May - June 2022

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Manager's Corner

Happy Spring/Early Summer!

As I sit back and reflect on my first year here, my heart is grateful still for the opportunity to grow and learn all the ins and outs of this beautiful community! We have had many challenges, and I truly appreciate all the wonderful friendships and support many of you have given to me. My goal is to continue to make this a safe, clean, positive, enjoyable environment for all residents to enjoy!

Times are changing, and our best hope is to conquer it together, with love and respect.

This is a great time to spend time outdoors and spruce up our homes by power washing, painting, tending flower gardens, changing front posts lights, and as always, picking up after our favorite 4-legged friends.

Thank you again for all the support, and let’s continue to make The Lakes of Melbourne a great place to live!

Best always,
Kat
Community Manager

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Sales Update
 

Don’t miss out on your dream home. Now is the time to buy since prices are continuing to go up.

The inventory is down to four new homes on order or a pre-owned home!

Thinking about listing your home? You can take advantage of the lowered 6% Listing commission rate!

Contact Rick Spriggs in our sales office. We have a team of professionals working hard to get your home sold as quickly as possible.

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Restaurant Review
 

The New England Eatery & Pub is a family-owned business on the A1A. Fun fact: I had never eaten a lobster roll before driving by this wonderful restaurant on one Friday after work, and wow!! This is the most amazing, fun, inviting restaurant to dine in, and now I am addicted to the lobster roll – dripping with butter of course!

5670 HWY A1A
Melbourne Beach, FL 32951
Hours:
Wednesday & Thursday 2:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Friday – Saturday 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm

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Upcoming Events
 

May
May 17 at 10:00 am in the Clubhouse – The Brevard County Sheriff’s Department will be presenting Seniors Crime Prevention Seminar. Light refreshments will be provided.

May 31 at 10:00 am in the Clubhouse –We will be holding The Veteran’s Bronze Memorial dedication. See below for an image of the plaque.

June
Saturday, June 18 at 3:00 pm in the Clubhouse – We will be holding a Summer Kickoff Party. Look for Flyers in craft room, and around community.

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Yard of the Quarter

Congratulations Leslie and John Lewellyn! Check out below for more photos of their lovely home site.

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Resident Spotlight

Hello everyone. We are Jeff and Gloria Handling from the Lakes of Melbourne Homeowners Community. We’ve lived here almost four years and have loved every minute. We originated from Pennsylvania and came to visit our oldest grandson at FIT when he was a freshman. While waiting for him to get out of class we decided to look at 55+ communities, and we found Lakes of Melbourne. I was surprised when we purchased the second house we toured, but we love it.

We both love to go to the pool, play shuffleboard, and enjoy several types of card games. Jeff and I also like to go to the Potluck dinners, attend dinner dances and parties, play bingo, and take walks around our beautiful community.

Jeff loves shuffleboard and was recently named President of Lakes of Melbourne’s club for next season. He loves to play poker and goes to various places around the city. He is also involved in the Veteran’s Day event and helping others in the community. He loves to frequent Lowe’s, where I think they know him by name. Jeff also belongs to a woodworking group and is learning many new techniques – he’s quite good! He works part-time from home for Matthews International and has been in casket/urn sales for 46 years.

I am involved in the HOA and am the Sunshine Officer, sending cards to those in need. I also coordinate serving hot dog meals at bingo, helping with potluck dinners and various events, playing Euchre, Pinochle, May I, and Left-Right-Center. I enjoy taking meals or goodies to those that are shut-in and just getting to know people in our community. I have been a Mary Kay representative for 31 years and have everything to help with your skincare regime. I love to smile, laugh, and make others happy. The friends we have made are helpers, doers, and fun-lovers, too!

