| 15/11/2011 | Thanksgiving Trash Collection |
| Please note that there will be NO TRASH COLLECTION for Sandy Ridge homes on Thursday November 24 as this is Thanksgiving Holiday According to information posted on the Polk County website they will resume collections from Friday November 25 Please ensure that your trash bins are put out for collection on Friday 25th NOT Thursday 24th in this instance Further information about Polk Refuse may be obtained from Republic Services at (863) 665-1489 or (888) 445-5045 or Waste Resource Management at (863) 284-4319 |
| 03/11/2011 | Next Board Meeting |
| Please note that the next Board meeting will be held at Sentry offices on November 9th. Details are given on the agenda which may be found in the owners area documents. |
| 28/10/2011 | Trash Collection |
Although the new trash collection system is now well established there are still owners that do not conform to Polk County requirements
 It is essential that bins are placed out correctly and easily accessible to the collection truck. Bins should be placed with the lid opening to the roadside as failure to do this will result in bins not emptying fully or trash spilling on the roadway or your drive
Bins should not be left in the roadway as this may block the path for traffic and could result in accidents
Neither Polk County nor the HOA will be responsible for incorrectly placed bins or the resulting uncollected trash
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| 19/10/2011 | New Manager at Sentry |
| We have recently discovered that Deborah Myers position at Sentry Management has been taken over by Mike Griffin. Currently Xiomara Raba remains our CAM for Sandy Ridge. If you would like to contact Mike on Association matters it is e-mail telephone 1-407-846-6323 ext 713 |
| 03/10/2011 | Preventative Maintenance |
At the side of every home there is a water pipe entering the wall with a pressure relief valve to prevent problems inside should water pressure become too high. Unfortunately several of these throughout Sandy Ridge have begun to leak or even blown due to pressure and then required attention to reset
If you see that this pipe is damp or dripping you should arrange for repair as soon as possible because ultimately it could blow and become a major issue. Repair could be as simple as replacing a washer or adjusting the valve so please do not ignore it
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| 03/10/2011 | Pipe Damage |
Following the findings from some recent incidents reported to us by owners, we suggest that all owners be vigilant for potential faults with their irrigation system installations. Our landscape contract covers repair of sprinkler heads and sprinkler piping above ground, but the system infrastructure and supply of water and power are the owner’s responsibility
We are now aware that some homes have experienced leaks in underground pipe work that, if left unattended could cause significant loss/waste of water and generate excessive bills irrespective of use of the irrigation. There is a general tendency to blame any unusual water usage on irrigation – that is an easy excuse – but more often than not it will be a different problem
We already know of several occurrences of cracks and leaks in pools that were initially reported as irrigation problems. These are not easy to spot unless it is major and your pool empties itself frequently, but the signs are where the pool guy is always topping the pool up or you or your renters are doing this in the belief perhaps that the water evaporates more quickly in some weather conditions
One pipe work example was where there had evidently been a fault or pin hole in a joint which over a period of time had been eroded by water pressure until it showed itself above ground
Another example was where the pipe itself appeared to have been weakened by overzealous solvent adhesive and over time this allowed the pipe to expand until finally it split
 
While Davey Tree always do their best to spot faults before they become a problem every one of us can help and it in our best interests to do so. These faults are not always going to show themselves in water bills at first, but may appear as constantly damp areas in your grass or areas where the vegetation is particularly green in comparison to its surroundings
If you or your management company suspect such a problem please let Davey Tree know and they may be able to advise you and quote for the repair
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| 17/09/2011 | Next Board Meeting |
| Please note that the next Board meeting will be held at Sentry offices on September 22nd. Details are given on the agenda which may be found in the owners area documents. |
| 09/09/2011 | New Community Account Manager for Sandy Ridge |
| Please note that Sentry Management's Xiomara Raba has taken over responsibility from Xiomara Raba for Sandy Ridge. If you need to contact Sentry on Association matters it is e-mail telephone 1-407-846-6323 ext 725 |
| 24/08/2011 | Hurricane Season is Here |
| Located in Central Florida, Sandy Ridge may be subject to the affects of hurricanes during the summer months Owners may find it useful and interesting to check on the status of current storms throughout the months of June to November. For a website where this information is readily available please CLICK HERE If you would like to find out more about what to do in the event of a major storm CLICK HERE Both links open in a new window |
| 14/08/2011 | New Director Appointed |
| Four owners volunteered for the vacant Board position. Thanks to all of you We have now appointed Wayne Sechler to be the new Director with immediate effect. As many of you will know, Wayne previously served on our Board but unfortunately had to resign due to work commitments. This situation has now changed and Wayne is once more able to offer the time needed As a resident owner Wayne can offer knowledge of Sandy Ridge and experience of working for the Association. Welcome back |
| 13/07/2011 | Board Vacancy |
| Please see the notice regarding a vacancy on the Board which can be found in the owners area documents. This notice has also been circulated by e-mail |
| 18/06/2011 | Grass and Irrigation |
