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You may remember last December I was complaining about the pitiful shape of the street on Rolling Hills Dr.  Then, lo and behold, a few days later the city came out and patched it.  Believe me when I say, that was a coincidence.  My complaining has little affect on anyone.  Nevertheless, the patchwork was a typical City of Daphne halfway attempt at Lake Forest road repair.  Actually, halfway is being generous.  My wife, you may recall, gave the repair a week.  I had more faith and gave it a month or so.  Well, here we are about three months later and the holes are back.  We both underestimated them.  The patchwork made it about three months!  Now, let's not blame the recent rain storms.  The holes were back before they came. 

This example brings me to an issue that has been bothering me for some time.  I want to admit that a position I took during my tenure on the Lake Forest Board of Directors was wrong. I always thought that the association's responsibility was limited to its own property and its own services and that its participation in local politics was out of order otherwise.  In fact, I thought that such political activity was dangerous in that backing the wrong horse could leave us out in the cold for four years, when it came to getting city help for Lake Forest.  Well, as they say, hindsight is 20/20.  Playing nice with city fathers and mothers has gotten Lake Forest nowhere.  It is time for our community to start playing hardball along the lines of the Olde Town bunch.  Our streets are a mess.   Our drainage is a mess.  And we get the table scraps of city services in general.  Lake Forest people have failed to elect their own to council positions for the most part, and those few candidates that we have elected almost immediately forgot who they represented.  It's time for the association to start getting cranky.  It's time for Lake Forest to start flexing some muscle.  The Lake Forest Property Owners Association has money.  It can put some of that money to work getting good people elected to city offices.  It really wouldn't take much, only a little.  But, a little money spent on intelligent advertising and promotion of LAKE FOREST candidates could yield an outstanding return for our community.  

3/34/2009 Report from the Golf Course Superintendent

This was not a very productive week unless the object was to keep payroll down, if so then we were super productive. We only had 2 full days of work, on those 2 we got a good bit done. Monday all 27 tees were fertilized and treated for mole crickets, the fairways were fertilized and it included a pre-emergent. The greens were topdressed, and we made great headway building the new pole barn on the east side of the building. I was able to get a good assessment of the course this morning, considering that roads washed away in some places I think we did well. The bridge at 1 on the Lake 9 lost some pilings and is closed, we have a contractor coming out tomorrow to look at it and hopefully start the work.  We had a main line break on 6 fairway, not sure why yet, will know more Monday. All the bunkers washed pretty bad and they will take a good bit of work to get in shape again. 

3/26/2009

The Golf Course superintendent's report

Since last report we have removed another 10 trees on the course, we also cleaned out the wooded area to the right of 5 green. The old shop has been demoed and removed. To date we have received 2 fairway mowers, a greens mower, sod cutter, and a buffalo blower. We will receive a rough mower next week, and at least 2 other pieces.

We had an outbreak of curvularia on the greens this week, due in part to slow growth, low night time temps, and excess moisture both rain and dew. The greens have been treated and will receive a follow up next week. The "spots" should start disappearing by Sunday if the weather cooperates. The greens have since been fertilized and the tees will be on Monday.

See the Greens Committee Report

3/26/2009

Somehow my retraction was lost in the process of updating the Grapevine.  I had written that I apparently made a mistake in my comments regarding the $25 charge.  I had thought that the membership had already been assessed this year, but my friend, former LFPOA president Ed Kirby, informed me that I was mistaken.  In that case, the $25 assessment is perfectly legal, since the by-laws do provide for as much as $50/year that the membership may be assessed.

3/26/2009

This last action of the Board with the $25.00 "charge" crossed the line. I would also be happy to tell you about the 2009 budget that began $85,000 in the RED and how this $25.00 "charge" was passed. I have missed the last few meetings since knee surgery, and I return last week to witness one of the most outrageous actions in my 2 years on the Board. Out-voted 8-1 not unlike many other motions. I think I'm becoming the B.T Cocke of the current Board. Who would have guessed? -Clint Martin

B.T., like most other people who have served on our board over the years, generously donated his time to help the community.  He was a dedicated and enthusiastic board member who served with a passion.  Perhaps there were times when that passion may have grated on the nerves of some of his fellow directors, but I will always give him credit for being one of those who would put his efforts where his mouth was and not just give lip service to a problem.

