The Arbor Greene May 2013 Newsletter Gazette

The GazetteMay 2013 Happy Mother’s Day

In This IssueCommunity Information ..............2, 3HOA & CDD Message ...................3Moms Club .....................................5Insurance Information .....................5What the Banks Don’t Want You to Know ...........................................7Neighborhood Watch ....................11Tennis News ..................................14Activities and Program Coordinators ..................................15Fitness Pool Hours .........................15

EvEnt DatE Day timE

CDD Workshop 5/16 Thursday 6:30pm

CDD Meeting 5/20 Monday 6:30pm

HOA Design Review Board (DRB) 5/28 Tuesday 6:00pm

HOA Meeting 5/28 Tuesday 7:00pm

Creator : DragonArtdragonartz.wordpress.com

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/

As you may have noticed, we have several beautification projects in process. From new oak trees, to a new viburnum hedge on Cross Creek, to pond bank repairs. As you can see from the pictures, several of the projects require significant amounts of dirt, plants and/or sod to complete. They may also require significant bobcat traffic through some Arbor Greene easements. Frequently, these easements are located between residents’ homes and the bobcat traffic tends to make a temporary mess in the tracks. Arbor Greene will repair any damage caused, be it sod, pavers, irrigation, etc. Please bear with us as we continue to make these types of repairs. The repair work will cease once the rainy season begins. As the rainy season begins, we will return to our gaps in the hedges project. We sent letters to effected residents on April 5th, 2013, and have since been meeting with residents, especially ones bordering the easements. My apologies to residents who were not informed of what we were doing at the beginning of the process; I botched part of that process, and we have corrected this omission going forward. Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we continue to maintain the quality of Arbor Greene. If you have any questions, please call 813-991-9226, and ask for Bob.

Arbor Greene, A Great place to live! Beautification Projects

PAGE 2 ARBOR GREENE GAZETTE • MAY 2013

Hello new Residents!The Arbor Greene website: www.arborgreene.org has useful information to help with your transition to our community.You will find information related to the CDD, HOA, including meeting dates and past meeting minutes. Additionally, there is community information, a cal-endar of events and an online newsletter.

Welcome to Arbor Greene!

The final approved CDD Meeting and CDD Workshop Minutes are published on the

Arbor Greene website at

www.ArborGreene.org.

Complimentary Notary Services for

Arbor Greene ResidentsSimple signature verification only; expressly excluded: trusts, wills, real estate, probate and any documents

requiring any witness.

Please call 991-9226, before arriving.Photo ID is required

Arbor Greene Landscape MaintenanceMay 6 – 11: Fertilize and fungicide seasonal color beds. Apply fungicide on turf and shrubs as needed. May 13 – 18: Apply insecticide on turf and shrubs as needed.May 20 – 25: Apply weed herbicide on turf where needed. Apply round-up herbicide in planter beds.May 27 – 31: Fertilize turf and shrubs.

AG CDD Board of SupervisorsAdam Tanenbaum, Chairman (Term 11/08 to 1/16) Seat #3 PreserveChristine Nelson, Vice Chairman (Term 11/04 to 11/14) Seat #1 EstuaryMichael S. Candella, Supervisor (Term 11/12 to 11/16) Seat #5 PreserveSteve Eckhardt, Supervisor (Term 11/12 to 11/16) Seat #4 EnclaveToby Thomson, Supervisor (Term 11/10 to 11/14) Seat #2 Avalon

Arbor Greene HOA Board of DirectorsSean Kiehl, President (2015) ParkviewJudith Swartz, Vice President (2014 ParkviewMike Konicek, Treasurer (2015) LandingSheryl Greenlee, Secretary (2014) ParkviewDhanni Sukhai, Director (2014) EnclavePaul Boucher, Director (2015) Parkview Patricia Chung, Director (2014) EnclaveGreeneacre Properties, Inc. 600-1100, ext. 163Mark [email protected]

Devonshire HOA Board of DirectorsStuart Marofsky, PresidentJulia Rogers, Vice-PresidentNick D’Andrea, SecretaryRobert Hennig, Treasurer

Melody Peterson, Board Member at LargeWil Alvarez, Unique Property Services, 879-1139

[email protected]

