We've Moved

For those of you who came to this page wondering where all the current info is, we have moved to a new address.  bhourcommunity.wordpress.com 



For those of you who need info that's not on the new blog, it will be after the first of the year.  Eventually, after all info is taken from this site the blog will be deleted.  I will give everyone a heads up first.

Where has the time gone?

Merry Christmas everyone!

 Hard to believe the time has flown by,  but it has, and zowie it's here -almost.

I'm sure the stockings are being hung by those who have chimneys, the cookies are being eaten at an alarming rate with the egg nog, but it's also a time for family, friends, and neighbors to share in the warmth of the days.  And living in Florida, warmth is a general term, not  hoped for like our Northern neighbors.

This is a friendly reminder of the upcoming happenings.

On Dec. 6, Tuesday evening, 7pm,  at the pool, we will be having our Community Meeting with discussions probably focusing on the upcoming elections, as well as other things.  

If you want to SEE a change, then you need to attend to get the info and ask questions so we can MAKE a change.  

It--- CHANGE--- doesn't happen because we wish for it to happen.

 Disney is a magical place, we are fortunate we live so close to it,  but it, magic,  doesn't happen that way in our HOA community.

 We have to work at it. 

Board of Directors meeting, the following Monday, Dec. 12. 7pm at the pool

Elections in January.

I have heard some people think this Community meeting as well as the BOD meeting and all the parties is something that will pass in time.  I can understand why some would think that, I have heard that some don't want to be bothered, it isn't necessary to attend, things are fine the way they are.

 I suppose if you want to see your money being piddled away or wasted, then you are entitled to your opinion.  We all are.  
 I intend on tearing myself away from my TV during a time when my butt would prefer to stay put.
There are reasons for this.

  I want our entrance as folks come in to look  tidy and presentable, as well as our yards, our yards not looking less than a patchwork quilt,  our streets not to be a drag strip to mow down the people leisurely walking their dogs or children. 
 I want the people in office to be as careful with all of our money like any responsible person would with their own.   I choose this, and  I know some cannot for reasons of health, or working cannot come,  but for some isn't  once a month, a sacrifice worth making for the betterment of our community and our investments?
I hope you will choose to come to either or both of the meetings, we'd like to meet  you and hear what you have to say.

Review

Thanksgiving is a week away, hard to believe the year has flown by so fast. There is much to do besides making stuffing and carving the turkey.  Christmas is also fast approaching and the New Year is just around the bend.   Lest we forget,  an election of the local kind is about to take place right here in our little community.  

So I thought this would be a good time to review the blog information.


I just want to mention the things available on the blog, in case you are one of those people that just read the post and are so busy you don't have time for anything else.  I understand.


  There are listings for all kinds of Seminole County helps, like building permits and most are located on the bottom of this page. Right now accessing it for this long awaited road issue will be a godsend so please  don't forget.


  


At the top of the page are tabs for the link to the by laws in case  you need to check the accuracy of the goings on, whatever that would be.
There is also info for Neighborhood Watch and what to do and who to contact, whether it is the person in charge in our community or Seminole County Sheriffs Dept.
Pinnacle Property Management link is also available and has the Architectural  guidelines and other info pertaining to Beacon Hill-ites.
Not sure who to use when it comes to fixing up?  Angie's List is also there.


 Don't Dump Donate  is full of places to call instead of leaving items at the dumpster and causing our fees to rise.  Extra money is paid out to haul things away and if you multiply that by all people in this community, it can add up to quite an expense.  So please use this area and besides  you'll be doing a good deed and donating to a good cause. Oh and by the way, most of these places pick up if you call ahead.  They are running on volunteers and few employees and need notice.


I hope this has been helpful and if you have a question or an idea, please email us or contact Vernon, his phone number is located in the Neighborhood Watch tab.  
Each person counts in this community, and together we can make a difference.

At the Cabana..

We had a good meeting last night for the Community,  it was sad to note many of you weren't there. We did have one new couple and we appreciate them for coming.

 Hopefully, we'll be seeing you at the next Board Of Directors Meeting this coming Monday at the Cabana by the pool at 7 pm.  

If there is something on your mind, something you need to get off your chest, this is what the meetings are for.

What happens here affects all of us in one way or another.

