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Accents Maple Leaf Advertising
March 2020 [email protected]
Director’s Corner Gary Kobel - President
As I am writing this our Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on February 24th. 3 new directors have been elected to your board of directors. Joe Anderson, Jim Harrison and Mike Rooney, please join me in congratulating them. I will serve 1 more year to fulfill the last year of Rick Hull's term. Pursuant to bylaw 8.1 an Organizational meeting will be held within 5 days after the AGM meeting. The organizational meeting was held 1 hour following the AGM on February 24th, 2020, Karen Hamilton chaired the meeting to elect the president of the board of directors. I Gary Kobel was elected President, I then took over as Chair of the Organizational meeting to elect the remaining officers of the corporation, Vice President of Administration, Vice President of activities, Treasurer and Secretary.
It is my pleasure to announce your new officers of the corporation. The following board members were elected: Karen Hamilton as Vice President of Administration, Mike Smith as Vice President of activities, Joe Anderson as Treasurer and Martin Smyth as Secretary. I want to acknowledge the dedicated men and woman who served on your 2019/2020 board of directors: Dan Adam, Karen Hamilton, Ray LeClair, Frank Phillips, Tim Redmond, Dave Rowan, Mike Smith and Martin Smyth. I am very proud of these hard-working men and woman. As of the AGM Dan Adam and Dave Rowan's terms are up and will again join the ranks of the retired. I thank them for their service. Dan and Dave were presented with a plaque commemorating their service. We have a dedicated Director that could not be with us today, our past president Rick Hull. Rick served over 11 years on the board, over 5 as president. Rick is now above taking care of our residents who have gone before us. We will be honoring Rick in a future ceremony. Special Thanks to our Corporate Administrative Assistant, Diane Eilbacher, who keeps all the board members on the straight and narrow. I also would like to thank your Ombudsman Jeff Papiez for performing a difficult job. Thank you to our election committee, Link Hersey, John Lock, Deb Lester and Betsy Field. I would like to report to you the state of Maple Leaf is very good. We have less than a dozen homes for sale. Normal homes for sale in a community such as ours would be 8 to 9 % or approximately 100 homes. Our real Estate folks tell me our home values have risen an average of 12 % over the past 2 years. Our community is in demand. We have a beautiful well-maintained park thanks to our staff and our clubs and volunteers who keep our community the "Best of the Best" Our golf course has just been named in the top 25 executive/ 9-hole golf courses in the nation. That places our course in the top 1% I the United States.
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We have had a busy year with many projects being completed. To name a few; New roofs on the Can Am, Pro Shop, Fitness Center and the CanAm Post Office were completed. The Country Club and Sand Bar received a much-needed face lift; The Queensway received a new floor. The Country Club electrical system was brought to code, the deck is in the process of being re-built, the Century Link contract was signed, and the installation of our new Internet is well underway. Our new accounting and retail management system has been rolled out and in operation. Because of our talented volunteers (Dave Hebert, Lindsay Brannen, Gary Croskey and Drew Robertson) we have completed the study of our Rampart lands and the board will be reviewing the recommended options. I do have some concerns; we have an aging infrastructure that we must take care of. Our roads need attention we must complete more roads per year. This past year we chose to complete fewer roads to be able to not only resurface the roads but engineer the roads to provide better drainage which costs more per road. In the future we will need to spend more money on our roads to complete more engineered roads per year. Our buildings need attention: The CanAm rest rooms need to be remodeled to provide better handicap access. The CanAm floor will need to be replaced in the upcoming years. The Fitness center floor is cracked and requires replacement and several pieces of fitness equipment need replacement. Our Maintenance building roof is leaking and must be replaced. Our Irrigation committee comprised of our residents with engineering backgrounds is looking at our park irrigation system which may need repairs. Our clubs are seeking to expand their presence in the park. Pickle ball is requesting more courts Woodworkers need more space Some of our clubs need more storage space. I know you do not wish to hear this, but we will need increase our budgets in upcoming years to keep Maple Leaf the community we know and love. Restaurant Operations I would like to spend a few moments talking about Restaurant operations. Unfortunately, I must tell you I am not happy with the financial performance of our restaurant operations. Most, if not all gated community restaurant operations lose money. Country Club Management association which we are a member report the average losses for their members is 15%, that is the average loss. Although losses are not uncommon, our losses are too high. I do however see a light at the end of the tunnel. After many years of struggling with staffing I believe we now have management staff that understands how to run a restaurant. Our new executive chef understands how to effectively run our Kitchen and our GM also has 25+ years of restaurant experience. Changes will not happen overnight, but I am hopeful we will see a better financial performance in the future. What I am proud of is the food and entertainment experience we have provided our residents. We had a bumpy start however I believe the food has been very good and with changes in the delivery methods we are now providing a more efficient way of providing the meals.
Your entertainment committee has put on approximately 35 different entertainment and dinner options with more to follow. The remodel of the CC and Sand Bar and the addition of the new furniture have given us a beautiful setting for our meals and entertainment. I am not sure where you can go and experience the view sitting on our veranda or deck overlooking our lake and eat a breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast and coffee for $6. I would like to thank my entertainment committee; Pat McEvoy, Dan Adam, Mike Smith, Mitch Krach, and our Executive Chef Roger. There are many other volunteers who work on our entertainment that make them successful.
The board will be opening all committees requesting volunteers following our AGM where new committee chairs will be assigned.
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100 Restaurant fee. Many of you are using your $100 restaurant fee; we have 65 residents that have not paid their $100 restaurant fee. Effective March 1st finance charges will start on those unpaid $100 fees. For those that have instituted automatic deduction of your lot rent you will be able to charge restaurant and other fees to your account. Our target date is March 1st. I have been a test subject and it is working well. I can see these charges separately on my checking account statement.
General Manager
Mitch Krach Season is passing by very quickly and we are now at the peak of the busy season. We welcome any suggestions and comments to improve your community and the amenities. A brief update follows, more information is provided at the monthly Homeowner’s Meeting on the first Monday of each month. FINANCIALS. The unaudited 2019 financial statements and approved 2020 budgets are being sent to all certificate holders with the election packet mailing. The audited 2019 financial statements should be completed by the Annual Meeting. GOLF. Recently Golf Advisor has selected our Maple Leaf Golf Course as #24 of the TOP SHORT COURSES in the U.S.
CHANNEL 195 As of April 1 our Community Channel will no longer be available on Comcast Cable. All of the information will be posted on our community website in the form of a slide show going forward. DAMAGE TO COMMON PROPERTY. There are numerous occasions when someone damages the Park common property. There are many common elements damaged, like fences, vehicle access gates, bicycle racks, furniture, etc. There are responsible homeowners who promptly report the damage to the Park Office, but many times no one claims responsibility. People may assume the Park insurance will take care of damage, but that is normally not the case because we have a $5,000 deductible per claim. We request that any damage be reported to the Park Office by not only the person causing the damage, but also by witnesses. Your cooperation is important to limit unnecessary expenditures. WALKING ON MAPLE LEAF ROADS. The original developer of Maple Leaf did not build sidewalks. As a result, walkers, joggers, and bicyclists generally use the roads. Obviously, that also causes safety concerns. One of the biggest issues is walkers being two, three, or four abreast and traffic must divert into the other lane. Walkers should stay as close to the side of the road as possible and walk in single file. Walkers should also walk against traffic and wear bright clothing. At night walkers should carry lights and wear reflective clothing. NEW EMERGENCY PHONE/CALL BOXES. There have been new emergency phones located at all the pools. These phones are for 911 emergency calls only and will not connect any other calls. SPEEDING. The most violated rule in the Park is speeding – it is normally residents and not just commercial vehicle drivers. Sometimes it is bicyclists. Don’t cause an accident, injury, or even death because you were speeding. SANDBAR AND COUNTRY CLUB. There are many things going on in your Country Club. Monday features karaoke. There is Tuesday Happy Hour with entertainment, Thursday night now features a buffet dinner with entertainment, special dinners, movie nights, and many other happenings. There are daily breakfast and lunch specials. Sunday breakfast is extremely popular. Check the flyers, CH 195, and special updates from the Accents Editor.
