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Table of Contents

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
PROPERTY MANAGER'S CORNER
LANDSCAPE COMMITTEE
GROUNDS COMMITTEE
PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE
ACCESS CONTROL AND SAFETY COMMITTEE
DEERWOOD COUNTRY CLUB UPDATE
ARC ARTICLE FOR DIA
ANNUAL MEETING
9TH ANNUAL DW COMMUNITY YARD SALE
PAVE THE WAY: PROJECT PLAYGROUND

We are very pleased that the Amendments to the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws passed and now all property owners can fully participated in the Association. An immediate benefit had been the number of residents who are interested in serving on the Board. In past years, the Nominating Committee often had difficulty getting just one person to agree to represent their District. As of this writing, we have 12 individuals who are interested in the four Board positions that will be vacated at the end of March. The annual meeting is on March 24th at 6:30 PM at the Deerwood Club, and we look forward to your attendance.

In the past several months, the barcode reader, access control system and gate controllers have been synchronized, the Fall Festival had a great turnout and almost $3,000 was added to to the playground fund. The initial plans for the playground renovation have been rendered; three phases are anticipated with phase one work to take place this year. A new fountain with lights was installed in the lake near Baymeadows entrance. The Board voted to switch from Fox Protective Services to First Coast Security effective March 15th. 

This year we will experience a substantial amount of activity as The Deerwood Country Club construction is underway. The golf course is being substantially renovated and a new Clubhouse will be built. The DIA is working with the Club to expedite the process. In the purchase of Deerwood from Gate in August 1999, both the DIA, as to the residential and common areas, and Club, as to its property, were granted the rights and authority of the prior “developers”. The Club has advised us that some work may be scheduled for Sunday, and in reviewing the documents, we believe the Club has the right to make that decision. 

My term as president ends this April and I want to thank all of the members of the Board and the resident volunteers for participating on our Committees. It was truly a full team effort that enabled us to accomplish the various projects this year. If you are not already on a DIA committee, please think about how you can help improve Deerwood by getting involved in the Association.

Sincerely,
Lee M. Evans

Property Manager's Corner
Carla Bowers, Licensed Community Association Manager

Access Control The EZ Gate Access Control Software System has been functioning since November and is working well. We hope you have all taken time to go to the website www.eezgate.net to review your household information and use it regularly to authorize guests. We want owners to feel comfortable and confident in using this system. If you need help with any of this, or can’t log on, please email the property manager at cbowers@mayresort.com. If you do not use the internet please know that the normal process of making a phone call to the gate house still works. 

Please be aware, access control requires a complete guest list for all parties. We don’t want guests to be turned away, and often the guards don’t have the opportunity to call the residents because of the heavy traffic volume at the entrances. 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ACCESS CONTROL USING THE INTERNET 

1. Sign on at www.e-ezgate.net 

2. Click "Residential Sign-In" 

3. User Name = First Initial and Last Name of principal owner. 

4. Password = Same as pin number used when call the gate. 

5. On the next page, place the cursor over the box “Resident”, the drop down menu will appear, click “My Info” 

6. You will note your basic information displayed including your permanent guest list. 

7. To add/or delete guests, click "Open Guest" 

8. Enter the following:

   1. Name of Guest 
   2. Check if guest is to be permanent. 
   3. Select best category of guest
   4. Modify the Expire Date for permanent guests or guest that maybe authorized for several days or weeks. Click "SAVE" when you complete the entry. NOTE: A daily guest authorized today will become invalid on the "Expire Date". If you are authorizing a guest for tomorrow, you need to modify the expire date by adding a day. 

9. When finish, please click the sign out box. 

Exchange of Founder Member Certificates 
We have been accepting the Founder Member Certificates and affidavits for lost certificates. New certificates are being reissued and should be sent out in February. Please send yours in to MAY Management or drop off at the Club administration building now if you haven’t already done so. 

Annual Meeting of Members 
The Deerwood Improvement Association Board of Directors was turned over to the homeowners in 1999 and has eleven members, each serving a three year term. This Board should not be confused with the Deerwood Country Club Board as these are two separate entities overseeing different property. 

This year all Association Members will participate in an election for new directors who will join the remaining group to fill the expired terms of the DIA Board of Directors. Each area of Deerwood has a representative on the Board. The four terms expiring this year are one atlarge representative, one in district 2, one in district 6 and one in district 7. You should have received a notice in the mail regarding the election. The ballots will be mailed in late February. 

Committee members are a key part of the DIA. They do research and bring recommendations to the Board of Directors for their review. There will be a sign up sheet at the Annual meeting for you to volunteer, if interested, or you can contact the committee chairperson. The back of this newsletter lists the current committees and members.

The Annual meeting will be held at the Deerwood
Clubhouse on March 24th, at 6:30 p.m.

Hope to see you at the Annual Meeting!

Carla Bowers, Community Association Manager
MAY Management Services, Inc.

