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Email Sent 11/18/23 - Update (Budget and Assessments)

Good afternoon!

At the meeting held this past Thursday, the Board approved the 2024 HOA Budget as proposed.  Accordingly, effective January 1 the monthly assessments are as follows:
          Villa   -   $387
          Club  -   $410
          Exec  -  $427
Please make arrangements to ensure that the correct amount is paid for your January payment.  Coupons will be mailed to those homeowners who mail a monthly check to Sentry.
The painting of the yard lights (for those homeowners who signed up) has been completed.  We have received the invoice from our vendor and the $40 charge has been put on the homeowner's account with Sentry.  If you mail your payment to Sentry please remember to include the additional $40 with your next payment.
If you are set up on "Click Pay" through Sentry you will need to review how your account is set up. If you set up the account to pay what is due, then no action needs to be taken on your part.  The correct amount (including the painting charge) will be taken from your approved payment method.  If your account is set up to a specific monthly amount, then you will have to sign on to your account and approve the extra $40 payment.  Those of you who are set up with other means of "auto payment" will need to make any necessary changes to have correct payment made.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  For those of you traveling - safe travels.  Enjoy your time with family and friends.
Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 11/9/23 - Reminder: Board Meeting

By now, all homeowners should have received a mailing from Sentry with a copy of the proposed 2024 Budget for the Willowbend HOA.  The Board meeting to discuss and vote on this proposed Budget will be held on Thursday, November 16th at 1:30 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church.  A copy of the agenda for the meeting is attached.  All Homeowners are invited to attend.

Also, we will be putting down mulch in the fronts of homes and the common areas in early December.  The remainder of the mulch ( sides and rear of homes) will be put down after the first of the year.  The project has been split due to the increased cost of the mulch  The cost of mulch has gone up significantly since the last time this was done.
LMP has also begun marking the areas that need sod replacement.  They are making the determination as to which areas need to be replaced as opposed to treatment.  When they have completed their work we will evaluate whether additional replacement is necessary.  LMP is hoping to complete this project before the end of the year.

Agenda

Stephen Meuler

President, Willowbend HOA

 

 Email Sent 10/19/23 - Reminder - Last Call!

The painter will be here next week to begin the painting of some of our street lights and mailbox posts.  He will also be painting the yard lights for those of you who have signed up for this.  A reminder, the cost for painting the yard light will be $40 which will be billed directly to the HOA at Sentry.  Sentry will then debit the homeowner's account and you will make payment of the $40 through your account with Sentry.

This is the LAST CALL for anyone who may want their yard light painted.  You have until Saturday at noon to let me know if you would like to be added to the list and have your yard light painted.  There is no need to let me know again if you have already signed up.  

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

 Email Sent 10/15/23 - Board of Directors Meeting

Good afternoon!

The next Board meeting for the Willowbend HOA will be on Thursday, Oct 19th at 1:30 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church.  A copy of the agenda is attached.  As always, all homeowners are invited to attend. 

Stephen Meuler,

President, Willowbend HOA

Agenda

Email Sent 10/11/23 - FYI-Fertilizing Project

LMP will be fertilizing the shrubs and trees in the next few days.  This will be done on common property as well as homeowner lots.  You may want to keep your pets away from the mulch beds for a few days until the fertilizer gets washed into the ground - hopefully from some much needed rain!

Thanks for your cooperation.

Stephen Meuler

President, Willowbend HOA

 Email Sent 9/2/23 - Board Meeting

The next meeting of the Willowbend Board of Directors will be held this coming Wednesday, September 6th at 5:30 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church on US 41.

This is an evening meeting (as opposed to our normal start time of 1:30 pm) in order to allow homeowners who are unavailable during the day an opportunity to participate.  All homeowners are invited to attend.  A copy of the Agenda is attached.
A reminder - trash collection will be delayed this coming week due to the Labor Day holiday.  Trash collection in our community will be on Friday.  Please do not move trash containers to the curb before Thursday evening.
Enjoy the holiday weekend!
Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Board Meeting Agenda

 Email Sent 8/28/23 - Preparing for Storm

The coming storm is now projected to be much stronger.  While the projected path is for the storm to hit north of our area, this is much the same path that was forecast last year, and we all know how that turned out!

Out of an abundance of caution, we will be closing the gym as of this afternoon.  We will be moving furniture from the pool area into the gym and into the restrooms in order to secure it.  For now, you are free to use the pool but you will not have access to the restrooms and you will not have chairs and tables around the pool.
We need to move this furniture this afternoon so that we are not trying to do it later when it is pouring rain!
LMP will be mowing front lawns tomorrow where needed as they will likely be unable to mow on Wednesday.  They will also be working to remove any loose debris from the property.  Please do NOT do any trimming around your property and do NOT move debris to the curb for the next few days.  Nothing should be placed at the curb for any type of disposal - other than normal trash receptacles on Thursday if Waste Management is able to keep running.
The restrictive covenants of Willowbend prohibit overnight parking on the street by homeowners, tenants or their guests.  This is especially important when a storm is approaching.  We do not want the streets blocked with cars if we are in need of cleanup from fallen trees and other debris.
Once again, a reminder to secure small items around your home that could become flying projectiles.
Thanks for your cooperation.   I hope that we just get a nice soaking rain and that all of this preparation was for nothing!!

