GATES AND THE BIG THANK YOU
Please look for Eric Jablin’s article in this issue. It contains some important and long-awaited information regarding the gates. He has also done an excellent job remembering to thank the key people but the POA Board and Staff want to extend a big thank you to the one person he didn’t mention: himself! Of course we also thank everyone at the City who worked so hard to achieve this great accomplishment. That’s all I’m going to say because I want you to read his article!
IRRIGATION AND WATERING RESTRICTIONS
Palm Beach County started watering restrictions again…this means you! No one is permitted to water lawns between the hours of 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
If your house number is EVEN ODD* you can water Wednesday and Saturday from 12:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. OR 4:00 p.m. until 11:59 p.m.
If your house number is ODD EVEN* you can water Thursday and Sunday from 12:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. OR 4:00 p.m. until 11:59 p.m.
There are other restrictions for new plantings. Please go to www.sfwmd.gov for more information and complete restrictions.
ONE MORE MONTH BEFORE HURRICANE SEASON
Soon I won’t be able to say the “H” word so consider this my pre-season caution. June 1st begins Hurricane Season. At present we are worried about the drought and the watering restrictions (as above) but before you know it we could be watching a dangerous storm brewing in the Atlantic. Don’t wait until everyone has bought all the supplies, start thinking now about what you will need in case of a storm (batteries, water, etc). You can find some great information on the POA website (pga-poa.com).
If you “go north” for the summer, please remember to secure your patio furniture and accessories and make arrangements now so you have someone who can make last minute preparations if we do have a storm.
PAY ME NOW….BILL YOU LATER!
I’m always impressed that people actually read my article (Jokingly I say you should get a life!). Last month when I announced the annual assessment would be $700.00 (due July 1st) I received a few calls regarding making payments. Here is my suggestion: Interest starts accruing as of the last day of July (and is posted the last day of each month thereafter) so if you want to get ahead of the game, you can send a partial payment NOW. Between now and July 1st you can make partial payments so that when the full assessment is due July 1st you may be able to pay it off before the end of the month. For example, $250.00 in May; $250.00 in June and $200.00 in July which will allow you to avoid interest! If you do this, PLEASE include a note letting us know that you are pre-paying the assessment or we will send you a letter asking why you are paying when you don’t have a balance due!
WHAT IS 63?
Well, for some it is an age and for some an IQ but in this case it is the PGA community TV channel. It can only be viewed within PGA National. Your association meetings, election results and other related info can be found there but it is also a great place to check if you are looking for something to do or you want to know what is happening in PGA.
Not only do we show notices about upcoming PGA events (such as the Children’s Party) and events at the City, but we also give you information about recent break ins and things happening in the community that you should be aware of when we don’t’ have time to send a letter to 5,000 homes. Be sure to check it out from time to time.
EVERY PARTY NEEDS A POOPER…….
The POA held its 25th Children’s Party in the Park in April. It was a fun-tastic event but it was tarnished by the unfortunate actions of approximately HALF of the people who reserved food passes.
Way back when the event started, the POA used to install large signs reminding residents of the upcoming event…..then we found out that kids from about ½ the schools in Palm Beach County were attending the event. Understand first that this event costs a little more than $20,000.00 and is paid for by ALL of the residents of PGA as a budget line item, having all these people in attendance was a concern.
Once you pay for the rides and games, it doesn’t matter how many people use them so that’s not a problem – it was running out of food an hour after the event started that became an issue. To get some control over this problem, the POA imposed a nominal fee for a “food pass” to get a hotdog or hamburger and a drink ($1.00 each) and those who didn’t get a “food pass” could still enjoy “free” cotton candy, popcorn and snow cones. There was a maximum of 10 passes per household to keep generous families from inviting 50-60 children at everyone else’s expense (after all, we know you can’t really get a hotdog or hamburger AND a drink for only a dollar!).
Finally last year we noticed that more people were requesting the maximum passes and this year more than half of the callers asked for the maximum 10 passes. The problem is that when we asked for how many adults and how many children we got answers like, “I don’t know I’m calling for my neighbor” or “I don’t know it’s not for me – a friend asked me to call”, or “just make it 5 adults and 5 kids”. In other words: the passes are not for YOU and YOUR family or friends – you are helping others find a way around the rules.
Because it isn’t fair to all the residents who don’t attend to have to pay for people who take advantage and are not ‘entitled’ to enjoy the benefits of being a resident of PGA National, the Special Events Committee will be making a difficult decision: Whether the 25th Anniversary will be the last event; Whether the food pass cost is raised to $5.00 or more each (or to do away with food completely); or whether another means of controlling costs may need to be created. I will let you know what the Committee decides.