In This Issue - February 2007
Financial Statements Available
Holiday Lighting Contest Winners
Welcome to Cypress Isles!
President's Message
Jenny Tong Named Concertmistress
Whose Road Is It Anyway?
WLCA Re-elects Same Directors
Who Ya Gonna Call?
Don't Recycle ALL Plastic
No Window Clips for You! - Update! The clips
can be purchased locally (read article)
Cypress Isles Contact List
Publication Schedule
Dateworthy Notes
Crime Alert - Stolen Hondas
Crime Links
Financial Statements Available
A copy of our community association's year-end financial statement of income
and expenses is now available for review at the management office.
If you would like to have a copy sent to you, please request in writing
to the following address, fax, or email.
Community Management Professionals
5401 South Kirkman Road, Suite 540
Orlando, FL 32819
Fax: 407-903-9234
Email: Info@community-mgmt.com
Tell us how you want the financial statement delivered to you - by mail,
fax, or email.
A copy of the current year's budget is also available upon request, or from
our website at www.cypressisles.org.
Your Board of Directors
Holiday Lighting Contest
Winners
New and old winners
The 2006 winners of the Cypress Isles Holiday Lighting Contest are:
The Symons family, 13756 Crystal River Dr.
First Place (That helicopter did it!)
The Williams family, 849 Spring Island Way
Second Place
The Navaille family, 13201 White Cedar Ct.
Third Place
Several other homes were also very well decorated and merit honorable mention (in alphabetical order):
The Ali family, 712 Cedarwood Court
The Dekorver family, 806 Spring Island Way
The Freeman family, 537 Divine Circle
The Gordon family, 708 Divine Circle
The Janoske family, 505 Spring Island Way
The Lowe family, 819 Spring Island Way
The Reyes family, 517 Spring Island Way
The Sturn family, 926 Spring Island Way
We thank you, and we're sure that Progress Energy thanks you as well.
Welcome to Cypress Isles!
Go over and say, "Hi!"
Welcome to our new neighbors at:
600 Divine Circle
If we've missed anyone else who recently moved in, please let us know so
we can mention you in the next newsletter.
President's Message
Board and residents to focus on wetlands and traffic.
I would like to take this opportunity to extend a belated Happy New Year
to all the residents of Cypress Isles. I hope that everyone was able to
share the beginning of the New Year with family and friends and that you
did not place to much pressure on yourself by setting difficult New Years
Resolutions.
I also wanted to make sure that I extended my personal thanks to the Board
Members and Committee Chairs for their achievements in 2006 that helped
all of us in this community. Their efforts continue to help us maintain
a safe and prestigious community.
Last year was quite a year for our community in regard to major projects,
allowing your board the start the process of rebuilding our reserve for
future projects. As you know from the letter and coupon books sent to you
in December, we had to increase our dues slightly. The increase was needed
due to rising insurance cost and contractor costs. I can assure you that
your Board of Directors works hard to keep these costs down by securing
routine bids for services while at the same time not compromising the quality
of services we all pay for with our dues.
Your Board of Directors held its first meeting on January 16th to recap
2006 and lay the foundation for 2007. There were two research & recommendation
committees formed at the meeting to focus on two issues that we need to
address this year. One committee will focus on our Conservation & Open
Space / Wetlands and the other will focus on our Traffic problem. We invite
any resident to join either of these committees as we need all the help
we can get. Please contact any board member about joining either or both
committees.
One last thing that I feel is extremely important to all of us is the Annual
Meeting that will be held on May 15th this year. This is when you elect
your Board of Directors for the next 12 months. If you are interested in
being on the board, this is when you can nominate yourself or someone else,
but more importantly you have the opportunity to meet and vote for those
who are running. I encourage you to exercise your vote.
Ron Wiley, President
Jenny Tong Named Concertmistress
Ten-year-old becomes first-chair violinist of FYAO
A Cypress Isles girl, Jenny Tong, 10, received the honor of being named
the concertmistress of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Florida Young Artists
Orchestra. She became the first-chair violinist after a very competitive
audition process.