| Although in theory the wet season is now with us, we have yet to get any worthwhile assistance from nature to keep our grass green and plants and trees alive and well. As we have advised in the past, we must compensate for poor rainfall with our irrigation systems especially in these very hot times. Davey Tree work hard to keep our irrigation systems in good working order and they check operation every month to ensure that sprinkler heads are working and the timers are correctly set. We are therefore surprised to see a number of homes standing out from their neighbours with grass beginning to turn brown, possibly dying. We are aware of some homes where despite our best advice for maintaining the properties to an acceptable standard as per our Covenants and Restrictions, people are finding ways to stop proper irrigation and if necessary action will be taken in respect of these homes. However, if you think the grass at your home is suffering when it should not be; please let us know so we can have your system checked again. If all appears in good order but the grass still appears not to be getting watered enough we can at your request further step up irrigation times temporarily so please let us know. If your grass continues to fall below standard then we will be happy to help you analyse a detailed water usage report for your home which any owner can obtain form Polk Utilities for around $75. We have had great success in identifying issues through these reports in the past. We will continue to monitor the situation and may contact some owners directly if we feel there may be a problem with adequate irrigation. Don't forget, Davey Tree ensure irrigation systems are maintained and set properly, but is is every individual home owner's responsibility to ensure that their property is properly maintained including the condition of the grass. |
| 19/05/2011 | Local Wildlife |
| As you know our community is in the midst of conservation land with all the natural wildlife surrounding us and that is wonderful. However, once in a while we feel it is sensible to remind people that they should be careful to avoid contact with the wildlife and simply observe from a safe distance. Just this week we had reports of a small alligator near the water at the 'wildlife crossing' along Sandy Ridge Drive and at one point some children were seen to be watching it. Of course it is amazing to see these things especially for visitors from overseas, but don't forget these are wild animals which if they feel threatened may try to protect themselves. |
| 12/05/2011 | Vehicle Parking/Towing |
 Magic Tow have been contracted to undertake towing for Sandy Ridge and the appropriate notice signs have been erected at both entrances.Where vehicles are found parking in contravention of our Covenants they will be issued a violation and given 24 hours notice to be removed by the owner after which the vehicle will be towed. Details of reasons for towing may be found in the Covenants, but will include parking on the grass, no valid tag, commercial vehicle on community overnight, parking across fire hydrant and obstructing footpaths. Vehicles may be towed from the street and/or driveway. There should be no reason to tow vehicles if all residents and guests abide by the community Covenants. We therefore suggest that you ensure all residents and visitors are made aware of the relevant rules to avoid unecessary costs and disturbance to their vacation. Details of Magic Tow charges for towed vehicles may be found in the owners' documents area of this website. Magic Tow contact number 1-407-847-5333 is shown on the signs. Please contact Xiomara Raba at Sentry Management if you have any questions regarding the towing process. |
| 12/05/2011 | Irrigation Checks |
| Since introducing security ties to the irrigation timer boxes we have had several requests from owners and management companies who want to check their systems for themselves. Up to now this has been achieved through individual arrangements for Davey Tree to meet the owner, cut the tie, demonstrate the system then resecure the box. Starting this week a brief test period is being set to run on all irrigation systems to enable you to check your own systems and where necessary satisfy yourself that all is well. Odd numbered homes will have the test run on Wednesday evenings and even numbered homes on Thursday evenings both starting at 5 PM. This falls within the restrictions laid down by Polk County. Each zone will be set to run for just two minutes which although brief should be enough to see all sprinklers and rotors in operation. It will also demonstrate that water and power are available to the system and that the timer is working correctly. The time has been set to allow all contractors to clear their work areas and yet be reasonable for owners to arrange to be around to see. In this way we hope that any concerns you may have will be answered. If the checks show any faults with your system please e-mail us giving your address and a description of the problem. We will investigate all reports and rectify any problems found. |
| 04/04/2011 | Pet Stations |
 Pet stations have now been installed at three locations around the community following an increasing number of reports of dog feces being left on owners' property recently.The stations will be cleared on a regular basis by the landscape crew. Please ensure when walking your pet you respect other people's property and make use of the new facility to help keep Sandy Ridge a clean and healthy environment for all. If these prove successful we will install additional stations at other locations |
| 30/03/2011 | Tree Damage |
We have been advising owners of progress in the project to remove some of the Live Oak trees at Sandy Ridge where they are likely to cause damage in the future. The type of damage varies from location to location, but is the result of strong roots travelling underground and moving anything in their way searching for water. We already have instances where roots can be seen close to the surface moving towards homes, where utility boxes are being moved/tilted as the roots strain against the cables beneath and where pathways are begining to lift. Some owners have already spent $1000's rectifitying problems. The pictures here show examples of some typical damage begining to become apparent.    |