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SALES OFFICE. There is a lot of activity in the real estate area. We encourage you to visit our three very experienced associates for your real estate needs. REAL PROPERTY TAX BILLS. If you are a certificate holder and have not paid your 2019 property taxes, you can still receive a 1% discount for paying in February. PARK PERMITS. A Park Permit is required for any modification outside the home or on the lot in accordance with the Rules & Regulations; additionally, a Charlotte County permit may be required depending on the scope of your project. LOT CARE. It is not too soon to begin thinking about who will care for your lot when you go north for the summer. We strongly recommend that you do not pay contractors in advance for your lot care. They should be paid only after the work is completed. There have been many instances of contractors only caring for your lot just before you return in the fall rather than doing the work all summer as you assumed the work would be done. A new ‘Vacation & Absentee Form” is available at the front office to keep us informed of who will look after your home while you are away. Thanks to all the volunteers who do so much for this great community.
From the Treasurer
Karen Hamilton Due to a snag in conversion of data from our depreciation software to a new depreciation software, end of month for
January is delayed. As a result, Finances At A Glance will not be available until a later date and may be sent separately. A
recap of financial information will be provided at that time. We are sorry for the delay.
From the Pro Shop Nathan Wilson – Golf Professional
January Hole In One’s
1. Bill Gallagher – 2/10/2020 - Hole # 9 2. Dave Fleiner – 2/10/2020 - Hole # 3 3. Dick Lemay – 2/12/2020 - Hole # 14 4. Jerry Scarlata – 2/17/2020 - Hole # 14 Men’s, Ladies & Mixed League Money Leaders As Of 2/18/2020 18 Hole Men (1) Ron Keyes - $89.90 (2) Gary Croskey - $83.67 (3) Mike Sheppard $80.60
9 Hole Men (1) Don Kauffman $60.01 (2) Court Wells $40.01 (3) Doug Armstrong $33.34 18 Hole Ladies (1) Joan Heywood $62.50 (2) Nancy Rooney $44.00 (3) Linda Hemstead $44.00 9 Hole Ladies (Tied 1) Barb Bauldry $28.00 (Tied 1) Barb Peterson $28.00 (3) Shirley McTaggart $26.00 Mixed League (1) Joan Gibson $29.00(2) Rita Robinson $28.00 (3) Mike Sheppard $26.00 Twilight Golf Our Twilight fee starts at 3:00pm daily and is only $21.00 for Male Leaf Residents when using their own cart, or
$26.00 when using a Maple Leaf fleet cart, including tax! Please note that on crossover days (Monday, Friday &
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Saturday), there may not be any room for the Twilight fee due to the amount of play in the afternoon wave that
runs from 1:17pm – 2:42pm. All other days without special events or course maintenance have Twilight times
available. Course Trash Recently, we have noticed more and more cigarette butts littered throughout the course. There are plenty of trash cans on
the course, and if need be, you can use the sand container on your cart. It is also important to remember that Maple Leaf is
lucky to be a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and small items like that can easily be mistaken as food by the
many species of wildlife we are lucky to have. Please dispense of your trash in the proper manner. Upcoming Events
• Annual Golf Association Dinner Dance & Awards Gala – March 7th • Nine & Dine – March 15th - Sign Up TBD • Spring Fling Tournament – March 29th - Sign Up TBD
Top 25 In the Country! Did you know that your Maple Leaf golf course has taken the 24th spot in all of the U.S. for best short
courses to play? Click on the link below and check it out!
https://www.golfadvisor.com/best-of/golfers-choice-2019-short-courses
Golf and Grounds Superintendent Christopher Spence
Golf
This season weather patterns have been weird going from hot to cold from week to week
and it's something that in speaking with a lot of superintendents has been a challenge this
year. We have some weak areas due to nematode damage but all in all I am happy how
the course is looking and playing, especially with the over 17,000 rounds of golf we have
done since October.
Over the last two months we have purchased two new pieces of equipment a heavy-duty
Salsco roller used to roll greens. Also a Ventrac tractor with two attachments one for
edging cart paths and the other to trim lake banks and shrubs, there are 31 different
attachments that can be bought for this tractor this machine is the swiss army knife of
tractors and both pieces are great additions to our fleet of maintenance equipment.
Grounds
This month we planted some new trees in common areas thanks to the Garden Club. We appreciate their continued
support and donations in making the park even more beautiful. Just as a reminder to all residents, and for those who will
be leaving us over the next few months, we will be trimming palm trees around your homes over the summer. If you have
any statues or important items in the beds near or around the palm trees, please have them moved to a safe location
before you leave so there is no chance of them being damaged when tree trimming commences.
As always make sure if you need any assistance with irrigation to please send a work order request into the main office.
Work orders can take up to 1 to 2 weeks to be completed, from October to March we get over 600 work orders for
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irrigation. Mike and Dan work hard to get work orders done as quickly as possible but sometimes other things do come
up on the golf course and park that take priority so patience would be greatly appreciated regarding work orders. To help
us reduce this number, especially when it comes to flagging, I recommend drawing a map of all your heads or marking
them some way, so they don’t need to be flagged every year.
New Sod
If you are putting down new sod and require extra water, please have your request in before 2:30pm Thursday because if
the request is placed on Friday you will not get extra water till Monday evening.
Staffing
We have had two full time staff recently join the golf staff Joey Ramirez and Scott Barberine, and one part time employee
Scott Brachmann.
Lawn Maintenance
There will be one cut scheduled for March.
Report on Activities and Maple Leaf Web Site, March 2020 Mike Smith 1. New Furniture in the Country Club and Sandbar
Thanks to everyone who have complimented the new look of the Country Club and Sandbar with our new furniture. 2. Karaoke
We have introduced Happy Hour prices for Monday Night Karaoke so come on out and have some fun. 3. High Speed Internet Project
We have updated our web site with the latest information on this project. You may navigate to this as follows: - Log in to MapleLeafGcc.net - Click OUR COMMUNITY - Click NEWS ON THE FIBER OPTIC UPGRADE - The most recent information links are at the bottom
Splicing complete is scheduled for 28 Feb and homeowners will be called individually by Century Link for activation which will require a technician visit.
4. Forms a) Communication Service Requests.
You can obtain one of these forms as follows: - Log in to MapleLeafGcc.net - Click MEMBERS - Click FORMS MAPLELEAF - Click COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE REQUEST FORM - Follow the prompts - Remember, these forms should be submitted at least 2 weeks before the event. b) Vacation and Absentee Form
You can obtain one of these forms a s follows:
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- Log in to MapleLeafGcc.net - Click MEMBERS - Click FORMS MAPLELEAF - Click RESIDENTS AWAY FORM - Follow the prompts 5. Lifetime Learning
We have 2 Lifetime Learning Sessions planned for this season, one on Feb 17 and one on March 30. These will be held in the Country Club starting with breakfast at 9:00 am and a documentary about 1 hour long at 10:00 am People who don’t want to have breakfast can come at 9:45 am. The Admission is $2 There will be time for discussion after the documentary. We will make our plans for next season based on the attendance we get this season. We are also looking at getting live speakers for some sessions.
