft cover letter was approved for transmitting the draft Rules and Regulations to all homeowners. Reminder: Your written comments to Lighthouse Management or email comments to our Board Secretary are due by December 6th;
• Six demonstration projects-one at each of six house lots- were approved for implementation by Sun State at a cost of $ 2955: the first to remove grasses and ferns from the banks of a Club, Villa and Estate lot respectively on three lakes and replace with Bahia turf; and remove old or dead ferns and junipers and replace with Indian Hawthorne and juniper on a Club, Villa and Estate lot at three street locations;
• Approval of a new form “Notification of Sale, Lease or Transfer” to comply with Section 3.06 of the Covenants; this form shall be used as official notification to the Association via our Property Manager of the intent of a homeowner to sell, lease or transfer a dwelling;
• The Board approved a proposal from the Ad-Hoc Signage Committee for the posting of “No Solicitation” signs at each of our three entrances; this action is a quick fix to address unsolicited doorbell ringers who tend to appear more frequently during the holiday season and is preliminary to more comprehensive entrance signage to come.

Website Usage Report

As we pass the six- month anniversary of our website’s birth, our Web Liaison has complied a brief usage report summary. We continue to welcome feedback and suggestions on how the site can better serve the ‘Bend. This also is the time to offer our Community’s appreciation to our Web Liaison and Homeowner Volunteer, Lin Ritenour, and our Web Master, Rich Klein in Plano Texas, for the stalwart support and considerable talents they bring to making this site a success.

New Page - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This month we introduce a new web page for your perusal. In this first batch of FAQs we hope to inform and educate and maybe inspire homeowners to chime in with a question (and maybe the answer!) to help the flow of communication here at the ’Bend. If you think you have a burning question that might be of benefit to our audience, feel free to search out a Committee or Board member involved in the functional area of your question who can help in coming up with the appropriate answer for posting on the site.

Your suggestions are welcome.

Florida Comprehensive Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program

Check out www.mysafefloridahome.com to learn about a new state program recently expanded to include Sarasota County. For those of us still thinking about what to do about strengthening our home from storm damage, this might give you a boost in deciding what's best for you and maybe you'll qualify for a grant to offset costs. If you find the effort worthwhile, share your experience with others through this site on the Around the Bend page.

New Landscaping and Irrigation Contract Update

Back in March at the Annual Election we first announced a Master Plan was being developed to address landscaping and irrigations issues. In May the draft was first posted on the Grounds/Lakes/Irrigation page and subsequently made final by the Board in August. Goal Number One, as I stated in March, the writing of full contract specifications for the delivery of landscaping and irrigation services to be advertised for competitive bidding is currently still on schedule for completion on November 1st. We hope to have a successful bid opening and contractor selection completed as soon thereafter as possible.

On the Lighter Side- Passing of a Florida Icon

A recent editorial in the "Herald-Tribune" noted the coming extinction on November 1st of a "Florida icon" the original Featherstone plastic pink flamingo. The FPPF’s demise is attributed to soaring resin and electricity costs on the manufacturing side and the suspicion on the part of the editorialist, Mark Lane, that "...the toxic effects of HOA edicts ate into sales over time." He reports that a blue version was once available to get around rules against the pink species flocking on front yards. He warns us to be watchful of the Asian varieties to come our way offering thinner plastic and less surface detail ----and I might add still a No-No in any form or color as sanctioned yard ornamentation. The original website is gone now but google ’plastic pink flamingos‘ for fun immersion on the subject.

Good Neighbor - Top Ten List

In some of my readings about how homeowner associations should conduct their affairs effectively, I have come across a recurring theme about the importance of good neighbors. For instance, in Brian Mark Feinblum’s ’Florida Homeowner, Condo & Co-op Association Handbook’, I found what might be called an Unofficial Good Neighbor Policy List. From Brian’s lengthy list, the following few are worthy of mentioning here at Willowbend. I’ve paraphrased somewhat to sharpen the focus to our situation. Hopefully they will engender a further feeling of community. So in no particular order...

1. A good neighbor communicates with the other neighbor should a problem or conflict arise, rather than going straight to the association or outside authorities.
2. All good neighbors look out for each other - offering a helpful hand when needed.
3. Good neighbors respect the common areas as they would their own home and lot.
4. Making the community beautiful while working within the rules is a trait of a good neighbor.
5. Good neighbors will volunteer their time and resources to serve the association and its committees.
6. Good neighbors will seek election to the board and/or cast a vote to make sure qualified people are involved.
7. Good neighbors will attend association and committee meetings.
8. Pets and parking can break up good neighbors.
9. Good neighbors don't disturb the peace and do respect the privacy of others.
10. Good neighbors become good friends.

