The Glades Owners Association

Minutes for June 19, 2008

In attendance were Board Members Don Cavaleri, Corinne Cox, Bob Friess, Don Lloyd, Ken Patterson, and Patty Wallace.  Absent from the meeting was Board Member, Tom Easter.  There were owners of four Glades homes in attendance.  The Meeting was called to order at 6:30P by the President, Mr. Cavaleri.

The Minutes for the April 17, 2008 meeting were presented by the Secretary, Ms. Cox.  A motion was made to accept the minutes of the meeting by Mr. Lloyd, seconded by Mr. Patterson.  The motion was carried.

The Treasurer’s Report was presented by Treasurer, Mr. Friess. 

• The total balance in the account is $91,080.25. 
• Spending is down this month because of curtailing some maintenance on Beckridge due to road construction; curtailing replacement of entrance lights because lights and signage due to be replaced; and savings on utilities. 
• Money has been set aside for the replacement signage and conversion of the lights.

A motion was made to accept the Treasurer’s Report by Mr. Lloyd, seconded by Mr. Patterson.  The motion was carried.

The Maintenance Committee Report was presented by the Chairperson, Mr. Lloyd. 

·        Mr. Lloyd noted that there is a female speeder on Hombre Circle driving a black Mustang that needs to be alerted that she is exceeding the speed limit for a residential neighborhood.  Please let Mr. Lloyd know in which house she resides so he can talk to her.

·        The pumps on the fountains in Glades II have been turned off until we get more rain.  The pumps are sucking mud at this point.  They will be reactivated as soon as the water levels are elevated in the ponds.

·        Herbaflex is no longer working for The Glades.  A difficulty in maintaining sufficient employees has caused the company to only retain their larger clients. We are now using David Jordan’s Lawn Service. 

Mr. Friess made a motion to switch from Herbaflex to David Jordan’s company on a permanent basis at the same price negotiated by Mr. Lloyd with Herbaflex.  The motion was seconded by Ms. Wallace.  The motion was carried.

·        The sprinklers behind Glades II are not working because a pipe was broken by the Contractor, Mickey Mabry’s, employees while working on homeowner, Rusty Hill’s, home.  David Jordan is repairing the pipe for us.  A homeowner, James Walling, said he would assist.

·        We need to install new lights around signage at the entrances flush with the ground with grates covering same in order to protect them.  We paid $7,500 last year to replace light fixtures.  One month we paid $400 to replace the lights at Back Beach Road .  Two days after replacing lights all were broken again.  We have replaced numerous fixtures because someone has been completely destroying the newly installed lights as soon as they were repaired.  David Jordan has an electrician on his staff and his company will probably do the work when we replace the existing rotting entrance signage.

·        Mr. Walling asked if we had ever pursued a more competitive price with a single refuse company for the entire Glades.  A discussion ensued including a favorable recommendation for one of the refuse companies whose driver, Dexter, has been so accommodating and helpful to neighbors, and their prices are competitive.  Mr. Lloyd requested that the homeowner, Billie Jane Jackson, ask Dexter to see Mr. Lloyd when he is in the neighborhood again. 

It was also noted that the present trash situation causes there to be trash cans and trash trucks on our streets everyday because we have three refuse companies working in our neighborhood.  It is not an attractive presentation of our neighborhood for homeowners and perspective buyers.  Mr. Lloyd is going to investigate the proposal and will give a report at the next meeting.

Homeowner Rich Matthews made everyone present aware that trash service will be mandatory for each owner in the city of Panama City Beach in about two years.  Owners will be billed on their water bills.

·        Mr. Walling also asked if a single lawn service could do all lawns in The Glades.  Participants felt that a single provider could never be agreed to by all the homeowners.  Mr. Lloyd thought it would be prudent to pursue the refuse issue before deciding on the lawn question.

A motion was made to accept the Maintenance Report by Ms. Cox, seconded by Mr. Patterson.  The motion was carried.

The Architectural and Environmental Report was presented by the Chairperson, Mr. Patterson.

·        The Committee is still sending out letters requesting that homeowners be “good neighbors” and abide by the covenants.  A homeowner storing a washer/ dryer in their truck in the driveway and another homeowner storing their boat in their driveway were “good neighbors” and removed them.

·        No signage is allowed in the yards with the exception of one “For Sale” sign.  Mr. Patterson has had difficulty with neighbors not removing political signs in their yards. 

·        Trash cans that can be seen from the street, adjoining lot, or golf course continue to be a problem.  Trash cans must be stored in such a way to be out of sight of the street, adjoining lot, or golf course.  Trash cans should be removed from the street after pick-up in a timely manner. 

A motion was made to accept the Architectural and Environmental Report by Mr. Lloyd, seconded by Ms. Cox.  The motion was carried.

The Social Committee Report was presented by the Chairperson, Ms. Wallace. 