FYI.

for those of you who may not know this, the BOD used to meet at the library, they have chosen to meet at the Cabana by the pool in our community at the urging of the people who attended the community meetings.  

We

then took the info to the BOD meetings. 

This is why we now meet at the Cabana.

 The moral to this story is--- we can make a difference.

(I'll post later the results of the meeting)

Let's talk Turkey

There is much going on this month, not just the Turkey.  

It's a preparation kind of month.

Elections are the focus from now until January.

   We're revving our internal engines and checking our bank balances for Black Friday, as well as marking  our calendars to make sure time is set aside for the meetings for Beacon Hill, both Community and BOD.  

In the upcoming weeks, we'll have more information posted on the sidebar of this blog, where it will remain until after January, for what to do to prepare for the upcoming election.

 In the meantime, here is a link from the bylaws stating what happens during election time, as well as some information provided by Lisa Ruckman, Secretary,  on the Board.

ANNUAL BOARD ELECTION:

Each January there is an Annual Meeting for the Members. Members vote for the Board of Directors. The terms are for one year. At least 1/3 of the total members must vote in person or by proxy for the vote to be valid.

"Nomination for election shall be made by a Nominating Committee. Nominations may also be made from the floor at the annual meeting." The officer positions (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer) are appointed at the first business meeting of the Board of Directors.

Any member in good-standing may submit an application to the management company to be on the ballot. If the application is received in time, the information may be sent out to the the homeowners along with the letter announcing the Members' Annual Meeting.

At the election, members -or their proxies- may cast one vote for each vacancy. Voting is by secret ballot and the person receiving the largest number of votes is elected.
Last January, we did not have enough members in person and signed proxies for the vote to be valid, so the vote was postponed until February when more proxies were present.

(this is why we need to get involved)

Please contact the Nominating Committee and recommend someone that they could consider nominating for the Board.

I'll be posting the list later.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


"THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE SHALL CONSIST OF A CHAIRMAN, WHO SHALL BE A MEMBER OF THE BOD, AND TWO (2) OR MORE MEMBERS OF THE ASSOCIATION. ... THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE SHALL MAKE AS MANY NOMINATIONS FOR ELECTION TO THE BOD AS IT SHALL IN ITS DISCRETION DETERMINE, BUT NOT LESS THAN THE NUMBER OF VACANCIES THAT ARE TO BE FILLED. SUCH NOMINATIONS MAY BE MADE FROM AMONG MEMBERS OR NON-MEMBERS." 

*****************************************************************

Now for some news immediately affecting all of us. 

The Community Meeting at the Cabana, Tuesday,  Nov. 8, 2011 7:00 pm 

Please show your support for our community, whether you own or rent.  

BOD Meeting Nov.  14, 2011    6:30

Red Bug Lake Road /436  
link for the road construction 
 Seminole County Resident Information            

We GOT this party started!

Did you hear the music?
 You should have, it was awesome!  And it was provided by Italo Rangel..

...didn't know you had a D J in the neighborhood, did ya? ......

..

The weather cooperated and was simply wonderful after a nasty showing of rain in the morning,  otherwise it would have been the Cabana for all of us.  

The Food Team

There was a plethora of folks that stopped in for conversation not to mention the hot dogs, hamburgers, wings, and a lot of other goodies, some were provided by the attendees and the other

 picked up by recycling some previously donated no longer used old chairs.

I loved seeing all the kids in their costumes bouncing all over, (probably from the candy), lots of it too.
We had ninjas, princesses, nerds, hippies, angels, and more.  There was a treasure hunt with prizes, and they all won with more found candy.  

Our Veterans

I learned something by attending this community function.  I learned we have two Veterans who served in Korea as well as Vietnam.  Can you imagine the events that have occurred in their lives and the history they have to tell?  Amazing. What else is amazing, is they unknowingly  moved in next door to each other. 

It was a nice time, and we're glad you stopped by.  

We should do this again sometime.




A thank you is in order to those who took the time to put this event together.  
The organizer Sophie, the D.J., previously mentioned, to those who drug their grills to the site, Henry and Sheryl and Pat and Denny Viera and Vernon for helping with cooking.
To Barbara J and many others.  Forgive me if I don't have the names correct  or didn't add your name, or the jobs, just know it is all appreciated and every little detail made the difference.
Thank You!

