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Hidden Springs & Estates Highlights
Winter 2018-19
 
Season's greetings, Hidden Springs/Estates residents. We hope you enjoy our quarterly newsletter, which highlights neighborhood news, area happenings and other useful community information.  To contact the HOA, you can email us or  visit our website .
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
President Donna Fontaine shares all the work the Board has done this past quarter to improve the neighborhood. Click below to read her message.


 
NEW ENTRANCE LIGHTING GRANTED
Beginning in the spring of 2017, Hidden Springs/Estates HOA Board Members  Doris Sheppard and Fred Hawkins  applied for an Entrance Grant from Orange County to help fund the installation of new lighting for our Conroy Windermere entrance. We were awarded the grant, and beautiful sconces for our signs and landscape lighting for our Conroy entrances were installed in early September. The greatest challenge was finding an electrical contractor who had all the licenses that the County required, but the Board's persistence was certainly worthwhile. Thanks to Orange County for awarding us the grant, thanks to our residents for your community contributions, and thanks to the Board for their efforts applying for the grant, sourcing the sconces, and coordinating efforts with the electrician, so that we were able to make these improvements to our neighborhood. Click below to see more photos. 

 
LIGHTING THE WAY
The HOA Board has been working with Orange County and Duke Energy to provide homeowners with the opportunity to upgrade our street lighting.  Our current light poles are more than 30 years old. Many residents have voiced security concerns because they are not bright enough. If approved, our old poles/fixtures would be replaced with 15-foot poles (which is 1-foot higher than we have now), and would illuminate a wider area. The new poles will be aluminum tenon black, which are much sturdier and more resistant to dents and fading, thus enhancing the aesthetics of the community. In addition, the replacement of yellow bulbs with new, white LED bulbs will make the streets and sidewalks brighter. Ballots were mailed to Hidden Estates residents in September, followed by Hidden Springs in mid-October and November. The majority of Hidden Estates homeowners (83%) and the majority of Hidden Springs Unit 5 homeowners (90%) voted in favor to amend the Municipal Service Benefit Unit (MSBU) for street lighting in 2019. We thank them for lighting the way! We are awaiting the tally on the rest of the units in Hidden Springs. We need two-thirds of those in each Hidden Springs unit to vote YES in order to proceed for that unit. The Hidden Springs subdivision is made up of five units. If you have any questions, please contact us. We will announce the results once we are notified by Orange County. 
 
MESSAGE FROM THE TREASURER 
Annual Contributions are Due! 
Treasurer Tina Dottino provides an update on community contributions and our current budget:  Our new fiscal year has begun. Thank you to everyone who has paid their dues already! An extra thank you to all who contributed more than the suggested amount! To date, 142 residents have made their contribution for 2018-2019, and an additional four new residents who recently purchased homes in our neighborhood have made their contributions as well. PayPal has been a popular and convenient way to contribute. If you have not yet paid your $110 annual dues, click on the PayPal link below to take advantage of this option. While our contributions are voluntary, they are necessary for maintaining our common areas lighting, landscaping and maintenance, as well as paying for security patrols by an Orange County Sheriff. Contributions are also used for community events such as the National Night Out held in October, holiday decorations and events, and welcome baskets for new residents.  Thank you for doing your part to keep our neighborhood the wonderful place it is to live!

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FAMILY FUN AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCK PARTY
In conjunction with The Orange County Sheriff's Office, Hidden Springs/Estates participated in the National Night Out block party event on October 2, 2018, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Our HOA set up a couple tents at the retention pond, grilled hot dogs, served light refreshments and provided informational brochures and giveaways. In addition, the kids had fun playing games, creating sidewalk chalk art and requesting characters from the balloon artist. The Jeremiah's ice truck came out for the event and served up cool treats. Captain Tony Minnis paid us a visit and chatted with the residents, shared safety tips and answered questions. He presented our HOA with a certificate of appreciation. We had an amazing turnout, and it was a great way to get to know our neighbors better (and some of their pets!) and raise our awareness about crime prevention.

SEE PHOTOS
 
HOLIDAY LIGHTS CONTEST
Start untangling those lights and make our neighborhood bright! We are once again holding our annual Holiday Lights Contest among residents. We will select the top three most festive homes from the nominations. Winners will be awarded a $25 gift certificate to The Home Depot. Please  email us your nomination by Saturday, December 15, 2018.

