20060801_Vistas_News

YOUR GBV NEWSLETTER
This newsletter is to keep you informed of what is happening in your neighborhood,
Greenbrook Vistas. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of your
Committee Chairs. These people have volunteered to represent you and were elected
at the February 6th meeting.
Steve Balazic—Chairperson/Voting Member—753-9551
Keith Davey—Safety Awareness/Digital Village*—739-8760
Gordon Norquay—Budget/Modifications/Alternate Voting Member—751-1227
Mike Ortiz—Social—894-6519
Joe Sidiski—Landscape/Restriction/Modifications—756-7270
Patrick Wright—Compliance—752-3177
Carole Norquay—Chief Editor for “Your GBV Newsletter” (non-elected volunteer)
*Digital Village—All of us want to thank Joe Sidiski for doing a great job with Digital
Village. Unfortunately, due to his many commitments, he has had to give that position
up. Keith Davey has generously volunteered to take his place. Thank you Keith!
CHAIR REPORTS
Steve Balazic—The Greenbrook Landscape Committee has not met since the last newsletter. Their next meeting is August 21.
Keith Davey—The Greenbrook Safety Committee Awareness meeting was held in
July to introduce the sheriff's deputies and Wackenhut officer who routinely patrol the
Lakewood Ranch area. Deputy Diamond and Deputy Hasty spoke to the group along
with a few comments from Wackenhut officer Lorenzo White. (Sheriff's Deputy
Lindauer was on vacation). They explained that the primary crime in the area was
drug related (mostly marijuana and ecstasy) and that Lakewood Ranch High School
had the largest quantity of drugs in the county.
~2~
The key point that was made was to always call the sheriff if a crime is observed. The
deputies remember the juveniles and have lists in their cars of frequent troublemakers
(e.g. who sets fires, who shoots paintballs, who sells drugs, etc.). If the caller can describe the person, they will probably know the person's name and address. As a result,
they'll drive by their house and investigate. The deputies and Wackenhut officers also
communicate with each other via cell phone to coordinate their efforts when chasing
people suspected of a crime.
There are two groups of juveniles in the area that cause problems. One group sets fires,
the other group commits burglaries. The number of these crimes has dropped in recent
months because some of the juveniles have been arrested (most by these two deputies)
and are currently in jail.
Everyone was advised to use the following telephone numbers:
 Call 747-3011 (extension 0) to report crime (or call 911 if it's urgent).
 Citizens can call 723-5197 traffic hotline to report general information (e.g. speeders, red light violators, and other traffic problems). Based on the volume of calls, sheriff's patrols will be increased in that area.
 Citizens can call 365-TAGS if specific traffic violations are observed. Describe the
vehicle and provide the license number. The police will send a letter to the person. Although it isn't a ticket, it is intended to make the person aware that their actions have
been noticed.
 Crimestoppers can be called at (866) 634-TIPS to anonymously report crimes and
potentially collect a reward if the tip leads to the person being convicted of the crime.
Security Patrol
The annual budget for Wackenhut security patrols in Greenbrook will be increased in
2007. Greenbrook and Summerfield will share a patrol zone which increases the hours
of weekly coverage to 80 hours per week between Greenbrook and Summerfield. This
would allow for 11 hours and 25 minutes of coverage each day between the hours of
2:15 PM (when the children get out of school) and 1:40 AM. Adjustments to these
times can be made throughout the year as circumstances warrant. Savings are possible by combining patrol zones because only one marked patrol vehicle would be
required. Two officers would be assigned 40 hour shifts eliminating the need for overtime.
Neighborhood Watch Program
We are soliciting interest from residents and may implement a program within the
next few months.
Traffic Issues
The entrance turn lane from State Road 70 into Greenbrook Village and desired installation of a traffic light at this same intersection were open items. The length of the
~3~
turn lane has been measured and deemed appropriate by the State. A traffic light may
be considered in the future based on development north of SR70.
Adventure Park
The closing time for the park is now dusk instead of 10:00 PM. New signs have been
posted. The possibility of gating the entrance to the Adventure Park when the park was
closed was considered. However, it is not recommended at this time for various reasons (e.g. responsibilities for open and closing the gate, barriers to prevent driving
around the gate, etc.).
School zone safety (McNeal & Nolan)
Letters were sent to the two school principals asking them to notify parents of designated drop off and pick up areas to avoid blocking traffic rather than stopping on
Lorraine Road. Lakewood Ranch Community Development will investigate installing
school speed limit signs with flashing lights.
Digital Village now has a Lakewood Ranch Safety Newsletter posted.
Gordon Norquay—The CDD4 Budget Committee met on August 1. The budget report
is the same as the last report with a 10% increase for next year.
Mike Ortiz—The Vistas Social Committee held another successful outing on July 22 at
Adventure Park even though the softball & kickball events were rained out. Bingo
night was very well received and everyone had a good time. Another social event will
be in the planning stage.
Joe Sidiski—The Restriction Revision Committee met at Town Hall on August 6 at
6:00 PM. The meeting was fairly well attended, with representatives present from
most neighborhoods. Most of the Homeowner's Manual revisions discussed were language changes that clarified the rules rather than changing them. Additionally, some
language was inserted into the manual outlining the rules for trampolines and storm
shutters that had been approved in a recent Homeowner's Association Board of Directors meeting. Two additional items were also discussed: display of flags and maintaining at least one space in the garage for parking.
The issue of flags had been discussed at an earlier meeting and had been shelved until
this meeting. The Restriction Revisions Committee was unanimous in its insistence
that each residence may display only one flag. The feeling was that individual lots are
fairly small and, if neighboring houses each displayed multiple flags, the resulting appearance would not be in keeping with Greenbrook standards. As before, it was found
that attempts to ease the rules for special cases led to highly complex rules that would
be difficult to write and impossible to enforce. The only realistic approach was found
to be limiting the number of flags to one.
~4~
The current Homeowner's Manual states that each home must maintain at least one
space in the garage for parking a car. All felt that this requirement was too restrictive. As long as residents followed the rules for parking, such as not parking on the
street overnight, then we really did not care whether they maintained space in the garage. A decision was made to remove this requirement.
The next action on the proposed revisions will take place at the Combined Neighborhoods Meeting on October 10, where the recommended changes will be discussed by all
members of the community who choose to attend. If agreement is reached on the proposed changes, they will be presented to the Greenbrook Homeowner's Association
Board of Directors at their next meeting on October 25 for final approval and implementation.
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR COMMITTEE
As many of you are aware, a neighbor of ours, 4 year old Payton Wright, is in a fight
for her life with a very rare and aggressive cancer. To help raise funds, four events are
planned.