6. Maple Leaf Sharing
This idea was conceived by Keith McGruer who wanted a web page for people who wanted to share rides to the Fort Myers Airport. We have developed a web page where people can share rides and they can also share other things such as recipes, handyman service or other things. You may reach the Maple Leaf Sharing page as below:
- Log in to MapleLeafGcc.net - Click OUR COMMUNITY - Click MAPALE LEAF SHARING - Follow the prompts
One person is offering a free ride to Toronto
If you need assistance or you have suggestions for this web page please contact [email protected] 7. Volunteers to Deliver Take Out Food Orders to Residents with Mobility Problems.
We have offered this service for 6 weeks and have not had one request for delivery of a takeout meal. We are therefore discontinuing this service. Thank you to all the volunteers who submitted your names. Your hearts were in the right place.
Entertainment Committee Miles & Pat McEvoy There is a lot of great entertainment in the Country Club for the month of March. All the entertainers on a Thursday
Night Wings & Things play for tips only. There is no charge and no tickets but please remember to put your tip in the
bucket. We kindly suggest that the minimum is $5.00 per couple. ON STAGE FROM 5 TO 7:15PM
Due to the large number of people attending these evenings we have changed the food service to a buffet. It will be set
on the Sandbar veranda at a cost of $10. It is not an all you can eat buffet. Order your food ticket from your server. The
menu will be on the maple leaf facebook page each week.
Thursday 5th March MIXED UP DUO one of the best duos in the area. You will love them I promise. Good lively music.
Wednesday 11th March MARDI GRAS IN THE Park $5.00 for a ticket entertainment all afternoon 2 to 7 pm with JERSEY
VIC & Robert & WOLFIE BYOB a cookout will be available all afternoon for $7. See the full information on another page
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Thursday 12th March BRETT BAKER returns for the last chance to hear our favourite cowboy this season.
Saturday 14th March more information to follow
Tuesday 17th March ST PATRICKS DAY PARADE with IRISH MARTIN entertaining in the Country Club til 3 pm. No tickets
we will collect tips
Thursday 19th March SENSATIONS will return for a great night of music.
Saturday 21st March Dinner followed by entertainment from HEART & SOUL. Tickets will be on sale shortly
Thursday 26th March our very own DIVERSITY will be on stage from 5:00 to 7:00pm don’t miss our great band
All these events are also advertised on Facebook and Channel 195. Watch the notice boards.
Creative Writing – A Reading
Walt Lemon
Please join the Creative Writers group for an evening of stories. You will hear ten or twelve of stories or poems written by members of the group. You will be entertained, amused and hopefully enjoy the stories. We will serve refreshments and snacks. When: Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 - 9:00 PM. Where: Charlotte Center We look forward to having you listen to our tales. For information, please contact Walt Lemon at 391-6853
Ladies Golf League
Sharon Poland, Vice-Captain On February 4, The Ladies Invitational,
“Hawaiian PAR-TEE”, was a huge success
with 104 players from Maple Leaf and 7
outside golf clubs. A very special thank you to
Nicole Goddu and her committee
extraordinaire for organizing this ever-
popular event! Many thanks, as well, to all
our ML players who provided donations for
the breakfast buffet and our helpful
“chauffeurs”. Our restaurant staff supplied a
delicious lunch in the beautiful new Country
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Club which was decorated perfectly for the Hawaiian theme.
Congratulations to the all players from ML and our invited golfers. The first place Scramble team winners Dodi Russell
(PC) , Kathy McKay (BS), Marty Dewitte (ML) & Norma Seevers ( ML); Closest to the Pin #2 Mary Head (ML) & Char Taylor
(PC); Closest to the Pin #14 Mary Harris (ML) & Katie Best (DC): Closest to the Line Barb Bauldry (ML); Longest Drive Sarah
Benza (HC) & Barb Cynkar ( ML). See you all back next year when Nicole Goddu will continue as the Invitational
Chairperson. Can’t wait to see what is up Nicole’s sleeve for next year’s Invitational.
The LGL hosted another Cart Wash Fundraiser on Feb 23/20. Thank you to Barb Peterson for organizing this event, our
LGL volunteer scrub and polishers and to all the owners of a shiny clean golf cart who supported this event with their
donations!
This year’s Club and Flight Championship plays on Feb 29 and Mar 1. Good luck to all players!
Our last Shot Gun Scramble, luncheon (with an exciting new menu) and AGM will be on Tues. March 24 at which time we
will announce the proposed Executive for next year. Sadly, our last day of league play will be on Tues. March 31 but it
will be a “Fun Day”!
To all the women of our LGL, we hope everyone has enjoyed their golf season this year. Please let your executive know
of any questions or suggestions for next year. We are here for you!
Mardi Gras in the Park Wednesday 11th March 2020
The Maple Leaf Lawn Bowling Club are inviting the residents and guests to the second annual Mardi Gras in the Park. It
will be held on Wednesday 11th March on the sun deck, if open, and surrounding area. This will be a party with
decorations, food, drink, and entertainment. Bring your own food & drink BYOB & chairs and enjoy the entertainment.
Gate opens at 1 pm. The cost is $5 each and you will have a wrist band so you can come and go all afternoon.
The first entertainer will be Jersey Vic followed by Robert & Wolfie. These Maple Leaf favourites will be on the deck from
2pm to 7 pm for dancing and your enjoyment. The Sand Bar will be grilling burgers, hot dogs, brats with soda for $7 on
the grounds all afternoon if you don’t want to bring your own. Mardi Gras beads will be sold beforehand at Wings &
Things prior to the 11th. Save the date for a great afternoon.
St Patrick’s Day Saturday 17th March 2020 Parade and Entertainment
10:30 The parade assembles at Veterans Park
11:00. The parade goes around Queensway towards the Can Am. All the way around to finish at the Country Club
12:00 The Country Club doors will only open to residents AFTER the parade participants have been given access.
12:30. Irish Martin will be on stage until 3:30pm
This is one of the most popular events in Maple Leaf. There are in excess of 35 carts plus cars, bikes and pedestrians. You
should dress up, but you must decorate your cart with something green. It is lots of fun and lots of spectators along the
route. Our very own King of the Leprechauns will lead the parade. All parade participants will be given a ticket to gain first
entry into the Country Club. Spaces will be reserved in the CC car park for the parade carts etc. The CC will be locked at
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ALL entrances until the parade people are allowed into the room. They will enter by the back door beside the pro shop by
ticket only.
Disabled people will be allowed entrance at the front door beside the office. The Sand Bar will provide corned beef
sandwiches to be served during the entertainment. Non will be available to purchase on the day. Don’t delay as last year
we sold over 300 sandwiches. IRISH MARTIN otherwise known as Martin Dillon is a very good Irish entertainer. We are
very lucky to get an Irishman on St Patrick’s Day to play for tips only. Please be prepared to be very generous. Also be
prepared to have a great day. Green beer will be on sale.
MAPLE LEAF SINGERS CONCERTS
“Old Favorites and New Classics”
The Maple Leaf Singers present concerts on March 6, 8 & 9
Join us for a relaxing evening of Old Favorites such as Moonglow, That’s Amore, Swinging on a Star and New
Classics such as Music of the Night and Can You feel the Love Tonight?
Great music for toe-tapping and humming along…who knows, there may even be a time to sing with us!
Choral numbers, enchanting soloists, unique instrumental accompaniment, and a surprise or two.
Concerts are at The Queensway. Your ticket allows you to choose your date:
Friday, March 6 at 7:30
Sunday, March 8 at 3
Monday, March 9 at 7:30
TICKETS $ 8 Door to door sales or call 627-6911
Billiards Stan Noel, Secretary On January 31, 2020, the Billiards Club held their Friday Couples Night. One new couple, Jane and Don Gregor, joined the
group. The Friday Night Couples group played a game called Poker Match Pool which involved matching billiard balls to
playing cards. The three top winners were Peter and Mavis Trivett, Mike and Heather Comba, and Joe and Lenor Szabo.
