I hope that the first half of 2014 has treated everyone well! Our goal is to produce a quarterly newsletter. If you have any articles or information you would like to contribute, please email Ashley Christie at: ashleychristietampabay@gmail.com. Have a happy and safe Summer! Sweetwater News Summer 2014 Happy Summer Hopefully, by now everyone has received their copy of the 2014 neighborhood directory. If something needs to be corrected, or if your contact information changes, please email directory@sweetwaterhomes.org. Future newsletters will contain updates, which can be added on the last page of your directory so that it is always current! Independence Day Friday, July 4th 2014 Neighborhood Directory 2 Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet President’s Report By: Craig Lee As you recall, at the last annual membership meeting in November, we voted to proceed with the revitalization of our community governing documents as required by Florida statute. This reassertion of our Articles of Incorporation, Deed Restrictions, and By- Laws is required every thirty years. I’m happy to be able to report to you that the state finally, almost three months after their deadline to respond, notified us that the request for revitalization is approved. This is great news for us, yet after thirty years it’s just a first step. We have several initiatives getting off the ground that will contribute towards making sure the specialness of our community is preserved. As you will see in the following articles, these include a Beautification Committee, an opportunity to join a private neighborhood social network, and security improvements. And we are trying to start up a committee to help in updating our community deed restrictions to be consistent with how the community lives today. A lot has changed over the last ten years, let alone the past thirty years. In an email to me recently, our neighbor Doug Rothschild summarized perfectly what it means to live in Sweetwater. He said, “Our community has something many don’t … a sense of community. This fact is obvious to visitors who immediately recognize this when seeing residents in the streets visiting, talking and helping each other. In addition, people are awed (and a little jealous) when they hear about our community happy hours, holiday parties, and other special events.” Over the past few months I’ve had the opportunity to meet and speak with many of our new neighbors. I believe we are very lucky that they chose to join our community because it is clear they saw something special and already are becoming part of and contributing to that specialness that is Sweetwater. 3 Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet Planes,  Trains  &  Automobiles…or  …  Streets,   Sidewalks  and  Front  Gates…  With  all  the   children,  neighbors  and  walkers  in  Sweetwater,   we  need  to  be  sure  our  walkways,  streets  and   gates  all  remain  operable  and  safe  at  all  times.  I   am  happy  to  report  that  as  a  neighborhood   when  I  asked  for  communications  with  regards   to  these  areas,  there  were  many  neighbors  to  thank  who  led  the  charge,  spotting  several  areas  that  needed   a  little  TLC.      Our  job  within  the  board  is  to  annually,  or  as  necessary,  look  not  only  at  repair  items  but  to   assess  the  longevity  of  those  items;  and  not  just  what  you  see  but  many  times,  what  you  don’t;  for  example   storm  sewers,  to  be  sure  they  are  not  only  operating  as  usual  but  will  continue  to  function  long  term.   In  late  March/  early  April  we  engaged  the  assistance  of  4  road  paving/  repair  operations  in  assessing  the   short  and  long-­‐term  potential  problems  on  some  of  our  streets.  We  ultimately  repaired  7  locations  on  each   of  Saltwater,  Crosswater  and  Deepwater.    In  the  end,  we  engaged  the  help  of  Superior  Seal  and  Paving,  and   within  a  24  hour  period  not  only  had  they  quarantined  those  areas,  but  surgically  cut  out  the  problem  areas   and  completely  re-­‐filled  and  sealed  them;  again  making  them  safe.  I  think  that  Superior  did  a  great  job  and  I   am  completely  satisfied  that  there  was  little  to  no  inconvenience  to  our  neighbors;  Hats  off  to  Superior  and   their  fine  staff!   BEAUTIFICATION:  As  for  a  few  other  items  of  interest;  We  have  a  few  neighbors  that  have  volunteered  for   a  Beautification  Committee  with  regards  to  assisting  the  board  with  suggestions  and  outlining  a  budget  for   the  outside  of  the  gates/entrance/  signage/  walls  into  our  neighborhood.  