Quatraine III
Plantation Florida
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Disclaimer: This web site is run by a homeowner living in the Quatraine III community. The views and statements made on this page do not reflect those of the current board of directors. In other words, it's my site, and me talking, not anyone else.
This is the archive page for the 2006 calendar year.
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Quatraine III Latest News - 02/21/07
02/21/07 - The annual meeting was held at Volunteer Park. There was a total of 18 people who showed up in person or by proxy. There was 3 proxies, which means 15 homeowners were represented at the meeting in person. There was actually about 20 people in the room. This did not make a Quorum for the annual meeting, therefore, no election took place, the current board rolled over, and they will serve 1 more year. After that, the Annual Statement was read to everyone in attendance highlighting what had been accomplished during the year. The Annual Meeting was then adjourned and a regular board meeting was started. Old business had a discussion about the concrete repair work of the sidewalks. It was decided that the job is not acceptable because the fixed sections are cracking. The property manager has spoken to the contractor many times about this issue. The contractor thinks the job was done to specification, the board does not. A proposal to have the annual Review of the financials prepared by Gerstle, Rosen & Goldenberg, PA passed. The president asked me if the master association should file a lien against The Colonnades to make them pay their unpaid assessments. I said it would come up at the March 7th meeting. During the open forum a homeowner suggested the drains be cleaned since they clog up during storms. The president asked the property manager to get a proposal for that job. Another homeowner asked who is responsible for landscaping the front area of the homes. It was told that the homeowner is responsible, and that the association Maintains the front but does not replace landscaping. This is also found in the by-laws. Another homeowner expressed concern about the violation letters, stating he received one, then a letter from the attorney demanding money, and that he didn't receive a 2nd or 3rd letter from the board. The president acknowledged the statements. Another homeowner asked where the laws made by the board can be found since they received notice about painting their bricks a certain color that was done by a previous owner. The president said the by-laws state no changes can be made to the exterior of the home without approval of the board.
02/20/07 - The next bulk pickup day is March 17th, 2007. Rueben has begun work painting the curbs and bumper stops. Rueben works 2 hours per day M-F in our development, and on Tuesdays, he stays the entire day working on painting curbs. So the only time Rueben will paint curbs is on Tuesdays. Pool chairs will be cleaned at the end of the week. A proposal was approved by the board to have the front walls repainted, including the fixtures. Highlands Handyman will begin work soon on this project. They will clear the bushes from the walls, remove the clippings, then being painting the walls.
02/17/07 - Signs were posted for the annual meeting. This is a MEMBERSHIP meeting which is very different from a BOARD meeting. You want to attend this meeting and express your concerns for the community or run for the board. What happens here? Click on the Elections tab at the top of this page. Anyone can run for election. Nominations are taken from the floor. Good Luck to those who are running for election. Remember, it takes 51 out of the 170 homeowners to cause an election to happen.
I'd like to thank everyone for their support during my year of service. I'd like to continue to serve on the board in order to fix the problems with the Master Association. I've taken on a major role as being a both Treasurer and Secretary. All checks for the master association go thru me. This is a major step from what happened in the past when J&L signed them.
02/10/07 - Pool Keys were handed out. They will also be handed out on Monday 02/12/07. Many showed up to get their key. If you didn't get yours, then contact the property manager. The first key is free, additional keys are $10. The next big event will be the annual meeting on February 21st. The annual meeting is a "membership" meeting, which means it's held by all the members of the community. The purpose of this meeting is to elect a new board. If a quorum is present (51 out of 170) then an election will take place. There are 7 board member seats up for grabs. Nominations will be taken from the floor. Each candidate will speak and explain why they want to serve. If you'd like to voice your opinion or run for election, this is the place to do it.
01/17/09 - A meeting was held at Volunteer Park. Concrete repairs are ongoing. A few sections are left to be done. Asphalt repairs are scheduled for February 5th and 6th weather permitting. The sign idea at the entrance of NW 99th Ave is still under consideration. Mulching of the islands along Cleary Blvd will take place soon. The annual meeting date is scheduled for February 21st. An annual meeting packet will be mailed on January 29th with proxies. New pool keys will be distributed to homeowners on February 10th and February 12th at the pool all day. Board members will take turns waiting at the pool. Homeowners are required to sign for their key. If a renter comes to the pool, they need a letter from the homeowner saying they can get the key. The first key is free, an additional key is $10. A proposal to resurface the pool was discussed. It was decided that the pool will need to be pressure cleaned at 5000psi. Asplundi was spotted trimming trees along Cleary Blvd on January 18th. Eventually they will make to to our neighborhood and trim the trees away from the power lines.