| 29/03/2011 | Irrigation |
| Further to our previous item on this subject on March 06, please note that all irrigation will be turned off from now for the next week or so due to heavy rainfall. Yesterday (March 28) saw approximately 5 inches of rainfall and forecasts indicate that there will be significant rainfall continuing over the next week or so. Irrigation will be turned back on as the weather improves. |
| 06/03/2011 | Landscaping/Irrigation |
| As advised in November 2010, the unusual weather we have experienced over the last year or two has proven very hard on our landscape and the grass in particular has been badly affected. If you have visited Sandy Ridge you will have seen the impact with areas of browning grass and more weed growth than there should be. With the growing season now back we are focussing on returning the appearance of Sandy Ridge to how it should be and part of that effort is for Davey Tree to adjust the run times for irrigation systems to allow more watering in the hotter, dryer times and to reduce watering in cooler, wetter times. Together with a major program of fertilisation this will offer a better chance for the grass to grow stronger, greener and reduce evidence of weeds. Obviously changes may impact owners’ water bills, although based on practical tests at a home here with five zones (including both sprinklers and rotors) over a six week period we estimate the variation in bills will be relatively small, perhaps in the region of $15 to $30 or so in a month when times are extended for an average home/lot and of course times (and bills) will be reduced whenever possible which will help balance out any cost implications over the full year. Already you should have seen a reduction in your water usage during the latest very cold spell when Davey Tree turned off all irrigation completely for a while and we are improving checks on rain sensors too which should help keep your irrigation off when it is not needed. The alternative to this small monthly cost will be the replacement of grass where watering has been restricted. There have already been several examples of this with costs to the owners in the region of $2000 to $3000 so we hope you will agree the direction we are taking to prevent this is a small price to pay. It is worth reminding all owners that it is your responsibility to ensure water and power supplies are maintained all the time to enable proper irrigation of your property . We know there are still a few unscrupulous owners or perhaps their management companies who have been switching off services to prevent irrigation running and thereby saving on their bills. We do note where this happens and any owners involved may be subject to fines if they continue this action. As a matter of course our landscaper controls the irrigation timers and the boxes are secured with tamper tags. However should an individual owner prefer to control the irrigation themselves we will inform the landscaper not to check, fit a tamper tag or otherwise interfere with the irrigation for that property. If you choose this option you should be aware that we will be unable to check or repair sprinkler heads, etc. and you will have to carry out this regular maintenance yourself. While Davey Tree manage your irrigation they also are responsible to Polk County for adhering to watering regulations as and when they change on your behalf. If you would like to take full responsibility for the maintenance, operation and management of your irrigation and keeping up the standard of your own landscape please notify us in writing to Sentry Management, but please do bear in mind that you will be totally responsible for maintaining your property in good condition and appearance. Xiomara Raba at Sentry may be contacted by E-mail at Xiomara Raba |
| 26/02/2011 | Placement of Trash Bins |
| Following a recent incident we must ask all owners to ensure care is taken when their trash bins are put out for collection. We have had a report of damage being caused to a mailbox when the collection was made and it is likely this would have been avoided if the bin were placed a little further from the vicinity of the mailbox. Please bear in mind that the trash collection vehicle has a mechanical arm that must drop and then swing to locate the trash bin so if the large bin is obscuring the operator's view of the mailbox, accidents can happen. |
| 18/01/2011 | Antisocial Behaviour |
| Over recent months we have received a number of complaints about pet owners not exercising proper control over their dogs. This antisocial behaviour includes dogs off the leash, allowed to stray or even being walked by their owners across private property and, perhaps worst of all, dogs fouling on other people's property and the mess not being picked up by the pet owner. So that everyone is clear no home on Sandy Ridge is allowed to keep more than two cats or dogs. That is any combination of the two so one cat and one dog, or two dogs, etc. is the limit. Dogs must always be kept on a leash when outside. Dog mess must be picked up by the pet owner and disposed of responsibly. Dogs must not be walked across another person's property; this is tresspass. These regulations are a combination of County and Community legislation and may be subject to severe fines. Please be assured that we will take whatever steps we can to address any problem and will fully support an owner who finds themselves a victim of such activity. If you are a dog owner please act responsibly and encourage your fellow pet owners to do so too as just one bad apple can tarnish all of you. If an owner fails to act responsibly in regard to their pet it is in the discretion of the HOA Board to issue notice for removal within 15 days of any pet deemed offensive or a nuisance to others. If you witness something you consider to be wrong please contact Xiomara Raba at Sentry and report the matter providing as much information as possible about the incident preferably with a photograph of the incident if you have a camera to hand. We would however recommend that you do not actually approach any individuals yourself. |
| 08/12/2010 | Collection of Old Trash Bins |
