Isle of Pines Property Owner's Association

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

From The IOPPOA Vice President

Season’s Greetings Neighbors,
I can’t believe how fast 2015 has gone by. Christmas is almost here and we are still wearing shorts and sandals! You’ve got to love Florida and the awesome neighborhood we live in. I moved to the Isle of Pines in December of 1997 and loved the rural setting, the people and our park. It was the annual Christmas party that really impressed us with Santa coming in on a fire truck with toys for all the kids. We have volunteered for years on the board and have enjoyed the parties, fund raisers and different events that bring our community together. It really is family oriented and a wonderful place to raise children. My daughter grew up here and came back to live here and raise her family as well.
It has been a pleasure to serve this community but it is time for me to retire from the executive board. I will still be involved with helping out when needed. I’m hoping that with all the new families that have moved in we can count on new board members to get involved by organizing parties and events and making future memories for our community. It is important that we maintain an active board and have monthly meetings. If we can’t keep an active board and keep the property insured, maintained and electricity on eventually Orange County can take it over and use it as a public park. Some of our annual parties include the Easter party, 4th of July, Halloween and of course the Christmas party. Our annual fund raiser ‘The Rajun Cajun’ was retired last year we are in need of some new ideas for our annual fund raiser. The money collected from our fund raisers goes to park improvements. Some of the park improvements that were made in the past have included the purchase of our playground equipment, improving our beach, maintaining the pavilion and also fund our annual parties.
So I hope to see a good turnout for our membership drive on January 23rd starting at 4:00PM. This is a lot of fun and you get to meet your neighbors plus get $10.00 off for the yearly membership. Volunteering events also enables you to receive a discount off your yearly dues. This year there is going to be a chili cook off contest so bring your best pot of chili to see if you have the best chili in the neighborhood.
The monthly board meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month starting at 7PM, everyone is welcome. Thank you everyone who has served on the board and to those who have volunteered their time to make these events a success.
Warm Regards,
Dana

Hello Everyone

Well it’s now October. Boy this year has gone fast. We have the Halloween party coming up this month which will be on Halloween. And also have the Christmas party coming up. Hope we have a good turnout  for each.

Also please be mindful of the speed limits on our roads since the kids are now back in school. We have had a couple of incidents out here( thankfully not involving the kids).

Also for members please note: we have had several incidents reported of the gate being left open. Please the gate has to be locked after entering our park ( I’m talking the side gate also) our insurance possibly won’t cover any incidents that happens at the park (Unless it is a private function which has the authorization to keep the gate open) and we don’t want that to happen.  Also the park is for members only and we have had incidents reported that people are not members are using the park. It is posted on the main gate to please keep the gate locked at all times. Please read your park membership form for the rules.  If you have any questions you can either contact me or Dana the vice president.

Thanks in advance for your support of our community

Al Eastburn

Hello Everyone

Well here we are in the middle of November. We had the Halloween party which was a huge success.

Much thanks to John Worcester and his family and also to Dana and Sally aikin for coordinating the event. Also Marilyn Williams(aka Mom). It was a complete surprise to me as I was not involved in the planning at all.

Also thanks to people that showed up for the beach cleanup. We did get the park cleaned up and the dock sealed.

We have had several reports of speeders in the neighborhood please be mindful that the speed limit on lake mary jane road in the IOP is 35 mph and all side roads are 25 mph .

Thanks in advance for your support of our community

Al Eastburn

Hello Everyone

Well it’s the beginning of August. It’s almost time for school to be starting again. Please be mindful of the children that will be standing along the roads waiting for the school bus. Also please be mindful f the posted speed limits.

We had a great turnout for the July 4^th party Much thanks to Shawn and Ana for coordinating the party. Also thanks to Suzanne Arnold and station 77 for a great parade. Did meet a lot of nice people that evening who signed up for the association. As of the last list that I received we are now up to 122 members. I believe that is the most we have had but I could be wrong. If anyone has a different figure from any other year  would you please let us know. We have the Halloween party coming up (date is under the calendar of events in the newsletter)  any help with this event would be greatly appreciated and even though it is still summer can’t forget we have the Christmas party also. We are able to have these events due to membership in our association so thanks to everyone who has joined or is considering joining for your support.

Also many thanks again to Pete and Melissa Webb for donating the flagpole to the park. What a great thing to for our park. I think it really looks great there by the boat ramp.

Also  please be mindful and pickup after your dogs

Thanks in advance for your support of our community

Al Eastburn

Hello Everyone

Just a quick update about the park. We have a lot going on. The grills have been installed. They are all charcoal grills. A large one is installed behind the counter under  the pavilion. Also there is one on the side of the pavilion near the playground and one at the beach nearest the basketball court. Also thanks to Joe and Denise Case we will be having some of the lot near the water line cut down to a manageable level.

In June we have the Fathers day fishing tournament coming up on June 21^st. and we will be having the July 4^th party and parade on July 4.

Please be mindful of the 35 mph speed limit on lake mary jane road and also the 25 mph on the side roads. There have been almost a couple of accidents near what used to be the country store. Please share the road with the bicyclists along with other people.walking or jogging.

Also  please be mindful and pickup after your dogs

Thanks in advance for your support of our community

Al Eastburn

Hello Everyone

Welcome to spring

Just a few things going on

we are working on getting new grills for the park the old one was really in need of repair and would have cost a lot more to repair then it was worth. Also have to cinco de mayo party coming up on May 2as details are on the first page of the newsletter . Also we have the fathers day fishing tournament on fathers day in June.

Also please be mindful of the 35 mph speed limit on lake mary jane road and also the 25 mph on the side roads. There are a lot of people bicycling and also walking dogs and such

Also  please be mindful and pickup after your dogs

Thanks in advance for your support of our community

Al Eastburn

Hello Everyone,
On February 3rd we had the board meeting. This is where the new board was selected from the votes from the membership drive.

The Executive board now consists of:
President: Al Eastburn
Vice President: Dana Aikin
Secretary: Marilyn Williams
Treasurer: Kurt Lugar

Also, we have new board members:
Robert Holder
Dana Stanley
Marilyn Williams
Tami Brotherton

Also, I would like to thank all of the other board members who stayed on the board and welcome to the new board members who have decided to join the board.
Our board meetings are the first Tuesday night of the month and everyone is welcome to attend.

Thanks in advance for your support of our community.

Al Eastburn