Blue Heron Pines

Our regular Community Services & Golf meetings were held on Monday, August 2nd, and the following is a recap of those meetings:

Community Services, attended by Larry Roberts, Maureen Heger and Suzanne Rayborn

There were no new issues, and the meeting focused on status updates of items from previous meetings.

• Street drains – Price quotes have been received, work has been prioritized, and a start date will be announced shortly. The drains most in need of repair will be dealt with first, with the remainder next year and possibly some in the following year.
• Water pressure – pressure throughout the community has been tested by two contractors, one of whom discovered two valves which were only partially open. Those valves have now been opened fully, and we seem to have acceptable levels of static pressure at this time. It will be interesting to see what happens after our snowbirds return. Meanwhile, individual cases of low pressure should be addressed by cleaning or descaling the plumbing system within the house. Remove and clean aerators, shower heads and water filters throughout the house, flush and descale the hot water heater if it hasn’t been done recently. Most plumbers say it should be done annually.
• Installing handicap accessible doors at the clubhouse has been deferred to next year. Meanwhile, the other front doors are being adjusted so they can be opened from the outside.
• Speakers in clubhouse are being moved…probably before publication of this issue.
• Ponds are being treated regularly for algae and moss.
• Doing a better job of cleaning bathrooms at pool. Ventilation to be added next year.
• Pool vacuuming and skimming has improved, and will continue to improve.
• A pool table in the clubhouse is being repaired.

The Golf Committee meeting was attended by Mike Gray, Ron Jessop, Suzanne Rayborn and Larry Roberts.

The new maintenance company, IGM indicated it would take about 30 days to transition and learn about BHP. The course is beginning to recover from the initial shock, and expectations are high. Meanwhile:

• Sand traps need to be “turned over” rather than merely surface raked, in order to reduce weed growth.
• Sprinkler heads are being replaced and recalibrated.
• A Glowball tournament is being planned for November, after the time change.

Our first HOA meeting for this season is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1st. Hope to see you there!

Larry Roberts

The BHP Golf Cart Rally went off without a hitch, we did not have to call 911 and no tow trucks were needed.

The drivers and their partners displayed unbelievable driving talent as they maneuvered the course in heated competition.

Congrats to Steve and Rhonda Tobin for winning first place and the historic trophy.

Also a huge Thank You to Cathy Richardson, and all her volunteers for putting on a really fun event.

The August / Sept edition of the Gator Tales is now available for viewing.

To read the Gator Tales please….CLICK HERE.

Bean Bag Baseball will start again in January 2020.

Cheryl and Carl Festa will be in charge of this second season after its popular debut this year.

It will still be played behind the clubhouse on Saturday mornings.

A sign up sheet and meeting will be held in the fall with date TBD.

Any questions may be directed to Cheryl at clcole0530@aol.com.

Thanks go out to Ron and Ella Smith for bringing this activity to BHP.

We wish them well in their new location.

The next Dazzler luncheon  will be held at  Las Margaritas de Camila’s 2665 S. Tamiami Tr., Port Charlotte Please sign up by August 13^th.

We will meet at the restaurant at 1:00 PM If you need a ride call Jean Michalak at 941-676-0549 or e-mail her at jeanmichalak8@gmail.com

All Blue Heron Pines ladies  are welcome to join us.

Drivers please leave me know if you have room for someone in your car in case someone needs a ride.

LET’S PLAY BINGO!

Bingo Nite Monday July 15th (then every Monday thereafter) Card Sales 6:15 to 6:45

Bingo starts at 7pm

BHP Community Center

Information – Questions contact Bonnie #715

The Game Time event scheduled for Sunday, 7/14 at 2:00pm has been cancelled due to lack of participation.

I have been asked a couple of questions as of late, and since they are always the same would like to clarify for all here.

1) Why don’t I receive emails that go out to the community?

The answer is simple. The mailing list we used is generated by our web provider. The information he uses is derived from your registration when you create an account on www.bhphoa.net. In order to receive emails from the community / HOA side of BHP you will need to create an account on our website. Then you will receive all emails we send out to the community.

2) Why do we maintain a directory?

We maintain a directory so neighbors can contact each other, send birthday and anniversary cards and wishes, to contact residents in case there is an emergency that affects the entire community ( or a smaller piece of the community ) The information we have in the directory is kept safe under a secure part of our website, and only registered users can view. The directory currently has many lots with only a resident’s name and no other information. We ask that you review the directory online and check your lot number to see if information is complete. You can give us all or just some of what we need, but the minimum is a phone number and email address.

3) Why do I get some emails and not others?

Sun Communities maintains their own list and will send out emails from time to time. These emails have no connection to communications sent out by the HOA, entertainment committees etc.

I hope this helps. It is important for a community to be connected and feel like a family. Registering an account on the community website, sending us information to maintain an accurate directory will help all of us stay connected.
If you wish to have us update your Directory info, or to give the info to complete your information simply email it to

pg12572@gmail.com

Thanks

Don’t forget to sign up for Game Day. The sign up sheet is in the clubhouse.
A good chance to get out of the heat, enjoy a game or two, and to donate to the food shelf.

