The official newsletter of the Cypress Isles Homeowners Association
February 2008 Edition - Published Quarterly
http://www.CypressIsles.org
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY In This Issue - February 2008
Financial Statements Available
Board and Annual Meetings
Holiday Lighting Winners
Cypress Isles Traffic Committee Update
Welcome to Cypress Isles!
Cypress Isles Contact List
CIN Publication Schedule
ARC News
Cleaning and Sealing Concrete
Hurricanes on the Horizon
WLCA Business Briefs
Dateworthy Notes
Dates for Daylight Saving Time
Who Ya Gonna Call?
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
Board and Annual Meetings
Cypress Isles homeowners are invited to the next Board of Directors meeting
at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday March 18th at Exit Realty, 11555 Lake Underhill
Road.
Also, it's not too early to plan to attend this year's Annual Member Meeting
on Tuesday May 20th at 7:00 p.m., also at Exit Realty. More detailed information
will be mailed to all homeowners prior to the meeting.
Holiday Lighting Winners
Remember 2007? Remember how, like at the end, we had this lighting contest?
Wonderin' who the winners were? Well, here ya go- (drum roll, please):
The December 16, 2007 Holiday Lighting contest winners were:
First Place: 702 Divine Circle
Richard Patten and his daughter, Janice Cashmer, Decorator Extraordinaire
Second Place: 830 Spring Island Way
Joseph & Carolyn Kreuzpaintner
Third Place: 620 Spring Island Way
Mike & Sharon Cirello
Honorable Mention: 806 Spring Island Way Jeff & Roxanne Dekorver
Congratulations to all the winners! So many homes were decorated beautifully
- it's not easy for the judges to narrow it down to 3.
Unfortunately, there were some nasty grinches out there who went on a vandalism spree - destroying, damaging, or outright stealing some homeowners' decorations.
May they be rewarded with several bags of coal in jail.
And while we all enjoyed everyone's holiday lights during the holiday season,
it's time to take them down!
Cypress Isles Traffic Committee
Update
Relief may be on the way for Spring Island Way…
Speed Humps? Maybe!
The county has accepted our request for five Speed Humps and two traffic
islands. This does not mean we get them, but we are one step further.
Claudia Rilea secured an Orange County ReNEW grant for $18,000 to pay for
half of the speed humps; and Commissioner Linda Stewart is giving us $5,000
out of her "discretionary fund."
Seventy-five of the 91 eligible homes signed the petition for this request,
with no serious objections.
This issue will be presented to Spring Island Way residents in the form
of a county ballot. Spring Island Way residents will receive a ballot from
the county requesting a YES or NO vote on the speed humps, along with an
estimated one-time cost added on to the 2009 tax assessments. We estimate
this cost to be between $165 and $220 per Spring Island Way home.
Please remember, that a non-returned ballot is counted as a NO vote, so
if you don't send it in, YOU VOTED NO! We need 67% of the homes (about
62) to send in YES votes to proceed. If there are not enough YES votes,
that is the end of the project, and we get NOTHING from the county.
Ballots should be coming in your mailbox within the next 60 days.
DO NOT FORGET TO SEND IN YOUR BALLOT!
John Tenney
Chair, Traffic Committee
Welcome to Cypress Isles!
Go over and say, "Hi!"
Welcome to our new neighbors at:
548 Divine Circle
738 Spring Island Way
If we've missed anyone else who recently moved in, please let us know so we can mention you in the next newsletter.
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
Community Management Professionals
Jessica Echeverria
407-903-9969 Ext. 127
jessicae@community-mgmt.com
Se habla espanol y ingles
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
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.
Thanks to the Symons', the Engolds, and the Culbertsons for delivering the
newsletter to our homes. And a big thanks to Cookie Symons for coordinating
the volunteers.
Sandy Horazak, Editor
New-- just in time for Spring! Three flavors of forms, and lotsa
flavors of colors…
The WLCA Architectural Review Committee, ARC, has made some changes to the
forms we were using. Originally, we had one form for everything. They
are now using three different forms, all of which can be downloaded from
Waterford Lakes web site, www.waterfordlakes.org.
If you are planning on more then one project then they would like a separate
ARA for each project. When everything is on one application it becomes
confusing when one project is approved and another may not be approved.
Please remember to turn in the ARA in duplicate.
Cypress Isles has an exterior paint color book with a very large selection
of colors. Please
feel free to borrow the book before choosing your colors, since the WLCA
is sticking to those colors and will reject anything not included in the
book. Our book mirrors the master book. You can pick the book up from
Cookie Symons.
We would again like to thank all of you who continue to keep your properties
looking their best. It really makes Cypress Isles one of the nicest communities
in Waterford Lakes.
Cookie Symons
Cypress Isles ARC
Cleaning and Sealing Concrete
Cleaning and sealing is better than repeated pressure washing
or acid washing.
After the last ARC inspection there were questions about issuing notices
to homeowners who had rust stains on their sidewalks or driveways. This
we all know is a common problem due to the soil makeup we have here in Florida.
Many individuals have taken the time to pressure wash and acid wash those
areas of the sidewalk or driveway, only to have the rust return quickly.
To make matters worse, every time you pressure-wash or acid-wash you remove
another fine layer of the concrete, which makes the concrete more porous.
Thus any chemicals that spill onto the concrete will stain the area much
faster and make it more difficult to remove the next time.
After trying all of the same things I mentioned above, I found a solution
that works, using products sold by Home Depot.
