“ I enjoy the spring more than the autumn now. One does, I think, as one gets older.” Virginia Woolf
“ Spring is the time of plans and projects.” Leo Tolstoy”
“The first day of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.”Mark Twain
We move on from the magnificence and madness of March to the allure and ambience of April which “… hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” William Shakespeare
We all realize that “ … the times, they are achangin’” Bob Dylan
As the times which we have long known do change, we ought to employ the strategy imbedded in AARP membership: ADAPT, ADJUST, REVISE, PROCEED. We must adapt to the new ownership and management of Tropical Haven. We will make adjustments to our lives in Tropical Haven. We will revise our lifestyle as Tropical Haven itself experiences its own revision under the auspices and purview of the new owners ( Carlyle Group ) and managers ( Cobblestone Property Management). Currently we are preparing for the impending renovation of the community center and the construction and implementation
of new amenities and services.
1. We have set April 31st as the date for removing from the community center all items to be saved. Items will be packed and stored in the behind the kitchen at the center. Packed items will be moved by Cobblestone and stored in Pods provided by Cobblestone.
2. We have removed from the storage room at the center all items to be saved. The Monday after Easter a group of volunteers will remove from the kitchen all items to be saved. The remaining items will be made available to residents who may select up to 5 items. We will make available to residents two stoves. We will save the freezer in which ice cream is stored.
3. The Library Committee has been working diligently to pack books and the games and puzzles to be saved. The committee has marked items that are free to residents. Many of the free items have been taken by residents. Although we are unaware of the future location of a library, we are prepared to establish a library similar to our existing library.
4. Bingo will be held in the Auditorium through the month of May.
5. Activities held in the Auditorium will continue through the month of May.
6. Residents considering home improvements should wait until the $2,000 stipend program is launched.
7. The HOA meeting will be held April 7 at 6:30 pm in the Auditorium.
8. We are planning summer activities. The Pavilion will be a suitable environment for some activities.
9. Ingrid and Peggy have asked that I serve as a liaison to the main office. Please contact me with any questions or concerns. I pledge to serve our community with integrity, transparency, and accountability.
10. Refer to the attached calendar for April activities.
11. Regarding the Community Center, I can confirm that the entire building will be “gutted “and, the renovated building will be updated according to City building codes and will be retrofitted with state of the art technologies.
12. The sewer project is ahead of schedule despite setbacks due to incorrect parts being sent to the site.
13. Once the sewer project is completed, work will begin on the next phase of the infrastructure renovation project.
Again, if you have questions, please contact me.
Thank you if you have made it this far in my message.
“ I suppose the best kind of spring morning is the best weather God has to offer.” Dodie Smith
“ If people did not love one another, I really don’t see what use there would be in having any spring.” Victor Hugo
Consider what you can offer to our community as a volunteer. We have a multitude of programs and activities, and volunteers are welcome. Terry Lynn Archer is our Activities Director. Contact her for opportunities to volunteer.
“ Volunteers are paid in six figures- S- M-I-LE-S .” Attributed to Gayla Lemaire
“ Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Muhammad Ali
We are a community built on friendships. Daily we exchange pleasantries with friends. We greet one another with a sin-
cere, “ Hello. How are you doing today?” We treat one another with respect and kindness. Living according to the Golden Rule, we care about the well-being of our neighbors.
“ Perfect friendship is the friendship of people who are good, and alike in excellence; for these wish well alike to each other that which is good, and they are good in themselves.” Aristotle.
“ After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10
“ How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” Psalms 133:1
“ Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms”.
May God Bless all with all that is Good, Beautiful, and Joyful.
Thank you!
On a personal note, I’ll undergo another surgery next month, so I may be on injured reserve for a while. Invest in Titanium! I’ll continue on my Medical Odyssey, and like Odysseus, I’ll withstand this surgery and others in the queue. Never give up. Determination, dedication, commitment, and patience are the cornerstones of a purposeful life.
I thank you for your support, service, and assistance as we transition to a new chapter in our lives in Tropical Haven.
