Leaving a Legacy

Natural Beauty

Reflecting on the success of our preservation park restoration, which we proudly built together.

The Preservation Park is now the hallmark of our community. The two-area conservation space has been replanted with 800 native grasses and trees, a newly dug stream, and French drains to reduce the effects of flooding. This restoration has been hard-won. Just six years ago, when D.R. Horton turned Lake Cove Pointe over to its residents with a $400,000 shortfall in its reserve fund, the park suffered from weeds, invasive trees, and vines pulling down the few native oaks that remained. The area, once teeming with birds and other wildlife, was left a cesspool of pests, bacteria, and horrendous stench during the summer months. The impact to the environment—and on home values—was devastating.

The newly appointed board sought to address the area right away,but with little money in the HOA reserves and the astronomical bids from contractors, the issue had to be tabled in favor of more pressing matters.

Many of our neighborhood advocates and longtime board members, including Mary Langley, consistently pushed to address the issue of “the swamp,” but the frustratiing lack of revenue made it an impossibility. Sadly, the last of the oaks toppled in 2017 before any headway could truly be made.

Finally, in 2020, things started to change. Rather than depend on raising funds to meet a high bid, we began to seek ways to reduce the financial need, through the generosity of our neighbors and our city. Director of the 2020 Board, Ron Mueller, partnered with the City of Winter Garden,

Saint John’s Water Management District, and the Florida Wildlife Commission to find the right contractor that would do the work at the right price and on the right schedule. This ensured that what would be so beautifully restored in January had time to take root before the rainy season.We selected Angel Oak, both because of its $35,000 fixed bid, and because it was willing to work during the summer and fall months, despite the risky swamp conditions.

In tandem with this process, Mueller and the Board also worked with the City on Ordinance 20-46, aka the Storm Water Act, which provided a $20,000 grant to Lake Cove Pointe. The City also provided us with concrete slabs to assist in rebuilding the drain outlets to restore and prevent erosion.

It took a total of five months to clear the swamp land, restore natural water flow, and save the yards of nearby residents. During this entire process,Wes and Vicki Parrish were the visionaries who made our dream a reality. The couple had spent a lifetime in the plant nursery business, and understood how to create a Florida native environment. Their expertise, coupled with their many contacts, provided the HOA an opportunity to purchase 15,000 square feet of sod, 58 trees, 800 native plants, and 500 bales of pine straw for $15,000.

As Langley helped with approvals from the HOA and permits from the City and other entities, Mueller sought help and volunteers from our residents. The labor for such work could have cost tens of thousands of dollars without help. But with the help of our volunteers who unloaded, dug, planted, lifted, pruned, and scattered every bit of the work, it wasn’t only money we saved—it was a community we built with our own hands. We poured our time and energy into something that belongs to every one of us.

Our initial estimate from 2015 was $115,000. In the end, we spent $30,000 and built a closer community. As the years go by and the trees grow, we can show our children what we've built; not another strip of land, but a park filled with the beauty of nature.