Come to the Annual Meeting and enjoy refreshmentsBy Tony GreeneBoard President Our annual meeting is Thursday, March 27, 2003, 7 p.m. at the library. Please mark your calendars and attend. At this meeting, the Board of Directors will introduce themselves and discuss Silver Ridge's current state of affairs. We hope to have an update on our Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design process. In addition, you will elect new directors to the Association's Board of Directors. The Board controls the budget and policies of Silver Ridge and enforces our governing documents. The Board answers to the members of the Association. It is important that the members carefully elect responsible Directors. The Board consists of five Directors whose terms of office last one, two or three years. The terms of office are staggered so not all expire in the same year. The Association will be electing Directors to fill a one-year term and a three-year term. In addition, a Director is needed to finish the two-year term that was held by the resigned Linda Harrell. All residents are strongly encouraged to support this process and get involved. To comply with Florida law and with the Association's by-laws, we must have at least 10% of the members represented at the meeting, either in person or by proxy. To ensure that we indeed have a quorum at the meeting, please either attend the meeting or return your proxy to our property management company. Free snacks and drinks will be served at the meeting. If you have an issue you would like placed on the agenda, would like to be on the Board or wish to nominate someone, please contact property manager Colman McKenna at 407-282-9988 ext. 107. Nominations for the Board may be also made at the annual meeting. Property Manager's CornerBy Colman McKenna, LCAMPenn First Management In the June 2002 issue of Silver Ridge in Action the relationship between Silver Ridge HOA and Penn First Management, the violation process and the enforcement of the community documents were addressed. I'd like to add a few comments. First and foremost, there should not be an "Us vs. Them" relationship between the homeowners and the Board of Directors/management company. Each homeowner has invested a substantial amount of their income in their home. If a homeowner decides to ignore the community documents and allows his home or landscaping to deteriorate, he is deteriorating the value of his home and his neighbors'. This is where the concept of community comes into play. If a homeowner lets weeds grow in his yard or cinch bugs proliferate in his lawn then inevitably his neighbors' lawns will also be infected. What may have been a reasonable cost for one homeowner results in a substantial cost for both the offending homeowner and all his neighbors. Often we hear a homeowner say, "This is my home and I can do whatever I like." That is true to a certain extent but as long as the homeowner lives in a deed-restricted community, then the homeowner is obligated to abide by the community documents and standards. Buying a home in Silver Ridge means you accepted that obligation. Penn First Management is obligated to perform certain functions on behalf of and by direction of the Board of Directors/Homeowners Association. Nothing would please me more when doing property inspections than to see every home beautifully maintained with well manicured and cared for lawns and garden beds. When I do notice an issue needing addressing, I leave a friendly reminder notice and it is just that: a friendly reminder. Sometimes in our busy schedules we may overlook certain aspects of the exterior of our homes. I am merely bringing those matters to your attention. Heartburn medication is not required when you receive such notices. Just give me a phone call and let me know when the issue will be fixed. Agents for Penn First Management all possess certain qualifications however, clairvoyance is not one of them. Sometimes it may be obvious what measures you are taking but often it is not. A little communication goes a long way and can result in fewer follow up letters being mailed, which means less expense and, consequently, your dues being spent in more useful ways to enhance your community. The same principles apply to homeowner dues. Any actions that require follow up letters or legal action only divert funds that could be spent in a more beneficial way for the community. I understand that anybody can experience a personal or financial crisis at any time. Communicating your predicament, without giving details, will alleviate one less aggravation in your life. Thank you again for your cooperation. Penn First Management is dedicated to providing your community with exemplary service and assistance. Yard of the QuarterWhile the weather has been unusually harsh this winter, we still have some stand- out yards in our neighborhood. Yard of the Quarter goes to Chesly Cherizol and Daphne Adam of 2817 St. Clair Court. These homeowners were second place last quarter and they have been working on their yard ever since. The trees are trimmed, leaves raked and the grass is greener than most other lawns. Gerard and Myrta Louis-Jean at 2825 Silver Ridge Drive are our first runners-up. They have planted young flowering plants around their trees and have really been making an effort.Quarterly, the Architectural Control Committee votes for the Yard of the Quarter. If you see a lawn worthy of the prize, we'd love to hear from you! E-mail your suggestions to acc@silverridgehoa.org or leave a voicemail at 407-293-4117. All nominations received will be forwarded to the Architectural Control Committee for consideration. The resident who wins Yard of the Quarter receives a $50 Home Depot gift certificate and is announced in the next newsletter. Nominations for the next quarter must be received by May 15, 2003. A Message from HOA President Tony GreeneWe have taken action to update our current governing documents. The updated documents will be sent to each neighbor shortly. This change is recommended to help the board in governing our community and to update our documents to reflect Florida Statue changes that have taken place in the