Property Manager’s Corner
Ingrid Rivera
Andanother season goes by, seems we just got started and before you know it comes the time we have to say, ‘So long.’ During this season, I have witnessed the resilience and fortitude of the Tropical Have community. There has been great loss, much laughter, and an abundance of love in support of fellow neighbors. This is the spirit of Tropical Haven! Therefore, despite the trials we all face every day, your life has purpose, and you are fulfilling part of that purpose as a resident of Tropical Haven.
We also have great news!!!
The $2,000.00 Home Improvement Program will begin on 4/1/2025 and last until 12/31/2025. The flyer and application will be available in our Business Office next to the window.
Introducing our Mobile App – Everything you need in the palm of your hand. Go to Google Play or App Store to download to your smartphone.
If you are departing for the season, please remember to fill out the departure form. I hope that all of you arrive safely at your homes.
Tropical Haven Prospectus Reminders
The following are a few maintenance, safety, or security tips when departing Tropical Haven for the season:
- Call FPL to suspend electric services: (800) 226-5885
- Call City of Melbourne Water Department to shut off water: (321) 6087100
- Unplug appliances, lamps, and TV(s)
- Turn off hot water heater
- Lock windows, doors, and shed
- Close blinds
- Discard or donate food items
- Carport, patio and exterior home, should be kept free of clutter and debris. Outside items should be stored inside the home or shed. Especially if the resident is absent during Hurricane season.
- Forward mail and secure the mailbox
Have a great month!
“Integrity is the most valuable and respected quality of leadership. Always keep your word.” ~ Brian Tracy
Tropical Haven Sewer Line Replacement
By Tim Erickson
25 March, 2025
Melbourne, Florida –Phase 1 of a threephase sewer replacement project has begun here at Tropical Haven with Palmetto-based Subterrain Technologies Inc. spearheading the effort. The company has established their work headquarters at the intersections of Paul Bryce Drive and Harry Sutton Road with a nine-man crew, and began work in early March.
Shawn Helmer, Chief Operating Officer of the company, said Phase 1 is expected to encompass about 100 houses and be completed within an approximate three to four month time frame.
The park was purchased from the City of Melbourne’s Airport Authority on January 14, 2025 after protracted multi-year negotiations with a number of potential buyers and is now being managed by Cobblestone Assets. The company has appointed Matt Martin as its Resident Communications Manager, retained Ingrid Rivera as Property Manager and added Peggy Heiser as Assistant Manager to the Business Office staff. Their new number is (321) 550-0700.
Although sale terms were not publically disclosed, on November 19 of last year the Federal Aviation Administration published document 2024-27107 asking for final public comment on the City’s intent to sell the property and remove it from FAA and airport jurisdiction. The document listed the 99.575 acre property at a Fair Market Value (FMV) of $44 million.
WHY REPLACE THE SEWER
Tropical Haven began life as Naval Air Station Melbourne and the complex became operational in October of 1942. During its World War II tenure, the base housed
approximately 130 officers and 1,355 enlisted men. Primary focus of the base was to train Navy and Marine aviators to fly the Grumman F4F Wildcat and the more-advanced Grumman F6F Hellcat. At war’s end, the base had trained over 2,200 pilots with a reported 63 flight-related deaths.
Like many bases constructed during the war effort, the emphasis was on speed of completion and not necessarily built with an eye toward longevity. The base was decommissioned in 1946 and turned over to the Melbourne Airport Authority in 1947 as surplus property. Since that time, the park has grown in multiple phases, with many areas utilizing the original clay pipe sewer lines from 1942.
These older lines have reached their service life, and Subterrain will be replacing many of the existing sewer mains throughout the park with 8-inch High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipe and tying in new connections to each affected home. With a benchmark life of 50-100 years and beyond, the HDPE retrofit will outlast most current owners in Tropical Haven.
MAPPING THE AREA
Although U.S. Navy blueprints and later City of Melbourne sewer maps provide a good baseline, they are not complete and fully accurate according to Helmer, who along with his brother and Company President Tony Helmer, are on-site supervising the work.
