Presidents Message June 2022

28 Jun

Greetings,

 

I hope everyone is having a great Summer!

 

We recently did some work to get our boat ramp back in shape. A big thanks to everyone who helped with this project. The work that was done is not a permanent fix, however, it should be a few more years before work is needed again.

 

We also had a great turnout for the Father’s Day Fishing Tournament. I hope that everyone who participated had a great time.

Our 4th of July celebration is right around the corner. This is one of the biggest events for our community and we need your help to make it a success. Jesse is organizing the fireworks show again this year and your donations are needed and appreciated. Cash to Jesse is always best, but you can also donate via Venmo to @Rachel-Dance-7. Billy Akos will be smoking pork butts so please come down to enjoy some great food and fireworks. You are also welcomed to bring a dish. I know we have some great cooks in the neighborhood!

 

Last but certainly not least, given that it is Summer break, there are a lot of kids and families out at about. We also have deer often crossing the road. PLEASE be extra cautious when driving in the neighborhood and the area.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Rick

 

Presidents Message May 2022

26 May

Greeting,
I hope that everyone had a great Easter! A big thanks to Nikki Rock and everyone who helped with planning and on the day of to ensure that the Easter Celebration was a success. I would also like to thank everyone who came out to help with the park Spring cleanup. If you participated in the cleanup, please let Justin Mack know so that you receive a discount when you renew your membership. A special thanks to Dave McAlevy who donated a dumpster for the cleanup. This was extremely useful as we were able to fill the entire dumpster with debris. This contribution was made in memory of Dave’s wife who recently passed away and who had a love for the park and our community.
Our next event is the Father’s Day Fishing Tournament which is scheduled for June 19th. If you are a member, please join us to cheer the dad’s on and for a fish fry following the tournament.
With our July 4th event fast approaching, we are looking forward to another great event this year. This members only event will be held on Monday the 4th. Lookout in the newsletter for event details. As always, your donations are needed and appreciated. Jesse Dance will be organizing the fireworks again this year. Please reach out to Jesse or any IOP Board Member (names provided in the newsletter) if you are able to make a financial contribution. Cash is best, however, donations can also be made via Venmo to @Rachel-Dance-7. Just like everything else in the country, Fireworks cost have gone up and every little bit helps. We will again have a cookout and you are also welcome to bring a dish. Thank you, Billy Akos, for organizing the cookout again this year – last year was a blast! I appreciate everyone’s continued support so that our community enjoys a great party and fireworks show!
It is also important to note that the school year is coming to an end and the kids will be out and about in the neighborhood. Please be extra cautious when driving in the neighborhood.
Stay safe. See you all soon!
Rick Smallish

Presidents Message April 2022

23 Mar

Greetings,

I hope everyone is doing well!

As you may be aware, Al has stepped down as President of our association. A big thanks to Al for his commitment and service to the IOP community. I am excited to assume the role of President and look forward to continuing the great work of those who have come before me.

I moved to our beautiful community four years ago and like many of you, I have an appreciation and love for our community and what it offers – a safe, friendly, and family oriented environment. My goal as president is to maintain this. I am sure it’s the same for many of you – my blood pressure drops once I pass the Fire Station.

A little bit about myself. I am originally from Wisconsin. Go Packers and Badgers! We are a family of four with four pets (Bella, Axel, Harley, and Finn). I have worked in the construction industry for the majority of my adult life.

This is going to be a great year for our community. We will continue to plan fun activities for members, including the upcoming Easter Party. More details to come on that. We could also use your help for the Spring cleanup which is scheduled for April 9th, at 9:00 a.m.

Again, I am excited to be serving in the role and look forward to seeing everyone throughout the year.

All the best,

Rick Smallish

Presidents Message January 2022

22 Dec

Hi Everyone,
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is ready for the new year. Our Christmas party was a great
success. Thanks to the Harts and all the rest of their helpers who made it all possible. This is one of the
reasons that we all live out here is our community where we are able to have these parties and where
most everyone gets along with everyone else.
I would also like to point out that our annual membership drive and chili cookoff will be held on
January 22, 2022. We normally have a great turnout. Hopefully it won’t be too cold.
At the membership drive, ballots will be available to elect Board Members for 2022 and at the board
meeting on February 1 2022 the new board will be put into place. The new Executive Board (President,
Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer) will also be elected at this meeting.
The IOPPOA is taking bids for the following various positions:

Bathroom Cleaning
Lawn Maintenance
Newsletter Editor
Newsletter Prep/Delivery
Webmaster
The bid forms are located under the community stuff tab on our website
www.isleofpines.org/communitystuff
Bids will be reviewed at the February Board Meeting.

