united peninsula association’s community update newsletter 1012 .pdf · brothers. termites are...
TRANSCRIPT
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United Peninsula Association’s Community Update: Seventh Edition October 2012
President’s Comments:
What a fast paced year 2012 has been on the Peninsula! We really need your help even for an hour a
month ---- YOU can make a difference.
Just in case you have not heard the latest - SSRUS wants to buy 7 of the front 9 holes of Tiger Point Golf
Course - WEST to expand the sewer treatment facility. Now won’t that be great for our property values
in SRSH?????? More will be discussed at the October 30th General Meeting. Please plan on attending!
The latest member of our United Peninsula Association Board is Ms. Josie Cotti, CEO of the Gulf Breeze
Chamber. The Chamber has been a loyal member of UPA since our reactivation in 2008. Josie will bring
a great positive, “can-do” attitude to our Board of Directors, as well as a fresh business sense to our
projects and efforts going forward.
***** Please try to join us at our next General Meeting October 30th, to hear how the
Amendments could directly affect you from Property Appraiser Greg Brown’s perspective.
Also, hear from our new Clerk of the Court (SRC) Don Spencer and what he plans to initiate
when he takes office. *****
COMING SOON - HWY 98 safety improvements and repaving projects continue to dominate UPA’s
involvement. Look for the re-pavement efforts to begin after the first of the year and more pedestrian
access ramps and sidewalks to follow. If you have not seen the improvements going in at Greenbriar /
Country Club Drive and HWY 98, stop by the Sonic Drive-in and check out the new light that is expected
to be operational before year’s end.
Design of our new 5,000+ square foot Tiger Point multipurpose building has been finalized and
is being budgeted. Look for the ground breaking in early 2013.
Please step forward and volunteer to help us on projects that directly affect you and our peninsula. We
need you to join our efforts and help us make a difference in your backyard! Otherwise, we need to
close our doors and go back to fending for ourselves individually.
The following article “The Monsters in our Neighborhood” was written by our Treasurer, Mike Andel.
For comments, input, or to volunteer, please contact one of your Board members!
Don Richards, President
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The Monsters in our Neighborhood Florida State Representative Doug Broxson, [email protected] ,
the Florida Department of Agriculture, www.floridatermitehelp.org and United Peninsula
Association, www.unitedpeninsula.org are sponsoring educational meetings to get the
word out about a very serious problem we have in the coastal regions of the Gulf. The
last standing room only meeting was held at the new Pensacola State College Campus – South on
September 20, 2012. Mike Andel, PIHOA President attended and this is what he learned. We would like to get
this out to all of our neighbors.
Representative Broxson started the meeting with the following warning: There are Monsters in our
Neighborhoods! The Coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico have been invaded with “Monsters.” They are not
some new science fiction creature, but in fact have been around for thousands of years. The problem now is
they are multiplying faster than modern science can eradicate them. They will completely demolish anything
eatable they like and cost us all millions of dollars in property losses. Our Peninsula is particularly attractive to
these Monsters in the dark of night. The really bad guys are called Coptotormes Formosanus better known
around as Formosan Subterranean Termites. Originally from Formosa in the Far East, they migrated here
from New Orleans around 20 years ago. Their little brothers are the better known Eastern Subterranean
Termites and have been here for ages. They are bad enough but they do not compare with their Formosan
brothers. Termites are often called the “silent destroyer” because they may be secretly hiding and thriving in
homes or yards without any immediate signs of damage. While each termite species thrives in different
climates and eats different types of food, all termites require four things to survive — food, moisture, shelter
and optimal temperature. Unfortunately, all of our homes, regardless of their construction type, can provide
these ideal conditions for termite infestation.
Formosan Subterranean Termite Eastern Subterranean Termites
The Facts:
Both types of these home destroyers are subterranean. That is, their main homes or colonies are
usually in the ground. But they both love to eat cellulose, wood, or wood products, wherever they can find it.
There are other types as well, but they are usually not as problematic.
They search out food from their colonies and when they find something good to eat they start a new
colony there. Dead trees, piles of wood, boxes, firewood, paper, and especially your home contain their
favorite foods. Sometimes even live wood, tree roots, bushes, etc., will get eaten if there is not enough dead
cellulose matter available.
Either type can be controlled, killed, but they must be treated differently.
Eastern Subterranean Termites start from the ground and usually stay near the ground. Formosan
Subterranean Termites come from the ground also, but move upwards either by tubes that are much harder to
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spot or by that spring swarm we see each year to the highest reaches of your structure such as your eaves and
attic and stay there to build their colonies – all they need is water and cellulose.
Eastern Subterranean Termites build colonies of 2 to 5 million members, which are bad enough.