Carriage Homes HOA Board of DirectorsBruce Metts, Board of Directors

Craig Silverstein, Board of DirectorsBob Winter, Board of Directors

Laurie Dykeman, Board of DirectorsLorraine Thomas, Community Manager,

Rizzetta & Company, [email protected]

Arbor Greene CDD StaffGeneral Manager Bob Farrell [email protected] Manager Mike Candella [email protected] Manager Gary Smith [email protected] Manager Claudia Mayo [email protected] Editor [email protected]

PAGE 3ARBOR GREENE GAZETTE • MAY 2013

Message from the HOAThanks to all of the Arbor Greene residents that took part in the recent elections. The turnout was robust – we appreciate your taking the time to participate in your community.The two headlines were an amendment to the bylaws and our annual election. These items went hand in hand. The amendment, which reset and clarified the staggered terms of our HOA board, passed. This means we will have a 7 member board. Three seats received a 2 year term, the other 4 seats are 1 year this election to kick off the stagger. Next March, the 4 seats will come up for election for 2 year terms. Elections will be held each year with either 3 or 4 seats up for election.We did have some changes. The board would like to express its most sincere thanks to our outgoing members; Betty Jackson, Henry De La Hoz, and Valerie Casey. We greatly appreciate your service. We would also like to welcome 3 new members to the board – Paul Boucher, Patricia Chung, and Judith Swartz. Thank you for volunteering! The HOA is going to continue its efforts to enforce the covenants in a fair and transparent manner. As always, residents are welcome to report homes that should be inspected for covenant violations. These can be reported to Mark Eary with Greenacre at [email protected].

Message From the ChairmanDear Fellow AG Residents:The CDD Board continues its consideration of the FY2014 budget. As I noted previously, this month the Board will set the maximum assessment for the coming fiscal year. The final determination of the annual CDD assessment and budget will not come until late summer, but the Board has been considering anticipated projects and expenses and will make a best estimate of the needed level of revenue. After this month’s vote, the proposed budget and assessment might decrease (the assessment even might end up being flat compared to the current fiscal year), but revenue and spending levels will not exceed what will be approved in May. Please email us at [email protected] or plan to attend our May workshop and/or meeting if you wish to offer input or learn more.One matter the Board will be examining is how much the CDD should spend on repair and maintenance of sidewalks and “verge” trees within the individual villages. As you have read in previous issues of this newsletter, in every village save for the Carriage Homes, the CDD owns the land from sidewalk to sidewalk—including the streets; grass strips between the sidewalks and the streets (the “verge”); and including all the trees, lampposts, and signs on the verge. Homeowner covenants make each individual homeowner responsible for maintenance, repair, and upkeep of the CDD sidewalk and verge immediately adjacent to the homeowner’s property (including the trees on that adjacent verge). Still, the CDD has been spending a significant amount of money in recent years repairing sidewalks in the villages damaged by tree roots, and the Board may consider during the budget process whether the CDD should start maintaining some of the verge trees as well. As our community continues to age, the sidewalks—along with the verges and their trees—likely will require more frequent maintenance. The CDD Board will have to decide whether the increasing expense of such maintenance should be shouldered by the CDD (likely through an increase in assessments) or, alternatively, borne by the individual homeowners. We welcome your input on this important issue.Finally, over the last couple months, a resident has been lobbying the Board to utilize a portion of the green space behind (or west of) the tennis courts and adjacent to Arbor Creek Drive for an off-leash area for dogs (read: a dog park). The resident, Julie Van Acker, proposed raising money privately to donate to the CDD for the purpose of funding construction of such an area. The Board did not dismiss this idea, and Ms. Van Acker now is in the process of collecting funds in support of the dog park. Anyone seeking further information and wishing to contribute funds or ideas may contact Ms. Van Acker directly at [email protected]. The Board of course invites any feedback from any resident about the use of that space for a dog park or about alternative uses for that space.Have a verdant month!

Adam S. Tanenbaum

Chair, CDD Board of Supervisors

MOMS CLUBEver feel like you’re the only mother who stays home? You are not alone! Join the MOMS Club of New Tampa. It’s a great way for you to meet other stay at-home mothers in the area, as well as a great way for your children to meet new playmates and engage in stimulating activities while encouraging their social skills. We offer support for at-home mothers through: planned monthly activities calendar, age-appropriate play groups for your children, monthly Moms’ night out, service projects within the community.

