Hello Heritage Isles!
Happy Fall! We are in mid-fall and a beautiful one it has been!
Thankfully, we were not severely impacted by Hurricane Ian. I know your thoughts and prayers are with the residents of the Fort Meyers area. It is hard to imagine the devastation and destruction that would have occurred here in New Tampa if the storm had veered our way.
Also, a review of our community by a third-party company contracted by the City of Tampa to collect yard waste caused by Hurricane Ian has finally been completed. What remains to be determined is when Waste Management will resume picking up yard waste that is not contained in a can, bin, or bag. If you do leave yard waste on the ground to be collected by WM and it is not picked up, please do not leave it piled curbside. In addition, please be mindful of not covering road drains with waste so as to not cause flooding due to a clogged drain. Keep in mind that all the drains empty into our retention ponds.
As some of you may be aware, the annual community tree pruning has begun but due to Hurricane Ian our contractor was not able to finish as planned but should be doing so soon. Thank you for your patience.
Your current Board of Directors has been in place for the past two years, which especially during Covid, strived to maintain a balance between maintaining the appearance of our community without the burden of unexpected expenses to correct serious homeowner issues. That is plain to see in the fines collected budget numbers which have gone down.
In the spirit of complete and open communication and for those who have not attended monthly HOA board meetings, we would like to bring to the community’s attention that there is a serious issue with mailboxes that needs to be addressed. The primary reason is that in an emergency, many mailbox numbers are unreadable and that could be dangerous. The other reason is that it is curbside and one of the first views of the home. The Board of Directors is in the process of amending and simplifying the regulations for the appearance of our mailboxes. What we find very frustrating is that currently Creative Mailbox is the only vendor with whom we can deal with repairs and the general appearance of the community’s mailboxes. As a board, we think that the cost of $900+ to replace a working mailbox with a light is completely absurd. The board has no intention of issuing a mandate that would create an expense of that magnitude. Instead, we prefer a revision of the regulation that would allow residents to bring the lights up to new condition on their own with a can of paint and new numbers. In keeping with that, please be looking out for the approved base color and type of numbers that will be allowed. There will be no exceptions! In essence, we will have two standards for mailboxes, the original two tones (with the Verde feathering) and the new board approved color/number scheme. This initiative will begin sometime next spring. We are tentatively targeting late winter/early spring, before Condominium Assoc. begins citing residents for mailbox repairs. In the near future, we will be sending emails and posting on the website information on the approved scheme.
Lastly, we hope and encourage as many of our residents as possible to take advantage of all the efforts of our new Social Events Director. As you may or may not know, your HOA has partnered with the CDD to help in co-sponsoring these events. Personally, I think that our coordinator, Misty, has done an excellent job with past events and we look forward to all future events. If you have any suggestions for a social event, please stop in to the CDD office and share your ideas with Misty. Please be sure to check the website calendar for dates and times for upcoming events. That said, I’m sure that we will be having the holiday light golf cart parade; and be sure to be on the lookout for the ‘Toys for Tots’ collection boxes in the lobbies of the clubhouse and the fitness center sometime mid-November.
Respectfully,
HI BOD
2021/2022 HOA BOD List of accomplishments
- Parking rules and regulations
- Newly designed website
- Online voting
- Suspension of large high-cost repairs during Covid
- Expanded tree trimming
- Unparalleled cooperation between HOA and CDD
- Social event cooperation with the CDD