Mulching - Part IV - End of a Saga

By the time this is published our first "whole-house" mulching will have been completed - some 66,000 bags in all. It certainly has done wonders for "melaleucaring" (a.k.a. sprucing-up) the community! For those inclined to do a little touch-up throughout the year on a self-help basis what you should buy is a melaleuca based product under the trade name FloriMulch as manufactured by Forestry Resources, Inc. of Ft. Myers, FL. UPC: 085478010201 sized in 2 Cu Ft bags. It’s available locally in several places-- among others at MRT Lawn and Garden Center, 5175 Englewood Road in Venice, and Florida Native Plants, Inc., a retail nursery at 730 Myakka Road in Sarasota – from $2.19 to $2.50 a bag. You’ll learn all about FloriMulch if you visit www.gomulch.com

Landscaping Master Plan

At the August Board meeting it was decided to drop the "Draft" label on the Landscaping Master Plan posted on the GLIC page in May. A draft specification (Goal # 1) will be completed by the end of August and will be scrubbed by a small work group before it is sent to Lighthouse Property Management for advertising. A GLIC work group is actively working on Goal #2 by identifying a series of options addressing streetscapes. Several hardware improvements have been put in place and others are under advisement regarding Goals # 3 & 5 that target our drip irrigation system and water wells respectively. If one or more of these goals are of particular interest to you please step forward and join in on the dialogue and decision making process by contacting a GLIC member or filling out the "Volunteers Needed" form on the Online Forms page.

New Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Website

With this update, if you click on the right side of the black banner at the top of our Home Page, you’ll be connected to a new web site www.floridayards.org that has recently been created to put special focus on the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods Program. All of the FYN links on the GLIC page now connect you likewise. This site features two notable elements – the first - "Florida-friendly Landscaping 101" where you will find a Photo Gallery with an Osprey chapter offering a small collection of photos of Willowbend; and second, a Florida-friendly Plant Database encompassing nearly 380 varieties of plants. Another excellent reference source is the website sponsored by the Southwest Florida Water Management District at www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/yards offering a series of downloadable publications including a 186 page landscaping handbook. Don’t overlook the wealth of info on our past, old faithful site at http://sarasota.extension.ufl.edu/WEL/fyn/docs/fyn.htm

Let’s Mulch, Part 3:

If you have been following this saga since we first starting reporting on the subject in the February Newsletter and continuing with the update on our May 1st web site inaugural, you’ll be pleased to know that we now have a firm date to mulch. At the Board’s July meeting the prior decision (Resolution 06-25 of April 20, 2006) to mulch in November was revised and we anticipate the work will now start on September 11th. The advancement of the schedule was driven by several issues; first, it saves the Association approximately $4,000 versus the November timeframe; given the recent spate of heavy rains, we have been pleased with our observations of the stability of the FloriMulch at our two demo sites at the Recreational Center and the contractor’s experience supports the advisability of mulching soon after the rainiest period of the wet season ends - usually in August - plus our plants need the benefits of fresh mulch and we need to discourage weed growth as soon as possible.

The work will be done by the Southeast Spreading Company and will take approximately 16 days to complete with the contractor employing a 13-person crew to place some 45,000 bags of mulch. The areas excluded from this work are the lake banks, the tot lot/play area and the annual flowerbeds at our entrances. For the record, SSC, as our lowest bidder, quoted large pine bark nuggets at $20,000 more than FloriMulch. To learn more about FloriMulch check out www.gomulch.com.

Who’s Out There?

A close look at our Directory page reveals some 134 households have provided email addresses as part of their individual listing. By checking other sources I found another 67 households with email addresses for a total of 201 or 73% of the community. I also know when the Grounds and Lakes Committee rang 98 doorbells - at random - last January and February to solicit community support for the County grant of 50% to fund our website start up costs, that only one (1) household indicated that they did not have a computer.

With all this in mind, I feel certain of two things:

• there are a whole lot more of you out there that have internet access than are on record in our web directory
• and that a lot of that number plus a significant portion of our 134-some are not getting ‘the word’ by this medium for reasons known only to them

So beginning this month we are emailing a brief alert notice to just our directory listees informing them that there is a new update on our website. Also with that notice (and here), we are asking if you know folks with access but who may not be in our directory (by personal choice) please tell them about this site and what we are doing to keep as many homeowners as possible informed of the "Good News at The ‘Bend". Thank You.

Most noteworthy of this month's activities is the completion of the Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan. This was a real team effort and many are to be commended for the end product. The Plan and cover letter are posted on the Emergency Preparedness page. The Plan deserves your careful reading and digestion and then a decision on your part - that being what role it will play in your actions leading up to the next "event". No matter your choice, it is now officially a part of this community's offerings designed to make Willowbend a safer and more secure place to live.

