PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE
Les Beadling, President
I am enthusiastically anticipating a
terrific year for the Deerwood community especially since we
have four new Deerwood Improvement Association Board Members
that are doers and high achievers with a sincere interest in a
wellmaintained community. Also, we have a new Property
Management Company which comes to us with extensive expertise
and an impeccable reputation. Moreover, there are several other
items that are impacting our community in a very positive
way.
Our four new Board Members
include Steve Carter, elected from District III, who has
volunteered to be a member of the Playground Committee. Chris
Cavell will continue to chair the Landscape Committee, as she
did last year, but will have Board Member status thanks to the
electorate in District V. Karen Merrell will be representing
District VIII and has volunteered to chair the R/V Boat Storage
Committee and serve also on the Architectural Review and
Landscape Committees. Edward Grenadier won the at-large seat in
this year's election and has volunteered to be our
Treasurer.
Marsh Landing Management
Company has taken over the management of Deerwood, exclusive of
the Deerwood Country Club. They presently manage Marsh Landing
and Jacksonville Golf and Country Clubs in addition to Deerwood.
The Property Manager assigned to Deerwood is Eilene Edwards. She
has over twenty years of experience in property management and a
highly qualified support staff via the Marsh Landing Management
Company. With Eilene and the Marsh Landing Management team on
board, we are expecting a more timely and suitable response to
the concerns of Deerwood homeowners.
Deerwood Improvement
Association continues to wait for the transfer of two parcels of
land from the Deerwood Golf Club. The first being the school
zone property at the junction of Summit Ridge Lane and
Hollyridge Road, between the road and the golf-cart path from
the number three green. A traffic study and site plan has been
prepared and once we obtain ownership, the area will be
developed as a "school children pick-up and drop-off
area". The plan will have an aesthetically landscaped
location that gives utmost prominence to child safety. The other
anticipated transfer is the 'Boatyard' parcel, which will be
developed into a new and larger RV/ Boat storage area than we
have at present. There is a waiting list of over twenty boat and
R/V owners besides the members who already have a space in the
present R/V Boat storage area.
In support of my expectation
for an exceptional year is the outstanding job performance and
commitment of First Coast Security. One year ago when I began my
tenure on the DIA Board, we were getting twenty to thirty
complaints a month about access control and there were serious
lapses of unauthorized entry into Deerwood. Once First Coast
Security assumed control, they corrected the violations of
access and the number of complaints rapidly diminished to less
than five over the last four months. Moreover, when the
complaints were investigated, it was determined that First Coast
Security had acted properly in practically all of the
situations. They have the difficult task of cordially welcoming
persons that we desire to be invited into Deerwood and
diplomatically denying access to those we do not wish admitted;
and at the same time being receptive to our needs and concerns.
Their ability to be an effective agent on our behalf depends
very much on us communicating with accurate and timely
instructions. Hence, we strongly encourage the use of EZ-Gate in
providing your access control agent with the appropriate
information.
Over the last year we have
developed a relationship with our neighbors to better influence
issues common to our proximate communities. Baywatch is a group
of volunteers from surrounding communities including Deerwood,
Royal Lakes, Baymeadows, and Hampton Glen among others, whose
agenda is the betterment of our community outside the gates of
Deerwood. Our representatives are Diane Racano and Regina
Bernhardt. They meet with Councilman Art Graham at
7:00 PM on the third Wednesday of every month at FCCJDeerwood.
For information or a concern you wish voiced about our immediate
neighborhood, Diane and Regina are the ones to contact.
 Did
you see the "For Sale" sign in front of 8149
Hollyridge Road near the school zone? Don't you think it is much
more elegant than the colorful signs usually used in Deerwood?
Wouldn't it be pleasing to see more of these types of "For
Sale" signs? Other gated communities including Deercreek,
Sawgrass, Marsh Landing and Jacksonville Golf and Country Club,
to name just a few, require them. Because of our covenants, we
cannot insist on them. However, wouldn't it be gratifying if
they were voluntarily used?
 Deerwood
already has the honor and mark of distinction for being the
first gated community in the State of Florida. Let us respect
what we have and continue to transform Deerwood into the finest
gated community in the State of Florida. Volunteer and become a
member of a committee - we welcome you to get involved!
Les Beadling
President
ARCHITECTURAL
REVIEW COMMITTEE
What, Why, How, Huh?