 

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

 

Email Sent 8/20/23 - Community Update

I want to update the community on a few issues.

 

Board Meeting
As you probably know, the Board does not meet during the month of August.  Our next Board meeting will be on Wednesday Sept 6th at 5:30 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church.  This will be an evening meeting to allow those who are not available during the day to participate.  Note that the meeting is on a Wednesday (our usual meeting day is Thursday) as the church is not available to us on Thursday evenings.  As always, all homeowners are invited to attend.

 

Sod issues
The excessive summer heat along with the lack of any significant rainfall and watering restrictions from the County have all combined to give us a lot of areas of dead grass.  Until we have somewhat cooler weather or some regular rainfall, it makes no sense for us to begin replacing sod.  If this is going to be our "new normal" as far as summer weather, I believe that the Board must begin discussions as to how we reduce the amount of grass in the neighborhood.  We simply do not have enough irrigation water available to keep grass healthy during extended hot dry periods.  I am sure by now you have also heard of the problems with runoff of lawn fertilizer leading to an increase of red tide in our Gulf waters.  We need to begin to develop a plan to address these issues.

 

Ponds (Dead Fish)
Another result of this hot dry weather is the presence of dead fish floating on our ponds and along the banks of the ponds.  The water levels are very low and the water is stagnant due to lack of rain.  This along with the intense heat depletes the oxygen in the water and causes the fish to die.  This is not the first time that we have seen this.  We will need to have the ponds "harvested" to decrease the population of fish as a remedy for this problem.  We are making arrangements with our pond maintenance company to have this done.

 

Signs in yards
We have seen an increase in signs being placed in yards - particularly in relation to special instructions to the landscapers.  
Note in our legal documents for the HOA (available to all on the Willowbend website) under Use Restrictions - Section 303 (b) : homeowners may not place any signs or symbols in windows or on ANY exterior surface.  The specially designed Willowbend "For Sale" signs are allowed to market your home when selling.
Accordingly, no signs with instructions should be left for the landscapers.  We continue to work with the LMP crew on the proper trimming of the various types of shrubs and trees.  However, the crew does the same basic trimming at all homes. They cannot have specialized instructions for each of 275 homes.  This is simply not feasible.   
Please keep this sign restriction in mind as we head into another political season.  Political signs of any type are not allowed in our community.
Yard Lights
I mentioned in a previous email, the need for homeowners to properly maintain their yard lights.  The light must be kept working and is to be kept painted (Black only).   The painter hired by the community to paint street lights will also be able to paint the yard lights (at homeowners expense) when he is here.  Their schedule is backlogged and they will hopefully be doing work here in October.
I have not yet received a firm cost for the yard lights but it will most likely be in the range of $40.  If you have already let me know that you are interested I have you on the list.  If you have not advised me and are interested in having your yard light painted let me know.  I will advise everyone on the list of the firm price before we proceed.

 

Thanks to everyone for your patience as we continue to deal with the issues caused by the summer weather.  Special thanks to all of our committee members who put in a lot of time and effort to keep our community running smoothly.

 

Regards,

 

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

 

Email Sent 7/30/23 - A Few Reminders

We have a new janitorial service company at our Community Rec Center.  We have also increased the cleaning service to three days per week.  Hopefully those of you who use the facilities at the Rec Center are noticing the improvement!

We have, however, been alerted to a problem with trash once again.  We do NOT have County trash pickup from the Rec Center.  The cleaning service will haul away small amounts of NON FOOD trash.   We are seeing a large amount of trash being left at the gazebo near the pickleball courts - including food items and even pet waste!   I am glad to see that homeowners are picking up after their dogs but this waste does not belong in the trash can at the gazebo!  Food left out in these open trash cans attracts bugs, rats and more!   The LMP personnel that use the gazebo for lunch are packing up their trash and taking it with them on their trucks.  The trash we are seeing is from our homeowners and/or their guests.  Please take your trash with you when leaving any of our facilities at the Rec Center.  For those of you that use the pickleball or basketball courts please remind your guests to take any trash with them.   Thank you for your cooperation.

 

According to our Rules and Regulations, each homeowner is responsible for the maintenance of the yard lights in place at each residence.  The yard light must be kept operational.  Yes, the bulbs do need to be changed periodically!  There is a light sensor on the side of each home that turns these lights on and off with the change in outside light.  It is the homeowners responsibility to keep these in working order or replace them if necessary.   The yard light posts also need to be painted when needed so as to keep up a nice appearance in the front of all of our homes. The only approved color for these posts is BLACK!  We are currently in the process of hiring a painter to paint the large street lights where needed (HOA responsibility).  We will see if we can get a quote for the yard light from this painter.  If your yard light is in need of paint and you would be interested in having our painter do this job for you (billed to your account with Sentry Management) let us know and I will put you on a list.  I will let you know their cost prior to them starting the project.
Sentry will be sending notices to homeowners that have a  yard light that is not operational or in need of painting.
 
I hope that those of you who are here for the summer are surviving the heat.  Fall will be here soon!  Keep doing a daily rain dance!!!

 

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

 Email Sent 7/22/23 - Lost Keys & Sidewalk Repair

One of our homeowners found a key ring with two keys on Luminary this morning.  If you have lost some keys let me know and I will direct you to the homeowner who has them.