01/09/07 - A master association meeting was held at the Parc Court Clubhouse. The budget will remain the same as last year. Barry explained The Colonnades situation because they are behind on payments. Their monies were mismanaged by the property manager (Castle), who has since been fired. The Colonnades will now self manage themselves from this point on. Some of the vendors are putting liens on the property to collect payment. The new 3 member board is trying to right the financials, but it may take some time. A financial report showing that the master is in a deficit situation until The Colonnades starts making payments again. In regards to landscaping, Jeff will walk the community and look over the documents. It was decided that having a special assessment with The Colonnades in trouble is not the best idea. The item will stay on the agenda. The next meeting date for the master is March 7th, and the annual meeting date will be April 4th. Both meetings will take place at the Parc Court clubhouse at 6pm.
01/07/07 - Firehouse Pressure Cleaning is the company that cleaned the Quatraine III sidewalks. They also do roofs. If you need your roof pressured cleaned, give them a call at 954-648-2006. AP Home and Paint will start work on the sidewalks that need repair. If you've walked the community, you'll notice many sections that have been marked for repair. Repairs to the light fixtures and the bathrooms at the pool have been made. These were also done by AP Home and Paint repair. Bulk Pickup is January 13th, 2007.
12/20/06 - A meeting was held at Volunteer Park. A proposal for concrete repair to be done by AP Home and Paint was approved. They will repair 13 sections and a few half sections of the sidewalks. A proposal to pressure clean the sidewalks by Highlands was approved. They will use heated water which is better than using chemicals. A proposal to repair sections of the roadways by Suncoast was approved. This is mostly damaged areas in the middle of the roads. Once these sections are fixed and have cured for 6 months, then seal coating can be done, which is a much larger job. The board will not be seal coating homeowner driveways because this caused more problems than it was worth in the past. Therefore, it is the homeowner's responsibility to seal coat their own driveway. There was discussion about a new sign at the entrance of 99th avenue, specifically about running the electrical lines. It was decided to table this idea until more information could be obtained about the asphalt repairs and how that would effect running the electrical wires from cul-de-sac 15. A proposal to mulch the front of the community by CP maintenance was approved. Even though the master association is supposed to take care of this, it was decided to go ahead with the proposal because the master has no money. The master association report was given, that no meeting had taken place in December and the next meeting will happen on Thursday January 4th. The board explained how the master works to the members in attendance. A proposal to replace the lock at the pool by GC Lock and Key was approved, as it is broken and no longer locks. New keys will have to be distributed to all homeowners as the master key to the previous lock can no longer be found. A motion passed to have a regular board meeting in January, and then set the annual meeting date at that time, which will happen in February. In the open forum, a homeowner explained their situation regarding their fence. It was decided to meet at his home on Friday January 5th to discuss his fence and how it meets up with his neighbor's.
12/14/06 - We're back online. There was a problem with my web hosting company, and it took me a month to get it straightened out. Now I'm with a new web host and will continue updates.
11/18/06 - I took the CAM (Community Association Manager) exam and passed it on the first try.
11/15/06 - A meeting was held at Volunteer Park. Updates on landscaping, pressure cleaning, sprinklers, and the budget were given. A homeowner asked about the trees in front of Quatraine III along the sidewalk. I responded that many calls have been placed to FPL and Broward County with no help. FPL says they are not a tree trimming service. When asked when Asplundi would come out, the answer from FPL was, "We don't know."
11/01/06 - A master association meeting was held at The Colonnades. The master approved Norman Marcus as the attorney. The master agreed to keep the budget the same and approved it. The master discussed the trees in front of Quatraine IV and agreed that more bids are needed that include the entire master association, and not just Quatraine IV.
10/18/06 - A meeting was held at Volunteer Park. Final tree planting and removal will begin this week. Updates on Fence Painting and Pressure Cleaning were explained. Half the development is done, the painters will continue. They are doing a great job protecting cars from paint spray. A motion was passed to hire CP maintenance to handle sprinkler repairs. Discussion ensued about seal coating of the roadways. It was revealed that seal coating is only aesthetic and most communities don't do it. To completely repave is the more expensive job, which will eventually have to be done in a few years. The budget was discussed at the line item level and changes were made. Motion passed to adopt the budget. The monthly assessment will be $125.00. You may be wondering why it was $124.99. That was a mistake Continental made, so the board is correcting it.
10/04/06 - A master association meeting was held at The Colonnades. The search for a new attorney was tabled until Barry returns. The discussion about the 2007 budget was also tabled. The next meeting of the master is November 1st.
09/20/06 - A meeting was held at Volunteer park on 09/20/06. Dan Cook was officially elected to the board as a director. Violations were discussed, 6 are at the attorney. Fence painting will begin soon, to be done by All Patriot.
