Meeting Minutes for September 20, 2023
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, September 20, 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
Felipe Lemus – PDM
Residents
The following is a summary of the discussion and actions taken at the Laguna Lakes Community Development District (CDD) Board of Supervisors regular meeting.
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS Call to Order and Roll Call
The meeting was called to order and all Board members were present, with Supervisor Martel attending via web conference. Also in attendance were Cal Teague, the District Manager, Melissa Gindling from PDM, and Several Residents. Attending via web conference was Felipe Lemus from PDM.
On MOTION by Supervisor Wessler, seconded by Vice Chair Rumbold, with all in favor, the Board approved Supervisor Martel’s attendance via web conference.
SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of the Agenda
On MOTION by Supervisor Wessler, seconded by Supervisor Martel, with all in favor, the Agenda was approved, as presented.
THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments on Agenda Items
There were no Audience comments on Agenda items.
FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Consent Agenda
A. Items to be Pulled for Discussion
Request by Supervisor Cutler to pull 4Div September Field Report for discussion later in the meeting.
B. Motion to Approve Consent Items
On MOTION by Vice Chair Rumbold, seconded by Supervisor Wessler, with all in favor, the Board approved all of the Consent Items, except 4Div September Field Report.
C. Consideration of Items Pulled for Discussion
D. Consent Items
i. Draft Audit Selection Committee Meeting Minutes for August 16, 2023
ii. Draft Regular Meeting Minutes for August 16, 2023
iii. Financial Statements for August 2023
iv. September Field Report
v. Irrigation Work Orders Log
vi. FEMA Reimbursement Update
District Manager Teague reported that on September 14, 2023 the public assistance program delivery manager (PDMG) uploaded a memo to the grants portal for eligibility review for all of PDM’s CDD applications. Staff believes that they are using a slight change in the wording of their requirements for CDD’s to deny the application, and that reimbursement is only available for “an eligible facility that is open to and serves the general public”. In 2020 the phrase was “an eligible facility that is accessible to the general public”. Attached to the FEMA memo is PDM’s draft response, including part of a memo from Heritage Palms used during the appeal for Hurricane Irma eligibility review.
FIFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Old Business
A. Irrigation
i. Irrigation Contract Update
District Manager Teague stated that No Limit has not signed the contract as of September 18th. They seem to be performing the work, but the communication is poor. Vice Chair Rumbold commented that not signing the contract and communicating poorly is disrespectful to the District. Supervisor Cutler stated that he is not sure that all of the work orders are being addressed, because he knows of issues that have not been resolved. After discussion, the Board decided to wait and see if No Limit signs the contract and addresses issues within a reasonable amount of time before considering another company.
ii. Snail Treatment Proposals Follow-up
District Manager Teague reported that Aaron from Insight Irrigation had sent a proposal and some background information about his treatment product and flush process for combating snail intrusion. He stated that after the initial treatment and flush, the process will be repeated twice yearly, and then once a year.
Steve from Stahlman England also submitted a proposal about his flush process, which uses chlorine, and he provided some documents on chlorination and filters for the pumps. After discussion, the Board decided to accept Insight Irrigation’s proposal with the requirement that staff confirm with the vendor that this process will not negatively impact the lakes.
On MOTION by Supervisor Cutler, seconded by Supervisor Wessler, with all in favor, the Board approved Insight Irrigation’s proposal to treat and flush the system for snail removal, contingent upon staff investigation that the process will not negatively impact the lakes, not to exceed $11,000.
iii. Irrigation Phone Line Update
District Manager Teague reported that additional voicemail boxes have been added, so that each sub-association CAM receives work orders for their specific neighborhood. He also stated that Field Manager Pepin and staff do not have time to call every resident back individually, and this has led to some concern from the residents who want to know when the issue will be addressed. After discussion, the Board agreed that the voicemail message could be revised to include a statement that they can expect resolution of the problem within 2 business days, and if not, to please call back. Other options are also being considered.
iv. Irrigation Schedule Follow-up
Supervisor Cutler stated that he and Melissa Gindling had a meeting with Tucor on September 19th to ascertain whether they can help export an accurate irrigation schedule from the program. They stated that this is possible, but two reports from the program will need to be combined to be useful. The physical location of each decoder will also need to be determined. Supervisor Cutler has started to check decoder locations in his neighborhood. However, since this is a labor intensive task, and because there are more than 1,300 decoders in the community, the Board decided to get proposals to complete this work.
v. Irrigation Times for Monterey and Corner Lots
District Manager Teague stated that Field Manager Pepin and staff have asked No Limit to check on this, but they have not provided any suggestions. He felt it would not be a good idea to change any run times before the system is 100% up and running, and No Limit has developed a good understanding of the system. The Board was in agreement with this approach.
vi. Engineering Report and Discussion Regarding Improvements
The Johnson Engineering irrigation report conducted by the Monterey HOA in 2009 was included in the packet. It was noted that this is very outdated, but some information may still be relevant, since it stated that primarily the irrigation pipes are too small in Monterey. Chair Busa suggested that an engineering study of the whole irrigation system may be warranted.
