Key topics at the Dec. 12 meeting included ongoing pool renovations, work order procedures and a new development coming to West Park Village.
The evening began with the resident forum and Andrew Amenta took the floor to express his concern about whether his repeated request to add more pickleball courts was being taken seriously. He pointed to a recent pickup pickleball survey and a move to reduce reservations from 2 to 1.5 hours. Swim & Tennis Chair Dan Haigy said the reservations would remain at 2 hours because the Your Court system couldn’t accommodate 1.5-hour windows and that the committee would be discussing potential expansion of pickleball courts at their meeting on Monday. Facilities Manager Dwight Kilgore explained that the survey was intended to consolidate more players onto fewer courts to accommodate more players. Shires resident Dan Perez inquired about the hurricane debris on the golf course grounds along Linebaugh, calling it an eyesore. Government Affairs Chair Rick Goldstein said he would look into the matter.
The meeting was then called to order and WOW Liaison Jessica Siddle asked that the WOW Board Member appointment be moved up on the agenda, at which time she appointed Anna Mairink. Mairink was in attendance and accepted the position.
Treasurer Terry Boyd offered an update on reserve and operating funds that had been invested. He noted that, to date, $500,000 of reserve funds and $500,000 of operating funds had been invested. He added that an additional $500,000 of reserve funds would be invested once the transfer of funds from OZK Bank to Alliance Bank was complete. He added that the $100,000 CD, with a rate of 3.2%, would be maturing in February and he would liquidate the funds at that time.
Goldstein began his GAC report by stating that JD Frazier would be heading up an initiative to apply for several community mini-grants available through the county. In an update on sidewalk repairs, he said that he and fellow committee members Dale Sells and Charles Stephens had met with the county. The GAC committee would be tasking the Voting Members with doing an assessment of the sidewalks in their neighborhoods and reporting back so the county could plan based on the need for repairs.
Regarding flooding concerns, Goldstein said he hadn’t received a response from TECO regarding drain cleaning, but that the county had hired an engineer to assess flooding concerns. Oostenbrink said it would be good to have a maintenance schedule from the county and Goldstein said he would look into that.
In his S&T report, Haigy said the committee had received three estimates for LED lighting and three more were expected. The goal, he said, was to find the best product at the most reasonable cost to meet the technical requirements.
Director Jack Maurer offered an update from the renovations committee, stating that bathroom renovations would potentially kick off in January. The board would need to coordinate porta potties and tile and floor color selection prior to the contractor’s start date. Kilgore asked if he could meet with Maurer to discuss the options and he agreed. The board made a motion for Maurer, Siddle and Vice President Theresa Lanzar to form a color selection committee and it passed unanimously. Director Nancy Sells was not in attendance.
Association Manager Debbie Sainz gave her variance report, noting that the YTD statement of revenue and expenses shows a $22,928 deficit through 11/30/24. She explained that the figure includes expenses relating to the pool deck repair in the amount of $128, 369. If the pool deck repair costs are variances out, the association would be in the black $98,254. Sainz added that income was $22, 104 over budget (capital contributions, late fees/interest and legal recovery). The following expenses were under budget: admin ($40,393), insurance ($18,324) and electric ($8, 174). The water bill was over budget due to the pool refill. She also reported that summer camp net income to expense for 2024 was $10,801.
Kilgore requested to purchase reservation system software for the WCA’s Summer Camp program at a cost of $925/year. He added it would make it easier for parents to upload necessary forms and free up the staff’s time. Goldstein asked how sensitive documents would be handled and Kilgore said they would be uploaded online to a secure site. Maurer said he was confused by all of the different apps that had been presented. “Do we have such and egregious situation right now that justifies this cost?” he asked. Kilgore explained that he selected this software because you can purchase modularly, rather than buying a whole package. This would just be used for summer camp registration and other modules could be added as needed. “I think this is an absolute need,” Kilgore said. “Our paperwork system is disjointed.” He added that the camps brought in roughly $10,000 in revenue and if it made it easier for just one additional camper to sign up it would be worth the cost. Sainz raised a concern about how the software would identify residents vs. non-residents to apply the discount and also had concerns regarding the security of the uploaded documents. Siddle said that it is standard practice to upload documents to a secure site. Kilgore stressed the importance of getting approval now so he could get the system set up in time for Feb. 19 opening of camp registration. Siddle made a motion to approve the purchase pending verification of the security of the site and its ability to recognize resident versus non-resident addresses. It passed unanimously.