3/25/2009

I just received my $25.00 assessment fee bill for April. I believe the salaried employee responsible for insurance coverage for Lake Forest should be held liable for under insuring the equipment shed. What are we paying them for? The buck stops with that person. That's called accountability.

The association is insured.  Most policies have a deductible and the trick is to try and balance the size of the deductible with the amount of risk.  Otherwise, the cost of the policy can get very high.  In the forty plus years that the association has been around, there have been two fires that took out buildings.  The tennis pro shop burned to the ground and now this maintenance building.  During hurricane Katrina, our Yacht Club took a terrible beating, that was paid for out of cash flow without an assessment.  This maintenance building was much more expensive, due not to the cost of the building necessarily, but to the cost of the equipment which may fluctuate from year to year.  The insurance contracts are usually multi-year.  I don't think we can blame anyone because the loss was greater than they may have expected. 

3/25/2009

The $25.00 charge is a one-time charge similar to the tax escrow charge. The board sets charges, which are clearly different from an assessment. The board has the power to charge members. But really, the underlying issue will still be that the current monthly fees are insufficient to sustain the properties and operations, even as limited and sorry as they are. The board should have never given up a power set dues without a vote of the members. That one action has led to the state we are in.

Nevertheless, they did.  The tax escrow was a unique situation where the government determined that the amenities were property owned by the membership and subject to property taxes. A case was made to pass that through to the members.  Even then, I believe they were treading along the borderline of legality. Also, the tax escrow doesn't appear to be a one-time charge, since it has been added to our bill each month for years.  There would be no need to raise the dues if the board could just add charges at will.  "Oops, our tractor broke.  Let's charge the membership." That makes no sense.  The assessment gives the board the means of dealing with those unexpected events like a fire or hurricane.  That broken tractor is a stretch.

3/24/2009

That $25 per member charge must be what the previous contributor was hearing about.  I believe that emergencies like the fire are the reason we have an assessment provided for in the by-laws.  I'm not sure this charge is legal considering that we have already been assessed the limit of $50 this year.  However, unless someone sues, it is not likely that such a charge can really be stopped and, frankly, I doubt that anyone will think that $25 is worth going to court over.  The problem is the precedent that could be set and the negative reaction of many of the members.  Now would be a good time to announce that the pools will be free to members in good standing again.   At least it's nice that Clint decided to attend a board meeting in 2009.

3/24/2009

While we sleep...is something happening at the club? A new charge perhaps?

I haven't heard.  Perhaps one of our directors will be willing to let us in on recent actions.  I had a family event last week, so I was unable to attend the last meeting.

3/24/2009

It is obvious that few understand the bonuses that were paid and that AIG is multi-national company with several sectors of business, some that are even financially solid. It is in these areas, the financially solid sectors, whose profits were good, but not enough to cover the losses on the mortgage backed securities insurance, where the bonuses were paid. The bonuses were paid under contractual agreements with the recipients for their performance in their specific sector of business. Does anyone actually believe that bonuses were earned by those who lost billions on failed toxic asset insurance? That is a s silly and ill-informed conclusion. AIG has many well run programs that deserve bonus compensation. Let's just leave it at that. What congress is failing to tell the American people is that they insisted on insuring these sorry excuse for loans and failed miserably to regulate the derivatives market. It is Frank, Dodd and others that allowed this whole collapse to occur so they could continue to receive millions in contributions from AIG execs. Barak Obama was the second largest recipient of contributions from AIG employees at well over 100K. We all need to keep a clear head and read through the smoke and mirrors offered by the President and Congress. They blew it, and will blow it again to get money lining their pockets. THROW THE BUMS OUT!! START AT HOME WITH BONNER

You named off several Congressmen who many think were instrumental in initiating policies and actions that led to the collapse.  However, Bonner was not one of those names.  What has he done that would make you think that he needs to go?

3/24/2009

I agree with your point. It does set a firm foot in the door of government regulations on business practices. What AIG did by paying the top brass millions in bonuses only proves how brash they really are. It's almost funny, and in no way do I agree with what was forked out to people who obviously couldn't run a Dollar General store, much less a multi-trillion dollar company. But if this bail out was really a loan by the government, how can they impose any regulations on how that money is spent. If I were to get loan from a bank, and the bank specified what I must do with that money, I would borrow from someone else. The 90% tax on those bonuses is a great counter punch, but it will not stand. That money is long gone.

