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Meeting Minutes for May 15, 2020

Port of the Islands
Community Improvement District

The meeting of the Port of the Islands Community Improvement District was held on Friday, May 15, 2020 at 9 a.m. via web conference.

Present (on the web) and constituting a quorum were:
Tony Davis – Chair
Russell Kish – Vice Chair
Norine Dillon – Assistant Secretary
Teri O’Connell – Assistant Secretary
Kathryn Kehlmeier – Assistant Secretary

Also present (on the web) were:
Cal Teague – District Manager
Daniel Cox – District Attorney
Ron Benson – District Engineer
Robert Soto – Soto’s Lawn Service
Mitch Gilbert – Florida Utility Solutions
Chris Dudak – Assistant to the District Manager
Jennifer Miller – Premier District Management

The following is a summary of the discussion and actions taken at the Port of the Islands Community Improvement District (CID) Board of Supervisors meeting. It was conducted using Go to Meetings as a result of Executive Order 20-69 which waived the quorum requirements during the COVID-19 virus and allowed for meetings to be conducted in this manner.

FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS Call to Order and Roll Call

Members participated in the web conference and the meeting was called to order by the Chair with the District Manager calling roll. All Board members were present. Also present by web conference were Attorney Daniel Cox, Engineer Ron Benson, Robert Soto from Soto’s Lawn Service, Mitch Gilbert from Florida Utility Solutions, Chris Dudak, Assistant to the District Manager and Jennifer Miller from Premier District Management.

SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of the Agenda

The Agenda was approved as presented.

On MOTION by Chair Davis seconded by Supervisor O’Connell, with all in favor, the Agenda was approved as presented.

THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments on Agenda Items

Alberto Garcia and Joyce Carlino attended the web conference with no comments on the Agenda items.

FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of Meeting Minutes

A. Draft Meeting Minutes from April 17, 2020

The Minutes were approved with a minor change for clarification on line 65, changing “they” to “the CID.”

On MOTION by Chair Davis, seconded by Supervisor Dillon, with all in favor, the Board approved the Minutes from the April 17, 2020 meeting with one change on line 65, changing “they have a strong interest” to “the CID has a strong interest.”

FIFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Utility Operations Report for April 2020

Mitch Gilbert, Florida Utility Solutions, reviewed the April report with the Board and said the well fields, water plant and waste water treatment plant are running fine. He is getting a quote to update the SCADA system at the water treatment plant. He also discussed problems with the handles of the backflow preventers. He ordered 500 replacement handles and only 40 were delivered. The rest are on back order.

SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Landscape Maintenance

A. May Notes

With Supervisor Kehlmeier out of town for the summer, the “ride alongs” have been suspended temporarily. The Board expressed that the Field Manager and Robert Soto’s efforts will be sufficient in the meantime. Supervisor Kehlmeier will continue to review the monthly Field Reports and get updates. Supervisor O’Connell will do a ride along just to educate herself about the process. Also, Robert Soto was reminded that the Report is expected 10 days before the meeting as stated in the contract.

B. Updated Landscape Contract

Changes that were requested were made, but there were still several minor changes that are needed. The Board felt they could be identified and included subject to review by the Attorney.

On MOTION by Supervisor O’Connell, seconded by Supervisor Dillon, with all in favor, the Board voted to approve the Landscape Contract with minor changes and approval by the Attorney.

SEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS District Manager Report

A. FEMA Update

All funding requests have been committed and received except for administrative costs that has been obligated but not received. The obligated amount is $43,902 plus 5% admin fees for a total of $46,077. So far, $44,908 has been collected with $1,189 left to collect.

B. FY 2021 Tentative Budget Approval

Resolution 2020-04 was adopted to approve a no-increase tentative budget. A Capital Improvement allocation of $325,000 was included for a meter change-out with automated remote read meters. The estimate of $300,000 allows for the difference to be used as a contingency. These meters will allow for leak detection, remote monitoring and tampering alerts. Hourly consumption and small leak warnings are features of the new meters. There should be increased revenue from getting more accurate meter readings. The Public Hearing for adoption of the budget was set for the August 21, 2020 meeting.

On MOTION by Supervisor Kehlmeier, seconded by Supervisor Dillon, with all in favor, the Board voted to set the public hearing for August 21, 2020 to consider adoption of the FY 2021 Budget.

