Isle of Pines Property Owner's Association

Hello Neighbors,
This will be my last newsletter as your 2016 IOPPOA President. I want to begin by thanking our outstanding team of board members for an incredible year of hard work and dedication to our community, as well as all the wonderful people who volunteered. You are all what makes our neighborhood so unique and special. I and our community appreciate all of your time.
2016 Accomplishments:
~New water filter system
~New enclosure for water filter system
~Sidewalk from pavilion to restrooms
~Basketball court extension (in progress)
~Approval and beginning stages of Dog Park
~Began research and surveys for traffic calming ideas
~Shawn Krzanik donated all plants, supplies, and his time to update the landscaping at the IOP entrance sign. Thank you Shawn!!!
~ Discussions of slight increase in dues to supplement fundraisers and future improvements to our community
We have our 2nd annual chili cook off kick off membership drive coming up in January. This was a really fun event and is expected to be even better this year!!! All are welcome to attend. Come meet your neighbors, enter your chili in contest, enjoy some chili and get a discounted membership. More details in this newsletter and future newsletters.
Thank you,
Terry Gardner
IOPPOA President

Hello Neighbors,
Fall is finally in the air and we have all of our wonderful holiday events coming up. It’s never too late to become a member and enjoy these great events. Just contact Kurt Lugar, his information is in this newsletter.
With the cooler weather we like to enjoy our bonfires, please be careful and remember to fully extinguish your fires. In our area we also need to be aware of muck fires. Muck fires result when the loose, organic material found below the top layer of soil ignites and produces a sub-surface fire that can burn for weeks and reach temperatures of more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to being difficult to extinguish, muck fires can produce noxious fumes and spread destructive heat to tree roots, causing trees to topple. The heat generated by a muck fire can also transfer underground horizontally to neighboring areas and ignite forest fires yards away from the original subsurface fire. Volunteers are still gathering information on our door to door survey regarding the traffic calming device interest. Also, with this beautiful weather, our fellow neighbors are out and about walking, riding, etc., so please be cautious. The wildlife are sporting their winter coats and colors and are more difficult to spot so keep your eyes out for them as well. We are still working on many projects before year’s end and we are always in need of volunteers and input. Meetings are always open for all to attend. The next meeting will be November 1st. Hope to see you there!! Sincerely,
Terry Gardner IOPPOA President

Hello Neighbors,
The year is flying by and we have some great events coming up!! The Halloween party will be on October 29th. If you haven’t joined yet, now is a great time to become a member so your family can enjoy all the great holiday parties!!
PLEASE use extreme caution during school bus hours. There have been reports of cars passing the stopped buses. This is illegal. We are so fortunate to live in such a small rural neighborhood where we can roam freely on golf carts, dirt bikes, atv’s, etc. Please remember this when driving through the neighborhood and be cautious of our neighbors.
If anyone has any questions or suggestions about anything concerning the IOPPOA please feel free to email me at gardnerinc@bellsouth.net and I will do my best to answer all questions and present all suggestions to the board.
You can also see all past newsletters, get contact information and see park rental information at Isleofpines.org.
Please know that our board and volunteers work very hard to improve our community and provide great events and a fun and safe community for all to enjoy. If you would like to volunteer to help with any projects or events please feel free to reach out to any board member. Volunteers of projects and events receive a discount on their yearly membership dues.
Let’s all be safe!!!
Terry Gardner
IOPPOA

Dear Neighbors,

School is back in session so let’s all be aware of the children and drive safely. Also be on alert for wildlife crossing.

Each meeting we are seeing more and more new faces. It’s great to see so many people becoming more involved. Meetings are held the 1st Tuesday of each month at 7 pm. Come on out and join us!!!

Hopefully everyone is as excited as I am! After 54 years of the North Beach property sitting idle, we are going to venture into developing a portion of this property into the Isle of Pines Dog Park. Although this process is in the very beginning stages and will take a lot time and work, I believe it will be a great addition to our our community and well worth all the effort. Please email iopdogpark@yahoo.com if you would like to participate.

On Saturday October 1st we will also be extending the basketball court at the south beach to make more space and a safer court for players. If you would like to participate please contact me.

Thank you to each and every one of you for your support and a special thank you to all that volunteer their time and participate in our efforts to better our community.

Terry Gardner

IOPPOA-President

Hello Neighbors,

First off I would like to thank all the selfless volunteers involved in helping physically or by donating supplies for the completion of the sidewalk project. It was a great turn out and project was completed quickly and smoothly!!

I would like to remind our long time residence and new residence that with the high temperatures we are experiencing, there is a high risk of AMOEBA, a brain eating bacteria that can be active in our lake due to high temperatures, especially in shallow water. The deadly AMOEBA enters the nasal passage and attacks the BRAIN. Please be aware and watch your children closely. Please inform your neighbors as well and all of us should be cautious when swimming in the lake!

We had a great turn out for the 4^th of July party and I believe everyone that attended thoroughly enjoyed themselves. A big thank you to all the volunteers that made it a success!! Please enjoy your summer and stay safe.

