Harmony Life - December 2022

Welcome to the December 2022 edition of Harmony Life Magazine.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Please support our advertisers as they help bring this monthly publication to the community. Please welcome our new advertisers:

• The Workout – Harmony resident owned group workout facility (page 12)

• Brady Evans, Home and Auto Insurance (page 5)

NOTICE: Ashley Park Townhome owners

There is ballot that was sent to all Ashley Park owners to vote to amend the HOA documents and allow for a “capital contribution” whenever a unit sells or transacts.

The HOA reserves are diminished and not hedged against the huge inflation increase that we are receiving from mostly the insurance companies. A yes vote will allow the HOA to help build the reserves without causing things like special assessments, quarterly dues increase, etc.

Although those are mostly likely going to happen in the short term, this is one way to minimize the potential of increases LONG TERM. Most communities have capital contribution already in place and it's just a fee on the real estate transaction, paid by the buyer with minimal impact to the current owner/seller.

For more information or to request another ballot please message: info@myhoasolution.com Make sure to put Ashley Park in the subject line.

Did you know that my wife, Jeanine Corcoran, puts out a weekly video and email for all the Harmony events? Send me your email address and I will add you to the list. You can always opt out at any time. Bill@QMCWorld.com

Harmony Life Magazine is produced by residents for residents. Please feel free to message me directly with content and pictures: Bill@QMCWorld.com

Remember to join the Facebook groups, Harmony Residents Forum, AND THE NEW, ADDITIONAL, HARMONY RESIDENTS FORUM, DRAMA FREE.  See you in January!

Bill Bokunic

Publisher

Bill@QMCWorld.com

CONTACT INFO FOR RESIDENTS

CDD HarmonyCDD.org, 407-566-1935

Teresa, Dan, Mike, or Kerul@HarmonyCDD.org SHERIFF, NON-EMERGENCY 407-348-2222

HROA

Association Solutions, 811 Mabette St., Kissimmee 407-847-2280, MyHOASolution.com

CONDOS HOA Sentry Management, 407-846-6323

TOWNHOMES HOA Association Solutions, 811 Mabette St., Kissimmee 407-847-2280, MyHOASolution.com

HARMONY DEVELOPER OFFICE 407-891-8358, HarmonyFL.com

DECEMBER 2022

A publication of Quantum Marketing Communications, LLC www.QMCWorld.com

PUBLISHER & CEO

Bill Bokunic 321.331.6398 Bill@QMCWorld.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Renée Blair

Blair Creative Group, Inc.

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY

Courtesy Cherry Heck

CONTRIBUTORS

Jeanine Corcoran

Corcoran Connect

Beth Johnson, M.Ed.

Hamony Nature & Animal Committee Member

Teresa Kramer Chair, Hamony CDD

The opinions expressed in the Harmony Life Magazine articles are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions of Quantum Marketing Communications, Harmony Life Magazine or the Publisher.

Harmony Life Magazine, Quantum Marketing Communications, LLC and the Publisher can, in no way whatsoever, be held responsible for the content of such views, nor can it be held liable for any direct or indirect damage that may arise from such views.

All rights reserved. No part of any Quantum Marketing Communications, LLC published work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, record ing, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

SPECTRUM CABLE / INTERNET 877-892-3279

CENTURY LINK CABLE / INTERNET 866-314-4148

OUC ELECTRIC 407-957-7373

ADVANCED DISPOSAL – OSCEOLA 407-605-3892 3501 Pug Mill Rd. Kissimmee, FL 34741 OsceolaFL@advanceddisposal.com

OSCEOLA COUNTY Osceola.org “Citizen Action Center”

COUNTY COMMISSIONER ricky.booth@osceola.org RICKY BOOTH

Harmony Life Magazine

Harmony Residents Forum, NO DRAMA

HARMONY RESIDENTIAL OWNERS ASSOCIATION

The Harmony Residential Owners Association (HROA) board decided to once again have a monthly article in Harmony Life Magazine to keep you informed of what is going on with the HROA. This month's article will address homeowners’ questions regarding the differences between the HROA and the Harmony Community Development District (CDD). In the future we will include social activities schedules, violation summaries, meeting summaries and other HROA related tidbits.