For more information contact us via Email: [email protected]

Website: www.momsclubnewtampa.webs.com

All planned changes to the exterior of your home must be submitted to the Design Review Board (DRB) via an Alteration Application. And, DRB approval must be obtained before any work is begun. All Arbor Greene HOA documents and forms can be found on-line at :www.greenacreproperties.com. Click the “Resident Login” link at the top of the page to sign in. It is each homeowners responsibility to know what is covered in the Declaration of Covenants (Deed Restrictions) and Design Review Board Standards.

Our friendly neighborhood cat “on the prowl”, 4-5-13, ~noon.

Seen in the Trace. (Thanks to Dennis K. for the picture!)


New Tampa Mobile Notary

ServingNew Tampa & Wesley Chapel

Days/Evenings/Weekends

Rick’s Pressure Cleaning LLC.

Non-Pressure Roof Cleaning Paver Sealing • Pressure Washing

Driveways • Homes• Pool Enclosures

Phone: (813) 404-2526 Licensed & Insured [email protected] Free Estimates

Call or Text for an appointment

(813) 990-9513 eFax: (407) 241-4992


Insurance Information...Homeowner’s insurance in Florida is increasingly becoming unaffordable or more expensive depending upon your point of view. This includes our area of Florida. But it is important that you still purchase the coverage that is necessary.Personal Property is what comes out of your home if you turn it upside down, generally speaking. This coverage can be included with or without REPLACEMENT COST. If you do not have RC you have ACTUAL CASH VALUE. The difference is important and the pricing is considerable different. Without going through your home and adding up the value of your PP, homeowner’s insurance policies are written with this value at 40% - 50% of the dwelling amount. Personal property can be old or new or in-between. With replacement cost coverage it does not matter. The destroyed item will be replaced or made whole, whichever is best. If replaced it will be with a new item if, again, this is the best solution. If the coverage is actual cash value the depreciated value will be offered. e.g., a 5 year old large screen TV is destroyed. Replacement cost coverage will replace this TV with a new model. Actual cash value will give you roughly 15% to 25% of the original value. It is always a good idea to go room to room and take pictures and document your personal property.Be sure that when purchasing homeowner’s insurance you know what you are getting. If not sure, ask and have the agent show you where the coverage is defined. The best time to know what is covered is before you file a claim.Robert BLACKArbor Greene Resident



WHAT THE BANKS DON’T WANT YOU TO KNOW

Debt Reduction While Increasing Personal Wealth (Part-10)Last month’s installment of this series of articles offered a different financial perspective by suggesting a review of our own individual net worth. By not realizing our own net worth, many of us believe that financial independence is too far out of our reach. A view of our current net worth should reveal that

