MINUTES
OF MEETING
The regular meeting of the Board of
Supervisors of the Coral Springs Improvement District was held on
Present and constituting a quorum
were:
Robert D. Fennell President
William Eissler Vice
President
Glen Hanks Secretary
Also present were:
Gary L. Moyer Superintendent
Dennis Lyles Attorney
Rich Hans Staff
Bill Joyce Staff
Donna Holiday Staff
John McKune Engineer
Roger Moore Engineer
Steven A. Weinberg Frank,
Weinberg & Black, P.L.
Mike Morrison Morrison Builders
Lewis Moscovitch Resident
Mr.
Fennell called the meeting to order, and Mr. Moyer called the roll.
SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of the Minutes of
the September 15, 2003 Meeting
Mr.
Fennell stated that each Board member had received a copy of the minutes of the
There
not being any,
On MOTION by Mr. Eissler seconded by Mr.
Hanks with all in favor the minutes of the
THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS Continuation of
Discussion Regarding Docks in the Mariner’s Cove Area of Lake Coral Springs
Mr.
Lyles stated this issue arose several months ago with respect to an application
for a dock to be constructed in the Mariner’s Cove area. This matter made its way to the City of
The
lake, shown as Parcel A1 on the plat, was dedicated to the Homeowners
Association (HOA) when the community was created, and there is no easement in
favor of the District over the lake. The
only reference to the District I can locate is that in the master declaration
documents for the community, mention is made of the existence of CSID and of
the fact CSID may have boats on the lake for purposes of aquatic weed
control. We have no easement, obligation
or agreement with the original landowner or the successor to the landowner to
do any of that activity. Apparently, we
have voluntarily done some maintenance in addition to aquatic weed control over
the years. Staff has quantified this for
the Board in looking over last year’s activities. In any event, we have a canal easement for
the full 100’ width of the canal that runs off of
In
summary, we have an easement for flowage and drainage; someone has applied for
the appropriate permits through the City to construct a dock behind her home;
and the City advised them to contact us.
I cannot offer a legal reason to deny the permit.
Mr.
Fennell asked is this different from our other easements?
Mr.
Lyles responded yes. We do not have a
lake maintenance easement along the real property; only a canal easement. Therefore, we will not be getting land-bound
equipment in there. For purposes of the
canal easement, we do not have any basis for saying we cannot utilize the
easement to its fullest extent by virtue of the presence of a dock.
Mr.
Hanks asked is it being used and relied upon by the rest of the District for
storage within the District? Is there
protection against future encroachments into that lake and loss in storage
capacity that will impact the District?
Mr.
Lyles responded we have no right within that lake to do anything. We are passive
bystanders, and the obligation to maintain it and make sure it functions
properly was specifically directed to the HOA.
Mr.
Hanks stated the only role we would play is if we would have the ability to
review, approve or reject any changes to that lake as a permitting agency.
Mr.
Moyer stated that lake was used as part of the storage calculations for the
surface water management permit.
Mr.
McKune stated the residents are foreclosed from building something into the
lake so I do not believe that will be a problem.
Mr.
Lyles stated even though the District does not have any rights with respect to
the lake, the South Florida Water Management District permit has conditions
that they have to meet as private owners.
In the absence of an easement on that lake, are we appropriately
spending funds on aquatic maintenance and clean up activity?
Mr.
Joyce distributed a list of maintenance tasks and their costs performed on the
Mr.
Fennell stated what is the status of the
Mr.
Moyer responded we have no obligation to maintain private property. Until this issue came up, staff was under the
impression that we had certain easement rights that gave us control of that
waterway. The easement is strictly a
canal and flowage easement, which means we have the right to flow water in that
area, but we have no maintenance obligation there. There are no rights to permit us to go on
that property for maintenance.
Mr.