Helmer said his company flushed out the lines running throughout the park and ran cameras through existing lines to determine conditions. This analysis led to the Phase 1 construction plans, starting with work at the west edge of the park on Stansted Road and working south and east. According to best available data, this is the high point of the sewer system, and all waste in the park flows downward from there into a yet-to-be-determined cityowned lift station.
Phase I work will involve new sewer lines
on the following roads:
· Stansted
· Burtonwood
· Applegrove
· Harry Sutton (west side)
HOW THE PROCESS WORKS
Rather than dig up the existing main sewer line which may be buried from three-toeight feet below the surface, Subterrain uses what is known as a pipe-bursting technology to run new sewer line from manhole to manhole. These new main lines are then connected to each home with new lateral lines.
Tony Helmer of Subterrain said the HDPE main lines come in 50 foot sections and can be joined together using fusion welding to create a pipe of any desired length. This fusing is accomplished by melting and pressing the melted surfaces together under pressure around the joined ends and heating to 450°F for ten minutes. “You can’t pull this fused joint apart,” Helmer said. “It is actually stronger than the pipe itself.”
The fusion process results in excess extruded material at each joint which is cut away (internally and externally) to ensure a completely smooth pipe. Once this HDPE pipe has been fused and cleaned up, it is ready for insertion from manhole to manhole.
From Subterrain’s website: “A segmented rod is pushed through the old sewer pipe and a hardened steel bursting head is attached to one end of the segmented rod. The new polyethylene pipe is then attached to the back of the bursting head. At the other end the hydraulic system is set up which pulls the segmented rod.
Once the system has been set up and turned on the operator uses a remote control to “pull” the segmented rod with the head and pipe attached down into the hole. It then pulls the new HDPE line through the
old pipe, breaking it and pushing the pieces out into the surrounding soil. The new pipe gets pulled all the way to the exit hole where new connections are made. After final inspection, the holes are filled in.”
Helmer said the hydraulic machine is capable of exerting more than 80 tons or 160,000 PSI of pressure while pulling the line. Additionally, he said the pulling force creates a linear action that self-corrects for existing dips which are often present when older clay lines sag and drop over time.
Because pipe bursting destroys the home owner’s existing connection (lateral) to the main line, preliminary work must be done beforehand to locate exactly where the line leaves the home and at the point it connects to the main. Matt Martin of Tropical Haven explained the location process.
“They (Subterrain) use a camera that has a transmitter on the end of it. As it goes along (in the existing lateral), there is somebody standing on top of the ground with a receiver and following the movement of the camera. In that way they know the exact location of where the line comes out of the home.”
Some laterals are not as easily located and the team is forced to hand dig to determine the path from home to main line.
Once the location is mapped, Subterrain brings in a small backhoe to trench out the existing lateral and preps it for new line replacement. Martin explained why new lines are being laid from the home to the tie-in.
“What we are finding is that PVC coming out of the homes is tied into clay,” he explained, “and we have to make sure all the clay pipe is gone. If you just tie back into clay, that old section will continue to deteriorate. So it’s all being replaced coming out of the bottom of the home.”
While Subterrain is initiating the pipe bursting process, externally-contracted plumbers are running new lines from the bottom of the home out towards the main.
In some cases the plumber will need to
gain access to the underside of the home and reroute existing sanitary lines. This work is accomplished at no cost to the home-owner. Additionally, the new sanitary lines will incorporate an externally-accessible clean out line.
The result is a completely new line running from the home’s exit point to the new main sewer line. When the pipe burst is accomplished, the goal is to reconnect the system and get the system up and operational within the same day.
FROM EASY TO MORE DIFFICULT
The work on Stansted Road has been relatively straightforward for Subterrain, with the main sewer line running behind the homes and no abutting streets or homes to the west.
But as the work progresses into the heart of Tropical Haven, the crew will have to contend with sewer lines that are not as easily accessed. Most of these lines are buried in an easement located between the homes and generally following the utility and phone connections.
PHASE 2, 3 AND BEYOND
Martin said the entire sewer system was jetted and cleaned out two months ago. This cleaning provided an initial roadmap for the project’s overall scope and detail.
