The
Villager
Spring 2015
Volume 55
Issue 2
Class of 2015 Graduating Seniors
Congratulations to this year’s Melbourne Village graduating high school students.
Angela Widdill, Crane Rd, daughter of Brian Widdill, is graduating from Melbourne Central Catholic High
School. She plans to attend UCF in the fall and study law.
Jessie Schneider, South Wildwood Lane, daughter of Michael and Anna Schneider is graduating from
Melbourne Central Catholic High School. She plans to attend Marymount Manhattan College in New York
City and pursue her passion for dance.
Sadie Lurz, Blue Heron Road, daughter of John and Melody Lurz, is graduating from Melbourne High
School. She plans to attend college.
Travis Parkel, Live Oak Ave., son of Charles and Laura Parkel, is graduating from Melbourne High School.
He has enlisted in the US Navy. After basic training at Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago, he
will study linguistics at San Diego, California.
Children’s Summer Camp
By Jessicah Nichols, Reprinted from Nextdoor.com.
The Education Committee would like to invite Melbourne Village’s young residents, ages 6-12, to join us
for a week of summer camp fun while we time travel to the past with this summer’s theme, “A Decade a Day!”.
Volunteers are always welcome, especially our teens aged 13-17. The only qualifications needed are
enthusiasm and helpfulness.
I would also love to have a short, simple presentation (or information so I can deliver one by proxy) daily
from any residents who would like to share a story or knowledge of the Village from the following decades50's, 60's, 70's, 80's.
Please, contact me if you are interested in volunteering. Via Next-door or email, [email protected].
Welcome to our new neighbors!!!
David and Debra Zeitz purchased the property at 530 W. Pine Road (Lot 51) from Jonathan and
Roberta Reed.
The Villager
Page 2
Announcements
Regularly Scheduled Committee Meetings
Deerhead Hammock Committee
1st Saturday of each month, 9 a.m.
Memory Garden Committee
Last Friday of each month, 3 p.m.
Erna Nixon Hammock Committee (work party)
Fourth Saturday of each month, 9 a.m.
Parks and Paths Committee
Work party every Friday from 8 to 10 a.m. See the
bulletin board for location.
Building and Grounds Committee
4th Monday of each month, 7:30 p.m., Library
Recreation Committee
1st or 2nd Monday of each month, 6:30 p.m.,
Committee Room
Budget and Finance Committee
4th Wednesday of each month, 7:30 p.m., Library
Regularly Scheduled Events
Mah Jongg
1st and 3rd Thursday of each month, 6-9 p.m.,
Committee Room
AHF Office Closures
Monday May 25 (Memorial Day)
Friday July 3 (Independence Day)
Board of Trustees Meeting Schedule
Thursday May 14, 7:30 p.m.
Committee Reports due Monday May 11
Thursday June 11, 7:30 p.m.
Committee Reports due Monday June 8
Thursday July 9, 7:30 p.m.
Committee Reports due Monday July 6
29th Annual Ruth B. Hayes Melbourne
Village Scholarship
The annual Ruth B. Hayes Scholarship in the
amount of $1,130 is awarded in July. The scholarship is
made available through the American Homesteading
Foundation, Inc. to a graduating high school senior
residing in Melbourne Village. Applications will be
available May 1 and must be returned to the AHF Office
no later than June 30.
Earn Bright Futures Scholarship Credit
Helping the Parks and Paths, Erna Nixon Hammock
and Deerhead Hammock Committees with their cleanup
and invasive species eradication efforts is a good way for
high-schoolers to earn community service hours. These
committees are active in the spring and fall and regularly
provide notice of their “work parties” on the bulletin
board.
Contacting the AHF
The AHF office is located at 535 Hammock Road.
Office hours are 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Mon. to Fri.
Phone: 321-723-6042
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.melbourne-village.com
FREE Herbicide available to help fight Air Potato scourge
To help fight this noxious vine, FREE pre-mixed herbicide is available to residents through
the AHF Office. Contact the AHF Office or Mike Smith:
AHF Office
321-723-6042
Mike Smith, Parks and Paths Chairman
321-725-0597
The Villager
Page 3
Parks and Paths Committee
The Parks and Paths Committee thanks
everyone who collected a record-breaking 8,850
pounds of air potatoes at this years' Air Potato
Round- Up! The winners and grand prize donors
will be listed in the next issue of The Villager.
Village Wedding
Mandy told us when asked why they chose the
Hammock "The serene beauty of Deer Head
Hammock makes it perfect for our ceremony of
eleven. And the beautiful natural backgrounds
between the Hammock, Nutting Green and Miss
Jean’s Park are perfect for photos."
Mandy and Koven will honeymoon at the Port
D' Hiver in Melbourne Beach and cruise to the
Caribbean.
Sommer and Joe Lourcey of Crane Road would
like to announce that their daughter, Mandy
Lourcey, will wed Koven Phelps on May 2, 2015 in
Deerhead Hammock.
Mandy and Koven graduated from Melbourne
High, class of 2010. Koven graduated from
University of South Florida in 2014 with a Bachelor
of Arts in Criminology. He is a Deputy with the
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Dept. in Tampa.