3/20/2009

Yesterday the House of Representatives voted to tax the bonuses received by AIG executives at a rate of 90%.  This is a reaction to the news that a company, AIG, that received bailout money is using some of it to pay bonuses to men and women whose decisions and actions contributed to their financial collapse.  I have mixed feelings about this one.  First, it seems ridiculous that any company would give bonuses, when it is on the verge of bankruptcy.  AIG should be slapped around pretty hard by its stockholders.  It is my understanding that the federal government now owns 80% of AIG, so why could they not have cancelled those bonuses in that capacity? I find it very disturbing that when the federal government, run by elected representatives, who over the last two hundred plus years have assumed the status of a privileged class, (You do know that our congressmen are better than the rest of us, right?  They have their own private medical and retirement programs and are not affected by their poor decisions on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  The perks of the job are also just super!), can take it upon themselves to punish an isolated group simply because the representatives, themselves, did a poor job in setting the rules for their own program.  Perhaps you are aware that some of our representatives did, in fact, recommend restrictions on how this money could be spent that would have prevented this.  Of course, that made too much sense, so those restrictions were taken out.  The point is this.  If they can do things like this to those AIG people, the can do it to you and me.  Furthermore, such an action sets a precedent that can come back to bite all of us one day.  As a matter of fact, we have seen examples of this right here in our own little Lake Forest association, albeit very trivial ones when compared to what our Congress has done.

3/20/2009

The State of Alabama has set up a website about the Stimulus Bill that provides information about how much Alabama is getting and how it is to be allocated. Check it out.

3/19/2009

The City of Daphne prepared and submitted projects for the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act. My councilman has told me that these funds were sent to the state for allocation and the state would control the projects. I would suggest that we contact our respective councilpersons and request information regarding any such stimulus monies. We would hate to see stimulus projects going toward areas in the city that have been benefitting from recent city investment rather than in the Lake Forest area.

3/18/2009

A couple of months ago I wrote about a website that I found listing all the cities and towns that had submitted requests for stimulus funds as part of the recent Obama bailout plans.  The piece noted that the information had been forwarded to all of the Daphne City Council and mayor asking what the city had requested.  You may recall that several councilmen and city personnel replied that they were working on it.  The other day I read a newspaper story from Gadsden, Alabama telling about the funds they would be receiving.  Not having seen anything like that about Daphne, I sent a note to those same people asking again what they were expecting ....... No response .......  Not a word ....... Nada ....... Now what can we conclude from that lack of response?  Well there could be several answers.  For example, we could assume that our city representatives had submitted requests that were rejected.  Or, we could assume that our city fathers and mothers had decided to take the principled position that federal bailouts are a bad thing and Daphne will not take part in them.  Or, we could conclude that Daphne leaders dropped the ball and didn't even submit a shopping list, even though there are streets and facilities in terrible condition here in Daphne and Lake Forest.  Which do you think is true?

Riding around Daphne recently I noticed how well most of the streets looked.  Not too many potholes, at least when compared to the obstacle course that are Lake Forest streets.  I noticed new sidewalks along many streets, although nothing in Lake Forest.  How long do you think it is going to take us to realize that Lake Forest is not getting good representation down at city hall?

3/11/2009

The only chance for channel upgrades is a state action. Perhaps there will be an earmark showing up for that. Wouldn't that be better than climate change data collection? Cheaper, too.

3/9/2009

Something need to be done about the channel going in and out of the yacht club! I had to replace engine and foot, due to shallow water.  We need to dredge the channel..........!

It isn't going to happen.

2/27/2009

 couldn't agree more with the gentleman's remarks that the area (sand box) should be kept clean and attractive. However, if my memory services me right, sand boxes can be very hazardous for transmitting various diseases or some type of worm. I wouldn't let my kids play in it even if it looked nice. I'm not sure of my facts (senior moments), maybe someone can verify or correct me.

You know how it is these days.  Whatever you eat, drink, or do, someone thinks it's bad for you. ;-)  The general manager says he's going to respond to that contribution appropriately, so I'm sure the playground will be cleaned up.

2/27/2009

Kudos to Paul Johnson. He has won the Section award for Junior golf. It was in the Press register this morning. Great job Paul!! Also, it seems the new greens are paying off. For the first time in several years, we have increased the number of annual members. Six more annuals than the previous year. Golf revenue is up. This greens redo has paid huge revenue dividends. Thanks also to Jim Moss and Ray Sturch along with the fine course maintenance staff for delivering the finest greens in the area. Let's play some GOLF!!

