Program Allows Future Homeowners to Purchase Lots While Interest Rates Are at Historic Lows

Minerva Properties is offering future homeowners a rare opportunity at Heron Bay Golf and Country Club. For a limited time, buyers will be able to purchase a lot in either The Links or Lakeview neighborhoods, with the option of delaying construction on their new home for up to two years. Fifty lots varying in size from one-half acre to one and a half acres are available under this program and are priced from $74,000 to $387,000. Lot locations include a mix of interior lots, golf lots and several spectacular lakefront and lake view lots.
 “This is an incredible opportunity for future homeowners,” said Brian Davison, Managing Partner with Minerva Properties LLP, the developer of Heron Bay Golf and Country Club.  “Homeowners can purchase their home site now while interest rates are at historic lows. They can then delay the construction process for a period of up to two years, allowing them time to sell their existing home, arrange financing or to design their new home.”
New lot owners will have access to the full spectrum of resort-style amenities available to all Heron Bay property owners upon closing. These amenities include the newly opened Lakefront Park with covered Pavilion overlooking the 1,100 acre Cole Reservoir, a three-pool aquatic center with kid-friendly water features, seven miles of walking trails, a tennis center, children’s play park and sports field and the 5,000 square foot community Lodge with fitness center. Residents can also elect to become members of the golf facilities at Canongate at Heron Bay, which includes an 18-hole championship golf course, quality practice facilities, clubhouse and restaurant, and reciprocity at other Canongate courses. 

The Heron Bay Community Association and Social Activities Committee held a “groovy and far out” '70s party for residents at the Heron Bay Lodge last weekend.

The Heron Bay Community Association and Social Activities Committee held a “groovy and far out” '70s party for residents at the Heron Bay Lodge last weekend. The theme was set with brightly-colored and decade-appropriate décor. Food was catered by Momma’s Little Helper. Residents danced to the biggest hits of the 1970s under a spinning disco ball and awards were given to the best outfit, hairstyle and dance moves. 
“Our '70s disco party was great,” said Carla Cooper, Heron Bay Community Association’s Events Coordinator. “The residents danced the night away.”
 “One of my favorite things about living at Heron Bay is events like this,” said Jackie Cox-Johnson, the Chair for the Social Committee at Heron Bay and resident in The Links at Heron Bay. “The residents are treated with creative activities like a '70s party where we can have fun and get to know each other better. This is one example of what makes Heron Bay such a wonderful place to call home!”
 “Our Social Committee, which is comprised of residents, works very hard planning these events,” continued Cooper. We would like to thank those committee members and volunteer residents that made this event such a success!  We also want to thank the Heron Bay Community Board of Directors and Association Management for their support on the many events and activities for Heron Bay.”
 The Social Committee was formed by the Heron Bay Community Association to cultivate a sense of community within Heron Bay through regular events for residents of all ages.  This committee takes pride in bringing together the residents of Heron Bay as a real community.

The Heron Bay Community Association and the Social Activities Committee held an Easter Extravaganza for residents at the Heron Bay Lodge last weekend. The day’s festivities included staggered egg hunts for children of various age groups and games such as musical chairs and sack races.

The Heron Bay Community Association and the Social Activities Committee held an Easter Extravaganza for residents at the Heron Bay Lodge last weekend. The day’s festivities included staggered egg hunts for children of various age groups and games such as musical chairs and sack races. Hot dogs were grilled, popcorn was popped and cotton candy was prepared on-site for both children and adults to enjoy. Attendees enjoyed a balloon-artist clown and happy, children-friendly tunes by a disc jockey, and all children took home a spring time gift.
“Even though last weekend’s storms pushed our activities inside, a great time was had by all,” said Carla Cooper, Heron Bay Community Association’s Events Coordinator. “I would like to give a huge thank you to our resident social committee and volunteers who made this event a great success.”
 The social committee was formed by the Community Association to cultivate a sense of community within Heron Bay through regular events for residents of all ages and takes pride in bringing together the residents of Heron Bay as a real community.

