Newsletters Sent By . Fruitville Road Park Update Association Meetings

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1 Official Publication of your Association On-line at May 2015 Newsletters Sent By Newsletters are ed or mailed to all residents and homeowners. ing saves us money and time. If you want to be added to our list, send a message to: hoa@glenoaksestates.org All articles appearing in this issue were written by Renée Gluvna, unless otherwise noted. Fruitville Road Park Update Our park was saved from conversion to a shopping center in February and was cleaned up by 19 volunteers in March! In two hours huge piles of tree debris and trash were amassed. Thanks so much to all our volunteers. Many of them commented that they had never been inside the park before and were amazed at how beautiful and peaceful it was. Up next: we are drafting a proposal to the city for improvements to our park! The same team that worked to save the park is now hard at work on this proposal. Our vision involves preserving the park as a natural habitat for birds and wildlife and making it more accessible and inviting for everyone to enjoy! A name change is what we would like to see to avoid confusion with Fruitville Park on Honore. Signs so that people know it is a park. A bridge connecting the Circus Trail with the park to improve access and save a hike down to Fruitville Road and exposure to busy traffic. A small parking area and bike-rack by Circus Trail to allow more people to use the park. A simple oak-chip trail winding through the park to make walking easier. Some seating to provide places to rest. All these things are included in our proposal to make fullest use of our tiny bit of parkland Association Meetings Board Meetings: Tuesday, June 2 Tuesday July 7 Tuesday September 1 Tuesday October 6 Annual Meeting: Tuesday November 10 All meetings begin at 7:00 pm, and are held at Cornerstone Baptist Church Hall th St, unless otherwise stated on signs posted at our entrances. All meetings are open to all members of the Association.

2 Walking Audit On Thursday morning, May 7, a group of ten homeowners accompanied three representatives from the Urban Design Studio on a walking audit of our neighborhood. The purpose: to understand our neighborhood in terms of walkability, appearance, and quality of life. The Urban Design Studio has been hired by the City to work with citizens and stakeholders to create a City-wide Form-Based Code to replace the City s current complex zoning code. Form-based codes are a modern response to the challenges of urban sprawl, deterioration of historic neighborhoods, and the need for safe and efficient transportation options for pedestrians and cyclists. The code will also incorporate details such as sidewalks, bicycle lanes, transit, on-street parking, and street trees. The suggestions for our neighborhood and other nearby neighborhoods to consider will be presented on May 28 at the meeting in Mattison s on the Green restaurant at Bobby Jones Golf Club 6:30 8:30 pm. Very good ideas were discussed during the Walking Audit. This meeting offers residents a chance to ask questions and to give feedback to the Urban Design Studio. Plan to be there for this important meeting! A Word from Your President By Norman Dumaine Oftentimes, the activities of your Glen Oaks Estates Homeowners Association Board may go unnoticed, but your Board actively works to make our neighborhood a better place to live. Improving our landscaping and maintaining it, applying for County and City grants, seeking amenities to make our Fruitville Road Park a neighborhood attraction, partnering with the Urban Design Studio to call attention to the needs of our Central East area of the city, addressing drainage problems, designing our new web site, producing a directory, or planning events like the block party all are activities undertaken to make Glen Oaks Estates the best community it can be. We invite all of you to become involved. As HOA members, attend a Board Meeting, join an activity, or bring new ideas to our attention. Be an active participant in one of the best communities in Sarasota. Waterway Project on Gillespie Executive Golf Course: An Environmental Project by Sarasota County A Special Presentation will be given by Robert Wright, Neighborhood Environmental Stewardship Team Coordinator, on Tuesday, June 2, 2015 at 7:00 pm. He will be discussing a proposed project that would resolve our street-flooding problems and improve the water quality in the canal that carries away our street run-off. The County is asking us to partner with them in this project. All residents and homeowners are urged to attend this important meeting to hear about the project first-hand, ask questions, and give feedback. The meeting will be held in the Cornerstone Baptist Church hall at th St. across from the entrance to Northeast Shopping Center. A regular meeting of the Homeowners Association will immediately follow the presentation, at approximately 8:00 pm. Glen Oaks Estates Homeowners Association, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating under the laws of the state of Florida Board of Directors President Norm Dumaine Vice-President Dave Ellis Secretary Renée Gluvna Treasurer Ellendar Newlon Harry Dunn Barron Morin Paul Nielsen Jerrie Rakes Barb Shapiro