2/26/2009

I took my wife and children (4 years old and 2 years old) to the Yacht club last weekend. We wanted to sit out on the deck, watch a sunset and let the children play in the fenced in playground by the water. Unfortunately, the play area was filled with trash, someone's old, wet socks (gross) and cigarette butts (more gross)! Furthermore, we had to leave because my kids were getting bitten by sand fleas and are now covered in flea bites. Would you tell me what we are doing about keeping the children's area clean and flea free? It could be such a nice place for families, but not unless we make some changes. Thank you.

2/25/2009

Below is a report from Derrick regarding progress on the golf course. Also, here is a link to a report from Greens Chairman, Ray Sturch, regarding the recent fire that destroyed our maintenance facility.

Derrick's Report:

2/5/2009

Remodeling of the Golf Shop to make way for moving the administrative offices into that area is coming to a close.  Most of the construction is complete and the area is looking very nice.  In fact, it is amazing to this writer how big the new administrative offices are.  The staff will have a much nicer and much larger area in which to work.  The Golf Shop didn't suffer either.  It is still a nice size and, in fact, looks much more prosperous, interesting and attractive now that the merchandise is displayed much closer together.

2/5/2009

The City of Daphne, in its council meeting Monday night, approved the funding of match money for grants to be used for work in the lake's watershed. A total of over $400,000 will be spent in the D'Olive and Tiawasee areas improving stream flow and stabilizing the stream banks to prevent excessive erosion. Good job to Fred Small and his staff. A great asset we have in Ashley Campbell, the sediment officer in Daphne.

2/5/2009

I assume everyone is aware that the maintenance shop at Lake Forest burned down the other night.  I haven't heard how much equipment and other property was lost, but I am sure that it is a terrible loss for the association.  Insurance will probably cover much of it.

1/27/2009

I appealed the appraisal for 2007 property tax assessment last Tuesday. They had dedicated Tuesday and Wednesday for Lake Forest only and were full with 15 minute intervals. The one I talked to was very "disinterested" in my documentation of the fair market value and disregarded the appraisal amount from last year, even though the appraiser didn't even have the sq. footage of my house correct. Interesting that the value they showed was 23% above last year when there is solid documentation that values in Lake Forest specifically decline .6%. I've contacted my state representatives Pittman and Davis and would recommend others do the same if they feel the way I do that Lake Forest properties are being targeted by the state, or their appeal isn't satisfactory.

1/22/2009

To the Walk in the Park sometime golfer: 1) there are no sand traps on the Lake side - you sure aren't denying yourself anything with this change because you would have know this if you played over there! 2) last I heard parks must be maintained i.e. cut the grass, pick up trash, etc. just like a golf course. However, we charge to play, are you going to charge to walk? GOOD LUCK! 3) our junior golf program is now rated second to none in the Dixie section and they will be using this side 4)load the beginning golfers and high handicappers on to the Forest 18 and we will see a mass exodus of annual dues - then you can have a 27 hole park to complete your dream so you can take a hike.

1/22/2009

There's an interesting story in today's Mobile Press Register regarding that drug counseling facility that some of the Olde Towne residents were up in arms over.

1/21/2009

Allow me to introduce you to the member who wants to turn the Lake 9 into a park.

1/21/2009

I'm curious to know if anyone has noticed the privacy fence that was built near the main street entrance recently. I thought the rules were no fence beyond the front of your house? This thing runs down the driveway and is clearly beyond the front of the house. How did they get away with this?

It is possible to receive a variance from the Architectural Committee for rules like that one, if it is determined that conditions warrant such a variance.  Also, some kinds of fences are considered to be landscaping devices.  Split rail fences have been treated as such, when they are used to support decorative foliage. Also, some of the older sections of Lake Forest near the D'Olive and Windsor entrances are under different covenants than the newer areas of the community.

1/21/2009

Sounds like the weblord is against Lake Forest POA having enough money to keep the facilities up and replace them as needed. How sad. At one time, I understood you to do the same thing.