Lyles stated there is no obligation anywhere that has come to our attention
that would create a duty on the part of the District to perform any maintenance
activities. You would presume that
certain activities might arise from the drainage and flowage easement. If something stopped it from draining and
flowing we would have the right to clear out the stoppage.
Mr.
Hanks stated similarly, there is no obligation placed on the owner of that land
to maintain that for our drainage and flowage.
Mr.
Eissler asked are we remiss if we continue to do maintenance in that lake by
using the District’s money to maintain it?
Mr.
Lyles responded an argument can be made that we are using District funds
generated from all the lands throughout the District to benefit private
property. Even though the association
owns it, it is still private property.
Mr.
Eissler asked would the HOA have to hire someone to perform maintenance if we
didn’t do it for them? Are there
companies that do that?
Mr.
Moyer responded yes.
Mr.
Hanks asked in terms of the overall water quality of the discharges from our
system, are we better off keeping that under our control as to how often and
which herbicides are used in this situation?
Mr.
Moyer responded the assumption is that the herbicides are going to be licensed
and the company doing the work will have an occupational license and a level of
expertise in that area and know what the rules are.
Mr.
Weinberg stated I am sure the association does not want to impede the ability
of the District to manage the property or block the easement area or access
around the community. Small docks do not
seem to impede this. Are most of the
docks small in nature?
Mr.
Morrison joined the meeting at this time.
Mr.
Morrison responded I do not know who set the standard, but the restriction has
been nothing larger than 20’ by 20’ square.
A 400 sq. ft. maximum is all that we have been allowed to permit.
Mr.
Weinberg asked if a vehicle had to drive around the lake, can they navigate
their way from the 100’ set back?
Mr.
Morrison responded yes.
Mr.
Weinberg stated the best thing to do is to have a representative of your Board
meet with a representative of my Board to find a common solution. Anything short of that is not the right
answer. We need to protect the District
because we all live there. The residents
should have some rights to build a small dock with good construction standards
that does not impede flowage or other uses.
Mr.
Eissler stated the dock can be built because we have no say.
Mr.
Lyles stated we cannot approve or deny.
However, we have an easement, and we are a public entity. The City, as a rule, wants to know if an
entity that serves the public such as a utility or this District has a problem
with what is proposed to be constructed.
Therefore, your response would be either the Board objects for some
reason or has no objection and let it go at that.
Mr.
Weinberg stated the simpler response might be to advise the City that the
District has no authority to approve or disapprove of docks on the lake.
Mr.
Morrison stated the City of
Mr.
Fennell asked what are they doing for water management, control and
drainage? I do not think they knew that
they took this responsibility on. It
seems like we are not involved.
Mr.
Weinberg responded the people of
Mr.
Moyer stated the issue that concerns me is that the rules of the District be
uniform throughout the District.
Mr.
Weinberg stated I believe Mr. Lyles and I can work something out in a
simplistic way that will fairly keep the status quo and give the District
control.
Mr.
Moyer stated the residents east of
Mr.
Weinberg asked do all the lakes not have lake or canal easements?
Mr.
Moyer responded they are owned in fee simple by the District or we have
drainage and maintenance easements that are recorded as part of the plat. I am concerned that there are two sets of
rules. You want us to spend public
dollars to maintain
Mr.
Weinberg responded WCI intended this.
Everyone who purchased was told this.
Mr.
Moyer stated you may be correct in that WCI wanted to keep that lake private,
but the misunderstanding staff has had for the last ten years is that we had
easement rights to that lake. It appears
that WCI wanted that to be private and maintained by the Lake Coral Springs
Association and not have any District involvement.
Mr.
Weinberg the only contrary aspect of that is in the
Mr.
Lyles stated it is not a duty, obligation or expectation. It puts on notice anyone who is looking at
this master declaration document that CSID may be in there with a boat for
purposes of aquatic weed control.
Mr.
Weinberg stated something can be put together in the form of a license. I am asking the District to consider the
intent of this.
Mr.
