Montevilla at Bartram Lakes, Inc.

Updated: August 21, 2026 (Rule of the week link)

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August 21, 2026

• The lightning storm on 8/13/26, caused a lot of damage to the Association and our vendors have been busy this week performing repairs.  VerdeGo was on site Saturday 8/14/26, to repair the broken 4" irrigation main line that cracked as a result of the storm.  Below is a summary of the damage and replacement work:

  • IRRIGATION

    • Replaced one North Clock Hunter ACC2 irrigation controller

    • Replaced three Hunter ICD1000 Decoders

    • Replaced one Rainbird solenoid

    • Replaced two 4” couplings

    • Replaced three feet of 4” irrigation pipe

    • Replaced one 4” SlipFix

  •  POOL CABANA ACCESS SYSTEM

    • Replaced one Doorking System power supply (pool)

  • VEHICLE ACCESS GATE SYSTEM

    • Replaced two fuses for Cellgate system

    • Replaced one Weingard circuit board (entrance gates) – covered under warranty 

  • NORTH LAKE FOUNTAIN 

    • Replaced one Intermatic Mechanical Timer 

  • LIGHT BOLLARD 

    • Replaced one LED Light bulb

 

• When totaled, the Association incurred over $6000 worth of damage from this storm.  Our insurance deductible is $10,000, so we will not be filing an insurance claim.  Verdego has installed one half of the irrigation system grounding rods today.  Once the additional supply of grounding rods are received they will complete this work.  This should reduce the North Clock problems we have been experiencing in the past.

• American Electrical was on site 8/20/26, and completed the conversion of two inoperative light bollards to LED.  They also restored power to the Southern side of the pool cabana fireplace flood lights.

• VerdeGo replaced the crew that has been mowing our turf with a new crew this week. We have seen an improved performance.

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August 15, 2026

• Friday August 14, 2026, we experienced a very strong thunderstorm with lightning.  After the storm an owner reporting a water leak in the back yard of a home on Pachino court.  James Griffith, President, and Wayne Blalock, Director of Landscaping responded and discovered the four inch main irrigation line was broken.  They subsequently turned off the irrigation to the North Clock to minimize water waste.  VerdeGo Landscape was notified

• On Saturday, August 15, 2026, VerdeGo's Irrigation technician responded and discovered lightning hit the tree behind the home on Pachino Court, entered the ground breaking a four-inch main irrigation line, electrocuting the North Clock controller, and multiple irrigation decoders.  Once VerdeGo completes the damage assessment they will submit a proposal to repair the damage to the Board of Directors.  We have put our insurance carrier on notice, as we will be filing a claim for the storm damage.

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August 7, 2026

• We are happy to report the entire irrigation system has ran for seven days without any alarms of failures.  VerdeGo's Irrigation Director is now developing a zone and time map so we know when each zone should be running.  This map will be shared with owners after it is finalized.

• VerdeGo will install the seven irrigation system grounding rods by 8/14/26.  This will ensure the system is properly grounded per the Hunter Irrigation specifications.  It is anticipated that by properly grounding the system it will reduce the number of failures due to lighting strikes and other environmental electrical surges. 

• We have received the metal support brackets for the Montevarchi Court Swing were installed Sunday August 9, 2026. Thanks Scott/Liz.
   

July 31, 2026

• VerdeGo has repaired both irrigation clocks and there are no errors or alarms.  The system is running perfectly now. 

• The BOD approve installing seven grounding rods for the irrigation system.  The Hunter Irrigation Tech Rep stated that installing these six foot grounding rods that the problems with the North Clock should decrease significantly.  VerdeGo is coordinating a visit with the rep so she can inspect our irrigation system and validate it is now installed and running per the approved specifications.  

• The two dead trees on Montavarchi Court were removed by the Sorensen's this week.  Many thanks to them for thier volunteer efforts.

• New metal support brackets are being manufactured for the Montevarchi Court swing.  

• Owners are encouraged to check thier Sentry Management account to ensure they are not past due on any monthly assessment amounts.  The BOD has referred five owners to Ansbacher Law for collections.