On February 3, the club hosted a 9-Ball Tournament and the winners are as follows:
First Place: Stan Noel and Butch Trautman Runner-up: Larry Pinto and Jerry Self
Second Place: Homer Fournier and Mike Comba
Runner-up: Jim Bayens and Jack Assunto
Third Place: Joe Szabo and Richard Smith Runner-Up: Ken Hamilton and Pat O’Leary
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On February 7, the club hosted games against Isles Yacht Club which resulted in the following:
Maple Leaf A team vs Isles A team: Maple Leaf 25, Isles 25
Maple Leaf B team vs Isles B team: Isles 30, Maple Leaf 20
On February 14, the club hosted games against Windmill Village which resulted in the following:
Maple Leaf A team vs Windmill A team: Windmill 26, Maple Leaf 24
Maple Leaf B team vs Windmill B team: Windmill 28, Maple Leaf 22
The Maple Leaf A team players who played against the outside clubs consisted of Don Heywood, Jim Bayens, Larry Pinto,
Gord Gladman, Ken Hamilton, Dave Ballard and Tim Jones. The A team won 71 out of 150 games played.
The Maple Leaf B team players who played against the outside clubs consisted of Mike Comba, Ron Smith, Stan Noel, Cil
Schell, Homer Fournier, Tim Jones, Micheline Trudeau, Tom Zenisek, Lindsay Brannen, Joe Szabo and Sam Thomas. The B
team won 74 out of 150 games played.
On February 17, the club hosted an 8-Ball Tournament and the winners are as follows:
First Place: Jim Bayens and Russ Dean
Second Place: Tim Jones and Butch Trautman
Third Place: Peter Trivett and Jack Assunto
Fourth Place: Cil Schell and Sam Thomas
The Championship games are progressing on schedule and the Championship game will be held on Sunday, March 22,
2020. All are invited to watch.
Ballroom/Social Dance group
Tuesdays @ The CanAm 2:30 till 5:00 Roger Marsh & Penny McDonald
penro@sympatico .ca
1 905 726 8255
For March 2020 we will wrap up the Rumba routine and be moving on to a dancer’s choice of one of the following routines.
Samba (Latin), Cha Cha Cha (Latin) or Fox Trot (Elegant Sinatra). One of these tempos suited to beginners to the dance
will continue for several more weeks to the end of the month. After each practice session we also play a variety of dance
practice music to remember previous dance routines and enjoy dancing to popular music.
Don’t forget your dancing shoes
Free Weights Program Nancy & Keith McGruer
The Free Weights program continues to be a very popular program for fitness among Maple Leaf residents. 130 people joined in this season, keen on developing strength, flexibility, coordination and balance, all so important as our bodies
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age. The program provides twice-a-week development in these four key areas:- very important when participating in all the sports activities Maple Leaf offers as well as in everyday activities around the home and elsewhere. And – it is all done to familiar music! Despite the fact that we were unable to use the Sun Deck all season, 70-80 people showed up each Wednesday and Sunday morning for the program in the CanAm building. The Free Weights program continued sponsorship of participants taking the CPR full course and the refresher course. This season the program sponsored nine more people to be qualified in CPR and 11 people who took the refresher course. Over the past three seasons, the Free Weights program has sponsored 31 people who became qualified to administer CPR and 17 who took the refresher course. Donations have been made for equipment for the refresher course as well. The last session this season will be Wed. March 18th, and on Sun. March 22nd the program will host an appreciation breakfast for the volunteers who come out early to set up the chairs each session and to thank others, such as counters and substitute leaders. If anyone else in Maple Leaf would like to come out to any of the remaining sessions to give it a try with a possibility of becoming a regular participant next season, you are welcome to join in any Wednesday or Sunday, no obligation. We start at 7:45 am sharp and conclude at 8:30 am. You don't have to do everything the regulars do, just do what is comfortable for you. Everyone has their limitations, especially when they are not used to an active program.
Travel Club Court and Eden Wells
For one week in early February approximately 50 Maple Leafers enjoyed a fabulous cruise on the beautiful Celebrity Edge.
The food & the service was impeccable. But the best thing about the ship was the FRIENDSHIPS that all the cruisers from
Maple Leaf experienced.
Now we are planning our 2021 cruise aboard the new Sky Princess. We will spend 10 days visiting 7 ports in the Southern
Caribbean January 19-29.If you would like to reserve a cabin & join us, call All Aboard Travel , Donna at 800-741-1770 ext.
6409. Hope you “ seas “ the opportunity
Duplicate Bridge Club Mavis Trivett – President Please visit our Website for information about our Bridge Club.
www.bridgewebs.com/mapleleafgcc/.
Please check Channel 195 for Duplicate Bridge Club Announcements. We held our Spring Club Championship game on Monday, February 17. Our Club Champions for this year are Mary Raeside & Gladys Walker. Our “B” winners are Denis Leduc & Tom Howat. Congratulations to both pairs. In late January we had a lesson on “Reverses” given by Joe Potter, which was well attended. We look forward to Joe's lessons as we always learn something new. Once again, our Pizza Night was a great success with members and guests enjoying a social get together and meal before
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our evening game. Thank you to Penny Suikki and all our volunteer team members. We need two new volunteers for next year to help with the preparation of Salads. Please let Penny know if you are available. Thank you for your consideration. On Monday, March 2, we will be holding a Charity Game. Our charity of choice is the Alzheimer’s Society. We are asking members to donate to this worthy group. Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday, March 16 at 5.45 p.m. Election of officers for 2019/20 will be held at this meeting. Please inform an executive member if you are interested in serving on the committee. Your attendance is requested. Our regular game will follow the meeting. All Duplicate Bridge games are held at the CanAm. Registration closes at 6.30 p.m. for our Monday and Wednesday games. Games start at 6.45 p.m. Our Social Duplicate Bridge Game on Wednesday Afternoon has registration at 12.45 p.m. with a 1 p.m. game. Dues are $15, Table Fee is $1, and Guest Fees are $3. A special thank you to Dorothy Howat and Denis Leduc who are running this program. If you require a partner, please contact Doug Brenner, our partnership coordinator, via our website. We cannot guarantee a partner, but we will try. We ask members to please let Doug know if you are available to be a spare.
Hole in One Larry Cheeseman- Captain On Wednesday the 12th. of February the Hole in One Celebration Party was held in the Queensway Center. We celebrated the success of 8 of our members in scoring a Hole in One on our Maple Leaf Golf Course and we congratulate them
Jorge Barbosa Jan. 31/20 on Hole # 9 Charlie Smith Jan. 29/20 on Hole # 11 Bill Matthews Jan. 26/20 on Hole # 14 Bonnie McDonald Jan. 12/20 on Hole # 6 Joan Gibson Jan. 9/20 on Hole # 2 Bud Lawry Jan. 1/20 on Hole # 8 Wayne Brownridge Dec. 9/19 on Hole #3 Wayne Brownridge Dec. 4/19 on Hole #2 Don MacArthur Oct. 28/19 on Hole #11 Our current season which began on November 1st. has not been overly rewarding to our members, we are now over 300 strong, and those members scoring this feat have been limited. Our season to date has seen the following results.