By Katie G. Kight
ARC is one of the most confusing and
misunderstood functions of the Deerwood Improvement Association.
It is also one of the hardest volunteer jobs around. Let's face
it, no one wants to hear something they think is attractive has
to be modified or can't be built. Or, a project they budgeted
for is now going to cost more money because it needs to be
changed. Nevertheless, the ARC is here to help all property
owners in our community.
First of all, the
Architectural Review Committee (ARC) is charged with making sure
all exterior changes to existing homes, or new construction in
the community adhere to, or is in the spirit of the covenants.
As Deerwood has more than 20 separate covenants, that can be a
little challenging from time to time. To help with this process,
Deerwood has ARC guidelines, which can be found on the www.mydeerwood.com
website. While these do not cover all cases, and are not
all-inclusive, they provide some great direction for the
majority of ARC submittals. In addition, any covenant questions
can be found on the website.
Most submittals to the ARC are
approved by the committee as tendered, or with minor revisions.
But, some may wonder why the ARC may ask for major revisions, or
in rare instances turn down a submittal altogether. Just as the
covenants and restrictions are in place to preserve the
lifestyle and property values of our neighborhood, so is the
ARC. The ARC is asked to take a very subjective task and make it
as objective as possible. We do this, not to make style
judgments on our community, but to protect all homeowners'
property values. While one person may be disappointed by the
decision of the ARC to deny a project, the neighboring homes
potentially benefit from a decision that may affect the value of
their homes.
So, why are some projects that
may be considered in poor taste allowed to proceed? Well, that
is a question that involves the community's willingness to get
involved. Do not assume that if you see a project underway, that
is necessarily approved. I know we all assume that our neighbors
adhere to the same covenants and rules that we all do, but in a
very few instances, this is not the case. If you see something
that clearly looks inappropriate, please ask an ARC member or
Eilene Edwards of Marsh Landing Management to make sure the
committee has approved what you are seeing.
We all have a vested interest
in how our community looks, and how the homes within our
neighborhood look. We all have property values to protect. While
serving on the ARC may not be an easy task, it is a task we feel
is important for our community.
PUBLIC
RELATIONS COMMITTEE
Betty Fastenberg, Chairperson
 If
you missed the Annual Yard Sale on April 9, you
missed the opportunity to see lots of familiar faces, plenty of
nostalgic items and an abundance of camaraderie. It was
especially inspiring to see the "young people" showing
their entrepreneurial spirit. We were fortunate to raise a nice
amount of money for the Deerwood Playground project and we were
also able to benefit "Hospice of Jacksonville" by the
generous contributions of the fine residents of Deerwood. We
hope to be able to continue this  "tradition"
and will be opening this event to the public in the future. With
that said, please find a corner in your
garage and start to save your "treasured items" for
next year. If you are interested in volunteering for this event
or the Fall Festival, we welcome you to join us! Our web poll
indicates that both of these wonderful events are important and
fun to the community. As always, please bookmark www.mydeerwood.com
for information on events and happenings in our neighborhood and
other informative articles of interest to all!
 RV/Boat Storage Update
Karen Merrell
To date, there is not much new
information to report. However, there will be a new
location and a larger RV/Boat Storage area in the near
future…..the exact date is still not known. If you are
interested in renting a space, or if you have any
further questions, please contact Eileen at Marsh
Landing Management Company - (904) 273-3033. |
Landscape
Committee
Chris Cavell, Chairperson
Your Deerwood Landscape Committee
continues to work diligently on beautifying our Community!
Within the next few weeks, updates will be made to the
Baymeadows entranceways. We have discussed working on improving
the Southside entrance too. Some of the islands within our
Community need to have plants added and/or replaced; this is
particularly evident in the Countryside area. We are working on
proposals for some of the islands; this will be ongoing
throughout the summer.
The DIA Board is ready,
willing, but not quite able to start work on the Jacksonville
Country Day School Zone. Irrigation has not been installed. We
have a fantastic design ready to go, which should keep our
children safe as well as help funnel the traffic in a more
efficient manner.
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! If
you see an area that might require our attention, please let us
know! Call Chris Cavell @ 728-8282, or Karen Merrell @ 645-7345.
We really appreciate all of the feedback we receive from our
residents. We hope you have a great summer!
GROUNDS
COMMITTEE
Tom Mantia, Chairperson
Work will continue on the drainage
structure projects begun last year. Four of the five projects
contemplated for 2005 and reported in our last newsletter have
been awarded to Calloway Contracting Inc. and are well under the
budget allocated. The fifth project is expected to be awarded in
the very near future.
