Palmer Blvd Area Neighborhood Detour Information
Palmer Boulevard from east of Bell Road to east of Center Road is closed through Sunday, Aug. 22
The road closure began this past Monday June 14th as construction continues on the Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility improvement and expansion project. Palmer Boulevard from east of Bell Road to east of Center Road is slated to be closed Monday, June 14, through Sunday, Aug. 22. Variable message signs about the upcoming closure already are installed on Palmer Boulevard. Traffic eastbound on Palmer Boulevard will be detoured to the north onto Bell Road, then east onto E. Sawgrass Road and diverted back onto Coburn Road, then north to Fruitville Road. Westbound traffic on Palmer Boulevard also will be detoured north to Fruitville Road via East Road. Road closure signs will be placed at the intersection of Barber and Apex roads, warning local motorists of the Palmer Boulevard closure ahead. Road closed signs also will be placed at the intersection of Tower Lane and Apex Road to warn local motorists of the Palmer Boulevard closure ahead.
In addition, the sidewalk along the west side of Raymond Road from Palmer Boulevard south to the Raymond Road wooden bridge is closed. Also, the sidewalk along the north side of Palmer Boulevard from Center Road to the gazebo is closed due to off-road equipment traffic. Pedestrians will need to use another route in this area. Construction equipment will be moving in and out of the Celery Fields on the northwest side of the Raymond Road wooden bridge. The project is expected to be completed in late fall of 2010.
Additional Closures in the Area
Honore Avenue from Fruitville Road to Bee Ridge Road:
Construction continues this week on Phase 1 of the Honore Avenue improvement project from Bee Ridge Road to Colonial Oaks Boulevard. The following roads will be closed as indicated:
Brookmeade Drive between Tyne Lane and Stokes Drive will remain closed through Wednesday, June 16. Detour signs are posted.
The intersection of Honore Avenue and Colonial Oaks Boulevard will remain closed through Friday, July 9. Detour signs are posted.
Honore Avenue will remain closed from south of Potter Street north to Camus Street through Monday, Aug. 20. Detour signs are posted.
Crews are working on the substructure of the bridge over Phillippi Creek. Crews also will continue to work on the storm drainage between Brookmeade Drive and Webber Street. Motorists may experience temporary lane closures during daytime hours on Stokes Way. Flagmen will direct traffic as needed. The entire project will result in a new 3-mile-long, two-lane divided road with roundabouts, bicycle lanes, decorative streetlights, Florida-friendly landscaping and rain gardens to treat stormwater runoff. Construction will be done in three phases, and is scheduled to be completed in June 2011.
Palmer Road Construction Project Update:
Palmer Boulevard between the intersections of Coburn/Apex roads and Center/Raymond roads, Sarasota:
Construction continues on the Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility improvement and expansion project. Motorists can expect to encounter heavy equipment and trucks crossing Palmer Boulevard to the north and south near the intersection of Center and Raymond roads. The sidewalk along the west side of Raymond Road from Palmer Boulevard south to the Raymond Road wooden bridge will be closed. In addition, the sidewalk along the north side of Palmer Boulevard from Center Road to the gazebo will be closed due to off-road equipment traffic. Pedestrians will need to use another route in this area. No lane closures are expected this week, but construction equipment will be moving in and out of the Celery Fields on the northwest side of the Raymond Road wooden bridge. Motorists may encounter dump trucks entering or exiting eastbound Palmer Boulevard at the intersection with Apex Road. The project is expected to be completed in early fall 2010.
Protecting the quality of our schools is critical to preserving our quality of life in Sarasota County
On March 16th, there will be a vote throughout Sarasota county to determine if we will continue to provide our children with a better than the average Florida education. Citizens for Better Schools (CBS), is a political action committee dedicated to continuing Sarasota County’s history of educational excellence. Our goal is simple, continue the 1 mill we currently pay to protect our schools’ classrooms. Approval is not a tax increase and will not raise our taxes. Together we can preserve the quality of our schools and protect our quality of life. Our investment in education pays us many times over.
The students who are in classrooms today are our future doctors, nurses, accountants, attorneys, computer technicians, artists, pharmacy workers, auto mechanics, plumbers, and carpenters. They are the future work force we will need and depend upon. They are the future of our community. Our investment in education supports our property values. There is no community that has failing schools that has stable property values! For more information, to volunteer to help or make a donation, please visit www.sarasotacbs.com
2009 Annual HOA Meeting Held: Gary Walsh Receives Vote of Confidence from the Community
Last nights Annual Meeting came off very smoothly considering the HOA President Gary Walsh was in a hospital bed at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Gary was admitted Monday with a case of walking pneumonia and was scheduled to be released on Thursday. Of course being an annual meeting it involved some last minute running around to gather the required votes for the two open seats on the Board.
Debra Salisbury, the HOA’s legal council and Joe Stewart the sitting VP headed back to the neighborhood to knock on a few doors gathering those final votes. After all was said and done enough votes were cast to have a quorum and the ballots were officially counted by Betsy Dane with assistance by a few other residents in attendance.