At the Annual Homeowner’s Association meeting in November, the concept of creating a new charter school within the heart of the Heron Bay community was introduced.  This concept received a very favorable response from many of the residents in attendance, which encouraged Minerva to proceed further with the concept. 

Since then, Minerva has worked hard to investigate the feasibility of the charter school idea, and believes that it has a good chance of becoming a reality.  However, it is a concept only at this stage, and it will require the full support of the two Boards of Education (Henry and Spalding), and the support of the community itself. 

The following points will give you a quick overview of our current thoughts:

• The facility will be newly built within the Heron Bay development.

• There will be no tuition or fees to attend the school.

• The school will be a non-profit, governed by a volunteer board.

• Our current projection is an opening date of  August 2009.

• The proposed grade levels and total student enrollment would be as follows:

 2009-2010 Grades K-5    up to 400 students
 2010-2011 Grades K-6    up to 450 students
 2011-2012 Grades K-7    up to 500 students
 2012-2013 Grades K-8    up to 550 students

• We are planning to work with Mosaica Education Inc., which operates seventy-six (76) charter schools in seven (7) states, the District of Columbia and the Middle East.

• The school will have an innovative arts-centered program that is college-preparatory in nature.

• The school will be uniquely situated in a natural setting, allowing the integration of environmental awareness into the curriculum, in a facility built and operated as a model of energy efficiency and low-environmental impact.

• The school will be designed as a community focal point, so that the playgrounds, gym, library, theatre, etc. will be open for use by the community during the non-school hours.

As the master developer of Heron Bay, Minerva will play a large role in the creation of this proposed school, but the ultimate management, success and long-term quality of the school will be driven by the people who have the most at stake – the parents of the children who will attend.

Minerva Properties’ Heron Bay Golf and Country Club is pleased to present “Henry the Heron,” a great blue heron caricature that will serve as the official mascot for the award-winning, master-planned community. Henry the Heron will be the voice, face and personality of Heron Bay, with a MySpace page (www.myspace.com/henryheron), a personal journal on the Heron Bay Web site (www.henry.heronbayinfo.com) and appearances on Heron Bay community signage, billboards and advertising and at community events. Henry the Heron will keep residents, new home shoppers and industry professionals abreast of community and area happenings, local events and news as well as amenity, builder and retail center news. Henry the Heron will also offer helpful tips for protecting and preserving natural resources.

“We wanted to launch a campaign for Heron Bay that was outside of the box,” said Lisa, Brutvan, Marketing Director. “Henry the Heron is a creative way to not only stimulate new interest in the community, but to also create new avenues to communicate with our prospective buyers, agents and residents, in a fun, innovative way.  Statistics show that 80% of new home prospects are using the Internet in their home search process.  We hope that by utilizing all available opportunities to maximize our web presence, we can positively impact traffic to our community, both online and in person.”  

Henry the Heron’s MySpace page and journal include weekly entries and photos of Henry spending time in the community at the amenities and at homeowner events. Example entries include “A Little Water Goes a Long Way,” which offers tips for water conservation, “Workout Time,” which describes Henry’s New Year’s Resolution to devote time in the fitness center at Heron Bay and has a photo of Henry superimposed on an actual elliptical machine at the fitness center and “Happy Trails,” which encourages residents to connect with nature by hiking the trails at Heron Bay.  Billboards, print and online advertisements throughout the Atlanta area raise the question “Who is Henry Heron?” and direct readers to Henry’s journal on the Heron Bay Web site.

Read all about Henry the Heron at www.myspace.com/henryheron or www.henry.heronbayinfo.com, where readers can sign up to receive email notifications when news is posted.

According to figures from SmartNumbers, Inc., Minerva Properties' Heron Bay Golf and Country Club in Henry and Spalding counties was the number one selling community in Henry County for the fourth consecutive year in 2007, with 110 closings. An additional 18 closings were captured in the Spalding County neighborhoods of Heron Bay in 2007, placing Heron Bay in the Top Eight communities for the entire Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area for single-family homes.

