That said, I'll mention now that unless issues needing more immediate attention dictate otherwise, HOA meetings will happen quarterly so the next one should be three months from now. We have developed a pattern of holding meetings the fourth Thursday of the month. That would put the next meeting at May 27. That is NOT official but it's a good ballpark for when the next meeting will happen.
The board had a lot to go over last night.
CRIME WATCH
Burlars continue to prey on our community. Mary Fritzler, our property manager, received a call Monday about a break-in. The St. Petersburg Times in its crime reports listed two burglaries in the 18900 block of Kensington Park. One was reported at 3:06pm on 2/18, the other reported 10:19pm the same day.
For break-ins for which we have details, ALL of them — every single one — came through the rear sliding glass door. None that we know of had any extra security. We've discussed ways to better secure your rear door here on the blog. Click here to read it.
Burglars in all cases we know about make their move during the day while most residents are at work. If you happen to be home during the day and can take 5-10 minutes to walk outside and circle your block, your mere presence will help deter crime.
TOWING
As we've noted numerous times before, parking on the streets — unless it's in marked spaces — is prohibited in St. Charles Place. One of the most irksome issues among residents, according to phone calls Mary Fritzler receives, is people parked in the streets or on the grass.
This will stop. The board approved having Express Towing come and take illegally parked cars. This will happen overnights to avoid targeting guests who are here for only a few hours. That, too, is not allowed but it is the chronic offenders — who have been warned numerous times before — whose attention we're after.
The HOA does not collect any towing fees. The towing company gets that. However, they have to take a picture of the vehicle proving that it was parked illegally. That means if someone's car gets towed, they can't lie their way out of paying to recover it. There will be proof.
TRAFFIC
Because of the new median in US-301, more people are using Lake St. Charles Blvd. and Dartmouth Hill Road as cut-throughs. Many don't bother obeying stop signs, creating a risk for residents.
Another hazard comes from residents themselves speeding in and out of the community on both Lake St. Charles and Johanna Ave.
HOA President David Hey is going to check with the county about the possibility of making Lake St. Charles and Dartmouth Hill a four-way stop. The thinking is that a stop sign will at least slow people down at that intersection.
Another means to slow traffic mentioned was installing speed bumps. People will blow off stop signs but they can't ignore speed bumps. This would also require county approval as well as an investment by the HOA.
The board asked Mary Fritzler to investigate whether this kind of change to the roads would require a full meeting requiring a quorum of owners attending to pass. It also asked David Hey to gather information from the county about the procedural hoops we'd have to jump through to make this happen.
This does not mean that speed bumps are on the way. It just means that the board is looking into the possibility, legally and financially.
LANDSCAPING
You've no doubt noticed the toll the unusually harsh winter has had on our plants. Our landscaper, Gulf Coast, submitted a bid to replace plants killed by freezes. The board opted to wait until weather warmed and it could get a better idea the extent of the damage. Some plants that look dead are merely dormant until the weather warms. We'd hate to pay to replace something that was alive but merely hibernating.
Our insurance company has requested that several dead trees in the community be either trimmed or cut down entirely. The board accepted a bid from Raymow to do this. Gulf Coast does not have an aborist on its staff and subcontracts the work out. Raymow's bid was significantly lower than Gulf Coast's and the other bid we received.
This job should happen in the next few weeks.
The board also approved a bid by Gulf Coast to "pave" a path that runs between Great Carlisle Court and Johanna Ave. This was originally a path from the KB Home sales trailer to the models on Great Carlisle.
People now use it as a walking path. Gulf Coast will put a bed of shells down on the path with something beneath it to prevent the shells from being ground into the soil and to keep weeds from growing up through the shells. The shells, according to Mary Fritzler, are better than mulch because they don't float or wash away when it rains. You probably don't want to walk barefoot on them, though.
PRESSURE WASHING
That green tint to many of our buildings and the dividers between the patios was not part of the design. It is recommended that the community get a full pressure wash cleaning every three years or so. Much of the community is due.
The board approved a bid by Bay Area Window Cleaning to clean all of the buildings, including the dividers between rear patios. This will happen sometime after the tree trimming. Mary Fritzler will mail notice of the approximate dates of the pressure cleaning. That notice will recommend that you clean your front porch and rear patio of any objects you don't want soaked.