09/16/06 - The Master recording from 09/14/06 is here. Click the link and Windows Media player will open. Or you can right click the link and "Save As" to your hard drive.
http://www.quatraine3.com/videos2006/MinutesMPEG091406.wav
09/14/06 - A master association meeting was held. The president of the master association (Barry) has lost his job, and may be moving out of the area in a few months. The attorney update is still on going. Barry suggested we interview one more attorney, a recommendation was given by Michelle from Quatraine IV. A motion was passed to approve a bid from David's electrical to repair column sign lights at the corner of Central Park Place East and Cleary Blvd (The Colonnades). The fence issue from the last meeting was brought up. The homeowner in question (Andrea) said she extended her fence from Pete's property line. The board went to look at the fence and was ok with what they saw. A motion was passed to approve an ARM form to allow a neighbor (Marylin) to extend her fence in the same line. I voted "No" on this issue saying the neighbor next to Pete had extended their fence farther down than expected, but the motion still passed. What does this mean? It means the fences you see along the lake in Quatraine IV near the north side of the lake will stay as is.
09/12/06 - The newsletters went out with the ARM form. If you want to make any changes to your home, please complete the ARM form and MAIL IT to Brock Property Management. Brock has to log all ARM forms, that's why it needs to be mailed.
For those who have paid their special assessment on time, or pre-paid it early, Thank You. The special assessment is over. The $102,000 is being used to replant the islands, re-sod, and put down new mulch. Fences will be painted, and sidewalks repaired.
08/26/06 - A meeting was held at Volunteer park on 08/23/06. Violations were discussed and a few people are going to the attorney for mediation. The reasons are for non compliance with fence repairs and painting of the homes. What happens at mediation? The attorney hears both sides and tries to make both parties come to an agreement. If an agreement can't be reached, then the case goes to court. At this time, about 40 out of 170 homeowners have a violation of some kind. Many people often get mad at the association saying they're going to sue. Sorry, it doesn't work that way, it goes to mediation first. In other news, a bid for sidewalk repairs was approved. A bid for pressure cleaning and painting of the fences was also approved. Landscaping is on going. At the time of this writing, the cul-de-sac islands are done and sod is being laid down. It was decided that sending out a one page flyer with all the rules and by-laws was not a good idea. Why? Because someone might sue. I have the rules in the restrictions section of this site. However, the board did approve of sending out the AMF form in the next newsletter. The reason why many don't use an AMF form is because they don't know about it. After October, the newsletter will only go out quarterly because we've heard that most people don't read it and throw it away, thank you. The jungle gym at at the back lake will be reworked to only have sod under it. The rail-road ties will be removed. Pool keys will cost $10, and a copy of the by-laws will cost $50.
A homeowner expressed concerns about a renter who is taking up all guest spots in a cul-de-sac. It was agreed that the board can not do anything about this, but in the future the board may be able to adopt screening laws for renters. The board is also aware of a renter who moved in with two pit bulls. If dogs bark and make noise, then call the City of Plantation police department and let them take care of it.
08/02/06 - A master association meeting was held at The Colonnades. It was decided to keep searching for an attorney to represent the 5 communities. Discussion ensued about the communities staying together. QIII, The Colonnades, and Parc Court are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to how the money is spent and want to go their own way. Of coarse, QIV and Jacaranda Pointe are happy with the way things are right now and want everyone to stay together so the other communities can pay for their landscaping. It was mentioned that a homeowner in QIV has built a new fence that goes a few feet away from the lake. The board went and looked at this fence after the meeting. The board was not happy with what they saw, the fence goes 10 feet from the lake.
07/30/06 - The current AMF form has been added to the FAQ section. If you make ANY changes to your home, please submit an Architectural Modification Form to the board for review before starting work. You are also responsible for any permits required from the city. Why do you have to submit an AMF form? So that the board can make sure all properties in the community are consistent. Examples of needing an AMF are painting your home, replacing a fence, and adding carriage lights to the sides of your garage door. Click this link to view the form, or right click it and then Save As to your hard drive.
http://www.quatraine3.com/images2006/AMF070106.doc
07/19/06 - A meeting was held at Volunteer park. A violation list was handed out. About the same number of people appeared on it as the last time. The violations were discussed and notes made. Because of the rain, the new date for Potter's to continue debris cleanup will be August 7th. A few palms need to be removed and a few stumps grind. Sprinklers in the islands need to be moved. One bid was presented for sidewalk repair but it didn't meet specs and was not accepted. Jane reviewed the estoppel package, which is sent to new homeowners. The package will include the by-laws, faq sheet, and other info. During open forum, a homeowner asked the board about leaving plexy glass coverings on their windows. The board did not approve of this.