The Philharmonic Orchestra is a full orchestra that consists of 43 talented
high, middle and elementary school students from ten counties in central
Florida. Intermediate to advance orchestral repertoires along with challenging
great masterpieces are performed throughout the concert season. Jenny's
parents, Tom and Lee, couldn't be more proud of her achievement since they
have no background in music. A straight-A, gifted student since the first
grade, Jenny has passion for community service. She received the Asian Award
for her academic achievements and community service; she won the national
storybooks writing contest and donated the prize to the Bush-Clinton Katrina
Relief Fund. She is the first violin of the string quartet which performs
in the local community such at hospital and church. She loves math, computer,
reading and badminton.
On Saturday, March 3, 2007, the FYAO will have a special concert. This is the only free concert in 2006-2007 season for three orchestras: Sinfonia, Philharmonic Chamber and Philharmonic Orchestra. Please mark that day on your calendar. All Cypress Isles residents are welcome to the concert. You will certainly have a wonderful evening entertained by these young artists.
The concert will be at 7:30 pm at the Reformed Theological Seminary, 1231 Reformation Drive in Oviedo. For detailed information about this free concert, please contact Tom Tong, (407) 207-6279
Please visit our website www.cypressisles.org to see the pictures in COLOR!
Whose Road Is It Anyway?
Hate cut-through traffic? Sign up here.
Have you tried to get out of our neighborhood in the morning and found a
huge line of cars effectively turning Spring Island Way in to an expensive
parking lot of SUVs and Minivans?
Have you come home and seen that more than half the cars turn left in to
Barrington, cutting through our neighborhood?
What happened to the "mutually cooperative peace and enjoyment"
that we expected in a deed-restricted community?
It's not going to get better. It's going to get worse, in fact. When the
poorly planned traffic light is installed at Waterford Chase and Lake Underhill,
I predict the cut through traffic will more than double.
"What can we do about it?"
Funny you should ask. The Board of Directors has formed an ad hoc committee
open to any homeowner with the purpose of studying traffic and speed control
options for our neighborhood.
"What are you saying? We don't want speed bumps or the cost of being
a gated community!"
Agreed. There are options however, such as smoothed out speed "humps"
that can be crossed at 25 mph but will give a rough ride at 35 and higher.
There is also a partial gate option, such as gates only at two or three
of our four entrances, which would still leave the road maintenance up to
Orange County.
"Hey wait a minute, how do I get my voice heard?"
Get on the committee. Our first meeting will be in late February. Our goal
is to study the options available and present some viable options to the
homeowners at the Annual Members Meeting on May 15th.
"Who do I contact?"
Any board member can direct you to the committee, or you can contact me
directly using the contact information below. Don't let this opportunity
to improve your neighborhood safety and security pass you by. Get involved.
John Tenney, Board of Directors
407-383-3079
johnwill@tenncomgroup.com
Funding for the mailing of this edition of the Cypress Isles News was provided by:
WLCA Re-elects Same Directors
Master Association reviews 2006, plans 2007.
The Waterford Lakes Community Association held its Annual Members Meeting
on January 22nd at Discovery Middle School to report its accomplishments
and elect its Board of Directors. Participants at the meeting included President
Jim Witmer, Vice-president Tom Bontrager, Secretary Alvin Little, Treasurer
Blaine Bartosavage, Board Member Jamie Rodriguez, property manager Tom Tempfer,
HOME (WLCA's Management Company) representative Mickey House, eight neighborhood
representatives, and several homeowners.
Quorum: The required one-third quorum was satisfied by eight neighborhood
representatives representing 885 homeowners and three proxies representing
404 homeowners, for a total of 1289, or 38 percent, of the 3380 homeowners
in Waterford Lakes - but who's counting? Represented neighborhoods were
Barrington, Bradfordt Village, Cypress Isles, Estates, Magnolia Glen, Riverbend,
Thatcher's Landing, Waterbury, Waterford Bend, Waterford Place, and Waterford
Reserve.
Reports: The meeting opened with reports of completed and planned
projects. Projects Completed in 2006 include the complete overhaul of the
pool, the replacement of many dead trees, and the re-landscaping of common
areas along Mark Twain Boulevard. Projects planned for 2007 include the
re-landscaping of common areas along Lake Underhill Road. Members requested
a few additional projects, such as topping a dead tree in a conservation
area and repairing the volleyball poles and nets, which the Board agreed
to address.
Committees: The Board issued a general request for volunteers on
any of WLCA's committees, especially the Operations Committee. The other
WLCA committees are Architectural Review, Facilities, Finance, Long Term
Planning, Recreation, and Storm Water & Drainage. These committees generally
meet once a month. Interested volunteers were asked to contact the board
through the WLCA website, www.waterfordlakes.org, call the WLCA office at
(407) 380-3803, or send an email to wlca@bellsouth.net.
