Cypress Isles News
The official newsletter of the Cypress Isles Homeowners Association
November 2007 Edition - Published Quarterly
http://www.CypressIsles.org


In This Issue - November 2007
Holiday Lighting Contest
Board Sets 2008 Budget
A Seasonal Jingle
A.R.C. Pressure Washing - NOT the ARC
WLCA Pool Will Close for Repairs
Who Ya Gonna Call?
Hate Trimming Palms? Trade 'em In
Cardboard Presents for the Earth
Do You Know Where Your Pets Are?
Recreational Vehicle Short-Term Parking
On the Lighter Snide
Website Gets a Facelift
Cypress Isles 2008 Budget
Alafaya Expansion Project Meeting
Dates and Figs
CIN Publication Schedule
Cypress Isles Contact List
WLCA Business Briefs

 

Board Meetings
Get out your calendar, your Daytimer, your Palm Pilot…
The next Board of Directors meeting will be on Tuesday, November 27, 2007, at 6:30 PM, rescheduled from Nov. 20. Future meetings in 2008 are planned for Tuesday, January 15, and Tuesday, March 18, all at 6:30 PM. All residents are welcome at these open meetings.
Check our website for late-breaking news updates in the event of changes.



Holiday Lighting Contest
Deck your yard to celebrate the holidays!
Judging for this year's annual Holiday Lighting Contest will be on Sunday December 16th starting at 7:00 p.m. Winners will be listed on our website shortly thereafter and published in the February Cypress Isles News, when nobody cares anymore.


Board Sets 2008 Budget
Homeowner fees will be $54 per quarter starting January 1, 2008.
The Cypress Isles Board approved the operating budget for 2008 at its October 16th, meeting. Increases in landscape management and property management expenses, partially offset by a reduction in insurance premiums, resulted in quarterly homeowner fees increasing from $47 to $54 per quarter, which is $18 per month.
Each homeowner will receive a payment coupon book during December. You can either pay the first $54 payment by January 1, or you can pay $216 for the entire year at that time and get it over with. Either way, be sure to send your coupon with your check.
Line-by-line details of the 2008 budget are listed in the "Cypress Isles 2008 Budget" article.

Dennis Horazak, Secretary

A Seasonal Jingle
Back by popular demand…ok, not really.
…You know the tune…

"Presssssure wash your walks and driveways
Fa-la-la-la-laaaa, la-la-la-la

So the reindeer won't slide sideways
Fa-la-la-la-laaaa, la-la-la-la

Clean the slime off where you're walking
Fa-la-la, la-la-la, laa-laa-laa

Keep the A.R.C. from squawking
Fa-la-la-la-laaaa, la-la-la-laaaaaaaaaa"

Not Sanjaya


A.R.C. Pressure Washing - NOT the ARC
What a creepy but pure coincidence to our above jingle...
Just as this newsletter was going to press, we got a flyer in our door with a headline of -
"Waterford Neighborhood Special - A.R.C. Pressure Washing Service" - with a special deal for pressure washing.
Clearly these people are trying to associate themselves with our neighborhood ARC (Architectural Review Committee). THEY ARE NOT! Perhaps they are Adam, Robert, and Carl (no offense to any of our readers with those names) but they do not represent either the "Cypress Isles ARC" or the "Waterford Lakes ARC." Feel free to hire them if you wish. They might do a fine job, but they are not connected with any ARC.
Beware, be very ware...

Sandy Horazak, Scam-busting Editor


WLCA Pool Will Close for Repairs
Polar - er - Tropical Bear Club members note: After New Year's Day, no pool for you!
The community pool on Mark Twain Blvd. will be closed as of January 2, 2008 for the resurfacing of both the kiddie pool and large pool. The project is expected to take about 10 days, after which both pools will again be open for Waterford Lakes residents and guests.


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


Call before you dig (Sunshine Network) 811

 


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

 

Hate Trimming Palms? Trade 'em In

Palm trees too tall? Trade 'em in for Queen Palms - for free.
Many of us have Washingtonian Palms, which are more appropriate for airports and shopping malls than for residences. These palms grow to be over 90 feet tall and are increasingly difficult to trim without special equipment.
Fortunately there is a company that removes Washingtonian Palms and replaces them with Queen Palms for free. The company is:


Mizell Nurseries
http://www.freepalmtreeremoval.com/


1-866-877-TREE (8733)
sammymizell@freepalmtreeremoval.com


Their website, http://www.freepalmtreeremoval.com/, is very informative with lots of pictures.
Several homeowners have had their towering trees replaced by this company, and all were generally satisfied with their work.

