Chelmsford resident and WCA Board Member, Jack Maurer, kicked off audience comments, saying he had received a number of phone calls regarding the new monument signage at Countryway and Linebaugh. Chairman Matt Lewis said he was surprised, as he had only received a positive response to the new signs. Maurer went on to explain that residents had complained that the reflectiveness made the signs illegible and asked that this be considered if other signs were due to be updated. Lewis confirmed that there were no current proposals and if Maurer received any further emails or calls, he should forward them to the CDD office.
Engineer Robert Dvorak was pleased to confirm that the TECO Trail Project on the west side of Countryway was 97% complete with everything structurally in place and sidewalk pavers returned. Turning to the TECO easement on the east side of the road, Dvorak had discovered from the plat notes that the area was owned by the CDD with a smaller easement for power lines. He felt it would be an “uphill slog” to convince TECO that their trucks had caused the previous damage to the pipes, especially if the board wanted the work completed before the rainy season. District Counsel Erin McCormick confirmed that she had a contact at TECO who could possibly provide a copy of any easement they are responsible for. Lewis requested that Dvorak hold off on the work until the April board meeting, which would still allow time to complete the work before storm season.
McCormick confirmed she had received the draft contract for the berm project at Pond 125. Dvorak anticipated the work would start at the beginning of April and take 2-3 weeks to complete. Following on from last month, Dvorak said he had begun using the county watershed model to look at solutions for lowering the pond during peak stages. His initial finding was that there were certain benefits to how everything currently flows. A lot of the simulations he had already tried caused an intake of water further downstream onto other properties, but the project is ongoing, and he has a lot of ideas to try.
After looking at the proposals for sidewalk improvements during the February workshop, the board had decided to move forward with phase 1. ACPLM will be working in The Shires, Sturbridge and Radcliffe at a cost of $185,000 and CMK Paving will carry out work on Westchase Drive and Montague at a cost of $42, 000. There was then a lengthy discussion on how to allocate the expenditure for the project. Board members determined it would not be fair to assess the gated communities, essentially doubling their bill, but instead to share the expense across the non-gated communities. A motion to approve the first phase of sidewalk improvements, funded through non-gated community assessments, was approved 5-0.
Field Manager David Sylvanowicz informed the board that he had recently approved a $16,800 sidewalk repair primarily in the Village Green community, consisting of 20 new panels and one storm drain cover. Sylvanowicz explained that, historically, the field manager would always take care of tripping hazards within the gated communities, without having to ask for board approval but he would continue to bring all other large cost concerns to their attention.
Sylvanowicz said that J&R Tree Care has historically trimmed the community’s Palm Trees and has kept their price for a number of years, but they are now increasing their contract. Sylvanowicz did a three-year contract analysis comparing J&R with two other companies. It was his recommendation that J&R did a great job without the need to manage them. The board approved a one-year contract with J&R Tree Care with a two- or three-year option at a 3% increase.
Lastly, Sylvanowicz informed the board that vendors are increasing the price for gate clickers. McCormick explained that before they could pass an increase on to residents, they would have to hold a rules adoption meeting. She suggested if a public hearing was required, then it would be a good idea to look at other community fees that might need changing. Lewis agreed and asked the Field Office to put together a list of current fees incurred by residents and other fees that the CDD might want to consider passing on. These will be looked at during the next workshop.