Hole # 2 4 # 3 2 # 6 1 # 8 1 # 9 1 # 11 1 # 13 1 # 14 3 # 16 0 # 18 0 Total 14
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The Hole in One Celebration Club holds a Party Meeting once a month during Season, from November to April. The Party is held in the Queensway from 4 – 6 PM on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the achievement of any member golfer who has scored a hole in one during the preceding month. Membership in the Celebration Club is open to ALL members of the M.L. Golf Association and their spouse or partner. The seasonal membership covering 6 Meetings is just $20.00 per person. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday March11, 2020 and memberships may be purchased at the door. The Hole in One Club is pleased to have been able to preserve a portion of our Maple Leaf golf history and has had the retired granite tee marker for Hole # 16 permanently installed by the front entrance of the Queensway. This is our Meeting Home and we are pleased that future Maple Leaf Golfers will be able to see a little piece of our course history. We would like to extend an invitation to our seasonal renters who have taken up Maple Leaf residence in January to join our club. If you are a Golf Association member you are eligible to join in the fun. We look forward to seeing you at our next party on March11.
Pickleball Tom Kanigan, Past President On January 23, we had another successful FUN tournament. The winners were Tom Karg at the novice level, Roger Marsh intermediate and Chris Dodd advanced. The Club Championship was held February 21-23, with a BBQ on the Saturday. Winners are listed on our web site. Our sponsor, Premium Pickleball, demonstrated new paddles, clothing and other pickleball necessities, and once again donated draw prizes. A clinic for intermediate and advanced players was held on February 7, led by Joe and Gail Benolken. Participants reported that it was a very useful event. Membership continues to grow as more residents arrive in the Park, and we now have over 230 Club members. Courts are being extensively utilized every day from 9 AM to 6 PM, and it is clear we need more courts. Ladder play continues to be extremely popular, with mixed, men’s and ladies play scheduled at different times to accommodate everyone. Our AGM is scheduled for Tuesday, March 24 at 1 PM in the Can Am. Information on Pickleball in Maple Leaf is available on our web site, which is: [email protected]. Members and guests are encouraged to visit it regularly to see what is new as the site is updated almost daily. The website includes the court schedule, information on ladders as well as training, and the latest club news. Coming in April Open Mike Night at the Queensway. More info to come. Registrations will be in March. Any talent, singing, jokes, playing an instrument, dancing, poetry. Etc.
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Maple Leaf History Book Tom Kanigan
Sales of the book Welcome Home – The Maple Leaf Story have been going well and are still available at the locations indicated in the following poster for only $19.50 USD (including taxes). Following March 1, you can purchase a copy by calling any of the following residents.
Tom Kanigan 875-9896
Mike Smith 249-4278
Bill O’Hare 467-3189
Dorothy Mumby (519) 641-8693
Jim Ritchie (613) 592-5775
Cindy Shannon (507) 261-3557
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Golf Association Jane Robertson, Vice-President It is hard to believe that it is March and the final month of what has been a very busy Winter golf season. Our President’s Cup was held on February 9, with a Newfoundland theme as our Golf Association President, Sheridan Yetman, is from Newfoundland. In the true spirit that Newfoundlanders are known for, helpful, friendly, and generous, Sheridan, in his authentic Sou’Wester hat generously replaced every ladies’ golf ball that unfortunately found the water on Hole #3. Forty-seven balls were replaced! The Men’s Senior and Super Senior Club Championship was held on February 5 and 12. Congratulations to Bob Wallace, Senior Low Gross and Terry Kirby, Senior Low Net and to Dick Lemay, Super Senior Low Gross and Frank Campbell, Super Senior Low Net. The Ladies Senior and Super Senior Club Championship is scheduled for Tuesday, February 25. Our Club Championship is being held on Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1, followed by an Awards Celebration with Wine, Beer and Hors D’0euvres. There are several changes to the format this year starting with it being a two-day event, the addition of 9 Hole flights and that ALL flights are stroke play (not match play). There will be Low Gross and Low Net winners for each flight. Our Annual Golf Association Dinner Dance – Putt’n on the Ritz - is on Saturday, March 7, at the Queensway. Music by Mixed Up Duo. For information and tickets call Joan Young at 705-896-5886. Our next and final Nine & Dine for this season is scheduled for March 15. Nine and Dine is open to everyone in our Maple Leaf community – we encourage anyone who is new to our golf course to join us for a fun, non-competitive Nine & Dine. Sign up will start March 5 in the Pro Shop – details will be posted on the community boards at the CanAm Post Office, CanAm Building, the Charlotte Pool and Charlotte Post Office as well as in the Starter Shack and behind the Pro Shop. When sign-up begins -- don’t delay – this is very popular and fills up quickly. The Golf Association Annual General Meeting is Wednesday, March 25 in the Queensway. This meeting will include election of the Officers of the Association. If you are interested in running for any position, please contact our Nominations Committee Chairperson, Yvon Tarte no later than 12:00 noon on March 10. Such nominations must be supported by at least 10 signatures of Maple Leaf Golf Association members in good standing. After the meeting we will have a casual reception with refreshments and hors d’oeuvres. And, the last tournament of the season is the Spring Fling, Sunday, March 29. The Superintendent’s Revenge is back! You won’t want to miss it – it was a lot of fun last year. Watch for details mid-March.
Garden Club
“Helping Educate Maple Leaf Homeowners about Florida Flowers and Plants” Norman Harrison, President The Garden Club Celebrated Valentine’s Day with Dolly Tomalinas. Dolly is a master gardener originally from New Jersey.
Her presentation “Benefits of House Plants”, was very informative. Indoor air pollution is problem that many are not aware
of and Dolly covered many plants that could be beneficial to alleviating that problem.
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Please come join us on March 14th for the next meeting of the Garden Club which will follow the Annual Maple Leaf
Memorial & Remembrance Service at the CanAm. This service is a chance for the Garden Club to honor those who have
donated to the Beautification Fund in memory of a loved one or in honor of a loved one.
New members are always welcome. Meet and Greet coffee and snacks will be held from 8:30 AM until 9:00 AM. The
Annual Maple Leaf Memorial & Remembrance Service will begin at 9:00AM. The business meeting will follow the service.
Bring your own mug for a door prize ticket. We will be celebrating our 31st anniversary with CAKE!!
Please contact Norman Harrison 255.8303 or Jolene Scofield 769.3559 if you need additional information or bring your
questions to the meeting. See you there!!
Natural Resources Committee Mike Comba co-chair. Any resident is welcome to join our committee. Visit our webpage at http://mapleleafgcc.net for valuable information on
water, plants, birds, trees, flowers, Audubon projects and wildlife. Go to “Our Community” and click on Natural Resources
Committee.
Operation Medicine Cabinet
Wednesday February 26th from 2-4 pm at Queensway. Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office will collect unused prescription
medication. NO SHARPS PLEASE!
Green Initiatives
Great news. The Corporation is discontinuing the use of styro-foam cups for golf and has switched to cloth napkins instead
of paper ones at the Country Club. Charlotte County recycling says leave the caps on plastic bottles.
Audubon Sanctuary Certification. In March Audubon International will be conducting the re-certification of Maple Leaf Golf and Country Club as a Certified
Audubon Sanctuary. NRC programs are used in this process.
NRC Website
A slide deck of pictures for the tree leaves identified in the 2018 tree census is now available on the website under the
TREE tab.
PHOTOS WANTED!
Do you have any photographs of park wildlife, fish, butterflies or other creatures? Please email them to
[email protected], we can use more on our website.
Line Dancing Denise Holland
PARTY IN THE QUEENSWAY February 16, was a HUGE success, Almost 200 people can't be wrong, dancing, singing, eating and enjoying a great 4 hr. afternoon. We have been asked to do it again! Well, we will let you know, Great Band, Great People, Thanks for being part of a Great Sunday Afternoon. Did I mention it was Great? hymmmm lol Queensway, Wednesdays, 7 pm beginner, 8 pm intermediate.