JULY GAME DAY
An indoor “Game Day” is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, July 14 at 2:00 pm at the clubhouse.

Come over to the clubhouse with your favorite game, beverage and a snack to share and pair up with your friends and neighbors to share in some game time.
NOTE: We are also collecting donations of non-perishable food items (or cash) for the food shelf during the month of July.

For questions, please contact Jean Ralph, Lot 519. Have fun!

Diane Nietfeld, Chairperson

Golf Committee Meeting

July 1, 2019

The Golf Committee met at 3pm, and the following members were present:

Ron Jessop and Judy Casimir represented the golfers, Larry Roberts represented the HOA and Suzanne Rayborn, Community Manager, represented Sun. Mike Gray was out of town.

Ron and Judy expressed the concern of all the golfers about the change in maintenance companies. Brightpoint has been doing a good job, the course looks better than ever, and hopefully we won’t lose momentum in this direction. Suzanne indicated she was familiar with the new contractor, and provided assurances that they will continue doing a good job for us as well.

There was considerable discussion about “paying to play”, and the fact that there is currently not a reliable system in place to insure that all players have paid. Obviously, this is important as it costs money to operate and maintain the course. Any shortfalls at the end of the year will likely come back to haunt us in the future, in the form of higher fees for everyone, and various forms of cost control. The committee offered several suggestions to insure that all players have paid, and these will be discussed with Mike.

It was suggested that if our rules are to include a dress code, then it must be enforced. It was suggested that the Starter should have the authority and responsibility to enforce the code, and deny entry to those players who are improperly attired.

It was suggested that a mandatory annual orientation for all members be held at the clubhouse at the beginning of the “season”. It would provide an opportunity to review rules, dress code, and any other subjects of interest, and hopefully leave the members with a uniform understanding of these topics.

A meeting was scheduled with Mike on Monday, July 8^th, to review these topics.

Community Services Meeting
July 1, 2019
Larry Roberts

The monthly Community Services meeting was held at 10 am. Present were Suzanne Rayborn, Community Manager, along with Larry Roberts and Maurine Heger, representing the HOA.

The following items were discussed:

Status Updates from previous meetings

Street Drains – Quotes have now been obtained and priorities determined. Work will go forward later this year, extending into next year.

Water pressure – Water pressure has been spot-checked throughout the community, and results indicate that pressure within the community is within acceptable limits. Reductions in water flow at individual houses is likely due to mineral buildup or other issues within the plumbing system of the house. The HOA is currently compiling informative written articles and videos which will be hosted on our website, and allow residents to troubleshoot their systems and improve the water flow in their homes.

Parking policy – A parking policy which resembles the policies in place at other Sun communities will be implemented shortly. Temporary parking tags will be issued by the main office, and affixed to the outside mirrors of vehicles allowed to park on the street for short periods of time. These tags have been ordered, and the policy will be implemented once they are received.

Handicap accessible doors at clubhouse – Accessible doors will be slated for fiscal 2020 “Cap X” funds. Meanwhile, the other front doors will be adjusted so that they may be opened manually from the outside.

Speakers in clubhouse – This item has been delayed due to issues with the contractor. Sun s trying to find another contractor to move the speakers.

New Items

Treat ponds for algae and moss – A contractor has been hired, and work should commence shortly

Clean and ventilate restrooms at pool – It was requested that restrooms be cleaned more thoroughly and/or more often, and to provide some ventilation…possibly install vented doors or vents in existing doors.

Check and adjust pool chemicals daily, due to heavy and frequent rains – The pool has an autofeeder for chlorine, so adequate chlorine shouldn’t be a problem. However, there is no means to automatically maintain the proper acidity (pH) of the pool water. The rains are acidic, and need to be buffered in order for chlorine to work effectively. A contractor checks the pool several times a week, and presumably adjusts the pH at that time.

Vacuum pool daily – Needs to be vacuumed and skimmed daily, due to heavy dirt and bugs.

If anyone is  interested in joining in the fun, Please have them contact Walt King.  Phone 856-430-4792 or Rawsage@gmail.com/

Even one or two nights per month will help keep our community safe.

Thanks For All That You Do!!!

Walt King

BHP residents,

Sun has asked the Board to review our Prospectus, focusing on Rules and Regulations. However, the Prospectus was originally approved on March 7, 2000 and last revised on October 27, 2010. Much of the information is obsolete and no longer applicable. The Board decided to take a broader look, and recommend changes and/or additions which would make the Prospectus more relevant to today’s BHP. Inasmuch as our Prospectus affects us all, I’m passing along our recommendations in an effort to keep residents “in the loop”.

For those of you who want to spend a quiet afternoon studying this stuff, I have linked to a copy of the most recent version of our Prospectus, in PDF format, for your convenience. A link to the Prospectus may also be found on our website, for registered users.

Happy reading!

Larry Roberts

Click here to review the Prospectus and recommendations.