Kilgore also requested board approval to implement a point-based merit increase system for facilities staff that would result in a 15, 30 or 45-cent increase based on job performance. Oostenbrink asked if he felt that moving away from automatic increases would lead to staffing issues and Kilgore said he felt it would have the opposite effect. After a lengthy discussion, the board voted unanimously to approve the request. The board also voted unanimously to renew the AB Tennis contract with a 10% rate increase, to ratify the Countryway Activity Room rental early use policy, and to approve the BillerReinhart proposal for repairs to the Countryway storage shed.
Discussion turned to the West Park Village Pool slide, which had been removed for the deck repairs. Oostenbrink said they could potentially get GA Nichols to install a new, identical slide as they finished up the deck repair. Maurer suggested adding webbing between the stairs, rather than the metal panels used on the previous slide. Siddle noted she was disappointed that they would be adding the identical slide and she had higher hopes for the pool. Ostenbrink said he would like to see the kiddie pool area transformed, but the money simply wasn’t in the budget at the time the deck repair began. He added that “not having the ‘bigger, better’ option right now, we could replace the current slide and look at the kiddie pool later.” Haigy said he would love to take the lead in coming up with a concept for the kiddie pool area and Maurer said the S&T and Renovation committees could team up on the project. Goldstein said a timeline should be set for an initial concept and they agreed to have something ready for the April 2025 meeting. A motion to replace the slide with the cheapest option that includes shipping passed unanimously.
Maurer then brought up concerns with the increased use of an architect to review modification requests at a cost to the WCA. He noted that when an architect is used for variance requests, the homeowner absorbs the cost. Sells explained that long ago the board decided they wanted to encourage homeowners to submit modification requests, so they decided not to charge the homeowner. Variance requests are initiated by the homeowner so the charge should go to them, he explained.
A motion was made to pass the $160 architecture fee on to the homeowner when needed as part of a modification request (an example would be a room addition), and it passed unanimously. Maurer then expressed concern regarding how work order projects are being handled, referencing the recent updates to the Countryway Activity Room. He said he was displeased with the fan and tile selection and stated that going forward, when a repair requires a change, it should be brought before the board. Sainz said that she had been tasked with doing a lot and she, Charlotte and Vince were working to get needed repairs done quickly. Maurer said they had been discussing an overall vision and the changes to the activity room did not fall within that vision.
Oostenbrink said that he and Lanzar had met with GPI and had created a work order spreadsheet that could help keep the board informed on the status of each project.
Maurer reiterated that when it is an aesthetic change, it needs to come before the board. “It’s not about stopping things, it is about making sure when it’s done, it’s done right,” he said.
Oostenbrink said that the CDD had requested the WCA Board clarify their position on “No Trespassing” signs in the Golf Course easements that abut homeowners’ property. After a lengthy discussion, the board agreed that the signs were a violation of the guidelines, but that enforcement was difficult due to the location along the golf course.
Oostenbrink then informed the board that the property along Tate Lane in West Park Village previously owned by Gary Pridgen had been sold to Stanley Martin Homes. He provided this update to the VMs during their Dec. 10 meeting, at which point a representative from the developer spoke up to let the VMs know that they would be building 38, three-story townhomes with rear-facing garages.
Oostenbrink added that the developer wanted to be annexed into Westchase. He explained this would require a 75% vote in favor from the VMs ( 2,632 unit votes). He stressed that there are a number of steps in the process, and it would require two duly noted VM meetings – one for a presentation from the developer and one for the vote. Oostenbrink noted that SLK had been given the authority to initiate conversations with Stanley Martin.
Moving on to the ongoing issues with the WPV Pool deck repair, Oostenbrink informed the board that GA Nichols had completed the deck installation, but there were still major issues with a section of pavers and those had been removed and awaited repair. AD Engineering, overseeing the project, had found several other issues that had been relayed to GA Nichols and Oostenbrink said he hoped those would be resolved without the board’s intervention. He added that a special closed session would need to be called to address additional issues with the renovation. That was scheduled for Dec. 19.