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Bring Water, dress lightly, wear soft-soled shoes. easier to dance in. (no flip flops) Wear names tags, Handouts available- "How to Learn the Steps", Practice in your Home! We always welcome Experienced dancers at 7 pm to provide more feet for our Beginners to watch. Yes, we encourage, Staring, but only at each other's feet! Your Instructors look forward to seeing you in March. Corrine Brownridge, Joan Gibson, Naida Johnson, Gord & Lise Gladman will lead you left over right, scissor and vine. Arrive, Solo, with Friends, make Friends! (especially after Mama Maria, lol) Keep the Feet Happy, Dance! Dance! Dance!
Maple Leaf Tennis
Greg Freeman
Tennis Club Lessons – Becky Thompson
The tennis club has been giving intermediate lessons to graduates of Taste of Tennis and other members who would like to improve their tennis skills. A new round of lessons will start the third week of February and run for six weeks. We are excited to be able to offer these lessons to our membership and thank our tennis members who offer their expertise to new, old and out of practice players. Continue to monitor the Charlotte Bulletin Board for Tennis Club information.
Maple Leaf Pro Invitational – John Casey There was a terrific turn out for the Pro Invitational Tennis exhibition at the CanAm courts. Club Pro, Tony Geracci umpired the matches and 140 people turned out to watch the 4 pros play in a round robin fashion for two hours. After the matches, everyone enjoyed Beef on a Bun with potato salad and baked beans. Many thanks to Tony Geracci and Wrigley’s Tennis in Punta Gorda for donating the raffle prizes. It was a beautiful day, enjoyed by all. Thanks to John Casey and his team of Ron Logel, Murray and Barb Knights, Lindsay and Margie Brannen, Kate Lilley and Sandy Gladman for their part in making this event a success. Women’s Doubles Tournament – Sue Page The Ladies Double Tournament was played January 25, 2020. We had 32 signed up, giving us 8 teams to organize. A and B Flight teams were created. Congratulations to the Winners of A Flight - Chris Kupraty and Pat Watson Congratulations to the Winners of B Flight - Arlis Wood and Karen VanLeeuwen Many thanks to Mike and Sue Page and their team of Ed and Irene Stich, Richard and Arlis Wood and Lorette Pinto for assisting during the morning. President’s Dinner Dance – Heather Reid
This year, the event was sold out with 141 tennis club members and guests attending the wonderful evening. The food, catered from Hurricane Charley’s, was delicious, the service excellent and the band of Robert and Wolfie. rocked the house to the delight of the dancers, to the very end. Next year’s event will have a “Holiday in Greece”: theme and will be held on March 5th, with the same caterer and band. So….if you have pictures at home of previous trips to Greece bring them back to ML next fall, or if you have any trips planned, make sure you take pictures to contribute to our “on Location” board. Bravo to Heather Reid and her committee for a fabulous Parisian experience.
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MAPLE LEAF TENNIS CLUB’S COMING EVENTS:
• Men’s Doubles Tournament – Saturday, February 22
• Strawberry Festival Hulling – Tuesday, Mar 17 1 PM CanAm -
• Strawberry Festival – Wednesday, Mar 18th 2:00 PM CanAm
Strawberry Festival Denise Holland, Publicity
Maple Leaf Strawberry Festival will be all around the CanAm facility, Wed., March 18 from 2 - 4 pm.
Feast on delicious, mouthwatering strawberry shortcake, enjoy a wonderful relaxing afternoon with Family & Friends.
Dance to Music by "Diversity" or just enjoy listening. "Me" The Magician, our very own- Lorette Pinto, will entertain Adults & Children
along with Face Painting by Lynn Jenkins.
Pre-Sale Tickets $5, Tickets day of event $6. Advance door-to-door ticket sales Feb 22 – March 7
Please make every effort to Purchase Tickets in Advance as the
Purchase of Berries is Based on the Ticket Sales.
Last minute tickets will be available "Day of Event" AT the CanAm Door for $6 or contact Sharon Ayotte 941-380-3395 .
HULLERS Needed, TUESDAY, March 17 at the CanAm 1 pm
BRING A CRISPER WITH YOUR NAME, PHONE # ON IT. This task is approx. 90 minutes, we chat, socialize, enjoy water & cookies.
Play tennis or not, we are inviting You to help in this activity. More information will be on Channel 195 & Bulletin Boards.
Through this, the Tennis Club's biggest fund raiser, along with Membership fees, we donate substantial funds to the Corporation. Much of which is applied to maintenance, repair & upgrading the tennis facilities, an amenity for all ML residents. We also donate to Clubs & Organizations within the Park.
We wish to give warm Thanks to our local businesses who have kindly Sponsored:
SPONSORS All Florida Weatherproofing and Construction Inc. - 1-877-572-1019
AMS 1-800—522-3134 Cart City 941-627-1669
Harlan R. Domber, Law Firm 941-923-9930 Lake Michigan Credit Union 941-258-3055
Pest Eliminators 941-766-0902 R & L. Construction 941-815-0404
Tommy Tie Downs LLC 941-628-6840 Tri-County Air Conditioning and Heating 941-485-2222
RAFFLE ** We are holding a ** RAFFLE
March 10 CanAm, 9:30 – Noon
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March 18 CanAm 2 pm – 4 pm, for the Strawberry Fundraiser this year.
$ 1 - 1 Ticket, $ 2 - 3 Tickets, $ 5 - 10 Tickets Do Not Have to be Present to Win.
We wish to thank the Generous Sponsors to our Raffle event: Echelon Hair Salon, Smoke n Pit Bar-B-Que, Dolphin Dry Cleaners,
Fin Sushi & Grill, Mr. Marvin's Barber Shop, Bowland, Wrigleys Tennis, Jet's Pizza, Lorette-Two Vases, Salt/Pepper Roosters. Nail Tek,
Cindy & Company Hair Designers, Visani's, Carrabba's, Desi Salon, Galaxy Nails, Peters Restaurant, Jewelry by Oksana, Sylvia Rose - Pottery,
Golf Gift Certificate entitles the bearer to 4 complimentary rounds of Golf at Maple Leaf Golf & Country Club, more still pending...
Please watch Channel 195 for updates. Don't have cable? Stay in the Know - Go To: mlgcctv.com
Fire Club Don Sabin The Maple Leaf fire club held Its annual spaghetti dinner on Jan 21, 2020 and it was a huge success. There were over 700 diners served in the Queensway and between 325 and 350 take out dinners. The fire club has only 18 members and the spaghetti dinner could not be held without our nearly 100 volunteers. A big thanks to all and the residents who purchased tickets. The fire club is continuing to update our projects and adding new projects.
Computer Club Denise Holland New 20/21 Memberships available March, Saturday Mornings 9 - 11:30 am COST: $25 for one, $35 two in the same household. (the $25/$35 fee includes the tax to IRS) Member Meeting March 9:- Canam - Mon.- Coffee-Membership sales: 9 am, Meeting: 9:30. Course Sign up:- VPN Virtual Private Network - Instructor Dan Lahaise, Cost $10 date T.B.A. Raffle- HP computer (approx. 4 yrs. old) - $1 ticket, DRAW March 9 at the meeting. HP All-in-One Computer, 4 gb ram, 1 tb hard drive, (approx. 4 yrs old) wireless mouse & keyboard Do NOT have to be present to win. Contact Barry Holland, Ken Morris for tickets. ONLY AVAILABLE TO COMPUTER CLUB MEMBERS. NO Trouble Shoot Saturday Morning March 21, 28 NO Alternate Tuesdays -for March, time for our Volunteers to Rest & Enjoy their time here. Streaming Devices: LEARN more on your own. Attend a class at your local Seniors Centre, Library, YouTube, Ask Family, Friends what they use, what do they like.
