Special
Notes
- The Deerwood Country Club is offering a
special membership category until 11/15/07: Tennis players
can join this category with no initiation fee and monthly
dues of just $175.00 for unlimited access to tennis and
dining. Call 641-6100.
- Deerwood residents are reminded by the US
Postal Service that they MUST regularly empty their
mailboxes or their mail will be returned to the Post
Office.
- Keep Deerwood Safe! Remove DIA access
stickers when you sell your car and notify Access Control to
deactivate the old sticker. Do not give out your PIN to
anyone.
- Congratulations to our Manager Doug Scott
and his wife on the birth of their son, Sean Michael. We are
glad to report mother and baby are both doing well.
- Visitor Access Authorization number
642-1633
- Marsh Landing Management 273-3033
- Web site www.mydeerwood.com
PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE
I hope
you enjoyed your summer and enjoyed the DCC fireworks! It was a
great opportunity to get our community together. Thanks to all
the people who came to our recent Board meeting at the new
playground. Visitors are always welcome at our monthly Board
meetings and are given an opportunity to address the Board. We
meet at 5:30 p.m., the first Monday of the month at the Deerwood
Clubhouse. In this
newsletter, we update you on DIA committee activities focusing
on our PLAYGROUND PROJECT, also the “charges” of a DIA
Committee AND a NEW in progress project that your Board is
evaluating – “Street Lights of Deerwood” ( available on
our website, www.mydeerwood.com
) Your hard working DIA
Board and Committee members spend hours on their efforts and
would welcome your participation. If you would like to volunteer
on a committee, contact our Property Management Team at 274-3030
or email your suggestions to dscott@marshlanding.org
or information@deerwoodhomeowners.com
or via our website www.mydeerwood.com.
For volunteer opportunities for our larger community which
includes Deerwood and surrounding communities, join “Baywatch”
and/or the SE CPAC. See our website for more information. Finally,
we are going to include limited advertising in our Newsletter to
reduce its cost to you. If you’d like to place an ad, email information@deerwoodhomeowners.com
and someone will contact you.
Playground
Project
CONTEST---NAME THE PLAYGROUND AND
WIN A FREE PAVILION RENTAL!!
If
you haven’t been to the playground lately, stop by and check
it out Phase
1 & 2
The first 2 phases of the Playground Project are complete!
As you know, Phase 1 of the Playground Project included the
replacement and/or renovation of the entire playground structure
as well as the basketball court which has been resurfaced and
widened with new hoops and padded poles for added safety. Phase
2 included the construction of the new pavilion area, which is
now open for use, complete with bathrooms, food preparation
area, storage cabinets and lovely covered picnic area with
ceiling fans.
Thanks to the many Deerwood residents
who provided “sweat equity” for the new playground and
pavilion, particularly Rick Root who chaired the project.
Special thanks to Deerwood resident, Andy Senesac, who donated
the equipment and labor to remove the old pavilion. Thanks also
to the DIA Landscaping Committee for the attractive arrangement
of new plants.
Reserving the Pavilion
Reserve the pavilion for private use; e.g. birthday, sports and
graduation parties by calling the DIA property management
company (see Property Manager’s Report). To equitably allocate
pavilion usage costs, there is an operational/upkeep fee of
$50.00 for parties and a refundable cleaning and damage deposit
of $100 (payable to DIA) to assure exclusive use of the pavilion
and cover usage costs.
Phase 3 is still in the planning
process and may include a fitness trail, soccer field or a
baseball diamond. Implementation is planned to begin in 2008 as
the playground reserve account is funded. Your Board is
evaluating fundraising options to help with this phase.
Background
Some years ago the entire Deerwood Community property was
purchased from Gate Petroleum, Inc. At that time, two entities
were established: Deerwood Country Club and Deerwood Improvement
Association. One purchase transaction took place where all of
the property inside our gates was divided between property owned
by the Country Club and property owned by the Association.
At the time of the purchase, a significant
portion of the property that had been known as the “playground
parcel” became the property of the Country Club. In 2002, the
Association Board began negotiations with the Country Club Board
to obtain ownership of the entire playground parcel.
Our goal was to update and improve our
community playground to provide amenities consistent with other
residential communities in the in the Jacksonville area. As a
result of these negotiations, the Country Club passed ownership
of the entire “playground parcel” to the Association with
some stipulations. Specifically, the Association agreed to
utilize the property for the improvement of the community
playground.
The cost of the project is funded by DIA, with
the first two phases amounting to approximately $200,000 (not
including significant donations by Deerwood residents). The cost
of the next phase depends on the scope and is planned to be
implemented over the next several years. These improvements not
only add to the desirability of our community and also fulfill
our contractual agreement with DCC.
Property Manager's Report
Congratulations
to all of the residents on the addition of the pavilion and
playground! The process to reserve the pavilion is to call Ann
Canty in my office at Marsh Landing Management. She will check
the date requested and inform you of availability. If available,
she will send you the necessary paperwork to complete. Once we
receive the paperwork and your payment and deposit checks, your
reservation will be confirmed.
For your convenience, our DIA
guards will assist you in completing the pavilion checklist
before and after your event to monitor cleanliness and damage.