| Following the recent introduction of new trash collections your original trash bins are no longer to be used at Sandy Ridge for this purpose. Polk utilities will be coming round on Saturday December 11th to collect any of the old bins that are not required. If you want them to dispose of your old bins you must place them at the kerbside by the afternoon of Friday December 10th ready for Polk to collect them on Saturday. Bins should be empty and cleaned prior to collection. Should you wish to retain your old bin for some other use, please ensure that it is not visible outside your home. ALL bins must be kept out of sight inside your home or behind an approved screen to the side of your home in accordance with our Covenants and Restrictions. Please note that if left outside bins will be liable to a violation notice and potential fine. |
| 22/11/2010 | Landscaping/Irrigation |
| So far this year, 2010 has thrown far more at us weather-wise than we should reasonably expect in one year in the moderate climate of Central Florida. January offered us the experience of a record number of days with sub zero temperatures which resulted in freeze damaged backflow valves at many homes. The summer was unusually dry where there were several weeks without a drop of rain and very high temperatures. Right up to date we had around six weeks again with no rain September through to a few days ago. This unusual situation has proven very tough on our landscape with the grass in particular suffering badly. Many of you who have visited Sandy Ridge will no doubt have seen for yourselves the results of this severe weather with areas of browning grass and more weed growth than there should be. Long dry, sunny days have been good for our visitors, but have led to some issues with our landscaping. The lack of rainfall would not be such an issue if we were able to run our irrigation more frequently to make up the shortfall, but this is not allowed by Polk County. Unfortunately the problem has been further compounded as during this time when the vegetation has been under stress from the conditions it has not been appropriate to carry out chemical treatments for risk of killing off the already weakened grass and this has allowed more weeds to thrive. Now the weather is a little cooler, together with our landscaper Davey Tree, we are looking at how best to bring things up to standard and ask for your patience while we attend to this. We have asked that Davey Tree check out all grassed areas and advise us of the best approach for recovery. Initially we need to decide whether any areas of grass have reached the stage where recovery is not likely, but beyond this we have to look to treatments and irrigation. We are considering getting Davey Tree to adjust the run times for irrigation systems to allow more watering in the hotter, dryer times and to reduce watering in cooler, wetter times. This will at least offer a better chance for the grass to strengthen and give it greater resilience to chemical treatments for fertilisation, weed killing and pest control. We recognise that this will be reflected in owners’ water bills and understand that concern, but after running a test on a home here over a six week period we estimate the variation in bills will be relatively small, perhaps in the region of $15 to $30 or so in a month when times are extended for an average home/lot. When compared to the cost of replacing grass where adequate watering has been restricted at some $2000 to $3000, we feel this is a small price to pay and whenever conditions allow the times will be reduced so reducing the overall impact. In this context, we remind all owners that you are responsible for ensuring your water and power supplies are maintained to enable proper irrigation of your property. We are aware that some unscrupulous owners or perhaps their management companies have been switching off services to prevent irrigation running and thereby saving on their bills. We are noting where this happens and any owners involved will be subject to violation and potential fines for doing this. We follow a policy of instructing our landscaper to control irrigation timers and the boxes are secured with tamper tags for this purpose, however should individual owners prefer to control the irrigation themselves we will inform the landscaper not to check, fit a tamper tag or otherwise interfere with the irrigation for that property. If you wish to take responsibility for maintaining irrigation and keeping up the standard of your own landscape please notify us in writing to Sentry Management, but please do bear in mind that you will be totally responsible for maintaining your property in good condition and appearance. Xiomara Raba at Sentry may be contacted by E-mail at Xiomara Raba |
| 22/11/2010 | New Sentry Website |
| Sentry Management have a new and improved website where you can seek information and make payments. Details of how to access the site as an Association Member may be found in the owners' secure area documents. Please let Sentry know if you have any problems or questions. |
| 11/11/2010 | Board President |
| Wayne Sechler who has been the HOA Board President since April 2009 resigned that position yesterday. We will be looking to bring the Board back to it's correct strength as soon as possible, but in the meantime everything will continue unchanged. The Board would like to thank Wayne on behalf of all Sandy Ridge homeowners for his contribution to our work over the past 18 months during which we have seen noticable improvements to our community. |
| 30/10/2010 | 2011 Budget |
| The approved budget for 2011 is now available to be viewed in the member's scure area. |
| 29/10/2010 | Trash Collections |