The turn out for the meeting was strong as it seemed most chairs in the room were full. All items on the Agenda were reviewed including reports on our present financial status by Treasurer Shana Pakula and the status of our wetlands by Joe Stewart. Debra Salisbury also gave a report on how we’re dealing with the six homes in the development that are now in foreclosure.
The election results saw Gary Walsh re-elected for a second consecutive term. Gary’s efforts have seen the HOA return from the brink of insolvency to a state of fiscal well being in these past two years. There is now almost $10,000 in the HOA’s reserve emergency fund. This was accomplished after spending over $8,000 on the badly needed repair, repainting and maintenance of the outer wall last year. While an additional $2200 was spent on required replanting in the wetlands this year as we strived to stay in compliance with Sarasota County authorities and avoid costly fines.
Finally La Nae Duchesneau was selected to fill the fifth open seat on the Board vacated by Dolly Felix. Adam DeClerico volunteered for the Board and received a number of write in votes. He could be named to the Board by the sitting President at his discretion as the Board is allowed up to seven serving members.
In all 32 votes were cast, 2 more than the required 30 votes need to reach a quorum. Gary Walsh received all 32 votes, La Nae Duchesneau received 15 votes, Adam DeClerico received 9 votes and Vivia Martin received a single write in ballot. The Minutes of this meeting will be posted here shortly.
The new Board will meet with President Walsh early next week to choose it officers.
Agenda for Annual Meeting December 16, 2009
Meeting ‘Called to Order’ at 6:00 P.M. with introduction of Board and Members in attendance to be followed by a ‘Reading of the Minutes’ from this past September 30th’ meeting.
Reports
President’s Report
Treasurer’s Report (proposed budget for 2010)
Secretary’s Report
Old Business
Wetlands
Collection of HOA Fees
New Business
Election of Officers
All homeowners’ fees will be assessed once per year according to the by-laws and will be due in full on January 1, 2010; semi annual payments will be permitted.
Adjourn
New Officers will meet briefly following the meeting to determine their roles.
Notice of Annual Meeting to be Held: December 16, 2009 Fruitville Library 6:00 p.m.
To All Residents and Property Owners of Meadow Walk:
We shall be holding our 2009 Annual Meeting to discuss and decide on very important and imperative issues. More than ever we need to come together as a community. Our everyday lives are vested here in our neighborhood of Meadow Walk. Your presence and participation at our Annual Meeting is much needed.
Board of Directors Vacancies:
There are two open seats on our HOA board. Please seriously consider volunteering to serve a term. We need a complete board to continue functioning successfully. Enclosed are Nominee forms. Please fill out the forms and mail them to Meadow Walk HOA, Inc., P.O. Box 51533, Sarasota, FL 34232, or save a stamp and walk them over to Gary Walsh at 1033 Meadow Breeze Lane by December 1, 2008.
Not having a full membership of at least five members on the Board always presents the probability of not having a quorum to conduct official business. Please consider joining our Board of Directors team. This is a volunteer service to our neighborhood and we recognize that the members of the Board also have their personal professions and affairs to attend to. There will be times when one or two members may be unavailable or out of town. A full board will help guarantee a quorum whenever it is needed. Not having a quorum can result in not being able to meet to officially address our HOA obligations. Such a situation leaves us open to the state taking over and appointing an outside management company. Our statutes allows this. While this might be more convenient to resort to, it will also cost us much more in assessments.
Judgments and Foreclosures:
JUDGEMENTS: Going to court and seeking judgments on assessment collections is not the way we want to go and yet it has been necessary to do so. To date we have received judgment on one case and another is pending for total collections of $3,000. Over the course of time, these accumulated and increasing late fees have thrown us off budget. Not to mention the time and related costs of going through the process of collection. The receipt of these monies cannot be fully determined or counted on.
FORECLOSURES: As we all know the dark cloud of foreclosures continues. Sadly six homes in our community are facing foreclosure. We all feel for and deeply sympathize with our affected neighbors. And yet there is the larger situation we need to continually address, that of the timely, sustainable, and independent functioning of our HOA.
In new foreclosure cases, our HOA is served a summons by the court as a named defendant in the complaint. This inclusion is done by the holding bank of the defaulted mortgage. We have had to hire a lawyer to immediately respond to the court to prevent a judgment from being rendered on our HOA for non-compliance, thereby losing our right to claim owed dues and assessments. This is yet another way that mortgagor banks are legally resorting to in foreclosure actions to avoid being held liable for any unpaid fees owed by the defaulting homeowner. We can foresee more of such added legal responses and expenses for our HOA to face.
Funds and Budget:
FUNDS: Current funds available will cover payables and expenses through the end of 2009. This year in addition to the regular monthly maintenance items, we were able to pay for the special project of refurbishing the plants on the littoral shelf. Our shortfall and budgetary difficulties from last year have been corrected, but uncollected assessments continue to keep the annual fee’s higher than they should be.
BUDGET: We have projected our 2010 budget to cover contingencies, increasing costs and any other special project expenses for our community of Meadow Walk, and will be discussed at the annual meeting.
