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, 15250 Lakes of Laguna Boulevard, Fort Myers, Florida and also via web conference on Wednesday, October 18, 2023.

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

Jonathan Busa – Chair
Paul Rumbold, Jr. – Vice Chair
Michelle Martel – Assistant Secretary
Mike Cutler – Assistant Secretary
Mark Wessler – Assistant Secretary

Also present or attending via web conference were:

Cal Teague – District Manager, Premier District Management (PDM)
Melissa Gindling – Assistant District Manager, PDM
Chris Pepin – Field Manager, Community Field Services
Vickie Rose – Resident
Rudy Bailey – Resident

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

The meeting was called to order and all Board members were present, with Supervisor Cutler attending via web conference. Also in attendance were Melissa Gindling, the Assistant District Manager, and Residents Vickie Rose and Rudy Bailey. Attending via web conference were Cal Teague, the District Manager, and Chris Pepin, the Field Manager.

Add 6E Relocation of Fountain in Lake 1
Add 8B Resolution 2024-01 Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Amendment
Add 10A Water Use Permit

There were no Audience comments on Agenda items.

A. Items to be Pulled for Discussion

No Items were pulled.

B. Motion to Approve Consent Items

C. Consideration of Items Pulled for Discussion

D. Consent Items

i. Draft Regular Meeting Minutes for September 20, 2023

ii. Financial Statements for September 2023

iii. October Field Report

iv. Irrigation Work Orders Log

v. Series 2017A-1 and 2017A-2 Arbitrage Report

This report was included as information for the Board. It is required every 5 years, but staff submits it every year, which reduces the cost to the District.

A. Irrigation

i. Irrigation Contract Update

Assistant District Manager Gindling stated that No Limit has signed the contract, but staff has not received a proposal from Stahlman England, because they did not comply with the E-Verify requirement. The Board decided to countersign the contract with No Limit.

Supervisor Rumbold noted that he had met with No Limit staff in the community and was impressed with their knowledge. The Board asked staff to continue a soft search for other irrigation companies, but they acknowledged that No Limit does seem to be responsive in the field.

ii. Irrigation System Analysis Update

Assistant District Manager Gindling stated that staff has contacted 5 engineering firms for proposals, including Hole Montes, for completing the irrigation system analysis. Only Hole Montes expressed interest, and the Board decided to accept a quote from them and continue searching for proposals from other firms.

iii. Snail Treatment Follow-up

Assistant District Manager Gindling stated that Aaron from Insight Irrigation confirmed that there would be no harm to the lakes with the treatment they use. The Board decided to retain the company for snail treatments, which had previously been approved. The contractor will be asked to complete the first flush treatment.

iv. Irrigation Phone Line Update

Assistant District Manager Gindling stated that the voicemail message had been changed, per the Board’s request, and the Board asked that staff report to them if any problems arise.

v. Irrigation Schedule Follow-up

Assistant District Manager Gindling stated that she and Supervisor Cutler have consulted with Felipe Lemus, who created the GIS map for the community, and she and Mr. Lemus have started drafting a proposal for establishing an irrigation schedule. The project entails opening each valve box and logging the decoder numbers and GPS location. Field Manager Pepin estimates that this will take up to 15 minutes for each box, because some boxes are buried or filled with dirt. They estimate that there are 500 boxes in the community, and the task will take approximately 16 days at the rate of $560 per day, which totals $8,960. The plan is that they will complete one neighborhood at a time and then the common areas.

After this is complete, the decoder numbers and locations will need to be loaded into the Tucor system, and an Excel spreadsheet created to list the irrigation schedule. Depending on how many valve boxes are located, PDM estimates that this will cost approximately $3,000.

Supervisor Cutler stated that he knows of 3 volunteers that will complete these tasks in Pebble Beach and Monterey, and the Board agreed that volunteers can work in the other areas of the community. Supervisor Martel suggested sending an e-blast advising the community of the project, and the Board agreed.

vi. Irrigation Times for Monterey and Corner Lots

Staff had received no suggestions from No Limit, but the Board hopes that the irrigation system analysis will help with finding a resolution for these areas.

vii. Request for Additional Zones at 9250 Paseo De Valencia

Staff had received this request from Santa Barbara. Chair Busa stated that some areas did not receive enough irrigation zones when they were developed. As a reminder, he stated that the CDD is responsible for the installation of the valve boxes, and the addition of service lines and sprinkler heads is the responsibility of the homeowner.