For Christmas lights safety tips,  click here

 
YARD OF THE QUARTER
A big congratulations to Joe and MeeMee of 5704 Sago Palm Drive for winning Yard of the Quarter.  John Scolaro, with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate and our Yard of the Quarter sponsor, presented Joe a $50 gift certificate from Lowe's. MeeMee could not be there to receive the award because she was in the hospital waiting for their twin sons to be born! When the home was purchased five years ago, there was literally no lawn (weeds only) and no landscaping. The home was in disrepair on the exterior. Joe revamped the ranch-style home and created a sleeker, updated exterior. They changed the mailbox to a modern gray, slate-like look, put up white vinyl fencing, painted the exterior of the home white, and used small, grayish bricks on facade. The flower beds are lined with white rocks. The landscaping is maintained by Brandon and Cassandra from Pro-Green Landscaping. Thank you to Joe and MeeMee for keeping such a lovely home.  Click here to learn more about their landscape, family and interests.


REAL ESTATE MARKET UPDATE
Special thanks to our Yard of the Quarter sponsor, John Scolaro, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate  407-230-5567 -  for providing the following insight into our area's current real estate market.  The Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association reports:  
One year after Hurricane Irma threw a wrench into the Orlando housing market, data shows positive September-to-September comparisons for both sales and median price. Inventory, however, stayed on its year-over-year downward slide.  C lick below to view the full Market Update and Real Estate Report for Hidden Springs/Estates. 






TV SERIES FILMING IN NEIGHBORHOOD 
There was some excitement in our neighborhood back in September when the new television show "David Makes Man" scheduled to air in 2019 on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) was shooting some scenes right here in Dr. Phillips. A 1950s style apartment complex set has even been built on Dr. Phillips High School property as part of the series, as well as filming in the neighboring Orange Tree community. On September 10, several trucks with the film crew parked on Cedar Pine Drive in Hidden Springs/Estates while they were filming a scene on Dr. Phillips Blvd. It was neat to see behind-the-scenes first-hand what goes into a production like this. The production company even gave a donation to our HOA as a thank you for letting them park in our neighborhood.

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY
Your annual contributions help Hidden Springs/Estates pay for a deputy to watch out for suspicious activity, monitor motorists' speed and help protect our community overall.

Stop Doing This:
Recently, Deputy Perry Troutman noticed one of our residents placed a large TV box out at the curb with their bins. He pleads with residents to stop doing this. It lets criminals know you have a new TV (or other high-priced item). The holidays are here, and you will likely receive some new items. Please don't put these boxes or packaging out on your curb -- it invites crime! If you cannot break down these boxes to fit in your disposal bins, you can bring to the green and yellow "Burglary Box" dumpster at 4851 South Apopka Vineland Rd. Orlando, FL 32819 (St. Luke's United Methodist Church at Windermere)Please use this free service to help prevent your home from being burglarized, and have a safe holiday season. Click here to see photos. 

Crime Report October-September 2018
Deputy Troutman has issued warnings to four people for rolling through stop signs and ticketed one for not stopping at all. He will be issuing tickets for speeding and running stop signs. He has noted that people are speeding on Pitch Pine and Pin Oak and will start issuing tickets. There was one stolen vehicle from Caspian Ct. Deputy Troutman believes keys were left in the vehicle. Please do not leave your keys in the car.
 
We are in the process of trying to get our streetlights replaced with ones that will provide better lighting. In the meantime, we need to make sure our existing streetlights are in good working order. Report any streetlights that are not working properly by using the 311 app, reporting online or by calling 311 (407-836-3111). They will need the address and/or pole number that is on a tag attached to pole. Repairs are typically completed within three days of being reported.

If you notice anything suspicious in the neighborhood, please call 407-836-HELP (4357) for a non-emergency or 911 for an emergency. 

 
LANDSCAPING UPDATE 
Several common-area landscaping maintenance needs were addressed this past quarter including trimming the 10 cabbage palms on both medians at Pine Springs and Pin Oak. Thank you to all those who pay the voluntary contributions so that we can maintain these common areas and help keep Hidden Springs/Estates safe and attractive. If you notice any common areas that are in need of attention, please let us know at  HOA@HiddenSpringsEstates.org.





Before During During
After

CURBSIDE COLLECTION  
Garbage and Recycling  is picked up on 
Tuesdays  for Hidden Springs/Estates residents.  Yard waste and Large Items  are picked up on  Wednesdays Items should be placed at the curb no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the night before and no later than 6:00 a.m. on your scheduled collection day.  Roll carts should be placed behind your home/fence or in your garage so they are not visible from the street when being stored.  Frequently asked questions can be found  here For more information, please visit the  Orange County website .

