Seminole Lakes Property Owners Association
Board of Directors Meeting
November 14, 2011
Minutes
Call to Order: Bob Toth called the meeting to order at 10:00 AM at the Burnt Store Presbyterian Church.
Establish a Quorum: A quorum was established with the following present: Bob Toth, Fred Eyrich, Al DiSessa, and Bill Murphy.
Also present, was Sherry Danko, from Star Hospitality Management.
Proof of Notice: The meeting notice was distributed and posted as per the Association Bylaws and Florida Statute 720.
Disposal of Minutes: With no additions or corrections, the October 10, 2011 minutes were approved.
President’s Report: No report. Bob Toth thanked those in attendance for coming.
Treasurer’s Report: Al DiSessa reported that October ended with a surplus of $4,640.97 bringing the year-to-date surplus to $64,457. The combined available balance for operating and reserve funds is $893,417. At the September 27th workshop, the Board came to agreement regarding the 2012 proposed budget which projects no increase in the monthly fees. The proposed budget was mailed to all owners on October 12th and will be voted upon under new business. Al DiSessa described a social function he recently attended at which a real estate professional suggested Seminole Lakes to be in high demand. Overall, the POA is in excellent shape financially.
Committee Reports:
Roads & Lakes: Bud Nelson gave an overview of projects completed in 2011 including the following: power washing of the front wall, guardhouse, and curbing; painting of the front walls and guard house; and the installation of carpeting and tile (bathroom) in the guardhouse. Lights continue to be checked and tagged, and weeds are sprayed along the streets. Volunteers are being sought. The committee will meet in January to discuss new projects.
Landscape: Jim Marchky welcomed back the snow birds and brought their attention to all the new trees, shrubs, and trees. Volunteers recently installed 200 bags of mulch. New volunteers were welcomed. The recently planted oaks continued to be watered. Southwest Lawn recently removed a common area oak tree on the verge of falling on a home. Greenscapes replaced some dead shrubs. All of the volunteers were thanked.
Activities: Joyce Kraut gave an overview of the summer activities including: bocce ball, July 4th picnic, watermelon party, Labor Day barbeque, sunset cruise, Oktoberfest, and the November potluck with turkey races. Upcoming activities include the Christmas Party at Twin Isles Country Club and the New Year’s Bloody Mary party.
Management Report: Sherry Danko reported on the current accounts receivable: seven owners owe for more than one month and 21 owners owe for November only. There were five AVOs and two work order submitted to Greenscapes. Approximately 38 violation letters were mailed in October. Most were for weeds and dirty roofs. Owners were reminded to contact the Star office with address updates.
Unfinished Business:
Landscape Maintenance Agreement: Bob Toth summarized the procedure for the bidding process for the landscape contract. Specifications were detailed, and a firm two-year price was requested in the RFP. Three contractors were asked to bid: Southwest Lawn, Valley Crest, and Greenscapes. After initially agreeing to bid, Southwest Lawn declined. After meeting with Jim Marchky and Bob Toth, Valley Crest submitted a professional proposal. Greenscapes, already familiar with the property, submitted their proposal as well. Valley Crest bid $312,296 annually, and Greenscapes bid $281,760 for the same timeframe. Greenscapes matched their expiring two year agreement. Based on the bids received, Bob Toth made the motion to award a new two year contract for landscape services to Greenscapes for the period January 01, 2012 through December 31, 2013 at a cost of $281,760 annually. Bill Murphy seconded. After some brief discussion, the motion carried unanimously.
Safety Issues: Bill Murphy advised the Access Control Committee met to discuss two resident proposals: reflective safety belts for walkers and the installation of lane markers at the first stop sign after the guardhouse. After considerable discussion, the Committee did not recommend either proposal. It was decided that individuals are responsible for their own safety when walking. (Information regarding the reflective belts will be included in an upcoming Grapevine) It was thought the lane markings would not result in a positive impact on the traffic going through the gates. The new bright red golf cart has arrived. Volunteers were encouraged to use the golf cart while on POA business rather than their personal golf cart. It has flashing lights and signage which indicates CERT, Neighborhood Watch, and the speed limit. The access control staff will be making patrols as approved at a recent meeting. Volunteers chosen by the access control committee and oversight director will also make rounds. Bill Murphy also noted that some duties would be added to the access control committee and changes it to the access control/neighborhood watch committee. The committee would become the “eyes and ears” for the Board and residents regarding safety issues. There was some discussion about the “neighborhood watch” programs. Bill Murphy noted this was intended to be an informal group. He added that the police had no issue with this.
Fountain: The fountain lights at the front have not been working for some time. Attempts to repair have been unsuccessful. The company who installed will make the repair sometime later in the week.
New Business:
Architectural Review: Fred Eyrich presented the following:
Painting ARBs Requests:
1. 26287 Stillwater Circle
2. 10501 Serernoa Court
3. 26310 Stillwater Circle
4. 26219 Stillwater Circle
5. 26427 Feathersound Drive
6. 10311 Arrowhead
The following are for other type of requests:
1. 10297 Windsong: Replace Air Conditioner with a Solar Thermal Unit (Solar Panel on roof)-pre-approved
2. 10297 Windsong: Hurricane Shutters and replace side Garage door (Building permit required)
3. 10311 Arrowhead: Vinyl roof over Lanai (Building permit required)
Fred Eyrich moved, and Bill Murphy seconded to approve all of the ARB requests with applicable permits. The motion carried.