Elections: WLCA has five directors elected to 2-year terms, with
three directors elected in even-numbered years and the other two elected
in odd-numbered years. This year there were two open director positions
and four nominations -- two incumbents and two nominations from the floor.
Neighborhood representatives voted, and both incumbent directors were re-elected
to 2-year terms in their same positions. The results were:
Jim Witmer, Bramble Bluff (incumbent) - 1126 votes;
Jamie Rodriguez, Waterbury (incumbent) - 863 votes;
Sheri Anderson, Waterbury - 259 votes; and
Crystal Walker, Crystal Bay - 198 votes.
The remaining directors Tom Bontrager, Alvin Little, and Blaine Bartosavage
were not up for re-election because their 2-year terms do not expire until
2008.
Erik Kron was re-elected as the representative from the Estates, a neighborhood
that chose to be managed by WLCA instead of by a separate property manager.
Dennis Horazak, Vice-president
Who Ya Gonna Call?
WLCA Office (Dawn) 407-380-3803
453 Mark Twain Blvd. wlca@bellsouth.net
Orange County Sheriff
Non-emergency 407 836-HELP (4357)
Animal Control (unleashed pets, etc.)
407 352-4390
Progress Energy Streetlight Repair 1-800-228-8485 www.progress-energy.com
Whatcha Gonna Click?
www.ocso.com/Agency/ElectronicCrimeReporting - to report certain
types of crime online, such as lost property, theft, vandalism, and vehicle
burglary.
www.ocso.com/CrimePrevention/PropertyCrimesandRobberies
- to find out what types of crimes are occurring in your area.
www.cfcrimelinewarrants.com
- to check individuals for warrants.
www.snopes2.com -
exposes hoaxes, urban legends, and other email crap
Don't Recycle ALL Plastic
Got polyethylene terephthalate?
First, thanks to those of you who dropped off your used cooking oil after
the holidays. (Hope those fried turkeys were good!) I am in the process
of confirming that these oils will go towards a local biodiesel program
that is also getting started. By the way, it remains an open offer for anyone
who has used cooking oil to give me a call and arrange to drop it off.
As you all know, Tuesday in Cypress Isles means it is time to set out your
green bins filled with recyclable containers and orange bins filled with
recyclable papers. Orange County provides these bins to each household to
help homeowners with a place to set aside and sort materials that are recyclable.
As I drive through the neighborhood, it is clear that many people already
make full use of these containers. However, it is also clear that recycling
in Cypress Isles has room for improvements. In this and the next several
newsletters, I will attempt to elaborate on these opportunities.
The first recycling problem child I will mention is PLASTIC. Plastic items
far and away cause the most confusion for Cypress Isles homeowners attempting
to recycle.
A municipal recycling program like Orange County's can only sell the recycled
materials collected at the curb if these materials conform to clearly defined
specifications that are dictated by the market for these materials. Currently,
Orange County is only able to sort, market, and sell plastic bottles that
are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PETE, usually labeled #1) or high-density
polyethylene (HDPE, usually labeled #2).
The County cannot sort and sell any other plastics-such as butter or
margarine tubs, deli trays, rigid plastic toys, film bags, or other plastic
items. Further, the County cannot at this time even sell plastic bottles
that are different resin types than the #1 and #2 resins mentioned above.
This means that if a plastic bottle has #3, #4, #5 or #7 on the bottom (or
no number at all), the bottle is not recyclable.
To the extent that these non-recyclable plastic items are put in your green
bin, they will ultimately be removed as a contaminant at the County sorting
facility and the County will pay both a processing fee and a disposal fee
on the item -- so it actually costs the County more money to dispose of
these plastic items through the recycling program than if you just put them
in the trash!
Ironically, some of the problems with these non-targeted plastics are caused
by avid recyclers who might be overly inclusive with the plastic items they
put in their recycling bins. So, all you committed recyclers out there,
keep up the good work with #1 (PETE) and #2 (HDPE) plastic bottles, but
use the proper alternatives for other plastics, such as:
(1) Taking them to retailers that will accept for recycling all clean plastic retail bags, including dry cleaning bags. Publix even accepts expanded polystyrene foam trays such as egg cartons and foam produce trays.. (Make sure to rinse these trays thoroughly and let them dry first.)