our journey to financial stability/independence is attainable and has likely already begun. By eliminating our debt, financial stability/independence is within our grasp. Read on to discover another valuable benefit along the road to eliminating our debt.Before reading further, please note that if you have a critical financial situation, this article is not meant to address it. I would strongly urge you to avoid any hesitation and sit down immediately with a financial manager, your current lender, or a debt consolidator. If you’re not in a critical situation, read on to learn about the underrated financial flexibility each of us can gain while reducing our debt.Arguably, our Nations’ economy has seen much better days, and although economists remain optimistic, the best strategy for navigating it would be to prepare for continued economic instability. Most of us are looking forward to eventually enjoying a strong and thriving economy, but until that day, each of us should focus on attempting to stretch every dollar we earn. An unstable economy and increasing national debt translate into a decrease in the value of the dollar and inflation in the cost of typical goods and services. Most of us have already experienced a significant increase in our cost of living, whether it’s higher grocery bills, gas prices, electric bills, or standard purchases at the store. When we originally accumulated our debt, we were probably able to successfully budget our monthly income and expenses based on the value of the dollar at that time. Budgeting becomes increasingly more difficult for us when lenders focus on maximizing our debt and limiting our extra spending capability. When the value of the dollar drops, our bills tend to increase and our debt gets even more difficult to manage. If we can reduce our debt, this allows us the flexibility to better manage an increase in our bills.Nearly all Americans are feeling the effects of our unstable economy and are realizing that the dollar doesn’t carry the buying power that it used to. But make no mistake, lenders are even more in need of interest income and will do everything possible to convince you that you need, and can still afford, all of your desires. If you’re currently considering a loan, remember to think frugally and purchase necessities as opposed to purchasing items you might only want. Avoiding unnecessary debt accumulation should be the ultimate goal as it affords the most flexibility for future purchases of necessities in a poor economy. The lower your debt-to-income ratio, the more financial flexibility you will have when the dollar decreases in value. If your debt is maximized and your bills are consuming any additional cash-flow, it’s probably time to attempt a financial make-over. The ultimate goal of a financial make-over is to allow you to regain the spending flexibility that lenders target in order to increase their income and keep you in debt. It’s easy for many of us to take for granted the financial flexibility that we’re not used to having when lenders continue to successfully convince us to forfeit our hard earned money in order to have things that we probably don’t need.For any of us to survive a struggling economy we must attempt to regain and maintain our financial flexibility. With inflation on the rise, this underrated benefit of debt reduction becomes more important than ever. This flexibility increases our ability to successfully navigate and absorb the effects of inflation. If our current debt levels are restricting our ability to remain flexible and we’re unable to coordinate debt consolidation (credit cards, loan rate reductions, etc.) with our lenders or creditors, than there is no shame in asking for help. A finance advisor or highly rated debt consolidator can assist in regaining control of our spending and eventually increase our financial flexibility.Don’t let an unstable economy cause you and your family overwhelming financial stress. It’s almost never too late to begin a debt reduction plan that can actually boost your investment portfolio while increasing your net worth and financial flexibility. Avoiding the daily offers to maximize your debt will not only help you to regain your financial flexibility but has the very real probability of significantly reducing the financial stresses in your family’s lives. Lastly, please be careful of who you take your financial advice from. Before accepting debt reduction or investment advice, ask your advisor if they are completely debt free. Many of us believe we own our home and vehicle, but in reality, a loan means that the lender owns these assets. If your financial advisor is not truly debt free and still has a mortgage or vehicle loan(s), you should be very cautious about taking debt reduction or debt elimination advice from them. Please watch for future articles meant to further assist you on your way to financial freedom.


Thank you to those that attended my “Spring Cleaning” Event. We shredded 1976 pounds of paper and collected Goodwill donations and phones for the

Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. Thank you for making it a success!

Arbor Greene Fast Facts:

• Arbor Greene has only 1.7 months supply of homes for sale.

This makes it a Seller’s Market!

For your home’s current value, please call me at 813-340-7916. *please disregard if your home is already listed

Debbie Pearson Florida Executive Realty

813-340-7916 Your Arbor Greene Neighbor

Owned And Operated By NRT LLC. 19026 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. Tampa, FL 33647

Jane Crabtree Broker Associate

20+ Years Experience What is your home worth? Call for A FREE market analysis (813) 943-5477

[email protected]

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE


PET BOARDING & DOG WALKING Are you planning a vacation or going on a business trip? Do you need a Pet Sitter?

Located in Arbor Greene, we offer a cage free “pet vacation” at our house.

We can also walk and care for your pet (dog or cat) at your home.

Please contact me to determine your pet’s needs!

Randy Kriesel: [email protected] or call 813-777-6573(cell)



Message From Your Neighborhood Watch (NWA) Coordinators - Paul & Hally Boucher“Celebrate And Maintain A Secure Community”