| The new system seems to be settling now and definitely is showing improvements with regard to trash strewn by the local wildlife. Mostly the bins are also being put out correctly so a big thanks to everyone for that. However, one minor issue of note is that some homes are placing their trash bins actually in the street, that is on the road side of the kerb not the driveway side. This practice could cause problems and even accidents as vehicles have to swerve round them and it is especially so when a larger commercial vehicle is around. We therefore ask you to place your bins at the end of your driveway in accordance with information from Polk County and NOT in the roadway. For those of you needing more bins, we understand that Polk have been inundated with requests and are struggling to catch up both in responding to these requests and in providing additional bins. However, we have heard of cases where they are getting back with information. Of course anyone seeking additional bins will have to confirm for themselves, but it has been suggested that Polk are not selling owners additional bins, but that they charge an annual fee for these, currently thought to be in the region of $100 per annum for up to 5 additional bins. For management companies it may be worth asking if additional bins could be used across several properties, but at the moment we believe the bins are chipped and identified to an individual address. We will let you know if we get more information |
| 03/10/2010 | New Community Account Manager |
| Scott Pollock who has been our CAM for the past few years has left Sentry Management. A new CAM, Xiomara Raba, has now been assigned to Sandy Ridge. However, while Susan gets up to speed with our community, her manager Deborah Myers will be dealing with issues arising and will also be completing actions started by Scott Pollock. If any owner was talking to or corresponding with Scott on a matter that has not yet been resolved, please contact Deborah at the usual Sentry address. |
| 30/09/2010 | New Trash Bins have been delivered |
| The new trash bins were delivered to Sandy Ridge today and MUST be used for trash collections commencing next Thursday October 7th. There will be no Monday collections from now on, our only collection will be once per week on Thursdays. Please see the flyers included with the bins by clicking HERE and HERE. For the Polk County Official website update information please click HERE The new bins should be placed at or within 5 feet of the curbside by 6AM on Thursday mornings with the lid opening towards the road ready for collection. The yellow recycling boxes are available to all homes by request, please call Polk County Waste Resource Management at (863) 284-4319 or Florida Refuse at (863) 665-1489. Incorrectly placed bins WILL NOT BE COLLECTED, the correct position is shown below.  |
| 26/09/2010 | Polk County Trash Collection Changes |
| We understand that some of you have had difficulty printing the Polk information posted earlier so we have made a couple of changes and hopefully these will enable you to access the documents now. In addition we have produced a text version of the information page HERE for those who prefer this format. It may be useful for owners and/or management companies to place copies in homes for the benefit of visitors. |
| 24/09/2010 | Polk County Trash Collection Changes |
| We now have further information from Polk regarding the new trash collections. As we understand our new bins should be delivered soon and from the same day the following week the new system will begin. It looks as if our single collection day each week will be Thursday and recycling will also be on Thursday as is now. Click HERE for an explanation of the new system and HERE for the service area map. Alternatively check out the information directly on Polk County website at Polk County |
| 10/09/2010 | E-mail Information |
| Our database of contact information for owners is growing almost on a daily basis so we now have e-mail addresses for more than 70% of homes. Thanks to all of you who have provided this information and for those who have yet to do so we look forward to hearing from you soon. However, when we do send out information we have noticed that in some cases our e-mail is rejected because your in box is full so if any of you are wondering why you get no mails from anyone it could be worth a quick check, you may be missing something important. In other cases owners' spam settings reject the mail so it would help greatly if you could ensure that you enable mail from info@sandyridgehoa.net to avoid this problem. Finally, if you have provided your E-mail address in the past, but have not received anything from us you may be one of the few homes where we appear to have an incorrect E-mail address so please check your details and update them where appropriate. |
| 16/08/2010 | Trash Screening |
| Following the recent notice from Polk County advising of forthcoming changes to the trash collections all ARC requests for trash screens will still be processed, but approval to proceed with installation will be held pending further details from Polk. We are seeking more detailed information about the dimensions for the new containers Polk are providing and once we have this we will amend dimensions for the trash screens if necessary. In the meantime any owner wishing to seek ARC approval for the screening should submit their application as before, but await further information before committing any contractor to the work. |
| 26/07/2010 | Irrigation changes |
| Polk Utilities have recently changed their irrigation regulations and have sent out mailings to homeowners this week. The result is changes to the days on which irrigation is allowed as follows Odd house numbers Wed and Sat Even house numbers Thurs and Sun No watering between 1000am and 4.00pm The HOA landscaper Davey Tree will be changing the times of watering on all the homes in Sandy Ridge to comply with the new Polk County regulations. This will not result in higher water bills for owners. The changes to the times will now allow watering twice a week. Thus instead of 40 minutes per zone over one night we will now have 20 minutes per zone one night and 20 minutes per zone on another night. The same amount of water is being used, this will just be a more efficient use of the water. For further information click on the following link Polk County water restrictions |
| 26/07/2010 | Polk County Trash Pickup changes |