As you are all aware, the County has begun the repair/replacement of sidewalks in our community.  This time there are many more areas where the sidewalk is being replaced rather than just ground level as in the past.  Quite a few areas are currently dug out and taped off.  This has meant that we have many more people walking in the street.   Please be extra cautious when driving through our neighborhood - SLOW DOWN!  I continue to hear comments concerning cars being driven at excessive speeds on our streets.  For those walking - if you walk in the street, please stay over as far to the curb as possible.   Hopefully all of the sidewalk repairs will be completed shortly.

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Board of Directors Meeting - Thursday, July 20, 2023

The Willowbend Board of Directors will meet on Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 1:30pm at the Our Savior Lutheran Church, 2705 Tamiami Trail N., Nokomis, FL  34275.  All homeowners are welcome to attend.

Meeting Agenda

Announcement Posted: July 16, 2023

 

Email Sent 06/08/2023

Due to travel schedules of several Board members, I am sending out the Agenda for the Board Meeting early.  The next meeting of the Board will be next Thursday June 15, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church.  As always, all homeowners are invited to attend.


Other Issues
Lawns/Landscaping
We still are not getting consistent rains and thus our landscaping remains very stressed.  The lawns have been treated for chinch bugs and we are limiting mowing for now.  We will see how much if any the stressed areas recover before any decisions are made. Now is not the time to do any new sod placement during this very hot dry period.
Many homeowner lots have holly trees that are severely diseased.  This disease has been spreading through the holly trees in the community for a while now.  If a holly tree on your property has very little green growth left on it that tree is NOT going to recover.  They are really an eyesore to the community and we ask that you make plans to have them removed from your property.  
We are having LMP go through our common areas and removing all dead shrub materials.  Dead shrubs should also be removed from homeowner lots.

Rules/Regulations
Our rules require that roofs in the community be cleaned every three years. When you have your roof cleaned please submit a copy of the receipt to Sentry Management.  They keep records for us and send reminders to homeowners at the three year time period.  Many notices have been sent out recently and we have several homeowners that have not responded.  We remind you that roof cleaning is a requirement.

Trash and recycling receptacles are not to be stored outside.  Other than trash pickup day they must be stored either in the garage or on an enclosed lanai.  

Homes in our community continue to sell for record prices.  This is great news for all of our homeowners!  Let's all do our part to ensure that Willowbend remains a desired community!  Thanks to everyone for your cooperation.

Enjoy the summer!  Let's keep hoping for some regular rain (and no hurricanes).

Stephen Meuler
President Willowbend HOA

Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

 

Email Sent 05/21/2023 - Various Things

Good morning!

We will be adjusting our mowing schedule with LMP until we get some much needed rain.  There will be no mowing this week and we will evaluate the need on a weekly basis.  As you know, the County allows watering only one day per week and with the lack of any rain this is really not sufficient to keep our lawns healthy.
Our Recreation Center Committee has asked me to remind all homeowners of the following:
  • if you use the table umbrellas, please make sure that they are closed when you leave the pool area
  • we ask that you do not go from exercising in the gym directly to jumping into the pool - please change from your workout clothing and shower off before using the pool
  • do not attempt to adjust the water temperature in the pool or the spa.  The temperature controls are locked and can only be adjusted by someone from the rec committee or by Galaxy pools.  
Mailboxes
A list of mailboxes needing replacement has been given to the contractor.  The replacements should be completed by the end of the month.
Street Lights
We are obtaining quotes for the painting of the street lights where needed.
Yard lights
The yard lights are the responsibility of each homeowner.  Our rules and regulations require that each homeowner keep their yard light in working order.  We also ask you to take a look at your yard light and if it is in need of painting please make arrangements to have this done.  This is just one small thing that keeps up the appearance of our community.   Thank you for your cooperation.
Keep your fingers crossed that we finally start getting some much needed rain!!!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

 

 

Email Sent 05/14/2023 - Agenda Board Meeting

The Willowbend HOA Board will hold their monthly meeting on Thursday, May 18th at 1:30 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church.  The agenda for the meeting is attached.  All homeowners are invited to attend, as always!

I want to also note a couple other items of interest.  
Sidewalk repairs
The County has been through our community and marked many sidewalk areas in need of repair. They are not able to give us a time as to when the repairs will be made. In the meantime, let the orange paint guide you as you walk through the neighborhood to avoid possible trip hazards due to uneven pavement.  Many thanks to our new Infrastructure Committee volunteers who put together the list of needed repairs and sent it to the County.
Irrigation Schedule Change
Sarasota County has changed the allowed watering schedule.  As you know, previously the even numbered addresses were watered on Tuesday and the odd numbers on Thursday.   The County still allows only one day per week of watering at each address but it is now spread out over the Monday - Friday time period.  The time of day for watering at your property will remain the same ( as posted on our website) but the day of the week will change based on the last digit of your address as follows:
addresses ending in 0/1 - water on Monday
addresses ending in 2/3 - water on Tuesday
addresses ending in 4/5 - water on Wednesday
addresses ending in 6/7 - water on Thursday
addresses ending in 8/9 - water on Friday
You probably received notice of this change in your water bill and the schedule is also available to view online at scgov.net  (search water restrictions).
The summer season - and hurricane season - will be upon us quickly.  Please review your plans now for preparing for storms especially if you plan to be away for extended periods during the season.  
We look forward to seeing you at the meeting on Thursday.