Moyer stated we do not have jurisdiction.
Mr.
Weinberg stated the Board of Lake Coral Springs Association will ultimately
state that the docks need to be constructed in accordance with City building
code for the safety of the residents and the District. To the extent I can bring a resolution type
of agreement, I am willing to do that on behalf of the Board.
Mr.
Hanks stated the issue before us is what to do on the dock. We need to authorize staff to write a letter
to the City of
Mr.
Moyer stated no objection indicates that we made a judgment, which we have no
objection to. I am not sure we should go
that far because if something happens, it will be said that we looked at this
and had no objection. If Mr. Lyles is in
agreement, I would say that we do not have the jurisdiction to approve,
disapprove or comment.
Mr.
Hanks stated I do not think we should open it up that far because if there was
not that restriction or if the Lake Coral Springs Association changed their
property owners association and allowed docks of any size then it can interfere
with us.
Mr.
Fennell stated we need to determine who is responsible for the flood control in
that area. I am not sure it is us.
Mr.
Moyer stated there is a difference between flood control and storage. We have storage rights. However, if we receive complaints about
litter in the lakes, our response will be to tell them to call their
association. However, we will continue
doing what we do to provide
Mr.
Weinberg stated I would like to have a meeting with staff and the appropriate
representatives of the association to try to find a resolution. I believe that CSID has maintenance obligation
and flood control. It has been put out
there since the beginning of time from when every resident bought into this
community, and there is an expectation that has ripened into an obligation.
Mr.
Fennell you said you thought we did not have jurisdiction.
Mr.
Weinberg stated I said you did not have jurisdiction for the approval or denial
of the dock. I said if the dock can be
proven to effect flowage or the ability for access, then I believe that you
potentially have an approval or rejection right. Case law in
Mr.
Eissler asked does floodwater flow into that lake, or does the water from the
lake flow out into the rest of CSID’s canals?
Mr.
McKune responded it flows out.
Mr.
Hanks asked how many acres are we talking about in terms of
Mr.
Moyer responded yes. It is approximately
125 acres.
Mr.
Hanks stated then this would be the subject of an individual permit through the
South Florida Water Management District.
Mr.
McKune stated I do not believe there is a separate permit for that lake.
Mr.
Moyer stated that started in 1971 as a rock pit before permitting.
Mr.
Hanks stated there may be some information contained in the surrounding
permits.
Mr.
Fennell asked who is in control of that water area?
Mr.
Lyles responded the HOA. We have not
looked at all the permits and whether there are conditions attached to permits
which might impose an obligation that we are not able to tell you about today.
Mr.
Eissler asked wouldn’t it be prudent for CSID to continue maintaining the
lake? It is to our benefit to do
that. It is all part of our drainage system. It would behoove us to continue maintaining
the lake.
Mr.
Hanks stated if
Mr.
Fennell stated from a practical standpoint, we should be the group in charge of
the water in this area. A public safety
issue is at large here. We want to treat
them the same as the rest of the people in the District, but we need to get the
agreements, easements, etc., from
Mr.
Eissler stated since we do not have the responsibility and money is involved,
CSID should maintain it, and they should be paying CSID to maintain it because
it is a private lake. We should be
responsible for that lake.
Mr.
Fennell stated the other homeowners are paying money for something they have no
access to.
Mr.
Lyles stated I anticipate additional staff review and a meeting through Mr.
Weinberg’s office. One distinction
between this lake and other lakes in CSID is something we started out with at
the beginning of the discussion. That
is, in those lakes where we have fee simple ownership or strong easement rights,
we do not permit docks. In this lake, we
are going to take the position that we have no jurisdiction; therefore, we have
nothing to say about the docks and they can stay. It will be a difficult sell to the rest of
the community for us take this lake over and maintain it at the District’s
expense and allow them to have docks but no one else. This distinction argues in favor of
continuing maintenance with our resources on a contract basis with the HOA
because we can do it cheaper than a private company. Perhaps we do it on a contract basis while
helping to discharging our responsibilities as a government agency. You must also consider liability. A nearby District had two drownings and lost
their insurance. Currently, CSID would
not be responsible. There are reasons
why you do not want to be in total control of the lake as well as reasons why
you want it to be maintained properly, which can be done through a contract
that we can negotiate with the HOA.
