The committee is still in need of a new chair person. We would urge anyone in the community who has an interest in maintaining the beauty and charm of our neighborhood to please step forward. You may wish to join as a member of the committee first to see if you have interest in becoming the chair. Please contact Chris Phillips at 519-2909 or by email at cphillipsjax@gmail.com.

The street signs have been cleaned. The repair of common area sidewalks is underway. The repair of the fence around the playground and the re-staining of the playground equipment should be completed by mid July. Conners Landscaping should be able to complete the improvement of the area along Deercreek Club Rd. east of Blakeford Mills within the next two weeks. With all the rain we have received, the lakes are in much better shape and all are now serviceable by our lakes management company.

The next meeting of the Committee after this is distributed is July 12. All are welcome to attend.

I have only been the property manager here at Deercreek Country Club Owners (DCC OA) for a few months and it occurred to me that some of you might want to know exactly what a property manager does.

My role is to implement the decisions of the board of directors and to administer the services, programs, and operations of the community association within the policies established by the board of directors and the association's governing documents. The goal of all of our actions is to provide a harmonious community that is a great place to live and maintains the members' property values.

The way that I go about achieving this goal is to ensure that all members of the community abide by the community documents. The community documents consist of the Articles of Incorporation, the By-Laws and the Declaration of Covenants and Restrictions of the DCC OA. Of these documents, the Covenants and their amendments are perhaps the most important for the homeowners as they set forth the use restrictions that set the standards for the community. The use restrictions are in place to help insure that your communities have a set of standards that maintain property values and present a pleasing appearance throughout the community.

So, how do I go about ensuring that all of the homeowners are adhering to the covenants? My main means of enforcing the Covenants is by driving through the neighborhoods and looking for violations. What do I look for? Here is a small list:

-Lawns that have brown spots and/or weeds.

-Boats, trailers, or commercial vehicles parked in the street, in driveways, or even in the yard.

-Trashcans that are visible from the street.

-Fences, sheds, or other structures that have not been approved by the Architectural Review Board.

Once I find a violation, I send a letter to the homeowner requesting that they take care of the problem and they contact the office to let us know what they are doing. If they do not respond we send a final letter informing them that we are sending them to the covenants enforcement committee for consideration to be fined. Fortunately, we normally do not get to the third letter as the homeowners here tend to take a great deal of pride in their homes.

One other way I have of finding out about violations is from homeowners who observe a problem and call us at the office. I handle these calls in confidence and make my own inspection before sending any letter. Now I know that some people might feel bad about telling on their neighbor, but it is often better to give me a call than to confront one's neighbor as it avoids creating hard feelings. Remember, it's my job to enforce the Covenants and be the bad guy - take advantage of that.

Well, I think that is enough for this review and I hope that this helped to clear up any questions you might have about some of what I do for the Deercreek Country Club Owners Association.

Question: What home improvements or projects require review and approval by the Architectural Review Board (ARB)?

Watch where you step! Many of the four legged members of the Deercreek community have declared war on your lawns, sidewalks, and our running and biking paths. These are not the Improvised Explosive Devices you hear about that assail our military troops. These are the smelly piles of dog droppings the owners have failed to clean up when walking their dogs. Although they do not explode they can really make for a big surprise when running, walking, and entering your home after exercising. There seems to be an outbreak of these and we are getting no cooperation from the dogs. So, we have to resort to reminding the owners of their responsibilities according to the Deercreek Country Club Owners Association (DCCOA) Rules and Regulations.

"Animals: ... When a pet is taken beyond the owner's property, it must be secured by a leash. Owners are responsible for cleaning up the pet droppings. If, in the opinion of the Association, any pet shall be deemed a nuisance to other residents, destructive of property or dangerous to persons or animals, such pet may be barred from the Deercreek Country Club community."

Don't be an easy target. Are the cars in your driveway locked every night before you go to bed?   How about the cars left at home when you go out for the evening, are they locked? If you cannot answer yes to these questions or you just aren't sure, you're a target. Or perhaps you've been looking for your Oakley sunglasses you swear you left in your car? How about your cell phone, IPad, keys, remotes?   If you've left these expensive, easily misplaced, items visible in your unlocked car you've made yourself a target. Are you missing things from your garage...golf clubs, radios, TV's. If the thieves can get into your car, they can get into your garage.   How about the side entry door access to your garage, have you checked that lately?

Over the last three years we have experienced a trend in thefts here in Deercreek. Part of that trend directly correlates to the ending of school. School in Duval County has just ended and yes, the robbery rate is up again. According to the two Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) Officers assigned here, this has become such a trend that the JSO has independently assigned two patrol cars to Deercreek to combat this trend.

This begs the question, where does our Deercreek security fit into this? They provide roving patrols, home and perimeter security checks, and basic enforcement of traffic laws. They do not have the authority to arrest. These thefts are a felony and warrant arrest.

Many of you think calling the security gatehouse is the only step you need take to combat this. It is correct to call them, but it is not the only call. You must call the JSO and the security gatehouse. By doing so you enable the JSO to apprehend or detain someone and our security personnel to assist JSO in doing so.

The JSO recommends you practice the T-L-C method to prevent persons from entering your car or garage.   This method means to Take valuables out of your vehicles, Lock your vehicle, and Close your windows. Additionally, be aware that the curfews that are in place for Duval County apply within Deercreek as well. If you see minors wondering about after 11:00 P.M. on weekdays and 12:01 A.M. on the weekends make the two calls; Deercreek Security and JSO. Be diligent in your neighborhood. Tell neighbors when you plan on leaving for prolonged periods of time. Ask them to watch for suspicious activities. Call and ask the Deercreek security personnel to check your doors and windows during their patrol rounds. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The View June 2012 

Floyd and Lamia Campbell
10070 Heather Lake Court W.

Maybe it's all these June downpours that have made these caladiums so bright and large.  Lamia and Floyd Campbell emphasized their garden view with caladiums and gorgeous hydrangeas.  Arriving at the front door there is a unique Norfolk Island pine at the front window.  

Also lining the entrance are viburnum, loropetalum, amaryllis, dwarf azaleas and a potted Mediterranean cactus next to a charming stool so one can relax and reflect.  The front yard has a southern magnolia tree with caladiums and knockout roses bordering it.  On the sunny side of the house there are large elephant ears, agapanthus, Easter lilies, chrysanthemums, a vegetable garden with tomatoes, banana peppers, eggplant and also an herb garden with mint and rosemary.   

The corner has a beautiful pink tulip tree bordering a row of colorful hydrangeas on the back patio.  Finishing our tour there is a holly tree, a large lemon tree and a Japanese plum tree.