Laguna Lakes
Community Development District

The regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the Laguna Lakes Community Development District was held at the Laguna Lakes Clubhouse, 15300 Lakes of Laguna Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL and also via web conference on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

Present (or attending via web conference) and constituting a quorum were:

Jonathan Busa – Chair
Ellen Young – Vice Chair
Joyce Judas – Assistant Secretary
Mike Cutler – Assistant Secretary
Paul Rumbold, Jr. – Assistant Secretary

Also present (or attending via web conference) were:

Cal Teague – District Manager
Chris Pepin – Field Manager
Tad Kring – Irrigation Specialists
Christopher Dudak – Assistant to the District Manager
Nancy Dudak – Assistant to the District Manager
Residents

The following is a summary of the discussion and actions taken at the Laguna Lakes Community Development District (CDD) Board of Supervisors meeting.

The meeting was called to order and Cal Teague, District Manager, called the roll. Tad Kring, from Irrigation Specialists, and Nancy Dudak, from PDM, were present. Participating by web conference were Chris Pepin, Field Manager, and Christopher Dudak from PDM. Several residents were in attendance and several Board members from the Laguna Lakes Community Association participated virtually.

The Agenda was reviewed as amended with the addition of 6C: “Irrigation Review” and 8Ciii: “Malik pool silt barrier repair and silt removal.”

Ron Coiro commented on irrigation issues that will be reported later in the meeting.

A. Draft Meeting Minutes from April 28, 2021

The Meeting Minutes from April 28, 2021 were reviewed and it was noted that Supervisor Cutler was present at that meeting.

A. Lake Bank Erosion Project

The District Manager stated that this project was previously approved but was amended at the last meeting, and the changes pushed them over the budget. The proposed plan for the first year of the two-year plan for the erosion work was reviewed at the previous meeting. The proposal was amended to prioritize critical areas for repair as identified in a previous analysis. The amended plan was referred to Mr. Peppin of Community Field Services for pricing. He offered two options – one at $55,000 which would stay within the $60,000 budget, another that would pull in some of second year’s work at a cost of $75,000. The District Manager sent out an email stating he was going to authorize the option identified within the budget unless there was a request to discuss the options among the Board members. Supervisors Cutlers and Young responded their desire to discuss it, so it will be back on the June agenda.

Supervisor Cutler asked for documentation of the cost of the project and suggested they do an analysis of the entire community, identify the areas of most need and revisit the way the lakes are ranked and priorities assessed. The Chair said the project had already been based on need as determined by the Field Manager and indicated on a map; this review was accepted by the Board. Supervisor Cutler commented that he does not believe the map is accurate and wants to redo the analysis. Supervisor Judas, who did a ride-around with the Field Manager when he did the analysis, said she trusts his report. Vice Chair Young also said they are two years into a five-year plan, and they need to stick with their plan. The Field Manager explained his analysis procedure to the Board.

After further discussion, the Board discussed approving the first proposal that was submitted at the last meeting. Then the Field Manager explained that American Shoreline Restoration left the area and their schedule is booked for the rest of the year. They could not start in Laguna Lakes until the first quarter of 2022. The Board will consider doing both years of the previously approved program at that time and staff will get updated proposals for consideration using updated maps.

B. CDD Informational Flyers Update

The flyers were only 50% of the expected cost due to improper collation. They were printed on heavier stock and will be given to Supervisor Rumbold for distribution.

C. Roads Transfer to CDD Discussion

The Chair reported on his meeting with the LLCA President regarding the proposal for transferring the roads to the CDD.  He said that the next step is to set up a CDD workshop with Board members from the LLCA.   Mr. Bailey, LLCA President, suggested having four officers at the meeting.  The Chair and Premier District Management will develop an outline for the process for the Board.  They suggested July 14 at 4:30 p.m. at the Clubhouse with online access for the meeting. The LLCA will discuss this with their legal counsel. Materials will be provided for all participants. The Chair and District Manager will prepare supplemental information to distribute in advance, including attendees, action items, legal issues and outlined steps to be taken in the process.