(2) If you get a shipment packed in plastic foam "peanuts," any of the packaging and shipment stores in the area, such as UPS Store, FedEx Kinko's, and MailBoxes, Etc., will gladly take these off your hands and re-use them. (Foam peanuts are arguably the most commonly occurring windblown litter in my yard on trash day.)
(3) Unfortunately, the rest of the plastics your household consumes are probably best put in the trash.
That's all for now. As always, feel free to contact me if you want additional background or clarification-I am always happy to help the recycling cause!
John Culbertson
MSW Consultants, LLC
(407) 658-4261
jculbertson@mswconsultants.us
www.mswconsultants.us
Cypress Isles resident John Culbertson recently launched his small business to provide recycling and waste management consulting services to cities and counties across the country with the aim of helping them establish, manage, and improve their refuse and recycling policies and practices. He writes occasional columns to provide Cypress Isles residents with tips to improve their understanding of how to recycle more effectively.
No Window Clips for You!
Hey, don't blame us. We can't find those "thingies/muttons"
either.
Two years ago the CIN published a list of businesses that carried those
pesky window "thingies" that hold the metal lattices in place,
which some of us refer to as "muttons." Well, no more. That listing
is now outdated (so we're not going to repeat it here). We've learned from
a neighbor (and our own efforts) that they no longer carry the plastic clips
and have not been able to find them for years. If anyone out there in mutton
world knows where to find these, please let us know. Sorrreeee…
Sandy Horazak
Mutton Editor
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
Cypress Isles Contact List
Board of Directors
Ron Wiley, President 407 384-2564 rwiley4@cfl.rr.com
Dennis Horazak, Vice-President 407 207-6557 densus@bellsouth.net
Mike Kranz, Secretary 407 970-9036 mikemary@mindspring.com
Myron Davis, Treasurer 407 737-8200 mdavis8200@adelphia.net
Lee Blackwell, Member 407 275-2541 monsterous@aol.com
Harold Engold, Member 407-273-4990 LTHEJHPD@aol.com
John Tenney, Member 407-383-3079 johnwill@tenncomgroup.com
Sue Bires, Community Management Professionals
407 903-9969 Ext. 117 SueB@community-mgmt.com
Neighborhood Watch
John Tenney 407-383-3079 johnwill@tenncomgroup.com
Media
Dennis Bode, Webmaster dbode@cfl.rr.com
Sandy & Denny Horazak, CI News Editor 407 207-6557 sanden@bellsouth.net
Publication Schedule
The Cypress Isles News is published quarterly by the Board of Directors
for the residents of Cypress Isles. We welcome non-commercial articles and
paid advertising from our neighbors. Send email submissions to Sandy Horazak
- sanden@bellsouth.net. Copy deadlines
are February 1 for the February issue, May 1 for the May issue, August 1
for the August issue, and November 1 for the November issue. Articles may
be edited for length, clarity, or content.
Sandy Horazak, Editor
Dateworthy Notes
Happy Birthday to:
May 5 - Steve Wood
May 23 - Michael Symons
May 23 - Cheryl Engold
May 28 - Tara Engold
Happy Anniversary to:
March 5 - Mike & Mary Kranz
May 22 - Cookie & Scott Symons
May 27 - Sandy & Denny Horazak
Crime Alert - Stolen Hondas
Accords and Civics hardest hit.
A crime trend has been identified in the last few weeks. An increase in
automobile thefts has been observed in area apartment complexes and residential
neighborhoods in east Orange County. Most of the vehicles that have been
stolen were 1991-2000 Honda accords and civics.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO:
o Lock your doors and windows.
o Remove items from view.
o Remove keys from your car.
o Activate alarms.
o Utilize steering wheel locking devices and kill switches.
o Record the serial numbers of your valuables.
o Utilize additional lighting.
o Report any suspicious activity.
Crime Links
Internet access to crime data.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office is now offering different online services
to assist the public.
http://www.ocso.com/Agency/ElectronicCrimeReporting
allows you to report certain types of crime online, such as lost property,
theft, vandalism, and vehicle burglary.
http://www.ocso.com/CrimePrevention/PropertyCrimesandRobberies
allows you to find out what types of crimes are occurring in your area.
http://www.cfcrimelinewarrants.com
allows you to check individuals for warrants.