The News of June 2013 - ISSUE #59
...an official publication of the Community Association — Named Best Newsletter in Hillsborough County 2011
June 5 10 12 July 3 4
COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION SCHEDULE Board Workshop Board Room – 9 a.m. Coffee & Conversation Pebble Beach Medians Florida Room - 9 a.m. Board Meeting Rollins Theater – 9 a.m.
Board Workshop Board Room – 9 a.m. Holiday Breakfast Community Hall - 7 a.m. to noon Fireworks Central Campus - Dusk 10 Board Meeting Rollins Theater – 9 a.m. The Community Leaders and COAP meetings will not be held in June, July or August. Proposed agendas for monthly Board Meetings are discussed at the Board Workshops and posted on Official Bulletin Boards the Friday before. They will also be posted on our website (suncitycenter.org – under “Association”).
MASTER PLAN UNDERWAY!
John Bowker The referendum voting that concluded on May 22 provided a positive vote of 2302 against 579 negatives. With this substantial plurality, the Long Range Plan of the Community Association Board has been energized and steps are already underway to advance the appearance and condition of properties under its control. Ed Barnes, president of the CA, issued a statement immediately after learning of the approval of funding for the enlarged parking area. He applauded “the giant step taken by the CA membership in approving this keystone project that will lead to enhanced amenities of the Community Association as laid out in the Master Plan. I am very pleased in how the CA Directors and the CA members worked together in many conversations to provide this result. We can see that the majority of the membership is interested in improving and upgrading the facilities, and this is a major step forward.” CA Director David Floyd, chairman of the Long Range Planning Implementation Committee, echoed the president’s comments while noting that the vote represented over 28% of the eligible voters. “That, too, represents an increase in interest in community affairs,” he said. The vote regarding the café was not a surprise to the Board members interviewed by this publication. Based on comments that have come to their attention, and reflecting on remarks expressed at the several Coffee and Conversation meetings, members of the Board intend to re-visit the whole question about a social meeting area in the space now devoted to the atrium. No activity in that space is planned at this time.
Every Wednesday: Orientation for new members in the Board Room at 1 p.m. PHOTO BY JOHN BOWKER
July Issue delivered to your mailbox on
June 29
SCC Community Association Postal Patron
NON PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 157 MANASOTA FL
On the Inside CARE....................................... 9 Club Happenings.................. 14+ Consumer Affairs.................... 24 Crossword................................ 9 CryptoQuote............................. 7 Deputy Jason......................... 30 Entertainment Corner............... 5 Expanding Horizons................. 7 Golf....................................... 26+ Lifestyles................................ 12 Meet your Neighbors.............. 10 Military Affairs......................... 22 Movies.................................... 31 Newcomers.............................. 2 Plants Happen........................ 21 President’s Report.................... 3 Sports................................... 26+ Sudoku................................... 11
Outdoor Stage at bottom left above will soon be removed. The small building to the right with a brown roof is the main office of the Community Emergency Response Team (“CERT”). That organization is moving to space at the Chamber of Commerce.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The first signs of change as a direct result of the referendum will probably be the removal of the Outdoor Stage and CERT Building shown above. When grading and landscaping is finished, this will provide space for at least another 50 golf carts in the middle of the Central Campus. The other changes will require additional professional design, permitting by the county and contracting before any construction is begun. When will that be? Maybe as soon as next spring. More on the Master Plan upgrades is presented on pages 5 and 6.
COFFEE AND CONVERSATION Concerning the maintenance of Pebble Beach Blvd. Medians Monday June 10, 2013 Florida Room 9 a.m.
DID YOU KNOW?
You can recycle your old cell phone and accessories at the United Community Church. They will be 100% refurbished, reused or recycled, thus kept out of our landfills and waterways. Drop them off at the church office (1501 La Jolla Ave.) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday. Editor’s Note: If you have a suggestion about something that would be useful to others for this column, send it to hodgespress@ gmail.com.
Will street lighting continue on Pebble Beach Blvd? By Paul Wheat Good question? Subsequent to publication of my article in May’s issue of The NEWS of SCC, several people have requested further details concerning the street lighting presently located in the medians of both North and South Pebble Beach Boulevards. The following details are the best I can provide from information obtained from available records and conversations with people familiar with the situation. First of all, Hillsborough County officials have stated several times that Hillsborough County does not pay for street lighting in residential areas. Residential street lighting in Hillsborough County is accomplished by the establishment of a “Lighting District.” Presently there are more than 775 Lighting Districts with over 32,500 lights serviced by Hillsborough County. Street lighting is billed in advance as a uniform nonad valorem assessment as part of the annual (ad valorem) property tax bill paid by the individual property owners who form that district. However, as we all have learned, every rule has its exception. There are presently four light poles located in the medians of North Pebble Beach, each pole with two lights, and six poles with two lights each, located on South Pebble Beach medians, all near the intersection with S.R. 674. Since there are no written agreements available, one can only surmise that, at the time these ten light poles and street lights were installed (many years ago) by the County and TECO respectively, the County agreed with the developer to forego the normal process of annual non-ad valorem assessments if the developer, in the place of a Lighting District, paid the cost of operating the lights directly to TECO. Apparently the County still performs certain other “servicing” requirements. The annual electrical costs for these lights presently totals $3,475 (including tax), and are presently billed by TECO directly to Minto Communities as the account owner. If the CA assumes the responsibilities for the Pebble Beach Medians, the annual costs have already been included in the estimated cost provided by the Pebble Beach Task Force in its Interim Report to the CA BOD. (Note: This report is posted on the CA web site and on file in the CA library.) The point being made is that if the CA does not assume the responsibilities for the Pebble Beach
See Medians on page 3.