Meeting Minutes for January 25, 2021
Heritage Palms
Community Development District
The regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the Heritage Palms Community Development District was held on Monday, November 23, 2020 at 8 a.m. at the Heritage Palms Golf and Country Club at 10420 Washingtonia Palm Way, Fort Myers, Florida and via web conference.
Present (or by web conference) and constituting a quorum were:
Mike Whitten – Chair
Stan Switzer – Vice Chair
Dennis Lubozynski – Assistant Secretary
Al O’Brien – Assistant Secretary
Bob Breisch – Assistant Secretary
Also attending (or by web conference) were:
Cal Teague – District Manager, Premier District Management (PDM)
Sam Marshall – Engineer
Christopher Dudak – Assistant to the District Manager
Nancy Dudak – PDM
Mike O’Donnell, Dave Wessel & David Lionett – Master Board Directors
Gary Piotrowski
Greg Kriesch
Kevin Ammon
Residents
The following is a summary of the discussion and actions taken at the Heritage Palms Community Development District (CDD) Meeting Board of Supervisors meeting.
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS Call to Order and Roll Call
The meeting was called to order and the District Manager called the roll. All Board members except Vice Chair Switzer were present, including Sam Marshall, Engineer, and Christopher Dudak with Nancy Dudak from PDM and Vice Chair Switzer participating by video conference. Vice Chair Switzer was approved to participate by video conference, also. Social Distancing as established by the CDC was followed and due to Covid-19 concerns, the meeting was moved to the main dining room of the Club.
On MOTION by Supervisor Breisch, seconded by Chair Whitten, with all in favor, the Board approved Vice Chair Switzer to participate by video conference.
SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS Oath of Office for Bob Breisch
Bob Breisch took his Oath of Office and joined the Board as a newly elected Supervisor.
THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of Agenda
The Agenda was discussed.
ON MOTION by Supervisor Lubozynski, seconded by Vice Chair Switzer, with all in favor, the Agenda was approved as submitted.
FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments on Agenda Items
There being none, the next Order of Business followed.
FIFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of Meeting Minutes
A. Draft Meeting Minutes for November 23, 2020
On MOTION by Vice Chair Switzer, seconded by Supervisor Lubozynski, with all in favor, the Meeting Minutes for November 23, 2020 were approved as submitted.
SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Attorney
There being none, the next Order of Business followed.
SEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Engineer
A. Street Length Surveys
The Engineer commented that he prepared an exhibit for the HOA and, for planning purposes, the road links for each of the streets identifies. He said he was sharing this information with the CDD to fulfill a request from the Board. Chair Whitten explained that they wanted to know how far they were walking or running in the community.
EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Old Business
A. Bathymetric Lakes Testing Analysis Update
The Engineer reported that Banks Engineering has completed the depth survey on the north section of Lake L12. He shared an exhibit with elevations to explain the water depths. He stated that there is a concern that this lake is shallow, possibly due to vegetation, but it is not a problem functionally. He said that from a function point of view, as long as the vegetation is not choking off water flow, it will function. He also said that removing some of the silt is an option.
Greg Kriesch saw Banks Engineering survey crew and inquired if the CDD might want to have both canals surveyed to see if they need to be dredged. He suggested that the Sabal Golf Course will be closed from April through the summer, saying that would be a good time to dredge, if necessary. The Engineer advised the Board to have their maintenance personnel look at it ensure there are no shallow spots in there. The Board asked the Engineer to identify the amount of excessive silt and get prices to remove it.
B. Fire Station #7 Fence Repair Update
Nancy Dudak forwarded pictures of the damaged fence to the City and is awaiting their response. There is a brush pile that was placed on the CDD fence and they initially responded that the fence was on their property. Letters were sent requesting they repair it and remove the brush. A surveyor from their office indicated that the damaged area belongs to the City. The Board discussed that the fence was originally installed to keep hogs off the property. Staff will monitor the situation.
NINTH ORDER OF BUSINESS New Business
A. New Letter of Interest for Formerly Open Board Seat
The District Manager said that he had received a letter of interest to serve on the Board. He said he will send him a letter to thank him for his interest and we will keep it on file.