3 Budget 2015 (omitted in this website edition) New Landscaping Thanks to your effort last year in signing to show your support, we received the County grant we applied for to install new plants at Beneva Road. We were reimbursed for 50% of the cost, amounting to a check for $ Thank you! The plants we so carefully selected are very Florida friendly, and well suited to their sunny location. They are very heat-tolerant and drought resistant. In the straight section on the north side leading towards the Glen Oaks Manor, we have: 3 Jatropha Trees surrounded by Flax Lilies. Dwarf Walter s Viburnum (Mrs. Schiller s) line the wall. In front of the Beneva stone walls and in front of the entrance sign are Butterfly Pentas (red flowers). Few annuals can take the summer heat. Pentas are perennials in Florida and tolerate the heat nicely, once established. When you add plants to your landscape, please remember to select Florida friendly plants as we have done, to have fewer problems and a more attractive outcome! An excellent guide to selecting such plants can be found online at: This guide is a database that allows you to select features of the plant you are looking for, as well as the growing conditions such as type of soil and amount of light. Balance Sheet (omitted in this website edition) 3

4 Income Statement (omitted in this website edition) Neighborhood Directory: Coming Soon! We are still accepting information forms for the directory. (An info form is posted separately for your convenience.) Please fill out and return if you have not already done so. If we do not receive one from you, the only information that will appear is your address and the owner s name as appears in public record. If you are living in a rental, you are welcome to be included in our directory. We would prefer having information in the directory for people who actually live in each house. A directory can foster a greater sense of community. One drawback that our neighborhood has is the lack of a place where social activities and meetings can be held. Our recent Block Party was enjoyed so much by the people who attended and was a success in terms of people making new acquaintances. We see that it is possible to hold social events in the neighborhood in spite of the lack of a common building When you get your directory, take time to look to see who your neighbors are. We encourage you to adapt a friendly attitude. When you are out in your front yard, wave to your neighbor. Introduce yourself. There are many people in our neighborhood who don t know their next-door neighbors. Making acquaintance with your neighbors doesn t mean a commitment to being a best friend, but it goes far towards making a better community. Keys to Civility - #7: Accept Others From the former website Increasing civility improves the quality of life. George Bernard Shaw, in his play Pygmalion, speaks of having the same manner for all human souls: in short, behaving as if you were in heaven where one soul is as good as another. That is the crux of accepting others: welcoming all with the same enthusiasm as we experience in the feeling of belonging. Please wait till Wednesday to put your discards at the curb! 4

5 Crime Report Your Glen Oaks Estates Homeowners Association recognizes the importance of security for a neighborhood. Every month we receive a crime report for our neighborhood. Since January 1, 2015, there have been no reported incidents of crime in Glen Oaks Estates. Last year there were only three incidents. But don t be lulled into complacency by our low crime figures! 1. Lock your vehicle and your house. Most of our thefts were from unlocked vehicles. 2. Keep valuables out of sight in your vehicle. 3. Record the serial numbers of your electronic devices, TV s, computers, etc., and keep the list in a safe place. In case these items are stolen, you have a much greater chance of getting them back if you can provide serial numbers. Police enter serial numbers of stolen items into a database that is routinely checked by pawn shops. Please follow the advice of our crime prevention police officers and make a police report if any crime occurs on your property; then notify us so that we can send out an alert to all. We will continue to share ways to keep our neighborhood and your property more secure. Advertising Information The advertisements that appear in the text of this newsletter, and any advertising-inserts contained herein, do not constitute recommendations by the Board of Directors or the Glen Oaks Estates Homeowners Association for the specific companies or individuals mentioned. Any individual or company may place an advertisement in the newsletter by contacting Renee Gluvna at All ads must be in good taste and not offensive. The fees listed below for ads help to offset the publishing costs. Ad Prices: $5 = Business-card size $10 = Quarter-page $20 = Half-page $40 = Full-page Full-page insert duplicated by advertiser = $20 Color printing of any size ad is an additional $20. The color surcharge may be shared with another advertiser on the same page. 5

6 Prepare NOW for Storm Season! 1) Make your family disaster plan 2) Pull together Disaster Supplies 3) Brace for hurricanes 4) Discuss your evacuation plans 5) Help your neighbor 6) Keep your pets safe 7) Take steps to protect your home 8) Review your insurance 9) Safeguard documents & inventory 10) Know what to expect after a disaster Block Party a Success! If you missed this party, you missed a great time! The weather cooperated with a nice breeze; the music and the food were excellent, as was the vocalist Barry Graham! People met neighbors, children played, and door prizes of baskets with chocolates and snacks were awarded. Police volunteers handed out gift bags. A fun event! Many thanks to all the volunteers who made this event possible! Hurricane season begins June 1 and now is the time to check the outside of your house for clutter that could become damaging projectiles in a wind-storm. When we get warning of an approaching storm, there is enough to do to bring in or secure outdoor furniture, pool care equipment, and the like without having to deal with miscellaneous clutter such as empty flower pots, buckets, lumber, etc. Such things can be picked up and hurled at your house or your neighbor s, causing unnecessary and dangerous damage in a windstorm. 6