 

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Board Meeting Agenda - May 18, 2023

Email Sent 04/14/2023 - Agenda Board Meeting

The Willowbend HOA Board will hold their monthly meeting on Thursday April 20th at 1:30 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church.  As always, all homeowners are invited to attend.  The meeting Agenda is attached.

Also, Frontier has upgraded the internet service at the rec center.  This required implementing a new "network" for this area.  If you use the internet in the gym or poolside at the rec center you will need the new login information.  A QR code is posted on the wall in the gym near the defibrillator.  I am also attaching a copy of the QR code with this email that you can scan to get the information.
Have a good weekend!

Board Meeting Agenda - April 20, 2023

Email Sent 03/27/2023 - Habitat Development Project

Many thanks to those of you who have already written letters to the Planning Commission members.  Please be sure to clearly state the location of the proposed project - identify it as located at "U.S. 41 and Habitat Blvd" or the exact location of the parcel of land is 1401 South Tamiami Trail in Osprey.

Let this email be just another reminder to all of our homeowners to write your letter of opposition as soon as possible!  Thanks again.

Email Sent 03/25/2023 - Planning Commission Letters

The Willowbend Community did a great job turning out for the Zoom call on the proposed development at our Habitat entrance.  We clearly made our voices heard to the Developer’s legal representative in strong opposition to this plan.

 

The next step in the process will be a hearing before the County Planning Commission.  They will then make a recommendation to the County Commissioners who will make the final decision on this proposal.  Those hearings will likely be “in person” and it is critical that we show up and voice our opposition.  There is strength in numbers!  I am attaching a listing of the email addresses of all those on the Planning Commission.   I have previously sent the contact information for Joe Neunder, our County Commissioner.   Remember, however, that he has only one vote on the Commission.  We will need to voice our opposition to ALL the members of the County Commission - especially if the Planning Commission recommends approval of this project.

 

We therefore encourage you to write a letter TODAY and send it to all of the members of the Planning Commission.  A list of names and email addresses is attached to this email.  We suggest email rather than mailed letters.  Phone calls are probably not as effective as you are unlikely to actually reach someone.  Stating our opposition in writing provides concrete evidence of the strong support we have against the zone change request and against the proposed project. 

Rather than provide you with a sample letter, which could lead decision makers to think that this is an “orchestrated communication” we are providing a list of “talking points” to assist in formulating your communication.  Choose the ones that mean the most to you.  This will make your letter stronger and more sincere.  While addressing your personal concerns, also speak as a member of the Community stressing how this proposed development negatively affects the entire community.

 

 

Whether you are a long time Willowbend resident or have moved here more recently, stress that all homeowners invested in this Community with reliance on the Protective Covenants in place that would limit the development on this vacant land at our entrance.

 

Points for Discussion

Restrictive Covenants

  • All Homeowners in Willowbend have relied on the Restrictive Covenants in place for this property that run with the land with each sale of the property

 

The Declaration of Covenants state that the property shall be limited to the 

following uses: community recreation facility, day care, educational facilities, 

medical facilities, neighborhood resource center, clubs and lodges, any office

use, including without limitation, banking facilities, community recreation facility,

research laboratory without manufacturing facility.  It goes on to state that the

uses should provide a service to the Willowbend Subdivision homeowners 

without adverse effect, including undue noise, traffic, odors or unusual hours

of operation.

 

  • A “Take 5” oil change facility does not in any way meet the requirements of these restrictive covenants

 

Inconsistency with the Comprehensive Plan

Future Land Use Policy states:  In established residential areas, incompatible land uses shall be discouraged if traffic is generated on abutting local streets in amounts that would substantially and adversely affect traffic flow, traffic control and public safety.

 

Future Land Use Objective states:  Maintain governing regulations for Residential land uses and protect the quality and integrity of established residential neighborhoods from adjacent incompatible development.

 

  • The proposed zoning change allowing a Take 5 oil change facility (with two entrances onto Habitat Blvd, a residential street) would increase traffic and substantially alter the nature of the Willowbend Community

 

Transportation Issues and Safety

While the property in question is located along U.S. 41 (Tamiami Trail) proposed access to the site is off of the neighborhood road, Habitat Blvd.  Habitat Blvd. is one of two entrances, the other Luminary Blvd. to the south, that accesses the Willowbend Community.  This road serves not only the 275 homes in Willowbend but many of the 498 homes in the adjoining Rivendell Community.

  • Currently the wait time to exit Habitat Blvd onto U.S. 41 can be as long as ten minutes depending on the time of day and season
  • Due to the proximity of the light at 41 and Blackburn Point Rd, it is unlikely that a light could be considered at 41 and Habitat Blvd
  • Has the developer requesting this change prepared an intersection analysis or a travel time/speed/delay study?

 

Personalize your concerns about safety and transportation - you walk your dog 

daily along Habitat Blvd, your children or grandchildren often ride bikes in the

community.  If you have had a personal experience with traffic issues along this 

road please include details.