Heron Bay features numerous neighborhoods offering a diverse selection of home styles from the area’s top building companies such as DR Horton, Pulte Homes, Ryland Homes, John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, Brayson Homes, Paul Thomas Homes and an impressive list of local custom builders. Homes are priced from the High $100’s to over $1 million. Heron Bay has low maintenance home sites as small as 6,000 square-feet with age-targeted villas for active adults. Its traditional family neighborhoods have home sites ranging from one-quarter to one-half acre and the elegant estate homes in the custom neighborhoods are on one-half to one and one-half acre home sites, many offering spectacular views of the golf course or lake.

The community, located along the shores of the 1,100 acre Cole Reservoir, just 30 minutes south of Atlanta, offers an 18-hole Canongate golf course, a three-pool aquatic center with kid friendly water features, seven miles of walking trails, a lighted tennis center and multi-purpose play field and a 5,000 square foot community lodge with fitness center. A beautiful Lake Front Pavilion is currently under construction and set to open in April of 2008.

An urgent care clinic, pharmacy and bank recently opened at Town Center at Heron Bay, the community’s retail village, which will offer a mix of retail and office, including restaurants, a salon, cleaners and more.

The Heron Bay Community Association and the Social Activities Committee held a Sweetheart Soiree for residents at the Heron Bay Lodge on Valentine’s evening. The enchanted, romantic evening included dinner, cocktails, live entertainment and a special sweetheart gift. The event featured a formal, five-course meal with a dessert buffet including strawberry shortcake, cheesecake and other sweets. The mood was set with white linen covered tables, romantic candlelight and centerpieces of fragrant red rose bouquets. Attendees enjoyed contemporary jazz music by a live band and a beautiful gift of festive, fancifully wrapped chocolates.

“This fun and romantic evening was perfect for long-time sweethearts and for meeting that special someone to be a future sweetheart,” said Carla Cooper, Heron Bay Community Association’s Events Coordinator. “What a better way to spend the most romantic day of the year than to be around friends and family and be close to home!”

 The social committee was formed by the Community Association to cultivate a sense of community within Heron Bay through regular events for residents of all ages and takes pride in bringing together the residents of Heron Bay as a real community.

Minerva Properties’ Heron Bay Golf and Country Club recently launched a community blog. The blog, www.heronbayblog.com, will serve as an important source of information not only for residents of this award-winning, master-planned community, but also for industry professionals, agents and new home shoppers. The Heron Bay blog will be updated frequently with relevant information about community and Henry and Spalding county happenings and events, local real estate news and trends, community amenity, builder and retail center updates and more.

The blog will serve as a comprehensive source of information on the many exciting things going on at Heron Bay. Users can sign up via RSS feed to receive email notifications when news is posted or subscribe to the news feed through their preferred reader.

Independent, full service pharmacy to open this month

Minerva Properties is pleased to welcome Bay Pharmacy to Heron Bay Golf and Country Club’s retail village, Town Center at Heron Bay. Bay Pharmacy, adjacent to Spalding Regional Urgent Care, is a full service 2,400 square foot pharmacy with drive-through slated to open later this month. Bay Pharmacy is located at 3338 Highway 155 in Locust Grove and will offer traditional prescription, durable medical equipment, doctor and compounding services and sell health and beauty products, gifts, snacks and candy, greeting cards, herbs and homeopathic medicines.

Partners Ronnie Jeffears and registered pharmacist Marobe Andwele, along with staff doctor of pharmacy Annette Duncan, bring a combined 58 years of pharmacy experience to Bay Pharmacy. Jeffears has owned and operated independent pharmacies in Hampton since 1972 and Andwele has served as a south side pharmacist since 1989.

