Schools, Swimming, and More

Osceola County School District Addresses CDD Board

Dr. Debra Pace and School Board member

Erica Booth addressed the Harmony CDD Board at the last meeting to describe the rapid growth on the east side of Osceola County and the impact that growth is having on the Harmony Community School (K-5). This growth has caused the student population to outgrow the classroom space that the Community School has available. Dr. Pace explained that the School District will have to place “relocatable cottages” (previously know as portables) on the school campus while additional area schools are designed and constructed. These structures will be used primarily for the higher grades and are expected to be in place for approximately five years while new elementary schools in Sunbridge, off Narcoossee Road, and in Roan Bridge, off Hickory Tree Road, are constructed. Portables were used at the Community school from 2016 until 2019 to relieve overcrowding while the Middle School was being built, so minimal construction will be required this time as the hook-ups are already in place. The issue of traffic problems caused by school pick up and drop off was brought forward by residents and Dr, Pace promised to look into how to minimize the impact of additional traffic once the portables are in use. Dr. Pace indicated that she will be scheduling a Town Hall to be held at the Harmony Community School to address this issue with residents and parents.

Harmony Community School to Conduct a Learn to Swim Program for Kindergarten Students

The School Board has restarted its Learn to Swim Program for their kindergarten students and will be conducting these lessons at Harmony’s Swim Club pool (next to Phyre). The lessons will occur on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from April 10th–April 21st. This pool will be closed on those days during the hours of 9am to noon to ensure that the children have a good learning en- vironment with no distractions. If you want to use a pool during those times, please use the Ashley Park pool which is located at 7124 Harmony Square Dr. South.

Welcome Lucas Chokanis to the Harmony CDD Board

It was a tough decision for the CDD Board as there were seven well qualified candidates that applied for Seat 4 on the CDD. After interviewing each candidate and considering each of their available time and talents, the Board selected Lucas Chokanis to fill this seat. Supervisor Chokanis will complete the four-year term that ends in November of 2026. He lives in the Waterside neighborhood with his wife and family. Please take a moment to welcome him to the Board. His official CDD email is Lucas@harmonycdd.org

Alley Paving Update

The alley paving project has been delayed due to the unavailability of the trench drains that must be installed before the paving can be done. The revised schedule (as of February 27th) is below. If this schedule is further adjusted by the contractor, the change will be posted on the home page of our website, HarmonyCDD.org, where you can also find a map that shows the alleys to be paved.

The paving company will be making all the arrangements with the post office to ensure that mail delivery is accommodated and will provide access so that garbage, recycling and yard waste pick-up can go forward in the alleys as usual on Mondays and Tuesdays. Inframark has assured the Board that signs will be posted and a flyer explaining the process will be hand delivered to each affected residence prior to construction on each phase.

Again, this schedule is subject to change depending on the availability of needed supplies and equipment and weather conditions.

Phase 1: March 13 – March 29

Alley between Primrose Willow and Cat Brier

Phase 2: April 6 – April 28

Alleys bounded by Primrose Willow, Schoolhouse, Pond Pine and Cupseed

Phase 3: May 1 – May 22

Alleys bounded by Cupseed, Pond Pine, Primrose Willow, and Blustem

Phase 4: May 15 – June 13

Alleys bounded by Beargrass, Pond Pine, Schoolhouse, and Cupseed

Phase 5: June 30 – August 2

Alleys bounded by Beargrass, Pond Pine, Bluestem, and Cupseed

Toho Water Conservation Program

I would like to introduce the Toho Water Authority’s Water Conservation Program to the residents of Harmony. We are working with Toho to spread the news to our residents about ways to conserve water. One joint project being considered is a Demonstration Garden here in Harmony that will showcase Florida Friendly landscaping. This garden will help residents visualize how these plants would look around their home. Below is information from Toho concerning steps you can take to save both water and money.

Tips from Toho:

Harmony Spring Yard Irrigation

As the seasons change and spring begins in Florida, Harmony and Harmony West homeowners should plan to revisit the programming of their home’s irrigation system to water their yard and landscaping efficiently for a healthy lawn.

Toho Water Authority (Toho), the water utility servicing the Harmony area, offers these tips to keep in mind:

1. Check irrigation controller for correct time, date and day.

- Remember: No watering between 10am and 4pm

- Odd house numbers (ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9) Wednesday and Saturday

- Even house numbers (ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8) Thursday and Sunday

- Non-residential customers (businesses, schools, government, churches, subdivision common areas, recreation areas, medians) Monday and Friday

2. Make sure each zone runs efficiently by turning each on for a test. During this, make sure to check for proper pressure (low pressure indicates a line break or a possible missing sprinkler head). Also, check for proper rotation of rotor sprinkler heads and adjust these to perform efficiently. Avoid watering the road or sidewalk.

3. Make sure your sprinkler heads pop up to irrigate properly. For example: St. Augustine grass should have 6-inch heads and sprays. Some homeowners probably had the system installed with 4-inch emitters. If this is the case, it would be better to replace these for more efficient irrigation practices.

4. Check and clean filters to all rotors and sprays. If you have micro-irrigation then you will want to clean their filters also.

5. Reprogram the controller for the necessary allowance of water per zone. Typically, rotors are set on average for 30 minutes and sprays are set for 15 minutes. This will, of course, vary depending on where the location is, type of soil, and the type of grass you are irrigating.

6. Keep in mind that plants have grown since last year, so watering requirements could be different. Adjust the emitters to efficiently water these areas.

7. Replace the battery backup on your controller. The battery backup does not operate the controller, but keeps run times and start times in the controller in case there is a power outage. This stops the system from reverting back to its default program.

8. Make sure your rain sensor is working properly. This low-cost device is required by law in Florida to avoid excessive irrigation when a healthy amount of rain is falling to irrigate the landscaping naturally.

9. Consider embracing Florida-Friendly TM Landscaping options with your choice of yard plants. A free web tool to find out what works in this area can be found at floridayards.org/fyplants. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF IFAS) Extension in Osceola County, located conveniently at Osceola Heritage Park, offers free local classes on a variety of topics every month.

Need Help from Toho?

More tips can be found on Toho’s website under “Conservation Tips” at tohowater.com.

The Toho Water Conservation Department is able to conduct free Irrigation Evaluations for residences in the Harmony and Harmony West area. Please take advantage of this service if you feel you have any problems. To set up and appointment or for more information, contact us at waterconservation@tohowater. com or call 407-944-5124. n