LANDSCAPE COMMITTEE
Dottie Teetor, Chairperson
Article by Karen Merrel

Deerwood’s Landscape Committee has been working hard to beautify the common areas, entrances, and islands all around the community. For the past five years many improvements have been made. The newest addition has been the grand fountain at the Baymeadows entrance. The DIA has helped fund this latest acquisition. The old fountain will be moved to the lake across from the playground. Our entrances have been enhanced over the years thanks to major contributions from the Deerwood Garden Circle. There are new oak trees, crape myrtles, and ligustrums at the entrances, along with extended annual and perennial flower beds. Our beautiful Deerwood granite sign generously donated by Jack and Ellie Pearce welcomes our residents and visitors every day. The Baymeadows guard house has recently been enhanced with new bedding plants and shrubs. This makes the parking lot much more attractive. The Southside Gate has a new blacktopped parking lot, new plantings, and an extended annual bed. There is also jasmine climbing the fence to make a colorful green wall. Our old Deerwood sign and light announces our community to everyone who travels this main thoroughfare. 

Over 200 trees have been planted around our lakes and in our islands. These are growing beautifully. The entrance to the Courtyards has been enhanced with new plantings and a crape myrtle donated by Don and Darlene Register. The DLC graciously accepts residents’ trees and shrubs that can be transplanted. Our roadways have been enhanced with new live oaks, crape myrtles, and even cypress trees. In future years these trees will add more charming character to our lovely community. Many old pines and black jack oaks are dying out. Residents should consider adding long lived or flowering trees to enhance their yards. 

The Hollyridge Road Memorial Garden truly beautifies this park like area. This was a combined effort and donation of former resident Tex Jones and the Deerwood Garden Circle. There are many more areas that need attention and the landscape committee would love to hear your suggestions and comments. Landscaping is a constant, never ending labor with immeasurable rewards. The landscape Committee hopes our gardening efforts have enlightened your spirits as you pass by many of the new green projects.

GROUNDS COMMITTEE
Tom McConnell, Chairperson

We are excited to start the New Year with only one relatively minor drainage problem in Deerwood that is the responsibility of DIA. Of course this will be addressed promptly. During the past year we had to repair or replace eleven different drainpipes or structures, most of which were old, deteriorated corrugated metal pipes originally installed during the 1960s and 1970s. 

As mentioned earlier, we now have a computer inventory of all drainage in Deerwood and are in the process of making the necessary surveys of the 30 pipes that are of the corrugated metal material that tend to go bad most easily. We plan to establish a schedule for their replacement – hopefully avoiding any additional damage that could be caused by their rupture. 

The firm that we employed last year to spray the many lakes seem to be doing a fine job of keeping the lakes reasonably clear of algae. This is a huge task since the lakes are very old and most are quite shallow, making them highly susceptible to algae growth especially during the hot summer months. 

The task is acerbated by the frequent run-off of lawn chemicals and fertilizer sprayed by adjacent homeowner’s yard maintenance people as well as various yard waste that blows into the lakes. All residents can help with this problem by having their yard people be as careful as possible to keep waste and chemicals out of the lakes. 

We add algae-eating fish to a number of the lakes whenever the fish and game control organizations allow - usually only one time each year. Note these fish (which cost about $5 each) are not imported for sporting purposes as their removal only reduces the benefit of algae control. 

Finally, due to the sophisticated computerized model of the entire Deerwood drainage system we developed during last year, we have minimal exposure to sever flooding should Jacksonville experience unusually heavy rain. With the exception of a couple of drainage problem areas that have now been corrected, the Deerwood drainage system is effective. That should be somewhat comforting to all residents.

PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Katie Kight, Chairperson

The public relations committee is pleased to report we had a very successful Fall Festival. The event raised nearly $3,000 towards the playground/recreation area effort. The next big community event supporting this effort is the Annual Deerwood Yard Sale, which will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2004. Since our covenants do not permit us to hold individual yard or garage sales, this is an excellent opportunity to get rid of those hidden treasures, bring the community together, and help boost our playground/recreation area efforts. 

The public relations committee continues to look for volunteers to help with our many projects, including the newsletter, website updates, Yard Sale, and Fall Festival. If you are interested in lending your time and talents please contact Katie Kight at kkight@comcast.net. In addition we are already looking ahead to Fall Festival 2004. If you have leftover goodies from your child’s birthday party, or you know someone in the food and beverage business willing to donate supplies to the event, please contact Michelle Belloit at mbelloit@bellsouth.net. 

The new community playground/recreation area continues to move forward. With the addition of lands through our cooperation with the Deerwood Club, this project has grown considerably in scope. The following outlines the timetable for this project and answers many questions about the future of this area. 

Over the next 30 days survey work needs to be conducted on the entire recreation area, including areas that are currently deemed as wetlands. Once the survey is complete the project will be put out to bid, including handling all permitting. The first phase of the project should begin about April. Due to the larger scope of the project and the cost involved, we anticipate total completion of the three phases of the project to be completed in three to five years. 

Some of the highlights of the project include new playground equipment, with a separate play area for 2-5 year olds, new paved parking area, a water features area, enlarged pavilion, soccer fields, baseball diamond, and larger basketball courts. We hope to post a preliminary drawing on the website soon. 