·        A location for The Glades Christmas Party is at the forefront of planning for the social calendar.  Ms. Wallace has investigated Saltwater Grill (Room is wanting for dancing, entertainment is not necessarily conducive for same, and may cost $35/plate for three choices.); Edgewater or Boardwalk (Would have to hire entertainment.  Does anyone know a D.J.?); Carrabba’s (Can not handle 100 people.); and The Breakers (They are not booking for Christmas at this time.)  No one would give a firm price now for a Christmas Party.  She will also check with the Senior Center .  Ms. Wallace would welcome any suggestions. 

Mr. Walling heard Dr. Russ Akin’s band downtown and thought they were quite good.  He is going to find out more information for Ms. Wallace. 

She also noted that Julellyn Motley, last year’s Social Chairperson, gave the Social book with all information to Don Cavaleri.  Mr. Cavaleri will search for the book.

·        Mr. Cavaleri would like us to encourage block parties.  Suggested offering a stipend to homeowners sponsoring a get-to-know your neighbors parties.  We have had enough turnover in the neighborhood that we don’t know everyone, and we would like to perpetuate the friendly neighborhood atmosphere.  It is healthy for adults and children.

·        A discussion was held concerning the July 4^th Golf Outings and Picnics of yore.  The Homeowners Association supplied meat, soft drinks, and beer and everyone brought a dish.  Ms. Wallace noted that it was so extremely hot that it was a hardship for the people at the grills so we may want to revisit the idea for a Sunday in October.  She will talk to Dan McGrath at Hombre to explore the idea.

A motion was made to accept the Social Committee Report by Mr. Patterson, seconded by Mr. Lloyd.  The motion was carried.

Mr. Cavaleri called for New Business.

·        He noted that there has been an increase in traffic on all streets but Hombre Circle .  Homeowner Dan Shaffer, Bob Friess, and Mr. Cavaleri talked to Dan Jackson at the Panama City Beach City Hall about proclaiming The Glades a residential area.  Mr. Shaffer has studied the statutes and found that if The Glades was designated as a residential area then drivers cutting through the neighborhood could be issued warnings/tickets. 

·        Mr. Cavaleri suggested that since there had been an increase in crime in our area, it would behoove us to have inexpensive decals on our cars that would make it easier to identify neighbors.  Mr. Friess observed that the decals would have to be large enough to see from a distance.  Mr. Lloyd noted that if the police were a presence in our neighborhood two to three times a week, then decals would be of assistance.

If the police were at the Back Beach and Beckrich exits of The Glades the police could use the decals to note who should and should not be warned about using the neighborhood as a through passage.  If drivers were stopped they would soon remember that cutting through the neighborhood was not truly a shortcut.

Mr. Lloyd is going to talk to Mr. Humphrey, with the City of Panama City Beach, and request that the City police assist us with this issue.  There are counters at some entrances to check on traffic.  Some members of the Board are very worried about the increase in traffic due to Churchwell being widened and the increased rental of the apartments across Back Beach Road .

Mr. Matthews said that if we hired off-duty police they could assist our neighborhood in being more secure.  It is the visibility of the police that helps.  Then perhaps we could rid ourselves of the multiple signs and speed bumps throughout the neighborhood.

·        This month a speeding red mustang convertible coming into the neighborhood on Grand Heron from the Beckrich Entrance hit the second speed bump and became airborne.  It hit a mailbox and a palm tree in the front lawn of a homeowner’s yard at the corner of Grand Heron and Heron Turn and landed on the roof of the car.  The driver and passenger were not hurt. 

·        Mr. Friess brought mock-ups of the newsletter that Homeowner Judy Berberich will be producing for The Glades.  She was the Editor in the past and did such a wonderful job that Board Members are excited that she has agreed to take on the project again.

The newsletter will be produced in two colors and be mailed to each homeowner.  We will have highlights of the Board minutes and reports from each Chairperson. 

Also, Mr. Friess thought something similar to a Suggestion Box might be added to the newsletter.  Hoped it would not be anything derisive, but a plea to improve the community.  What do the homeowners want and let it evolve?  The newsletter may have ads eventually.

·        New Signage for the entrances.  The owners of Hombre Golf liked the proposed signage for the Back Beach Entrance.  How much they might contribute to paying for the signage is still in question. 

Mr. Friess made a motion that since the funds have been earmarked for the new signage, and after finding out the level of Hombre’s contribution, we should proceed with the signage on Back Beach and Middle Beach .  It will be more cost effective for a contractor to build two signs at the same time.  The Beckrich signage will have to wait until completion of the roadwork .

·        A neighbor has made a complaint that some homes look like parking lots because there are so many cars parked in their driveways and in front of their homes.  The streets are narrow and it makes it difficult to navigate the roads.

With there being no further business, Mr. Cavaleri accepted a motion by Mr. Lloyd to adjourn the meeting.  The motion was seconded by Ms. Cox, and the meeting was adjourned at 8:05P.