07/01/06 - Potter's Lawn and Landscaping will be on the property July 10th to start trimming trees. Please be aware that there will be a mess, and you will hear tree chippers running most of the time. Potter's is scheduled to REPLANT the community on July 17th. This is where your Special Assessment dollars are being spent. The community will be replanted, remulched, and cleaned up. You will see a significant change in the look of Quatraine III. The board will make sure the work is done to specifications.
06/22/06 - A board meeting was held at Volunteer Park. Our new property manager and her assistant were present (Jane Brock and Chris Plunket) who were introduced to those attending. A violation list was handed out. It appears that 35 out of 170 homeowners have a violation of some sort. Some of the violations were talked about. The 2005 year end financials were discussed, it appears the Continental didn't do them. A motion was passed to have Jane file the 2005 tax return. Acordia is our new insurance company. July 10th is when Potter's Lawn and Landscaping starts work. They will begin by trimming trees. There has been no interest in filling the current vacancy on the board for a director position. The board will eventually appoint someone to serve. The Estoppel package was discussed. Homeowners will now get a copy of the by-laws, an info sheet, and a FAQ which will explain the laws of our community when they buy a home.
Financials were discussed. A replanting proposal from Potters Lawn and Landscaping was approved. They will start on July 10th to trim trees, and then July 17th to replant the community.
The new "line in the sand" date for fence repairs is July 30th. If your fence is not repaired at that time, then it won't be repainted. Please have your fence repaired by this time.
Estimates for concrete repairs and pressure cleaning will be gathered by Jane. She will report back to the board with her findings.
Master Association Update - A vote was taken at the last meeting that each community cover the cost of the hurricane cleanup and take care of the landscaping and pressure cleaning going forward. This will reduce the budget of the master association by half.
06/10/06 - The next meeting is on a Thursday, June 22nd at Volunteer Park at 7pm. After that meetings will happen on Wednesdays going forward. The reason for this is to fit in with Jane's schedule. There is another community that has a meeting on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. They had it first, so we have to switch.
VICTOR IS BACK. Yes, it wasn't an illusion, it's really him painting curbs, cleaning the garbage cans, spraying the pool, and other things. Why did it take so long to get him back? Because he was previously hired under Continental and they had contract rights on him. It wasn't until the board hired Jane Brock and asked that Victor be released from Continental, that the board could hire him. Continental agreed to that request, and now Victor is back. That's why it took two months until we could re-hire him after Arnold quit. Believe me, the board is happy to have him back, because for a month and half, it was the board that was emptying out garbage cans.
The pool has re-opened after a new pump and filter was installed.
06/07/06 - I attended a meeting of the Master Association, and what a meeting it was. A motion was made and passed that all communities take care of their own landscaping, including hurricane cleanup. This is huge, as each community will pay for their own cleanup, in other words, everyone is on their own. The reason for this, is that instead of each community putting money in to a general operating account that is then argued over, each community does their own, and spends money only on what they need. As our MA president put it when asked if we are passing the buck, he said, "No, we are re-claiming the buck." You had to be there for that one.
06/06/06 - A new pool maintenance company has been hired. Please welcome Seminole Pools to our community. They inspected the pool system and found that a new filter was needed, and the pump motor was burned up. The repairs were approved by the board, and are under way. The pool pump was pulled on 06/02/06, and the new filter was ordered. Depending on when you read this, the pool was shocked on 06/05/06 and closed the next day. With a new pump, filter, and pool person, look for a blue pool for the summer season.
06/01/06 - Please welcome Jane Brock as our new property manager. Many of you should have received an introduction letter from Brock Property Management Inc. in your mail. Obviously, the board is excited to have her managing our property.
Payments can be mailed to her address which is
PO BOX 770850 Coral Springs FL 33077
Office phone number is 954-753-2675 Fax 954-940-8541
New coupons will be mailed for regular payments and the special assessment.
Jane believes in returning phone calls within a 4-6 hour period and that this works better than e-mail. The introduction letter that Jane gave to the board states that she manages 17 properties, and has never lost one. Jane started property management in 1991 as a homeowner who was overseeing the daily activities of the contractors. The association decided to pay her, so she got a CAM license, and the rest is history.
Many of the vendors in the community are being changed, some didn't have a contract to begin with. You will see many changes going forward, all for the better. A part time maintenance man will also be hired soon.
