WHAT’S NEW?
Entry Signs: I previously reported that the POA Board of Governors was working with PGA Resort to try to enhance the main entry at Avenue of the Champions/PGA Blvd. Unfortunately, the details couldn’t be worked out so for the time being, the entry wall will not be given the planned ‘face lift’ of stone to make it match the PGA Resort. The Board does, however, plan to repaint all entry monuments and do some general “sprucing up” to improve and update the appearance until funds are available to really enhance the entries. Thanks for your patience.
General Drive: When I was a child, I remember a fitness belt that was hooked to a tall machine. The idea was that you stood up with the wide band or belt around your waste or hips and the machine shook you to death….it was supposed to cause weight loss. I personally think it was created by a dentist who wanted people to jar the fillings out of their teeth! Regardless of who created it and why, it is much like riding down General Drive …. It is a bumpy, jumpy ride!
The good news is that it will soon be paved. It will be a real mess so we plan to post signs at least a week before the work begins in case you want to be out of town during the paving. The old surface must be completely removed and a new layer of asphalt will be installed. Residents in the Eagleton/Championship gated communities will be encouraged to use their main entry.
Thank you for your patience while the Board reviewed bids and selected a contractor. Thank you in advance for your patience during the paving which is planned for late October.
Directional Signs and Turning Right on to PGA Blvd at Avenue of the Champions: Around PGA National there are a number of “ladder board” signs with directions to PGA Blvd, Northlake Blvd, Devonshire, the Resort & Spa, etc. PGA Resort will soon be refinishing or repainting and straightening these signs. We appreciate your patience while the repairs are being completed.
The Board also received a request to change the traffic light and/or turn lane leaving PGA from the main entry (Ave of the Champions). You may be aware that the right lane when exiting is for straight through traffic and right turns. This means if you want to make a right onto PGA Blvd you may be behind someone going straight and will have to wait until the light turns green. Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District has provided a preliminary cost to modify the lane and/or traffic signal to change that lane so that cars turning right onto PGA Blvd will have their own lane (or the signal may be modified). The cost for the modification would be paid for by the residents of PGA National via their taxes. The POA Board of Governors will be discussing this at their upcoming meeting to determine whether it is worth the cost or whether adding a “blade” to the earlier mentioned directional signs is a better idea. With appreciation to former POA Board member Frank Scaltrito for the suggestion, the Board will consider adding a blade on the existing sign just before the traffic circle telling people to turn onto Fairway Drive in order to get to the Turnpike or go east on PGA Blvd. This should reduce traffic leaving PGA via Ave of the Champions and help with delays at the light.
RETURNING OWNERS:
In April we said bye bye birdies (that’s “snowbirds”). Well now it is time to say Welcome Back! Although the stores will be busier (I hope so now that some of my jewelry is being sold at Tre’sors of Naples in PGA Commons…yep, I’m soliciting!) and the restaurants will be busier, it is still nice to see everyone again.
Since homes will need some general clean up, don’t forget that ARC approval is needed for any changes to the outside of the residence. If your plants are a little “sad” looking and you are simply planting new annual flowers, of course you can do this without approval but if there is any question, we are only a phone call away.
A FINAL NOTE ABOUT GHOSTIES AND GHOULIES:
Every few years we see a change-over of kids in PGA. It seems the tiny ones are old enough now to go trick-or-treating and, unfortunately, some of the teens who are also older are pulling pranks. As usual, PGA has increased security patrols for the Halloween weekend and we rely on residents to call 627-1600 if they see vandalism or suspicious activity.
There will also be a LOT of smaller children enjoying the holiday so please DRIVE SLOWLY, especially after dark. While people are more safety-conscious and many kids paint their faces rather than wear masks, there are still a lot of hard-to-see dark costumes and kids with masks that make visibility difficult for them. That means that YOU need to be more careful. Don’t assume the little ones see your car…they are not paying attention. They are busy getting as much candy as they can (back to that rotting teeth thing I opened this article with, right?)
If you don’t want your children going house-to-house, there are some community functions within some of the PGA National communities and at the City, Malls, etc. You can call your HOA/Condo management company to see if your community is organizing any type of event and you can check the newspaper for other group activities.
As always, we all just need to be extremely careful. Wishing everyone a Happy (and SAFE) Halloween!