Mandy will graduate on May 1, 2015 from USF
School of Nursing with a Bachelor of Science in
Nursing. Mandy and Koven currently live in
Tampa.
As Sommer stated, "To have our daughter come
home to the Village for her wedding is very special
for us as a family.”
Koven Phelps and Mandy Lourcey
If you are interested in reserving park land for
an organized event, please contact the AHF and see
the Application Form to use AHF parkland on the
AHF website (http://melbournevillage.com/images/Form-PARKLAND.pdf).
Please help keep our drainage ditches clear
As we approach hurricane season, we ask all of you for your help with keeping the drainage ditches
along the road clear of yard cuttings and debris. Some properties in Melbourne Village are older and
have lower elevation, and poor drainage through the ditches can cause flooding for these neighbors.
When mowing your yard, please keep cuttings out of the ditches as much as possible. If you have a
yard service, please ask them to not blow cuttings into the ditches and to keep debris, such as pine
cones and pine straw out of the ditches.
Thank you so much for your help!
The Villager
Page 4
Melbourne Village Real Estate News
By Debbie Seiler
Here’s a brief synopsis of what is happening in real estate in Melbourne Village for the first half of 2015.
This information is accurate as of April 27.
SOLD
530 W Pine Road was sold on March 31 after just 7 days on the market. It was listed at $275,000 and
closed at $265,000 or 96% of asking price. (Debbie Seiler, ITG Realty).
6573 Sheridan Road - Closed on April 27 after 32 days on the market. It was listed at $279,999 and sold for
86% of asking price ($250,000). (Tracy Hudson-Frantzis, Salt Water Realty).
PENDING
545 Acacia Ave - At press time this property is scheduled to close in May after 223 days on the market.
The asking price is $199,000. Actual price cannot be disclosed until after closing. (Jeannine Mosher,
RE/MAX Olympic).
NEW LISTING
6619 Flamingo Road - Listed on April 13, this completely remodeled 1958, 4/4, 3426sf, pool home on 1.2
acres has an attached apartment perfect for extended family or guests. Asking price $479,000 (Shari
Abbott, Prudential Sterling).
755 Acacia - Listed April 20, Bank Owned, built 1960, 4/1.5, 1676sf, pool, on .86 acres, fixer-upper
$123,500. (Marcie Bolt, Tropic Realty).
FOR SALE
788 Acacia Ave - On and off market 4 years, built 1977, 4/3, 2793 sf, on .93 acres. Current reduced price is
$299,000. (Jeannine Mosher, RE/MAX Olympic).
6824 Ward Pkwy - 311+ days, built 1988, 3/2, 1725sf, .38 acres. Asking $230,000. (Jeannine Mosher,
RE/MAX Olympic).
6815 Sheridan Rd - 189+ days, built 1958, 4/2, 2461sf, .58 acres. Asking $275,000. (Jeannine Mosher,
RE/MAX Olympic).
6217 Savannah Dr - For Sale By Owner since March, built 1954, 2/1, 1476sf, .5 acres. Asking $125,000.
Contact me or your Realtor to connect you with the seller.
COMING SOON
755 Cajeput Cir - Lenders has taken ownership of this property through foreclosure auction and may list it
for sale in the future.
RENTALS
There are always people looking to rent in Melbourne Village but no searchable list of properties. I am in
the process of compiling such a list, so if you have a property that you rent out long or short term and would
like to be included, please contact me (Debbie Seiler call/text 321-412-4784 or email
[email protected].)
The Villager
Page 5
Results of Committee Orientation Meeting
Elected Officers:
Annual Meeting Committee: C-Sommer Lourcey, S-Susan Stafford
Budget and Finance Committee: C-Jim Beasom, S-Barbara Howell
Building and Grounds Committee: C-Bill Moon, S-Kathryn Merry
Codification Committee: Paul Merry
Credentials Committee: C-Vicki Busby, S-Shannon Pagano
Deerhead Hammock Committee: No election held
Education Committee: No election held
Erna Nixon Hammock Committee: C-Sandra Dix, S-Lynn Dufour
House Committee: C-Carol Gent, S-Brenda Robbins
Information Committee: Co-C-Kim Lauer, Co-C and S-Kathryn Merry
Membership Committee: C-Mary Jane Moon, S-Debbie Seiler
Memory Garden Committee: C-Lauritz Kjerulff, S-Debbie Jorgensen
Nominating Committee: C-Heidi Salmon, S-Elaine Baker
Parks and Paths Committee: C-Mike Smith, S-Leslie Fay
Recreation Committee: C-Laura Parkel, S-Carrie Cronkhite, Treas-Lisa Suhar
Swimming Pool Committee: C-Cliff Finch, S-Dave Bennett
Tellers Committee: C-Shannon Pagano, S-Angela Jones
Katie Wins Canine Potato Bash Award
By Hugh Nicolay
Katie Nicolay won the award for the most air potatoes
collected by a canine at this year’s Founder’s Day potato bash.
Parks and Paths chairman Mike Smith weighed Katie’s stash at
6.1 pounds. Katie collected 60 cents for her efforts.