Incompatibility of Use

  • The proposed development is incompatible with adjacent and nearby properties
  • An oil change facility is a visual blight at the entrance to the Willowbend Community
  • Signage and lighting for an oil change facility would now be the entrance to the Willowbend Community.  Is this the type of use you would like to see entering your neighborhood?

 

The Developer is attempting to describe this property as intensive commercial.  The land immediately to the south which is approximately 10 acres of vacant land is zoned OPI, immediately to the east the zoning is RMF-1 which is the community association recreational area including a pool and children’s playground.  The land to the north is developed with offices including a former bank building that has been vacant for some time and a development of Senior apartments.   To the west is a small shopping center including a small “market concept” Publix grocery.  Also to the immediate west is the residential community of South Bay.

None of the surrounding area can be described as intensive commercial uses.

I am attaching a listing of the email addresses for all those on the County Planning Commission   Again, we need to voice our strong opposition to ALL OF THESE PEOPLE.

You should also email our County Commissioner - Joe Neunder.  His email address is:

jneunder@scgov.net

If this is not rejected by the Planning Commission, it will be important for us to contact all of the County Commissioners.

 

Thanks for your help on this very important matter!

 

Stephen Meuler

President, Willowbend HOA

Attachment: County Planning Commission email addresses

Email Sent 03/18/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Update - Aravilla Project (behind Thornapple and Chalet)

At the Annual Meeting this week, questions and concerns were raised about the condition of the property that is the site of the future Aravilla Memory Care Unit.  The Board was asked to make our concerns known to the County.  Attached with this email is information received from the County as to the status of the project along with some dates that we can expect progress.  This project had been issued a "stop work" order from the County several months ago when they removed many large trees that they had no permission to remove.  The stop work order has been lifted as you will see per the attached.
Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!


Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Attachment: Notice_March 18 2023.Aravilla Project.pdf

INTERNET AND CABLE TV CONTRACT - FRONTIER

The Board has approved a new 5-year contract with Frontier for internet and cable TV with upgraded speed and equipment.

There is ONE phone number to use for Frontier bulk service accounts: The number is: 844-660-0648
Select Option 2 when calling for installation of service.
Select Option 1 for technical support if you experience problems after installation.

It is important that you use this phone number and not any other Frontier advertised phone number. This number is specifically to service bulk accounts such as Willowbend.

BOARD ELECTION, OFFICERS

At the annual meeting of the Willowbend Community Association held on March 15, 2023, Janet Kaplan, Frank Pugliese and Tina Wetter were elected to the Board of Directors. Afterwards, the Board met to elect officers.  The 2023-2024 Board members and their positions are as follows:

President - Stephen Meuler
Vice President - Frank Pugliese
Treasurer - Janet Kaplan
Secretary - Paul McClain
Director at Large - Tina Wetter

Email Sent 03/16/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Update

Thanks to all homeowners who participated in our Annual Meeting - either through proxy or by attending last evening. Your interest in our neighborhood is appreciated!

After the meeting the new Board met to select officers for the coming year. The Willowbend Board and their positions are as follows:

President - Stephen Meuler
Vice President - Frank Pugliese
Treasurer - Janet Kaplan
Secretary - Paul McClain
Director at Large - Tina Wetter

Updated contact information for the Board members will be posted on the Willowbend website as soon as we have email addresses set up. I would like to extend thanks to Scott Brundrett for his service to the community for the past two years.

Here is some additional information in response to the discussion at the meeting.

Zoning change request for Habitat and 41
I spoke with our attorney this morning. She is preparing a list for us of the main talking points to include in our communications with the Planning Board as well as the County Commissioners. As soon as I receive that I will provide it along with a listing of the contact information for all of those individuals.

Frontier
I had a phone call with the manager of Bulk Services for Frontier this morning. He has put together a feedback loop for Willowbend homeowners to report the problems that they are having. See below a link that will take you to a "survey" where you can describe the issues and give your contact information. The survey will ask you for the service order number from the work done at your home. It is not a problem if you don't have that. Just enter the other information and describe the issue as best you can. You will also see that if you prefer to not use the survey link, there is an email address where you can send your information and describe the issue. I urge all of you that may be experiencing problems/issues with the Frontier service to contact them by one of the methods below as soon as possible!

I just heard this morning that some homes were not provided the two Eero routers when their service was upgraded. If that is the case at your home, please report that!

“In an effort to expedite the collection and addressing issues for residents who have had issues with installations to date, Frontier has published a brief survey for residents who would like assistance in having any service or installations resolved. The survey should take less than five minutes to complete. You can access the survey by clicking this link. You may also email Frontier at: Multifamily.Communications@ftr.com

Webmaster
Marsh Hestenes has served as our "webmaster" for the Willowbend website for the past 15 years! At the meeting last evening, he expressed his desire to turn that position over to someone else. This website is a valuable tool for our community - not only in posting information but in keeping everyone's contact information current. We would not be able to communicate by these mass emails if this site was not kept current. This morning we had a homeowner step up and offer to take on the role. Barbara Males (545 Luminary Blvd) will work with Marsh to transition these duties. Thanks Barbara for your willingness to serve. Many, many thanks to Marsh for his work for 15 years. In addition to his work with the website Marsh also served as our Treasurer for a number of years. In my time on the Board, I have called on Marsh many times for assistance and he was always ready and willing to offer his help. Marsh, you have my very sincere appreciation.