A. Egis Insurance Loss Control Report

The District Manager reviewed the inspection report from the insurance company. Ms. Dudak, the assistant to the District Manager, accompanied them on their inspection. Their only concern was signage for the pump station and missing lock at the pump station.    

B. Muck Analysis Proposals

The District Manager just received the muck analysis proposal for $600 from Lake & Wetland Management to do a muck or silt depth reading in Lake #3 and to survey the sediment layers of all eight lakes for $2,000. This would allow staff to measure the effectiveness of the bacterial treatments being performed to address silt and algae in the lakes. The Field Manager said they could compare the data to last year’s data to see how the muck is trending.

C. Irrigation Discussion

Supervisor Cutler requested that the following be added to the Agenda for discussion. The request was in the form of an email and was distributed in the packet which included his questions and responses from staff.  The Chair identified the issues and addressed them individually. The Board discussed and agreed to the following:

• The irrigation schedule will be updated more frequently by Irrigation Specialists (IS) and it will be displayed on IS website with a link to that site on the CDD website.
• IS will work proactively with the landscapers performing wet checks to activate irrigation zones utilizing the WiFi capabilities of the Tucor system (instead of manually turning on at the clock). A Tucor representative will come to perform the training. This should alleviate issues with not turning clock back on after wet checks are performed.
• A Tucor certified tech will work with IS and Supervisors and perform an audit on the system to identify any system operations and reporting not being utilized. This is to be a full system analysis including valves and wiring.
• IS reviewed a recommendation from Tucor when updated system planning was in progress. It was Tucor’s opinion that flow metering was neither practical nor cost effective.
• The contract with IS needs to be updated.
• Tad will prepare a monthly written report for the Board meetings. This will be in addition to the detailed invoices currently provided. This will also include work being done on the contracted service dates.
• Valve maintenance is to be looked at and Tad is to identify how they are addressing these issues such as exercising or replacing the valves.

After much discussion, the Chair stated that an updated contract must include a scope of duties that Irrigation Specialists is to perform. He said that for their clarity, maintenance and repair responsibilities should be updated for a clear understanding of their duties. He further stated that he has never understood the current method of performing manual wet checks, and he believes that it is time to do them remotely by phone. The Chair said that all the interested parties want this to happen. Mr. Kring said training sessions will be necessary. When the Vice Chair inquired about IT requirements for doing it this way, Mr. Kring stated that the software upgrades are free. The Chair also stated that the schedule can be done remotely, too. He said that he would like residents to be able to see the schedule on the CDD website. It was stated that the current schedule is inconsistent. The Board discussed having a third party audit of the irrigation system.

Supervisor Cutler also raised the issue of valves that may need replacement. Mr. Kring stated that there are 1,395 valves, and replacing all of them would be very costly. He said that they are in groups of four, and the labor to change one is the same as for four valves. He also said that residents alter the valves themselves, which causes damage. The Chair said from now on, all work orders will go through management, and not directly from residents.

A. LLCA and Sub-Associations Landscaper Compliance Update

The Field Manager observed during the May inspection that the shorelines in Santa Barbara were cut short again. It will be reported to Alliant.

A. Field Management Report for May

The Field Manager reviewed the highlights of his report:

• The shoreline weeds are increasing, algae is increasing and the water levels are very low. Those issues were reported to Lake & Wetland Management.
• There is a lot of Bacopa ground cover spreading along the shorelines, which is good news because it is an erosion control plant.
• The fountain light in Lake #1 was operating during the day, so Solitude replaced the photocell.
• The bird stand that he found last month in Lake 6 behind a Laguna Hills Drive home has been removed.
• At the pool install at 15641 Alton Drive, they removed all the rocks that were reported at last month’s inspection, but during this month’s inspection, he found that the silt barrier gave out and silt is entering into the lake. PDM sent the homeowner a letter, and they responded that they will work with their contractor to address the situation.
• The “authorized personnel” sign for the irrigation system has been ordered for the gate, so the next time he is on site, it will be installed.
• A lock that was installed was open this morning, so the Board reviewed who has access to it.
• Ramirez Landscaping has installed the sod around the valve boxes along Bass Road.
• There are still multiple broken risers on the eastern berm that he has been reported to Alliant.
• On Los Alisos Way, something like a sink hole has formed near a catch basin, and he has passed this information on to someone who is working with the HOA contractor.
• On the catch basins between homes, a large percentage of them had a lot of vegetation debris on top of the stormwater grates, so he had them cleared off. But there is still vegetation debris on the grates that is coming from tree leaves.
• There was a dead foxtail palm and shrubs that are dying, so he asked Ramirez to take a look at these. It appears to be older plant material that may have reached its end of life. He is waiting for a proposal to remove the dead palm to present to the Board. When it starts raining, he will look at doing new plantings.
• Two homeowners received letters about removing a hammock and a bird bath.
• At Pebble Beach, there was a strip of irrigation risers that were leaning down, so he asked Ramirez to straighten the pipe.
• It was mentioned that a resident is allowing their dog to swim in the lake, which is a gator hazard.

B. Work Orders for Approval

The Board asked for an update on reimbursement from FPL for wire cut damage they caused.

C. Other Follow-Up Items

 i.  Pump Station Equipment Removal Update

This task is scheduled to be completed on May 25. Mr. Kring said it was not completed yet because they would have to shut the water off for an extended period of time.

ii. Bass Road Sod Replacement Update

This task was completed.

iii. Pool Silt Update From Malik Residence

As reported earlier in the meeting, the resident removed all the rocks, then the silt barrier gave out and the resident said he was addressing it this week with his contractor.

A. FY 2022 Proposed Budget: Resolution 2021-02 to Set Public Hearing

The Board discussed the tentative budget and setting a Public Hearing for August 25.

B. FYY 2020 Audited Financial Report

The Audit was just sent electronically today.  Supervisor Cutler requested an explanation of a $10,000 variance in payments to Irrigation Specialists. He was asked to send his questions in writing to the District Manager who will have the controller or PDM’s contracted CPA take a look at it.

A. April 2021

The April 2021 Financial Statements were discussed.

There being none, the next Order of Business followed.

There being none, the next Order of Business followed.

• Supervisor Rumbold thanked Mr. Kring and Mr. Pepin for being there.
• Supervisor Judas said she was moving out of the community and was submitting her resignation effective at the end of this month. Vice Chair Young thanked her for her significant contributions to the Board, which was echoed by the other supervisors.

• The Chair commented that Mr. Wessler, a former Supervisor, previously submitted a letter of interest in coming back on the Board if a vacancy occurred. He was in the audience and the Chair asked if he was still interested and he replied that he was. Supervisor Cutler stated that they need to bring in other candidates, but the Chair said that was not necessary. The Chair then stated that due to Mr. Wessler’s experience and contributions to the Board during his eight years on the Board, he suggested appointing Mr. Wessler to fill Supervisor Judas’ unexpired term as Supervisor June 1. Supervisor Rumbold stated that, having worked with Mr. Wessler for two years, he found him to be very knowledgeable. Vice Chair Young concurred that Mr. Wessler offered creative solutions.

Mr. Coiro commented that he had called Mr. Kring numerous times about irrigation system issues.  He also voiced concerns about the County not supplying water, and the pumps not working. He also said that Clock #1 is not working properly.  Mr. Kring responded that the issues with the clock are that non-authorized people are setting it in a manual position, which he found to be the case three times.  He said he contacted Juan Ramirez and the other landscapers to address this issue. He also said that it has not occurred in almost a month. He said he has the grass watered three times a week to keep the grass alive. Mr. Kring also said that they seldom have issues, but the Chair said the power frequently goes down. Mr. Kring said it has been two to three years since a pump repair was needed. The Chair responded that they are going to learn more from Tucor about the system’s capabilities.

There being no further business, and

Next Meeting: June 23, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.