Jeff and I have been married for almost 49 years and are the proud parents of three beautiful daughters, three wonderful sons-in-law, and seven amazing grandchildren. We love to vacation with them and visit them in Florida, California, and Pennsylvania. Outside of the community, we are active in our church and enjoy eating out with our friends. Jeff and I are graduates of Penn State and are proud members of the PSU Space Coast Alumni Association where I am also secretary. We watch every PSU football game with this group at Beef O’ Brady’s in Satellite Beach. We are season pass holders of the Brevard Zoo and love to go to the beach, fish, and try new dining places. We love living so close to airports, amusement parks, and restaurants.

Jeff and I are enjoying our retirement years at the Lakes of Melbourne and know this is a good fit for us. Here is to many more years of enjoying!

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Capital Improvements

We are in the process of resurfacing the shuffleboard courts. Check out images below of the project:

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Past Events Recap

In the past few months, we have all been busy having a great time! We hosted a sock hop, chili cookoff, super bowl party, blood drive, and community clean-up. See below for before and after images from our community clean-up and other images from the events!

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Be Prepared

June 1 officially kicks off hurricane season in Florida. Are You Ready? To be better prepared in the event of a hurricane, the Hometown America team has organized and put together this information to help you, our residents, and the HOA in understanding areas of responsibility in preparation and clean up when a disaster strikes.

It is easy to expect Hometown America to assume responsibilities when a disaster strikes. However, many of the responsibilities in preparation and clean up belong to the homeowner. This memo clearly defines what areas of responsibility are those of our residents, the homeowners, and what areas are the responsibilities of Hometown America. It also provides you with guidance on specific content, that you and your family will need to develop and include in your own personal emergency plan.

First, as a resident of a Hometown America community, we are asking that you provide us with emergency contact information in the event we need to reach you or someone in your family in the event of an emergency. Although you may have filled out a similar form in the past, it is critical that our records be updated with the most current emergency contact and insurance information. Please ask your office for an Emergency Registration Form to fill out and return to the community manager as soon as possible.

There are many resources and guides available to help all of us be better prepared for hurricane season. Based on previous year’s experiences, Hometown America has put together a handout for our residents which lists four important safety and preparedness steps that you, the homeowner, are urged to follow prior to the event of a hurricane.

• Step 1: Create a Family Emergency Plan
• Step 2: Assemble an Emergency Supplies Kit
• Step 3: Family Evacuation Plan
• Step 4: Prepare for High Winds

In addition to the handout, and as expressed above, Hometown America has outlined below the responsibilities of the residents, the homeowners in our community, as well as the responsibilities of Hometown America, the community owner.

The homeowner/resident is directly responsible for the following:

• Prior to going North, remove all yard debris, ornaments, patio furniture or any lose items
• Once a storm is being tracked it is the resident’s responsibility to remove all yard debris, ornaments and patio furniture to prevent them from blowing around (for year-around residents)
• If mandatory evacuation is ordered, all residents and community personnel must leave the property and not return until the County clears any curfews and roadways have been cleared
• Residents must complete an emergency registration form (available in the office)
• Residents should keep all important papers (including insurance information) with them (not left behind in the home during an evacuation)
• Residents should have temporary housing and food in the event their home is damaged and/or the community does not have utilities or facilities
• Residents will be responsible for the immediate clean up and debris removal of their home site
• Residents will be responsible for the timely repairs to their homes should they become damaged
• Residents will be responsible for the removal of their home should it be destroyed
• Residents will be responsible for the immediate removal of trees, stumps or debris that is located either on their home or on their home site
• Residents will be responsible for the immediate removal of any loose aluminum or sharp debris to prevent injuries
• Residents should report to the office after the storm to ensure their safety and to assist with accessing property damage and collection of insurance information
• Residents are responsible for contacting FEMA, insurance companies, and other social and county organizations for assistance
• Residents are responsible for tarping their roofs and for making immediate emergency repairs in order to prevent further damage to their homes
• In the event of a disaster to their property and/or community property, residents are responsible for their lot rent and all monthly obligations until the home site it totally cleared if home is destroyed
• Residents are responsible to hire only licensed and insured vendors to make necessary repairs to their damaged property, as well as pull all required permits