“We cherry-picked this first section (Phase 1) because it would be the easiest,” Martin continued, “but once you get into the middle part (of the park) it’s real tight. Getting the excavators, getting the generators, the winches that actually pull the new pipe through will be a challenge.”
“Phase 2 and 3 (asks the question) ‘what’s it going to entail?’” Martin pulled out a color coded project map and explained that lines needing replacement were colored-coded red while lines that appear to be in good condition were mapped with a green color.
These final two phases will start immediately after Phase 1 has been completed.
The total project duration is estimated at 14 months from start to finish and will encompass approximately 282 homes.
Beyond this initial three-phase work, Cornerstone has estimated that an eventual 80-90% of the park’s sewer lines will be replaced. The time frame for this additional work scope has not yet been established.
Shuffleboard News
Spring is here and shuffleboard season is winding down. This doesn’t mean shuffleboard is over as members can play year round.
I would like to give mentionTo all the people who help maintain the courts and discs, shared rides to tournaments and worked at bringing in new members.
To Sharon Harris, Donna Clovis, Sue Gilbert and all the hard working volunteers who help prepare, serve and clean up during tournaments.
To all the new and returning players for making it a great season THANK YOU!
It is all the hard work from these volunteers that keeps our shuffleboard club going
Bill Beechum
Easter Sunday Service-April 20th-10:00AM
The April 15, Catamaran ride in Cocoa Beach has been
YOU! IN CELEBRATING APRIL
CONTACTS
BOARD MEMBERS
President Joe Catanese
603-325-3014 joecatanese9@icloud.com
Vice President Daryl DeCann 315-708-9646 decanndd@gmail.com
Treasurer Donna Delaney 704-778-2159 ddelaney2@bellsouth.net
Diana Tuggle Email: tropicalhavennews@gmail.com (Please put Facebook in Subject Line)
How to Submit Newsletter Articles/Events
• Submit your articles/events to the HOAA email address: tropicalhavennews@gmail.com Please verify you have used the correct email address.
ALL ARTICLES ARE TO BE TYPED–NO EXCEPTIONS.
• Please include your name and contact information so I can confirm receipt of your informa tion and be able to contact you with any questions.
• It will be helpful if you put “HOAA Newsletter” in the subject line of your email. Diana Tuggle uses the same email for Facebook posts; please put Facebook in the subject line for those requests.
• Articles/events must be submitted by the 25th of each month. Please submit it as early as possible – don’t wait if you have your info ready. If not received by the deadline, it will not be published in the newsletter. Content corrections can be made until the 29th of the month.
How to Publicize Your Events on the Activities Page & Porch Whiteboard
• For all Activities, please contact TerryLynn Archer with your activity information. She will ensure we do not have our public spaces double-booked or overlapping activities. You can call TerryLynn at 207-478-6884
• You can contact Darlene Halsey during the Season from November through April with Whiteboard listings. 315-573-2772
Regularly Scheduled Activities
am
pm
pm
am
am
pm
9:30 am – 2:30 pm
(Every Other Friday) 6:00 pm
Game Day 1:00 – 3:30 pm
Bingo (TIME CHANGE!) Doors Open & Ticket Sales Begin from 6:00-6:30 with Bingo to follow.
am
Dance (FIRST & THIRD SUNDAY)
APRIL ACTIVITIES
* 2025 Brevard County Senate District 19 and House District 32
Special Primary Election
A P P L I C A T I O N F O R H O M E E N H A N C E M E N T F U N D
Name
Site Number
LET’S MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SHINE—TOGETHER!
Proposed Upgrades
Estimated Investment Community Approval
Approved Grant A limited number of grants are available so apply today!
We’re excited to help residents enhance their homes with funding for approved upgrades. All funds must be used for approved home improvements. Limited funds available—apply today and make a difference! While contractors are not provided, we will supply a list of recommended vendors for your convenience.
AS EASY AS 1,2,3
1. Make an appointment with our Resident Construction Coordinator to discuss enhancement options.
