Argyle Area Civic Council

Argyle Area Civic Council

History of Argyle Forest and the Argyle Area Civic Council

Argyle dates back to 1975, when the original investor, Gulfstream Land Development, put together one of Florida's first ''developments of regional impact.'' After Gulfstream ran into financial problems, ownership of Argyle split into several hands: AFI Associates, Ranch Village Group and Partners, Chimney Lakes Investment Co., and APU Chimney Lakes Investment Co.

Here are the dates that various Argyle Area neighborhoods were started:

Duval County
Argyle Forest - 1975
Sturbridge Place - 1987
Highland Lakes -
Chimney Lakes - 1989
Indian Trails -

Clay County

Greater Argyle Civic Council Gets Rolling 7-4-2001 to 10-18-2001

Certain events in 2001 made residents in Argyle Forest realize that they must work together for the betterment of the entire Argyle area.

3-13-2001
City Council votes to put a 336 unit affordable and HUD apartment complex at the front entrance of Argyle Forest. Hundreds of residents come out to voice their objections due to issues such as: overcrowded roads, overcrowded schools, inadequate police and fire protection and decline of property values. See Web Link Below.


6-28-2001
Argyle Forest is "graciously" included with the Northside of Jacksonville in the recently approved Proposed Redistricting Plan for the City of Jacksonville. There will be 3 public hearings and a district Town Hall meeting held before this is voted on in the Fall of 2001 by the entire city council. These meetings will be our chance to protest and change this latest insult to the residents of Argyle Forest and let City Council know that the Argyle Forest neighborhood is in Duval County, NOT Clay County! See Web Link Below.


7-1-2001
Dan Hoard commits his company, DanScapes, to the preservation and restoration of our "landmark", the Argyle entrance way sign. He has taken upon himself and his company to Donate services to Maintain this island and improve the overall looks of Argyle. This includes ( mow, edge, trim, and Blow off the paved surfaces ). He agrees to do this for a period of Five (5) years......... See Web Link Below.


7-4-2001
An effort to Start an Argyle Political Action Committee begins. The purpose of which would be to join the neighborhood associations of Chimney Lakes, Highland Lakes, Argyle Forest and Sturbridge together to have a bigger voice in government hearings and matters. With last week's Proposed Redistricting City Council Map leaving Argyle Forest in the Northside District 11 this will be very important during the upcoming Public Hearings. Please let me know if you have any questions or input.

There will be a town Hall Meeting to discuss AT&T Broadband Cable Problems On Thursday, July 12, 2001 at 7:30 pm at the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church. District 13 Rep Alberta Hipps will be hosting this meeting. This will also be a good chance to talk with other residents about the Argyle Forest problems.

Please see comments Bill Lewis received regarding the Proposed Redistricting and other Argyle Forest concerns.

Bill,
When is the first meeting? Since you seem to have everyone's contact info let's get together this Argyle PAC and meet well before their first hearing.
We want to have a focused and professional message when we get in front of the committee or council or whoever is running these town halls. One of the problems that came out of the Vestcor meetings was it made our residents look like angry bitter rednecks.
Thanks,
Gene Maszy
President - Highland Lakes Homeowners Association

Bill,
Good morning I am sorry for being so slow to respond! Association and family has kept me quite busy.
I am happy to see that a PAC is beginning to form and I hope it is not a case of a little to late. I will be in attendance at the C-PAC on the 9th of July (2001) and will also be at Kirkwood on the 12th. I have been briefed on the plans to redistrict the Argyle community to the Northside District and the first question I have is; "is this written in stone" and if not how can we organize it the time remaining? I have a few contacts downtown and have requested for them to see if they can find out what is exactly happing! I wonder if this is retaliation to the visit we paid City Hall last month? A problem child so to speak! Bill thank you for the information and keep it coming. If you have any further information please send it so I can add it to my case log. Bill if you or any of the other people have any ideas on how to get this information out to the homes I would like to hear them. Please forward this note as you need to aid in this cause.
David A. Rix
Vice President - Chimney Lakes Owners Association

Bill:
To correct your complaint about reapportionment will probably be best accomplished through teaming up with others who have other complaints. The general spirit at the Council is to try to preserve the exact plan as is, defending it as "finely tuned," etc. To make them budge at all on any part will probably require that there are others, too, who push for other corrections.
I suggest that, among other things, you guys need to call attention to the Charter requirement that all districts must be "as compact as is practicable." Your argument, actually, really is a variation on this. It is a totally unnecessary violation of compactness requirements to stick you in with people from Oceanway and Black Hammock Island and even Mayport. The entire map stinks. I will try to help you as I try to call attention to the general lack of compactness.
(By the way, in comparing compactness, compactness
actually has a definition. It is a ratio of area to perimeter, the greater the perimeter to area is the greater lack of compactness.)
If they make no improvement in the compactness over the present proposal, I will for sure go to court and within 2 years force a redrawing of the plan, as I did before on the Florida Congressional districts here in Northeast Florida in 1994.
Sincerely,
Andy Johnson
Retired Florida Legislature 1978 - 1982 and Radio Talk Show Host