05/27/06 - On June 1st there will be a major change in the community. Since the new board took over on February 28th, they have worked "behind the scenes" on many projects. On June 1st, an announcement will be officially made as to what that is. I'm sure many of you can guess what I'm talking about, but believe it or not, the board has been sworn to keep things secret. Why is that? Because attorney's are involved. The board would love to run up and down the street shouting what we know, but we can't do that. Look for improvements in the community starting June 1st.
05/25/06 - I attended a special meeting of the Master Association. The entire Quatraine III board was present to show their support. The only item on the agenda was a fence issue, where Quatraine IV would like to extend their fences on the east side of their community to the lake that is between Quatraine IV and Parc Court. A one hour discussion ensued with representatives from all five communities speaking. A vote was taken and the motion passed. I (representing Quatraine III) voted "No" on this item. Parc Court also voted against. The other three properties (Quatraine IV, Jacaranda Point, and The Colonnades) voted for. Quatraine IV still has to get approval from the city to allow this to happen. They are proposing 4 foot high white PVC picket fences.
05/17/06 - A board meeting took place at Volunteer Park. I did not attend this meeting as he was out of town. I has reviewed the minutes and found the most notable thing to mention here, is I Schwartzbaum resigned his position as director due to starting a new business venture. I Schwartzbaum had attended many of the previous meetings before the election, and was involved in the community. But with the new venture, he no longer has the time to contribute to the board, so he stepped down. If anyone is interested in filling this position, let the current board know.
05/03/06 - A meeting took place at Parc Court to elect officers. I Viands was elected secretary/treasurer of the Master Association. Barry Hubbard (The Colonnades) is the president. Joseph Kenna (Parc Court) is the vice president. Michele Paracci of Quatraine IV and Nina Hansen stay on as directors. The meeting had a few heated discussions where many questions were asked about how the master is being run. I is currently balancing the operating account so the master knows how much money they have to spend. Many people wonder who takes care of the trees in front of Quatraine III under the power lines. The master does. The problem is, there isn't much money to work with because most of the money in the reserve account was used for Wilma cleanup. A special assessment for the master may be required. Trimming a single tree can cost up to $200, and there are many that have to be removed. Currently, there are 10 palm trees along Cleary Blvd and Jacaranda Pointe that need to be removed. This will cost approximately $2000, and that doesn't even include planting new trees. As you can see, removing and planting trees is very expensive.
04/19/06 - A board meeting was held on 04/18/06 at Central Park. About 5 homeowners showed up, the meeting lasted 2 hours with many topics covered. More homeowners have come off the violation list, thank you. Hardy is aware of the accounting problems happening at Continental regarding late fees, where people send in their check on time, but still get a late notice. Acqua Terra is still working on repairing the sprinkler system. The board made Hardy aware of the weird times the sprinkler system is coming on. Existing contracts were reviewed and more information on them is needed. The violation process was discussed. It was agreed that when a homeowner is late paying their regular dues (collection), a reminder letter will go on the 15th, then a demand letter 30 days later, and after 3 months the account will be reviewed by the treasurer and sent to the attorney for collection. For normal violations such as signs being in a window, or a basketball hoop in the street, the process is a reminder letter giving the homeowner 30 days to fix the problem, a demand letter 15 days later, and after 10 days a certified letter is sent to the homeowner with the board receiving pictures of the violation. The board regrets sending these kind of letters, but everyone must be treated the same, and it's the only way to communicate. May 16th is the deadline for fence repairs. The board is still looking for a maintenance man to work 20 hours a week.
04/17/06 - The master association had a meeting with Keith Shriver, City of Plantation Landscape Architect. Keith gave helpful information regarding the trees in front of our development. Basically, he said that FPL is responsible for trimming the trees that are touching power lines, and then the master is responsible for the rest of the trimming. FPL has been contacted to trim the trees. The good news about all of this, is the removal and replacement of the trees can be spread out over a few years. In case you don't know it, trees touching the lines is what caused power to go out for 3 days (Katrina), and then a week (Wilma) in the storms from last year.
04/01/06 - I attended the master association meeting which was held on Wednesday 03/29/06. The master association is responsible for treating the lakes, and the landscaping near the roadways not covered by the HOA. For example, along Cleary Blvd, the master is responsible for the landscaping from the road, to the fences. The master association covers 5 properties, Quatraine3, Quatraine4, Parc Court, Jacaranda Pointe, and The Colonades. A walk thru of the 5 properties was done on 04/01/06, with Jim from J&L Property Management, and Steve from Lawns Plus landscaping. Trees that need to be removed were noted. It was also noted that the tree branches in the lakes need to be cleaned up, because the water authority sent an official letter saying it had to be done. Steve will meet with the City landscapers, do a walk thru, and then another meeting can take place to move forward on landscaping projects.
03/24/06 - Paint color and restrictions page added. See links at the top of this page.