A slight change was made recently in our organizational structure and officially approved at the June board meeting - that being the blending of the Irrigation Committee in with the grounds and lakes business and creating the "GLIC" or Grounds, Lakes and Irrigation Committee.

Our irrigation situation continues to be a challenge. Only Well #2 has been carrying us through what has been recently declared the State' s third worst drought on record. Since mid-April, after over 12,000 hours of service, Well #1 was shut down due to erratic performance. A condition report has just been received and the GLIC and the Board are considering options to repair the original hardware or replace it with re-built or new equipment. Operating with one water well may be causing low-pressure problems in some areas of the community which may, in part, be causing browning of turf in those spots. To round out these multiple whammies is a recent infestation of cinch bugs and/or grubs which is also causing grass brown-outs in a few yards. Proper corrective actions to sort through all this these problems are being taken and we hope for a little help from Mother Nature as we enter the rainy season.

The June Board Meeting also resulted in the decision to undertake an agreement with the County to protect our interests in maintaining the existing street/traffic signposts throughout the community. As you know, all the streets (not the sidewalks) are County owned and maintained and that means traffic signage and posts must meet certain proscribed standards and regulations. Our traffic signposts are non-conforming and subject to replacement with conventional galvanized steel posts. In addition to traffic posts, our "street furniture" comprises decorative cast aluminum mailboxes, mailbox posts, address plaques, yard post lamps and street lights all adding value to the community that your Board felt worthy of maintaining. Once the agreement with the County is finalized, if any traffic post is damaged or in need of repair or replacement, the work will be done at the sole cost and expense of the Association in order that we can match the other signposts. We thank Bill Hager, CEO of Lee Wetherington Homes and his staff for laying the initial groundwork for this agreement with the County.
Concurrently, the Board is developing a procedure to describe responsibility for mailboxes (the homeowner's) versus associated mounting posts and brackets/hardware etc. (the Association's).

Our June Board Meeting was the first conducted on a trial basis at 5:30 PM versus our regular third Thursday of the month 3:30 PM schedule. The 5:30 PM time will be in effect for the September and December meetings and then evaluated as to its feasibility for continuation. The June crowd was not notable as far as seeing new faces in the room!

On a closing photographic note, on the Snippets page you'll find an entry for our continuing series on Alligator Awareness (we're up to 103 now!).
And for those who enjoyed the "Surrender" statue as part of the ever-changing Sarasota waterfront art scene as well as those who missed its imposing presence, the same photographer who had the night time visitor mentioned above, provides a memorable shot of this now departed crowd pleaser (see the Community slideshow).

This marks our first site update and we are pleased to show off two new page links. First, the familiar ‘Around the Bend’ for homeowner items of interest and it’s counterpart ‘Snippits’ for input by Board members. On the Snippets page you will find a processing scenario effective in June for the handling of Architectural Review Forms. Under development next will be a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

The Board in March 2006 approved a trial schedule calling for the last month of each quarter (June 15, September 21 and December 21) to be 5:30 P.M. meetings. We hope this later time attracts more residents to participate in the proceedings of our Board meetings.

Please give your attention to the Grounds/Lakes/Irrigation page and the first showing of the Introduction and Goals List of that Committee’s Draft Master Plan. This has been an effort of some significance and a great credit to a band of dedicated volunteers striving to create a road map for future landscape improvements. Your comments, directed to committee members, are welcome.

It is my privilege to share some thoughts with you here in this new venue so closely on the heels of our April newsletter. With that mailing ends an era of paper and here begins one of cyberspace! Now I know that not all residents have access to a home computer and by no means do we intend to leave them out of this communications transformation. Possibly one interim way to keep all informed is the suggestion that those residents with an internet connection print up the most informative and essential pages of this site and share them with a neighbor without that capability-with selected updates as time progresses. Perhaps that neighbor, in appreciation, could provide a printer cartridge and/or a ream of printer paper from time to time. While we explore options for restarting a paper Newsletter, other ideas on how all are included are invited.

With the passing of our printed newsletter, it is appropriate that on behalf of the entire community we thank Sue Matteoli and Nancy Buscher for their generous service in producing past editions and past resident directories. They and their helpers have been key players in establishing the Willowbend identity.

I would be extremely remiss if I closed this first communiqué without mentioning two groups who were instrumental in getting us to this point. First, the Grounds and Lakes Committee members that did double duty as the Grants Sub-Committee and put their bright minds and sharp pens to paper and wrote the grant to obtain Sarasota County's support for this web site; and the follow-on effort of the website Development Team that laid the ground work for transforming a vision into a reality. Names won't be mentioned here to avoid the pitfall of omissions but they and I know who they are and a good many of you out there do also. For those in the know - show your appreciation; for those who don't - take the time to find out and then do likewise. They are residents - just like you - who are giving back to the community and the Board and I are grateful for that.