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The Heron Herald, Page 1 Another Seabreeze Publication VOL. 5 NO. 10 www.seabreezecommunications.com OCTOBER 2019 A Warm Welcome To Our New By Paula Short On Thursday, Sept. 5, friends and neighbors came together at Community Association/Office Manager Cass Cay Restaurant in Burnt Store Marina to wish Sandy Patrice Merritt would and joined the Army. During that time, she received a Funk a wonderful retirement. For 20 years, Sandy has been the like to convey her gratitude Bachelor of the Arts degree from the University of Hawaii pivotal person for the community, serving as our Community for the opportunity to serve and worked as a site manager for nearly 30 years. In 2013, Association Manager (CAM) in the POA office. If you needed our beautiful community. she retired from the Army Reserves as a hand grenade and information on virtually any community issue, Sandy always She is looking forward to administration instructor. Patrice met her husband Saxon had the answer. If you were having a home in BSL built working with our Board in 2015, while he was there on a contract. She left Hawaii and lived out-of-state, Sandy was your eyes and ears with of Directors and friendly in 2016 and joined him at his home in Punta Gorda Isles. the builder. If you needed an outside reference for most any staff when she returns from For nearly three years, she was employed as a portfolio service, Sandy was the one to call. She was the liaison between Africa in the latter part of manager for 11 associations. BSL and multiple vendors, as well as being the point person September. Patrice has one daughter and three grandchildren who with the county. To try and list everything Sandy did would Soon after high school live in the Washington, D.C., area. She likes to golf, exceed the eight pages to which The Heron Herald is limited. graduation in Michigan, bicycle, and swing dance. Working with Sandy on the newspaper has been Patrice moved to Hawaii Patrice Merritt a joy! Her suggestions, recommendations, and support have been a The annual meeting packet that you will need to fill out and submit to the office blessing. is just around the with your payment. The deadline for your reservation Sandy will be sorely corner! The voting is Monday, Oct. 7! missed, but considering she materials were mailed If you need assistance with your forms, please stop in lives in the Lakes, we will out on Sept. 9. If you the office or call. Note that yourblock and lot information hopefully see her out and did not receive yours, please call the office and we will is printed on the yellow proxy and white owner’s about as she is now free to provide you with one, (941) 639-5881. We would be statement. It is the five-digit number printed above your do absolutely anything she pleased to have you attend on Saturday, Oct. 19 at the name/address at the bottom right side. The first three wants during any time and Sandy with POA Board Burnt Store Presbyterian Church, 11330 Burnt Store numbers are your block and the last two numbers are your on any day of the week. President Dave Evans Road, Punta Gorda, FL, at 9:30 a.m. Coffee and Danish lot. Please be sure to put only one ballot in a secret ballot will be served prior to the meeting by our volunteers, envelope. If you own more than one lot, you should have Diane Ringer and Linda Suici. At approximately 1 p.m., been supplied with the number of secret ballot envelopes the annual meeting picnic will be held in the BSLPOA for the number of lots that you have. Do NOT put your Park. Our caterer this year is Wally’s Southern BBQ. owner’s statement or proxy in with the secret ballot The cost per person is $10. The menu will be baby back envelope. Place your secret ballot envelope(s), owner’s ribs, barbecue chicken breast, barbecue beans, green statement, and proxy in the letter-size envelope and mail beans with bacon bits, potato salad and dessert. There is or drop off at the office. All envelopes dropped off at the a “green” sign-up sheet included in your annual meeting office are taken to our accountant’s office for tallying. 