03/21/06 - A board meeting was held at Volunteer Park. It was told that 15 people have come off the violation list since March 8th. This is great news as it appears people are complying with the letters. Those who still need to do fence repairs will be sent a notice giving them 60 days to complete the work. The due date for fixing fences is approximately the middle of May (14-16). Those who can prove they have hired a contractor will not be sent violation letters (after they send in the proof). The board is aware of the homes that still have fences down, they will be sent letters. A homeowner who attended the meeting made recommendations about the pool deck. It was suggested to use a Concrete Penetrating Stain. The color suggested was Buff, which is an off-white. The stain comes in 5 gallon buckets, for $75 each, and dries in 72 hours. The homeowner will work with the maintenance man to apply the stain correctly. Two committees were formed, that being Landscape and Architectural with homeowners joining each. New Benjamin Moore paint colors were approved, and the paint store that sells them is Miller Paint Centers, Plantation, 954-475-2227, Glen Bennett - Manager. If a homeowner identifies themselves as a Quatraine III resident, they will get contract pricing. There are now 5 colors that are approved. The current colors are now
Green - Hint of Mint 505, Beige - Brandy Cream OC - 4, Gray - Intense White OC - 51, Yellow - Montgomery White HC-33, Peach - Pirates Cove Beach OC-80. All Trim is to be done in Super White. All finish is low-Lustre.
The next board meeting is April 18th at Central Park. This is the only meeting that will be held at Central Park, because the room at Volunteer park was not available. After that, the meetings will take place at Volunteer Park the 3rd Tuesday of each month.
03/09/06 - An organizational meeting was held at the pool on March 7th. It lasted 2.5 hours with many topics covered. It was agreed that the first violation notice sent to homeowners should have a softer tone to it. Subsequent letters will increase in urgency level. The board does not want to make enemies with homeowners, but the laws must be followed the same for everyone. The pool deck will be discussed at the next meeting. The surface may need a better sealant. The pool has been a thorn in the side of the community for over a year. Everyone wants to see it fixed correctly. The current insurance policy is under review, which is good, because from what I'm hearing, they didn't cover anything from the last hurricane. I was at the meeting when my wife asked what was covered, and the answer was nothing. Besides one broken pipe and a timer box, all irrigation repairs are done and so is tree debris cleanup. At the time of writing this, that means all hurricane clean up is finished. Going forward, the board will concentrate on making the community beautiful again. Two committees are scheduled to be created at the next meeting, they are a Landscape, and Architectural committee. Those wishing to be on a committee, please show up at the next meeting and volunteer. The idea is to have at least one homeowner for each cul-de-sac represented. Contact has been made with the Master Association, and I will be attending the next meeting. The Master Association takes care of treating the lakes.
Very Important - Your special assessment check must be paid separate from your regular payment, and the special assessment can not be paid electronically. The reason for this, is there are two different accounts. You can mail the documents in the same envelope to save a stamp, but there must be separate checks.
Hot topic in the news. A homeowner living in Tampa was sent a violation notice for displaying a "Support Our Troops" sign in front of her home. The homeowner and HOA president ended up on the Todd Schnitt show, which airs out of Tampa. I happened to be listening to the show while driving home when the president called in. He, and the board supports the homeowner in support of the troops, but they also must uphold the by-laws of the community that state no signs are allowed. Quatraine III has the same rule and it's often violated by people who put For Sale signs in their window. The board is caught between a "rock and a hard place" because they agree with the homeowner, but also must protect the by-laws, so it's a frustrating situation, link is below.
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBY9HYLKKE.html Update to the story is here: http://www.sptimes.com/2006/03/09/Tampabay/Woman_turns_down_peac.shtml
03/03/06 - Besides the by-laws, there is the Florida Statutes section 720 which covers homeowner associations. This section provides information about how a homeowners association is run. A link is provided here.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=Ch0720/ch0720.htm
Another link to review, is the official ordinance for rebuilding fences from the City of Plantation. Please follow this when rebuilding your shadow box fence.