The Board decided to ask Stahlman England to complete a new evaluation of the entire irrigation system, and provide recommendations for improvements, such as the use of flow sensors. They also asked if Stahlman could provide a proposal for maintenance services. The Board decided to give No Limit another 30 days to sign the contract, but they would like to see other maintenance services options from Stahlman England at the next meeting.
On MOTION by Supervisor Martel, seconded by Vice Chair Rumbold, with all in favor, the Board approved Stahlman England to submit a proposal for an evaluation of the entire irrigation system and provide recommendations for improvements.
vii. Irrigation Concerns in Pebble Beach
Field Manager Pepin had asked No Limit to investigate the irrigation problem in Pebble Beach, and they are troubleshooting controller #2. A resident reported that the issue has improved somewhat.
A resident attending the meeting reported that the new sod installed on Belleza Way was silver when laid down, and they asked why such poor quality sod was accepted. The resident also asked if the CDD could cover the cost of new sod in areas where the irrigation system had failed. They reported that they had also lost plantings because of the failed irrigation.
The Board acknowledged that there were multiple issues, including lack of irrigation and drought, that resulted in many areas of dead sod. Vice Chair Rumbold stated that he believes that this is related to the dispute with the irrigation contractor, and he suggested filing a claim with the insurance company.
The Board asked staff to identify the sod problem areas at the next meeting and requested that Field Manager Pepin and Attorney Cohen provide options for sod replacement. Chris is to identify areas of sod that died due to lack of irrigation and provide the costs associated with replacement.
On MOTION by Vice Chair Rumbold, seconded by Chair Busa, with all in favor, the Board approved staff to investigate and identify the extent of the issues causing dead grass throughout the community, solicit advice from the Attorney regarding the liability of Irrigation Specialists, and obtain options for sod replacement from the Field Manager.
viii. Electrical Panel Replacement for Controller 4
The electrical panel on controller #4 needs to be replaced because of rust. West Coast Electrical provided an estimate of $3,250 to complete this task .
On MOTION by Supervisor Wessler, seconded by Vice Chair Rumbold, with all in favor, the Board approved West Coast Electrical to replace an electrical panel on controller #4, not to exceed $3,250.
ix. Electrical Panel Replacement for Irrigation Pumps
The electrical panel for the irrigation pumps needs to be replaced because of rust. West Coast Electrical provided an estimate of $5,225 to complete this task.
On MOTION by Supervisor Wessler, seconded by Vice Chair Rumbold, with all in favor, the Board approved West Coast Electrical to replace an electrical panel for the irrigation pumps, not to exceed $5,225.
B. Installation of Pavers and Sod at End of Spring Mountain Way
Supervisor Martel reported that the pavers had been installed today, and they will be installing plantings. She will coordinate with Field Manager Pepin for sod installation.
SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS New Business
A. Discussion of Additional Payment Per Year for the Bond
District Manager Teague stated that Supervisor Martel had suggested making payments on the principal of the bond outside of the regular schedule, since there are funds in the reserves. Supervisor Cutler wanted to ensure that there is no penalty for payment outside of the regular schedule. After discussion concerning funds that may be needed for upcoming projects and other issues, the Board decided to table this, and noted that residents can pre-pay individually if they would like.
SEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Field Manager
Field Manager Pepin’s report had been pulled from the Consent Agenda by Supervisor Cutler, and the following was discussed:
Supervisor Cutler has seen many cane toads in the decoder boxes, and District Manager Teague will have Field Manager Pepin investigate. There was also a rat in his pool, and it was stated that the HOA has a pest control program using rat traps, and it seems to be the most effective.
It was noted that the grass and plantings along Bass Road die on a routine basis, and it is an ongoing issue, and Supervisor Cutler wondered if there is a solution. Staff will follow-up with Chris.
District Manager Teague stated that they had received two estimates for the replacement of sod in the areas specified in the Field Report.
On MOTION by Vice Chair Rumbold, seconded by Supervisor Wessler, with all in favor, the Board approved two estimates for sod replacement in the areas indicated in the Field Report.
On MOTION by Vice Chair Rumbold, seconded by Supervisor Wessler, with all in favor, the Board accepted item 4Div September Field Report from the Consent Agenda.
EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS District Manager
A. Resolution 2023-06: Fiscal Year 2024 Meeting Dates
District Manager Teague presented the proposed Fiscal Year 2024 meeting dates.
On MOTION by Vice Chair Rumbold, seconded by Supervisor Wessler, with all in favor, the Board approved Resolution 2023-06 setting the Fiscal Year 2024 meetings for the third Wednesday of every month at 4:30pm.
NINTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Attorney
There was no report from Attorney Cohen.
TENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Engineer
There was no report from Engineer McCleary.
ELEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Supervisor Requests/Comments
Supervisor Martel asked if the eastern berm project was complete. District Manager Teague reported that the grading was complete, and the fencing project will continue in October.
Supervisor Martel also suggested trimming the hardwoods around the perimeter. The Board noted that it had been a few years since this had been completed, so they asked staff to get a quote.
TWELFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments
There were no Audience comments.
THIRTEENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Adjournment
On MOTION by Vice Chair Rumbold, seconded by Supervisor Cutler, with all in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 5:53 p.m.
The Next Regular Meeting is October 18, 2023 at 4:30 p.m.