Welcome Packet
Water Oaks Regatta Homeowners Association, Inc. (WORHA)


Table of Contents: (Click on one of the underlined topics to jump directly to the associated text.)
  1. Lawn Service
  2. Trash and Garbage Collection
  3. Pool Policy
  4. Rules for Pool and Tennis Court Use
  5. Miscellaneous Regulations
  6. Census Form

Lawn Service
The association’s quarterly association fees cover lawn service for our Water Oaks community.  Lawns in all areas are mowed once a week during growing season.  The service covers all the mowing, edging, and shrub trimming, as well as maintaining the sprinkler system.  Shrubs are trimmed with the exception of those located from the front of the garage to unit entrance.  Sprinklers are set to cycle so that each individual sprinkler area receives water for approximately thirty minutes twice a week.

Flowerbeds are the responsibility of the resident.  Any extensive addition of flowerbeds and shrubs should be cleared with the Yard and Grounds Committee because the modification might affect mowing and sprinkler coverage.

Please consult with the Yard and Grounds Committee, through Bluewater Management Services, for any limb removal work to be done on trees of any size.

Yard clippings should be bagged and put into the garbage barrel if possible. Excess clippings and other trimming debris should be placed out at the curb, adjacent to the trash barrel, for pickup on Monday morning. A Waste Management truck empties trash barrels on both Monday and Thursday mornings, but the city of Niceville’s truck only picks up loose trash on Monday.


Trash and Garbage Collection
The City of Niceville, through Waste Management Co., picks up the garbage in plastic barrels provided for this purpose.  (Call Waste Management at 862-7141 if you need a barrel and/or a recycle bin).  The garbage pickup is automated; this means that all items must be inside the barrel and it should be placed at the curb in front of your unit with the lid opening side facing the street.  Allow adequate space on all sides so that your neighbor’s barrel will not be knocked over.
 
Recycle bins should be placed near the street, but not right up next to the barrel.  These bins are for newspapers, magazines, cardboard cartons, glass containers,  tin cans and *aluminum cans.

*(The City of Niceville has recently set up a recycle container for aluminum cans at the City Hall.  The money from this effort will be used for the Annual Fireworks Display.  If you choose to take part in this project, just take your aluminum cans to the City Hall receptacle instead of putting them in the regular Waste Management Container for pickup.)

Put your barrel out on Sunday and Wednesday evenings after 7:00 p.m. for early morning pickup on Monday and Thursday.   Your barrel should be removed from the street and stored out of sight (preferably in the garage) no later than 7:00 p.m. on Monday and Thursday.  
Any items too large for the barrel, such as construction materials, should be set out on the curb for Monday morning pickup.   If the city has not removed the materials during the day on Monday, please call the city at 729-4064. The city will normally respond very quickly.

Pool Policy
All owners and tenants using the Water Oaks swimming pool must have a key to the pool-area restroom in their possession. This is a County Health Department. requirement.  The restroom key also opens the gate to the swimming pool area.

The gate/restroom key is strictly for use of Water Oaks owners or renter; it is not to be shared with non-residents.

If you lose your key, or don’t yet have one, please contact Meredith at Bluewater Management Services, 897-9400, to request one.  The price of a key is $1.64.


Rules for Pool and Tennis Court Use
  1. The pool and tennis court may be used only by Water Oaks residents and their guests. Residents must accompany guests other than house guests. Residents may not issue blanket invitations to non-residents for the use of any Water Oaks facilities.
  2. Please ask guests who are driving not to park on the grass. This destroys sprinkler heads which cost our Association, and you, money.
  3. The food pavilion and grills may be reserved for private parties at any time except national holidays and long holiday weekends. Please use signup sheet on bulletin board.  This does not include exclusive use of the pool itself.
  4. Please restrict food and drink use to the food pavilion area. No food or drink on the pool deck and no glass containers on the pool deck or tennis court.
  5. Please be sure to close umbrellas before you leave. The wind can overturn umbrella and table, breaking the table and replacement is expensive.
Note: While not expressly contained in the above rules, the Association adheres to the policy that "Children under 13 years old must be accompanied by an adult at all times for their own safety." This notice is posted on the gate to the swimming pool area.  Pool closes at 10:00 p.m.


Miscellaneous Regulations
The following plain-language regulations are based on the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, Restrictions and Easements of Water Oaks Regatta Homeowners Association.  The covenants can be view in their entirety on the Water Oaks website, http://www.wateroaks.org/reports/covenants.pdf.

Parking:
Resident parking is provided in personal driveways and in open parking spaces throughout the property.  When driveway space isn’t available, guests are asked to park in open parking across the street from the units.  Under no circumstance is anyone, including work crews, to park on lawns or surrounding landscaped areas. RVs, boats, and trailers may not be parked in driveways for more than four days at one time. Long-term parking for RVs, boats and trailers can be arranged through the RV Chairman at 678-9167.

Pets:
Pets of reasonable size, 50 lbs. and smaller, are welcome.  Please keep your pet on a leash when on open property.  When walking any pet and it defecates anywhere on the premises, it is your responsibility to clean up completely after the animal.  Considering the available open space we have, please do not allow your pet to trespass on the lawns of individual homeowners. Thank you and your pet for cooperating.

Pool:
Please see the pool policy section elsewhere in this document.
 
Tennis Court:
The tennis court may be reserved.  It is to be used only by residents and their guests.  No skateboards or scooters permitted. Tennis court closes at 10:00 p.m.

Picnic Pavilion:
The Picnic Pavilion/Food Area may be reserved at any time other than on federal holidays or long weekends.  Like the pool, the pavilion is to be used only by residents and their guests.    

Census Form
Click on http://www.wateroaks.org/Census_Form.doc to go to the web page where the Census Form is stored. When the web page opens, answer yes if:
(a) you have Microsoft Word on your computer and
(b) you want to download the Census_Form.doc file and save a copy on your computer.
Note: With Word installed on your computer,  you can open the Census_Form.doc document and fill in the requested info in the tables before printing out a copy for signatures.