They will then fax it to us identifying a satisfactory condition
and your deposit check will be returned.
Please note that the playground
area can not be reserved since it is open to all residents
during playground hours. If you have any questions, please do
not hesitate to call me.
Architectural Review Committee
This
committee is comprised of the Chair, a coordinator authorized by
the Board of Directors and an architect engaged by the DIA. Its
primary responsibility is to maintain Deerwood as a premier
residential community with regard to the homes in the community.
This includes approving the construction of new homes and
additions, fences, replacement roofs, swimming pools,
landscaping and other exterior changes, which could affect the
appearance of the property. It also responsible for assuring
that Covenants and Restrictions are complied with, such as
setbacks etc. Approval of this committee is required for the
removal of any trees larger than 6" in diameter. The
committee meets every other Monday at the Deerwood Club at 2
p.m.
Please make sure all submittal
material has been received and requests made to appear at the
ARC meeting the Wednesday prior to Mondays meeting to ensure
space on the agenda. From time to time the agenda may be too
large to handle at one meeting, so submittals are handled in the
order they are received to allow proper time to evaluate each
request.
Information on how to submit material is
available on the website or call Coordinator Tobe’ Budner at
285-2519.
Landscape
We
have installed 4 sprinkler zones around the pavilion and back
fence. We are reusing the disconnected water meter from the old
pavilion and saving over $3,000.
Nanak installed 3,500 square feet of St.
Augustine sod and shrubs around the pavilion. Crape Myrtles were
planted by Herman along the back fence, camouflaging the water
tank. There are also new live oak trees around the playground
providing much needed shade. The Baymeadows Guard Gate has been
nicely landscaped. Our “Knock-Out” Roses are thriving in the
summer heat. These roses add year-round beauty and color by the
Baymeadows’ entrance, the flag pole, the Indian Hawthorne tree
and in three beds by the driving range. Since there is little
maintenance with these fabulous roses, consider adding them to
your yards. We look forward to your input!
Lights and Roads
STREET
LIGHTS
Early this year, due to possible visual safety issues such as
the dark to light lighting conditions; the deteriorating
condition of our street lights and wiring , the increasing cost
of upkeep; and requests from residents for improved street
lighting, your DIA Board commissioned a study of our street
lighting needs.
In brief, they reported that, the conduit is
not up to code, existing lights are discontinued, making repair
or replacement of existing light poles infeasible and the
current lighting system is inadequate and can not be expanded.
While we do not have to meet the International
Electric Standards for North America (IESNA) levels, we would
like to improve the lighting levels for our residents’ safety,
protecting drivers and pedestrians.
The amount of lighting, aesthetics,
illumination level and cost are also part of the street light
review. In order to update the community, the report is
summarized below.
Consultant Summary on Street Lights for
Deerwood
Deficiencies
- The majority of roadway lighting does not
meet the IESNA recommended lighting levels.
- The approximately 200 existing lighting
fixtures were installed in the mid to late 1960’s, have
reached their end of design life and there are no
replacement parts for the rusted broken fixtures.
- The existing wiring is not in conduit and
has been cut in several locations with splices made in the
ground.
- The existing panels and photocells are
rusting out.
- The existing spacing of the light fixtures
is 600-feet apart.
- The existing lighting is High Pressure
Sodium (Yellow Light) as opposed to more visible White
Light.
OPTIONS
Option 1:
Reuse Existing Fixtures
- To reuse existing light fixtures, we would
need to add approximately 536 fixtures additional light
fixtures to meet IESNA lighting levels. The new light
fixtures would not match exactly the existing and we would
continue using the Yellow Light instead of improving to
White Light.
- Existing wiring does not have capacity to
add new fixtures. All new conduit and wiring would need to
be installed.
- Additional engineering services would be
needed.
Option 2:
Purchase new poles and wiring from JEA to meet IESNA levels
Option 3:
Purchase new poles and wiring from a private contractor to meet
IESNA levels
Option 4:
Purchase new poles and wiring and install additional poles, but
at a number less than IESNA requirements.
Cost
Implementing the full IESNA level is estimated to cost
approximately $2 million dollars and would have to be phased in
over several years. Other options will depend on the bids
received and the level of lighting desired.
Let us know your thoughts!
Access
Control
Access
Control has had significant problems in the past with people
entering by saying they are regular service personnel and then
venturing into other areas of Deerwood. In an effort to control
this problem Access Control has implemented a procedure whereby
all tree, pool and lawn service vehicles must have two signs as
a pre-requisite for entry into Deerwood. Companies initially not
in compliance are allowed a one week grace period to comply with
this policy. Those companies not in compliance after the one
week period are not allowed entry until they comply.
Gate officers only allow entry into Deerwood
those companies or persons that are listed on the residents
permanent or daily list. Persons or companies not on the list
require the gate officer to call the resident for authorization.
All persons or companies entering Deerwood are
issued a daily pass, however an extended pass may be authorized
for an individual by a resident for a maximum of 30 days.
Do not give out your pin for access through
the Gate for your safety and that of other residents! It takes
only a few minutes to call in an authorization or add the person
to your permanent list.
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