2022 Volume 1
Welcome to our guests who have arrived since our November, December and January newsletters were published. See the end of this newsletter for information regarding ways to stay informed at Belle Parc.
We will be sending out information regarding our new rates that go in effect on April 1, 2022 soon. The process for renewing your reservation for both seasonal and annual guests is explained in detail – see Reservations below.
A Park Model open house will be held on February 16 from 12noon – 2pm. If you are interested in purchasing a park model, please contact the office for information. We do not rent these park models.
Please keep in mind that people on foot can circumvent the gates or access the Resort property via other avenues. As you would at home, please lock your vehicles and take the appropriate steps to secure other valuables.
If you have tested positive for Covid-19 it is your responsibility to self-isolate, on your site for 5 days, even if you are not displaying any symptoms. Please be kind and notify anyone you may have exposed. Please do not let other guests approach you if you are sitting outside; let them know that you are in isolation. Do not use any Resort buildings or attend any activities. Do not approach any guest or staff member. We would like to thank everyone for observing the Covid-19 Regulations by wearing masks in all buildings, by social distancing and by maintaining the proper maximum occupancy for buildings and outdoor areas. With the infection level high in Florida, it is wise to assume anyone you come into contact with could potentially have Covid-19 and not have any symptoms; please protect yourself accordingly by keeping a safe distance and wearing a mask. See below for more information from the Florida Department of Health.
https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/exposure/
What do I do if I think I was exposed to COVID-19?
Some people are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. Here’s what to do if you think you may have been exposed to coronavirus.
Watch for symptoms
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
This list does not include all possible symptoms. Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at increased risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness. Talk to your health care provider about any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you. Children can also be infected with, get sick from, and spread the COVID-19 virus. Children, like adults, who have COVID-19 but have no symptoms (asymptomatic) can still spread the virus to others. Most children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all. However, some children can get severely ill from COVID-19. You can use the CDC’s self-checker to help make decisions and seek appropriate medical care regarding COVID-19.
When to seek emergency medical attention
If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone
This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your health care provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you. Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility. Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
Get Tested
If you are concerned about a potential exposure, you should talk to your health care provider and get tested for COVID-19. Regardless of whether you are unvaccinated or fully vaccinated, if you develop symptoms of COVID-19, you should keep your distance, be evaluated by a health care provider, and get tested. You can find testing locations here. Learn more about COVID-19 symptoms here and testing here.
Talk to your health care provider about potential post-exposure treatments
Treatments used for COVID-19 should be prescribed by a health care provider.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorization for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ REGEN-COV (casirivimab and imdevimab) for post-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 in people who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death, and are:
- Not fully vaccinated (2 weeks after a person’s final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine) or who are not expected to mount an adequate immune response to complete COVID-19 vaccination (for example, people with immunocompromising conditions including those taking immunosuppressive medications) and
- Have been exposed to a person infected with COVID-19 consistent with close contact criteria per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or
- Who are at high risk of exposure to a person infected with COVID-19 because of occurrence of COVID-19 infection in other people in the same institutional setting (for example, nursing homes, prisons, etc.)
- Post-exposure prophylaxis with REGEN-COV (casirivimab with imdevimab) is not intended to be a substitute for vaccination against COVID-19.
- REGEN-COV is not authorized for pre-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of COVID-19.
More information can be found on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s website.
Calling 911
When guests arrive at Belle Parc, they are given a Welcome Packet that has a white, removeable label on the outside of the plastic bag which has that guest’s 911 address listed. This is the address you should provide to 911. Each site (and building) has its own 911 address. Do not give the 11050 Elliots Way address as this will cause them to stop by the Welcome Center. If you no longer have your label, the light pole on your site has the 5-digit 911 address; you will need to include what road your site is on when calling 911; the 5-digit 911 number by itself is insufficient. If you are in doubt, please contact the office and we will provide your 911address. The address of the Welcome Center is 11050 Elliots Way; the Activity Center is 21435 Ancient Trail; the Fitness Center is 21424 Ancient Trail. If the emergency is at one of these buildings, give that address to 911 dispatch.