It takes the involvement of many homeowners - not just Board members - to insure that Willowbend remains a top choice community!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 03/12/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Reminder!

A reminder to start the week!

Our Annual Meeting for all Homeowners will be held this Wednesday evening, March 15th at 5:30 p.m. at:

Ramada Hotel Venezia
425 US 41 Bypass N
Venice

We would like to start the meeting as close to 5:30 as possible. We will be ready to begin signing people in at 4:30. Please try to arrive early so that we can have everyone checked in and start the meeting on time.

If you are unable to attend the meeting and you have not mailed your proxy form to Sentry please give your proxy to a neighbor who will be attending the meeting.

Thanks for your cooperation and we look forward to seeing you on Wednesday!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 03/05/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Reminder!

Another "gentle" reminder -
If you don't plan to attend the Annual Meeting on March 15th and you haven't yet completed your proxy form please do so now. Tuesday should be the last day that you return the form by mail (to ensure that Sentry receives it in time). You can also give your completed proxy form to a neighbor who will be attending the meeting.

We need to make sure that we get enough forms to have a quorum for the meeting.

Thanks for your attention and cooperation!

Stephen Meuler

Email Sent 03/02/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Thank You!

Many thanks to all of the homeowners who joined the meeting this evening. I think that we clearly put them on notice that we are opposed to this development. I want to apologize that I was having technical difficulties with my computer with the sound on my computer at the beginning. I am certainly no computer wizard! I do think our attorney did a good job.

Now it is important that we all stay engaged in this process as it moves forward if we are to have a chance of defeating this. Thanks again.

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 03/02/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Link to Zoom Call

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85234074838?pwd=QlZoZEJQWXB5bk85RE5aem5SaWRZQT09&from=addon

Everyone
Some people had a problem with the link that I sent in the earlier email You should be able to use the link here in this email. Sorry for any confusion

Email Sent 03/02/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Important Reminder!

Good morning!

A reminder for everyone - the zoom meeting concerning the proposed development at our Habitat entrance is tonight at 6:00 p.m. Attached to this email is the link and information to join the zoom meeting. WE WOULD LIKE AS MANY HOMEOWNERS AS POSSIBLE TO JOIN THIS MEETING AS A STRONG SHOW OF OUR SOLID OPPOSITION TO THIS PROPOSAL. If you are uncomfortable with the process of a Zoom meeting, you can also just dial in from your phone and enter the meeting ID and passcode (provided in the attached information). I can also suggest that you may be able to join with one of your neighbors on the Zoom call.

Also attached is a copy of the restrictive covenants that are in place for this piece of property. Pay special attention to page five and the intended uses for this property. In no way does this current proposal meet these covenants.

Our attorney, Kimlyn Walker from the law firm of Lobeck & Hanson, will also be on the call.

Issues we intend to raise with this proposal include:
1. Non compliance with the restricted covenants in place for this property
2. Increased traffic on a residential road (Habitat) and the resulting problems
associated with entering and exiting to US 41
3. Immediate proximity to our community rec center and playground
4. Non-specific plans for the development of the entire parcel
5. Proximity to Oscar Scherer park - our community has always had restrictions due to this proximity

I am sure there are other objections that homeowners may think of. This is just the first step in the process. Hearings will be scheduled with the planning commission which will make a recommendation and then this will ultimately be decided by the County Supervisors. Please also continue to "make noise" on this issue with our County Supervisor, Joe Neunder.

It is important that we have homeowners join the call this evening! Thanks to everyone for your interest and assistance.

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 02/26/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Update

Proposed Development - Habitat and US 41
The HOA will have an attorney from the firm that represents us take part in the zoom call that has been scheduled for Thursday at 6:00 p.m. Our intention at this point is to assess our chances to block this proposed development at our Habitat entrance. Again, we encourage as many homeowners as possible to join this call on Thursday as a show of our opposition. Details on joining the call are in a previous email.

Annual Meeting
Another reminder - if you will not be attending the Annual Meeting on March 15th please complete your proxy form now! Either return the completed proxy in the envelope provided or give it to a homeowner who will be attending the meeting. It is important that these are completed so that we ensure that we have a quorum to conduct the meeting. Thanks for your cooperation.

Frontier
Homeowners on Crane Prairie Way and Luminary may now call to set up an appointment for the upgrade to your Frontier service. We hope to have the service upgraded at all homes by mid March.

Many thanks to all for your interest and support in maintaining Willowbend. We now have home sales that are closing well over $900K. That is great news for all of us. We want to keep it that way!

Email Sent 02/24/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Further information from one of our Homeowners - thanks to Charlie Arnold!

I found the attached documents to this email (Take 5 Osprey_3022023.pdf attached below) online at the Sarasota County Government link listed below; it may be worth sending to all Willowbend Residents. It includes the documents you sent plus more. It is public information on their website.

https://www.scgov.net/home/showpublisheddocument/59585/638128383853258426

In addition, the following links may be useful.

