20061001_Vistas_News

YOUR GBV NEWSLETTER
OCTOBER 2006
EDITION
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— Editor for “Your GBV Newsletter”
CHAIR REPORTS
Keith Davey—Safety Awareness & Digital Village—Neighborhood crime watch
meeting—Four meetings have been scheduled to establish a neighborhood watch program in Greenbrook Vistas. Each meeting will last approximately 45 minutes plus
time for questions and answers. The meetings are scheduled for October 17, November 1, November 9, and November 14 at 7:00 PM at the Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.
The various topics to be discussed at each meeting are shown below. These meetings
will be conducted by Deputy David Segal of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Department.
1. Introduction to neighborhood watch (October 17)
2. Residential security (November 1)
3. Personal safety (November 9)
4. Scams (November 14)
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Keith Davey
~2~
at 739-8760. Please send an email to [email protected] to confirm your
attendance. We need a significant number of residents to participate in this program.
Vistas Directory
The Vistas’ directory is currently being updated with the names, phone numbers,
email addresses, and children’s information. Most of the information has been collected, but a few residents have not been available when visits were made to verify the
data. This information will remain confidential (most people have unlisted numbers
and want email addresses protected) and be used for Vistas activities. These activities
include safety information updates, electronic newsletter distribution, planning for
children’s activities, recruiting volunteers for subdivision events, etc. If you have not
already provided this information, please call Keith Davey at 739-8760.
Based on the information collected, the following children’s information (birth years
for boys and girls) will be used for planning activities:
Born
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Total
Male
1
4
2
4
4
2
5
3
7
5
2
9
5
3
14
2
3
4
2
81
Female
3
5
6
4
4
3
7
7
5
3
4
3
7
2
7
5
3
2
1
81
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There was interest in babysitting services by parents of younger children. We will attempt to assemble a list of Vistas babysitters who have had some babysitting experience and/or certification.
Five residents have not yet been contacted due to their unavailability. All others have
been contacted in person. We have email addresses from all but three residents (who
don’t use email) and three others who will provide their email address after it’s established. Information will be distributed (e.g. neighborhood watch announcements,
safety updates, newsletters, etc.) using a “blind carbon copy” (BCC) to keep addresses
confidential.
Joe Sidiski— Modifications—In addition to its regular function of considering modification approval requests from homeowners, the Modifications Committee has begun to
consider changes to the guidelines that are used to determine whether those requests
are appropriate to the community. Presently, the committee uses a combination of the
Greenbrook Village Homeowner’s Manual, the Covenants and Bylaws of the Greenbrook Village Homeowner’s Association, and an SMR document outlining, among
other things, the design philosophy that the builders of our community were expected
to follow. The SMR document contains a wealth of detail that ensures that each
neighborhood would have a specific appearance. However, the document also contains
considerable detail that outlines processes and procedures that builders need to follow
while construction is in process. Changing this document to eliminate extraneous processes and detail and reviewing the design philosophy and detail to ensure that it is still
appropriate to Greenbrook is where most of the effort will be expended. Once the committee has completed their review, the changes will be presented to the Greenbrook
Village Homeowner’s Association Board of Directors for final approval.
~4~
Proposed Revisions to the Greenbrook Village Homeowner’s Manual
The Greenbrook Village Homeowner’s Association Restriction Revisions Committee
met at Town Hall on August 2 to discuss possible changes to the Homeowner’s Manual.
As a result of that meeting, a series of changes are being proposed. These proposals
will be discussed at the Greenbrook Combined Neighborhood Committees Meeting on
October 10 at Town Hall. If the majority is in agreement, the proposals will be presented to the Greenbrook Village Homeowner’s Association Board of Directors for approval on October 25. While most of the changes that were discussed merely clarified
existing rules, there were a number of items that have a more significant effect on deed
restrictions. Those elements are outlined below:



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The display of decorative flags has been limited to one flag at a time. On certain
days, an additional flag representing a US Military branch may also be displayed.
Considerable discussion was devoted to this topic and the final decision was agreed
to by all participants. The aim of this change is to ensure that Greenbrook retain
its attractive appearance without developing a set of rules that are so onerous as to
be difficult to understand or enforce.
Lawn mowers and leaf blowers will be restricted to use after 7:00 AM on weekdays
and 8:00 AM on weekends because of the noise that they create. No restriction on
evening use was proposed, since it is usually dark (restricting their use) before a
nuisance will be created. County regulations further restrict noise after 10:00 PM.
Decorative items with a height of less than 30” may now be placed outside of existing shrubbery beds with the approval of the Modifications Committee. This will
allow the individual homeowner some additional latitude in decorating the front of
their home.
Basketball hoops must be either standing or stored in the garage. This will prevent
some individuals from storing unused hoops lying down on the driveway in front of
the house.
House numbers may be displayed either on the front of the house or in an obvious
position in the plant beds. Many homes are already using rocks or plaques in the
front of the house to display their house numbers. These have a pleasing appearance and will now be supported by deed restrictions.
Garage door vents will now be allowed. These vents are limited to the lower section
of the door and may be used to provide some ventilation to the garage without affecting the external appearance of the house.
If anyone wishes to discuss any of these changes or to view the full text of all recommended changes, please contact your Vistas representative to the Restriction Revisions
Committee, Joe Sidiski. He may be reached at 756-7270 or emailed at
[email protected]. Additionally, the Combined Neighborhood Committees
Meeting, where these proposals will be discussed, is open to all Greenbrook residents.
Please feel free to attend and voice your opinion.
Submitted by Joe Sidiski— Restriction Revisions Committee
~5~
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
The current Vistas Committee is looking for volunteers to fill a number of committee
chairs that will be open in January 2007. In addition to being part of the Vistas Committee, these opportunities include participating on the following Greenbrook Village
Committees:

Chairperson/Voting Member—Attends quarterly Association Board Meetings as
the representative of the Vistas community. He reports neighborhood activities
and concerns to the Board. He also acts as the facilitator of the Vista Combined
Committee Meetings held throughout the year.

Safety - Makes recommendations to the Greenbrook Village Association (GBVA)
Board concerning all safety and security issues. He also makes recommendations
concerning the duties of security officers employed by the GBVA.

Budget—Reviews open budgets and quarterly financial statements for the GBVA
and CDD4 Boards and submits recommendations to the GBVA Board.

Landscape/Maintenance—Is part of the Landscape Committee which meets
monthly to quarterly (as needed) with service personnel to discuss the maintenance
of the common areas within Greenbrook Village and also provides a forum to bring
areas of concern to light.

Compliance-The Compliance Chair’s responsibility is to be present at Board meetings for all of Greenbrook where they review violations that come before the Board
and then discuss and vote on appropriate actions. He cannot vote on any Vistas related compliance issues. This committee meets monthly.
Our next Vistas meeting will be held at the Town Hall Boardroom on October 10th at
7:00 PM. Please contact Steve Balazic at 753-9551 for more information.
The Vistas Social and Safety Committee Chairs are looking for volunteers to organize
and run any of the activities listed on the next page:
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Progressive Dinner
Gourmet Club
Welcoming Committee
Couples Golf League
Babysitting service
Holiday Bike Parades
Neighborhood Watch (Safety)
Bingo
Volleyball
Please contact Mike Ortiz (Social) at 894-6519 or Keith Davey (Safety) at 739-8760 for
more information on these opportunities.
Thanks in advance for supporting your community!
~7~
DID YOU KNOW…

The lawns we have here in Vistas will get a fungus if over watered. The best way to
preserve a healthy, green lawn is to shut off your irrigation system during the
heavy rain months.

There will be a Farmer’s Market coming to Lakewood Ranch. The vendors will be
set up in the Lakewood Ranch High School parking lot. Check the October & November calendars on the last two pages of this newsletter for the dates. The market
will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dates will be published in “Your GBV
Newsletter” for December through April in subsequent newsletters.

