The new mailboxes cost $175 per homeowner.  This includes the box, the pole and the installation.  The previous Board looked at simply replacing the boxes and repainting the poles.  Unfortunately many of the poles are bent and dented, and are not sturdy enough to hold the new mailboxes.  It was more cost efficient to replace the entire system.  

 

Volunteers did a comparison of the price for the new mailbox and found that it was very reasonable for the quality of the mailbox we are getting.

 

Boxes are being ordered through Mailbox and Sign Solutions in Oviedo.  Payment can be made over the phone by credit/debit card.  Checks can be mailed but are not preferred.

Astor Farms was built with a unique mailbox set up.  Fortunately we don't have the big 20 box cabinets like other neighborhoods, but we also don't have individual boxes either.  We have a situation where 2, 3 or 4 homeowners share one common pole.  This makes it difficult to coordinate the upgrade of the mailboxes, because all homeowners on a pole need to agree to the upgrade.  

 

The Board understands that individual mailboxes may be passable, however, others on the pole may not be.  As a result of our unique setup, one homeowner can actually prevent another homeowner from upgrading their mailbox.  In addition, we still have the situation where we have two different types of mailboxes in the neighborhood.  

 

The objective of a Homeowners Association is to preserve the value of all properties by creating policies and procedures that maintain a certain standard in the community.  This is one of those situations.  

 

The Board voted to require the mailbox change to comply with our Covenants (which require uniformity), to increase the appearance of the community, and to avoid conflict between neighbors who may not agree on whether the mailboxes need to be upgraded. 

 

We recognize that not everyone will be happy about this, however, there are very few situations where this type of change will be required.  The Board is working very hard to improve all aspects of the physical appearance of the neighborhood.  We appreciate your cooperation.

 

So this has been one of the biggest challenges to date - especially if you live next to a rental home where the owner is not present often.  Hopefully a lot of this can be resolved by neighbors talking to neighbors, however, we realize there will be some hold outs, so here's the plan:

 

1) We have created a status webpage, that will be accessible to everyone, with all the addresses grouped by mailbox pole. 

 

2) We will be sending an email in Mid February asking homeowners to respond with whether they are ready to proceed.  Everyone who responds that they are ready to go will be marked "Ready to Go".  This will give us a good starting point. 

 

3) Once all homeowners on a pole are ready to go, you can call in your payments and the mailboxes will be installed.  

 

4) For those who do not respond, the Board will communicate directly in an effort to get their cooperation.  

 

5) Mailboxes that have not been changed by April 15th will be put through the violation process.  Thru the violation process, after sufficient notice, the Board will be able to replace the mailbox and charge the homeowner account. There will be no fines associated with the mailboxes, however there may be an additional administrative charge if the Association has to replace the box for you.  (Note: If you have indicated that you are ready to replace, or have paid, you will not be violated or charged the administrative charge.)

 

We hope that by increasing awareness, inertia will take over and we will only have a few hold outs.  

 

 

 

We get it.  That's why we have done two things:

 

1) We have put together the status page to help everyone figure out when their neighbors are ready to go.

 

2) We have worked out an arrangement with the vendor so that you can call your payment in, but not be charged until all the mailboxes on your pole have paid.