• Garage sale reminders were distributed Thursday morning to all residents.
• Signs directing traffic were placed Thursday evening.
• The Craigslist ad for this event is now online.

Wildewood is getting ready for another community garage sale this Saturday, June 13 at 7AM. We’re distributing flyers to the community as an additional reminder. You can download the PDF for a preview. The front bulletin board has been updated and will be repaired soon, by the way. Signs will be posted Thursday evening.

We hope you’ll browse, buy or sell, but most of all - make the most of a sour economy. Good luck and, as always, let us know your opinions in the comment section.

The palm trees at the corner of Nixon and Linebaugh were trimmed this morning. The initial plan was to remove them for landscape consistency, however the costs were too high. When trees are removed they must be replaced by trees of equal, total diameter. The cost of replacement trees, stump grinding, and removal far exceeded the cost of trimming. What do you think of the results? Leave us a comment.

• Entrance from Nixon
• Entrance from Linebaugh

The Board would like to make an index of locally owned and operated businesses. Wildewood residents who own a business and would like to be listed should submit the information requested below. A special edition of the newsletter will be distributed with this index. Our goal is to stimulate the local economy and to make stronger connections among neighbors.

Please submit the following information to wildewood@wildewoodtampa.com no later than May 17, 2009:

• Your name
• Your business name
• Preferred business contact - phone number, website, mailing address, or any combination
• Your home address (this will not be published unless it is also your business address)
• Short description of your business (less than 150 words)

Wildewood reserves the right to edit submissions for spelling, grammar, and content.

This is a reminder that signs posted in the Wildewood common area will be removed. Wildewood reserves the right to dispose of any signs with or without notice.

The newsletter is available for download as PDF. If there’s an issue in the newsletter you’d like to comment on, please do so here.

Hillsborough County Extension is offering two Micro-Irrigation Retrofit Workshops so residents can learn how to convert a traditional irrigation system into a more water-efficient micro-irrigation system. And, find out about a variety of low-volume/micro-irrigation products.

Participants will receive a retrofit kit (one per household).

• Wednesday, April 15, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Tampa Garden Club, 2629 Bayshore Blvd., Tampa
• Saturday, May 9, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at New Tampa Regional Library, 10001 Cross Creek Blvd., Tampa

Participants who are not Hillsborough County residents must pay $20 to receive the retrofit kit.

Seating is limited; to register, call 813-744-5519×144 or email carverms@hillsboroughcounty.org.

The District Governing Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District voted today to further restrict usage of outdoor water. The highlights that affect everyone in Wildewood:

• New restrictions go into effect April 3, 2009
• Watering days remaining the same
• Properties less than 1 acre may water between midnight and 4AM
• Car washing is prohibited

For more details go to the announcement on the SWFWMD site.  To report suspected violations, call (813) 224-8993.

On March 21st, Wildewood’s property manager and your president pro tempore, Matthew Crumley, attended the seven hour event and hoped to bring home another award.  Alas, Wildewood didn’t have the right stuff this time around.  Keep in mind the conference isn’t just about recognition – it’s about knowledge.  In that latter area much was gained.

A lot of good information was provided in the Disaster Planning workshops.  The class’s instructor, Sherry, had personal experience during hurricane Gene and the ensuing process with local, state, and federal organizations.  Overall, Wildewood is largely “covered” with insurance and ample reserves for repairing common areas.  Our streets are public, so the county is responsible for clearing them post-disaster.  There’s much more to it and we’ll look into steps Wildewood can take to better prepare itself and its residents.

At the rescheduled annual meeting, the Board hoped to see some new faces, or at least some faces. Unfortunately, no one attended. Based upon good overall attendance and interest in last year’s activities, the Board felt good momentum was established. People expressed an interest in a neighborhood watch, therefore Wildewood secured $1500 of grant money from the County, but then no one attended any meetings. By definition a neighborhood watch requires neighbors to join forces. Clearly, this is not happening.

You will also notice there are no future events scheduled, nor have any newsletters been distributed in the past three months. Your 2008 Board of Directors is operating on a pro tempore basis and due to personal activities and full time work, are stretched even thinner. Although we are coasting on last year’s achievements, it will not last for long. Wildewood recently submitted an application for the Best Beautification Project of 2008 and the winner will be announced at the upcoming Hillsborough County Neighborhood Convention on March 21st.

Cross your fingers for Wildewood.