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Presidents Message February/March 2024

15 Feb

Greetings Everyone,

First, I would like to thank everyone that came out for the chili cookoff and membership drive, we had a great turnout! I would like to also give a special thanks to everyone that volunteered their help. This year we will have several events that will be coming up and we cannot do them without volunteers, so if you would like to help at any of these events, please reach out to any board member. We can really use the help.
Speaking of events, Nikki Rock will be running the Easter event again this year. It will be on March 30th, and we could use volunteers.
There has been a lot of vandalism at the park in the past few months, so please be on the lookout and let a board member know if you see anything.
I look forward to another great year in our community. We have several park improvement projects we are hoping to accomplish and another year of fun events!
Warm regards,
Rick

Presidents Message December-January

15 Dec

Hello everyone,
Hopefully everyone had a great time at the Christmas party! Thank you Daniel Hart and everyone that helped make it a great party, even with the rain. We would not be able to have these parties if it were not for the volunteers.
January 13th will be our yearly park clean up. We were not able to do the park clean up last year due to flooding so we will be asking for volunteers this year. The more that come out the quicker it goes.
January 20th will be our chili cook off and membership drive. There will be prizes for the winners. We are looking for volunteers to help with this so if you can help, please reach out to one of our board members.
I want to remind everyone that we will be taking bids for the following work at the park:
Bathroom Cleaning
Lawn Maintenance
Newsletter Editor
Newsletter Prep/Delivery
Webmaster
The bid forms are located under the community stuff tab on our website
www.isleofpines.org/communitystuff
The bids will be due by February 6th, 2024.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thanks,
Rick

Presidents Message October-November

10 Oct

Hi everyone,
I hope everyone has had a great start to the school year! Please remember to watch for kids going to/from and waiting at
the bus stops.
Fall is finally here! We will be having our Halloween party on the 28th of October. I’m hoping to see everyone there this
year. Justin Mack has offered to head it up, but we are looking for volunteers. Please reach out to a board member if you
can do so.
We will be having our annual community rummage sale on the 3rd and 4th of November so start digging through your
garages.
Remember we are not out of the hurricane season yet. Make sure you are still stocked in supplies.
Many of you have already noticed but the boat ramp has finally been repaired. It has been a long time but thanks to all the
hard work from the community and the board we were able to get another large project off our list.
I would like to give a shout out to Pia Crawford for making the IOP stickers and hats. Pia has graciously donated the
proceeds to the IOP.
We will have a busy few months at the park. Halloween (Oct 28th), the community rummage sale (Nov 3rd & 4th),
Christmas (Dec 10th), the boat parade (Dec 15th) and the chili cook off in January. We hope to see you at all of them

Warm Regards
Rick

Presidents Message August 2023

15 Aug

Greetings,
I hope that everyone is doing well!
First, a big thanks to everyone who organized our 4th of July event/fireworks show, and to those who financially contributed to fireworks. I heard that it was one of the best. Shout-out to Jesse, Ryan, Billy, and Justin!!
Now that school is back in session, please take extra caution when driving in the neighborhood and area. I continue to see drivers speeding through the neighborhood. Please review school bus rules which is provided on the front page of the newsletter.
Also, just a reminder that the park gate needs to always remain closed and locked, unless you have booked the park for a special event.
Stay tuned for details on future events in upcoming newsletters.
Thank you and be safe!
Rick Smallish

Presidents Message July 2023

16 Jun

Greetings,

It is almost officially Summer, and we are in the midst of Hurricane Season. It is not expected to be a busy season, however, please take steps to prepare your home and property just in case.
I hope everyone enjoyed the Father’s Day Tournament. Thank you, Matt Rock, for organizing a great event! Our next event is July 4th, and we are still accepting donations for fireworks. Please make donations via Venmo to @Rachel-Dance-7 or you can give cash directly to Jesse Dance. I know that everyone very much enjoys this event, and it would be great to continue to have an amazing fireworks show! We have not received the level of donations as we have in the past, so please consider supporting.
Details regarding the 4th of July Parade and event at the park can be found in the newsletter and it will be posted on Facebook. The event will be a cookout and potluck style. Burgers and hot dogs will be provided, and we would appreciate if folks could bring side dishes. Let’s come together and make this the best 4th of July event yet!
Thank you everyone!
I look forward seeing you around.
Warm regards,
Rick

Presidents Message May/June

13 May

Greetings:
I hope everyone is having a great Spring! Just a friendly reminder to please watch your speed
when driving in the community and area. There have been many reports of speeding. With folks
out for walks, kids playing, and the new Spring babies, it is important to be extra careful. A big
thank you to those who organized the Easter event, especially Nikki Rock. It was wonderful to
see everyone having a great time.

