Blue Angel Lake Newsletter
Dear fellow neighbors,
Your Board of Directors will hold its next meeting on Monday evening, September 19, at 6:00 p.m. Topics of discussion will include a financial review of our operations, an update on our community-wide projects, a bylaw review and any other subjects pertinent to
discussion at that time. Minutes of that meeting will be circulated following the meeting, but
owners are welcome to attend the meeting, provided that they contact a Board Member to make us aware so that we can provide adequate space.
In the mean time, the following is a brief recap of operations -
FINANCIAL REPORT
Income for the year is $15,408, almost all of which is derived from annual dues. This is about $2000 better than budget, in part, because we have collected some delinquent dues and a lien payment from a property that was in arrears.
Overall expenses are tracking close to budget or better than budget as well. Of the fourteen different line item expenses that we maintain in our HOA budget, twelve of them are under budget year to date. One exception is a $450 expense that we incurred in August to have the well and pump on the "island" at the front of our community repaired so that can
adequately maintain and improve the landscaping. We did however budget $500 annually for repairs so, barring any unforeseen expenses in the last four months of this year, we should be in good order. The only other variance is in legal fees, of which we have
expended $1088 to date. $400 of this was for our attorney to review our 20 year old bylaws, make recommendations for change, and insure that they are up to code. The balance was for an on-going legal issue that we are currently dealing with and which we expect to
resolve very soon. We did however anticipate an expense to bring our bylaws current, and therefore we escrowed funds in a reserve account to cover the bylaw review expense.
The Lake Committee gets the kudos for doing an exceptional job this summer. It has seen to it that Mother Nature has provided us with substantial enough rain to maintain a full lake throughout July & August - no small feat. There have been a few rare occasions where we needed to turn on the lake pump in the extended absence of rain to maintain the accepted level, but we remain below budget in utility costs. A special nod to Board Member Mike Clarke who has assumed the task of upgrading and maintaining this lake pump for us so that it performs flawlessly when needed.
The Architectural Review Committee held several meetings this summer to review a request from an owner for a variance to a specific covenant. The committee practiced due diligence in its review and did not approve that request. Please be reminded that there is a process in place to maintain the integrity of our neighborhood and that process works very well under the guidance of Chairman Curt Jones. Any additions, fences, signs, mailboxes, sidewalks or other structures that any owner may be considering need to be submitted to this committee.
On a final note, there have been several reports of pets straying through the neighborhood, creating issues between some owners. The rules are simple; keep your pet confined to your property or on a leash when off your property. Pet waste must be removed and disposed of promptly on public and private property. Report any "found" animals to the Animal
Regulation & Control Office at 595-3075. If bitten, contact the Environmental Health
Department at 595-6700.
Board of Directors
Blue Angel Lake HOA
Neighborhood Watch Committee
You are invited to Neighborhood Watch Academy #34 on 9/20/2016. how to be more safe and secure at home and away. meet at 5 PM for a free meal and then the class continues to 9PM. ’s at 1700 West Leonard Street. main administration building for the Sheriff’s Office.
Sign up is easy and online at:
http://www.escambiaso.com/index.php/crime-prevention/ neighborhood-watch/neighborhood-watch-academy/
It’s free and a great way for anyone to learn how to not be a victim. fill out the online form linked above and click subscribe and you are all signed up! Whether or not you want to know how to safely and effectively run a neighborhood watch the seminar is packed with information that can save your life and protect your possessions. Included now: Situational Awareness and Street Survival training.
We hope to see you on the 20th of September, 2016 at the Sheriff’s Office. questions about this event can be answered by
David Craig / Coordinator
or ECSO Community Services at 436-9281.
ECUA Recycling Facility Ready for Kick-Off
Neighbors,
You may have received the monthly ECUA newsletter in your mailbox this week. It announces the opening of the Interim Materials Recycling Facility (IMRF). Collection of recyclables will begin again after test loads are completed. For more information on what is recyclable and not recyclable go to:
http://www.livegreenecua.com/
www.ecua.fl.gov/green/recycling
BLUE ANGEL LAKE REPORT
Hello Blue Angel Lake friends and neighbors!
Summer’s wrapping up on the lake and boy was it a warm one! Heat indexes climbed over the triple digit mark for almost all of July and August. That heat, coupled with long stretches with no rain, left our lake a little parched. The water level dropped below the low marker on three different occasions which prompted pumping. Below is a summary of the data collected as well as a few other topics noted this quarter. Please let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or recommendations.
LAKE HEALTH has remained in good shape. No water quality concerns or algae blooms have been reported. Though, the lake doctor noted a rapid increase in the growth of weeds around the shoreline in his July report. This was mainly a result of the lower water level. When this occurs, the lake floor is exposed promoting unobstructed and excessive weed growth. However, recent heavy rains quickly filled the lake back to capacity which effectively wiped out most of the evasive growth.
AQUATIC LIFE continues to appear quite healthy. Overall, no concerning population changes have been noticed. I’ve personally come across a few more snakes near the shore compared to previous years. Though, almost all were the non-venomous type such as black racers, grey rat snakes, and small garden snakes. These varieties are generally harmless and can be surprisingly beneficial in controlling rodent populations such as the moles who have been graciously decorating our lawns with tracks of dead grass from their constant tunneling!
FISH STOCKING - Two informal inquiries arose related to stocking the pond with different varieties of fish. Unfortunately, the committee budget isn’t currently sufficient to cover this type of expense. However, it has been privately funded and carried out in the past. That being said, the committee is certainly open to further discussion related to the topic. Should any individual or groups be Interested in another privately funded project, please reach out to us. We’d be happy to help provide related resources as well as assistance seeking any necessary approvals by the board and HOA in general.
LAKE PUMP - As mentioned above, several extended periods of little to no rainfall resulted in three separate sessions running the lake pump. Specifics related to these sessions are listed in the attached spreadsheet. The collected data provided a better understanding of summer evaporation & seepage rates as well as costs related to maintaining water levels.
July resulted in largest rate of water loss since the committee began recording. This was evident during the last session when we noticed the lake pump adding under ½” to the water level per day! We previously learned the pump is capable of adding 2 inches per day. So, we can roughly estimate the maximum total water loss rate at 1.5 inches per day.
This info may occasionally require special discussion regarding how effective pumping is during significant drought events as well as the costs to do so. If the dry spell continued into August, then it would require running the pump 8 consecutive days to reach the agreed “shut off” level. It would then take less than 3 days for the water level to hit the low mark again. That method could significantly impact the lake budget. Though, these conditions are likely to be rare and relatively short-lived.
From a financial perspective, 1,535 kWh were used to run the pump this summer. This equates to an additional $175.94 in power consumption costs (not including the monthly base rate.) A special thank you to Mike Clarke for his help in managing maintenance costs. His electrical expertise certainly came in handy fixing an issue which caused to the pump to repeatedly trip the power breaker.
Many thanks for your time and efforts there Mike!
WATER LEVEL & WEATHER DATA
Detailed current and historical weather data for Blue Angel Lake available at: CLICK HERE
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