http://www.plantation.org/building/permits/hurricane-permits.html
2/28/06 - The annual election was held at Volunteer park. First everyone signed in and received one ballot per homeowner. At first there was a dispute on whether the proxies counted as a vote, or whether they were just for the quorum. It was agreed, that since there were more than 2/3rds majority, that the proxies could count as votes. It was said that this was the most people ever who attended a meeting. With proxies and 29 homeowners represented, there were 112 total homes accounted for. Those who had sent in proxies, were told to write a number in the upper left corner of the ballot, which represented their total number of votes. Nominations were taken from the floor of whose wanting to run. Those running were myself, Vivian Karr, Judy Kopelow, Robert Gros (didn't show up), Greg Moore, Shari Bernhard, Robert Schwartzbaum, Jay Wilson, Terry Stulgis, and Lisa Mucha-Sanchez. Each person was allowed to stand up and state why they wanted to run. Everyone did a great job and the audience applauded each. The vote was then taken, the results tallied and revealed to everyone. Seven directors were elected, 5 of them being officers. There was a tie for the last position between Vivian Karr and Jay Wilson. At first there was going to be another vote by show of hands, but then Jay decided to step down citing personal reasons (baby) and let Vivian have the seat. The members not voted back were thanked for their service, and the new board members came up to the table. Then the election for the officers took place. Greg Moore won the position of President. Myself and Shari Bernhard won the position of Vice President. Vivian Karr stayed on as Treasurer. Terry Stulgis also stayed on as Secretary. Please meet your new board. Click on the picture to make it big, then back to return here.
A new meeting was called to order with Property Manager Michael Leeds discussing some issues that needed to be taken care of. The first issue of business deciding who would be required to sign checks, and where they would be placed, so Continental could get them quicker. Michael said he would order signature cards for the 5 officers. Next order of business was talking about a new meeting room. The current meeting room is booked thru the year, so a new meeting room needs to be found. The next board meeting was agreed to happen on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, that being March 21st. Michael talked about the continuing problem with the sprinklers and pipes that are being broken when people try to fix their fence. A homeowner spoke up saying the workers tried to enter his back yard, and his mom was home alone, and was scared because strangers were in her backyard without notification to homeowner. Michael said the work needed to get done. It was agreed that a workshop meeting would happen at the pool on Tuesday March 7th at 7pm. A notice of this meeting must be displayed for the entire community, and they are welcome to attend. A motion was taken to no longer use the police officer who was present at the meetings, the motion passed.
Our new Property Manager for Quatraine III (Hardy Lentz) was asked to speak. His e-mail address is below. It was revealed that Quatraine III is currently the only property he is managing. He has been with Continental for 1 year.
Please come to the pool meeting on Tuesday March 7th at 7pm.
02/16/06 - A meeting was held at the pool to vote in the new special assessment. At this meeting, Michael Leeds said he would be moving on, and he would be replaced by Hardy Lentz. E-mail address is hlentz@thecontinentalgroupinc.com and the phone number to Continental is 954-378-1099. Evelyn McKinney-Jasper (district manager) was also on hand to watch the meeting. E-mail address is ejasper@thecontinentalgroupinc.com. The board approved a $600 assessment per homeowner, payable as $100 a month, starting on April 15th.
02/04/06 - You should be receiving your Annual Notice packet in the mail. Please come to the meeting at Volunteer Park on February 28th and vote. Volunteer park is located at 118th Avenue and Sunrise Blvd, across from the PetSmart shopping plaza. I'd like to explain how the elections work for those who don't know. If enough people show up (30% of the homeowners), than a quorum (majority of members) happens, and an election can take place. That would be 51 out of the 170 homeowners in our community. Otherwise, the current board is rolled over. If an election happens, then nominations are taken from the floor. What does this mean? People stand up and say they want to run for the board and why. Their name is placed on a chalk board or something similar. Then everyone votes for 5 people. The top 5 are the new board. After the vote, the 5 new board members walk up to the front of the room and sit at the table. Any board member who wasn't voted back in, is thanked for their service and returns to the audience. The 5 new board members now decide who will be President, VP (two of them), Treasurer, and Secretary. After the vote, a meeting starts with the new board members discussing new motions to change the community. Therefore, it is important, that everyone show up and vote for new board members. Not only that, if you want to be involved in the community, this is the time to act. Come to the meeting, stand up, tell everyone why you want to be on the board, and see if you are elected. There is nothing wrong if you are not voted in. The problem in most communities, is that people don't get involved.
1/24/06 - Fences were talked about. The spacing of the posts was said to be 5 feet apart. A few spoke up that a permit was not necessary if the repair amount was under $1000. The maintenance man wants a gas powered blower, it was agreed to if it stays in the pool room. The community has been approved for an SDA loan of 100k, at 4% for 5 years. There is no interest for the first 12 months. 4 violation letters have been sent for delinquent monthly fees. Mike told everyone that the best way to make homeowners pay, is when their house is foreclosed on. When this happens, they are charged $600 and 35%. Pool fence repair is under estimate, with a target date of the end of February. The going rate is $4 per foot. The pool was acid washed, the final coat was done on this meeting date. However, the pool did not re-open until Feb 1. 2006. The sign on the pool read it would be closed December 6th - December 13th, when in fact, things turned out much different. A homeowner asked what repairs were covered under insurance. The answer was none, refuting the statement given at the last meeting saying the clubhouse roof would be covered. A special assessment meeting was scheduled for February 16th at the pool. A paper was handed out showing the estimated expenses. This paper was also mailed to the homeowners. Some did not get it. The president is resigning. He will serve until the end of his term.