last 15 years.One of the biggest changes we hope to make is being able to recover legal costs associated with enforcing the codes, covenants and restrictions. For example, when we have to take legal action toget a neighbor to remove a broken car from his lawn, it can easily cost a few hundred dollars. Right now, that money comes out of your annual assessment. We believe the violater should have to pay those legal fees. If we continue to be unable to recover legal fees, there is a good chance that your annual assessment will rise or enforcement will lessen. Once you have reviewed the documentation, please sign and return the proxies. If you have any questions on the proposed changes, please contact Penn First, send the Board email or attend an upcoming Board meeting. The board will attempt to answer your question in person. Again, the board would greatly appreciate everyone's support and cooperation regarding this effort. As noted previously, our property manager has been directed to compile a list of the top community offenders from which the Board will select disputes to send to litigation. The three major factors for the Board's decision to litigate will be the number of outstanding violations, the length of time the violations have gone unresolved and whether the violator has made an attempt to work with the Board and the property manager to resolve the dispute. The goal of this effort is to notify our violating neighbors that they are living in a Covenant and Deed Restricted neighborhood and their violations has had an adverse effect on property values throughout our community. We currently have more work in our community than we have volunteers and there is so much that can be done to enhance our community. Please, become actively involved in your community! Our goals are the establishment of the Neighborhood Improvement Committee and the Neighborhood Watch Committee. The individual commitment will be minimal as more people become involved in our community. If you are interested in making a difference in our community or if you have any concerns or comments please email the Board or phone us. The Board would love to hear from you on ways to improve our community and your feelings regarding the management of our community. You can contact the Board by emailing hoa@silverridgehoa.org or 407-293-4117. I would again like to thank all of the residents who have supported our community and who have made a commitment to maintain the appearance of their residence and address any violations received in a timely manner. Again, your support and cooperation is very welcome and appreciated! Busted mailbox delivers good newsBy Matt SteinhoffBoard Secretary Someone in Silver Ridge ran over our mailbox. Usually when a story starts out like that it ends poorly with bad blood between neighbors or even legal action. Not this time. A neighbor knocked on our door shortly before seven in the morning a couple months ago - long before I had my first cup of coffee. That's the bad news. The worse news is that she was knocking to say she ran over our mailbox. The box was dented and the post itself was broken off. Here's where the happy ending comes into play. She (who I won't embarrass by naming) actually admitted it was her fault and offered to buy us a new mailbox. That sort of honesty and forthrightness is not as common as it should be. I'm really happy to have this sort of person in our neighborhood. Though the situation of our meeting wasn't the best, I'm glad my wife and I got to meet this lady. Tell me about your neighbor As Secretary of the Silver Ridge Home Owner's Association, I hear mostly about bad neighbors. What I would really like is mail from y'all telling me some good news. If a neighbor mowed your yard because you were sick, let me know. If you have a neighbor who watches your dog while you're out of town, send me an email. If a couple of you worked out a deal to split the cost of a news fence, tell us about it. I would like to include some of these letters in upcoming newsletters. Send your stories to secretary@silverridgehoa.org. Take care for pets' sakeWalking through Silver Ridge on an almost daily basis, one thing quickly becomes clear. We have a lot of dogs running loose in our neighborhood! These are somebody's loving pets left to protect themselves from other animals, traffic and unscrupulous people. It always makes me sad to see "Lost Pet" flyers posted in our neighborhood.Orange County has a leash law that identifies "at large" animals as "a dog off the owner's premises, not under a person's control by means of leash, cord or chain, and upon public or private property without the consent of the property owner or tenant," and "a cat which does not exhibit identification by collar and a current rabies license tag." Because pets are such an important part of our families, we sometimes forget they are not people. But they aren't people and they depend upon you to do what's best. Please, take care of your animals and don't let them wander the neighborhood unrestricted. The pets that roam free are the same animals that tear up trash bags, get into fights, chase kids going to school, harass walkers and joggers and get killed by cars. They are also the ones that go missing. Most of these injuries and deaths could be prevented by responsible pet owners. For more information, visit the Orange County Animal Services web site at http://www.ocnetpets.com. Linda, we couldn't have done it without youThe volunteers of the Silver Ridge Homeowners Association would like to take this time to thank Linda Harrell for her contribution to our community. Linda and husband Tony recently moved and she had to step down from her many years of active service.She has a long-standing record participating and chairing our Neighborhood Watch program, being an active member of the Board of Directors, organizing community block parties and supporting the Christmas luminary give-away in the past. Her unselfish commitment and willingness to serve our community is to be commended and we would like to say thanks, farewell and best wishes. Upcoming Holidays and Meetings
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