A hair-Cut-A-Thon on August 20 from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. will be held at Yellow
Strawberry Global Hair Salon.

A golf tournament at Lakewood Ranch Country Club on August 25 with lunch and
a silent auction to follow.

A 5K run/fun walk with games, music and raffles on August 26 at 8:00 a.m. at Harvest Methodist Church (registration at 7:00 a.m.).
Flyers have been sent around with all the details. If you did not receive one, please
contact Mike Ortiz at (941) 894-6519 or mjo931@earthlink.net for information.

Dick Vitale is also generously holding a dinner at his home in the Country Club on
Sunday, August 27. The cost per person is $500 or $1000 per couple which will be
donated to the Payton Wright Wellness Fund. If you are interested in this event,
please contact Mike Ortiz at (941) 894-6519 or mjo931@earthlink.net.
“IT’S GONNA BE A GOOD WEEK”
~5~
DID YOU KNOW…

Irrigation water is NOT free. Cost for irrigation is included in your CDD tax assessments. Irrigation represents over 10% of the annual CDD 4 budget. Currently,
the Districts are over budget on irrigation water usage. Watering outside of the
schedules is a violations of the deed restrictions and the water-use permit with the
Southwest Florida Water Management District and costs ALL residents higher
CDD tax assessments.

Lakewood Ranch receives its irrigation water from storm water run-off which
means that it is not unlimited. It is pumped from several lakes throughout the development. The volume of that water is not unlimited and therefore only a limited
amount of sprinklers can operate efficiently simultaneously. That is why we ask
you to adhere to the designated watering times. Remember, your neighbors need
water for their landscaping too.

AS OF JULY 1st our watering schedule has returned to one day a week ~ Wednesdays only please. Irrigation hours are Wednesdays with even numbered houses
from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. and odd numbered houses from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Please do not water other than these hours. No watering is to be done between the
hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

27 families have signed up to participate in a Neighborhood Watch program. If
you are interested in joining, please call Keith Davey at 739-8760.