It is true that in 2003 our board asked the membership to allow us to change the by-laws.  It is also true that the membership and the developer at the time rejected the idea.  The sentiment was almost universal.  They did not want the Board of Directors to have that power.  We managed to convince the developer to support us because the proposed amendment provided a number of other improvements that the membership supported.  The developer's support was given on the condition that our only action with that power to amend the by-laws would be to remove that provision from the by-laws at our first opportunity.  The board honored its commitment.  I understand the challenge facing the Board of Directors.  I and others dealt with the problem of limited revenue much longer than the contributor and anyone else serving on the board today.  However, as handy it would be to be able to operate with limitless cash, it is more important that those people serving in a leadership position do so with integrity and ethics.  The board in 2003 did.  Last year's board did not.

1/21/2009

1/16/2009

I am assuming that the writer was talking about the Lake Course. There has been many discussions about closing the Lake Nine over the years. The discussions have included selling off some of the land to have money to invest in the properties we could better utilize like the Yacht Club, Pools, Tennis courts, etc. The problem is that the Lake Nine is a convenient place to learn the game of golf. only costs us about $15-20K(at the most) to keep it up (considering maintenance costs vs. revenue generated) The answer has always been that we just don't get enough benefit from closing it. You cannot reduce the maintenance staff to close it. What we are, though, is a recreational community with amenities supported by dues. These dues no longer adequately provide for the proper maintenance and upkeep of these owner-supported amenities. So, the amenities will begin to be closed and destroyed to stay within the funds available. Is this right? Is there an alternative? I would suggest that the  alternative is to have the members pay an appropriate fee that would indeed allow for the proper maintenance, upkeep, and even replacement of these amenities as their service life is seen through. Such a proposal was voted down by  the membership in the last annual ballot. So, we see the clubhouse being destroyed.  What will be the next closure? All food service? The pools? The Lake Nine?   The Yacht Club? To protect these amenities and keep their value, the board  must work to get the revenues to meet the need. The members are not going to vote for an increase, so the board will have to unilaterally increase the dues. They have that ability now. They should act to do so for the continuation of our recreational subdivision and the continued upkeep and improvement of our amenities. If not, just start closing operations and amenities. It  is what it is. [...]

They have that ability due in the opinion of many to an improper use of Roberts Rules of Order by the last board.  If the board does unilaterally try to use that ability, it will probably be contested in court.

1/15/2009

The U.S. Conference of Mayors website has a report (See report)  of the requests cities across the country have made for assistance as part of the economic recovery actions that are being proposed.  The amount of money is mindboggling.  Someone remind me now.  What is the purpose of the economic recovery proposals?

1/15/2008

1/5/2008

Mitch, Has there been any further discussions to save the C.C. from the bulldozer?? I drove by a couple of nights ago and the lights were on and a couple people came out of the main entrance. I can't understand any of this... other solutions could be implemented, that does not include this boards disregard for the views of the $25,000 survey!!! What is the value before and after this foolish plan of the C.C.???

The bulldozer is on the way. 

12/30/2008

In response to Townsend Recovery: my husband drives from Mobile to attend his outpatient rehabilitation there. We are Christians, and ACTIVE in our church, own our own business, have 3 children in a private, christian school, we have college educations and we live in a beautiful 2500 sqft home. I say all of this because the people of Daphne, mainly Lake Forest, who are fighting Townsend, are trying to say that any and all drug/alcohol addicts are trashy, nasty, dangerous, and not wanted in or around your neighborhood. That is so far from the truth. You are ultimately judging those who are seeking help. The people that go to Townsend are regular people with regular lives and regular problems. They are not court-appointed convicts! The difference between them and other addicts is that they are CHOOSING to quit, they want help and they are willing to do whatever it takes. My husband, and all the people that he meets with weekly, is a good person who wants to finally be free from these chains called addiction. I dare say that many of your neighbors, employees, and fellow church members have addictions too. Let these people get help where it is offered. There is no good help in or around Southern Alabama. Townsend is the best thing that has happened to my husband. With the help of God and Townsend, my husband has been clean from prescription drugs for over 2 months now. Townsend offers great help, close to home, allowing the clients to lead a normal life simultaneously. If you shut Townsend down, I promise Chris Hill, you will answer to that one day. W here is your compassion? We all have a duty as humans to be a service to mankind and that is exactly what Townsend is doing and what YOU are NOT doing. Do your research on addiction before pointing the finger. Addiction is far more complicated than you think.