Thanks,
Al Eastburn

Presidents Message December 2021

15 Nov

Hello IOP Residents. I hope that everyone had a great Halloween and will have a great Thanksgiving this year. Please mark your calendars for our Christmas Event happening on December 12th starting at 5PM. We will be deep frying a bunch of turkeys and serving buckets of mashed potatoes and buttered green beans. Members are asked to bring a side dish or dessert. I talked to Santa and he will be coming down for the food, and to hand out presents to the kids of the IOP….but mostly for the amazing food 😉 We are also having a boat parade on 12/10 (Friday night) starting at 7pm. Talk to your neighbors and join by boat or observe from a dock on LMJ and be a part of the annual event. More information on the Christmas dinner and boat parade will be located in this newsletter and on the community Facebook page. If you’re new to the neighborhood or not a member, it’s not too late to join. Reach out to the board members inside the cover of the newsletter for information.
Changing gears a little. I want to inform everyone that I am stepping down from my position as President. It’s been an honor working with all of the board members and meeting all the great neighbors and friends in the IOP. We as a team have made big accomplishments to the betterment of the park and there are still more hurdles to knock down with a little sweat and determination. I will remain active and supportive in the park improvements and events for many years to come. Al Eastburn will be moving up for his Vice President position to become your new President for the remainder of the year and I will be assisting him during the transition. Dominique has moved up from being a board member into the role as Vice President. Please show your support for Al and Dominique in their new roles and let’s all keep the Isles of Pines a great place to live and play.
Thanks,
Jes

Hello Everyone
As Jesse stated I am taking over as President as Jesse can no longer be president. Would like to thank
Him for being president and the accomplishments while being such.
On another note I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and would to wish everyone a Merry
Christmas. Also just a heads up that come January will be our annual membership drive which details will be in the January newsletter. Also that is when ballots will be out for the 2022 IOPPOA Board.
We meet the first Tuesday of each month and the meeting normally lasts about an hour.
Thanks everyone for making the IOP a wonderful place to live and to raise families

Thanks

Al

Presidents Message October 2021

27 Sep

Hello, IOP Residents,
I hope that everyone has had a great Labor Day. I’d like to remind everyone that school is
back in session. This means kids and school busses are on the roads in the morning and
afternoon. Plan accordingly and leave a few minutes early if you have an important
appointment to attend. Please use extra caution when entering/leaving the neighborhood.
It is 35mph on LMJ and 25mph everywhere else.
We are about half way through hurricane season. We have received heavy rain over the
last couple weeks that filled the ditches and covered portions of driveways and roads.
Please take the time to unclog any culverts and clean obstructions in the ditches. This will
get the water to the lake faster and reduce standing water (mosquito habitat) from around
your house. Take the time to be proactive and collect a few supplies that you’ll need for a
power outage, and fire up your generator and chainsaws to make sure they are running
properly. If they don’t run right ask for help on the IOP Facebook page or take them to a
service center for service.
We have a couple events coming up. Halloween and the IOP community yard sale. This
year the Halloween event will be on October 30th. Dress up your little
monsters/princesses and bring them to the park for an evening of fun. We will need
volunteers before, during, and after the event. Details are on the cover page. The IOP
yard sale will take place November 5th & 6th from 8AM-2PM. This is a great
opportunity to meet neighbors and buy/sell stuff. Start going through your stuff, knock off
the dust and the rust, and get ready to make some extra dough.

IOP-Stay cool, safe, alert, healthy, friendly, small and
slow down.
– Jesse Dance

Presidents Message August/September 2021

25 Aug

Hello, IOP Residents,
I hope that everyone has had a great summer. I’d like to remind everyone
that school is back in session. This means kids and school busses are on the
roads in the morning and afternoon. Plan accordingly and leave a few minutes
early if you have an important appointment to attend. Please use extra
caution when entering/leaving the neighborhood. It is 35mph on LMJ and
25mph everywhere else.
Last month we had a great July 4th event. Thanks to all the volunteers that
made it happen and thanks to all those that participated in the potluck. The
food was awesome. Thanks to the fire department for leading another safe
parade to the park and to everyone that lined the streets in support. Lastly,
thanks to everyone that made donations to the firework show. I hope you
enjoyed the whole event.
We are about half way through hurricane season. I learned that the list of
names for storms/hurricanes was increased…which means 2021 might be a
very active year. Take the time to be proactive and collect a few supplies
that you’ll need for a power outage. Unclog any culverts on your property,
trim your trees, pick up any loose yard debris, and fire up your generator and
chainsaws to make sure they are running properly. If they don’t run right ask
for help on the IOP Facebook page or take them to a service center for service.
IOP-Stay cool, safe, alert, healthy, friendly,
small and slow down.
– Jesse Dance