Hometown America will be directly responsible for the following items and/or will assist with in the event of a disaster:

• Establishment of ongoing communications channels for residents and employees and their relatives and friends
• Clearing of debris from the streets and common areas to facilitate access by emergency vehicles as well as resident and staff ingress and egress
• Assessment of damages to facilities and community structures
• Restoration of community-owned utilities on a temporary basis and as soon as possible, on a permanent basis
• Establishment of patrol (employee, volunteer and/or paid contractor) where deemed appropriate to prevent looting
• Removal of debris from common areas
• Evaluation and repairs to community facilities and equipment
• Outreach to federal, state, and local relief agencies for the benefit of residents and the company
• Positive response to media inquiry and adverse publicity
• Timely repair of company-owned facilities, improvements, vehicles and equipment
• Timely restoration of company-owned landscaping

Hometown America is not responsible for but may assist to the extent reasonably feasible with:

• Assistance locating temporary housing, food, and medical treatment for residents in need
• Assistance organizing homesite clean-up with resident authorization and assignment of insurance benefits applicable to the clean-up
• Home repair by creating a forum for residents to deal with licensed and insured contractors
• Destroyed home removal by creating a forum for residents to deal with licensed and insured contractors and/or by directly arranging for removal with homeowner approval and payment or assignment of insurance proceeds for removal
• Spontaneous outreach with occasional assistance, such as drinking water, coffee, food, and other events or services

If anyone has any questions concerning the information provided and listed above, please contact your community office during business hours.

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Plan Your Day

Have you ever made a to-do list in your head and forgotten to get everything done? Relying on your mind to remember important tasks can be overwhelming and lead to forgetfulness. Using a planner is one of the best ways to stay on track with your goals while reducing stress.

If you’re not already a planner person, getting started is easy! Establishing a planner routine is crucial to staying organized and on top of your tasks, and these tips can help you get started. Start by taking ten minutes before bed every night to write your to-do list for the next day. Then, you can rest easy and refer to the list in the morning instead of wasting time feeling overwhelmed about your obligations.

Another way to stay organized with your planner is to categorize tasks by day, week, and month, following these eight steps. Most planners have separate sections where you can break up your to-do list over time instead of feeling swamped with one huge list. It can also be helpful to use colorful pens and highlighters to separate your tasks into categories!

Remember, the only way to successfully utilize a planner is to refer to it regularly. When you purchase your planner, make sure that it isn’t too big to carry around and that you leave it in an easy-to-remember place. You can even decorate your planner to make it more enjoyable to use!

Everyone is different with their organizational style. Try to find a planner that works for you, and don’t forget to have fun with it! Happy planning!

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Fitness for You

Research has shown that a sedentary lifestyle is linked to many health issues, including cardiovascular disease. But don’t worry, there are plenty of simple ways to adopt a more active lifestyle! No matter what type of workout you enjoy, there are countless ways for you to be more fit and get moving.

Do you love being outside? Start going for daily walks through your community! You can even get a group of friends together for a group walk and a social outing at the same time. Not interested in walking? Check out these fun activities that can help you get active.

Love to cook? Plant a garden and grow ingredients that you can use in your next recipe! After all, there is nothing more satisfying than getting outside and moving to grow ingredients that you can enjoy in your next meal.

Are you a TV watcher? Believe it or not, there are ways to make watching TV active. Use commercial breaks to stand up and stretch or multitask by folding your laundry while watching your favorite show!

There are also other simple ways to get moving without making drastic changes to your daily life. Start by parking a bit further from the grocery store to get your steps in while you walk through the parking lot. You can also opt to take the stairs instead of the elevator to get that heart rate up.

There are countless other ways to find your favorite way to stay active. Challenge yourself to make a change in your routine, your physical and mental health will thank you!