Pine Ridge Property Owners Association Board of Directors

President’s Message – John Hyde

As the end of my time on the Board nears, I would like to thank all of my fellow volunteers that have served with me.

My fellow Board members have helped bring a well-rounded perspective to both the philosophy of the Board as well as the actions we’ve taken. Particular thanks to Vice President, Bill Miller, and Treasurer Wayne Tuch for their ideas, preparation, and attention to detail. Both will continue to provide excellent service to Pine Ridge.

Additionally, I’d like to thank all of the folks who serve on our committees. There is a group of approximately fifty Members on various Committees that work behind the scenes to support the Board and our paid staff. Some serving on more than one Committee. Our community is a better place because of the time and efforts these folks put in on a regular basis. If you know one of these Members or meet one, tell them thanks for what they’re doing. And please consider getting involved. If there is something you’d like to do, talk to someone on the Board. There is a committee where your talents would be appreciated, and you’ll get an opportunity to meet neighbors from all over the community.

We’ve moved the needle in the right direction in many areas:

2022 Finances. In 2022 we had a surplus of over $52,000. Little by little the savings developed, and additional investments add up.

Interest Income. The CD laddering protocol implemented by this Board has increased our interest income dramatically from the $283 collected in 2021. We earned $3,251 in the second half of 2022 and we’re on track for over $12,000 in 2023. Thank you to our Treasurer Wayne Tuch.

Insurance. Putting our insurance out to bid helped identify some shortcomings in our Auto Policy that have been corrected. The balance of our insurances will be coming up for renewal in April-May, we will know if additional benefits from this exercise are forthcoming. Putting our insurance out for bid every other year should become a standard procedure for the POA.

Electronic voting. Members that are signed up for electronic voting have increased. As of February, 38% of the Membership is signed up for electronic voting. That will reduce the cost of the current election by approximately a third. The cost of elections is going down as postage, printing and mailing prep costs are going up. If you’re not signed up , please consider doing so.

Electronic Billing. Electronic billing was used for the first time this year and worked amazingly well. Close to 25% of our members paid electronically, again, decreasing costs.

Electronic Communications. Currently 2,755 Members are signed up. This will lead to over $3,000 in savings just on the mailing of this Newsletter. Additionally, members signed up for Electronic Communications receive more and more timely information on happenings in Pine Ridge.

Business Continuity. The Board is working with the Manager and POA staff to develop a Business Continuity Plan. The Board wants to ensure we have the documentation and tools in place should the unexpected happen. We still have work to do on this item. The need is recognized; however, we have a ways to go to have the kind of comprehensive plan that is needed in place.

Blue Stream Fiber Optic. With a whole lot of help from Keith Landers we’ve been able to move toward having fiber optic cable service installed throughout Pine Ridge. While at this writing it’s not a “done deal” we’ve come a long way and it may happen. While the speed and reliability of fiber is a large benefit, the big thing for most of us, is the entry of additional competition in the market place. Should this come about, you’ll see pricing come down for high-speed internet service as well as additional options for TV and phone service.

But we do have challenges ahead. The big one is the increasing and changing population of Pine Ridge. First the increase. Pine Ridge as a community has been in the hands of Members for a long time. All lots are dues paying and we have been receiving this revenue for many years. Many lots remained vacant, but now as homes are built and families move in, dues stay the same. Our facilities and amenities haven’t been utilized by the absent owners of all those vacant lots. That is changing. Over the last five years we’ve seen over 500 new homes which equals on the low side approximately 1000 new Residents. Also, during that same period we’ve had approximately 1,800 existing homes change hands. More people and new owners means increased demand. And more work for our staff.

Additionally, our community makeup is changing. As older residents move out, younger more active people are moving in. We’re starting to see more families with children. As people discover new accessibility because of the Suncoast, this trend will probably accelerate. New Residents means more demand on our administrative staff as well as more demand on the same amount of amenities we’ve had for a long time. Our amenities have more users and we’re seeing a much higher use of the Community Center for meetings and activities. With more young people in Pine ridge there will be a demand for additional activities and amenities for them as well.

R/C Electric Plane Club

Rich Davies

Membership in the Pine Ridge R/C Elec-tric Airplane Club is open to all Pine Ridge property owners. You must be a club member in order to fly at the field and you must also be a member of AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics). How-ever, you do not have to be a member to come out to the field and enjoy watching the airplanes in flight.