HROA

The HROA is a legal entity established under state law. Harmony is a deed restricted neigh borhood and all residents, with the exception of The Lakes and Enclave neighborhoods who have their own association and rules, auto matically become members when closing on their homes and are obligated to abide by the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CCR). This means there are rules and re strictions on what you can and cannot do to your home and yard. All HROA operations, committees and social activities are funded by members annual fees.

Here in Harmony, the HROA does not own any land, trees, pools, common areas or struc tures. The HROA is responsible for maintain ing a high standard of exterior appearance by enforcing the CCRs and Community Stan dards (The Harmony Code) only as it applies to members’ homes and yards. The HROA’s rules and regulations are in place for the pur pose of maintaining an attractive and clean community and to maintain and enhance property values.

The HROA Board has contracted with Association Solutions of Central Florida, to:

• Collect fees and other accounting duties

• Review applications for architectural changes

• Weekly neighborhood inspections

• Identify and work with homeowners to address violations of the CCR and Community Standards

• Work with an attorney to address persistent violations and delinquent accounts

Association Solutions is available by phone and email to answer any questions you might have. They also have a web page where you can find documents such as the CCRs, Community Standards, meeting minutes and architectural change applications. Architectural changes to the house or yard must be submitted to Asso ciation Solutions for approval. These include items like pools, fences, paint, major landscap ing changes, screening lanais and more.

Contact information for the HROA: https://www.myhoasolution.com 407-847-2280 info@myhoasolution.com

The HROA has an Owners Portal where you can pay your dues, check your balance, see any violations and calendar of events. If you have not signed up yet, please do so at the following web address. If you do not have an email on file with Association Solutions, please contact them to sign up. https://portal.topssoft.com/login

HROA current board members are:

• Kerul Kassel

• Cheryl Gelinas

• Karen Grissom

• Mark Catanese

• Cherry Heck

• Kevin Shirley

• Jerry Mick

The board meetings are quarterly and open to all residents.

CDD

The CDD and the HROA are not related, nor do any of their duties overlap. The Harmony Community Development District (CDD) is a special purpose government that owns and maintains Harmony community facilities: the ponds, dog parks, park areas, playgrounds, pools, Buck Lake, the boats, alleyways and some of the sidewalks.

The CDD’s five member board meets monthly and makes decisions on Harmony’s financial health, infrastructure upkeep and replace ment, and regular maintenance. Harmony has a CDD field service crew who work daily to maintain the neighborhood and are employed by InfraMark, the CDD’s District Manage ment Firm.

Contact information for the CDD: www.Harmonycdd.org CDDmaintenance@inframark.com

NOTES FROM the CHAIR

By Teresa Kramer Chair, Harmony Community Development District

THE HOLIDAYS IN HARMONY

If you are new to Harmony you will certain ly be amazed at all the lights and glitter that have appeared since Thanksgiving. Harmo ny loves to celebrate the holidays!

The HROA, Harmony Residential Owners As sociation, decorates the entrances to Harmony with lights and the CDD powers them up. Our neighbors go all out to decorate their homes with lights, garlands, huge nutcrackers and some even add music. Jennifer Crum, through the HROA, conducts a contest for the best decorated home in Harmony and she always puts on a spectacular Winterfest in Harmony’s Town Square, even bringing in snow!

It is a time of joy and sharing and caring. So, let’s all reach out to one another with love and live together in peace and harmony.

UPCOMING PROJECTS

Inside Tree Trimming—The trimming of the trees on the inside streets is typically undertak en every two years, but since we had to stop the previous trimming due to poor quality work by Servello, we will be undertaking this project again early in 2023. The Board has awarded this contract to Brightview Landscaping Services who came highly recommended. They are fin ishing up in Celebration and will be coming to Harmony in January. The Board has chosen to include the trees on Feathergrass, Middlebrook, Cordgrass, and Dark Sky in cooperation with Osceola County, so that these homeowners will not have to take it on themselves.