GUEST SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES
Hello Everyone,
The race to the finish line is beginning – LOL! We are trying to fit in as much as possible in our remaining “snowbird time”.
I hope you are enjoying your time here! If you don’t have enough to do – get with our Activity Staff. They will assist you in finding what will keep you active. Whether you like dining, biking, touring, kayaking, socializing, reading, dancing, exercising or whatever, our staff can point you in the right direction.
If you missed our other newsletters for this season you can still get a printed copy from our Activity Staff or on our website www.belleparcrvresorts.com. We are offering a lot more to do this season and we hope everyone has as much to do as they want. Please, if you haven’t already; fill out your activity suggestion form that you received in your arrival packet. We do read these and we do our best to make those things happen.
Tonica and Jason have moved on to new opportunities; however, the Food Trailer is still open with the help of Paul, Ellen and Bill. Our thanks to them for allowing us to keep this great food venue open for our guests.
Our “Meet n’ Greet” gatherings happen every Monday from 5pm-6:30pm at the Activity Center and many will continue to have live music. On live music nights our Meet n’ Greet is extended to 7pm. This is a free event to enjoy and meet your neighbors. Remember this is a BYOB-BYOS event.
All paid events on the resort property use tickets only instead of cash. You can purchase those tickets at our outside Dutch-door at the Activity Center. You can now buy $1.50 tickets for a la carte sides from the food trailer or snacks at the Activity Center such as drinks, candy bars and other small items if you have a hankering and don’t want to leave the Resort.
Don’t forget to read our weekly email updates, check our bulletin boards, and get hard copies of our weekly updates from the Activity Center staff for our regular recurring events, food, crafts, bingo and special events throughout the remaining “snowbird” season. February and March 2022 will see more live music, hopefully another dinner cruise and more!
Some upcoming events for the remainder of February and heading into March 2022 are:
- Sunday, February 13th, 2022 – doors open at 3pm for Super Bowl LVI celebration at the Activity Center. Kick-off is scheduled for 6:30pm. Bring your easy chair and end table, don’t scratch our floors, and make sure you are on the correct TV side for viewing the game. Both TVs will be up and running and each team will have their viewing area. This is also a BYOB and BYOS event. If you want to share your BYOS that is up to you – enjoy and have a great time!
- Sunday, February 13th – the Ice Cream Social is cancelled.
- Monday, February 14th, 2022 is a busy day for everyone.
- The Food Trailer is closed.
- 1-3pm we will have line dancing in the Activity Center to get you ready for the day’s events with your better half
- 4-5pm will be Valentine’s Day dinner (In the Pavilion!) This event has already closed for ticket sales and we hope you’ll join in next season.
- Finally, 6-9pm will be a Valentine’s Day dance featuring DJ Brandon Burgess who, hopefully, will play all those line dance songs many of you have learned as well as music for everyone to dance to and enjoy. The dance is a free event – of course those who enjoyed the dinner will have the best seating in the Pavilion.
- On Wednesday, February 16th, for 12-2pm we will be hosting an “Open House” with free viewing of our park models. These models are on sites 150, 147, 134, 132. If you are interested come and look. Please leave your pet(s) at home. No pets are allowed in the show models.
- On Saturday, February 19th, 2022 from 10am-3pm, at the Pavilion come enjoy the 1st annual craft fair for Belle Parc. This is a free event to attend, show, and sell your crafts. We have many talented and creative guests. If you are showing and/or selling make sure you sign up in the Activity Center hallway so we will know how many tables to set up!
- Regular bingo occurs every Thursday 6:30-8:30pm and our Booze Bingo is now scheduled for every Tuesday, beginning February 15th, 2022 6:30-8:30pm
- Wednesday, February 23rd, Ladies Luncheon at Papa Joes! Please sign up in the Activity Center hallway by February 21st.