Presidents Message July 2021

14 Jun

Hello, IOP Residents.
It’s June and that equates to hot temperatures and hurricane season. Take the time to
be proactive and collect a few supplies that you’ll need during a power outage. Unclog
any culverts on your property, trim your trees, pick up an loose yard debris, and fire up
your generator and chainsaws to make sure they are running properly. If they don’t run
right ask for help on the IOP Facebook page or take them to a service center for service.
Now that it’s June, the kids are out of school and playing with their friends. Pay
attention and slow down when you’re driving through the neighborhood. Take the
opportunity to ask them if they are for hire to do chores or yard work. It will keep them
busy, and help to build confidence and work ethic in their abilities. Plus they get a little
cash to save or buy something they have had their eye on. Just a thought.
Our next event will be the Father’s Day fishing tournament (June 20th). The event will
be followed by Dana’s legendary fish fry. If you are a member, come on down and
support Dad’s doing “Dad stuff” and cheer him on. Be on the lookout for event details in
the newsletter. It just might reel ya into joining the IOP fishing club.
One of our largest events, July 4th, is approaching. Last year we had an incredible
amount of donations towards fireworks. We need your donations again this year as
firework prices have gone ^UP^. There will be a Facebook post asking for donations, so
be on the lookout. You can always hand me cash (easiest) or email me
(flyfshermn82@gmail.com) for Venmo information.
This year we are planning for a cook out & potluck style
event. Whip up a good side that goes with hamburgers and
hotdogs or a dessert. The details will be in June’s newsletter.
It is for members only, so if you need assistance with signing
up, reach out to a board member or myself and we can make
it happen.
Lastly, I have witnessed a growing trend of not locking the
lock on the gate and leaving the gate open. If you drive by
and see the gate is not locked, stop and lock it. Please close
and lock the gate every time you enter/exit the park.
IOP-Stay cool, safe, alert, healthy, friendly, small and slow
down.
Jesse Dance

Presidents Message May/June 2021

18 May

Hello, IOP Residents.
Let’s start off with the Easter Event. It is really a great sight to see all the little
ankle-biters running around picking up eggs. It was refreshing to see all the new
and old faces smiling and socializing. The event was a huge success in part to
those that attended as well as the volunteers that planned and prepared the
morning of. Thanks to all those that participated and volunteered. If you missed it,
there are several more great events coming up.
Mother’s Day occurred a couple weeks ago. Hopefully you were able to plan
something special. They are all awesome and deserve a day to feel extra special.
This is a great day to surprise them with plane tickets to Hawaii…or celebrate the
day with a special gift from the heart. It’s a great way to say thanks and earn some
brownie points.
Our next event will be the Father’s Day fishing tournament (June 20th). The event
will be followed by Dana’s legendary fish fry. If you are a member, come on down
and support Dad’s doing “Dad stuff” and cheer him on. Be on the lookout for event
details in the newsletter.
One of our largest events, July 4th, is approaching. Last
year we had an incredible amount of donations towards
fireworks. We need your donations again this year as
firework prices have gone UP. There will be a Facebook
post asking for donations, so be on the lookout. You can
always hand me cash (easiest) or email me
(flyfshermn82@gmail.com) for Venmo information. This
year we are planning for a cook out/potluck style event.
The details will be in June’s newsletter. It is for members
only, so if you need assistance with signing up, reach out
to a board member or myself and we can make it
happen.
IOP-Stay cool, safe, alert, healthy, friendly, small and
slow down.

Presidents Message April 2021

15 Mar

Hello IOP Residents,
We are almost through the first quarter of 2021 already! Out with the cold and in with the cool weather. The flowers are blooming and the grass is growing. Take advantage of this time to get your outdoor improvement projects accomplished before the heat and rain take over. It’s also a good idea to be proactive and assess your property for the upcoming hurricane season (it’s just around the corner). Trim necessary trees and limbs, clear out your ditches and culverts to help with water flow, pick up some supplies, and get your equipment running in top-shape.
Members mark your calendars for the action-packed IOP Easter event at the park. This is a great time for all ages and I encourage all members, especially members with children, to come to the park on April 3rd (a Saturday) from 10-12pm. Dress up your little one and bring your camera for some lasting photos.