To best serve the health needs of its customers, the pharmacy will offer free delivery within a limited radius. Plans are underway by the pharmacist to offer regular, free health seminars to residents of Heron Bay and surround communities. 

“Our focus will be on old-fashioned customer service,” said Jeffears. “Bay Pharmacy will provide one-on-one attention to our customers to address their health concerns. We hope to be on a first name basis with the majority of our customers, get to know them and be aware of their healthcare needs, so that we can be a dependable source for their care.”

“Residents in Heron Bay and the surrounding area and patients of Spalding Regional Urgent Care do not have a convenient pharmacy to meet their prescription and healthcare needs, so we are very excited to be able to offer this to them,” added Andwele. 

The retail village at Heron Bay will incorporate a mix of retail, office and medical facilities. The commercial center will encompass ten acres and will contain 86,238 square feet, including 23,602 square feet of high visibility retail space, with drive through outlets. There will also be three designated restaurants at 1,200, 2,442, and 3,247 square feet.  The remaining retail space will be reserved for retail oriented offices and other retail businesses.  An office component comprised of 51,444 total square feet will also be available, which can be subdivided into individual offices ranging in size from 950 to 5,150 square feet. The retail spaces will be available for lease, and the office space is for sale under a condominium form of ownership. 

Heron Bay Golf and Country Club is proud to announce that homes at The Summit at Heron Bay will be built by Paul Thomas Homes and that groundbreaking has occurred on the model home at The Summit. Each of the 100 homes at The Summit will be built by local homebuilder, Paul Thomas Homes. After tremendous success in Heron Bay’s custom divisions, Paul Thomas Homes will offer their award-winning homes at The Summit at an affordable price, with homes starting in the high $100,000s.
“Paul Thomas Homes has had great success at Heron Bay and we are very excited that they will be offering their terrific line of homes in The Summit,” said Lisa Brutvan, Marketing Director. “The rapid sales pace of homes in this price point has created a price gap for which we are thrilled Paul Thomas Homes will be filling.

This much anticipated community will be the best value in Heron Bay – bringing award-winning homes to an award-winning neighborhood.” The Paul Thomas Homes model at The Summit is a Raleigh floorplan, with four bedrooms and two and half baths in 2,519 square feet. The Raleigh offers a brick front, separate dining room, kitchen with large island, breakfast bar and built-in home management center, two-car garage, large owner’s suite with sitting area, garden tub and fifth bedroom and basement options.

Homes at The Summit will range from 2,140 to 2,887 square feet and feature three-sided fireplaces, separate dining rooms with butler’s pantries, Jack-and-Jill bath options and two-story family and dining rooms.

Paul Thomas Homes has received OBIE Awards from the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association in building and building design. To visit Heron Bay, take I-75 South to Exit 216. Turn right and proceed five miles to Heron Bay Golf & Country Club.

About Paul Thomas Homes
Paul Thomas Homes builds homes from a unique position – from the customer’s point of view. The award-winning builder constructs homes throughout the Atlanta-area in various price ranges, including well-designed floor plans with head-turning exteriors priced from the low $100,000s to custom built homes priced from over $400,000.

Since its beginnings in 1997, Paul Thomas Homes has focused on meeting exacting standards for quality and craftsmanship in every home. At Paul Thomas Homes, the difference is in the details.

For more information, visit www.paulthomashomes.com or call 404-213-4299.

About Heron Bay Golf & Country Club
Named the “Community of the Year” in 2005 by the Greater Atlanta Homebuilders Association, and awarded the 2006 Grand Award for Outstanding Development by the Georgia Urban Forest Council, Heron Bay Golf & Country Club, developed by Minerva Properties, is a master-planned community that is setting new standards for development in the Atlanta marketplace. Heron Bay includes a variety of neighborhoods designed for every life stage and features a full complement of unparalleled amenities in a resort-like setting in Locust Grove, Ga., just south of Atlanta. For more information, visit www.heronbayinfo.com or call 770-957-5633.