Dennis Horazak,
Senior Palm Correspondent


Cardboard Presents for the Earth

All of that corrugated cardboard is recyclable.
The holiday season will soon be upon us, and you know that that means…corrugated cardboard boxes, and lots of 'em. For all of you who plan to order a bunch of gifts online, buy that new stereo system for yourself, or just sit back and let the relatives ship their boxes of stuff to you, take note. All of that corrugated cardboard is recyclable!
Corrugated cardboard (also called OCC, for "old corrugated cardboard") is defined to include any paper product characterized by Kraft linerboard surrounding a rigid, fluted interior, and is targeted in the Orange County recycling program. If a box has those ribs or flutes, it is corrugated cardboard, and it can be placed in the orange recycling bin for collection with newspapers, magazines, and other acceptable paper grades. It is important to note that corrugated cardboard does NOT include tissue boxes, cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, soda boxes and the like - these products are made of paperboard (sometimes called boxboard) and are not currently targeted for recycling in Orange County (so don't try to recycle them because they will be discarded at the recycling facility and cost Orange County more money to dispose).
Corrugated cardboard is among the most prevalent and most valuable recyclable materials. However - and this is the hard part for recyclers - it has to be cut or folded into 3 foot squares and either stacked or placed inside the bin in order to be collected. Current recycling collection trucks cannot fit oversized pieces of cardboard (like, say, the box for that new HDTV you are thinking of getting from Santa this Christmas) in their hopper, and it is not operationally efficient to expect vehicle operators to carry exacto knives to cut down your cardboard. Your taking the time to cut your boxes down to size is critical to optimize Orange County's recycling program. Think about it - if every house in the neighborhood recycles all their boxes this holiday season, the County earns $100 in recycled material revenue. If everyone takes the easy way out and leaves their boxes out on trash day, it will cost Orange County $50 to dispose of the boxes in a landfill. Seems like a good choice to cut/fold those boxes and recycle!

John Culbertson, Principal
MSW Consultants, LLC
842 Spring Island Way
Orlando, FL 32828
(407) 380-8951 phone
(301) 591-4471 fax
(407) 580-4017 mobile
http://www.mswconsultants.us


Cypress Isles resident and board member 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.

 


Publication of this newsletter was made possible in part by:


Do You Know Where Your Pets Are?
They're in our yard! (Article being taken for a walk again by request…)
We know you love your pets. So do we. Okay, so we don't love your pets as much as we love our own. We especially don't love your pets when they are allowed to roam free, using our properties as their personal toilet area, and upsetting our pets, which are either leashed, or being kept under control in our screen enclosures. This applies to dogs and cats. It's also against the law…not part of the local or master HOA documents, but an Orange County law. Orange County enforces animal leash and waste laws subject to fines up to $500 for non-compliance. And don't forget to clean up your pet's waste. We only want to clean up after our own pets, so please be responsible for yours. Report violators to Orange County Animal Control 407-254-9140. If you get caught up in their voicemail system, call the general county services at 407-836-3111.

Sandy Horazak
Animal-loving Editor


Recreational Vehicle Short-Term Parking
Need to hose out your camper? Tell the Property Manager first.
At the September 18, 2007 board meeting, there was discussion about parking of recreational vehicles. Strictly speaking, the Covenants do not allow for parking of RVs, boats, trailers, or all-terrain vehicles at homes. However, since owners of RVs and boats need time to prepare before, and to clean after use, and since non-resident guests often arrive in RVs, the Board decided to allow parking for a time period of 3 business days before and 3 business days after use, or for the expected time length of visitors. If more time is needed, residents are required to contact either the Property Manager or the Board. It would be a good idea to make the contact regardless of the expected time period, so that it's on record if a neighbor complains about the presence of a recreational vehicle in a driveway.