Formosan Subterranean Termites multiply till they have as many as 10 million members. That’s right 10
million. Think of how much they can eat and how quickly they can do it. The typical damage from Eastern
Subterranean Termites is $3,000 to $5,000. Yet from Formosan Subterranean Termites it is not unreasonable
to be over $30,000. How much does a new roof or a second floor wall cost? Eastern Subterranean Termites
also swarm in the spring during the day and are susceptible to being eaten by birds and other daytime
predators. However, Formosan Subterranean Termites swarm in the spring at night when there are fewer
predators around. There’s that Monster in the dark of night again. When a colony has matured, the winged,
swarming termites can be seen around windows and doors. Winged termites are highly attracted to sources of
light and are most active in the spring. These termites are looking for a new breeding site with moisture. They
mate, lay their eggs and create another colony, spreading infestations throughout multiple locations.
One thing in our favor is that all of them must have a continuous source of water or dampness to
survive. Stop the water or dampness and they die or go somewhere else. Leaking roofs, dripping faucets,
down spouts too close to the house, A/C condensation drips and any leaky hole for vents, etc. in your roof not
properly sealed are what they are looking for. They can only survive a day or two without water. When they
swarm, looking for a way in, but they can’t find a continuous source of water, they die. If they can find a
continuous damp spot they breed, lay their eggs and then begin eating your home or business away.
Protection: The key is to not attract them in the first place by leaving your lights on
at night in the springtime and to have a very dry house.
During the spring or early summer (usually May) when we have all these swarms of termites around,
they are attracted to light first. Do not leave your porch light or accent lights on all night. Cover your
windows so light is not shinning out too brightly or even go dark inside for the evening. Do not attract them
and they will look for moisture somewhere else. They will go to the street lights by the thousands, but there is
not much moisture or wood there and by morning they will mostly die. We have all seen the hundreds of
wings in those May mornings lying around. That’s a good thing because they did not find the water they
needed. If you want a light on all night you may as well leave the front door open and let them in.
We still must protect our homes by controlling these Monsters. Having a good protection plan in
place with a reputable termite eradication company is required if you own any type of structure here. It is
very difficult to do it yourself. If you do it wrong or incompletely you will get termites and who is going to fix
the damage? Why you are of course! It’s not covered by homeowners insurance. Only a termite eradication
company will guarantee their work. Search around. Ask your neighbors who they use. Ask if they are happy.
Ask if they have had an infestation after treatment. Make yourselves experts.
The United Peninsula Association, UPA, is collecting data from residents and businesses in the area as
to whether they have had problems, which company they have a contract with and if they are happy. Please
submit your experiences to: [email protected] or [email protected].
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Termite eradication companies have many tools in their bag to protect your home.
If you are building anything new start before the foundation is poured. Have the ground treated
beneath the slab or foundation preferably with a non-repellent termicide, treat the walls at least two feet up
with borate and have a baiting system installed. Then do not let any contractor disturb these treatments. If
they do disturb them, you will need to re-treat that area.
For those with pre-existing homes or for those building a new home, hire a termite eradication
company for your Wood Destroying Organisms (WDO) Inspection. Check the company out thoroughly. Ask
questions. How long has the inspector been inspecting? What are he looking at and looking for? Do I need to
move anything so you can inspect better? Are you going in the attic (a must)? What kind of chemicals are
you going to use? Are you going to put up a barrier or repellent chemical Termicide or a non-repellent
Termicide? Non-repellent is best because the termites do not realize they are in it. They carry it home and it
ultimately kills the whole colony. Repellents just make them go somewhere else and look for a better way in.
What does your contract say?
Does your termite eradication company guarantee damage repairs if the treatment fails? Some have
just a retreat affected area contract (not so good). Others have a repair and retreat contract (the best). This
is absolutely the best but make sure it covers all types of wood destroying organisms including the Formosan
Monsters. These repair and retreat contracts cost more, but how much is your home worth?
Termidor and other non-repellents are the current standards for the industry. There are new
chemicals coming out all the time so ask questions and educate yourself. Google “termites” and you will have
more information than you can read.
Things to be aware of to help protect your home Hire a reputable termite eradication company. This is mandatory if you want to protect your home no matter what
it is made of, even concrete. Have a comprehensive contract that covers Formosan “Monsters.” Most do not! I
repeat most standard contracts do not. It probably will cost a little more for Formosan coverage but do you
remember from above how much repairs can be.
Get rid of moisture, leaks etc., and standing water, both outside and in crawl spaces. No water equals no termites.
But you still have to hire a termite eradication company there are other things they like to eat.
Remove wood piles, boards and brush away from your home.
Trim landscaping back from the walls to enable a proper inspection.
Have an inspection zone from the ground to the finished outside walls, 3 to 6 inches at least so you and your
inspector can see tubes. No soil should touch your siding, no matter the type of construction.