 
CODE ENFORCEMENT & WATERING DAYS
A Courtesy Notice was issued to a homeowner for high grass in September, and a notice was also issued for a disabled vehicle in October. Both issues have been corrected.
 
Your watering days have been reduced to one day per week as of November 4. Orange County Watering Restrictions and Irrigation Schedule can be  viewed here .

 
NEW IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
There have been several restaurant openings as well as closings this past quarter here in Dr. Phillips. Here are just a few updates: 
  • The former Stonewood will become Burntwood Tavern
  • Bravo in the Dellagio has closed
  • Ok, But First Coffee replaces the LA Sweetz cupcake shop on Sand Lake; however, they will still serve cupcakes (same owners)
  • Chronic Tacos is projecting to open the first week of December on Sand Lake Road in the former Moe's 
  • DOMU is slated to open in the former Mama Louise in the Dr. Phillips Marketplace in Summer 2019 
Plus, mark your calendar:  Vitality Bowls is offering Hidden Springs/Estates residents an educational tasting on Saturday, January 19, from 2-4pm. They will provide information about the healthy ingredients used in their recipes and will provide free samples. Please stop by their Dr. Phillips location at  8014 Conroy Windermere Road. 



Now Open: La Boucherie 
Located in the former Graffiti Junktion location at 7625 Turkey Lake Road, La Boucherie is a new French steakhouse, which was opened by Claude Wolff, owner of Le Café de Paris here in Dr. Phillips. Phillip Hicks will manage the restaurant. La Boucherie, which means "the butcher" in French, specializes in steaks, but also serves appetizers such as foie gras and bone marrow, and dishes including lamb, duck, pork and chicken.

 
WELCOME NEW RESIDENTS
Please welcome the following new residents to Hidden Springs/Estates! Each is given a welcome basket from the HOA filled with goodies and neighborhood information. Special thanks to  Anne Theiss, Karen Butler and  John Scolaro for their work in putting together and delivering these wonderful welcome baskets to our new residents each quarter. 

Current list of sales and purchaser information:
June 26, 2018
5510 Pine Shade Ct.
Carlos and Nicole Marmo


July 13, 2018
Damon Adam Nicholson
(Pictured: Cheri Claiborne)


July 19, 2018
7710 Pine Springs Dr.
Bruce M. Livingstone


Not pictured: 

August 31, 2018
5422 Sago Palm Ct.
Eric W. Friesel
Randy J. Friesel

September 18, 2018
5519 Pitch Pine Dr.
Jodean Myers

September 27, 2018
5829 Pitch Pine Dr.
Hind Sidi Baba
Mohamed Rajih

October 31, 2018 
7710 White Ash Street
Tien Ha

November 13, 2018
5525 Sago Palm Dr.
Lea Anne Groover 


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DATABASE UPDATES
Please make sure that you keep the Hidden Springs/Estates Homeowners Association updated with your latest email address and any resident name changes.  We are continually in the process of updating our records by adding proper names and email addresses into our database. If you know someone who has recently moved in, or does not receive our emails, please tell them to contact us so they can receive our quarterly newsletters, event updates and alerts from the HOA.  

SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT
If you need a handyman, look no further than your own neighborhood! Richard Cardillo of  Richie's Home Services is a Hidden Springs resident and has 20 years of experience. Call 407-844-6272 or email him for a quote on your next project. 
 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS & SUPPORTERS

President
Donna Fontaine

Vice President
Fred Hawkins

Treasurer
Tina Dottino
 
Secretary
Charles Simonel

Contact Management & Welcoming Director
Karen Butler 

Sr. Database Director
Denise Bradley

Newsletter & Web Editor
Kendle Arribas

Orange County Code Enforcement Liaison
Anonymous

Click here  to see our supporters. If you are interested in promoting  your business to Hidden Springs/Estates residents with a business card ad on our Supporters page for $25, p lease contact the HOA  for more information.

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Although it is the Hidden Springs/Estates Homeowners Association's (HSE HOA) intent to provide accurate and up-to-date information, no warranty, express or implied, is made regarding accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information contained on the pages of this newsletter. The HSE HOA assumes no liability for damages, incurred by the user of this information, which occur directly or indirectly as a result of errors, omissions or discrepancies in the information. The HSE HOA provides this information on an "as is" basis. The HSE HOA reserves the right to make changes and updates to the information at any time and without notice. Any person or entity who relies on information contained herein does so at his or her own risk.

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