Well, Bill, after looking over the redistricting plan and the planning department's description of Argyle Forest Boulevard already being 4-laned, I can now state with absolute certainty that this City has not a single member of MENSA among it's leaders. I am convinced, though, that they are all members of the Mickey Mouse Club.
I gave up trying to download the street-by-street map and instead printed the smaller map which shows all the Districts. District 11 is the biggest piece of nonsense I have ever seen. It circles about two-thirds of the city. I have a few questions:
1. Where does Mr. Alvarez live? Most of our Council members live in their districts, but Mr. Alvarez will need his own helicopter to get from one area of his District to another. Absurd.
2. How many square miles of land mass does each District cover?
3. What is the population of each District and what percentage of that population is minority?
4. Am I correct in assuming that this redistricting is primarily based on minority questions/problems?
5. Why are we not included in District 12?
6. Is there a street-by-street map that doesn't take an hour to download?
7. Where can I go to get answers to these questions?
Argyle Forest is getting hit hard from all directions. I appreciate you keeping me informed about everything that is going on, and I am informing others.
Margaret Petersen
Argyle Forest - Bishopwood

Bill,
This seems like a plan to keep our community from being players in the next city counsel elections. They now that Ms. Hipps or any of her supporters wouldn't stand a chance if district 13 includes our area.
Keep up the good work...
Best regards,
Gil Rodriguez
Highland Lakes Resident

Bill,
The information in the 6/28/01 Road Status Report is flawed and may be the reason nothing gets done, as it shows Argyle to be a Service Grade "B" road at 82% of capacity. Folks, that is balderdash!
Fine Tooth Comb Investigations
David Hodges, P.I., F.C.I
Jacksonville, Florida
ftc@fdn.com
Chimney Lakes


7-5-2001 Bill Lewis takes to the air waves to talk about Argyle Forest Issues on the Andy Johnson Radio Show. This was be a great chance for residents to express their opinion as to what was happening in Argyle Forest.


7-9-2001
Seven Chimney Lakes Residents attend the July 9th, 2001 Citizens Planning Advisory Committee (C-PAC) Planning District 4 - Southwest meeting to voice their concerns about the Proposed Jacksonville City Council Redistricting Map (6-28-2001). Those in attendance are: David Rix, Mike Daliberti, Gene Halbert, Jeff Schmidt, Bill Lewis, Richard Darby, and Ed Pauley.
See Florida Times Union Article: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/071401/neR_6668113.shtml


7-12-2001
A historic meeting was held on Thursday, July 12, 2001 at the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church. An effort to Start an Argyle Political Action Committee has begun. The purpose of which would be to join the neighborhood associations of Chimney Lakes, Highland Lakes, Argyle Forest and Sturbridge together to have a bigger voice in government hearings and matters. With last months Proposed Redistricting City Council Map leaving Argyle Forest in the Northside District 11 this will be very important during the upcoming Public Hearings. See Past Articles-> http://jacksonville.com/learningcenter/redistricting/ Please let me know if you have any questions or input. The next meeting will be on Thursday, July 19, 2001 at 7:30 at the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church.
There is a plan in the works to include all of Argyle Forest into District 14.
This was discussed between Chimney Lakes Owners Association Board Vice President David Rix and City Council President Matt Carlucci.
This proposal goes to the City Council Rules Committee Wednesday, 7-18-2001 afternoon.
I will let you know what comes out of that meeting.
At 6:12 pm 7-18-2001, CP Matt Carlucci called me and let me know that proposal had been adopted and Alberta Hipps was instrumental in getting that done. We should have the new map to look at at tomorrow's meeting.


