News -
The ROPE
Swimming Hole in Shingle Creek Reserve
UPDATE AS OF 9/7/11
At our Oaks Watch meeting at the Park Place Homes, we discussed what has been going on since the story below has been told. Our C.D.D. board has now put "No Trespassing" Signs up at this location and has joined forces with the Kissimmee Police with the help of our Neighborhood Watch. Joe received the proper information to fill out and gave it to Brian Smith our representative of the C.D.D.Board of the Oaks. Now the K.P.D. and our C.D.D. are in communication with each other on the trespassing on their property and cutting down on the people that are coming on the property to go to the swimming hole.
These people are coming from all over and are not welcome on our property. Some people have been seen by neighbors just looking at the sign and waling onto the hole anyway. We are asking the neighbors to call either the C.D.D. board or the Kissimmee Police to keep this controlled. The word will get out and hopefully we will keep this area free from outsiders.
Here at the Oaks Watch we have been getting a lot of calls and emails about speeding in the Shingle Creek area of the Oaks. Also it was coming from where other people swim at "the Rope" and the people swimming there were "not" residents from our neighborhood.
It seems that the swimming hole has been there about 20 to 30 years. A popular place for locals to go swimming in high school and beyond. It has a legacy of it's own.
Only now it is in the middle of a neighborhood and the neighbors do not want outsiders coming to their neighborhood, and what do they do about it????
They called the Oaks Neighborhood Watch, after all it's our neighborhood, isn't it? It sure is! But the Kissimmee Police can NOT do anything about it.
speeding...the residents can do something about it
The residents can call the Kissimmee Police about the speeding, Just get a time frame of when these same people are coming by, and when you get a time period, like between 5 and 7 pm Then call the K.P.D at their non emergency phone number - 407-846-3333 and report this, and they will help you and the residents by sending an officer between these times to catch these people!
The more residents call the more help you will get, it's up to Shingle Creek!!
It's up to you! individually!!
ORIGINAL STORY OF HOW THIS ALL CAME ABOUT
The Oaks Neighborhood Watch had it's Citizens Volunteer Patrol at the site because of complaints from everything from noise, a residents could not put his boat in the water because outsiders were parking their cars at the landing to go swimming, and even the trash that was left behind was disgusting. One family was even having a Bar-B-Q at the boat launch, and left trash all over, from McDonalds bags to junk.
(Notice the parking across on the hill, This is on a slow day, usually the parking lot is filled)
We called the Kissimmee Police one day when the parking lot was full and they came and said that there was 'nothing" they could do. The reason behind it was the owners had to have "No Trespassing" signs up and a letter to the Kissimmee Police stating that they did not want people there and a No Parking "For Residents only" Sign there also.
Until they get those sign up there is nothing that can be done.
Please read the underlined part again and again until it sticks in your mind. I know it's hard to grasp but it's real!
Our C.D.D. board has to put "no trespassing signs up and "Parking for residents only" signs up also, and send a letter to K.P.D. to enforce this. Otherwise there is nothing that they can do until this is done by the board.
We have made a call to them stating this and they have told us that they are talking to their lawyers so they can get the proper wording, not only for the signs but the letter also.
I'm sure this will take awhile but as soon as it is done the residents will be able to call the KPD.
Complaints are that they are drinking and then getting in their vehicles, and so called "laying rubber" with their tires and causing noise, one resident had her 3 year old behind her home and all she heard was cursing, and had to bring her 3 year old inside. A lot of emails were about speeding and we told them to call K.P.D.
You never want outsiders coming in our neighborhood because you never know what they will do on their way out after they have been drinking all day....who knows?
So Far this is the story, The parking is the worst, it has filtered over to across the bridge on to the other side of the little hill.
I'm sure once the word gets out it will help.
But right now....There is "Nothing" the K.P.D. can do about it, That is what we have been told!
As of July 9th we have received word that the C.D.D. has ordered signs and has an idea of chaining the parking lot for boaters only and give no-coping keys to the residents only. (just an idea) Signs should be up shortly.