Following is a summary of the meeting, written by resident and Webmaster Diane Tomasik.

Proposed amendment tabled

The first piece of business was to consider a proposed amendment to the bylaws. A mailing sent out Oct. 18 indicated the proposed amendment as follows:
(BOLD UPPER CASE indicates new language.)

Article XIII: Assessments

As more fully provided in the Declaration, each Member is obligated to pay the Association annual and special assessments which are secured by a continuing lien upon the LOT against which the assessment is made. Any assessments which are not paid when due shall be delinquent. If the assessment is not paid within (30) days after the due date, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MAY ACCELERATE ALL ASSESSMENTS DUE FOR THE LOT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE FISCAL YEAR AND SUCH ASSESSMENT(S) shall bear interest from the date of delinquency at the rate ESTABLISHED BY THE DECLARATION, and the Association may bring an action at law against the Owner personally obligated to pay the assessment or foreclose the lien against the Property, and interest, costs and reasonable attorneys fees of any such action shall be added to the amount of the assessment. No Owner may waive or otherwise escape liability for any assessment by non-use of the Common Area or Abandonment of his Lot.

The accompanying ballot read as follows:

Should Article XII of the By-Laws of Islesworth at Martin Downs Homeowners Association Inc. be amended to permit the Board of Directors to accelerate all assessmentd due for a Lot for the remainder of the fiscal year, if any assessment is not paid within thirty (30) days of the date it is due? YES or NO.

The amendment was tabled, however, to clarify the language. The amendment is intended to put more teeth into action that the Board can take to ensure the collection of residents' quarterly maintenance fees. The Board said there are about 20 homeowners more than 30 days delinquent on their quarterly fees, and that makes it difficult to pay the bills of the community.

Under the amendment, if a homeowner were to be 30 days late, the Board could begin a process to collect the quarterly fees for the remainder of the year. Revisions to the wording include clarifying whether the acceleration of payments would be for a calendar year or the fiscal year.

Stuart Fine Foods presentation

Joe Mazzochi Sr. and Jr. of Stuart Fine Foods were on hand to describe the shopping center they are proposing to build at the northeast corner of Berry Road and 714.

The Mazzochis reported that they have submitted their land use change to the county. They also had drawings on hand that indicated the drainage plan for the property. Engineers had studied and drawn up plans accommodate rains of 6 inches, 10 inches and 13 inches. In the rare instance of a 13-inch rain, the overflow is directed to Danforth Creek.

For more information on the shopping center project, see the Palm City Plans page.

Maintenance fees raised 5 percent

The Board approved the proposed annual budget for 2003. It includes a 5 percent increase in the annual maintenance fees paid by homeowners, the maximum allowed without the Board having to have special approval by homeowners. The annual fee for 2003 will be 913.74, divided into quarterly fees of $228.43.

Entrance gates discussed

The Board has been looking into whether to install a gate at the Berry Avenue entrance to Islesworth. (The front entrance was not designed to be gated. It is too narrow.)

Estimates of $7,000 and $8,300 have been obtained, but the general consensus is that a quality gate would cost at least $14,000 to install. Such a cost would call for homeowners to pay a $120 one-time extra assessment buy the gate. The Board is going to investigate whether residents would be willing to pay for the gate.

The gate is intended to discourage traffic cutting through Islesworth, especially cars going to and from Hidden Oaks Middle School.

Apartments on Sunset?

In addition to the Stuart Fine Foods property, another land use change has been proposed nearby. It concerns property on Sunset Trail, most of which is on the north side, just west of Berry Avenue. However, some of it is on the south side of Sunset Trail and backs onto the north side of Estella Terrace and the west side of Captiva Court.

The Board mentioned that an apartment development has been proposed for these parcels.

A notice posted on the property the week of Nov. 11 contains the following information:

Land Use Application # 03-8

Comprehensive plan amendment change -- future land use from Estate Density (2 units per acre) and Rural Density (.5 upa) to Low Density (5 units per acre) and to change zoning from rs-15 to rs-5.

For more information, call the Martin County Growth Management Division at 288-5498.