7-19-2001
A second historic meeting was held on Thursday, July 19, 2001 at 7:30 pm at the Kirkwood Presbyterian Church. During this meeting, leaders from Chimney Lakes, Highland Lakes, Argyle Forest, Sturbridge Place & Indian Trails began to work together to have a bigger voice in government hearings and matters. Thus, the Greater Argyle Civic Council was started. Here is summary of issues discussed at that meeting:
1. Entire Argyle Forest Neighborhood was put into District 14 (Jim Overton / Ortega District).
On July 18, 2001 at 5:00pm the City Council Rules Committee, which now controls redistricting, unanimously approved changes to the Proposed City Council Redistricting map, but barred any further modifications before the plan enters public hearings this summer. At 6:12 pm 7-18-2001, Council President Matt Carlucci called Bill Lewis to say that the changes had been approved and Alberta Hipps and Jim Overton were instrumental in getting that done. Keep in mind that these new city council districts do not take effect until the 2003 elections. You can now download the new map and old map from these links:
2. According to the Jacksonville Planning and Development Department, ARGYLE FOREST BOULEVARD is already a 4-LANE road from BLANDING BLVD TO RAMPART RD. Here is the link -> http://www.coj.net/planning/roadwayl.htm Also see the attachment. This issue will be used to fast track the 4-Laning of Argyle Forest Boulevard since it was already to be begun in 2000. Please make plans to attend the next JTA public hearing probably in September 2001 at the Chimney Lakes Elementary School.
3. It was decide to adopt the name, "Greater Argyle Civic Council (GACC)", as the name of this new community association because it would serve to join the different neighborhoods of Argyle Forest together rather than act purely as a "Political Action Committee" and be subject to those rules and regulations. As the Argyle Forest area continues to grow rapidly, it is more important than ever to have as many people informed as to decisions that are being by made by government and elected officials regarding our neighborhood. The main mission of the GACC will be to keep Argyle Forest neighborhood residents informed in a more timely manner and bring our concerns to government and elected officials in a more unified and organized manner. We will also share ideas with one another to make our community a better place to live. As the Argyle Forest area continues to grow, we will invite new neighborhoods to join with us. Organizing the GACC is the first step toward better representation in governmental affairs and making Argyle Forest a great place to live.


8-16-2001
1. Discussion of JTA Meeting
Members of the Greater Argyle Civic Council attended a meeting at the JTA office building on Monday, August 13, 2001 with Alberta Hipps, JTA officials, and other Government officials. We have maps as well as new information from this meeting.
Also an explanation of the Collector Distributor System Interchange at I-295 and Collins Road.
Here is a list of those who attended:
Bill Lewis bill-lewis@netzero.net Chimney Lakes Ivy Lakes AACC Communications Director
Ron Crosby CrosbyJax@cs.com Chimney Lakes Board President 2001
David Rix mardet1@bellsouth.net Chimney Lakes Board Vice President 2001 /AACC Chairman
Dan Hoard danscapes@yahoo.com Chimney Lakes
David Hodges ftc@leading.net Chimney Lakes
Barbara Bible kennethbible@cs.com Argyle Forest
Richard Darby radarby@mediaone.net Chimney Lakes
2. Our new association was renamed to the Argyle Area Civic Council.
This was changed to give us a different identity from the Greater Arlington Civic Council.


9-19-2001
1. Special Area Planning for Argyle Forest Area. We will be talking about this new development.
2. The next JTA public hearing regarding the widening of Argyle Forest Blvd will be held Tuesday, October 16, 2001 at Chimney Lakes Elementary School.
9353 Staples Mill Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32244
3. Lindsey Terrace / Youngerman Circle entrance update.
The primary entrance will be on Youngerman Circle.
4. Branan Field-Chaffee Road Opens - September 4, 2001

Argyle Area Civic Council -By-Laws & Officers Created 10-18-2001

10-18-2001
In preparation for the Special Area Plan Meetings being conducted by Jacksonville City Councilwoman Alberta Hipps and Clay County Commissioner Pat McGovern, it was necessary to establish By-Laws and elect a slate of officers.

The following slate of officers was offered and approved without objection:

President: David Hodges
Vice President: Dan Hoard
2nd Vice President: Bill Lewis
Secretary: Kenneth Bible
Treasurer: Al Durant

Additional members of the Board of Directors include: Jim Nulty, Wilma Schnell, & Mike Swann.

Proposed by-laws from the Greater Arlington Civic Council and the Mandarin Community Club were read and changes were made to create the Argyle Area Civic Council By-Laws. With seven amendments, the by-laws were approved without objections.

Here are the Argyle Area Civic Council By-Laws - Adopted 10-18-2001

Argyle Area Civic Council By - Laws Rev. 10-18-2001

Article I
Duties of the Officers

Section I
The President shall have the powers and duties customarily associated with that officer and he shall be the chief executive officer of the organization and shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors. He shall be an ex-efficio member of all committees.

Section II
The Vice President shall be responsible for recruiting and retaining members. He shall assist the President in his duties and fulfill the duties of the President in the absence of the President.

Section III
The Second Vice President shall be director of communications to the Board and to the membership at large and assist the Vice President in recruiting and in the determination of eligibility of Board members.