01/09/06 - The election has been rescheduled for 02/28/06. If you are interested in serving on the board, you need to fill out an new intent to run form. And if you are gathering proxies, you need to use the new proxy form which has the new date on it. You may contact Continental to get the proxy form, or send an e-mail to the web master here.
12/19/05 - A few Homeowners have received nasty letters from Continental telling them to fix their fences. Not only that, a homeowner who fixed his own fence and had the City of Plantation come out to take a look, was told the job was not good enough. The wording of the inspection reads, "Anchorage of rails to some posts required or provide required fastening at some posts as marked. Post spacing at some sections exceeds 5' max as per code FBC 105.6 section 2328." The homeowner has been told to make corrections, and request a re-inspection.
11/29/05 - The annual meeting was held at Volunteer Park. About 40 homeowners showed up, so many, there were some standing against the back wall.
The first item was that J. Lynn would re-surface the pool for free.
Street lights, side walks, street signs, roof on the club house are covered by Philadelphia Ins.
The fences not picked up in the first pass near the corner of 98th Ave was because the claw could not get to them. They were later picked up.
Michael Leads (Continental Property Manager) suggested everyone get a special rider on their insurance policy that covers special assessments for about $7. Of coarse, this won't work for the current assessment, but would work in the future.
A new maintenance man has been hired, his name is Arnold Franswa, who is to work about 4 hours a day M, W, F and T, TH afternoon.
85 trees were estimated to be removed and replaced, that is why the trees have ribbons around them. The board estimated this would cost $500 per tree, at a total cost of 40k. There are 160 more to trim, for a total of 172 trees. A discussion ensued with the board throwing numbers out there for estimated assessment costs and a long term plan. The idea is to get a 6 month interest free Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, which banks are offering for hurricane cleanup. Michael Leads went first and threw the number of $1000 a homeowner out there and said it would bring in $170,000 (there are 170 homes in the community). Of coarse everyone was shocked and a few spoke up. The president spoke and said that $600 would be better, which comes out to $102,000. A homeowner spoke up saying he could help with the research. A landscape committee was created with him and 2 other people. A committee needs 3 people to exist. Basically, the reason the president and Michael gave for the assessment is for long term projects going as far out as 15 years. Michael talked about going to lunch with the City of Plantation inspectors and the new landscape committee saying this would help our situation.
The homeowner who lives along the pathway leading to the back lake area spoke up asking if something could be done about the two trees along their fence near the jungle gym. The roots of these trees have pushed up thru the yard, making it impossible for the homeowner to repair their fence. Michael Leads suggested root pruning could be done. The president said they couldn't help, because if they did, they would have to help anyone who wanted their trees removed.
There will be an assessment meeting in January. It was noted that most roofing companies are backed up for 6 months. A few homeowners spoke up with roofers they suggested. They are Cherry Roofing, and Atlas Roofing.
Michael Leads said that the best way to get something done thru Continental is to call the customer service line and have a ticket entered. If you try to call Michael Leads directly, nothing will get done.
11/24/05 - The Election has been cancelled. The association realized that the election is supposed to take place between January 15th and February 28th.
The meeting on November 29th will be a regular meeting to discuss the special assessment.
11/18/05 -You should have received a letter with the budget for 2006, a new coupon book, and an information packet for the upcoming elections to be held on November 29th.
If you did not received these items, please call the Continental Group at 954-378-1099.
Click the elections tab above for more information. If you don't plan on attending the meeting, please sign your proxy over to someone who will.
The monthly fee is going up to $124.99. This is the largest increase. For those wondering, here is a history of the fees.
1996 - $85, 1997 - $85, 1998 - $85, 1999 - $85, 2000 - $85, 2001 - $90, 2002 - $100, 2003 - $100, 2004 - $110, 2005 - $110, 2006 - $124.99
11/09/05 - Please join us in saying goodbye to our Maintenance worker who took care of our grounds keeping for the last couple of years.
Way to Go FEMA in getting our Cleary Blvd. sidewalks cleared for dog walkers and runners.
11/08/05 - Web Site Launched.
Check back for more updates to come. This web site is still under construction.
Have something to say? Don't like what is happening in the community and want your voice heard? Tell us about it with an e-mail or post in the forum.
To send an e-mail, click here quatraine3@bellsouth.net
QUATRAINE