Sandy Horazak, Driveway Editor


On the Lighter Snide



Website Gets a Facelift
And it's not even that old and wrinkled!
Webmaster Dennis Bode has been working hard giving our wonderful website a facelift. One of the additions is a slide show of homes in Cypress Isles - right on the Home Page. Also on the home page is a calendar block of "Latest Updates" - items of interest from Cypress Isles and WLCA. Thanks to Dennis for designing and maintaining the best website in Waterford Lakes - Cypress Isles! Check it out! http://www.cypressisles.org

Sandy Horazak,
Facelift Detective

Publication of this newsletter was made possible in part by:


Cypress Isles 2008 Budget

Cypress Isles 2008 Budget

140 Homes

    2007 Budget 2008 Budget
INCOME  

$47.00

$54.00

4310 Assessments ($47/Qtr = $188/yr)

$26,320.00

$30,240.00

4170 Newsletter Reimbersment  

$-

 

Total Income

$26,320.00

$30,240.00

 
GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE    
6010 Management Fees

$6,900.00

$7,590.00

6020 Taxes-Accounting

$-

$-

6025 Licenses

$65.00

$-

6040 Legal Services

$780.00

$780.00

6050 OCHAA Membership

$90.00

$90.00

6070 Payment Coupons

$396.00

$275.00

6090 Postage

$410.79

$410.79

6100 Insurance - Liability

$2,976.87

$2,222.00

6110 Insurance - D&O

$-

$-

6150 Supplies

$132.22

$132.22

6160 Telephone / FAX

$1.15

$10.00

6170 Copying & Printing

$983.00

$800.00

6185 Newsletter

$-

$350.00

6220 Corporate Annual Report

$61.00

$61.00

6240 Bad Debt

$13.75

$365.00

6280 Storage

$142.41

$-

6299 Miscellaneous

$-

$-

 

G&A Expenses

$12,952.19

$13,086.01

 
GROUNDS MAINTENANCE    
6510 Grounds Maintenance

$5,092.32

$10,900.00

6540 Annuals

$837.39

$-

6550 Mulch

$515.00

$-

6600 Fertilization & Chemicals

$301.79

$-

6630 Lakes/Ponds/Waterways

$1,053.69

$1,112.40

6670 Entrance Maintenance - Lights, Walls & Signs

$133.90

$-

6730 Traffic Enforcement

$1,248.00

$1,488.00

7830 Electricity - Entry Lights

$963.05

$830.00

6799 Miscellaneous

$469.20

$70.12

 

Grounds Maint. Expenses

$10,614.34

$14,400.52

 
RESERVE EXPENSES    
8010 Entrance Signage

$676.47

$676.47

8020 Entrance Landscaping

$1,200.00

$1,200.00

8030 Entrance Masonry

$659.00

$659.00

8040 Entrance Electric

$148.00

$148.00

8050 Retention Ponds

$20.00

$20.00

8060 Conservation Areas

$50.00

$50.00

 

Reserve Expenses

$2,753.47

$2,753.47

 
 

Total Expenses

$26,320.00

$30,240.00

 
 

Excess / Deficit

$-

$(0.00)


Alafaya Expansion Project Meeting
Concerned residents to meet at Discovery Middle School on December 5th at 7:00PM
In 2005 the Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved the framework to begin the design of a four-lane widening of Alafaya Trail from Mark Twain Boulevard to Avalon Park Boulevard, a distance of approximately 3.75 miles.


The framework included a public/private partnership that provided for an accelerated project production mechanism funded primarily with impact fee credits.


Prior to the start of design, a feasibility study completed in December 2005 analyzed the economic and technical feasibility of the project. Based on information gathered through the study, it was recommended to widen Alafaya Trail to a four-lane divided roadway (two lanes of traffic in each direction), providing for 11-foot wide travel lanes, a 15.5-foot raised landscaped median, a 5-foot wide sidewalk on the west side of the roadway, a 10-foot wide multi-use path on the east side as well as roadway lighting. Improvements will also provide a curb and gutter storm water collection system on each side of the road and a closed, underground storm water conveyance system requiring a number of new storm water ponds.


The overall design process includes provisions for public involvement and public input, including a web site, project newsletters announcing meetings and project information, small group meetings with Homeowner Associations, businesses and other interested persons as well as three (3) community meetings.


A meeting is tentatively planned for December 5th at 7:00PM at Discovery Middle School for residents who are affected by the expansion. Please consider attending the meeting to learn about the forthcoming changes to the roadway. Additional photos will be posted in the "Documents" section of the WLCA web site for your review.