This  committee  has  gotten  off  to   a  slow  start  with  schedule  conflicts,  but  will  hopefully  be  meeting  in  July.  Once  they  have  assessed  the   needs,  and  come  to  a  consensus,  they  will  report  back  to  our  board  in  hopes  of  possible  resolutions;  they   are  looking  at  potential  “adoption”  of  the  outside  medians  on  Memorial,  potential  for  new  wall  short/  long   term  “look”  as  well  as  new  updated  neighborhood  Sweetwater  signage.    Should  you  like  to  get  involved  and   be  on  this  committee,  contact  Rick  Noll  at  813-­‐477-­‐4517  and  we’ll  update  you  as  to  meetings  and  needed   tasks  to  perform.   DEED  RESTRICTIONS:  This  quarters’  DID  YOU  KNOW:  “air  conditioners  and  air  compressors  shall  be   screened  with  shrubbery  so  as  to  be  wholly  or  substantially  not  visible  from  a  street  or  any  other  plot.”     When  walking,  driving  or  whatnot  thru  the  neighborhood,  there  are  several  homes  that  do  not  comply.     Our  President  and  Vice  President  have  advised  us  they  will  be  sending  out  notices,  so  if  you  are  one  of   these  homes,  please  take  care  of  these  before  they  do.   Our  Deed  Restrictions  outline  many  different  rules  that  may  not  be  commonly  known;  from  filling  out  an   approval  request  before  you  plant  a  tree  that  may  hinder  someone’s  views,  to  updating  paint  colors,   working  on  a  dock,  or  even  changing  out  doors  and  windows.    Also,  if  you  see  a  violation  such  as  Air   Conditioner  Visible,  or  work  being  done  that  you  think  might  need  an  approval,  please  let  our  President   Craig  (president@sweetwaterhomes.org)  or  Vice  President  Robin  (vicepresident@sweetwaterhomes.org)   know.  Did  you  know  where  to  find  our  deed  restrictions?  They  can  be  viewed  on   www.sweetwaterhomes.org,  under  deed  restrictions.     Architectural Report By: Rick Noll Yard of the Month from January 4 Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet Upcoming Holidays and Events Happy Hours will resume in September! Please email Leslie Haywood to volunteer as hosts for happy hour and holiday parties. We need volunteers! social@sweetwaterhomes.org Have  you  heard  about  Nextdoor.com?    It’s  an  electronic  bulletin  board  specifically  designed  for   neighborhoods  like  ours.    It’s  free,  easy  to  use,  and  a  great  way  to  communicate  with  your  neighbors.    With   Nextdoor,  you  can  post  an  ad  to  sell  the  exercise  bike  that  you  no  longer  use;  ask  for  a  recommendation  on   a  good  house  painter;  notify  your  neighbors  that  your  dog  has  escaped  and  ask  them  to  keep  an  eye  out  for   him.    In  order  to  join  the  Sweetwater  neighborhood  on  Nextdoor,  you  must  be  a  resident  of  our   community.    This  keeps  it  private,  and  means  that  your  posts  are  shared  only  with  your  neighbors.    And  you   can  choose  how  often  you  want  to  receive  notifications  of  posts  that  have  been  added  by  other  neighbors:   immediately,  or  in  a  daily  summary.   Nextdoor  is  NOT  a  place  to  post  pictures  of  your  grandkids  or  videos  of  your  pets.    It  is  also  NOT  a  forum  for   venting  your  frustration  with  your  in-­‐laws,  the  government,  or  tourists.    Any  inappropriate  posts  will  be   taken  down  by  the  site  administrator.  However,  if  a  neighbor  asks  for  a  recommendation  on  a  type  of   service,  and  you’ve  recently  had  a  negative  experience  with  a  company,  it’s  perfectly  okay  to  say  so,  as  long   as  you  do  so  without  using  offensive  language.     In  other  words,  Nextdoor  carries  the  same  type  of  messages  that  you  would  give  to  your  neighbor  over  the   back  fence.    Only  now,  you  can  reach  129  backyards,  not  just  the  ones  on  either  side  of  you.   The  Sweetwater  neighborhood  site  has  already  been  set  up.    If  you’d  like  to  participate,  go  to   www.Nextdoor.com  and  follow  the  steps  to  sign  up.    You  must  use  your  real  address  so  that  the  site  can   verify  that  you  are  a  Sweetwater  resident.    After  that,  it’s  up  to  you  how  much  or  how  little  you  wish  to   share  in  your  personal  profile.   The  neighborhood  that  I  recently  moved  from  uses  Nextdoor  with  great  success.    Many  of  us  found  house   sitters,  window  washers,  or  a  tutor  for  a  child  through  this  site,  and  quite  a  few  missing  pets  were  returned   to  their  owners  thanks  to  Nextdoor.    