Arbor Greene (AG) residents, our gate guards, the Tampa Police Department (TPD), and our Neighborhood Watch Association (NWA) members continue to work together to help keep our community one of the safest areas in New Tampa. This reputation is also one of the selling points for our premier community. However, maintaining this reputation requires vigilance by all AG residents. Here are a few points to consider when evaluating your contribution to AG’s notable reputation.It’s easy for us to feel our community is crime-free when we have not personally been the victim of a crime or witnessed crimes against others. It’s also easy to feel AG is completely secure due to our multiple gates and guards. Lastly, if we only review local “police blotters,” it may appear there is no crime in our community. Each of these conclusions are incomplete and inaccurate. In September 2009, 10 AG properties were burglarized within 1 hour while most residents were sleeping. Since then, we have dealt with various crimes, e.g., some stolen cars, home and vehicle burglaries, property theft, vandalism, and drug related crimes. This criminal activity may sound bad, and to the affected residents, it is, but we still have fewer crimes than most of the nearby communities. Our guards and gates are successful in keeping many criminals out of AG. However, motivated criminals will find ways to enter AG and try to commit crimes, so it’s our responsibility to help ensure criminals realize our community is not a good place for them to operate.Residents’ reporting suspicious activity or persons, thefts, or vandalism is an important and necessary method to help reduce future criminal activity. Reporting this activity helps to allocate additional TPD patrols to AG, providing a visual deterrence to would-be criminals, while justifying additional police resources. These reports also aid in returning stolen property to their rightful owners. And lastly, these reports help provide a more accurate picture of criminal trends in AG.Currently, AG’s most predominant crime is Crime-of-Convenience. Criminals look for open garage doors, and unlocked cars and lanais. These criminals can be fast moving and quickly steal our property. Reporting suspicious activity, turning on interior and exterior lights at night, and shutting/locking garage and vehicle doors, are just few methods which can help to significantly deter this activity. Lastly, if you or someone you know is a victim of a crime, please urge them to report the crime to the TPD as soon as possible. For example, none of the 4 recently stolen bicycles that the TPD had recovered and turned over to NWA had been reported stolen or missing. The owners were either, unaware the bikes were stolen, too embarrassed to file a report, or felt the value of the bike did not warrant reporting it. If residents do not file reports with the TPD, returning property to their rightful owners is much more difficult, time-consuming, and sometimes not possible. One of these recently recovered and returned bicycles led a resident to discover and then report that additional expensive items were also stolen from their garage.We should celebrate that our combined efforts allow us to live in one of the safer communities in New Tampa. We increase the likelihood that our community remains this way by working together, following security tips, and reporting suspicious or criminal behavior. The TPD Crime Prevention Desk and Lead Patrol Officers are aware of the variety of criminal activities occurring in New Tampa and frequently communicate this data to NWA Coordinators for dissemination. So, what if you’re traveling, moving, or planning a vacation and want a better view of the criminal trends in your area? These criminal trends are based on police reports, arrests, Service Calls, and ongoing patrolman notes/blogs/investigations. Unfortunately, review of a police blotter alone does not provide a clear picture of criminal trends and is only one piece of the crime reporting equation. Contacting your local NWA Coordinator or City/District Crime Prevention Officer will help provide you the best understanding of criminal trends in your area.The TPD and NWA urge you to be persistent in immediately reporting suspicious persons or activity by calling 813-231-6130, and please allow the experts to engage these persons. If you see a crime against person or property is about to occur or has already happened, then immediately call 9-1-1. In either case, do not confront these persons and call the TPD from a safe location.To receive additional security alerts and tips, TPD Crime Trends and Reports, etc., please consider joining the AG NWA which consists of your neighbors who wish to be informed and are involved as much as each person desires. Please email us at [email protected] to join this group. Joining this email distribution group does not obligate you to any other AG NWA activity, but should help you and your family to be better informed and more secure, and make AG an even better place to live!

NWA

Neighborhood Watch



TheFloridaauThoriTy.com

Steve Eckhardt, Broker, Owner, Arbor Greene Resident

Call me at (813) 765-1182 for a free home evaluation.

Selling your home is easy when you list with Steve Eckhardt.

Healthy Lawns, Healthy Water Sometimes Florida yards need fertilizer to help keep them healthy, but applying too much fertilizer, too often or at the wrong time can cause water pollution.Recent studies have shown that rising nitrate levels in many local water bodies can be traced to fertilizer. Nitrate is a form of nitrogen that is found in inorganic fertilizers. When fertilizer is needed and applied correctly, the lawn absorbs the nitrogen. However, fertilizers applied improperly can run off lawns and into local water bodies, harming water quality and threatening the plants and animals that depend on clean water for survival.You can help protect water quality while having a beautiful lawn. Learn more with steps 1–5 or by ordering our free Do-It-Yourself Guide to Florida-Friendly Fertilizing.Fertilizer applications vary depending on grass species, your location in the state and your desired level of lawn care. For more detailed information, visit University of Florida/IFAS.