| As from September 2010 Polk County are rolling out a new system of once per week trash collections. Each house will be issued with a 90/95 gallon trash container. One only will be free of charge. Trash collection will then become just one day a week only, Sandy Ridge has yet to be advised which day. The trash can is to be placed at the curbside the correct way round on the evening before the pickup day, wheels facing the house (Bar facing the road). The collection vehicle will have one operator/driver, an arm will come out of the truck, lift the trash can and dump the contents into the waste vehicle, this process will not happen unless the can is in the correct position, it will then be left full if not set out correctly. The cans are then to be placed back into the garage or behind the trash bin screen by 6.00pm on trash pickup day. Some further information obtained from Polk County Waste as follows: In cases where the home requires more than one new trash container, then a second trash container can be purchased from Polk County. The cost has not been advised at the moment, but will possibly in the range of $50-$100 each. In the event that guests have a big party and have a large number of trash bags, over and above the amount for the trash container then Polk County will allow a tolerance of twice in 1 year. In this event, trash bags are to be put alongside the trash can awaiting collection, the driver/operator will get out of his vehicle and manually throw the bags into the vehicle. There is also a re-cycling service available which at present uses yellow boxes. These are to be retained and encouraged, and you may request as many yellow box's as you like. The yellow boxes are to be used for aluminium cans, plastics and paper. As to our existing trash cans, Polk County will collect them from our homes and dispose of them. For further information please go to the following link; http://www.newschief.com/article/20100703/news/7035031?tc=ar |
| 14/06/2010 | Annual re-mulching |
| Re-mulching of Sandy Ridge has now been completed for 2010, a job that has been
carried out each year since our community first opened. In the course of this work it was noted that it is up to five years since some of our properties were built, up to five years of applications. Since mulch in some places can shift significantly over time, there is always a danger that the intakes of outside air-conditioning and pool equipment may become partially blocked. Where this happens, it not only causes the equipment to become less efficient, but can also lead to premature breakdowns. Movement is mostly due to weather conditions whereby strong winds can blow light mulch around and heavy rains can also float the stuff to settle as puddles subside although clearly human activities also can move it about. This concern has already been raised with our landscapers, but while they will make every effort to keep the mulch under control clearly things may change from day to day. With the onset of the wet season where we can certainly expect some heavy rains and perhaps if we are unlucky occasional very windy days, we suggest that you pay particular attention to maintenance of your outside equipment. If your home is managed then this should be regularly checked by your Management or Pool Company and we recommend that you follow up with your company to ensure they are responding to any potential problems. It is not a particularly onerous task to make sure vents, etc. are not blocked, but regular checks could save you significant monies in unnecessary repairs and bills in the future. |
| 02/06/2010 | Security Web Cams |
The web cam at the front entrance is now working fine and the rear entrance cam which was faulty has now been replaced and is also now working fine. A link to both web cams is available on the Members page menu. All homeowners are now able to access the web cams via the internet to view live video. A photo from the front and rear entrance cams are shown below.  |
| 02/06/2010 | Cable Cut off |
| The cable cut offs continue to take place on a regular basis and now include all owners who have not paid their April 2010 assessments. If you have been affected please contact Scott Pollock |
| 29/05/2010 | Security Patrols |
| Please see Contracts - Security page for information about changes |
| 11/05/2010 | Newsletter |
| Our latest newsletter is now available to be viewed from the owner's area |
| 07/05/2010 | Mulching |
| Following discussion with our landscapers Davey Tree, we will be re-mulching throughout Sandy Ridge using a different type and colour of mulch this year starting from Monday May 10th. The new mulch is black in colour and should enhance the appearance of plants and provide a better contrast to the colours of the homes. The double shredded mulch to be used should remain more stable in heavy rain and not 'float off' as is the tendency with the bark nuggets. Experience of this mulch type at Celebration has been excellent and colour retention is good We recognise that some owners have replaced mulch at their homes with stones as an alternative and these properties will not be re-mulched. However, we should point out that in all such cases it is the owner's responsibility to ensure that this is maintained in good condition and appearance Some owners have had a strip surrounding the pool screens approximately one foot in width dug out and mulch installed. This gives a better appearance from the deck area and should help prevent unsightly soil dust from being sprayed on to the deck through the screen in heavy rain etc. Should you wish to have this done, we have requested a quote from Davey Tree to carry out the work using matching mulch and will provide their pricing on request. Such work will be an individual choice and you will be billed direct to have it completed |
| 30/04/2010 | Board Meeting |
| Minutes (unapproved) of last Friday's Board meeting can now be found on the secure area for viewing. Unfortunately there was insufficient attendance for the planned Owners' AGM and too few Proxy forms were returned so we did not have a quorum of members for this meeting to proceed. We would like to thank those members who did come along and those who returned their Proxy forms |
| 26/04/2010 | Paying your Assessments |
| We are aware that there have been a number of owners who wished to set up Sentry Management's Autopay method of paying their assessments, but who have found it difficult to locate the form or had queries on completing it. We are therefore providing an easy route to a copy of the form and offering our assistance should you have any questions. Just open the form and print to your local printer then follow the instructions given. Please CLICK HERE for the form and E-mail us at Info@SandyRidgeHOA.net with any questions you may have |
