News4srhoa@aol.com October, 2014 n Memorium t is with much regret and deep sorrow that have to inform our readers that our HOA Board President, Jack Sobelman, passed away on Monday August 18th. Jack and his wife Cindy have been HOA Board members for many years, tirelessly working to maintain standards in our community. Understandably, Cindy has decided to step down from her position on the Board, and her contributions will be greatly missed. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Cindy and all her family. God Bless you Jack... Rest in Peace. Dates and times of upcoming meetings of the Board of Directors are posted on the website. http://www.sterlingridge.org Meetings are generally scheduled for the 4th Monday of odd months, at 7pm in the Coastal Baptist Church on Girvin Rd. Our next meeting will be our Annual General Meeting, scheduled for Monday Nov. 17 th. All homeowners are encouraged to attend. So what about this Board of Directors? n getting myself back into the groove of composing the newsletter, went back to the archives for some ideas from when first took it on several years ago. One article wrote was a reflection on my first year on the Board, why originally got involved, and what learned from the experience. thought some might find it an interesting point of view Reprinted from January 2006 have lived in Trevor Green for over 12 years now, and never thought would get involved in the Homeowners Association. Some time after first moved here, and shortly before the development was completed, a group organized a meeting down at Landmark Middle School, guess to start setting up the neighborhood homeowner s group to take over from the builder once they left. That meeting really put me off any further involvement. Since then have read the newsletter, paid my dues and kept quietly to myself. That was until continued on page 3 Page 1
Jack Sobelman President Kevin Schipman Vice President Neighborhood Watch Architectural Review Board of Directors flalight@aol.com jschipman@simplexgrinnell.com Fernando Castaneda chest31@bellsouth.net Secretary Architectural Review Jack Sobelman Treasurer Front Sign Tuttie West Landscaping Director Mike Palmer Website Manger Newsletter Editor Melba Wagstaff Dennis Cribb sobelman@morris-co.com southsidelandsca@bellsouth.net Mpalmer423@aol.com news4srhoa@aol.com denniscribb@reagan.com TerryBanning BM@BanMgtnc.comcastbiz.net Banning Management Lake Management Director Newsletter Policy: We reserve the right to edit all submissions for content, accuracy and applicability. All submissions must contain your name, street address and telephone number. This information is for verification purposes only and will not be printed, unless you request it. Please submit articles to the editor s email at news4srhoa@aol.com, by the 10 th of each month preceding the issue. The newsletter will be published quaterly in January, April, July, and October. Banning Management, nc. 6015 Morrow Street E., Suite 105, Jacksonville, FL 32217 Terry Banning (904) 730-7071 FAX: (904) 730-3647 mportant Phone Numbers Animal Control 630-2489 AT&T U-Verse 800-288-2020 Banning Management 730-7071 Comcast Xfinity Cable 866-942-1341 Clerk of the Courts 630-3445 Chamber of Commerce 366-6300 City Call Center 630-2489 Electric & Water Service (JEA) 665-6000 Extension Service 255-7450 Garbage Collection 255-7500 Gator City Taxi 249-6289 Mayor s Office 630-1776 Parks & Recreation 255-7900 Police Non-Emergency 630-0500 Property Appraiser s Office 630-2020 Public Works 630-2489 Regency Substation 726-5100 School nformation 390-2126 School Bus nfo 858-6200 Senior Services 630-3450 Social Services 630-3696 Street Lights 665-6000 Supervisor of Elections 630-1414 Tax Collector s Office 630-1916 Traffic Violations 255-2300 Please let me know of any errors, or suggestions for additions to this list at news4srhoa@aol.com nterested in joining the Board of Directors? We meet every other month for about an hour to discuss what is going on in the neighborhood, review our financial statement, and explore what we can do to improve the quality of life in our community. t is 100% voluntary, but f you are interested in joining the Board, contact any Board member or Banning Management for more information. Page 2
Good Fishin T he fishing in the lakes around our neighborhood is pretty good. That s because we pay to stock them, and we do that because the fish serve a function in that they help maintain the health of the lakes. Unfortunately it only works if the fish are left in the lakes! You see the fish that stock the lakes are sterile, so while we don t want to stop folks from enjoying the fishing, we do ask that you catch and release. With all the chemicals in those lakes, they don t taste good anyway, and it could be hazardous to your health! t should also be kept in mind that the banks of these lakes are not communal property. Every property bordering a community lake actually extends out into the lake and the lake itself is subdivided amongst all the bordering properties. These homeowners paid extra for these bordering properties, and when you take the liberty of walking around, or fishing from, the banks of these lakes uninvited, you are in fact trespassing! Architectural Review Board A friendly reminder to all residents - please submit your request for any improvements to your property (additions, fencing, pools, etc.) to our ARB along with a drawing of the proposed project BEFORE you begin. The ARC application form is available on our website at www.sterlingridge.org in the Forms & References