Members are at the field most days, weather permitting. They fly a variety of aircraft from beginner high wing “cub” type planes to sophisticated aerobatic planes, jets, drones and quad copters. Some pilots are flying FPV (First Person View) aircraft where the pilots wear a set of “goggles” and fly the plane with a view from the cockpit as though they were in the plane. Occasionally members fly planes equipped with LED lights in the evening.

In addition to our flying activities, Meetings have been postponed until further notice. The club members participate in the Adopt-A-Highway litter clean-up cam- paign covering a two-mile section of Mustang Blvd. We also participate annually in the Marine Corps Toys-for – Tots program.

Follow the Flying Field signs back to the field behind the Pine Ridge Community Center. If the gates are open, members are at the field completing maintenance projects or flying. Guests are welcome and members are happy to discuss R/C flying and membership in the club with you.

PREL

Carol Bartolet, Chair

Well, riders, we have had some great riding weather! I hope everyone is out there enjoying your horses and the trails! How lucky we are to live in such a great horse oriented community!

The barn manager has reported that self cleanup in the arenas has much improved so keep up the good work. There was a suggestion about the problem of manure pick-up and the placement of such into the barrels at each arena. It was suggested that just using the fork and tossing the manure to a grassy area would be not only easier but less likely to spread the proliferation of flies that get into the buckets, especially after it rains. That would solve the problem of trying to get the bucket back to the manure pile for dumping. This will be submitted for approval as a barn/arena rule change.

If you are using the cross-country area with your horse and knock something down, please replace it to the correct position. This has been happening and if you move anything, it needs to go back in place for the next rider.

Trail signs marking roadways need the road names placed on the back and it was recommended that we also have the proper direction attached to the back of the sign also…N. S. E. W. ..as this would aid medical persons trying to find an injured rider’s location and also give direction to a lost rider.

Be sure to report any downed or hanging tree branches on the trails to either Cathy Brooks, our trail boss, or to the office, so this can be taken care of by maintenance. Also, with spring approaching the palmettos will be trimmed back as they are the favorite spot for under- ground burrows of wasps (Yellow jackets) that have an awful sting. Riders and horses were attacked last year resulting with fallen riders and horse and riders with injuries. If you see a hole in the ground with flying insects around REPORT this immediately to the front office. They will send a professional to dispense with the wasps. Note the exact position if possible. Ride by avoiding the hole, slowly and carefully. Be Safe!

Reported was a wash-out area which is now a dangerous gully that was filled with some logs. Avoid this as your horse could injure a leg or fall. The location is on the green trail by the white fences.

Ride on, everyone!!! Have a great summer!

Michael McCoy

Director

To all of you in Pine Ridge, Thank You. This should be my final newsletter article. With the April Members meeting, my term on your Board concludes and I will then try and settle into a quiet retirement. I want to say what a privilege it has been to work with you and be an active part of this unique and vibrant community.

Like so many of you, I moved to Citrus County from an overly developed and hectic metropolitan area, in my case, Miami. I wanted a quieter and more relaxed area where I could enjoy life. Retirement was short lived as I soon volunteered to be a member of the election committee. I remained an active member for 2 years. I was then asked to join the ADC. After almost two years, I was chosen to be the chairman and remained there until my Bylaws restricted term limit. During the latter part of my term and for some time after, I served on the 2012 Deed Restrictions committee and helped develop many changes that were adopted by the community.

I then chose to run for the Board where I partnered with Maryann Smith. Together we were elected and served as the voices of reason and reality. We served a full term but were not reelected. I only lost by 2 votes but chose not to challenge. Although we were not members of the Board, we remained active in the community as advocates for everyone and especially the Equestrians. After a very brief respite, and seeing the turmoil from a fairly troublesome group of individuals, we decided to run again, where I missed by less than 20 votes. However, because of a large number of misplaced, mishandled and uncounted ballots, as well as a biased decision by the Board to ignore those votes, a challenge was filed. The Board was removed and the election ordered redone. This time I was elected by a large margin. Since then and over the last six years, I have served on the Board as President and Vice president and until recently had the good fortune to enjoy being a part of a cohesive and concerned majority.

MEET AND GREET THE CANDIDATES

Judy Glick – Election Committee Chair

Christine Carrington

Our Garden Club kick-off meeting was a huge success. We had close to 80 attendees. Steve, University of Florida, gave a great presentation on the Florida Landscaping Principles.

Future meetings, at the Pine Ridge Community Center, will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm.

For the meeting topic, go to the Community Calendar on our website. https://pineridgeassn.com/ and click on the Garden Club Meeting.

Tennis/ Pickleball News

Maureen Caruso & Donna Westmorland