Also, thank you to Bill and Billy Akos for updating the light fixtures at the park. Our next
community event is the Father’s Day Fishing Tournament which is scheduled for June 18th.
Additional details will be provided in the newsletter.

Also extremely important is the upcoming Town Meeting with Orange County Government
officials where details will be discussed regarding the need for a drainage easement through
the park that will help to alleviate the flooding issues we have experienced. Orange County
officials will join our next POA Meeting which is scheduled for Tuesday, June 6, at the Park.
The community is encouraged to attend.

Beyond that, our July 4th event will be here before you know it. As always, we appreciate
donations to ensure that we have an amazing firework show again this year. Please make
donations via Venmo to @Rachel-Dance-7 or you can give directly to Jesse Dance.

Warm Regards,
Rick Smallish, president

Presidents Message March/April

17 Mar

Hi Everyone,

Spring is finally here! As the days grow longer and the weather gets warmer, we have some exciting events coming up that we’d like to share with you.

And speaking of community, we hope you’ll join us for our Easter Party and Egg Hunt on April 8th. This is always a fun event for the whole family, and we can’t wait to see everyone there.

As always, we want to remind everyone to look out for each other and prioritize safety. Please be cautious while driving through the neighborhood and keep an eye out for children playing outside.

Thanks for being a part of our community, and we hope to see you at our upcoming events!

Warm Regards,

Rick Smallish

Presidents Message January 2023

8 Jan

Hi everyone,
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!
A big thank you to everyone who helped us to have another fun Christmas Party.
Our annual Chili Cook-off Membership Drive is on January 28th, 4pm -8pm. There will be a discount if membership is renewed at that time or prior to the 28th. Also, if you have an interest in becoming a board member or would like information about bids, information will be shared at this event. Bids will be open for bathroom maintenance, lawn care, newsletter editor/delivery, and website maintenance. Information regarding bid submittal can be found on the IOP website, or ask a board member for details.
I look forward to another great year in our amazing community!
Warm regards,
Rick

Presidents Message December 2022

1 Dec

Hi neighbors,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones!
Thankful that Hurricane Season is officially over. So grateful to our community for pulling together and supporting each other.
Also, a big thank you to the Boy Scouts for the clean-up of the park dock and pavilion.
Please mark your calendars for upcoming December events. Our Christmas Party is planned for Sunday, December 11th from 5:00pm – 9:00pm. Fried turkey, green beans and mashed potatoes will be served. Members are asked to bring a side dish or dessert.
The Christmas Boat Parade is Friday, December 16th – lineup will start at 6:30pm at the South side of the lake. You are invited to join, or you can view the parade from the park dock. Additional details on both events will be provided on the IOP Facebook page.
Hope to see everyone out during the holiday festivities.
Stay safe,
Rick Smallish

Presidents Message September 2022

20 Sep

Hi everyone,
I hope you are all doing well, and the kids are off to a great start of the school year!
Just a reminder to drive cautiously, especially when children are getting on and off the school bus. If you are late arriving to the bus stop, that does not give you the right to speed your car up and try to cut the school bus off so that your child can get on. This was witnessed twice recently. Please leave with enough time to drop your child off safely.
We are heading into Fall and there are some exciting events planned for the end of the year. Please mark your calendars with the following dates. Additional details will be provided in future newsletters.
Halloween Party – Saturday, October 29th
Neighborhood Garage Sale – Friday, November 4th & Saturday, November 5th
Christmas Party – Sunday, December 11th
We are also into Hurricane Season so please be sure to takes steps to prepare.
As always, thank you for continuing to make this a wonderful and safe neighborhood!
Best,
Rick