| 25/04/2010 | Trash Screen ARC request |
| Following discussion with our landscapers we have now agreed a design for a suitable screen to hide unsightly trash containers. Any owner wishing to install such a screen to conform with Sandy Ridge Deeds and Restrictions may use the draft as the basis for an ARC application. The draft can be viewed and printed from the member's documents page on this site. The ARC must be submitted and approved in accordance with normal procedures though approval should be more or less automatic |
| 16/04/2010 | Contact Details |
| If you have registered your contact details and now have a user ID and password to access documents, etc. you may also check and update your details as necessary from within the password protected area of this site |
| 07/04/2010 | Irrigation Problems |
| Following the freezing temperatures in January, we have had several weeks of relatively cool weather and more rain than might have been expected normally. However, thankfully things are beginning to warm up now and the forecast is looking good. If any owners have not yet had their damaged back flow valves repaired yet they MUST do so quickly now as the warmer temperatures and drier days will soon ruin any grass that has managed to survive so far without irrigation |
| 04/04/2010 | Website |
| This website is newly constructed and has been updated with a new password process, if you see any errors or you have any comments please email them to the Board |
| 01/04/2010 | Landscaping |
| Our landscaper (PLM) for the last 3 years were not awarded the contract for 2010, we thank them for their work over the past 3 years. The contract for 2010 has been awarded to Davey Tree. This company is currently responsible for two major contacts for Celebration. They have completed an inspection of Sandy Ridge at the end of March and we await their report If you discover damaged grass on your property in the future then please let the HOA know (through the Board or Sentry Management) and hopefully it will quickly be rectified. Where repairs to grass are made, irrigation for the appropriate zone will be set to run daily for up to 30 days to ensure the new grass beds in properly or it will very quickly die. However, rest assured although Polk County regulations dictate that irrigation systems operate once per week only in normal circumstances, it also allows for temporary extra irrigation for new grass If you have any concerns regarding this repair process please contact the Board Please also note that where lawn damage has occurred through homeowner negligence then the homeowner have now been contacted Unfortunately homeowners land damaged by the wild pigs is the responsibility of the homeowner. Quotes have yet to be sent out to all home owners who have damaged lawns. However individual homeowners are free to employ other contractors to repair any damaged lawns. Quotes can also be obtained from our new contractor Davey Tree |
| 01/04/2010 | New Landscape Contract |
| Our new landscaper - Davey Tree Grounds Management - officially take over maintenance of Sandy Ridge with effect from April 1st, however, over the past few weeks they have been making preparations to ensure as smooth a transition from PLM as possible. Part of the upfront work has been to take a close look at our community and we are expecting their report shortly outlining the current/handover situation as they find it and providing the starting point for the new contract One part of the review is to identify all properties that are currently below par in condition and appearance. We will be looking closely at their findings and where appropriate will be contacting any owner whose property requires repair Another aspect is to draw up a structured plan for the work covered by the contract which will include a program for fertilisation and weed control etc. alongside the regular mowing and trimming work. We hope that with this more structured approach to the contract we will better understand what is being done and we will see improvements to the overall appearance of our community |
| 24/03/2010 | Recycling |
| Polk County are now collecting recycling from Sandy Ridge on a regular basis every Thursday, you may already have seen some out for collection. You get two yellow boxes delivered to your door, one for paper and cardboard waste, the other for glass and plastics. With the high volume of packaging used, a huge amount could be saved by recycling these items. Any owner wishing to participate in the recycling program can get containers free from Polk by calling 863-284-4319 or 863-665-1489 |
| 06/03/2010 | Irrigation Problems |
| Following damage caused by the freezing weather earlier this year, several owners have already had repairs made to their irrigation back-flow prevention valves, but there are still many homes where the leaks have not been fixed Up to now with relatively low temperatures and some rainfall we have been very lucky that a lack of irrigation will not have had too much impact in most cases where properties had previously been in good order. However, moving into March with temperatures finally beginning to rise any homes with their irrigation systems turned off due to unrepaired leaks will very quickly start to suffer from lack of watering We recognise that due to the extent of the problem in Florida, there may have been some difficulties in obtaining the replacement parts because of abnormal demand, but we expect this situation is easing and supplies should be more readily available. If you are still having trouble locating parts it has been suggested to us that mail order from out of state suppliers is one option Please remember it is YOUR responsibility as an owner to ensure your property is maintained in good order so we urge you to have any outstanding leaks repaired as soon as possible and re-instate any irrigation systems currently switched off |
| 01/03/2010 | Trash |