Assessment of Homeowners Dues:
Last year we increased our HOA fee to $600 annually. Although this is a reasonable fee we agreed to re-address the increase and provided we able to get the budget and collection of fee’s under control, we would look at reducing the fee’s for 2010.
1. Dues for 2010 are proposed to be $550.00 Annually per
Resident/homeowner.
Collection of Assessment Dues:
Our bylaws specify that the full annual assessment is due and payable every January of the new calendar year. Consideration was made to allow for the semi annual payment of dues.
We ask all of you, our neighbors to please come to this very important meeting. We look forward to seeing you. Your Meadow Walk HOA Board,
Gary Walsh, Joe Stewart, Shana Bickel, Janet Dunay
District asks homeowners to “Skip a Week” of irrigation this winter
Overwatering in winter can encourage pests and disease
The Southwest Florida Water Management District recently launched a new campaign to encourage residents who irrigate their lawns to “Skip a Week” of watering during the cooler months of December, January and February.
According to research by the University of Florida, grass doesn’t need to be watered as often during the cooler months. In fact, one-half to three-quarters of an inch of water every 10–14 days is sufficient.
“Over-watering in the winter can encourage pests and disease in your lawn,” said Sylvia Durell, Florida-friendly landscaping project manager. Skipping a week of watering is as easy as “off” for residents with irrigation timers. “Turn the timer to ‘off’ for the week that you want to skip, and ‘on’ for the week that you want to water,” said Durell.
Homeowners can determine when their grass needs water when:
Grass blades are folded in half lengthwise on 30 percent of the lawn
Grass blades are blue-gray
Footprints remain on the lawn for several minutes after walking on it
Skipping a week of irrigation will help conserve drinking water supplies. Following the “Skip a Week” plan saves water that the public needs for other critical uses during the dry season.
In addition to entering the dry season, the region is experiencing the effects of a four-year drought. All 16 counties within the District are under one-day-per-week lawn watering restrictions through the end of February.
For more water conservation tips, information about the drought and the current water restrictions, please visit the District’s web site at WaterMatters.org/skipaweek.
HOA Meeting Scheduled For Wed. Sept. 30th
Below is the Agenda for this coming Wednesday’s HOA meeting. This is the third of four meetings scheduled for this year and all interested residents are invited to attend. Ss usual the meeting will be held at the Fruitville Public Library and begins at 6:30 p.m.
AGENDA FOR 9/30/09
CALL MEETING TO ORDER @ 6:30 PM
SECRETARIES REPORT:
Read/Accept minutes of last meeting
Acknowledge correspondence and read into minutes if necessary.
Treasures report:
A. Status of payments for 2009.
B. Bank balance.
C. Mailing of statements for second half of 2009 & response.
D. Liens on foreclosed properties
Modification committee:
Old Business:
A. Status on Lawn service contract
B. Status on lakes and littoral shelf.
C. status on having lawn service price the fixing up of center island @ entrance
New business:
A. charging empty homes fee’s for cutting grass
B. Send letters to home owners and banks about maintaining yards and homes.
C. Change number of days a boat or trailer can be parked in driveway,(also applies to commercial vehicles)
Any pressing issues or comments from members in attendance.
Adjourn by 8:00 p.m.
What’s Going On at Palmer and Apex?
Celery Fields Regional Stormwater Facility Expansion
The purpose of this project is to provide floodplain storage, reduce flooding and improve the quality of water flowing from the stormwater facility to the bay. The project is designed to reduce street and structure flooding of 15 homes downstream of Phillippi Creek. After construction is complete the area will continue to be a passive recreation facility for public use. Planned as part of the construction are:
During construction, the existing parking and gazebo area will be closed to public use. Alternative parking is available at Ackerman Park and Fruitville Library. Additionally, various sidewalks in the area and portions of the Celery Fields facility will be closed for public safety durning construction.
While the stormwater project is under construction, two other county projects will be underway in the same area. A temporary fire rescue station will be built at the intersection of Apex and Palmer roads and the wooden bridge on Raymond Road will be replaced with a new concrete structure. A permanent fire station will be constructed at the Apex and Palmer site beginning in 2011. read more…
Second HOA Meeting Of 09′ In The Books
The second of four Meadow Walk yearly HOA meetings was held last night at the Fruitville Public Library. Reports were given on finances, the wetlands and foreclosures in the community. A measure was made and approved to maintain the pristine condition of our newly repaired and painted wall by having it cleaned once a year. James McDonnell our resident painting contractor will be handling that project.
A reminder to all residents that the second installment of our yearly HOA fees is due by July 1st. Those fees this year were raised to $600 from last years $450 because of the need to replenish our cash reserves due to the large expenditure last year to repair and paint the wall and a rising number of foreclosures in the Meadow Walk community. Those dues will be examined at the end of the year and will more than likely be lowered for 2010.
The Minutes of last nights meeting will be posted here on this website as soon as it becomes available. The Board would like to thank all those who took the time from their busy schedules to attend the meeting.