There will also be a Farmer’s Market at Main Street in Lakewood Ranch starting
on November 4. The hours will be from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Nature of Florida Living will also be at Main Street in Lakewood Ranch on November 4. Displays by Jungle Gardens and other area museums and animal rescue operations will be there from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
If you would like to place an ad for your business in Your GBV Newsletter, you can
contact Carole at [email protected] 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
lwrdv.com
If you don't have a logon ID, simply register and one will be assigned to you. You can
also ask for "cookieless" logon instructions at:
http://66.179.133.68:7779/secure/auth_logon
~8~
COMMUNITY BRIEFS
OKTOBERFEST is being held on October 6, 7 & 8 and
October 13, 14 & 15 at the Sarasota Fairgrounds with
music, games, workshops and food. Fridays 3 p.m.11:00 p.m.; Saturdays 11:00 a.m.–11:00 p.m.; Sundays
11:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. Admission-$8.00.
VOTE—Don’t forget to cast your vote on November 7th!
CRAFTS—We have many “crafty people” in our community. If you are one of those, Lakewood Ranch is holda “Holidays Around the Ranch” event in December.
Contact our Town Hall for all the details if you’re interested in a table.
ing
PAYTON WRIGHT—The fund raising events for Payton far exceeded what anyone
ever expected. The Wright Family is more grateful than any words can ever express.
Thousands were raised, but medical costs and other associated expenses remain well
over a million dollars. Payton continues to undergo radiation and sometime this
month she will undergo tests to determine the next type of treatment. Payton and her
family greatly appreciate all you have done and your continued prayer support. Still
for sale are wristbands at $3.00 each and magnets at $5.00 each. Contact Mike Ortiz
(524-6278) for wrist bands and Jim Eschmann for magnets (755-1133). All funds go
directly to the Payton Wright Wellness Fund.
Wrist Bands
Magnets
Payton at Duke
~9~
If you know of an act of kindness and would like to thank the person publicly in “Your
GBV Newsletter”, please email Carole at [email protected] with your
story.
This is a thank you from Tomi, Kyle, Skyllar, Parker & Brogan Byron to all their
friends & neighbors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This letter goes out to all the phenomenal neighbors & friends in Greenbrook Vistas
(no one could ask or get nicer friends!)
It’s rare to find such wonderful people in the short time our stay was in FL (it felt like
a lifetime). If you are in need of a smile, help with your lawn, etc., someone would volunteer to help you out to make sure you’re okay. The caring & love that just overflows
from everyone here is spectacular. It’s been a truly heart warming experience, along
with heart throbbing because you all will be graciously missed.
Everyone has made some type of impression on our family. We thank you for everything you all have done.
Yah, yah, yah, they say the Country Club maybe all that...but it’s the Vistas that is the
pinnacle of happiness along with lots of friendships and making new family.
It’s been an exhilarating experience! Thank you, thank you, thank you. We love you
all & you’re missed every day!
Thomascyne, Kyle, Skyllar, Parker & Brogan
New Address:
P.O. Box 201
Whitman, MA
P. S.
A shout-out Payton, I miss you! Sending you, your sisters, Mom & Dad one million hugs &
kisses—XOXO
Tomi & Kyle
Brogan, Skyllar & Parker
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October 2006
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4 Safety
Committee
mtg.-6:30
p.m.
5
6 Oktoberfest
~~~~~~~~~~
Music On
Main-6:00
p.m.-9:00
p.m.
7 Health &
Wellness
Expo-LWR
Medical Ctr.
9:00 a.m.noon
~~~~~~~~~~
Oktoberfest
8 Oktoberfest
9
10 Combined
Neighborhood Committee. mtg.6:00 p.m.
~~~~~~~~~~
Vistas Committee mtg.7:00 p.m.
11
12 CDD
Board mtgs.8:30 a.m.noon
13
Oktoberfest
14 Farmer’s
Market at
LWR High
School parking lot
~~~~~~~~~~
Oktoberfest
15
16 Landscape
Committee
mtg.-6:30
p.m.
17 Vistas
Neighborhood Watch
mtg. #1-7:00
p.m. at the
Town Hall
18
19
20 Mystery
Dinner Theater-LWR
Country Club
7:00 p.m.10:00 p.m.
21
22
23
24
25 Greenbrook Board
mtg.-6:00
p.m.-Board
Elections7:00 p.m.
26
27 Boo Fest- 28 Boo RunLWR Main
LWR Main
St.-5:00 p.m.- St.-8:00 a.m.
8:00 p.m.
29
30
31 Happy
Halloween
NOVEMBER 2006
S
u Mon
n Sun
Tue
Mon
Wed
Tue
1
2
3
78
9
10
5
6
7
Thu
Wed
14Vistas
Neighborhood Watch
mtg. #2-7:00
p.m. at LWR
Town Hall
11
8
17
18
Fri
Thu
Sat
Fri
25
63 Music On
Main-6:00
p.m.-9:00
p.m.
12
13
9 CDD
10
Board mtgs. 8:30 a.m. 19
20
noon______
Sat
4 Farmer’s
Market at
Main St.—
8:00 a.m.1:00 p.m.
~~~~~~~~~~
Nature of FL
Living at
Main St.10:00 a.m.4:00 p.m.
11 Farmer’s
Market—
8:00 a.m. 1:30 p.m.___
Winefestival1:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. at
the Sarasota
Polo Club
1 15
4
16
2 22
12
1
1323
1424Vistas
Neighborhood Watch
mtg. #4-7:00
p.m. at LWR
Town Hall
25
15
26
16
27
17
18
19
8 29
20
30
21
31
22
23 Happy
Thanksgiving
24 St. Nick
arrives on
LWR Main
St.
25
26
27
28
29
30
Vistas
Neighborhood Watch
mtg. #3-7:00
p.m. at LWR