Alley Paving—The Board recently approved the contract for paving the alleys in Neighbor hoods C-1 and C-2. These are the alleys with in the area bounded by Schoolhouse Road on the north and west, Cat Brier on the east, and the gas pipe line easement on the

south. These alleys serve 197 homes and are showing their age with crumbling pavement, potholes, and drainage issues.

Billy’s Trail—Now that construction in the En clave at the Lakes is nearing completion, the CDD Board will be revisiting work that needs to be done to reopen this popular trail. This is one of the two trails that connect Harmony with Harmony West, the other being Butterfly Trail. A third trail is required to be construct ed which will link Harmony with Harmony Central sometime in the future. The blue dashed lines in the accompanying map are the locations of the trails that will be connect ing the three communities. Billy’s Trail is the northern most trail which starts on Five Oaks next to the Lakes Community Center.

Stormwater Repairs in the Estates—

The Board has chosen to address the needed repairs to the Estates stormwater system in stages. The first stage will repair and reconnect pipes that are located in and around proper ties on which home construction has been completed. We will wait to repair pipes that border properties that have not yet been de veloped. This staged repair plan will minimize the chance that new construction will damage pipes that have just been repaired.

Splash Pad Repair—The latest report from the vendor is that they expect to receive the re placement pump sometime in January. It is very frustrating to have the splash pad out of service for this long, but replacing the pump is not as easy as it may seem. When the splash pad was built, the design placed the pump in an area with very limited space. This means that the replace ment pump cannot be just any pump with the same horsepower and flow rating, but must be of a very specific size and shape. Unfortunate ly, the pump that came with the splash pad is no longer being made, so we have had to locate a suitable substitute. We have located one, but none are currently available and the component parts come from China. As you may have heard, China is again locked down. I truly wish I had never heard the phrase “supply chain issues.”

UPDATES

Vent Fan Repairs—During this summer’s insufferable heat, it became obvious that the vent fans in the bath house at the Swim Club were not working and had not been working for many years. These fans have now been replaced. This will make the afternoon visits to the bath house much more comfortable this upcoming summer.

Leafing Season—the leaves are falling from the sycamores and many of the oaks, so please take care to dispose of them properly after raking them up. Please do not put the leaves in the stormwater drains as this will burden the stormwater system. Remember, a clean storm water system is what kept Harmony from flooding during Hurricane Ian.

In closing, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and is blessed with good health and harmony. Let’s welcome in the New Year with a spirit of hope and cooperation and con sideration for those around us. n

BY TERESA KRAMER

DID YOU KNOW?

By Beth Johnson, M.Ed. Harmony Nature & Animal Committee Member

HOW TO RECYCLE YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE

DID YOU KNOW that Americans throw away 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving and New Year's holidayseason than during any other time of year? This amounts to 25 million tons of garbage sitting in landfills. Plastic ontainers, wrapping paper, ribbon, and Christmas trees are among the main culprits. Fortunately, there are several eco-friendly alternatives for your live tree.

Turn Your Tree Into Mulch

Cut thinner branches into one to two-inch pieces and add them to your already mulched pathways. Think about how lovely it will smell as you walk up the path to your door. You can also cut full tree branches and lay them over any perennials to save them from the overnight chill. Evergreen trees are a great insulator against the cold.

Donate Your Tree

There are many local farms and wildlife centers that accept Christmas tree donations. Goats, sheep, chickens, and many wild animals love to eat these delicious winter treats. Prior to donating your tree, you must ensure it was not treated with any toxic pesticides or spray. If you aren’t certain about the toxicity of your tree, please contact the owners of the tree lot to make sure the tree is eco-friendly. For example, Severts Tree Farm in Kissimmee sells chemical free, 100% eco-friendly trees. This step is imperative to ensure that farm animals don’t ingest any pesticides while they enjoy their special treat.

One option for tree donation is Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge at 10525 Clapp Simms Duda Rd. in Orlando. You must call ahead prior

to bringing your tree to ensure they are still collecting donations and to receive drop-off information. The number is 407-568-5138. They ask that the tree contain no tinsel and not be dried out.

