The assessment and budget for 2007 was approved at the Deerwood Improvement Association Board meeting on December 4th. The assessment for 2007 is $1,957. A comparative summary of the major budget items is attached. There will be a more detailed review of the budget at our annual meeting in March.

Major cost items in 2006

Legal: Over the past four years DIA has been involved in two costly court cases, one as plaintiff and one as defendant. In both cases we were defending our Covenants and Restrictions. Both cases have been decided in our favor and we have prevailed over the appeals process. We are now awaiting a decision from the courts as to the amount of legal fees we will be able to recover.

Playground: Construction of our new playground pavilion is underway and should be completed this spring. In addition the basketball court is being enlarged and resurfaced along with improvements on the baskets and backboards.

Management: 2006 was the second year with Marsh Landing Management Company and an excellent working arrangement has evolved. Douglas Scott, our on-site manager, has an insightful, working knowledge of Deerwood and has demonstrated a fair and balanced approach to our problems and concerns.

Assess Control: Dave Cochran and his team at First Coast Security Services has continued to provide reliable, dependable assess and aided development of several new initiatives, including: both voice and video recording of persons entering Deerwood. Additionally, an electric generator that will provide power to our Baymeadows entrance at times of power outages has been installed.

Covenants and Restrictions: Due to bills passed by the Florida Legislature the covenants and restrictions for Deerwood Units I through VI have to be reinstated by a long, complicated process that has required expensive legal expertise. Most of the preliminary investigation is complete and we should be able to reinstate them in the next few months.

Major Cost Items for 2007

Road Maintenance: The first major road improvements in over four years will begin in January. Hollyridge Road, from the playground to Whippoorwill Lane, and Bluejay Lane will receive a new asphalt top layer and bright yellow thermoplastic traffic lines will be applied. Other paving projects are in the planning stages.

Street Signs: The signs marking our streets will be replaced with new signs that will have larger, reflective lettering that can be easily seen both day and night.

Street Lighting: A project to upgrade our street lighting to a system that is modern, uniform, esthetically pleasing and one that will meet the minimum standards for a residential community was started this year. This project will probably take several years to complete.

RV/Boat Storage Yard: A new, larger storage area for recreation vehicles and boats is planned and will be located near the site of our present storage area.

www.MyDeerwood.com: Our directory has been added to the Deerwood web site and can be accessed by typing Deerwood in the name blank and typing your Deerwood pin number in the password blank.

Sincerely,

Leslie Beadling
President, DIA