section. Approval by the ARB is required per our Covenants & Restrictions. Thank you for your cooperation. So what about this Board of Directors? continued from page 1 2004! A friend of mine came to me in the summer all riled up about had seen the latest newsletter? Said some loose cannon had taken over the Homeowners Association and was kickin @$$ and taking names. Well went home and read the newsletter, and really didn t think too bad of it. figured hey, somebody s just trying to really get something done around here! Then came the October newsletter and this time it was me, screaming at my pal have you seen the newsletter? t did get me, and many others too, to go to the Annual General Meeting, and sensed right there and then an undercurrent of resentment, and concern. Who was this woman treating us like a parade ground drill sergeant talking about fines and statutes and rules etc. etc. Well decided to get involved and find out what it was all about. volunteered for the Board and got myself elected. don t think it was so much a Yes vote as a Sure go-ahead--don t-wantit-vote, but hey, was in. don t think it was so much a Yes vote as a Sure-go-ahead- -don t-want-it vote What learned early on is that while this loose cannon s delivery may have given cause for question, her motives were definitely in the best interests of our community. don t know what Mary Lou s history was, but do know she had been on several homeowners association Boards before moving into our community, and think she really enjoyed doing it. She liked playing Chairman of the Board, CEO of the Corporation, and she devoted many, many hours working on our behalf. She also compiled the newsletter and believe me, know how long that takes! She was very knowledgeable on the subject of how an Association should be run, and she Page 3
pushed hard to make ours conform, right down to her President s gavel. t didn t take very long for me to realize that while didn t totally agree with her message, and definitely didn t agree with her delivery, she was effective. n the year since, ve learned a lot about what the Homeowner s Association is all about; why it s necessary, the template that creates it, and the rules that guide it. ve learned about the budget. Where does all the money go, and why? ve learned about the benefit of the management company we employ. That was a big question of mine and ve learned that they are well worth it. Among all the administrative tasks they take care of, Terry Banning personally attends all our meetings. He keeps us in bounds on the issues we face month to month and advises us when ticklish decisions have to be made. While many times early on, questioned my decision to do this, have come to realize it was worth the education. ve met a lot of good people, with good intentions, willing to give freely of their time for the benefit of all of us. On reflection, it was a good decision. Street Lights n walking the neighborhood in the wee hours of the morning, ve noticed several street lights that don t work properly, so even though included this in the last newsletter, thought it worth mentioning again f you have a street light on or around your property that doesn t work properly, call JEA at 665-6000, or visit them online, give them your address, and if possible, the number on the light pole. They will take care of the problem at wait for it NO CHARGE! Contact JEA at (904) 665-6000 or visit JEA online at W e currently have vacancies for 6 members to the Board of Directors. t s a great way to get involved in your community. t doesn t take a great deal of time; just a couple of hours a month at most, and it gives you an opportunity to directly affect the decisions that are made in the neighborhood you call home. f you re interested, please call Terry Banning at Banning Management (904) 730 7071 or contact any Board member https://www.jea.com/apps/outage/reportstreetlight.aspx Page 4
Generator Safety P ortable electric generators offer great benefits when outages affect your home. Below are guidelines for safely connecting and operating portable generators. Additional information is available about selecting and purchasing generators. Don't connect your generator directly to your home's wiring. Connecting a portable electric generator directly to your household wiring can be deadly to you and others. A generator that is directly connected to your home's wiring can 'backfeed' onto the power lines connected to your home. Utility transformers can then "step-up" or increase this backfeed to thousands of volts enough to kill a utility lineman making outage repairs a long way from your house. You could also cause expensive damage to utility equipment and your generator. The only safe way to connect a portable electric generator to your existing wiring is to have a licensed electrical contractor install a transfer switch. The transfer switch transfers power from the utility power lines to the power coming from your generator. Never plug a portable electric generator into a regular household outlet. Plugging a generator into a regular household outlet can energize "dead" power lines and injure neighbors or utility workers. Connect individual appliances that have their outdoor rated power cords directly to the receptacle outlet of the generator, or connect these cord connected appliances to the generator with the appropriate outdoor-rated power cord having a sufficient wire gauge to handle the electrical load. Don't overload the generator. Do not operate more appliances and equipment than the output rating of