On January 30, 2014 at 1:12 am an arrest was made. The off duty officer stopped a suspicious vehicle occupied by a white male and white female. When asked why the subjects were stopped in front of an address on Lawrence Lane with no lights on, the subjects advised, “We were just looking at the houses in here. They are so pretty and big.”

The officer then observed what appeared to be several pieces of opened and unopened mail, including several USPS boxes, throughout the back seat and rear area of the vehicle in plain view.

Please be diligent in getting your mail or consider possibly getting a locking mail box. You may want to avoid leaving mail for pickup in your mailbox over night.

The Woodlands' choice to go with paid Sheriff patrols rather than a private security firm has paid off. Security firms cannot stop, question or arrest suspicious vehicles only report them.

By Capt. Bruce & Capt. Wendy Longman

This month we are going all out on flares. In conjunction with the US Coast Guard and Pasco County Sherriff's Marine Patrol, The Boater's Corner is offering a FREE flare demonstration and instruction seminar at the North Anclote Sandbar on Sunday, February 16, 2014 at 11 AM.

BRING YOUR EXPIRED FLARES AND JOIN US AT THE SANDBAR!

If you have your own boat, meet us at the North Sandbar at 11 AM. If you don't have a boat, Windsong Charters & Boat Rentals are offering a FREE RIDE to the Sandbar departing from Leverock's Restaurant Marina at 10 AM.

If you would like a free ride to attend the demonstration, you MUST sign up for it at www.WindsongCharters.com/flare - complete the form in order to reserve a seat on one of their boats.

Learning how to use pyrotechnics is extremely paramount. Knowing how to ignite them, seeing how they burn, and how the slag drops is important information. Pyrotechnics are dangerous! Another very good reason to attend our FREE flare instruction and demonstration.

If you have never ignited a flare before then this is a must for you to attend. If you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation you will need the knowledge and confidence to ignite the flare safely. Igniting pyrotechnics while panicking might not present a good outcome.

Old Expired Flares

Bring them with you so you can practice. Windsong will also be providing a limited number of expired flares.

According to Coast Guard regulations the shelf life for pyrotechnic devices is three (3) years from manufacture. It is also suggested that you keep the

In an effort to encourage compliance with Covenant 9.5, in last month’s issue the Environmental Committee asked members to check their homes against the list below to identify any areas that may be in need of maintenance and to address these issues:

-Stained / Dirty TILE Roof s
-Stained, Dirty, or Peeling (Painted) Driveways
-Stained / Mildewed Exterior Stucco, Siding, or Paint
-Stained/Dirty Soffits
-Cracked Walls
-Broken Windows
-Dirty, Deteriorating or Crooked Mailboxes
-Torn Screens
-Dirty Pools

The Environmental Committee is giving its second notice that it will be citing the issues above as Violations of Covenant 9.5 in February.

If you have identified any of the issues above at your property, please take note and plan your maintenance accordingly before February to avoid a Violation notice.

If it is your decision to repaint your house or driveway, or to replace your roof, please be sure to submit an Application For Property Improvement prior to starting your project.

The community yard sale that will be held at the clubhouse (one day only) on Saturday, Jan. 25th is open to anyone living in the Woodlands. There are still tables available at the clubhouse that you can reserve at a cost of $10 per table. If you prefer to participate at your own home, we will put you on a map that will be handed out at the clubhouse and provide you with a helium balloon for your mailbox at a cost of $5 per household. Please contact Margaret Mardyniak at 727-645-5609 as soon as possible if you wish to participate.

The next book club meeting will be Wed. Jan. 8th at Mary Jean Sandberg's. Members were asked to select any book they wanted about the Kennedys. With the multitude of books, both complimentary and critical about this extended family, this could turn out to be one lively discussion!

Dorothy Hamilton is looking for additional women who would like to play scrabble on Fridays along with the domino group from 10 to noon. Please call her at 813-468-4994 if you want to take part in a scrabble game.

The next regular scheduled meeting of the WOW's is Tuesday, Jan. 14th at 1pm. The refreshment committee has not yet been assigned.

DON'T FORGET....BUNCO...WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8TH...7pm

Wish ornaments were placed on the clubhouse Christmas tree and a wish list was posted on the bulletin board for items that are sorely needed by the residents. Baskets will be posted in the clubhouse where you can place your contributions up until the Christmas Luncheon.

Thirty members and guests have signed up to attend the Christmas Luncheon on Tuesday, Dec. 10th at the Gulf Harbors Yacht club. Happy hour starts at 12 noon and lunch will be served at 1pm. TAKE NOTE BUNCO FANS.... BUNCO NIGHT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO—WED, DEC. 18TH AT 7pm due to a change in the Woodlands HOA meeting schedule.

The next regular meeting of the WOWs will be Tues. January 14th @ 1pm. Final plans for the Community Yard Sale on January 25th and the Luau get-together on Thur. February 9th will be discussed at that time.

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas filled with love, peace & joy,

Starting this month (December), the Woodlands Office will be open on WEDNESDAY EVENINGS from 4P-7PM.

During the Wednesday evening hours you can register, pay accounts, purchase FOBS or obtain association documents. As always, you may also email the office for information, forms, and documents at gwoodlands@tampabay.rr.com.

Here is the GHWA OFFICE Hours Schedule:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 9:00 AM -12 Noon
Wednesday: 4:00PM-7:00PM

Payment Coupons for 2014 Quarterly dues will be mailed to all residents. The first quarterly installment of $132 is due on JANUARY 1.

PLEASE NOTE: If you use Auto-Pay through your Bank, please contact them to ADJUST the payment amount to $132 per quarter ($528 for the year). And remember, due to new insurance requirements, the Association can no longer accept cash payments.