2012 Budget: Al Disessa advised the proposed budget was presented to the membership in accordance with the Bylaws. The proposed fees will remain the same as 2011. Al Disessa moved, and Bill Murphy to adopt the 2012 budget a rate of $118 per parcel and $16 per parcel for the Lake A assessment. The motion carried.
Security at the Exercise Room: Fred Eyrich stated the exercise room and bathrooms should be locked nightly, and that he was looking into a key card system. The cost would be approximately $500. Other alternatives were mentioned. Bob Toth suggested Fred Eyrich speak with Rich Kraut (pool committee) as he too is investigating this. Bill Murphy agreed this would be advisable.
SCCC Meeting: Fred Eyrich reported on the highlights of the recent SCCC meeting on October 27th. He spoke about the upcoming survey to determine if the traffic at the Route 41–Acline intersection would warrant a permanent traffic light. The next meeting is December 8th at the PGI Civic Association Center at 9 am.
Addition to the Guardhouse: Bill Murphy reported he is recommending an addition to the guardhouse to house the new golf cart with enough room for the Christmas decorations and generator. With assistance from Star, bids were obtained from three contractors. Estimates were $17,200, $17.500, and $28,500. Bill Murphy added that it would be important to maintain the same roof and sidewall lines as the existing structure. Because the estimates are a wide range, Bill Murphy recommended obtaining architectural drawings so that the contractors may bid on the exact same specifications. He previously thought the addition would cost about $25,000 but hoped it would now cost under $20,000. Fred Eyrich indicated he thought the $28,000 too much money to spend on this. Al DiSessa recommended Huff Architects. Permitting would be necessary. Al DiSessa moved, and Bob Toth seconded to approve spending up to $1,000 to obtain processional architectural drawings. The motion carried
Next Meeting: The next Board meeting will be on December 12, 2011 at 10:00 AM at the Burnt Store Presbyterian Church.
Al DiSessa advised that the 2012 budget letter would be forthcoming to all owners.
Comments for Future Discussion: No comments for the future. Owners did comment on agenda items during the course of the meeting.
Adjournment: With no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 11:20 AM.
Submitted by,
Sherry Danko
Sherry Danko
For Al DiSessa, Secretary/Treasurer
LANDSCAPE AGREEMENT
November 14, 2011 Board Meeting
At the October 11 board meeting, I reported that our landscape agreement with Greenscapes expires at the end of this year, and we were planning to bid our requirements. The proposal developed would be detailed and only qualified contractors would be requested to bid.
The final list of bidders was narrowed down from a list of six contractors. This was done after evaluating the capabilities of each contractor and visiting some of their work locations.
The final list of bidders was:
Southwest Lawn
ValleyCrest
Greenscapes.
Southwest Lawn held the contract when the developer controlled the association until the association was turned over to the residents. ValleyCrest is a nationwide company and service some large communities in Charlotte and Sarasota counties, including Kings Gate in Port Charlotte. Greenscapes has held our contract since 2003 and serve many large communities in Charlotte and Lee Counties.
Each of the three bidders was given a walk-thru of our property and a map of our community showing the common areas. Each contractor understood our requirements. Sherry Danko from our management company assisted in developing the specifications, evaluating contractors and handled the mailing of the proposals and receiving the bids. The specifications included a firm price for a two year period beginning January 01, 2012.
Results of the bids are:
Southwest Lawn declined to bid but stated they may be interested in bidding in the future. In exploring their reasons to decline to bid, they stated they are very busy with tree trimming and providing services to other communities and recently regained some contracts previously lost. They would have to hire additional personnel and purchase additional equipment to service our account.
They originally were interested in bidding.
ValleyCrest bid $312, 296 annually
Greenscapes bid $281,760 annually
A detailed analysis of the bids was conducted and Greenscapes was low in all categories which are mowing, fertilizer, pest control and sprinkler inspections.
Greenscapes does have a warehouse facility on Piper Road near the airport where equipment is stored and personnel use as a home base. ValleyCrest has a facility in Fort Meyers and Venice. Both could handle our storm recovery requirements. As this service may never be used during a two year contract period, there was no need to do a detailed analysis except hourly labor rates quoted were similar with Greenscapes slightly higher.
Greenscapes’ total bid package costs are identical to our existing two year agreement with them. Even before a decision was made to bid our requirements, Greenscapes did write a letter advising they were holding firm on their rates and not requesting any price increases for a new two year agreement. Knowing this, our 2012 proposed budget reflects this cost.
I have provided each director and Sherry Danko a detailed report so they would have all the information to analyze ahead of this meeting.
Based on the bids received, I am making the motion to award a new two year contract for landscape services to Greenscapes for the period January 01, 2012 through December 31, 2013 at a cost of $281,760 annually.
Bob Toth