C. Financial Report for April 2020

The Financial Report was accepted with a question regarding a continuing accounts payable document and is being addressed by staff.

On MOTION by Supervisor O’Connell, seconded by Supervisor Dillon, with all in favor, the Board voted to approve the Financial Report for April 2020.

EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Field Manager Report

A. Field Report for May 2020

The following was reviewed with actions or questions:

  • The repair of the Union Road potholes was approved for an amount not to exceed $1,800.
  • The signs in storage that are no longer necessary need to be removed.
  • The sign at the entrance to Orchid Cove is loose and should be tightened along with any other signs that are loose.
  • A quote for repair of the asphalt on Newport Cay where the tree root needs to be cut back should be obtained.
  • All suggested maintenance items identified in the report are to be corrected, such as the trash cleanup, sidewalk grinding, cleaning the debris from the road to the swales along the seawalls and removal of problematic vegetation from the catch basins and water control structures .
  • Exotic vegetation violations on the vacant lots need to be monitored.
  • The monument painting will be discussed at the next meeting when a color choice has been made.

On MOTION by Supervisor Kehlmeier, seconded by Chair Davis, with all in favor, the Board voted to approve the pothole repairs on Union Road for an amount not to exceed $1,800.

B. Other Follow-Up Items

i. Lake Maintenance and Littoral Planting Update

EarthGuard will install the littorals by the end of May, closer to rainy season for improved growth.

ii. 120 Wilderness Cay Tincher Concrete Repairs Revised Proposal

The original proposal for $2,250 was to replace 30 feet of valley gutter, but the new project manager stated that 70 feet were needed. The revised proposal from Tincher Concrete is $3,250 which is a better deal. Additionally, the Board agreed that the damaged gutter at 157 Cays Drive had to be repaired by the CID and the Property Manager will see what he can work out with them when Tincher does the job.

On MOTION by Chair Davis seconded by Vice Chair Kish, with all in favor, the Board voted to approve Tincher Concrete replacing 70 feet of gutter at 120 Wilderness Cay for $3,250 and to get an estimate while they are there to repair 157 Cays Drive.

NINTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Engineer Report

A. South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) Five-Year Report Renewal Update

This was completed and accepted by the SFWMD.

B. Dock Water Service Request Update

The meter location was established and the project is proceeding pending an application for a meter and new service from the condo association. The Engineer was asked about the marina expansion but had no update.

TENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Attorney Report

There being none, the next Order of Business followed.

ELEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Old Business

A. Joint CID/HOA Stella Maris Drainage/Pothole Repairs

They are still working on these repairs. The Board offered to share the costs with the condo association since it was not done properly initially.

B. Union Road Pothole Repairs

The Union Road pothole repairs presented at the last meeting were verified as being on CID property. The proposal was approved.

C. Parcel 13 Water Frontage

There was no update.

D. North Hotel

The County is in the process of obtaining proposals for demolition, according to the District Manager.

TWELFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS New Business

A. MBR Issues Discussion

The Board agreed that the plant was not going to become the primary treatment facility in the near future. They discussed legal action against Severn Trent for improper management of the plant when they were under contract. The Engineer was asked to put together a summary of actions or mismanagement by Severn Trent. The statute of limitations will expire at the end of the year. The Attorney said they will have to be able to demonstrate what the cost would be to fix what was damaged. The Engineer, Utility Operator and District Manager will meet to discuss options to correct this situation and possible legal action. Legal and engineering costs will be identified.

B. Cays Drive Perimeter Invasive Vegetation Cutback

The District Manager reports that staff tried to contact the State concerning the cutting of invasive exotic vegetation, such as Brazilian Pepper and Melaleuca, along the eastern border. Steve Houseneck, the Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve manager, said they started cutting last year and will do more before the rainy season starts. He will keep the Board updated.

THIRTEENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Supervisor Requests and/or Comments

There being none, the next Order of Business followed.

FOURTEENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Audience Comments

Alberto Garcia and Joyce Carlino commented on the need for community-wide security, possibly security cameras.

FIFTEENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Adjournment

There being no further Orders of Business and,

On MOTION by Chair Davis, seconded by Supervisor Kehlmeier, with all in favor, the meeting was adjourned at 11:31 a.m.

Next Meeting: Friday, June 19, 2020

Secretary/Assistant Secretary
Chair/Vice Chair