For several weeks now Katie had been locating potatoes
while on her daily walks. She intentionally hunts in ditches and
shrubbery along the road and sometimes in the parks. Once she
finds a potato she carries it all the rest of the way home where it
is put in a container in anticipation of the big weight-in and
payday.
Katie will get an earlier start for next year’s potato bash. She
might even beat out a few humans. Watch out Jim.
The Villager
Page 6
Pool News
By Barbara Carta, Reprinted from Nextdoor.com
As most Villagers are aware, the pool will be open to all AHF members in good standing beginning
Monday, April 20. The pool lock has been changed, so please come by and receive your pool key from the AHF
office. Plan to spend a few minutes in the office to review the new pool agreement and note that the key deposit
is now $10. The fee for non-AHF Melbourne Village residents is:
Annual for family: $225
Annual for individual: $115
Monthly for family: $70
Monthly for individual: $50
Daily: $5
Sandhill Cranes
Recently, a family of Sandhill Cranes has been spotted recently behind the Target and in the nearby area.
For those of you who haven't joined Nextdoor.com yet, here's the recent Nextdoor posts about the cranes as well
as a sampling of the great photos posted by Karen McLaughlin and Hugh Nicolay.
Karen wrote: "Today (Friday AM 4/25/15) spotted the family in my front yard on Coleman Ct. with the
baby. I usually just hear them in the morning living close to their Target home, but today they were out. They
are crossing Dayton to get here (Coleman Ct.), so the MV police car near target should help slow down folks!"
Here's some of Karen's wonderful photos of the crane family:
In case you haven’t joined Nextdoor.com yet, here’s a short article that Hugh Nicolay posted about the baby
Sandhill Crane behind Target:
Hugh wrote: “A baby Sandhill Crane has been seen the last two days in the retention pond behind Target.
Last year the nest was washed out by a major rainstorm. Usually Sandhills lay two eggs, which usually hatch
within a day, or two of each other. There's no sign of a second egg or baby this time.
According to Shirley Hills with over 40 years of bird records for the village, this is a first. Let us hope the
baby and adults make it though this risky period. You can find them in just about any part of the pond at any
given time. Please use good judgment. Stay in your car.“
(Continued on page 7)
The Villager
Page 7
Sandhill Cranes (continued)
Here's Hugh Nicolay's great photos of the crane family:
Hugh also took steps to ensure the baby Sandhill Crane’s safety. Here’s a letter he wrote to Target. Well
done, Hugh!
“I have been a resident of Melbourne Village since 1975. I am frequent customer in your
store since it opened. The pharmacy staff now knows me by name. Over the years, I have
been active in environmental and water issues. I am a former president of the local Audubon
Society.
As you are probably are aware, a pair of Sandhill Cranes, a Florida listed threatened
species, has made a nest in the retention pond just north of the store.
Fortunately, the pond is fenced which should deter predators and trespassers. The
Melbourne Village PD will be keeping an eye out for trespassers as they usually do.
One of the two eggs hatched last weekend. The other does not appear to be viable. Hopefully,
the new crane and its parents will be able to find enough food in the enclosure. By the end of
May it should be able to fly. It will hang around with their parents for several more months.
I suggest you ask your landscape service not to enter and mow the enclosure until mid to late
summer. Not only will the absence of people and machines be helpful, but the taller grass
may provide more food sources.
As a further thought, I ask that you discuss with your team the possibility of less frequent
mowing around the pond in the long run. Especially consider not mowing, within say three
feet, of the water’s edge and not using any herbicides around the pond. This management
approach will promote a biologically important literal zone around the edge of the pond.
This all-important zone will promote small fish and frogs. You should also then see wading
birds and ducks on the pond. The edge vegetation will also help with nutrient uptake and
keep the pond healthier.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. “
The
Villager
American Homesteading Foundation, Inc.
535 Hammock Road
Melbourne Village, FL 32904
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MELBOURNE, FL
PERMIT NO 641
CHANGE SERVICE
REQUESTED
 ----------------------------------- Upcoming Events: Cut and Save -----------------------------------------
For additional event details, please see the Bulletin Board or the Melbourne Village Nextdoor Neighborhood web site,
www.MelbourneVillage.Nextdoor.com.
May
June
Mon. 5/16, May Movie Night. Details TBA.
Sat. 5/30, May Game Night. 7:00 p.m. AHF Hall.
Sat. 6/15, Children’s Summer Camp. 9:00 a.m. For more information or to register, please
contact Jessicah Nichols at 321-626-9008 (Education Committee)
Sat. 6/20, June Movie Night. 6:30 p.m. Details TBA.
Sat. 6/27, June Game Night. 7:00 p.m. AHF Hall.
July
August
Sat. 7/4, 4th of July Parade. 9:00 a.m.
Sat, 7/25, July Game Night. 7:00 p.m. AHF Hall.
Sat. 8/22, August Movie Night. 6:30 p.m. Details TBA.
Sat. 8/29, August Game Night. 7:00 p.m. AHF Hall.
Volunteers are always needed for every event!