the generator. Overloading your generator can seriously damage your valuable appliances and electronics. Prioritize your needs. A portable electric generator should be used only when necessary, and only to power essential equipment. Never use a generator indoors or in an attached garage. Just like your automobile, a portable generator uses an internal combustion engine that emits deadly carbon monoxide. Be sure to place the generator where exhaust fumes will not enter the house. Only operate it outdoors in a well ventilated, dry area, away from air intakes to the home, and protected from direct exposure to rain and snow, preferably under a canopy, open shed or carport. Use the proper power cords. Plug individual appliances into the generator using heavy-duty, outdoor-rated cords with a wire gauge adequate for the appliance load. Overloaded cords can cause fires or equipment damage. Don't use extension cords with exposed wires or worn shielding. Make sure the cords from the generator don't present a tripping hazard. Don't run cords under rugs where heat might build up or cord damage may go unnoticed. Read and adhere to the manufacturer's instructions for safe operation. Don't cut corners when it comes to safety. Carefully read and observe all instructions in your portable electric generator's owner manual. To prevent electrical shock, make sure your generator is properly grounded. Consult your manufacturer's manual for correct grounding procedures. Page 5
Do not store fuel indoors or try to refuel a generator while it's running. Gasoline (and other flammable liquids) should be stored outside of living areas in properly labeled, non-glass safety containers. They should not be stored in a garage if a fuelburning appliance is in the garage. The vapor from gasoline can travel invisibly along the ground and be ignited by pilot lights or electric arcs caused by turning on the lights. Avoid spilling fuel on hot components. Put out all flames or cigarettes when handling gasoline. Always have a fully charged, approved fire extinguisher located near the generator. Never attempt to refuel a portable generator while it's running. Turn off all equipment powered by the generator before shutting down your generator. Avoid getting burned. Many generator parts are hot enough to burn you during operation. Keep children away from portable electric generators at all times. THE NATURAL LAWS OF GOLF 1. f you really want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a much earlier age. 2. The game of golf is 90% mental and 10% mental. 3. Since bad shots come in groups of three, a fourth bad shot is actually the beginning of the next group of three. 4. When you look up, causing an awful shot, you will always look down again at exactly the moment when you ought to start watching the ball if you ever want to see it again. 5. Any mid-round correction you make in your swing works for a maximum of three holes - - or a minimum of none. 6. No matter how bad you are playing, it is always possible to play worse. 7. Never try to keep more than 300 separate thoughts in your mind during your swing. 8. When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either hit one more club or two more balls. 9. f you're afraid a full shot might reach the green while the foursome ahead of you is still putting out, you have two options: You can immediately shank a lay-up, or you can wait until the green is clear and top a ball halfway there. 10. The less skilled the player, the more likely he is to share his ideas about the golf swing. 11. The inevitable result of any golf lesson is the Page 6
instant elimination of the one critical unconscious motion that allowed you to compensate for all of your many other errors. 12. f it ain't broke, try changing your grip. 13. Golfers who claim they don't cheat, also lie. 14. Everyone replaces his divot after a perfect approach shot. 15. A golf match is a test of your skill against your opponent's luck. 16. t's surprisingly easy to hole a 50-foot putt when you lie 8. 17. Counting on your opponent to inform you when he breaks a rule is like expecting him to make fun of his own haircut. 300mph. 26. There are two things you can learn by stopping your backswing at the top and checking the position of your hands: how many hands you have, and which one is wearing the glove. 27. You can put "draw" on the ball, you can put "fade" on the ball, but no golfer can put "straight" on the ball. 28. f there is a ball in the fringe and a ball in the bunker, your ball is in the bunker. 29. f both balls are in the bunker, yours is in the footprint. 30. Don't buy a putter until you've had a chance to throw it. 18. Nonchalant putts count the same as chalant putts. 19. t's not a gimme if you're still away. 20. The shortest distance between any two points on a golf course is a straight line that passes directly through the center of a very large tree. 21. There are two kinds of bounces: unfair bounces, and bounces just the way you meant to play it. 22. You can hit a 2-acre fairway 10% of the time, and a 2-inch branch 90% of the time. S ince our next newsletter will not be published until after the holidays, we on the Board of Directors take this opportunity to wish you and yours 23. Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe. 24. f you want to hit a 7-iron as far as Tiger Woods does, simply try to lay up just short of a water hazard. 25. To calculate the speed of a player's downswing, multiply the speed of his backswing by his handicap. Example: backswing 20 mph, handicap 15, downswing Page 7