- Saturday, February 26th, 2022 from 2-5pm we will see the return of Belle Parc’s Poker Run. We will have five (5) sites around the resort. A signup sheet is already posted in the Activity Center hallway. If you wish to participate you need to pay a $5.00 entrance fee at the Activity Center beginning Wednesday, February 16th @ 10am through Wednesday, February 23rd @2pm. So, if you are interested in attending, please come down to the Activity Center and sign up now and then return to pay you entrance fee on the dates just mentioned. This is an hours-long “meet n’ greet” at different stations throughout the resort; each guest will pick up a playing card at each station and the guest with the highest poker hand at the end of the day will receive a cash prize.
- Upcoming events in March! Please keep tuned in to our email updates and check our bulletin boards throughout the resort.
- 3/2 computer help class
- 3/4 painting class with Tina
- 3/12 our annual Belle Parc “Yard Sale”
- 3/17 St. Patrick’s dinner and dance
- 3/18 our last blood drive of the year
- 3/24 our annual “Guest Appreciation Day” games – food – prizes – music – dancing
Just a reminder! Our uninvited neighbor the “Omicron Variant” of Covid is making the rounds. If you feel flu like symptoms coming on – don’t take chances! Isolate and if you have a fever – please get tested. Trust me, your peace of mind will be helped knowing the results and you can protect other friends and family within the resort.
Feel free to contact the Guest Services staff if you have questions by stopping by the Activity Office or by sending us an email to activities@belleparcrvresorts.com or you can call the main number (352) 593-5852 and use option 3 to leave a message for us. If you need service or have a question for other Belle Parc staff, please call the reservation office (352) 593-5852 option 1.
Whew! A lot of things to take in and plan for! I would like to thank my Guest Services staff – Art, Marge, Mary, Gail, Bill, Ellen, Paul, Dee, Cindy and Jan for the work they do and the happiness they bring to you – give them a shout out next time you see them! Enjoy your time here at Belle Parc RV Resort, however long it may be.
RESERVATION OFFICE
It’s hard to believe we are already more than halfway through our winter season! Hopefully, by the time you are reading this we have already started our renewal process. However, if we have not received the new rates yet, here is a brief overview of our renewal process which is only open to guests who had a reservation for at least 4 months this season and would like to return for at least 4 months next season. An email with the details should be going out shortly so keep checking!
Phase 1:
If you want to keep your same site for 2022/2023 season you only need to complete the Renewal Request for Same Site form and turn it in to the office by the deadline.
Phase 2:
After removing the sites from Phase 1, we will send out an email with the remaining sites available and you can turn in the Renewal Request for Different Site form with your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices. Your current site that you gave up will also show on this list so you could also use that as one of your 3 choices!
Phase 3:
Once we have everyone set with a site for next season, we will send out a final email with the sites that are still available prior to calling from the wait list. You will have 1 final chance to make a change, but at this time there will be a $10 site change fee.
Just a reminder that we still have jackets, zip-up hoodies, shirts, and hats with our logo for sale at the office. If there is a specific size you are requesting, we may be able to order that.
Departures:
Some of our guests will be leaving before our March newsletter is published, so below are reminders for our check-out process. Please note the following processes for checking out. If you are leaving us for now, we want to extend our sincere appreciation for staying with us this season. We hope you have enjoyed your stay. Upon checking out, you will receive an email from our reservation system with a link to a comment form. We appreciate all comments. We believe Belle Parc is a wonderful place to stay and would like to understand ways we can improve our services.
Welcome Signs:
You may take your personalized Belle Parc yard sign with you and bring it back next year -or- you may bring it to the Activity Center office for storage until next year. Please note: if you take it home and forget it next year, a replacement will not be provided.
Mail:
Keys: Please make sure to return your mailbox key to the Mailroom. Failure to do so will incur a charge of $25 for a replacement. Our staff will give you a receipt upon return of your key, if you wish.
Mail Forwarding: Postal regulations have changed the way we are permitted to handle your mail as follows:
- You may need to get a paper form from US Post Office for forwarding your mail if you did not submit it as a temporary change on your original request.
- First Class Mail that is directly addressed to you at our Elliot’s Way address can be forwarded if you leave forwarding address labels.
- First Class Mail that has been forwarded from your home address (yellow labels) will be sent back to your home post office for delivery. It is recommended that you stop forwarding at least one week prior to departure to avoid mail being in route after you have left.