Section IV
The Secretary shall have the powers and duties customarily associated with that office.

Section V
The Treasurer shall have the powers and duties customarily associated with that office.

Section VI
The Board of directors shall fill any vacancy, which may occur in the office of President, Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer.


Article II
Election of Officers and Directors

Section I
The board of Directors shall be comprised of one representative from each sub-division within the Greater Argyle Area. Additional Board members can be added to fill vacancies created when Board members are installed as officers.

Section II
Officers of this organization shall be elected by the Board of directors at the annual meeting and shall serve for a term of one year, or until successors have been duly elected. The term of office shall begin in January of each year.

Section III
The Election of officers shall occur in November at the regularly scheduled board meeting.

Section IV
Any officer may be removed by a majority vote-plus one of the Board of Directors, whenever in its judgement the interest of the Council would be thereby served.


Article III
Meetings

Section I
The Board of Directors shall meet no less than once every three months. Directors will be given at least five days' notice of meetings.

Section II
Members of the board of Directors shall be entitled to one vote each at Board meetings. Alternate Directors may vote only in the absence of the Directors whom they represent.

Section III
The annual meeting shall be held in January of each year.

Section IV
There must be present a majority of the Board of Directors to constitute a quorum.


Article IV
Procedure

Section I
Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern this organization except where it conflicts with the Articles of Incorporation or By-laws.

(See Roberts Rules of Order Web Links Below)


Article V
Fiscal Year Dues

Section I
The fiscal year of this organization shall be the calendar year.

Section II
The annual dues of this organization shall be $1.00 per household and payable at the beginning of each fiscal year.

Section III
The Board of Directors may, by a two-third majority vote of those present and voting at any constituted general or special meeting, assess special levies or assessments for any purpose deemed necessary for the proper conduct of the Council.


Article VI
Voting

Section I
Each sub division representative in the Council is entitled to one vote at meetings of the Board of Directors.


Article VII
Fiscal Policies

Section I
Checks may be issued only when signed by the treasurer and the President.

Section II
The highest amount of indebtedness or liability to which this organization may at any time subject itself shall never be greater than two-thirds of the value of the property or money held by the organization at the time such indebtedness is incurred.


Article VIII
Authorization

Section I
The Board of Directors shall designate those persons who shall be authorized to represent this organization at public hearings, but said persons shall not be authorized to speak beyond those matters and times and places so determined by the Board of Directors.


Article IX
Modification of By - Laws

Section I
These by-laws may be altered or rescinded only by a two-thirds majority vote of the members of the board of Directors present at any annual, regular or special meeting.

Adopted at the October 18, 2001 Meeting

Email us
ArgyleACC@joimail.com

Important AACC History Web Links

Argyle Area Civic Council By-Laws - Amended 11-20-2003 (MS Word)
Jacksonville City Council Redistricting Controversy 6-28-2001
Argyle Forest Blvd Widening History - To Be Done By End of 2003
Argyle Sign & Planter to be maintained by DanScapes 7-1-2001
Special Area Plan Meetings Oct 22, 2001 through Nov 19, 2001
Government Subsidized Housing comes to Argyle Forest 3-13-2001

About our association

About the Argyle Area Civic Council

The AACC is a grassroots organization dedicated to informing the residents of the Argyle Forest Area in both Duval and Clay Counties about issues and government actions that impact our neighborhoods. We study those issues and we work with governmental agencies and others for acceptable solutions.
The Board of Directors consists of one member from each neighborhood within the area, and represents an area of some 40,000 acres, with over 7,000 private homes and multifamily dwellings growing to 20,000 homes in the next nine years.

The AACC is an organization that is completely dependent upon the volunteer efforts of individuals who are willing to work for the common good. Please attend any or all of our monthly meeting that are held on the 3rd Monday of the month at 7:30 PM. Your input, voice, and vote are critical to our combined success!

Keep in mind that the Officers, Board of Directors, and volunteers of the AACC are doing their best to serve the residents and businesses of Argyle Forest and Oakleaf Plantations. Any suggestions or ideas are encouraged.

"I am not a perfect servant. I am a public servant doing my best against the odds. As I develop and serve, be patient. God is not finished with me yet." - Colin Powell

Contact Bill Lewis at 904-813-9455 or ArgyleACC@joimail.com for the latest on meeting dates, location & times.

Welcome to the Argyle Area! by Ken Bible,AACC Secretary 8-6-2002

Bill Lewis sent me a copy of your e-mail asking to be added to the AACC e-list, and stating your desire to keep informed about community issues.