| We continue to see improvements in the situation for trash bins, however there are still too many homes where bins are left out at the wrong times or are in a completely unfit state and need to be replaced The HOA has continued to issue trash violations to owners during March in order to remind them of their responsibilities |
| 20/02/2010 | Irrigation Problems Notice |
| With the continuation of low temperatures in Florida over the past few weeks there have been a number of reports of water leaks in the above ground back flow prevention pipes system in 70 homes on Sandy Ridge. These leaks appear to be confined to the vacuum break air releases on the top of the pipes. Clearly the HOA is not responsible for any repairs to individuals’ homes, however we would like to notify homeowners urgently to have their property managers check the pipes and organize any repairs found to be necessary. Damage to these pipes are due to freezing and will bring the potential for large water bills due to the leaks. Also if not fixed in a short time this will result in dead lawns which in turn will cost the owner in excess of a $1000 to re sod. The HOA has undertaken to contact all owners via e-mail and mail advising them of the leak and providing a quote from PLM our landscaper to fix it. All owners will need to action this as a matter of urgency |
| 13/02/2010 | Website |
| This website is newly constructed and has been updated with a new password process, if you see any errors or you have any comments please email them to the Board |
| 01/02/2010 | Parking |
| Parking
The are still too many owners or guests that park vehicles on the grass. This damages both the lawn areas as well as the sprinklers systems that run beneath the grass. In order to make owners aware of their responsibilities we are now issuing violation notices The HOA has therefore issued a number of parking and vehicle violations recently and in future will be issuing fines |
| 01/02/2010 | Trash |
| Though there has been some improvement there is still concern that several owners have not made provision to adhere to the rules about trash being put out to the curb-side no more than 12 hours before the scheduled pick-up times and retrieving the empty bins no more than 12 hours after collection. In addition many homes do not maintain trash bins adequate for their needs or fit for purpose The HOA has continued to issue trash violations to owners during February in order to make them aware of their responsibilities Our homes are in a conservation area so we are surrounded by wildlife only too eager to explore your trash and in doing so spread it around the place. This not only is unsightly, but also dirty and potentially a health hazard. Would you let your child play on a trash heap? Don't forget that if you rent your property many agencies do seek comments from visitors they can use for future potential rentals so if you don't keep Sandy Ridge clean and looking good you will be affecting the level of future rentals you achieve |
| 01/02/2010 | Cable Cut off |
| The first phase of the cable cut off has now taken place and the second phase will be complete at the end of February 2010. If you have been affected please contact Scott Pollock |
| 01/02/2010 | Budget 2010 - Board Meetings |
| The minutes of the 11th February 2010 Board Meeting are available on the Member's Page Member's Page of the website. The next newsletter will be circulated in April 2010 on this website |
| 01/01/2010 | Lawn Replacement |
| You may have noticed a significant improvement in the general appearance of Sandy Ridge over the past few months which results from the efforts of the board to obtain the best service from PLM, our current landscape contractor. Please be aware that over the past weeks areas of grass have been replaced around some of the homes on Sandy Ridge |
| 01/01/2010 | Landscaping |
| Our landscaper (PLM) have completed replacing damaged grass on our properties at their own expense providing there have been no interruptions to power or water supplies affecting regular irrigation. Allowing your property to deteriorate through intended negligence contravenes Article VI of our Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions and so any damage so caused is in practice a violation and will not be repaired free of charge. Notices of damaged lawns will be issued to home owners in the coming months Repair work has now been completed so if you have dead or bare patches then these should now have been replaced and your property looking pristine as new If you discover damaged grass on your property in the future then please let PLM know (through the Board or Sentry Management) and hopefully it will quickly be rectified. Where repairs to grass are made, irrigation for the appropriate zone will be set to run daily for up to 30 days to ensure the new grass beds in properly or it will very quickly die. However, rest assured although Polk County regulations dictate that irrigation systems operate once per week only in normal circumstances, it also allows for temporary extra irrigation for new grass If you have any concerns regarding this repair process please contact the Board. Please also note that where lawn damage has occurred through homeowner negligence then the homeowner will be contacted shortly. Unfortunately homeowners land damaged by the wild pigs is the responsibility of the homeowner The HOA will be obtaining quotes from PLM for repairing damaged lawns and passing them on to home owners. However individual homeowners are free to employ other contractors to repair any damaged lawns. If you wish to use PLM or require further information then please contact David at PLM on 407-876-8851 |
| 01/01/2010 | Security |
After a number of delays the CCTV security cameras at both entrances have now been installed by Pioneer Technologies and trials are nearing completion. We are capturing plates at both entrance of all vehicles entering and leaving Sandy Ridge. Here are some photos below
   
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| 01/12/2009 | Committees |
| The volunteers of the Deed Restrictions Committee plus other committee members continue to be active daily in identifying violations The Architectural Review Committee (ARC) will review owners requests to make alterations or changes to the external appearance of your home. This includes repainting the external walls even if it is in the same colour |