It’s  only  effective  if  people  sign  up  and  use  it,  so  I  hope  that   Sweetwater  residents  will  give  it  a  try.   The Girl Next Door By: Jan Darmody Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet A  lot  has  been  going  on  with  security  over  the   last  6  months.  We  have  had  7  major  security   incidents  involving  law  enforcement  and  a  bunch  of   minor  ones.  As  you  all  know,  there  have  been  a   couple  of  break-­‐ins  in  the  neighborhood  involving   homes  and  cars.  None  of  the  perpetrators  have  been   caught  so  it  should  be  assumed  that  they  will  come   back.  Now  would  be  a  good  time  to  check  your  locks,   alarms  and  cameras,  if  you  have  them,  to  make  sure  they  are  working.  In  both  the  home  burglaries,  an   individual  went  through  the  back  slider  and  went  directly  to  the  jewelry  box  and  stole  jewelry  only.  There   were  other  valuables  around  the  house  that  were  not  stolen.  In  addition,  we  have  vandals  going  around  the   neighborhood  scratching  cars.  There  have  been  6  victims  from  all  over  the  neighborhood.  It  appears  to   happening  at  night  so  if  anyone  sees  anything  suspicious  please  call  the  police.   With  all  the  security  incidents  this  year,  the  board  decided  to  form  a  security  committee  to  address   these  issues.  This  committee  has  come  up  with  4  recommendations  for  the  board.     1)  We  have  asked  the  Hillsborough  County  Sheriff’s  Department  to  send  more  patrols  through  our   neighborhood.     2)  Set  up  a  neighborhood  watch.  Mike  McElroy  has  volunteered  to  lead  the  neighborhood  watch.   We  are  currently  looking  for  volunteers  who  would  be  willing  to  drive  or  walk  the  neighborhood  at  certain   times  of  the  day  and  report  anything  suspicious  to  law  enforcement  and  the  neighborhood  watch  group.   Please  email  me  at  security@sweetwaterhomes.org  if  you  are  interested  in  helping  out.   3)  Sweetwater  vehicle  stickers.  This  would  work  in  conjunction  with  the  neighborhood  watch  and   help  identify  cars  that  should  not  be  in  the  neighborhood.   4)  Replacing  2  cameras  with  license  plate  cameras.  Currently  only  the  resident  gate  has  a  license   plate  camera.  We  are  recommending  that  the  exit  gate  camera  and  visitors’  gate  camera  also  be  license   plate  cameras.   In  addition,  we  are  investigating  ways  to  prevent  or  limit  tailgaters  from  following  an  authorized   vehicle  through  the  gates.   On  a  positive  note,  we  have  made  a  number  of  changes  to  the  gate.  The  time  for  which  the  resident   gate  stays  open  was  decreased  to  deter  unauthorized  vehicles  from  following  cars  in.  All  the  cameras  are   working  now,  and  we  replaced  the  gate  crushing  warning  sign  with  new  ones  that  make  the  gate  look  a   little  better.  The  hinge  on  the  resident  gate  was  also  replaced,  since  it  had  worn  through  and  was   contacting  the  other  gate.     Security Update By: James Hanlon Are  you  interested  in  joining  the   Neighborhood  Watch?  Contact   security@sweetwaterhomes.org   Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet LANDSCAPING Welcome to summer, neighbors! Many neighbors have made great landscape improvements this spring and early summer, both landside and waterside. These changes have improved our already beautiful neighborhood and serve as a great reminder that the beauty has to be nurtured. We all value courteous and responsible neighbors who keep their property appropriately maintained. Minimal maintenance includes timely mowing, edging, mulching and trimming of trees and shrubs. Please do your part. If you are unable to maintain your property to the community standards, please let me know so we can work together to identify a solution. Watering Schedule • Irrigation must be accomplished prior to 8:00 AM or after 6:00 PM. • Any one zone of a property may only be watered once during the allowable day, and not both in the morning and evening. Addresses ending in the number 0, 1, 2 or 3: Monday and/or Thursday Addresses ending in the number 4, 5 or 6: Tuesday and/or Friday Addresses ending in the number 7, 8, or 9: Wednesday and/or Saturday Pet Waste A reminder to please pick up pet waste. We have many active residents and playful children with many things to watch out for. Have you seen how fast those little kids go on those scooters? Amazing! Let’s keep it easy for kids to be kids. Landscape Reminders By: Susan Pearsall