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The Computer Club Directors (we are all in ML Directory) We look forward to the CenturyLink fiber internet in our homes & at the Computer Club. The computer club will have 1000 GB speed while homes have 100GB! We appreciate the dedicated work of everyone who has worked so hard to achieve this goal. Our Sincere thanks to Dave Zakikian for spearheading this challenge. Thank you! Ken / June Morris, Bev Murray, Dan LaHaise, Jane Pauls, Barry / Denise Holland, Bill Rudd.
Shuffleboard Club
Joan McCauley There were two events for the shuffleboard club in February. The Doubles Tournament was held on Saturday, February 1st at the CanAm courts with 28 members playing. The championship was won by Jay McCauley and Lydia McGhee and the consolation winners were Earl McComb and Joe Kaak. Congratulations to all the winners. There was a good turnout of new members who were learning the ropes. On Saturday, February 29 the Singles Tournament was held at the Queensway courts. There was also a barbecue lunch provided to all players. The winners will be announced at the Annual General Meeting. The Annual General meeting will be held at the Charlotte Centre on Saturday March 15th at 11 am. Lunch will be provided, and awards will be handed out. There will be a sign-up sheet at both the CanAm and the Queensway courts. Please sign up if you will be attending so we can order enough food and please wear your membership name tag. We hope everyone has a safe summer wherever that may be, and we are all back at Maple Leaf in the fall. See you on the courts.
Lawnbowling Heather Comba
One and a half more month of bowls before our snowbirds fly north. Still time to come down to see what bowls is all about and give the game a try. Call Heather Comba or Vince Beal to set up a time. Still time for players to hone those skills before venturing north. Sign up or call to register for A Be A Better Bowler session on Weight control. Still one more tournament to qualify for the Club Championship. Accomplishments. Variety is the spice of life. During this month lawnbowling offered the following.
• A singles game. An event for our just our leads and vices. • A pairs game where positions rotate. • A day where a team of four players broke down into a pairs game, a game of singles and triples and the
grand finale was a fours game. • A Super Seniors day for 75+ members. • In addition, we visited and invited our neighbouring clubs Kingsgate and Sarasota to a day of bowls.
It was great to see first year bowlers partake in all of the above events and experience the thrill of a good game. League play is over for the season and this years winners Kathy Smith, Frank Pring and Jerry MacLean. Men’s singles. First place was Mike Comba, second was Vince Beal. Women’s singles. First place Jan Collings, second Phyllis Dalgleish. Leads and Vices. Winners Cecilia Scott, Barb Dunsmore & Bob Livingstone. Runners up Wayne Brownridge, Carol Myers and Ron Logel. Auzzie Pairs winners Tony and Vicki Sham.
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Runners up Glenda Courtice and John Casey. Combo fours winners were Kathy Smith, Frank Pring, Susan Butler, Guy Montanaro. Runners up were Bill Scott, Carole Mills, Mike Searby and Lynn Searby. Super Seniors. Winners were Frank Pring, Doris Clark, Marilyn Santin. Runners up were Bill Scott, Bud Petican , Ross Howell.
From the Sales Office Shauna Platt
The sales office would like to thank our volunteers that have
been assisting us this season. It’s always great to have potential
buyers hear from other residents what they love about Maple
Leaf. If you would like to volunteer in the sales office next
season, be sure to let us know.
The Maple Leaf sales office is open 7 days per week to assist you
with all your real estate needs. We have three licensed Florida
Realtors® in the sales office, Shauna Platt, Barbara Collins and
Vickie Teel. We are available for walk-ins Monday through Friday
10am to 4pm, Saturday 11am to 4pm and Sunday 12pm to 4pm.
We can be reached by phone any time of day by calling 941-629-
0219 or by calling our direct mobile phone numbers. You can find
our contact information including our mobile phone numbers
and e-mail addresses on the Maple Leaf website https://mapleleafgcc.net/real-estate/our-agents/ When you stop
in the sales office, you may ask to speak to a specific agent or speak with the agent on duty that day.
If you know someone looking to sell their home or to buy a home in Maple Leaf, please direct them to the sales office for exceptional service. We can show and sell any home for sale regardless of broker name on the sign. We now have two financing options available for buyers that qualify. Thinking of selling?
Let us help you prepare your home for sale to ensure it makes a great first impression worldwide on hundreds of
websites. We are located on the west side of the Can-Am building, look for our open flag.
As of 02/20/2020 home prices range from $90,000 to $184,500. The inventory changes often, stop in and pick up the
most recent printout of listings for sale. Want an easier way to view homes for sale in Maple Leaf without having to
log into the website, contact the sales office to be set up with your own private portal directly from the MLS (Multiple
Listing Service) containing only Maple Leaf homes for sale. It will also update you with price and status changes.
For our seasonal residents and guests, we hope you enjoy your remaining visit to Maple Leaf before heading north.
We thank you for your referrals and love to earn your business.
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Charlotte Post Box Re-Labelling Round Two: 2020 Enid Lunt 941-624-4494
History: Ten years ago, as a Director with part of my responsibilities being Park Beautification, I and a committee of dedicated volunteers undertook a major cleanup of both the CanAm and Charlotte post boxes. This cleanup became necessary because the boxes were labelled with the resident’s name and required changing every time a home sold. That meant that each new resident had to get into the window area by undoing tiny screws on the inside of the door, removing a sometimes ‘persnickety’ retaining bar, changing the label that laid inside a plastic window, and then attempting to put everything back together without breaking the plastic, losing the screws or giving up on replacing the persnickety metal bar. Over the years, after the loss of hundreds of screws, the breaking of many plastic windows and the violent tossing out of several ‘persnickety’ metal bars, most residents gave up and resorted to applying various extraneous markings and address stickers not only in the window areas but all over the fronts of the aluminum mail doors as well. These actions accumulated into an unsightly and embarrassing appearance considering how lovely everything else in the Park was kept. Residents were ready for a cleanup. Since these ‘solutions’ were caused mainly because of the difficulties incurred by residents when trying to update their personal information in the window area of their post box, the cleanup plan involved standardizing the labeling of all the mailboxes by replacing the resident labels with lot numbers only. This increased security by not publicizing the owners’ names and made it unnecessary for residents to ever must fuss with the window apparatus again. At the same time, the boxes were opened and cleaned, locks were lubricated, doors were realigned if they were sticking, any rusty metal bars were sanded and repainted, any missing metal bars were replaced by a hard plastic white retainer bar, and duplicate post keys for each unit were reacquired by the Park office. (After Hurricane Charley and the demolition of hundreds of our homes, many keys went missing and the Park’s duplicates were ‘borrowed’ to make new ones but often not returned to the office.) In addition, 95 post boxes were out of order numerically which played havoc with any new mail person we had; so, we also repositioned them into numerical order.