The drainage situation is now
in a very manageable state thanks to the dedicated efforts of
Tom McConnell and Les Beadling over the past three years. They
are to be complimented for their work.
With that said, we are now
looking into the conditions of the roads which in many places
are in need of topping at the least and rebuilding at the worst.
England Thims and Miller Engineers along with a paving
contractor have been asked to assess the condition of Hollyridge,
Golf Club Drive and Whippoorwill Lane (the main path from gate
to gate) and develop ball park costs for consideration by the
Board. Paving has been completed on Little Fox Lane and a
portion of Woodpecker Trail.
Work has been authorized for
pavement repair and curbing at the Sable Oak Way island where
trucks can not navigate the existing tight turning radius. The
curb and drain inlet configuration at the Sable Oak entrance is
also to be reworked to allow the drain to function correctly and
to eliminate a potential safety hazard.
An arborist was consulted with
regard to some oak trees in the community which were showing
stress. His comments were rather interesting. "Trees know
what is best for them. Leave them alone. Excessive trimming and
torching is harmful. Weed and Feed also kills the trees.
Sprinklers spraying on the trunks promote mold and mildew."
So the bottom line is that you can have healthy trees or pretty
grass. Sometimes you just can't win.
|
 Playground
Project
Rick Root
Phase
II of the playground project is underway. We have met
with our architect and expect a preliminary drawing of
the new pavilion facility by the middle of June. The
brick pavers are in and will be installed as part of
this project. If all goes well, we hope to have
construction underway and completed by this Fall. Phase
III of the project will be the drainage, parking and
landscaping and should get underway shortly thereafter.
As a side note, use of the new playground has increased
tremendously. It's great to see our kids having fun.
|
2nd
Quarter Baywatch Update
Rose Reich
Southside/Baymeadows
Overpass: The Mayor's office has determined that the
costs outweigh the benefits of an overpass at this intersection.
The Better Jacksonville Plan funds will be used to improve roads
elsewhere.
Roads: A.C.
Skinner Parkway, which connects Southside Blvd to Belfort Road
at Deerwood Park Blvd, is nearing completion. There will be a
new traffic signal 500 ft. north of the Deerwood entrance. For
more information about this road and many others including I-95
and 9-A, please access the following websites:
Regional Park:
Councilman Art Graham, Charles Skinner, Baywatch and a Pulte
representative, met with Mayor Peyton on May 10th, to discuss
the need and funding options for our Regional Park. Councilman
Graham is pursuing corporate donations in addition to city
funds. Mayor Peyton was very receptive to our requests. We will
keep you informed of further developments.
Schools:
Portable buildings will be installed at Twin Lakes Elementary to
help with the overcrowding issue at this school. They should be
ready when school begins this August. In addition, there will be
a new high school built in our area and ready to open August
2008.
CPAC: The
Citizen's Planning and Advisory Committee is a group of
homeowners that represent their subdivisions in the southeast
region of Duval County. Each subdivision has one voting member
and an alternate that attend monthly (4th Monday) meetings at
the Regional Library at 6:30 pm. This is the community's chance
to give feedback to the Mayor on a wide variety of issues that
affect our community; land use and zoning, parks and recreation,
transportation, and environmental issues. Hampton Glen is in
need of 2 representatives for CPAC. Please take the time to
volunteer for this worthwhile endeavor and call Rose Reich at
538-9674. You do not need any background in these areas, just a
concern for the quality of life in your neighborhood!
Other Development:
Community First Credit Union will build a stand-alone bank with
a drive through at the corner of Baymeadows Road and Point
Meadows Way (in front of People's First Bank). Pulte will build
a small condominium complex between Jax Dodge and the park land.
Another storage facility will be built at the southwest corner
of Gate and 9-A.
Baywatch Representatives:
Your Hampton Glen representatives are Rose Reich and Hank
Houpert. Thank you to Jerry Bussell for his past service to
Baywatch. We are currently represented by Deerwood, Hampton
Glen, Hampton Park, East Hampton, James Island, Royal Lakes and
Stone Bridge. Our goal is to have 2 representatives from all the
surrounding sub-divisions. If you know residents from
neighborhoods not listed here that would like to participate in
Baywatch, please have them call Rose Reich for more information
at 538-9674.