2019/20 Burnt Store Lakes Property Owners Association Budget By Ed Dusold, Treasurer and McMillan, all contributed to what you will see. As home and lot owners will see in the 2019/20 budget The proposed 2019/20 budget is $1,111,600, an increase mailing before our annual meeting on Oct. 19, a tremendous of $18,826 from last year’s budget. Your mailed packet will amount of effort went into this proposed budget. Your Board of provide extensive detail of how these figures were calculated. Directors, committee chairpersons, office staff, property owners attending monthly meetings, and our accountants, Webb, Lorah 2019/20 Burnt Store Lakes on page 2 The Heron Herald PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID FT MYERS FL PERMIT 751 THE HERON HERALD DEADLINE FOR NOVEMBER ARTICLES IS OCT. 11 DELIVERY IS WEEK OF OCT. 28 ALL SUBMISSIONS EMAIL TO: [email protected] Page 2, The Heron Herald 2019/20 Burnt Store Lakes from page 1 as a storm. The fund for these combined two items was not Association should be in sound fi nancial status as we move used to offset costs, but rather, placed in a separate CD account forward. This budget requires a $6 increase or 1.47 percent in the annual currently yielding 1.3 percent in interest. As more and more homes are built in our subdivision, many assessment from $409 to $415 of our 2,080 units. The Board 2017/18 and 2018/19 budget carryover funds were less than achievements for the 2018/19 fi scal year have been completed, kept 2018/19 expenses within budget without expending all 2019/20. If these carryover funds were not utilized to offset the including, but not limited to: revenues from prior years. The annual assessment increase is assessment, to properly fund the budget, lot assessment would • A new storage building in our park, replacing the green needed to supplement the amount of carryover funds available have been $532.42 rather than the proposed $415. shipping container. to offset proposed costs and is in line with the 1.5 percent To illustrate the preceding fi nancial information, “one picture • Improvements in our park, including landscaping, paving, Consumer Price Index. is worth a thousand words.” The following is a simplifi ed sound system, sod installation, and additional parking. The budget calls for increasing the disaster recovery fund graphical depiction: • Long-Range Planning designing a new brochure, including from the current $133,481 by $20,000 to allow for infl ation in aerial drone photos showing prospective and new property the event the Association needs to utilize funds for damages. owners and visitors what Burnt Store Lakes has to offer. The insurance deductible line item is set aside to pay for our • Refurbishment of landscaping and irrigation at the two insurance coverage deductibles if needed due to an event such roundabouts at Cape Horn/Peppercorn and Saragossa. • Negotiation of a seven-year offi ce space lease extension at only a 3 percent increase. • Signifi cant drainage work was completed and remains in progress for swales (including sodding and watering repaired swales), as well as several lakes and dam spillways. This coming fi scal year, repair of Hog Creek, which was damaged by our BSL Budget expenses FYE 2020 last hurricane, will continue, as well as 21 more swale projects, Category Amount weather permitting. • Due to inordinate rainfall this summer, an additional mowing Drainage $180,000 of common and greenbelt areas, rights of way, and vacant lots Board Of Directors Lakes $208,000 was funded. A contractor with articulated arm mowers was hired Mowing/Landscaping $231,000 for the deep swales which our current mowing contractor could Dave Evans Maintenance/Utilities $182,750 not reach. Mowing remains an expensive component of our President Wages & Office Admin $137,700 budget. The proposed budget includes one contractor performing Lakes Water Quality all mowing when the grass reaches a certain height, which should Professional & Other Admin. $172,150 County Liaison make mowing more consistent throughout our community. Betty Ingerson Total $1,111,600 • Our 11 lakes remain a vital asset to our community. Due to Vice President Per Florida State Statute (FSS) financial reporting programs instituted by the Board, including stocking lakes with Architectural Review requirements for Associations with a budget greater than fi sh that consume midge fl y larvae, we have seen a signifi cant Communications $500,000 (ours is over $1 million), an “audit” vs. a “fi nancial reduction in the midge fl y population, but not completely. Ed Dusold review” of year-end fi nancial statements is required. In Additional, improved aeration systems are allocated in our Treasurer accordance with FSS, an “audit” may be waived and a reserves for seven of our 11 lakes. Efforts continue to research Drainage Coordinator “fi nancial review” may be performed if the majority of alternative companies and experts, including Florida Gulf Coast Bob Reichert those members voting agree. A licensed, independent fi rm University (FGCU), for lake improvement. Secretary conducts this review or audit. Your Board of Directors Through the efforts of volunteers in our community, we’re Mechanical & Maintenance voted to proceed with an audit for the 2018/19 fi nancials. able to accomplish so much.

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