To my knowledge the comments, at least on this website, from Lake Forest about the issue have been positive.  The original complaining piece was submitted by a contributor from Olde Town Daphne.

12/26/2008

Last week the city patched that stretch of Rolling Hills Drive that I told you about earlier.  It was the usual "throw some asphalt on it" type of job.  The patched area is not at the same level as the rest of the street and it is not particularly smooth.  My wife gave the job a week before the holes are back.  I'll give it until Valentine's Day and that is probably being generous.  The stretch of street we are talking about needs some serious work that will be about a hundred feet long.  I doubt we will see that.

12/26/2008

Link to the Christmas 2008 page.

12/18/2008

I was driving down the lower part of Rolling Hills Dr. the other night when I ran into a pothole that felt like it was tearing out the bottom of the car .  It had been raining and it was dark, so the hole was not obvious, although I should have known it was there.  That part of Rolling Hills has been in bad shape for years.  The city has been out on occasion and patched it, or at least, pretended to patch it, but they have never fixed it.  Doing a proper repair will actually take some work and some money.  Since 2006 this city has built a brand new city hall for almost eight million dollars.  In 1990 the city spend about that same amount of money to repave every street in Daphne.  Yet now, rather than spend the money on something that is desperately needed, street repair, they instead chose to build a brand new city hall with a 2700 square foot mayor's suite.  This is a city hall that, according to the mayor, everyone in Daphne can be proud of.  Well, that's just peachy.  When they had money, they chose to spend it on a feel good project rather, than put it where it was needed.  Now, in today's economic climate, there won't be any money.  The streets in Lake Forest are just going to get worse and worse.  The mayor and council will cry for us and "feel our pain", but they will say, "But, gee whiz, it's not our fault.  The economy has gone into the toilet and tax revenues are not there."  They won't mention that when the revenue was there, they spent it poorly.  I don't mind new firehouses and police stations.  Work is actually accomplished in those places.   But, city hall is just a playground for a handful of adults.  We would be better off if the city would change its council meetings from bi-monthly to semi-annually.  Then, the people who actually do productive work in Daphne can get on about their business without interference from politicians.  I use the word "productive", because I have heard our councilpersons tell how much time they spend on Daphne business.  Productive means something is actually accomplished and not just that hours have been burned.  This is our fault to a great extent.  When I say our fault, I mean Lake Forest residents' fault.  Five council districts include part of Lake Forest and we have elected these people.  So, just get used to it.  We are going to be in for a bumpy ride for years to come.  

12/17/2008

The LFPOA has recently won a suit where a home was not being a single family residence. In that case, I believe the owners were renting to a contractor to house its employees. The Architectural Manager shoudl be able to assist in defining this issue. It may not be a violation.

12/16/2008

Does anyone have the "definitive" answer to the meaning of "single family" . . . it appears that in one residence there is a single male who is the sole owner of the residence and is living with his girlfriend plus another male roommate and his girlfriend . . . I thought "single family" meant ONE family related by blood or marriage - not roommates. I've been told that unless it can be proven that the other three people "pay rent" to the single owner, then nothing can be done about the matter - although the four people park their four cars all over the lawn. No w, pray tell, how will it be proven that the three pay the owner rent - unless a lawsuit is filed. So, why do we have covenants????? Or, someone from LFPOA could read the property owner's deed online at the Baldwin County Probate website (or the Revenue Commissioner's website as to who the tax bill goes to) and figure it out that there's only one person who owns this property and the other three are roommates . . . just a thought.

I could be mistaken, but I think this is a case for the City of Daphne.  There must be an ordinance regarding this situation.

12/15/2008

Look at the locations of this treatment center, they have locations all over the region. The center also treats alcohol addiction, which has touched many of us indirectly or directly. Why do so many people think drug addicts live on the streets and do not have jobs!! Sure, some cases are typical movie of the week portrayals, but some are perscription pills or legal drugs like alcohol. There are far more functioning addicts than any of us can imagine in this society. Let them get help close to home- if the insurance will pay...?

12/12/2008

ARE YOU AWARE THAT A DRUG TREATMENT FACILITYIS NOW OPERATING AT THE MERCY MEDICAL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING ON VILLA DRIVE? 

