Isle of Pines Property Owner's Association

Hello Neighbors,
I must start off by saying WOW!! What a spectacular 4th of July party we had!! A great job by all that volunteered!!! Thank you for your time and efforts!!
I would like to address an issue that puts me in an awkward position. I would like to ask all residents to abide by the park rules. I don’t like having to approach non-members at the park and asking them to leave. This is not fair to the members that pay their dues for access to the park and events. Please contact a board member to join the association if you would like to attend parties or use the park.
Speeding seems to be an ongoing battle. Please discuss this with all family members the dangers of speeding. Our children can’t even travel the neighborhood for the summer without being in constant danger.
Our Carnival Fundraiser will be here before we know it. September 3rd!!! Purchase tickets at eventbrite.com search Isle of Pines. Please share this event with family and friends and together we can make this event a huge success to benefit our community.
Do you have questions or concerns regarding the community or the association? Please feel free to attend meetings the 1st Tuesday of each month at 7 pm and the board is always willing to answer all questions. If you are unable to attend meetings, please email any questions or concerns to myself or a board member.
Thank you,
Terry Gardner
IOPPOA President

Hello Neighbors,
Let’s start off with a very important reminder: Kids are out of school for the summer so let’s please mind the speed limit. It is 35….not 40 or 45. Please be alert and be safe.
The Burn Ban has been lifted, so you won’t see any of my quirky signs for a while. Lol
Please burn with caution and remember that our area is prone to muck fires.
It has been brought to my attention that some have violated park rules when reserving the park for events. Please read the rules before inviting your guests. The rules state that residents that are not members, but are eligible, are not able to attend parties or events reserved by members. I am sorry, but these are the rules and we have to enforce them.
We have been working diligently on a Carnival fundraiser for the Labor Day weekend and hope that we can have the help and support of all in our community. This event will be open to everyone!! Members, Non-Members and Non residents are all welcome! We will be posting this event and links on the facebook group page and in the newsletter, please feel free to share this event on your social media. Please be sure to buy tickets early and encourage your family and friends to purchase as well. Let’s work together to make this event a HUGE success!! Go to eventbrite.com and search Isle of Pines for event info and purchase tickets. We are also in need of volunteers for this event. You may contact me or any board member if interested. Teens welcome also to help with this event!!
Our lakefront park is a great place to cool off and enjoy the summer close to home. If you aren’t already, get your membership soon and enjoy all the amenities with your family and friends.
Thank you,
Terry Gardner
IOPPOA President

Hello Neighbors,
Well it is beginning to get hot again and we have to be mindful of our surroundings living in our unique area. Many neighbors have had encounters with many venomous snakes. Please keep a close eye on children and pets as these snakes are easily camouflaged. Other animals are on the move as well, especially the alligators. Please do not feed or entice them if you are near the water. If you encounter a nuisance alligator please call 866-392-4286.
The water temperatures are rising quickly and every year we have concerns about the high bacteria counts in the lake. If you are unsure about whether or not to swim because of bacteria or amoeba, you can call Moss Park and ask if their swimming area is open or if they have detected any high bacteria, as they do regular bacteria tests. Moss Park 407-254-6840
We are excited to announce we are hosting our first annual Family Carnival FUNdraiser on September 3rd to raise funds for park improvements and the dog park. We are working diligently to provide a great event. Save the date and please share this with your family and friends and let’s create a successful FUNdraiser event to last for generations. If you are interested in helping with this event please contact myself or any board member. More information will be posted on the via newsletters, emails, and on the neighborhood facebook group (Isle of Pines-Residents).
Lastly, I and others have seen quite a few people not being responsible for their dogs mess. Please Please Please pick up after your dogs when you walk them. We have an active community and nobody wants to step in or smell dog poo while out for a nice walk. We prefer the aroma of all the blooming jasmine.
I personally welcome all residents to attend our monthly board meetings held the first Tuesday of each month at 7pm at the south park.
Stay safe and be kind,
Terry Gardner, Sr.
IOPPOA President

Hello Neighbors,

Summer is upon us and we are in a drought and conditions for wild fires are extremely high so please observe the no burn rule to insure all of us stay safe.