Link to the oil change company Take 5 who wants to build at the Front Door to Willowbend. It says that Take 5 also includes a Car Wash and possibly Auto Repairs at some locations which means used parts and broken autos will be sitting on their property. I wonder how many cars a day will frequent their location for oil changes and/or car washes; something to consider. https://www.take5.com/

Link to Review of Take 5; it has more critical reviews than positive reviews. https://www.sitejabber.com/reviews/take5oilchange.com

This is a link to the Attorney representing the company for rezoning https://icardmerrill.com/steve-rees-jr/

Email Sent 02/24/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - ALERT - Proposed development at US 41 and Habitat

During this past week, a few of our residents received a mailing detailing a proposed new development along Habitat and US 41 - the vacant lot at the Southeast corner of Habitat as you enter our community. This proposal would require a rezoning from the County as they want to divide the property into two with a proposed Quick Oil Change business and an additional office building.

This should obviously be concerning to all of us.

It is interesting that the notice was mailed to so few homeowners and not the entire community. I am attaching a copy of the notice letter that was sent along with a map showing the area.

Per the letter, you will see that the property owner has scheduled a Zoom call for Thursday, March 2nd at 6:00 p.m. to present their plan to neighboring homeowners. A link to join the meeting is included in the letter.

I urge all homeowners to join this meeting if possible! We need to voice our concerns and have our questions answered.

I am sure there will be additional County hearings scheduled to consider the zone change request. As a Community, we need to stay involved in this process.

I have also sent an email voicing concern to the County Commission representative for this District, Joe Neunder. It would be good for him to hear from as many of us as possible. His email address is: jneunder@scgov.net

Something will clearly go into that area. We cannot really stop that. Our big concern is to stop the rezoning into two parcels so that two businesses can be put in that area. We are all well aware of the current traffic problems with entering and exiting our community. Let's make our voices heard now!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 02/22/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Update

Frontier

We had a follow-up call with Frontier yesterday. We discovered that the welcome letter that was sent as well as the information in my email had a wrong telephone number. (This time it wasn't even my fault).

There is ONE phone number to use for Frontier bulk service accounts: The number is: 844-660-0648
Select Option 2 when calling for installation of service.
Select Option 1 for technical support if you experience problems after installation.

It is important that you use this phone number and not any other Frontier advertised phone number. This number is specifically to service bulk accounts such as Willowbend.

As of yesterday, they had over 150 service orders placed for installation so hopefully all is going well. Homeowners on Crane Prairie Way and Luminary may begin placing installation orders on February 25th.

Another gentle reminder - please complete your proxy form for the annual meeting and either mail it to Sentry or give it to a homeowner/neighbor who will be attending the meeting. Thanks for your attention to this!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 02/20/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Update

Happy Presidents' Day!

You should have received the mailing from Sentry with the information for the annual meeting and election. I am pleased that we have three candidates that have stepped up and are willing to serve for the three open positions.

Please do not throw the mailing away. Don't set it aside and forget about it. If you cannot attend the meeting, please complete your proxy form as soon as possible and either mail it back to Sentry in the envelope provided or give it to a homeowner/neighbor who is going to attend the meeting. We need these completed so as to be sure we have a quorum to proceed with the meeting. If you are going to attend the meeting on Wednesday March 15th then you don't need to do anything with the proxy form. Thanks for your cooperation.

If you are attending the meeting, please make plans to arrive at around 5:00 if it is possible for you. The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 but as you know it takes time to check everyone in.

If you are a homeowner who had LMP do stump removal on your property the charges for that service are listed on your homeowner account on the Sentry Management website. Quite a few of those charges have not been paid. Please log on to your account to see the amount that is owed and make arrangements to make payment to the HOA. For those of you who had their yard lights replaced by Nostalgic, those charges will be handled in the same manner. Once Sentry receives the itemized charges from Nostalgic the amount that you owe will be listed as a debit on your account with payment due.

We have had reports from homeowners who regularly walk the neighborhood that increasingly we are seeing dog waste being left in the neighborhood. Picking up after your dog is not only a rule of our HOA but is a County Ordinance and indeed is just being courteous and respectful to your neighbors. PLEASE PICK UP AFTER YOUR DOG! Again, thanks for your cooperation,

I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our Annual Meeting on March 15th!

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

Email Sent 02/14/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Frontier Correction

SORRY - It was quickly pointed out to me that I forgot our neighbors on Habitat! Homes on Habitat are included in ZONE ONE

Email Sent 02/14/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - FRONTIER UPGRADE

We are ready to begin the Frontier upgrade for the community! There are three attachments to this email. First, a welcome message and instructions from Frontier. Second, a price list for those interested in upgrading the Television package. The TV package that is included in our contract is the same channel lineup as existing. We will now have DVR capability and two high definition set top boxes provided. Third, is a map outlining the two zones of the neighborhood.

Please do not call to place your order prior to the dates listed for your zone.

Zone One - Service orders to be placed Feb 14th - Feb 24th
This zone includes all homes on the following streets:
Chalet Court, Copperwood, Latitude, Thornapple

Zone Two - Service orders to be placed Feb 25th - March 7th
This zone includes all homes on the following streets:
Crane Prairie Way, Luminary Blvd

To place your order for service you must call 844-660-0648 (Select Option 2).
Any changes to your TV service - additions (per the attached price list) or possibly deleting something additional that you currently have, should be done when you set up the service call.

If you experience any problems with your service after the installation you should call 866-844-0468 (Select Option 1).

Please refer to the instructions in the welcome memo attached and save that for future reference.