Terry Gardner (IOPPOA President)

Hello Neighbors,

Summer has begun!!!! Remember kids are out of school so please drive safely, put your phones down and be alert. Also, our wildlife are extremely active right now so drive slowly and keep an eye out.

We have some projects planned at the park to prepare for the 4th of July party and we could surely use more volunteers, so please make an effort to help out. Save the dates and lend a hand if you can. June 25th we are going to form and pour concrete for the new sidewalk from the pavilion to the restrooms so they are wheelchair accessible. All of our projects at the park are done by selfless members that volunteer their time and skills to help maintain and make improvements. We are always in need of more people to accomplish these tasks. Please feel free to call or email me if you are interested in helping. We are looking forward to a fantastic 4th of July party this year and look forward to seeing you there. This is one of our largest and most exciting events. It’s never too late to become a member and attend these events.

Happy summer!!! Stay cool and stay safe!!

Terry Gardner (IOPPOA President)    

Hello Neighbors,
I would like to touch on a few very important topics: speeding, pedestrians and pet owner responsibilities.
We have had a serious problem with speeders and aggressive driving lately. We are very lucky to live an such a unique community where we are able to cruise on golf carts and enjoy the rural scenery while on a bike ride or a walk . Drivers please slow down and beware of the golf carts and pedestrians and golf carts and pedestrians please move to the shoulder and allow cars to pass safely.
Everyone please discuss with all family members the importance of driving the speed limit and being alert and cautious of pedestrians, pets and wildlife. Also, parents please discuss with your children when walking to and from the bus stop to move to the shoulder when vehicles are coming. Everyone please remember when walking or riding after dark, to please wear reflective gear and carry a light. Even when wearing light colored clothing, it is impossible to see pedestrians when there are lights shining in your eyes from oncoming traffic. Let’s all do our part to keep our community safe.
There have also been many complaints of dog owners being irresponsible and not cleaning up after their pets.
PLEASE BE A TROOPER AND CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR POOPER!!!!!!
Sincerely,
Terry Gardner
IOPPOA President

Hello Neighbors,
Can you believe we are already 5 months into 2016? Things are rolling along nicely! The weather has been perfect for enjoying our park. It’s great to see families enjoying the swimming area and fishing from the dock and watching our gorgeous sunsets!
My team of board members and I are accomplishing many projects within our association. Many other projects are in the works. We are doing our best to make good decisions on your behalf and hope that you are pleased with the results so far.
It has been wonderful to see some new faces at the meetings. Resident involvement is essential for the park improvements, maintenance and successful events.
We are currently seeking ideas for a family friendly fundraiser event to be held at the park to raise money for improvements and maintenance . Ideas may be shared at our monthly board meetings held at the park, the 1st Tuesday of each month at 7pm. Mark your calendars and join us. The next meeting will be Tuesday May 3, 2016. All members are welcome!
I encourage all neighbors to become members and get involved in improving the quality of living and safety of our community. We discuss many things other than just park related topics.
“To accomplish many things is to accomplish one thing at a time”
Thank you,
Terry Gardner

Hello Neighbors,
We had a great meeting this month and heard so many fantastic ideas for the future of our community. We are off to a great start for 2016!! There are many new projects and improvements we are working on and many more on our list!!!!
Currently at the top of our list are:
*Better lighting at the Park
*Accessibility improvements to include a ramp and sidewalk from the pavilion to the restrooms
*A new structure to protect our new water system
*Lighting for the flag pole
*Playground repairs
The weather has been perfect for utilizing the wonderful amenities of our park!! Spend the day swimming, boating, fishing, watching the kids play on the playground, and grill some great food. Create wonderful family memories!! That’s what this community is all about.
We are always looking for volunteers and hoping for more community involvement. Help us make our community a positive place. All input, ideas and help are welcome!! Please feel free to join us at our meetings at the park, the 1st Tuesday of every month at 7 pm. If you are unable to attend but would like to remain informed about the meetings, we have begun to add the meeting minutes to this publication effective this issue.
Finally, as a friendly reminder, please be mindful of the park rules and remember all children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” ~Helen Keller
Thank you,
Terry
IOPPOA President

Hello Isle Of Pines Residents,

My name is Terry Gardner Sr., your new IOP Association President for 2016. I would like to begin by thanking Al and Dana for their many years of hard work serving this community. They have done a wonderful job. I am looking forward to working with them and the other board members this year! I have been an IOP resident for 34 years and I was President many years ago for several terms. I and my team of board members are hoping to make improvements to our park, keep our community safe and remind our neighbors of why we live in this amazing neighborhood. We will be working on creating fantastic and fun events and gatherings throughout the year. I am excited to serve my community this year and my goal is to represent my community well and inspire everyone to come together and become more involved in improving and keeping up with the great work our former and current members have established. All volunteers and ideas are welcome. We look forward to seeing new faces this year and individuals getting involved to create the ideal neighborhood to raise a family and create lasting memories and friendships. I invite all residents to join us at the meetings held the 1st Tuesday of every month at 7pm at the park.

Be Kind, Be Safe and Love Thy Neighbor

Sincerely,

Terry