"State of the Isles" President's Letter

Dear Neighbor:
 
I hope everyone had a great holiday and we all look forward to a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.  Lots going on in Venetian Isles so let me give you an overview.
 
New Neighbors:
Through November a total of 28 homes have sold within VI.    New residents should have already had a visit from the Hospitality Committee welcoming you to the neighborhood.  Please take the opportunity to welcome your new neighbors to VI.  The new residents’ “orientation” has been set for March 3, 2018.  Invitations to the new homeowners for 2016 and 2017 will be forthcoming. 
 
Annual Meeting:
The annual meeting will be January 23, 2018 at the Lutheran Church of the Cross.  This year’s guest speaker will be John Romano, long-time columnist for the Tampa Bay Times.  John has often provided a “no-nonsense, common sense” perspective on many of the significant issues that impact the Tampa Bay area.  Please plan on attending to meet John, hear his perspective on issues of the day and share your thoughts with him.  The agenda is summarized below:
-        6:00 – 7:00pm – “social hour” sponsored by Northstar Realty
-        7:00pm – introductions
-        7:10 – 7:20 – SPPD Community Policing Officer Don Herring’s crime report
-        7:20 – 7:30 – City Councilman Ed Montanari (invited)
-        7:30 – 8:15 – Featured speaker, John Romano, Tampa Bay Times
-        8:15 – 8:30 – Election of Officers Board Members / discussion of items of interest in VI 
 
Traffic Calming:
The result of the October 6 ballot seeking approval for the installation of a traffic calming device across from 4712 Overlook passed based upon results that were tabulated by the City.  However, the City installed the wrong traffic calming device as was brought to the City’s attention by a number of VI residents.  The City has acknowledged this mistake and will remove the current device and install one that allows for transition at a speed of 15 MPH.  The work will be completed in January and will be brick imprinted, as had been previously discussed. 
 
Beautification Items:
City repair of the seawalls in VI have commenced and should be completed in April 2018.  A number of palms on Grand Canal that were destroyed during Hurricane Irma were replaced.  The VIHA Board has received proposals and continues to study lighting and irrigation options for the Overlook Palms to enhance the appeal as you enter VI.
 
Lisa Schwartz and the Beautification Committee have been hard at work in an effort to replace the monuments to the 3 entrances to VI (including Mermaid Point) using funds that have been generated from sources other than VIHA dues.  The current monuments have aged and required a significant amount of volunteer effort to maintain.  The current and new monuments are shown in the photos below.   The new monument was chosen to meet City sight line requirements and also because of lower maintenance requirements.  A request for proposal will be going out to eligible contractors on January 8.  Upon selection of the contractor,  VIHA will apply to the City for a Matching grant and then begin installation.

Property of the Month:
Streets for this award are randomly selected and a committee selects a winner.  The winner receives a gift certificate courtesy of Dolan’s Nursery and the “Property of the Month” sign which is displayed prominently.  The winners for 2017 are:
-        January – Prewitt and Peggy Pace – 2081 Michigan Ave.
-        February – Trevor and Shannon Zetrouer – 2032 Massachusetts Ave.
-        March – Horst and Rita Brands – 1998 Illinois Ave.
-        April – David and Michelle Payne – 2058 Kansas Ave.
-        May – Randy and Linda Wilcox – 1990 Iowa Ave.
-        June – Eugene Succow – 2250 Mermaid Point
-        July – Mike and Grace Wagner – 2052 Michigan Ave.
-        August – Bonnie Drake – 1969 Carolina Ave.
-        September – Hugh and Sharon Seeley – 2040 Mass. Ave.
-        October – none awarded due to Hurricane Irma damage
-        November – Mitch and Judy Sauers – 1919 Hawaii Ave.
-        December – Mark and Celeste Stroud - 2087 Kansas Ave.
 
Congratulations to each of the above and “thank you” for taking extraordinary care of your properties.  See photos of all the winners on www.ourvi.org under “News and Events” look for “2017 Properties of the Month.”
 
Text Messaging System:
The VIHA Communications Committee has arranged a system whereby participants will receive texts notifying them of important information.  Only 50 people have signed up for this so far.  To subscribe to this service - text “VIHA” to 77948.  You should receive a reply that you have “opted in” to receive messages from VIHA. 
 
Let me know of things that you see and hear in VI.  Hope to see you all at the Annual Meeting on January 23!!!
 
Rich Scanlon
VIHA President
rscanlon@ourvi.org