As you have learned, we are not a "neighborhood" or "homeowners" group, rather a Civic Council, dedicated to the overall improvement of this region of Duval and Clay counties. We are free from government entanglement (and limitations), and have the ability/capacity to go the heart of any matter that will lead to the overall improvement of our community.

Schools, literacy, roads and highways, parks, libraries, fire/rescue and police services are high on the list of priorities, as is working to maintain or improve the integrity of our area.

We work on a volunteer basis, and although we are almost a year old and have accomplished a great deal, we have not yet collected or asked for the $1 per year, per household dues. We will one day, but because of Bill's communication and internet skills, and the donations of time and money by many individuals, dues have been secondary to our commitment to improving the overall area.

We invite you to join us at all (or any) of our monthly meetings. Other community activists say that we are the most effective, and ambitious of any group they have ever seen, and love to attend our meetings, even though they may live outside the boundries of the area we work to improve.

You may participate or observe. We are delighted that so many people come just to see what is going on, and when they contribute skills to AACC projects, everyone wins.

Thank you again for your interest, and I look forward to seeing you at future meetings!

Kenneth Bible
Secretary, AACC
August 6, 2002

Argyle Area Civic Council By-Laws

(Amended on November 20, 2003)

Article I
Board of Directors

Section 1
The Board of Directors of the Argyle Area Civic Council (refer to as AACC) shall consist of 15 members who shall be empowered to make all financial and policy decisions for the Argyle Area Civic Council. The board of directors shall meet at least six times in a calendar year at a place that is open to and accessible to the public. The time of each meeting shall be announced to the public at least seven days in advance of the meeting.

Section 2
Argyle Area Civic Council business shall be conducted only if a quorum of at least 8 board members are present at a board meeting. Majority rule shall apply to all votes except in a vote to remove a board member. Removal of a board member shall require at least 8 affirmative votes by board members. There shall be no time limit on serving as a member of the board of directors.

Article II
Election of the Board of Directors

Section 1
A majority vote of the members of the AACC Board of Directors meeting shall fill vacant positions on the Board of Directors using the criteria listed in Section 2. It is preferred that the prospective board member be an officer in the neighborhood association where he or she lives but not required.

Section 2
a) Each board member must be a citizen of the United States of America and must be at least 18 years of age.

b) Every board member must reside in the specific geographical area associated with a specific board position. The locations are as follows:

Argyle East north of Argyle Forest Blvd. Highland Lakes
Argyle East south of Argyle Forest Blvd. Oak Leaf Plantation north of Argyle Forest Blvd
Bent Creek Oak Leaf Plantation south of Argyle Forest Blvd
Blanding Blvd area of Clay County Old Middleburg Road Area
Chimney Lakes north of Argyle Forest Blvd. Shindler Road from Argyle Blvd to 103rd St
Chimney Lakes south of Argyle Forest Blvd. Spencers Farm (Clay County)
Collins Road area west of McGirts Creek Sweetbriar (Clay County)
Collins Road area east of McGirts Creek

Section 3.

The AACC Board of Directors as of October 23, 2003 and upon the adoption of this amendment to the by-laws of the Argyle Area Civic Council shall be as follows:

Ken Bible, David Reagan, Bill Lewis, Marie Splane, Allen Durant, David Hodges, Henry Mooneyhan, John Draper


Article III
Election of Officers

Section 1.

All officers of the AACC shall be chosen from among the members of the board of directors and shall serve one-year terms. An executive director and support staff may be hired from outside the board of directors with no time limit on employment.

Section 2.

The AACC Board of Directors shall choose a President/Board Chairman, First Vice-President/Vice Chairman, Second Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Treasurer and Financial Secretary. The President with approval of the Board of Directors shall appoint other committee chairman. Committee chairman is not required to be members of the Board of Directors.


Article IV
Procedures

Section 1:
a) The presiding officer at all meetings shall follow Robert's Rules of Order.
b) The President or an officer designated by the President shall be the spokesperson for the AACC in all matters.

Section 2:
a) All expenditures of AACC funds shall require the majority approval of the Board of Directors.
b) The President and the Treasurer must sign all AACC checks.

Article V
Dues

No annual dues shall be charge but contributions shall be accepted in accordance with all applicable Federal laws, State statues and local ordinances. The President with the concurrence of the Board of Directors reserves the right to refuse to accept any contribution. The Board of Directors may charge appropriate fees to persons wishing to participate in any AACC sponsored events.

Article VI
Amendments to the by-laws

Amendments to the by-laws shall require a two-thirds vote of the members of the Board of Directors present at a regularly scheduled meeting.

Email us
ArgyleACC@joimail.com

Other AACC Web Sites

AACC Document Site on First Coast Communities