Clean with BEHR Concrete Etcher & Rust Remover
Seal with H&C Silicone Concrete Sealer / Clear
Cleaning the area with the BEHR product does not remove as much concrete
as either pressure-washing or acid-washing would. Once the area has dried,
take a paint roller and generously apply the H&C Sealer.
The sealer penetrates well and will close up the open pores of the concrete.
Once dried, the sidewalk or driveway does not look any different than it
did before, but the sealer will keep rust from adhering to the concrete
the next time it rains or the sprinkler is on.
Please share this with any of your neighbors who might be experiencing this
problem
Ron Wiley
Hurricanes on the Horizon
Yes, in only a few short months it will be June 1st, the traditional start
of the Atlantic hurricane season. If you plan to either make or buy hurricane
shutters for your windows, now would be a good time to start the project.
Don't even think about putting tape on your windows. Tape won't protect
your windows against flying debris, and might actually cause larger, taped-together
pieces of glass to fly through the house. Use hurricane shutters instead.
The same is true of plastic film window coverings.
Buy or build shutters early in the season. The worst time to order or buy
hurricane shutters is when a hurricane is coming and everyone else is buying
them, depleting the stock, and raising the prices. Buy and test-install
them way before you might need them. This is a no-brainer when you think
about it.
WLCA Business Briefs
These are excerpts from the November 2007 WLCA Board meeting
and the January 2008 Annual Members meeting. The next three WLCA Board
meeting will be on Mondays February 25, March 31, and April 28, 2008 at
the Alafaya Library.
WLCA Pool Reopened January 25th
The WLCA Community Pool was closed on January 2nd, then emptied and resurfaced,
and re-opened on January 25th. The refurbished pool also has new furniture on the deck. Stop by to take a look, sunbathe, or take a dip (brrr) if you want. Welcome back!
Rec Center and Tot Lots Upgraded
There have been significant upgrades to the Rec Center upgrades and Tot Lots on Lake Underhill.
Upgrades to the Rec Center include new seating at the tennis courts, garbage receptacles replacing the rotting wood framed units, new football goal posts, and new basketball backboards. The only delayed items left to be completed are the bleacher seating for the soccer/Lacrosse fields the proper legs for the new benches that are going to be installed at the basketball courts.
Tot lot upgrades are almost complete too. The new play systems at the Cypress Isles and Carrington Lakes tot lots have been installed. Minor landscaping and mulch will be added, but the tot lots won't be open until the projects are complete and the caution tape when everything is removed. The exercise equipment that replaced the tot lot at Magnolia Glen is fully installed and, as with the other two play areas, mulch will be added and tire ruts will be repaired.
Once these upgrades and safety items are completed, all areas will be reopening for use and your enjoyment.
2008 WLCA Board Elected
Fifteen neighborhood associations representing 2,045 households were present at the January 27th Annual Meeting of the WLCA. The voting representatives elected incumbents Tom Bontrager and Alvin Little and Estates Representative Eric Kron to the 2008 Board of Directors. Sitting Board members Jim Witmer and Jamie Rodriguez begin the second year of their 2-year terms. The 2008 WLCA Board is:
Jim Witmer, President
Tom Bontrager, Vice President
Alvin Little, Treasurer
Eric Kron, Secretary
Jamie Rodriguez, Director at Large
Thanks to everyone who attended and made the annual meeting a success.
Operations Committee Goes Shopping
In the spirit of Black Friday and Cyber-Monday, the Operations Committee presented an impressive list of needed purchases to the Board, all of which were approved as necessary
$20,000 to plant native grass and Plumbago plants along Alafaya Trail from Lake Underhill to Eastwood Plaza
$19,950 for 475 cubic yards of mulch
$17,900 for Crape Myrtles and Chinese Fan Palms in the Lake Underhill median islands
$17,100 for replacement equipment for the three play areas ("tot lots") on Lake Underhill
$15,000 for removal, disposal, shipping, and installation of the equipment on this list
$13,100 for 60 chaise lounges and 16 chairs around the pool
$6,630 for replacement equipment in the football/soccer fields
$4,800 to grade the three baseball fields
$3,500 for lighting for the Recreation Center
$2,860 for replacement equipment in the basketball court area
$2,130 for replacement equipment in the tennis area
$2,000 to repair and seal the gazebo
All of these expenditures total $124,950, which represents about 8% of WLCA's $1.5 million annual budget.
WLCA to Charge Leagues for Facility Use
Over the years, professional sport instructors and organized leagues have steadily increased their use of WLCA's athletic facilities, resulting in more maintenance expense and less available time for individual WLCA residents. In an effort to mitigate this trend, the Board decided to begin charging usage fees to instructors and leagues for using the Recreation Center facilities. The fees will be administered through the Recreation Committee.
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.Dennis Horazak
Dates for Daylight Saving Time
Daylight Saving Time will begin in the United States at 2:00 a.m. on
Sunday March 9th. Remember to set your clocks ahead 1 hour on Saturday
night - so you won't be late for stuff on Sunday.
Globetrotters and people who call Europe should note that Daylight Saving
Time in Europe begins three weeks later, on March 30th, causing three weeks
of transatlantic confusion.
WLCA Office (Dawn) 453 Mark Twain Blvd. 407-380-3803 wlca@bellsouth.net
Orange County Sheriff - Non-emergency 407 836-HELP (4357)
Animal Control (unleashed pets, etc.) 407 352-4390
Progress Energy Streetlight Repair or Power Outage 1-800-228-8485 www.progress-energy.com
Call before you dig (Sunshine Network) 811 www.call811.com
