As you walk or drive through the neighborhood, you see mostly beautiful homes, lawns, and landscaping. It doesn't take much to keep your property looking great. Just follow the rules and guidelines in the Declaration of Master Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions of Waterford Lakes. Your reasonable neighbors on the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) use the same guidelines when they check the properties from time to time.
The last time the ARC cruised the neighborhood they compiled their Top
Four Lawn 'n Order Problems:
1. Grass growing up fences and sides of houses. A string trimmer will take
care of this problem, or, if you want to bond with your lawn, a hand trimmer
will, too. (See a really great LAWN TIP later in this section)
2. Dead fronds (fan-leaves) hanging from palm trees. Cut 'em off and toss
'em out with the yard waste. But make sure that they are totally brown before
cutting. If they are still green or yellow, the tree isn't done with them
yet. Be careful gathering and tossing...wear gloves or carry a supply of
bandaids in your watch pocket. 'Dem devils bite. OUCH! But you knew that.
3. Trees and bushes encroaching on sidewalk area. But don't cut the tops
of trees, unless you want them to become bushes. The apical meristem at
the top tells the tree how to grow like a tree.
4. Big weeds among the landscape plants, bushes, flowers, ornamental grasses,
chrome balls, and pink flamingos. First get some mulch, then pull the weeds,
then immediately slam mulch down to prevent further weeds.
Here is a Low-Impact Home Improvement Exercise Program that you can
do to check out your property. It's more than just a good idea; it's the
law.
· Go out your front door. Did any papers fall on the ground? Pick
'em up and remember to read "Crime Scene" section later
in this article.
· Walk a few feet, turn around, and look at your house number. Remember
it; you'll need it later.
· Walk along your sidewalk. See any green metal or plastic structures
about 3 or 4 feet from the sidewalk? Those are highly sophisticated phone,
cable, or electric junction boxes, known in the industry as ugly green things
(UGT's). Some UGT's have labels that say how far back bushes should be.
Read each label and make sure that nothing is planted too close. UGT's need
adequate ventilation, just as you do. And the utility diggers need room
to dig around them.
· Walk by any trees and bushes that are near the sidewalk. Do you
have to bob and weave to avoid putting your eye out? So do we. Trim them
so basketball players can walk by with their heads held high.
· Can you see your windows, or do the bushes block them? If your
windows are hidden, read "Crime Scene" section later in
this article.
· Did you know.... You may be housing beautiful but deadly
bushes on your property? If you were to touch the leaves and afterward rubbed
your eyes, lips, prepared food, and became ill, chances are the culprits
are poisonous bushes, such as Oleander or Chinaberry. (And we knew
this BEFORE it was on "Millionaire.") Technically this is not
a violation, but you may want to think twice about having them. Whatever
you do, DON'T eat or touch those berries - and warn your kids
about the dangers!
· Grass clippings down the storm sewer are a no-no. Yes, yes,
those sewers look big enough to swallow an SUV, but the problem is that
they are connected to biologically balanced retention ponds, and decaying
yard waste causes excess algae, gives the pond bad breath, and uses up oxygen
that the fish and turtles need.
· Do not take your weed-whacker down to the ponds and start whacking.
The aquatic weeds are there as part of the ecosystem of the ponds, and the
community hires caretakers for the common grounds and ponds.
· Is your lawn all beat up because some cable swat team was practicing
trench-digging? Call the company's complaint line and complain. If the company
was Adelphia, their complaint line number is: 407-843-2480. The number
for the construction company doing the project for Adelphia is: 407-854-3042.
Contact person is Randy.
· LAWN TIP: A secret of professional landscapers is to edge
several inches away from the fence or wall; then spray the area between
the fence or wall; then cut with a broad range grass and weed killer, such
as Round Up or Spectricide. You will then not have to do any trimming in
these areas since the wheels of the mower will run inside the dead area.
Periodically, re-edge and re-spray the area to keep a neat and clean appearance.
Our water restrictions have been on TV, radio, newspaper, Internet, and
a mailing from Orange County. All efforts and means to inform the population
have been utilized, with the exception of a banner plane flying over (too
bad - EVERYONE reads those). So in case you have missed the other media
messages, we'll give it a shot here. Most of our residents are complying
with the water restrictions, thank you very much. You know who you are.
Some are not complying. You may not know who you are, so listen up:
Still remember your house number? Good. Does it end in a 0, 2, 4, 6, or
8? Then it's an EVEN number, so you may water on Sunday and Thursday before
10 am and after 4 pm. Does your address end in a 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9? Then
it's an ODD number, so you may water on Wednesday and Saturday before 10
am and after 4 pm. It does NOT mean even numbered houses can water on even
numbered days of the week, or odd numbered houses on odd numbered days of
the week. No matter what your house number is, you may NOT water at any
other time. That would be NO watering on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday! And
even without water restrictions, you may not water between 10 am and 4 pm.
If you don't believe us, call the St. John's Water Management District at
1-800-232-0904. There may be a menu (sigh), so follow the menu directions.
Their website is www.sjr.state.fl.us
This just in... to the best of our recollection, ALL thefts to date have been from open garages or unlocked cars. So:
1. Close your garage door, if it is unattended.
2. Lock your car.
And while you're at it
3. Trim bushes around windows, so bad guys can't hide while they're breaking
in.
4. When you're away, arrange for a neighbor to fetch your UPS packages and
tend to your yard, take flyers and ARC Friendly Reminders out of your door,
and get the paper. If you don't want to talk with your neighbor, then hire
someone to do it. (And also to pick up your papers and stuff.) Oh, and set
timers on your lights.
If there is an "incident," such as a break-in in progress, evidence
of a previous break-in, or suspicious activity going on, call 911. After
you have called 911, THEN call your block captain. It is important to keep
your block captain informed about incidents so the other residents will
know to be on guard. Thieves operate against individuals one-on-one, but
they have a hard time against a neighborhood. If your block captain doesn't
answer and you don't get a return call (hey, block captains take vacations,
too), call the Neighborhood Watch Coordinators or email
us.
The Board of Directors of Cypress isles would like to inform all the
residents that the free tree program through Orange County did not work
out. The owners of property that are in violation of the ARC documents should
replace their trees as soon as possible. A letter on the proper trees and
planting procedures should be mailed to you soon.
This page was updated on 7/24/2001