Electric Bills:
Please advise our reservation staff the day before your departure so that we can read your electric meter. Your final electric bill must be paid at the Welcome Center office before you leave -or- you may give us written permission to charge your credit card on file for the remaining balance after departure, and we will send a receipt via email.
Modems:
- Internet Modem Box should be uninstalled by our Resort technician. Modem Disconnect Forms are available at the Welcome Center to schedule the removal (please give 72hrs advance notice). If you will be departing on a Saturday or Sunday, you will need to remove the modem yourself and turn in to the office. Please ensure you turn in the modem, plug-in cord, and the long coaxial cable. Refundable $50 deposits will be processed after our Resort technician receives the modem/coaxial cable, confirms splitter/filter remain on the cable pole, and submits the form to the Welcome Center.
- TV/Converter box can just be turned in to the Welcome Center.
Jack Blocks:
If you borrowed a set of jack blocks for your RV this season, please make sure to return it in order to receive a refund of your deposit.
On-Site Storage:
- Storage fees must be paid in full prior to your departure.
- Please advise the office staff if anyone is responsible for checking your unit while you’re away, and whether or not they have keys.
- All water hoses, sewer hoses and cable wires must be stored in your RV. Connected power cords must be placed inside black corrugated pipe or PVC pipe to protect against mowing equipment damage.
- Move RV to middle of the site and close all slides.
- All outdoor items (chairs/patio furniture/lawn decorations) must be stored in your RV. No items can be left on site due to the possibility of them becoming projectiles during high winds. Belle Parc assumes no responsibility for items left on-site.
- Please ensure Maintenance and Reservation staff have confirmed the above items prior to leaving so you do not incur unexpected charges.
MAIL CENTER
The Mail Center continues to be busy; and during the month of January we still received plenty of packages, as many as 100+ on any given day! Please help us keep our small storage area available for new mail by picking up your mail, especially packages, as soon after they are delivered as possible. We notify guests when packages arrive either by email or phone call.
It is not unusual for a guest to get a confirmation that a package has been delivered before we have received it. We have researched this issue and have found that vendors sometimes report a package as delivered when it reaches the local post office. We have had incidences where the package was reported as delivered but it was still on the delivery truck. It is often the case that it is the next day before the package reaches us. We had an instance where a package was reported to the guest as delivered by the post office on a particular date and time and we were able to determine from other packages that were received that the post office made their daily delivery at a different time of that day than what they reported to the guest, so the information the post office gave the guest was incorrect. As neither our guests or we are in total control of mail receipt reporting, please let us know when you are missing a package; we will make every effort to locate it and let you know it has arrived. We appreciate your patience.
Bins are available for smaller packages and the key to the appropriate bin will be in your mail box. Please return it after use to the locked key box on the front counter. The lobby and mail boxes are accessible 7 days a week, 24-hours a day. You will need to have your mail box key.
Quarter rolls and a limited number of stamps are also for sale in the Mail Center. We have free copying capability. Fax capability is no longer available.
GROUNDS AND MAINTENANCE
Work is proceeding in the Pavilion. More and brighter lights have been installed and the walls have been sprayed with insulation. A stage has been built for musical acts. We are now working on heating the area. Thank you for your patience as we continue to improve this guest space.
Please do not use Canadian coins in the laundry machines – they will jam the mechanism and keep the equipment from operating. We have high-efficiency (HE) washers and any excess detergent causes lots of bubbles that can overflow the machines and floor drains. Please use HE detergent, as the excess bubbles cannot be drained. It also causes your laundry to not spin and drain correctly, resulting in overly wet clothes. If you use detergent pods in the washers in our laundry areas, please add the pods to the empty washer before the clothes and water. Pods should be placed in the drum, never in a dispenser drawer.
The firewood that is stored at the fire pit behind the Activity Center is for use at that fire ring only. Guests who wish to burn wood at their site should purchase their own from local vendors. A suggested vendor who has delivered firewood for guests in the past is Mike’s Firewood (352) 232-9209. Only small amounts of wood can be stored at sites. If you wish to purchase more than what would be needed for one or two nights, please check with our office to see if there is room in our off-site storage area for larger purchases.