Again, Frontier will begin taking orders tomorrow, Feb 14th, for those homes in Zone 1. Homes in Zone 2 can begin placing orders on Feb 25th.

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA

AGENDA FOR THE 02/16/2023 MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Click the link to see the Agenda for the 02/16/2023 Willowbend Board of Directors Meeting

Email Sent 02/12/2023 by President Stephen Meuler - Update

The Board will meet for the regular monthly meeting this Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church. A copy of the agenda is attached. All homeowners are welcome to attend.

Also, please mark your calendars for the Annual Members' Meeting to be held on Wednesday March 15th at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at: Hotel Venezia, 425 US 41 Bypass N., Venice Florida. The earlier mailing from Sentry listed the wrong date for the meeting. All homeowners are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting. A mailing will be coming from Sentry later this week with information on the candidates for election to the Board as well as a Proxy form and a return envelope. Please do not throw this mailing away!

If you know that you will be unable to attend the meeting, please complete your proxy form per the instructions with the mailing and either mail back to Sentry in the envelope provided or give your completed proxy to another homeowner that will be attending the meeting. If mailing your proxy, I urge you to mail it as soon as possible so that we can be sure that we have established a quorum for the meeting.

FRONTIER

Many of you have been asking about Frontier and the upgraded internet service. I apologize and share your frustration with the delay. I hope to have a definitive date for the launch in the next couple of days and will advise everyone. So far Frontier has upgraded 4 homes as a test. They ran into several issues due to the very old equipment and connections in our community - more issues than they anticipated. They have addressed these issues as they have come up. They believe that they are now very close to launching the service for the community.

Stephen Meuler
President, Willowbend HOA 

The President's Corner

Please go to the President's Corner to see other emails sent out by our President recently.

2023 WILLOWBEND BUDGET AND RESERVE SCHEDULE

The Board adopted the 2023 Budget and the Reserve Schedule on November 17, 2022. You can view the adopted Budget on the secure pages for homeowners on this web site.

To reach the adopted budget on the Willowbend Web site, you need to remember your user name and password and sign in. If you do not remember either one, you can call Marshall Hestenes at (941) 918-8150 or e-mail him at hestenes@msu.edu and he will remind you of your user name and give you a new password. Once you have logged-in, at the bottom of the list of links on the left hand side, you will see a link called "Budget". Click on it, and you will go to the Willowbend Community Association Budget page, which will contain links to the 2023 Budget and the 2023 Reserve Schedule documents. Also, about two weeks after the end of the month, an Income and Expenses summary is posted that shows actual income and expenses through the end of that month and how they compare with the budgeted amounts in each category.

GAZEBO LANDSCAPE MEETINGS

LMP will meet residents with landscape issues at the Gazebo every week on Wednesday, 10:00 am to 10:30 am.

WILLOWBEND NEWSLETTER

After a hiatus of many years, in early June, 2021, publication of the Willowbend newsletter, Around the Bend, resumed. On the left menu, click the Around the Bend link to get to the page containing links to the newsletters published since that date.

NOKOMIS FIRE DEPARTMENT MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

Click the link to see the June, 2022 newsletter from the Nokomis Fire Department.

LMP NEWSLETTER

Click the link to see the April 2023 Newsletter from LMP.

FLAG ETIQUETTE

Residents are reminded that according to flag etiquette, the custom is to display the U. S. flag only from sunrise to sunset on flagstaffs in the open, but it may be displayed at night - if illuminated - to produce a patriotic effect.

FITNESS CENTER

The fitness center is now open, but use of it is strictly at your own risk, and you must follow the Guidelines and Restrictions for Use of this Facility

SENTRY MANAGEMENT INFORMATION

Sentry Management has provided instructions for Access to The CommunityPro Portal and a Sentry Website Tutorial . Owners will need their 16-digit account number to register on the Web portal. This number will be provided to everyone on their payment coupons. However, they are also more than welcome to contact Sentry’s Customer Service number (800-932-6636 ext 42500) or the local office number (941-361-1222) and speak to the operator and Sentry will gladly provide you with your account number.

Roof Cleaning

At the June 18, 2015 Board meeting, after reviewing a report compiled by an ad hoc committee of residents, the Board adopted a revised policy on roof cleaning. The key provision requires that residents have their roof cleaned at least once every three years. For a complete version of the new policy and links to the committee report, click on the title of this item.

Alligator Removal Policy

Willowbend Community Association has been issued Nuisance Alligator Permit #295402 from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It establishes the 147 acres of Willowbend as a state Targeted Harvest area (THA), with specific procedures and instructions. Click on the link to see the details.

Welcome to the Willowbend Community Web Site

Among the features are:

  • A home page. The body of the home page will contain info a small number of articles of current interest. Click on the title to see the whole article. On the right side is a list of upcoming Board & committee meetings and social events.
  • An events calendar.
  • Security so that only Willowbend residents and owners can see portions of the site.
  • Pages displayed in real time from a database, including the directory pages.
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Upcoming Events
12/09/23 - 6:30PM
Willowbend Wine Tasters
12/12/23 - 12:00PM
Ladies Annual Holiday Luncheon
Print Events
Important Links for Residents

Approved Plant List

Approved Paint Colors

Pruning Schedule

Irrigation Schedule