 Name of facility:  Townsend Recovery Center (www.TownsendRecovery.com)

 Who are they?  Townsend is a for- profit drug rehab program designed to treat opiate addicts with the drug Suboxone (www.suboxone.com ) which is an alternative to Methadone. Townsend offers outpatient groups Tuesday thru Thursday nights, 6-9 PM as well as individual and family services  during the day at. Their website states that they are open 24 hours 7 days per week. They recruit patients from Mississippi to Florida. Patients are either court ordered or self-referred.       

         Thanks to all of you who attended the meeting at the library on Tuesday night.  It was well worth the time spent to further enlighten us all and shows the strength of our concerns about the Townsend Center.

  What can we do now? The Daphne City council has agreed to allow 2 people to speak at the beginning of Monday’s City Council Meeting at 6:30PM, 12/15/08. At this time the speakers will be Holly Colclough and Christopher Hill. The City Clerk Mr. David Cohen has also requested a written list of complaints that we want to address. I have already submitted this and a copy is attached. During this short presentation I will ask for a show of hands from all that feel the same about these issues, so a strong turn out would certainly have an impact in driving our point’s home.The City Council, at its discretion can set a public hearing with regard to this matter. The public hearing, if approved by the Council, would take place on January 20, 2009.  In the mean time we need to get the word out any way possible. This flyer will be distributed over the weekend. Please contact as many Daphne residents as possible to spread the word.  It’s not just District 2 that is impacted, so a city-wide phone blitz and forward of this email to anybody you know would help. We still understand and support the need for treatment for those individuals and families facing the challenges of addiction. However, we do not believe the middle of an R-1 residential community is the appropriate location for such a facility. 

Our Goal is: We want the City of Daphne to deny renewal of the Townsend Recovery Center’s business license or at a minimum remand the license renewal to the board of Business Zoning Appeals.

For More Information: Go to www.OldeTowneDaphne.org, or contact Christopher Hill at 626-7075 or chrishill312@bellsouth.net

12/11/2008

Mitch, I went to youtube and found a few of this kids(9) video's! Locate him by looking up "GSXRTZ"...he might live in a house that borders "Homedepot"?? One of the videos show him hitting a wiffle ball with his 2 dogs in the yard. Can't you turn this over to the police?? The thug drives a GSXR 600K5 model motorcycle-if he is still alive?

12/11/2008

There is an article in today's paper regarding insurance.

12/5/2008

One of Lake Forest's talented members, Don Prosch, at work.  Scary, huh.

12/3/2008

Do you know who produced that video? If so, I'd like to report him to the police. And I will make a motion at the next Board meeting to have anyone that stupid to be publicly flogged. Have some respect for other people's lives, you idiot! There are children on those streets. -Clint Martin

No, I don't know who published it.  One of our contributors found it on You Tube.  The young guy definitely showed bad judgment.  What I found just as interesting was that at the beginning of his trip when he was going 35 to 45, he still never caught up with the two cars in front of him.  All of them were going too fast for Lake Forest's pothole riddled, bumpy, watery, curvy, up and down streets.

12/2/2008

Here's some evidence of how bad the roads are.   After you get over the shock of this fool driving so fast through Lake Forest (up to 90 mph at one point?), watch it again and count the patches, holes, cracks, etc. in the road. Our roads are in bad shape. This affects curb appeal, property value and the general attitude about Lake Forest. No wonder people get lost here. They can't take their eyes off the road to look at the houses or street signs for fear of losing a hub cap in a pot hole. When was the last time the streets in Lake Forest were repaved?

I think it was around 1991 or 1992.  That biker needs to have his head examined while he still has it in one piece.

I have another theory about property values in Lake Forest.  Schools.  When Baldwin County Board of Education zoned Lake Forest into the older schools in Daphne, our property values may have taken a hit when compared to Spanish Fort and other communities nearby.  What is one of the selling features that a realtor offers a new home buyer?  Schools.  Whatever the case, I don't think anyone can blame the amenities on property values.  Just the opposite, they probably help them.

12/1/2008

This has little to do with most concerns overall, but I hope that the person that does this, will get the message. To the person who parks his trailer IN the road on Montclair Loop, near the pool entrance(but across Ridgewood), please do us all a favor and remove it. It actually looked like it had been hit by a car this morning as I left for work at 5:30am. I think we have one of our block captains on this street, and I was wondering when this issue would be corrected. Those who drive by it know which trailer I am speaking of. Usually loaded with tool s and whatnot.