S.W.A.P. Your Tree

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7, you can bring your tree to the St. Cloud Civic Center, located at 3001 17th Street. The city’s S.W.A.P. (St. Cloud’s Winning Arbor Patrol) Team will swap your Christmas tree for a new tree in a container as part of their Urban Forest program. One tree per household will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. You must bring a photo ID with you. All Christmas trees must be free of lights, tinsel, and decorations. Artificial trees are not eligible for swap. In the past, the city has offered elms, red maples, magnolias, and crape myrtles. The Christmas tree you bring will be ground and chipped onsite into mulch, which also goes home with your new tree.

Choosing to recycle your tree instead of tossing it out with the trash is a wonderful way to be eco-conscious this holiday season. n

Sources: www.stanford.edu

St. Cloud Parks & Recreation Department

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEIRA HAMZEHLOUI, OWNER OF THE LAZY H FARM IN EUSTIS

An Open Letter to My Wife “Christmas Inspiration”

Dear Claudia,

I watch you with love more often than you would most likely imagine. After all these years I am still watching you with that same love. When I think back over the years and how we grew as friends and husband and wife with five amazing children and four grandchildren, I am awestruck by the journey and the speed in which time went by. I must tell you, in the last few years I watched you in silence with breathtaking fear. I think something inside me physiologically changed when you were diagnosed and battling cancer. Evidentially, God didn’t think we had enough on our plate, and we simultaneously took on our daughter’s very serious disease. The profound realization during that time, was you still put everyone else’s needs and wants ahead of yourself even though you were in agony, sleepless, and in the throes of chemotherapy and all that comes with. I continued to watch you and I realized what the definition of inspiration is. I learned about hope, peace, faith, and kindness to a much greater level through those frightening moments alone watching you. Regardless of how sick you were, a constant in your life was your porch settings and decorations; I actually think they were healing for you. Be it the lemon backdrop of summer through the Norman Rockwell-esque approach to your Christmas porch you always delivered perfection. Exquisite in design and creativity and always tastefully done. I asked you one night while you were decorating and not feeling well, “Do you really need to do this.” I remember what your answer was, “I like to make people feel good inside when they look at my creativity. I don’t do it for myself, I do it for you and the kids and anyone else that will enjoy it.”

Harmony, for the last decade, has been an inspiring stop along our journey as we look towards our next move. 3330 Cat Brier Trail will forever be filled with your love and energy. I wanted to share some of your inspiration in the cover photos with our community and let you know how blessed I am to be your best friend, husband, and father to your children. You are my Christmas inspiration, a beacon of hope, faith, and possibility.

Love, Chris

PHOTO COURTESY CHERRY HECK

Photo courtesy of Ed Almaria

QUICK REFERENCE DIRECTORY

ADVERTISING & MAGAZINES

Harmony Life

Bill Bokunic 321-331-6398 Bill@QMCWorld.com www.QMCWorld.com

AIR-CONDITION SERVICES

Access Air

Eric Farnsworth

*Harmony Resident* 407-921-0760 ELFarnsworth@live.com

AUTO DEALER

Kisselback Ford 1118 13th Street St. Cloud 407-892-2141 www.KisselbackFord.com

CHILDREN'S BOUTIQUE

Z and Q

*Harmony Resident* 1014 New York Ave. St. Cloud 34769 www.ZandQ.com

CHURCH

Harmony Community Church Meeting 10am Sundays at Harmony Community School (844) 444-FBCH www.HarmonyCommunity.church

CHIROPRACTOR

Living Well Chiropractic

*Harmony Resident* 4041 13th St. St. Cloud 34768 407-957-1337 www.LivingWellCFL.com

CLEANERS

Angie's Glory Cleaning 678- 523-5280 cleaninginharmony1@gmail.com

FINANICAL SERVICES

Edward Jones

Kerry L. Scott, CRPC

4115 Neptune Rd. St. Cloud 34769 407-498-0147 www.EdwardJones.com

GARAGE DOORS & OPENERS

D.S.I. Sales / Service / Repairs 407-970-5847 dsigaragedoor@yahoo.com www.dsigaragedoorandopener.com

