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MEETING OF THE MINDS?

For those who couldn’t make it to the 4-24-24 Master Board Meeting, here’s a brief recap.  (Just imagine if it had started at 4:24 on 4-24-24.  Only my fellow number geeks will appreciate this!). 

These are not official minutes, but my own notes and editorial comments added.  

The meeting started with a discussion about the discovery that a tenant who is renting in the Enclave has a felony charge against him and is on the sexual offender registry.  The board informed us that the attorneys are drafting language to amend our documents to require background/criminal checks in addition to credit checks going forward.  When complete, it will need to be put to a vote by membership requiring a 2/3 vote of the entire membership to become a part of our CCRs. (Covenants, conditions, and restrictions). 

The discussion that followed was fiery and emotional, with one audience member becoming so belligerent, loud, and disruptive that he was asked to leave the meeting, or it would’ve been adjourned right then and there.  

This is a serious issue, but there is no excuse for the kind of behavior that was exhibited.  Neither the Enclave nor the Master boards knew about this tenant’s past record and the whole purpose of drafting the new language will help capture information like this in the future.   To my knowledge, no one went to the board with this, but went straight to Facebook doxxing, which should be a last resort, imo.  

The financials.  It was reported that there’s a bank balance of $615,000+.  I did not see any detail nor did they say if that figure was net of all bills due, but we were told that the master finances are in pretty good shape.  

The parking areas and playgrounds in the community will be restriped in the near future.

The dock at Lake Miona needs to come down for safety reasons.  Whether or not it’s rebuilt will be put to a community vote when all bids for rebuilding are received.  The lake/beach area is set to get a second cleanup treatment.  No mention of the Julia Isles pond about which residents have been complaining.  The scum covers almost the entire surface area there and needs treatment!

New fining and “final notice of violation” docs were shown.   Motion made and passed to use them, which are based on Azalea Grove association.  

New pet rules will be created regarding service animals at the pool.  (Yes, someone brought an “emotional support dog” to the pool.)

Board expressed dissatisfaction with current pool service and will possibly be changing vendors.  No mention of the resurfacing that is imminent in the near future.  

A motion was made and tabled regarding the formation of a study group to examine needs and establish reserve funds.  It will be revisited in the future.  

It was requested that gate expenses be more transparent.  With the constantly recurring issues, a suggestion was made to hire someone dedicated solely to gate administration.  No action was taken.   

Meeting was adjourned at 730p

DOES IT REALLY TAKE A VILLAGE?

I’ve had a few conversations lately about what we pay here and how it compares to other communities, mostly to the VIllages.  There is a persistent feeling that Lakeside Landings is expensive.  Let’s take a deeper dive into this:

Most of the associations here are close in their quarterly assessments.  I’m using Enclave figures.  Our quarterly plus the Master is $955, which breaks down to $318.33 per month.  
We all get a fairly complete landscape package that includes mowing, edging, trimming, debris cleanup, fertilization, weeding, mulch, and irrigation.  

The Villages is different in that they are responsible for their own yards.  They pay $198 monthly which includes free golf on their executive courses, whether one is a golfer or not.  Landscaping costs can vary depending on the service level.  Just for mowing and cleanup alone, I’ve heard prices anywhere from $60-86 per month.  Let’s say $75.  Watering is at least $50 per month.    That’s $323 per month not counting trimming, weeding, fertilization, or mulch, which can easily add several hundred dollars more per year.

I think the the difference is negligible, although if you are a golfer or a “joiner” with all their clubs, maybe the Villages is a better choice for some.

We have friends who just moved out of Stonecrest, another community with which we are   frequently compared.  They paid $145 monthly as assessment, $100 monthly for water which included their drinking water.  Stonecrest landscape expenses are also on the owners.  Mowing at the cheap end was $70.  The fertilization and trimming cost averaged out to $100 per month.  That’s $405 per month!  Not to mention that Marion County taxes are significantly higher than Sumter.  

The figures are approximate based on what owners choose to do, but they don’t lie.  We are right in line with other popular communities around us and are actually getting a fair and decent deal.  Make sure you do an apples to apples expense comparison if you think the grass is greener in one of our competing communities!

As I close this blog entry, remember that what I write is my own personal opinion, not official, and I do not speak for any board, board member, or person from Sentry Management.  

QUOTES WORTH QUOTING

"The way I see it, if you want the
rainbow, you gotta put up with
the rain."
— DOLLY PARTON —

Until next time, I’ll see you around the neighborhood.