We will be mowing sites periodically throughout this time of year. We send out a notification when possible, to alert guests to pick up their yard items. Although the schedule has to be worked around the growth of grass, weeds, and the weather, a typical mowing schedule is to begin on Mondays. Please pick up any yard items that could be damaged by our equipment, or that could cause damage to guests’ property or persons. So that staff can trim weeds around trees, street signs, lamp posts, utility posts, pedestals and elsewhere on your site, please pick up any items in these areas. I know that guests like to decorate and personalize their sites with flags and other decorative items, and this gives the Resort a touch of color and whimsy; we want to make sure your items do not get damaged or unintentionally cause damage. We appreciate your assistance.
Guests who wish to mow their own sites need to complete a liability waiver, which can be obtained at the office, and let us know they wish to be added to our list of sites to not mow. Please call the office so they can complete a work order to bring the mowing equipment to your site. Any sites not mowed by guests will be mowed by our staff if needed, even if you are on the “no mow” list. Some guests use their own equipment to mow and trim weeds. These guests still need to sign a liability waiver, as their actions could cause damage to a neighbor’s property.
If you need assistance with any maintenance, grounds, modem or IT issues, please contact the office and they will complete a work order so service requests can be prioritized. Our staff have fulfilled over 525 work order requests since October 1. We appreciate your patience; we process all work orders, including for Internet as soon as possible, most of the time on the same day of the request.
Guests should not drill holes in the picnic tables, concrete or decks for any reason. Any damage to Belle Parc property will be charged to the guest.
STAYING INFORMED AT BELLE PARC
Prior newsletters can be accessed from our website www.belleparcrvresorts.com. The link Current Newsletter is just below the photo banner on the home page. The link is also under Resort Info. If you would like a printed copy, you can pick one up in the Mail Center; also, in the Activity Office or Welcome Center TV / Internet Café room on the table just outside the reservation office. There is a lot of important information in these newsletters and I recommend you read them. If you are unable to access them from the website, please send an email to office@belleparcrvresorts.com and we will email you a copy.
We make every effort to keep our guests informed of Belle Parc social and other Resort information and activities. Our TV Channel 3 guide is updated as often as needed to include announcements and important Resort information. For those of you who do not use our cable TV, I have included that general information the December 2021 newsletter.
Belle Parc has a 10 MPH Speed Limit for all wheeled vehicles (Golf Carts, Bicycles, Scooters, Motorcycles, RV, Trucks, Automobiles, etc.) throughout the entire resort.
During the winter “snowbird” season, our Guest Services Director sends weekly updates to all guests from activities@belleparcrvresorts.com; our reservation staff periodically send updates on reservation issues from info@belleparcrvresorts.com and our other office staff send updates for other office, maintenance and groundskeeping issues from office@belleparcrvresorts.com. Your email address is not visible to anyone else on these emails. We sometimes receive “undeliverable” messages from our server that an email was not delivered. In that case, we verify that we have the correct email address and resend the email if necessary. It sometimes occurs that we hear from guests that they are not receiving our emails; however, we have not received an “undeliverable” notification from our server for that guest. If you do not receive at least one email per week, please check your email security settings and your spam filters to allow the above email addresses to your recognized contacts or your “safe” senders list. We download email addresses from our reservation software; there is no independent list of emails. We unfortunately can only store one email per user profile. Your email is automatically dropped from further messages as soon as you are checked out of our reservation system.
facebook.com/groups/friendsinbelleparc.com There is a public Friends In Belle Parc group on Facebook that is available for guests to communicate with each other. If you would like to be added to that group, search for the group within Facebook or follow the above link to send a request to be added to the group. If you experience difficulties, let our Guest Services staff know by stopping by the Activity Office or by sending us an email to activities@belleparcrvresorts.com. If you need service or have a question for Belle Parc staff, please call the office. We strive to post activity communications to this group but do not monitor it as closely as we do our emails. Any questions or problems will be addressed more thoroughly and quickly by contacting the appropriate staff.