We have scheduled a park clean up on Saturday May 6 at 8am and hope some of you will be able to help out. We will also be cleaning the dock, replacing some of the deck boards, staining the dock and also installing some bumper guards on the post to help protect your boats. If enough people show up some of us can venture down to the North Park and begin some clearing down to the main property so we may in the future begin development of at least 1 acre of the 5 acres as a dog park. If you are willing to help, it will be greatly appreciated. Coffee and donuts will be furnished.

I know some of you especially the speeders are tired of hearing about it but don’t you think it is time to mature up and observe the posted speed limit within the Isle of Pines before there is a tragedy. If anyone has any ideas of how to slow them down you are welcome to join us at the Board meeting held the first Tuesday of each month at 7pm at the South Park.

Thank you and have a Great Summer,

Terry Gardner

Dear Neighbor,

Happy April! Hopefully you are looking forward to the warm weather and being able to enjoy the outdoors as much as myself. Summer is just around the corner and all of us will soon be spending more leisure time at the South Park. Please enjoy the park and also help us maintain it by cleaning up after yourself before you leave the Park. If you happen to see something that is out of order it would be great that you take the time to make it right.

I would encourage each member to speak to your surrounding neighbors about joining the Property Owner Association as the more members we have it enables us to accomplish more projects and maintain our existing property. We are seeking feedback from anyone that is interested in helping with the clearing of the North Park property. We would like to schedule a work day in the near future. Please contact Rachel Dance at iopdogpark@yahoo.com or myself at gardnerinc@bellsouth.net or call me at 407-496-1522 to add your name to the list of volunteers so we may schedule and get started. There are many other things that can be accomplished at the North Park besides a Dog Park!

As a reminder the Board Meets the first Tuesday of each month at the South Park at 7:00pm and everyone is welcome to join in.

Thank you,

Terry Gardner
IOPPOA President

Dear Neighbors,

First off I would like to thank everyone that donates their time to help with association projects. I would encourage all members to get more involved in community events and attend our board meetings and share any ideas or solutions for the upcoming events or projects being discussed.

There have been reports of people still speeding in the neighborhood and I have no solution of how to confront or stop the repeat offenders from doing so. You people that continue to speed jeopardize the safety of others and yourself as well. Your neighbors feel unsafe to walk, jog and ride their bikes or let their children out of their sight for fear of the tragic results that could come from your adolescent and immature actions. PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!!!!!

There is also concern from others about all the shooting going on and not knowing where it is taking place. Hopefully the people that are shooting are practicing gun range safety to insure no stray bullets result in any harm to any of our neighbors. Please be considerate and try not to discharge your firearms after dark as some are hesitant to venture out on evening walks. Thank you and be “SAFE”

Terry Gardner
President IOPPOA

Hello Neighbors,
We are a month into the new year and hope everyone has a safe and prosperous new year.
We are looking forward to a productive year and hopefully many accomplishments within our community. We are hoping to see new faces at our monthly meetings and always open minded to your suggestions as to what accomplishments you would like to see during the new year. Everyone is always welcome to join us and your opinions are respected.
Be aware that the wildlife at this time of year are very active and as we commute in and out of the neighborhood please be alert.
Thank you,
Terry Gardner

Dear Neighbors,
First, I would like to clarify my last letter that may have been misleading. I did not mean for it to sound as if I am not interested in becoming President again. I just meant that was the last letter as your president for the year 2016. As for 2017, I hope I have served my community well and I look forward to the possibility of serving as President in 2017. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and wish you all a healthy and prosperous new year. I hope to see some new faces at the 2017 meetings!! See everyone at the Chili Cook Off Kick Off. Tons of Chili, Discounted Memberships and come learn about becoming a Board Member or electing Board Members. Also, the county will be conducting a speed survey sometime in January. Details of survey results can be found in the minutes.
Thank you,
Terry Gardner
IOPPOA President

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