Introduction

This marked the first meeting of the Board of Directors that was elected by Islesworth residents at the Jan. 27 meeting.

The Feb. 10 meeting was held in the cafeteria at Hidden Oaks Middle School -- a temporary location because reserving any room at the school in the evening costs $90. The Islesworth homeowners association is looking for another site before the March 10 meeting. 

Our former meeting place, the annex room at the First Assembly of God Church, is no longer available. Pastor Jim Wilson had donated the space to us, but he is no longer a board member or resident of Islesworth. We thank him for his service and generosity while he was in our neighborhood.

Property manager's report

Nancy Rodrigue of Catafulmo offered a report and recommendations based on the new property management company's observations since taking over responsibility for Islesworth on Jan. 1.

Among the suggestions and reports:

• Set a date in January for residents to have taken down all holiday decorations.
• Put a "disclaimer" sign on the bike rack at the front entrance.
• Many Brazilian pepper trees were to be removed by Feb. 12
• The flowers planted at the front entrance were replaced at no cost. The original ones had been damaged in the cold, dry conditions lately.
• The well pump in the north lake had broken and was to have been replaced early in the week of Feb. 10.
• The 12 fire hydrants in the community should be repainted. The county is supposed to repaint them every two years, however, it likely has been longer than that. The homeowners association is going to check into when the last time the hydrants were cleaned and repainted, and then press the county to do the job if it has been longer than two years.
• Catafulmo noted a similar situation with FPL for painting the light poles.
• The property managers obtained bids for patching the stucco on the front wall along the boundary of Islesworth ($400), as well as for cleaning the entry sidewalks and the area overlooking the south lake ($130). This work was approved by the board later in the meeting.
• A bobcat has been sighted around the north lake. A resident also reported having heard one near the intersection of Berry and Sunset.

Hurricane shutters

The Architectural Review Committee reported on a community survey, conducted in mid-December 2002, that asked residents whether Islesworth homes should be allowed to have Bahama-style hurricane shutters/awnings.

Each household -- 123 homes -- received a ballot, and 63 were completed and returned. Of those, 44 voted "yes" for the shutters, and 19 voted "no." However, the ARC ruled that because the "yes" votes (44) were not a majority of the total number of households (123), the committee decided to uphold its original decision (from June 2002) to reject a homeowner's request.

Because the resident had already installed the shutters (on two second-story windows), the ruling resulted in the resident having to remove the shutters. The shutters will be able to be put up in the event of a hurricane, but they will not be permanent features of the home.

This matter has been the subject of much heated debate, and the Feb. 10 meeting was no exception. 

Roadways and safety

Residents in attendance and members of the board discussed the safety of the intersection of Berry Avenue and Estella Terrace. The speed limit on Berry Avenue was raised to 35 mph late last year, and a resident reported that County Commissioner Michael DiTerlizzi had said this was because Berry is categorized as a "major collector."

Residents discussed whether to press DiTerlizzi to get a four-way stop sign and a crosswalk at Berry and Estella. 

Islesworth residents are encouraged to call or write Mr. DiTerlizzi regarding safety and development issues surrounding our neighborhood. Click here for the commissioner's Web page.