Play Tennis Arbor Greene! Spring Junior Tennis Junior Tennis continues through the Spring at Train Smart Tennis! Coached by Alan and Kathy Williams and Peter Chow, twice weekly clinics are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays on a drop-in basis. Junior Future Champs (young beginners 5-7 years old) meet from 4-5pm Junior Group (intermediate to advanced 8+) meet from 5-6:30pm

Junior Tennis for Beginners Age Groups: 3 – 4 Years Old 5 – 7 Years Old 8 – 10 Years Old Conducted by our Young Junior Specialist Dennis Kirchoff, groups will meet week-days at 3:30pm. Contact Coach Alan at [email protected] or 813-610-7301 to get your child started on the sport of a lifetime!

Ladies Beginners Clinics: Ladies, are you looking to try something new? How about learning to play tennis! Julie Vazquez, our Beginner Specialist, will you get started. Contact Coach Alan at [email protected] or 813-610-7301 for more details.

Spring Adult Tennis Clinics: Tuesday 8-9am & 10-11am Ladies 10 S FIT 9-10:30am Ladies Advanced Beginners 7-8:00pm Men’s Work-Out Friday 9-10am Ladies Advanced (3.5-4.0) Please call Coach Alan for Ladies Beginners and League Groups information at 610-7301.

USTA Spring Season Beth Keenan ([email protected]) Monday morning Ladies 3.0 (40+) Eileen Farrell (lovatennis@ gmail.com) Tuesday night Ladies 3.5 (40+) Paul Williams ([email protected]) Saturday morning Men’s 4.0 (40+) Susan Sommerfield ([email protected]) Sunday Mixed 7.0 Combo (40+) Paul Williams ([email protected]) Sunday Mixed 8.0 Combo (40+)

ALOT Tennis The following ALOT teams are full, but are always in need of subs. Please contact one of the team captains if you are interested in subbing on a team; it’s a great way to meet other AG players! MaryJo Lefcourt - ALOT “A” [email protected] (3.5 & 4.0 players) Caralyn Paul - ALOT “B” [email protected] (3.5 players) Beth Hart - ALOT “C” [email protected] (3.0-3.5 players)


Arbor Greene

Activities & Program Coordinators

May 2013

The activities listed above are privately run and any questions pertaining to them should be directed to the individual activity directors.

For the most up to date information, please see online calendar at: http://arborgreenereservations.com

Fitness Pool Hours • April - October 2013

Day Open Close

Mon-Fri 5:30 AM 10:00 PM

Saturday 8:00 AM 10:00 PM

Sunday 8:00 AM 8:00 PM


18000 Arbor Greene Drive Tampa, Florida 33647

Phone: 813-991-9741 Fax: 813-973-1609

www.arborgreene.org

Community Center

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID TAMPA FL PERMIT

NO.1579

Advertising in the Gazette If you are interested in publishing in the Gazette, e-mail copy ready advertisements to the Editor by

the first Tuesday of the preceding month. Advertising prices listed below include tax. Please include your name, street & e-mail address and phone number so you can be contacted if necessary.

AGCDD reserves the right to deny any advertising submitted for publication. For more information, please call the Editor at 991-9226 or e-mail: [email protected]

AD Type/Size 1 Month 3 Months 6 Months Business Card $32.10 $80.25 $149.80

1/4 Page $64.20 $160.50 $288.90

1/2 Page $90.95 $214 $385.20

Full Page $133.75 $321 $535

Disclaimer: Paid advertising is presented as a service to our readers. Listings herein do not reflect an endorsement of companies, products, or services by the Arbor Greene Community Development District. If you wish to voice concerns about ads or advertising in the newsletter, or on the website, please e-mail the Newsletter Editor at [email protected].

Recently overheard:A thirteen-year AG resident, while having some

documents notarized:“I have to say, I love my neighborhood, I travel full-

time now, and think Arbor Greene is one of the nicest neighborhoods in the country, not just Tampa…”

~ (4-12-13)“I’ve been walking a lot these days, and I’ve walked

around a lot of Arbor Greene, and, don’t let this go to your head, but the place is looking really good…”

~ Bob B. 4-14-13.

The Arbor Greene May 2013 Newsletter Gazette

Documents

arbor greene easements

arbor greene website

arbor greene gazette

quality of arbor greene

pmhoa meeting

meeting dates

pmcdd meeting

final approved cdd meeting