GOLF CLUB

Royal St. Cloud Golf Links 5310 Michigan Ave., St. Cloud, FL 34769 407-891-7010

GRAPHIC DESIGN & BRANDING SERVICES

Blair Creative Group, Inc. Renée Blair Lake Nona 321-972-3669 www.BlairCG.com

HEALTH & FITNESS / GYM The Workout 407-764-0297 1429 Hamlin Ave., Unit 10 St. Cloud 34771

HOME INSPECTORS

Budget Services 407-892-8811

HOSPITALS

Health First-Holmes Regional Health Care 1350 South Hickory St. Melbourne, FL 32901 321-434-7000

Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital 2906 17th St., St. Cloud 407-892-2135 www.OrlandoHealth.com

INSURANCE

Brightway Insurance, The Sterner Agency 407-891-9361 www.BrightwaySterner.com

Healthcare Solutions Team Kim Kirsch 407-870-3462 kkirsch@myhst.com

LAWN CARE Luv-A-Lawn & Pest Control 407-908-9139 www.LuvALawn.com

Triple Palm Lawns *Harmony Resident* 407-957-3489 TriplePalmLawn@aim.com

MORTGAGE LENDING Mortgage Studio

Julie Bretz-Swinarksi 407-758-3443 julie@mtgstudio.net Alyssa Shivmangal 407-408-1413 alyssa@mtgstudio.net

MUSIC LESSONS

Harmony Performance Arts Studio

Amber Lanning & Ellen Short Voice/Piano/Acting 682-936-9551

PAINTING & PRESSURE WASHING Champions Property Maintenance

*Harmony Resident* Joe Murray, 407-766-5051

Performance Soft Wash LLC. Exterior House Cleaning & Paver Sealing 407-729-7567

PARK Wild Florida

3301 Lake Cypress Rd. Kenansville 407-957-3135 www.WildFL.com

PET GROOMING

The Magic Paws 321-440-3724 www.TheMagicPaws.com Mobile Service

Pawfect Cuts of Harmony 407-257-1414 PawfectCutsOfHarmony.com Serving Harmony & St. Cloud

PHOTOGRAPHY

Abbey Evans Photography Weddings, Families, Newborns, Seniors www.abbeyevansphoto.com

PLUMBER

Mr. Rooter Plumbing 407-593-3737 www.MrRooter.com

PHYSICIANS

Miriam Carnemolla, APRN AdventHealth Primary Care+ Partin Settlement 2488 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy Kissimmee, FL 34744

St. Cloud Medical Group

1700 E. Irlo Bronson Memorial Hwy. St. Cloud 407-891-2965 www.StCloudPhysicians.com

PRINTERS

Creative Printing Services

1115 Pennsylvania Ave. St. Cloud 34769 407-891-9797

Lucky Dog Printing

*Harmony Resident* 1014 New York Ave., St. Cloud 34769 407-593-6984

REAL ESTATE

Corcoran Connect

*Harmony Resident* Jeanine Corcoran Owner/Broker Buy/Sell/Rent/Property Mgmt. 407-953-9118 www.CorcoranConnect.com

RESTAURANTS

Koffee Kup 1407 13th Street St. Cloud 34769, Under the Water Tower 407-891-81488 www.TheKoffeeKup.com

Phyre at Harmony 7251 Five Oaks Dr. Harmony

TRAVEL

Meisner Cruise and Travel *Harmony Resident* 407-738-7088 • tvlwithlinda@gmail.com

Facebook: Harmony Get Aways With Meissner Travel

WATER SYSTEMS

Dependable Water Treatment 407-242-7150

WINE & SPIRITS

Levee Liquor & Gas

Now Delivering in Harmony! 718 13th St., St. Cloud 407-593-9605 www.LeveeLiquor.com

be confident.

We provide trusted, quality care in your community. At Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital, get access to care from an expert and compassionate clinical team for all of your healthcare needs — from emergency services to heart care, surgical services and more — all close to home. Giving you more reasons to choose well. OrlandoHealth.com/StCloud choose well.