B. E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding
The District Manager explained that a new law requiring electronic verification that all employees are checked and reported on the state system took effect January 1st. The vendors that do business with government units have to provide an I9. The Board has to authorize the Chair to sign the MOU electronically.
On MOTION by Supervisor Lubozynski, seconded by Supervisor O’Brien, with all in favor, the Board authorized the Chair to electronically sign the E-Verify Memorandum of Understanding that says that anyone doing business with the CDD must certify that an I9 has been reported and certified using the E-Verify system.
TENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Field Manager
A. Field Report for January
The District Manager reviewed the Field Report for January:
- The Field Manager identified several lakes with midge fly issues, with Lake 8 being the worst of the lakes. He submitted a proposal from Lake & Wetland Management to release 60,000+ mosquito eating fish into Lakes 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 and 13. The Board reviewed their proposal to eradicate the midge flies and commented on a variety of options for dealing with the problem.
On MOTION by Supervisor Lubozynski, seconded by Supervisor O’Brien, with all in favor, the Board approved having the District Manager get proposals for spraying the lakes where midge flies have been identified, present it to the Chair, and the Chair has the authority to approve it.
On MOTION by Supervisor Lubozynski, seconded by Supervisor O’Brien, with a vote of 3-2 (Chair Whitten and Vice Chair Switzer dissented), the Board voted to accept the proposal from Lake & Wetland Management to stock the lakes with mosquito eating fish for $4,595.00.
B. Follow-Up Items
i. Rust Resistant Power Boxes
The Field Manager spoke with West Coast Electrical and confirmed that the only electrical panel approved for outdoor use is made of stainless steel. The average cost for these boxes would be $1,000-$5,000 per electrical panel. There was no further discussion on this item.
ii. 10400 Curry Palm Gutter Improvements
The District Manager said that the Engineer’s crew will be out there tomorrow and will set the elevations for the contractor.
iii. HOA Exotic Species Removal Update
The maintenance crew was observed removing all the exotics that had been identified.
iv. Annual North Berm/Lake 30 Cutting Update
The Field Manager reported that the water levels are still too high, so he expects to be able to complete this next month.
ELEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS District Manager
A. Financial Statements for November and December
The District Manager discussed the financials with the Board.
On MOTION by Supervisor Breisch, seconded by Supervisor O’Brien, with all in favor, the Board accepted the November and December financials.
B. Update Supervisor Manuals
The supervisor manuals are being completed and will be ready for next month’s meeting.
TWELFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS HOA Report
A. HPGCC Water Features on Lake 25 Discussion
The request from the HOA was that the District take over the front entrance water feature as they might be better positioned to address the water quality issues. In the current agreement with the HOA, the bulkhead on Lake 25 was going to be replaced, and upon completion, the CDD would assume maintenance responsibilities. The entry fountain was initially installed by the developer and maintained by the Community Association (HPCA). The Board tabled this issue until next month when the HPCA will submit the past five years of maintenance records for Board review. The District Manager said he will coordinate with the Engineer on how the water quality could be improved.
B. HPGCC No Tail-Gating/Striping at Back Gate Entrances Request
In order to curtail tail-gating at the back gate, it was requested that a painted message be placed on the asphalt in the front of the gate. It was questioned if a sign would make a difference. It was also suggested that a double gate might resolve the issue. The Board did not want this to be a CDD effort, but authorized the HPCA to resolve it. In addition, the Chair commented to Dan Davis, Director of Security, that the tile trucks were coming in the side entrances, and Dan will address it with them.
On MOTION by Supervisor Lubozynski, seconded by Supervisor O’Brien, with all in favor, the Board voted to authorize the HOA to paint the road to address tail-gating.
THIRTEENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Supervisor Reports, Requests & Comments
There being none, the next Order of Business followed.
FOURTEENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments
- Art Carlson talked about silt build-up.
FIFTEENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Adjournment
There being no further Order of Business, and
On MOTION by Supervisor Lubozynski, seconded by Supervisor O’Brien, with all in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 9:56 a.m.
Next Meeting: February 22, 2021 at 8 a.m.