ACCESS CONTROL AND SAFETY COMMITTEE
Glynn Thomas, Acting Chairperson

We hope you notice the name change in this committee from Security to Access Control and Safety. This is better reflective of the purpose of the committee. This committee is composed of three members of the DIA board and 10 resident- volunteers who work to improve the control of access through our two gated entrances and take steps to increase safety within the community. Observations and suggestions from a number of sources are received, analyzed and when appropriate, recommendations are made to the full Board. 

Flashing lights were recently installed in the school zone to reduce speeding and enhance the safety of children and parents using that area. The Committee also engaged two consultants to review the perimeter and their major recommendation will be implemented this spring. Recently, a review of security guard firms was conducted, including interviews, review of documents, formal presentations and lengthy discussions in an effort to obtain the most appropriate service for the future.

Residents are again cautioned to drive carefully within our community. Obey the posted speed limits and stop signs, and when entering Deerwood, please allow sufficient space between vehicles for the barcode to be read and gate opened. 

We are aware of one reported burglary in December. Both members of the household work during the day but did not have their alarm system set. In January a motorcycle was reported stolen from a garage and an automobile with keys in it was taken overnight from a driveway. The Deerwood Club also experienced a brake-in during this time frame. Please set your alarms if you are away from your home, lock cars in the auto courts, and generally be alert for anything unusual. Call the guard gate if you observe suspicious activities.

HOWEVER, in a true emergency call 911 first . . . 
then the guard gate.

DEERWOOD COUNTRY CLUB UPDATE

Construction has begun on the “New” Deerwood Club. While it may look messy now, the new renovations will greatly enhance our overall community. TDI International, the golf course contractor is currently working Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with half days on Saturday. We have been advised that no work will be scheduled on Sundays unless weather or other problems put the project behind. 

The heavy construction on the golf course is due for completion in late April, with the golf course scheduled to re-open in September. The cart barn and pool lockers have been demolished. The City has approved the clubhouse plans, and Auld & White has their subcontractors working on the same basic schedule as the golf course crews.

ARC ARTICLE FOR DEERWOOD IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION
Marty Eltrich, Chairperson

At the direction of the Board, the Architectural Review Committee works within the Covenants and Restrictions architectural integrity and overall aesthetics of Deerwood in harmony with surrounding structures and the environment. 

In 2003 the ARC has reviewed 214 submittals/requests. That number includes 23 new roofs, 40 tree removals, 12 pools and/or screens, 33 room additions, 2 tear down and rebuild, 20 fences and 84 miscellaneous items such as exterior color changes, landscaping, patio extensions, satellite dishes, etc. Over 90% of these submittals have been approved. Most that were not approved simply needed more information or some modification so that the Committee could process them within the requirements of the covenants and restrictions. A few still remain unapproved. 

Please remember that all exterior changes/additions require ARC approval prior to commencement. Satellite dishes less than 39” in diameter do not require approval as long as they can be placed toward the rear of your home and are screened from view of the street or neighbors. Should you have any questions concerning this or any other architectural issue please call the ARC Coordinator at 285-2519.

Annual Meeting to be held
Wednesday March 24, 2004
at 6:30 p.m.
in the Deerwood Clubhouse.

9th Annual Deerwood Community Yard Sale

Playground/Recreation Area Fundraiser

Saturday, April 17, 2003
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
AT THE PLAYGROUND

Get rid of your clutter and rent a table …
Come out and find that hidden treasure …
Enjoy hot dogs, drinks, and other goodies!

Help us kick start our playground effort
Don’t want to rent a table, but still want to clean out some of the clutter, while helping raise funds for our playground?
Donate those items to the “DIA TABLE”!
(please contact Elicia Duross at 641-6952 to drop off items, or bring donated items to the playground by 8:30 a.m. the day of the event)

3’ x 8’ TABLES AVAILABLE – ONLY $15
(3 or more tables $12 each)
(Checks payable to DIA) – Payment must be made by 4/14/04.

Volunteer Opportunities Available!

For table reservations, volunteering, or more
information, please contact Cathy Driscoll at
642-4467 · cjdrisc@yahoo.com

Please remember table rental is restricted to Deerwood Residents, but we
encourage you to invite your friends and family to purchase items.
Remember to clear your guests through Security (642-1633)

NO DOGS ALLOWED AT EVENT

Pave The Way: Project Playground

No, you don’t have to lay the bricks, just help pave the way by buying one or more! Every brick you purchase will help with the refurbishment of our recreation area, including our all new playground. This project will help build a wonderful community treasure for our families today and for generations to come. 

Bricks purchased for this important effort will be placed at the outline of the new water playground area.

Bricks cost $75 each, or two for $125.

Click Here for Flyer(.pdf)

For more information, please contact the Project: Playground Committee:
Fran Hickinbotham – 928-9115
Jackie O’Hare – 645-5618
Jan Olson – 646-1812

Please look for more information & a flyer in the mail soon!