If you would like to place an ad for your business in Your GBV Newsletter, you can
contact Carole at gandcnorquay@tampabay.rr.com or 751-1227. The cost is only
$10.00 and all proceeds would go towards the Social Committee’s events.
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUT DIGITAL VILLAGE
at
lakewoodranchresidents.com
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COMMUNITY BRIEFS
COMMUNITY ALERT—PLEASE READ CAREFULLY—
The Pink Hibiscus Mealybug has made its appearance in Vistas. This is a very dangerous bug for your plants. The Florida Dept. of Agriculture wants you to report any
sightings and they will come out to inspect and treat your plants with biocontrol
insects. Their website www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/phm.html will show you
what the Mealybug looks like and the damage they can do. It also tells you what you
should and should not do. DO NOT cut or trim the suspected plants or use pesticides!
Check your plants often and call (888) 397-1517 for further information if you find
these insects.
YOUR OPINOIN IS REQUESTED. There was a discussion at the last Board of Directors meeting about the lack of facilities at Adventure Park that might appeal to our
teenage residents. Included in the discussion was the potential for such facilities to
help in reducing the incidents of malicious mischief and vandalism. One resident requested that the community upgrade Adventure Park with a baseball diamond to include running lanes and bases. To do this project would cost between $300 and $5000
depending upon the level at which it is developed. The Board of Directors and CDD
Board will not support this request, however, unless it is shown that there is support
from the community at large. Your committee would also like to see other upgrades
such as basketball and additional trees and landscaping. Please share your thoughts
about the future of Adventure Park with your committee by contacting Steve Balazic
at 753-9551.
THE GBV PICNIC did not quite go off as planned due to the buckets of rain we received! The softball and kickball games had to be canceled, but the Bingo Night went
on as planned. Every one seemed to enjoy themselves and we had many requests for a
repeat. A big thank you goes out to Jerry DeMario for setting up the sound system.
Another thank you to Brad West for spelling Mike Ortiz with calling out numbers.
Mike and Brad did a GREAT job as Bingo callers. If they ever want to leave their day
jobs…!! Please check out pages 8, 9 and 10 of this newsletter for pictures. We’ll keep
you informed as to when the next one will be.
~7~
If you know of an act of kindness and would like to thank the person publicly in “Your
GBV Newsletter”, please email Carole at gandcnorquay@tampabay.rr.com with your
story.
This is from Becky Stoll to Jan DeMario & Tomi Byron ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jan and Tomi,
Thank you so much for mothering Rebecca while I was in Michigan caring for
my mother. It’s such a comfort to know you were here, helping her with girl stuff
before the big dance! You gals are wonderful!
Thanks a million, Becky
Friendship is a blessing,
That comes from God above,
Kindness and encouragement,
Are mixed with thoughtful love.
The blessings we give each other,
Will come back to us some day,
Our lives affect each other,
Some in small and grander ways.
Here’s a little note to thank,
Two friends whose kindness speaks,
Their loving deeds helped me,
Through some pretty awful weeks.
Thank you Jan and Tomi,
For stepping in and helping out.
You made Rebecca’s big day special,
You are both without a doubt…
The truest kind of friends…
Thanks so much.
Tomi, Rebecca & Jan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Great neighbors ~ that’s what Vistas is all about!
GBV BINGO NIGHT
7/22/06
Unfortunately, the softball and kickball games had to be canceled due to rain. BUT,
Bingo Night was a HUGE success! Mike Ortiz and Brad West were TERRIFIC Bingo
callers. Everyone had a great time.
Gordon Norquay helping
to set up
Jerry DeMario setting up the sound system
THANKS JERRY!
Joan, Olivia & Julia
making the coffee
Joan, Julia & Olivia Ortiz unloading their car
Mike Ortiz explaining the Bingo rules
More GBV Bingo Night
Mike Ortiz calling numbers
Brad West calling numbers
Zack West selling Bingo cards
Jerry DeMario & Kyle Byron hoping for a win
Some of The Players
Dean Consiglio inquiring about Payton
Wright’s golf tournament
And then there were those who chose to pretend
the volleyball court was a swimming pool!
THE WINNERS WERE
First winner-Katrina West (3rd one in
from right facing Brad (sorry about
the bad photo Katrina-we’ll get you
next time!
Third winner-Carole
Norquay (your Editor!)
Second winnerKaitlyn West
Sixth winner-Steve Balazic
(Your Chairperson)
Fourth winner-Gordon
Norquay (your Budget
Chair)
Fifth winner-Mary Balazic
Seventh winner-Gina DeMario
(Great smile Gina!)
Eighth winner-Tomi Byron here with
her husband, Kyle, and Sabrina Bavaro
The Following Is A Paid Advertisement
HOME THEATERS
By
Jerry De Mario
Custom Built Wall Units
Surround Sound Installations
Multi-Room Audio Speaker Packages
Equipment Set Up & Training
Specialized In Bonus Room Conversions
For FREE in home consultation & room evaluation
Call (941) 755-1288
INSTANT REBATES on all pre-wired homes ($100.00 per room)
The Following Is A Paid Advertisement
AUGUST 2006
un
Mon
1
Sun
Tue
2
3
Mon
6
14
13
21
20 Hair Cut-AThon for
Payton at
Yellow
8
Strawberry
Global Hair
Salon-9:00
a.m.-1:00 p.m.
27 Payton’s
dinner at Dick
Vitale’s home
8
9
9
15
16
17
22
15
23
21
22
Landscape
Comm. Mtg.7:00 p.m.
29
30
28 Vistas
Board Mtg.6:30 p.m.
29
16
24
23
25
24
31
Sat
4
12
5
13
11
19
17
31
30
Fri
10
18
Sat
6
Thu
2 Restriction 3
Revision
Comm. Mtg.106:00 p.m.
11
8
Fri
5
Wed
7
14
Thu
4
Tue
1 Budget
Comm. Mtg.7:00 p.m.
7
Wed
12
20
18
26
19
27
25 Golf
Tournament
for Payton Lakewood
Ranch CC9:00 a.m.
26 5K Run &
Fun Walk for
Payton Harvest
Methodist
Church
SEPTEMBER 2006
S
u Mon
n Sun
1
Tue
Mon
2
Wed
Tue
Thu
Wed
Fri
Thu
Sat
Fri
Sat
3
4
5
61
2
37 8
9
4 Labor
Day
5 10
611
712
13
8
9
1 15
10
4
1116
1217
18
13
19
14
20
15
16
2 22
17
1
1823
1924
25
20
26
21
27
22
23
8 29
24
2530
2631Budget
Mtg.-7:00
p.m.
27
28
29
30
___________
31