Styrofoam insulation that touches the soil is a superhighway for termite tunnels. It’s soft and easy to tunnel
through. They don’t eat it but love to use it to get into your wood and you won’t see a thing until it’s too late. If
you see Styrofoam touching the ground or buried into the ground take action now to remove it.
Concrete has cracks and termites only need the width of a credit card to get in.
Treated wood and pilings are another problem. The centers are not usually treated because the chemicals do not
penetrate far enough in to be a barrier. The insides can be treated by your termite eradication company.
Insist that your inspector check in the attic. Formosan Subterranean Termites really like high places best and can
eat your roof in short order. They are tropical and love hot places like an attic.
Realize the fact that we have a huge problem here that cannot be ignored. If you have had an infestation no matter
how small and how well it was eradicated, tell your neighbors because they will be next or maybe they were first
and they did not tell you. These Monsters do not go away, they just move next door like ants. By the way ants eat
them, YEA!
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Coordinate with your neighbor on treatment times so they can be treated at the same time and kill all of them.
Representative Doug Broxson, [email protected] , the Department of Agriculture,
www.floridatermitehelp.org and The United Peninsula Association, www.unitedpeninsula.org are sponsoring
these educations efforts. Please try to make the next session which is to be announced in a few weeks. We
had a full house at this meeting because people know it is so important to get this word out about the
Monster in our Neighborhood.
Mike Andel
President, Polynesian Islands Homeowners Association
www.polyisleshoa.org
Treasurer, United Peninsula Association
www.unitedpeninsula.org
Scenic Initiatives:
Believe it or not, we have actually completed
our Phase 1 of the HWY 98 beautification
project earlier this month - from Garcon
Point Road intersection with US 98, east to
Baywoods Road is now completely installed.
The contractor who installed the plants and
infrastructure will be replacing plants that do
not made it for the initial year.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was
signed by UPA and Santa Rosa County
regarding the routine maintenance of the
landscaping now that it is installed. The
MOU documents UPA’s responsibility to pay
for the annual maintenance of the landscape
project, but it also makes clear that UPA is
not responsible for the costs associated with
the repair of unexpected landscape damage
from vehicle incursion, storm damage, flood,
fire, or similar causes.
Paul Rollins, UPA Vice President spearheaded
this initial effort. We all sincerely thank Paul
for a tremendous job well done!!!!! He has
paved the way for others to follow without
near the frustration he encountered.
Phase 2, Bayshore to Sanibel Lane, is well on
the way to getting done. The FDOT has
authorized funding for this effort and our
County Commissioners have unanimously
approved the Joint Participation Agreement
for us to proceed. Final mapping, bid
documents, and HOA/Merchant participation
efforts are currently in progress. For
information on Phase 2, contact Russ Silver,
UPA Secretary who is spearheading this
phase of the overall HWY 98 beautification
project. Your favorite area could be next.
Just get involved and help lead the way.
Phases 3 and 4 are in the planning stages,
but we need volunteers from the respective
areas to help lead / manage the effort.
Details concerning these efforts will be
discussed with membership at the November
General Meeting. HWY 98 Safety
Improvements and Resurfacing Plans could
have an effect on the timing and extent of
these projects in a given area. Voice your
desires for where we should target next for
improvements.
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Become a UPA Scenic Improvement
Sponsor!
Sponsorships help us maintain and expand
our scenic efforts along US 98. They are
available in the following levels:
1 - Platinum - $2,500+
2 - Gold - $1,000+
3 - Silver - $500+
4- Individual - $100+
For Newsletter questions or to submit
an article - call Russ Silver, Secretary,
850-572-3530.
United Peninsula Association Board Members:
Don Richards, President ([email protected]),
Paul Rollins, Vice President ([email protected])
Russ Silver, Secretary ([email protected])
Mike Andel, Treasurer ([email protected])
Joe McPherson, Past President ([email protected])
Dave Crossman, Director ([email protected])
Dave Woodworth, Director ([email protected])
Josie Cotti, Director ([email protected])
United Peninsula Association
2013 Membership Application
Today’s Date: ____________________________
HOA, Individual, or Business Name: ____________________________________________________
Rep or Individual Name/s _____________________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________________________
City: _____________________________________ State: ________ ZIP Code: _________________
Telephone: _____________________________ (H) ___________________________________ (C)
Email: 1_________________________________________________________________________
2___________________________________________________________________ Individual membership $10 each year (cumulative voting right only) Association membership/ HOA $35 each year (max 3 voting members per org)
(Please submit one application per voting member) Business Membership $50 each year ( max one vote per Membership)
United Peninsula Association, UPA PO Box 6003
Gulf Breeze, FL 32563
www.unitedpeninsula.org
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Call Mike Andel: 850-512-0272