Built 1976-1979 Built 1980-1989 Built 1990-1999 Built 2000-2009 Built 2010-2016
2009 79,000$ 78,500$ -$ 125,000$ -$
2010 65,143$ 80,933$ -$ 109,350$ -$
2011 76,616$ 70,127$ 81,500$ 107,764$ -$
2012 72,981$ 64,456$ -$ 100,882$ -$
2013 58,357$ 67,187$ -$ 106,382$ 84,900$
2014 63,973$ 71,904$ -$ 92,220$ 135,500$
2015 72,531$ 81,005$ -$ 116,022$ 80,000$
2016 90,491$ 89,228$ -$ 127,348$ 135,500$
2017 98,590$ 93,505$ -$ 130,827$ 105,000$
2018 89,898$ 94,890$ -$ 144,497$ -$
2019 94,028$ 95,132$ 132,750$ 149,462$ 150,500$
2020 92,700$ 105,000$ -$ 147,225$ -$
Average selling price over the years*
YEAR BUILT
* Above combines all lot classifications - Perimeter / Interior / Premium Interior / Lake & Golf Course
Data Source: My Florida Regional MLS, Inc. DBA Stellar MLS / Prepared by Shauna Platt 02/20/2020
To know what your home is worth based upon year built, size, location and upgrades, contact the sales office
YE
AR
SO
LD
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The CanAm post office is enclosed and is therefore protected from the weather; the post box windows there have remained in pristine condition. Issue: Sad to say, the Charlotte post office has not been so lucky. Over the last ten years, I have had many residents approach me, and I am sure the office has as well, with concern that they could no longer see their number. However, over these past ten years it was undecided as to what would be the fate of our post offices in the plan of the Park so going to the expense and effort of once again replacing the windows could not be justified. Therefore, the problem remained as nothing further was done. The sun, wind, rain and heat deteriorated the plastic windows to the point they have fallen apart and are now missing and the paper numbers have faded, torn or disintegrated from exposure. Frustrated residents have once again taken their own measures to re-label their boxes coming up with writing on them with felt pen, sticking various designs of purchased numbers on to the aluminum, sticking large swatches of clear packing tape over the window and adjacent area of the aluminum, and even squirting yellow foam insulation material into the hole area of the window! With many blank windows and all these varieties of ‘solutions’, the Charlotte post boxes are looking pretty rough. Project: With the decision to keep both post offices as they are, we can now move forward to address the problem at the Charlotte Post office. Finding a workable solution to the labels at Charlotte has been bugging me for years now. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get rid of the plastic windows altogether and place a different permanent label over the hole? After searching on-line, I found a reputable company that makes permanently mounted nameplates and contacted them with my requirements. They felt the plan was doable at a reasonable cost, so I took the idea to our General manager. He was very enthusiastic and gave the go-ahead. Later, when he was in conversation with the Fire Club he raised this idea. After contacting me for the details, the Fire Club has generously agreed to back the expense for this improvement project since it benefits all our park residents by providing a pleasing look for that building in keeping with the rest of the Park. Thank you Fire Club! (Remember it is your support of the aluminum and metal collection done by the Fire Club that allows them to give back to us in these wonderful ways.) The plan for the cleanup of the Charlotte post boxes will entail removing the remainder of any plastic windows, paper or debris by the hole, cleaning off all the graffiti and stick-on additions that were placed on the box in a way that will not scratch or otherwise damage the aluminum, then giving the surface a final preparation for accepting the new nameplates which mount using an industrial 3M adhesive. During the cleaning, and in preparation for the placement of the new plaques, temporary paper post-it numbers will be placed on each mailbox. The window hole will then be permanently covered with a slightly larger composite black nameplate which will display the laser engraved lot number in white. The finished look will be similar to the bank of twelve boxes located at the rear of the Charlotte beside the outgoing mail slot. Work on this project will commence later this Spring and should be finished by mid-May
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Photo Club Tom Valentich The next meeting of the ML Photo Club will be on Tuesday March 3rd at 7pm in the CanAm and our presenter will be
Michael Jensen. Michael is an experienced photography instructor who now makes Port Charlotte his home. Michael’s
presentation is titled “Night Photography and Long Exposures”. The following week, on Friday March 13th in the evening,
Michael will lead us on a photo shoot in Punta Gorda to put his teachings into practice. You can see more about Michael’s
work on his website:
https://mikejensenphotographyworkshops.com
Then on Tuesday March 17th the Photo Club’s Annual General Meeting will be held and this will be the last formal meeting
for the season. Please join us to review the photos from our Night Photography outing and talk about plans for the
upcoming season.
A REMINDER TO MAPLE LEAF RESIDENTS: You are invited to submit photographs to our annual photo contest.
The People’s Choice Photo Contest is open to all Maple Leaf Residents. It will be held in collaboration with The Arts and
Crafts Show on March 21 st and 22 nd. This season there are two categories, – Florida and All Other Places. Photos will be
voted on by the residents of Maple Leaf during the Arts and Crafts Show on Saturday. On Sunday, photographer’s names
will be revealed along with the winning photos in each category.
There is a limit of 2 entries in each category for a total of 4 entries per person. Photo must be 8”x 10” and not matted.
We will matte and label them when received and please remember when cropping your photos for printing, the matte we
use will cover about 1/4“ around the perimeter of the photo. Each photo should be labeled on the back with the category
(Florida or All Other Places), your name, address, phone number and a title.
Photos should be dropped off at Tom Valentich’s house, 924 Niagara by Sat March 14th. If no one is home to receive your
submission, a plastic drop box will be available on the front porch. There will be 1st, 2nd, 3rd place winners in each category.
The photo with the most first place votes across both categories will receive The John Asher Memorial Trophy (a trophy
that the winner will hold for a year and return for next season’s winner).
Deaths
February David Fickett # 950 William Visniski # 208
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March 2020 Check channel 195 for changes/additions
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 Merry Makers Show CC
2Homeowners Mtg. 9:30 Q Merry Makers Show CC NO KARAOKE
3
Happy Hour 3-7 CC Photo Club CA 7pm
4
Movie Night 6:15 Rocket Man
5 Club Night 4-7
5-7 Mixed Up Duo 6 Singers Concert 7:30 Q
7
Video Dance Party 5:30 CC Motown and R&B
8
Singers Concert 3P Q
9 Newcomers mtg
10:30 CC Computer Club Mtg. 9-11 CA Latin Cardio Cancelled Karaoke CC 5-8 Wearing of the Green Singers Concert 7:30 Q
10
Happy Hour 3-7 CC
11 Mardi Gras 1PM Hole In One 4-6 Q
12 Club Night 4-7 5-7 Brett Baker
13 Photo Club 6pm Punta Gorda
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15 16 Maple Leaf Singers Q NO KARAOKE
17 St Pat’s Parade
10:30 12pm St Pat’s Party CC Photo Club AGM 7pm CA
18
19
Club Night 4-7 5-7 Sensations
20 21Computer
Club Troubleshoot CANCELED March Dinner & Heart and Soul entertainment Ticketed event
22 23
Karaoke CC 5-8
24 Happy Hour 3-7 CC
25 Movie Night
Wishman 6:15
26
Club Night 4-7 5-7 Diversity
27 28 Computer Club Troubleshoot CANCELED
29 30 Karaoke CC 5-8
31 Happy Hour 3-7 CC
Weekly Activities
7:15-8:30AM
Exercise with
weights CA & Deck
12-2 Partner Dance
(inst.) C
7-9 Bridge C
8:30 Latin Cardio Exercise CA
12:30-4PM Keyboard Q
6:30-9:30 ML Singers Q 6:30-10 Dup. Bridge CA
7-9:30PM Euchre C
9AM Keyboard Practice Q
Bocce 1pm
Ballroom Dance 2:30-5 CA
3:30 Yoga
6:30 SQ dance rounds
Q
7:30 SQ Beginners Q
7 pm Pinochle C
7:15-8:30 Weights Class CA & Deck
9:00 Latin Cardio
Exercise CA Yoga Adv. 10:30-
12
Q
1PM Ladies Bridge
CA
1pm SQ Dance Workshop Q
6:30 Cribbage C 6:30 Dup Bridge
CA
6:30 Cards & Games C
7PM Euchre SB
7-8:45 PM Line Dance Q
Social Duplicate
Bridge 12:45 CA
9-10:30AM Yoga Q 9A SQ Dance DBD
CA
Creative Writing 9-11CC #3
11 SQ Dance
Mainstream CA
7-10 Bingo CA
8:30 Latin Cardio Exercise CA
8:45-10:15Yoga Q
10:30-12 Yoga Adv. Q
10:30-11:45 Tai
Chi CA
1PM SQ Advanced
CA
3PM SQ Dance Weekly Dance CA
7PM Bid Euchre CA
9-12 Trouble shooting at the Computer Club