July 24, 2026

• Many thanks to Wayne Blalock this week for restoring the two light bollards that were painted over by vandals.  He paintstakingly removed all the paint from the very expensive glass fresnel lenses on both bollards.  We also express a thank you to Deb Stewart for purchasing the light sockets that are inside the lenses as we believe this repair should restore the lights to working order.  A new light bollard will cost us $5,600.

• The two dead trees on Montavarchi Court should be removed 7/28/26, so the remnants can be picked up with yard trash on 7/29/26.

• VerdeGo's Director of Irrigation will be on site Monday 7/27/26 to discuss the state of the northern irrigation system and plan to stablize it

• Owners are reminded to not interfere with or stop the landscaping team from working.  If there is a concern please contact our Community Association Manager Christine Hart at Sentry Management.

• The draft Amendment Five to the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions is complete.  Owners will be voting on each of the five items in this amendment at the annual member meeting.  It is imperative that we have at least two-thirds of the Owners or 107 votes for each item or it will not pass.  This will be discussed further at the future board meetings.
   

July 17, 2026

• Most of the North Clock irrigation system is once again operational.  There is one leg of the system that still has a short and will require wire replacement.

• VerdeGo has discovered the Hunter Irrigation system was grounded to the storage room circuit breaker panel vs. to a direct floor ground per the instruction manual.  In discussions with the local Hunter Irrigation technical representative this is very likely the cause to why the North Clock zones continually have problems - due to incorrect grounding.  Therefore, we have disconnect the grounds to both clocks at the circuit breaker panel.  VerdeGo's Irrigation Manager will be submitting a plan to install grounds at the decoders per the installation manual.  

• The four pots on top the pillars in the Venosa Fountain Park will have the irrigation repaired next week

• We are evaluating options to repair the Montevarchi Court swing.  The two main pillars are loose in the braces and require addiitonal support/bracing.

• VerdeGo completed the monthly wet check today.  Red flags were placed by irrigation heads that require repair/replacement.  Crews also completed the detail work along Bartram Park Blvd Northbound to the Carlisle apartments.  They will return next week to complete the remaining detail work.

• There are two dead trees on Montevarchi Court along the fence that will be removed next week.

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July 10, 2026

• VerdeGo was on site this week for four days to perform detail work.  They were focused on lowering the tops of hedges to window height.  

• The middle fountain was repaired this week.  There was some water intrusion to the connecting wires and that was resolved.

• Liz Sorensen added fresh soil and plants to the four planters in the Venosa Fountain Park.  The flowers were donations from Laura and Brenda.  Thank you both very much for the donations.  Please stop by and visit this park to see the beautiful fountain and flowers.​​​​

 

Street Parking:  Street parking is prohibited for all residents within the property. All residents of homes within the property must park their vehicles inside their garage or in their driveway. Vehicles are not permitted to block sidewalks at anytime.  Contractors, vendors and guests of residents, may park their vehicles on the street only on a temporary, short-term basis during the hours of 6:00 am to 11:59 pm; provided that they may not block any driveways or mailboxes and they must comply with any “No Parking” signs that may be posted.  No vehicles may be parked on the street within the property during the hours of 12:00 am to 5:59 am, except vehicles used by the Association. Towing will be strictly enforced.

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RULE OF THE WEEK - Article III, Section 28 - Front Yards: Lawns:  
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1. The front yard of each residence constructed on a Lot shall remain grass, and no front yard shall be paved over (either concrete, asphalt or otherwise), nor covered with rock, gravel or other similar material, unless the initial construction by the Declarant utilizes an alternate plant ground cover due to heavy shade on the Lot.  Thereafter, the same type of plant ground cover shall be utilized unless otherwise approved by the ACC.  Nothing herein shall prohibit xeriscape, drought resistant types of grass, or “Florida-friendly landscape” as defined in the Florida Statutes.

2. No Owner of a Lot shall be permitted to install any additional landscaping anywhere on a Lot unless such landscaping is installed within a fully enclosed front or rear patio.
    

Disclaimer - This is not the official site for the Montevilla at Bartram Lakes Association.  It is hosted by an Owner at no cost to the Association.  The Association's official Website is hosted by Sentry Management.