Great Weather for a Yard Sale

Dan & Lia 

It was really nice to see quite a few participants in the Community Yard Sale on Saturday.  The weather couldn't have been any nicer, and because of it and some other Community Sales on Red Bug, there was a steady flow passing through.  Since I was up bright and early I decided to take photos of a few  residents selling their "treasures."

Dan and Lia, a nice young couple had some great stuff and were happy to stop for moment and smile for this photo.  I bought a couple of books.

I want to thank Bob and Chris for working on the Yard Sale,   buying the poster board, putting up a variety of signs to draw people in. (they removed them as well)

These little things make all the difference in finding YOU.

Great stuff waited on tables to be bought, since I couldn't stick around because of another commitment I wonder if less was carried back in than out.  








In case you haven't noticed,a Tabbed area " Don't dump-Donate", has various phone numbers, websites, and an explanation of the needs of others.  Please take the time to look it over.

Just a reminder of the Halloween gathering this Saturday.

Fall Fun for Beacon Hill-ites

October, what a splendid time of year, especially with all the fall colors and the briskness of the air, if we are fortunate enough to experience it here in sunny Florida.  

There are some other highlights of the season, like the fall festivals,  large variety of tasty apples, and plump orange pumpkins.  

  A group of residents of Beacon Hill are planning the

First Fall Festival/Halloween Party,

 October 29, Saturday
at the pool Cabana

5pm-7pm

  filled with

all the things one associates with festivals.

 That would be food, hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken wings, cake, food and lots of candy.

 To add to the table, please bring a dish, if you like.

Costumes aren't a must

but it would be fun for those who want to.  

If anyone would like to participate in the preparation and has a question you can contact Tanitha (Sophie) at tanitha@gmail.com .

This first ever party is for residents of Beacon Hill only and all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Recycle Junk Sale in Your Own Yard

Community 
Yard Sale

Next Saturday

October 22

8-?

Recycle yourself to Cash

BOD Meeting

B.O.D.  MEETING

Come and support our community by attending the meeting that affects all of us.  

It is also a good time to meet some of the other people in your neighborhoods.

Keep your eyes "peeled"  for a follow up post for  info concerning:

• the election 
• a  Halloween Party
• the Yard Sale
• the HOA By Laws
• and more. 

 

Heads UP! Meeting Tonight

October 4, 7pm

Community Meeting

at the pool

Tonight

Rent or Own

Please be there

October...Good Times

There are two exciting things about to happen for the month of October.

 Exciting for Beacon Hill Community anyway....

1.  On October 22, it's the  Community Yard Sale!  This is exciting because it's time to clean out those drawers, under those beds, closets and spare rooms to make some extra cash.   Believe it or not but the Holidays are upon us.  Christmas is about 2 months away.   The more who participate the better the sale will be for everyone. 

2.  Also at the end of the month, details forthcoming, we'll be having a Halloween Party, with food and treats at the Clubhouse Pool.  Please come and mingle with your neighbors and let the kiddies, big and small alike, grab a few treats.   We hope to see you there.  
Keep your eyes open for the door to door fliers with more info on other happenings as well. 

           

 Speed and Boylston 

This isn't a practice run for Daytona.
This is home.   

• There are people out walking babies,
• kids coming and going to the school bus,
• people walking the pooches 
• some out for exercise and
• kids playing.  

                                                Please watch your speed.

Seriously 

  

Beacon Hill By Laws

Good News!


The Beacon Hill By Laws will be available soon on the blog.  All 52 pages of them. 


Actually, the best way, I found, to make them available for everyone and easier to read was to put them on Snapfish .  They will be in groups of approximately 20.

Snapfish, for those of you who aren't familiar, is a sight where you upload photos or documents .  
I will have the website address, user / password, and super easy directions  available for everyone.
I'm pretty sure you can print them out, I'll check on that.

They should be ready and available within the week.

BOD Meeting for 9/12/2011

Thanks to those who attended the BOD meeting to lend support. 

Using the pool/cabana as a meeting place has definitely improved participation and encouraged a more
welcoming atmosphere for residents. 

  

             Discussed and/or decided:

1.  Swimming pool lights will be replaced, LED lights are being considered.

 
2.   New house numbers are being considered to meet criteria suggested by fire fighters, law enforcement, medical emergency personnel, etc.