The Board asked No Limit to provide a quote for the installation of a new valve(s) and also the installation of additional sprinklers on the property. The Board was open to covering the cost to install the valve box, while the sprinklers would be the homeowner’s or HOA’s responsibility.

viii. Sod Problem Areas

At the last meeting the Board had requested that Field Manager Pepin investigate the areas in the community with sod issues, and, after his inspection, he determined that the lack of irrigation was not the only reason that the sod is in poor condition. He discovered that Ramirez has not been performing wet checks consistently, and there are insect issues, so he believes that the CDD is not entirely responsible. After discussion, the Board decided to request a quote for replacement of the sod on the Belleza Way cul-de-sac, since this sod was not installed in good condition. They also noted that the sub-associations should be checking for insect issues.

B. Installation of Sod at End of Spring Mountain Way

Assistant District Manager Gindling stated that the contractor has reevaluated the project, and Terra Nova will be sending over a revised proposal to remove the bad sod and weeds, properly regrade the area and install new sod. The HOA had installed new trees recently, with one tree planted directly in the dirt mound that was left after the hurricane. Field Manager Pepin and the contractor would like some direction from the Board, because they believe some trees could be damaged with regrading. The Board authorized the contractor to carefully regrade around the trees, and they agreed that Terra Nova can send a new quote.

A. Hardwood Tree Trimming Update

Assistant District Manager Gindling stated that Field Manager Pepin has requested a quote from 3 companies, and he has received no response as of yet.

B. Annual Perimeter Pine Strawing Proposal

A quote had been received from Terra Nova to install pine straw along the perimeter berms.

C. Request for Rip Rap Around Catch Basins

Supervisor Martel suggested that rip rap could be installed around several catch basins. Field Manager Pepin stated that installing rip rap around the catch basins will help, but is not entirely effective, because debris will still go over the rip rap and collect on the catch basins after rain events. Supervisor Wessler suggested that the landscapers clean them off on a regular basis to keep it from collecting. The Board requested that Chris identify the catch basins with the issue in Pebble Beach and Santa Barbara and get a quote for rip rap installation, and Chris will see that this is done.

D. Resident Request to Keep Plants in Swale Area

Staff had sent a letter to the homeowner who had installed plantings in the drainage swale, requesting removal. Field Manager Pepin had spoken with the resident, and he stated that they do not believe there is an issue and they desire to keep the plants. Chris stated that this could potentially affect the elevations in the swale and would potentially affect the entire street. Chair Busa pointed out that the governing documents and sub-associations of the community require that the swales may not be altered, so it is not entirely a CDD issue. Chair Busa recommended contacting the sub-associations and informing them that the CDD has identified a potential issue that could affect the swale and that the covenant should be enforced. Field Manager Pepin recommended surveying the area to determine what is CDD property and taking photos of what has been surveyed for proof. The Board decided to also send a letter to the homeowner requiring the resident to remove the plantings that are on CDD property once the survey is complete.

E. Relocation of Fountain in Lake 1

Supervisor Cutler presented a resident’s request for the fountain in Lake 1 to be relocated, since the phosphates from the lake seem to be causing algae and mold issues in the pool area. Crystal Clear Fountains provided an estimate of $3,412 to complete this task. The Board considered this request, however, they decided they would need a formal written request from the Master Board along with the proposed new location. This way, multiple residents would be consulted regarding the change before proceeding.

Field Manager Pepin’s report was in the packet, and there were no questions or comments.

A. FEMA Reimbursement Update

Assistant District Manager Gindling stated that no changes have been made to the invoice tracking sheet since last month. Staff is still waiting to hear a response from FEMA on the eligibility determination.

B. Resolution 2024-01: Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Amendment

District Manager Teague stated that a Budget amendment is required within the first 60 days of the new Fiscal Year, which balances the Budget with the use of the fund balance. He stated that the largest expense was from the hurricane, which will be repaid if the reimbursement requests are successful. The other expense is the lake repairs, which totals $50,000, but it can be reduced by $44,000, and the CIP can be removed also. He also reviewed other expenses in the Budget, and stated that the District will have a sufficient fund balance.

The Board also confirmed that they would keep the November and December meeting dates as scheduled.

There was no report from Attorney Cohen.

A. Water Use Permit

Assistant District Manager Gindling stated that the Engineer has provided an estimate of $1,080 to submit the water use permit renewal. The CDD currently uses reclaimed water for irrigation, but has a non-functioning well as a backup option if the reclaimed water was unavailable. Currently staff submits quarterly reports stating no water has been drawn from the well. The Board approved the Engineer to proceed with the application.

Vice Chair Rumbold commented that the rainfall sensor on controller #2 is still broken.

Supervisor Martel reported that the fence on the eastern berm should be completed this week, and she asked staff to send an e-blast to the residents informing them of its completion.

Supervisor Wessler requested that the Board follow the Agenda during meetings and enforce decorum. He believes that the September meeting was a little out of control.

There were no Audience comments.

The Next Regular Meeting is November 15, 2023 at 4:30 p.m.