Dates and Figs

Happy Anniversary to:

November 30 - Dick & June Glesner

February 26 - John & Kathleen Tenny

Happy Birthday to:

November 12 - Jamie Wiley

December 22 - Cookie Symons

January 26 - Kathleen Tenny

February 4 - Scott Symons

February 23 - Grace Tenney


CIN 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. Advertisements are subject to approval of the Cypress Isles News staff and the Cypress Isles Board of Directors, which governs this newsletter.
Advertising in the Cypress Isles News does not constitute endorsement by either the Cypress Isles News or the WLCA. We do not guarantee the accuracy of the advertisements or the performance or proper licensing of our advertisers. We recommend that consumers check references.

Sandy Horazak, Editor

Thanks to Cookie Symons for coordinating the volunteers who delivered this newsletter to your homes: Harold & Cheryl Engold, John Culbertson, Cookie & Scott Symons.


Cypress Isles Contact List

Board of Directors
Ron Wiley, President 407 384-2564 rwiley4@cfl.rr.com
John Tenney, Vice-President 407-383-3079 johnwill@tenncomgroup.com
Dennis Horazak, Secretary 407 207-6557 densus@bellsouth.net
Myron Davis, Treasurer 407 737-8200 mdavis8200@comcast.net
John Culbertson, Member 407 658-4261 jculbertson@cfl.rr.com
Harold Engold, Member 407-273-4990 LTHEJHPD@aol.com
Cookie Symons, Member 407-273-5460 NEW ADDRESS> Minnieland@comcast.net

Judith Meldrum, Community Management Professionals
407-903-9969 Ext. 106
Judith@community-mgmt.com

Neighborhood Watch
John Culbertson 407 658-4261 jculbertson@cfl.rr.com

Traffic Study Committee
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

 

WLCA Business Briefs
These are excerpts from WLCA Board meetings in August, September, and October.


Lawn and Pool Improvements
Several recommendations by the Operations Committee were approved by the Board, including over $27,000 to install sod and kill crabgrass, about $32,000 to resurface both swimming pools, and the purchase of a new pool chlorinator.


Jade Forest Makes N19B Statement
One of the more engaging discussions of the year concerned the proposed development of Tract N19B. In a prepared statement, Jade Forest took exception to limited neighborhood representation at WLCA's meetings with developers, the characterization of these small meetings "meeting with the community," and the assumption that developments must profitable. The ensuing discussion led to a Board approved letter to be sent to all WLCA homeowners describing proposed plans for Tract N19B and listing the Orange County commissioners to whom homeowner opinions about this matter may be sent. The letter is also posted on the WLCA website.


Board Rejects Cell Tower Proposal
The Operations Committee obtained more information about the terms and conditions in T-Mobile's proposal to erect a 145-foot-high antenna on WLCA property. Based on the new information, the Operations Committee recommended against the proposal, and the Board agreed to decline the offer.


Wildflowers Possible in the Future
The Long Range Planning Committee is considering a pilot project to replace grass or annuals with Florida wildflowers in some areas. Indigenous wildflowers are easier to maintain and require less water than store-bought plants, and funding grants from the Florida Wildflower Foundation could offset the costs of planting wildflowers.


2008 Budget- Same Fees, Different Year
The WLCA Board approved the 2008 budget that the budget committee developed on October 24th. The main feature of the budget is the quarterly fee of $110, which is the same as the 2007 amount. Expenditures for Recreation Center site improvements, landscaping, and security were reduced in order to reach the same total as last year.
The Board is considering single annual payments (with quarterly payment option?) instead of quarterly payments (with annual payment options) starting in 2009.


Board Elections to be January 28, 2008
The next WLCA Annual Members Meeting will be Monday, January 28, 2008 in the Media Center of Discovery Middle School. The agenda will include normal business, followed by the election of three Directors by neighborhood presidents. Any Waterford Lakes resident in good standing can run for these WLCA offices.
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. The three director positions now filled by Tom Bontrager, Alvin Little, and Blaine Bartosavage will be up for election in January 2008. Jim Witmer and Jamie Rodriguez will begin the second year of their 2-year term, which expires in 2009.


Next Meetings
The next WLCA Board meeting will be on Monday November 26, 2007. The Annual Meeting will be on Monday January 28, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in the Media Center of Discovery Middle School.

Dennis Horazak


Complete approved minutes of WLCA board meetings are posted on the Waterford Lakes website at www.waterfordlakes.org > Document > BOD Meeting Minutes. Comments can be sent to the WLCA Board at www.waterfordlakes.org > Board/Committees > Address the Board.