 
3.    New structures for mail boxes are in the planning for next year's budget.  

                                                                  
           Two new members were appointed to fill the open BOD positions: 

Glynnis Williams as vice president,

Cathy Schofield as treasurer.

 ****************************************
A "Beautification Committee" was created

including Vernon Sing, Lori Simmons and Barbara Jahn, chairman. 

The purpose of the committee will be to monitor repairs and improvements in the community and encourage residents to participate in small beautification projects to reduce costs. 

************************************
An election committee will be formed to facilitate election of officers for 2012.

Keep checking our blog for new information.

minutes taken for blog by Barbara Jahn

RECYCLING--NEED YOUR HELP

                                                    WANTED: USE OF PICKUP.

The HOA replaced the pool lounge chairs and wants to sell the old ones for  

recycling. 

Neighbors have already volunteered their time to remove all of the plastic straps. 

We are looking for someone that would be willing to use their truck 

to haul the stripped chairs  

to the recycling center. 

Volunteer efforts like this will help all of us keep our monthly fees down.

Much appreciated!

Reminder

Thank you all for attending the Neighborhood meeting on Tuesday. It is encouraging to see that we continue to have an interested group of residents supporting our efforts to make positive changes in our community.

Barbara Lambert is busy collecting information for her next entry to the Beacon Hill blog.
In a nutshell, here are some of the topics discussed at the meeting which she will post on the blog later and in greater detail:

Neighborhood handyman
The Beacon Hill newsletter
Volunteer teams: 
green team (recycling), 
handyman team (helping our neighbors), 
beautification team (small maintenance needs in the community). 
blog team (assisting Barbara Lambert in gathering information for the blog and lending support),
Community yard sale (coming up in October).
Committees: Architectural, Landscaping, Nominating (for 2012 BOD election of officers in Jan.)

Look for the next posting on the blog which will also include news of the next BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING: MONDAY, SEPT 12, - 7:00 PM at the POOL.

Please note that Anne Smith has some email addresses which she gathered at the BOD meeting July 11. I do not have a few of those addresses. I have asked Anne to email her list to me but as yet she has not. So if you know someone in the community who fits this situation, please encourage them to send an email to me so I can get them included in my distribution list.

See you on Monday.

Barbara Jahn

Being Prepared

Most of us living in Florida, I would assume, have experienced either a mild or maybe even the severe affects of a hurricane.  If you haven't experienced either consider yourself the lucky one.

I'm including some information for young and old alike.  

 One from Ready.gov a Fema website and the other from Sesame Street. 

There is a little of something for everyone on all those sites.  

If you have any ideas please leave a comment and I'll forward it to the necessary people or save it for an upcoming meeting.

Hurricane Prep through a Community or HOA

Busy

Just last week, in case anyone didn't know, Barbara Jahn and Vernon cleaned the round white shades at the pool and  bought and changed light bulbs as well.  This saved a considerable amount of money for all of us.  
It's little things like this that will in the future save us money.  

Realizing time is of the essence for everyone and we all can't be available when schedules are made to do these projects, I'm sure somewhere along the way we'll all get our chance.  We each have our strengths and weaknesses and eventually we'll find our comfort zone, niche, or whatever.


If there is something you are good at that you think would be a help to our community please let us know, leave a comment. 

Minutes of Last Board Meeting...8/15/11

For those of you who attended the BOD meeting on Monday evening I think you will agree that your presence is making a definite difference. The distance between the BOD and the community is getting closer. Participation between the audience and the board during the meeting was on-going and productive.


If you were unable to attend, here are some of the issues discussed:


Two more members of the BOD have resigned. Three remain: Lee, Lisa and Vernon.


The pay-back plan for the reserve account was brought to the table - funds withdrawn as far back as 2008.


What to do about the home on Wareham Ct, now (owned?) by Beacon Hill HOA due to default in monthly assessments.


A less expensive, more effective way to handle minor maintenance and repairs. One immediate solution: a group of homeowners
will be cleaning globes on the pool lights and replacing burned out bulbs on Thursday morning.


And finally a motion was passed to complete all necessary repairs to the sprinkler system to get it fully operational; followed by a
round of applause.