What's
Happening on Southside Boulevard!
The new construction on Southside
Boulevard, just to the north of the entrance to
Deerwood, is to be an exit from the service road
entering the north lanes of Southside Boulevard. It will
only be used as an exit from the service road and will
not allow any U-turns. The present exit at the northern
end of the service road will be closed.
A new multi-lane road connecting
Belfort Road to the entrance of Deerwood Industrial
Park, known as A. C. Skinner Parkway, is presently under
construction and will cross Southside Boulevard creating
a new intersection at the location where the service
road currently exits to the North lanes of Southside
Boulevard.
For Deerwood residents leaving via the
Southside Gate it means we will only be able to go north
on Southside Boulevard, as is the current situation. We
will NOT be able to make a U-turn and go south at the
new intersection. However, we will be able to turn west
on the new A. C. Skinner Parkway and get to Belfort Road
without going via Turner Butler Expressway. The new
Section of A. C. Skinner Parkway will parallel and be
located to the south of Turner Butler expressway. The
intersection at A. C. Skinner Parkway and Southside
Boulevard will be similar to the Baymeadows and
Southside intersection. |
Sign
Language
Les Beadling
An
unambiguous house sign located in a visible location is not only
important for your safety, but it helps visitors, it is a city
law, a Deerwood Covenant and implies a pride of ownership.
If you were to find yourself in a precarious
predicament or there was a medical emergency in your home, would
the police, rescue or emergency workers be able to locate your
house quickly and accurately? A proper house sign could save
them important minutes that might make the difference of a
favorable outcome versus a tragedy. For this very reason the
City of Jacksonville has made it a law (Jacksonville City
Ordinance Section 745.102-C-H) to have such a sign and the
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue have been known to give citations
requiring payment of fines to homeowners where there is no
proper house sign.
How many times have you wanted to visit
someone in Deerwood and was not sure you had the right house
because there was no easily visible house sign to verify their
address? Don't you consider it courteous of the owner when
visiting an unfamiliar house to be sure you are at the right
place before you ring the doorbell?
Our Deerwood Covenants address this issue in
paragraph thirteen: A plate showing the number of the residence
shall be placed on each building plot on which a building is
located and at the option of the property owner, a name plate
showing the name of the owner may also be placed on such
building plot. However, the developer shall first approve the
size, location design and type of material for each such plate.
Actually, there is a proper house sign already approved. It is
the discrete green sign you see in many if not most of the yards
in Deerwood with the number of the house and sometimes the
owners name in white reflective letters.
If you don't already have such a house sign
you may want to consider having one placed in your yard. It
might save a life, prevent a tragedy, help a visitor, and keep
you in compliance with the law and the Deerwood Covenants.
Eilene, of Marsh Landing Management will help you with this
important task by calling 273-3033.
Coming
to a Playground Near You !!!!!!!
The new Deerwood Park Pavilion is finally
coming to fruition! It is the intent of the Board to replace the
existing covered shelter with a more permanent structure. Rick
Root, head of the Playground Committee, spoke to Pepe Perez,
Deerwood resident and principal of PQH Architects. Consequently,
PQH volunteered their services to provide the design and
construction documents for the Pavilion. The Conceptual Design
was approved by the Board on Monday, June 6 and the documents
will be completed by next month. In his presentation to the
Board, Pepe stated…"The Pavilion will have more than
twice the covered area of the existing shelter and will contain
boys and girls toilets, a small storage area and will have a
full working kitchen for food preparation. The structure will be
built out of concrete block with stucco and have stone accents.
This will give it more permanence and be easier to maintain."
Furthermore, Ben Perez, second-year student in Building
Construction, agreed to give of his personal time this summer
and assist in the preparation of the construction documents.
Access
Control Report - Slow Down and Be Safe !!!!
 Speeding
has decreased somewhat over the last 90 days inside the gates of
Deerwood. We still want to concentrate on the individuals who
continue to ignore the safety of our residents. We've already
had one resident struck while walking at night. Please remember
to always wear light colored clothing and carry a flashlight
while walking during the evening hours. A study has begun of our
guardhouse camera system that needs to be upgraded. We are still
having problems with youngsters and power scooters (these are
not allowed to be driven on Deerwood streets). Letters will be
sent to the parents as needed. The hurricane plan has been
reviewed by the Committee as well as First Coast Security and
found to be in order for the upcoming storm season. As always,
please remember to drive careful and be safe.
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