Mr.
Moyer asked what letter do we write to the City?
Mr.
Lyles responded I agree with Mr. Hanks.
We do not want to back away from any rights with respect to the
canal. Let us tell them that the
District Board has no objection to Ms. Abato’s request and that we do not have
any jurisdiction in connection with property that abuts the lake.
Mr.
Eissler asked how do we go about contacting the association to contract with us
to maintain the lake for a fee?
Mr.
Weinberg responded I cannot speak for the Board on that sense of the business
decision. However, my Board wants to
work things out with the District. I do
not have the authority to cast upon the association an additional
expenditure. Give me a couple of weeks
to get a Board together, then I will speak to Mr. Lyles and tell him what their
position is.
Mr.
Eissler stated Ms. Abato can have a dock.
Mr. Hanks moved to authorize staff to
send a letter to the City of
The motion died due to lack of a second.
Mr.
Fennell stated we have to add that this is not the same as an approval.
Mr.
Morrison stated that will not get us a permit from the City.
Mr.
Fennell stated we cannot approve it.
Mr.
Morrison stated based on my experience with the City, if you put in that last
disclaimer, the City will not consider it.
No objection will tell the City that you do not object and that they can
issue a permit.
Mr.
Fennell stated that implies approval.
Mr.
Eissler stated in my mind, it does not.
Mr.
Lyles stated it says we have no objection to this and that we are not approving
anything. We do not have any objection
to you issuing a permit for this dock based upon the canal easement. That is all it has to say.
Mr.
Eissler stated I am for that. We should
not be a stumbling block for them getting a dock.
Mr.
Fennell asked are you approving the dock?
Mr.
Eissler responded we are not approving it, but I have no objection. It is a matter of legal wording.
Mr.
Lyles stated we advised the City to let us know that when easements are
involved with CSID, we want them to contact us.
It is important to continue demonstrating that we are working together.
Mr.
Moyer stated let us be specific about the easement. We have no objection because all we have is
flowage rights. What they propose to do
will not adversely affect the flowage rights, but it may adversely affect
maintenance activities, but we do not have maintenance rights to do that. Be very specific.
Mr.
Fennell stated I do not want to imply something with words that we do not
mean. We cannot approve a dock because
we do not have jurisdiction. We can say
that we neither approve nor deny a dock.
Mr.
Hanks asked do we want to review the language or delegate this to Mr. Moyer or
Mr. Lyles?
Mr.
Fennell responded we cannot approve the dock because we do not have the legal
authority to do it.
Mr.
Eissler stated we cannot not approve
it; therefore, we have no objections.
Mr.
Moyer stated I want to point out to the City that this is a unique case because
I do not want them to think that this is universal within CSID; that we do not
have the right to approve or disapprove.
Mr.
Hanks stated the City has taken great steps to improving their review of
easements and are questioning more easements throughout the City, and we want
to encourage them to do that.
Mr.
Lyles stated we need to put accordingly we have no objections to the
construction of the dock because we do have an easement and we are a public
agency, and the City does want to know what our take on this is. We do not want them to get the impression
that they did not need to ask us. We
want to thank them and make sure they know that we appreciate them asking us,
and we want them to continue to ask.
On MOTION by Mr. Fennell seconded by Mr.
Eissler with all in favor, due to the unique nature of this case and because of
the particular easement, the Board neither has the right to approve or deny;
therefore, does not object.
Mr.
Eissler stated I would like to have someone look into the possibility of a
contractual agreement between the
Mr.
Hanks asked is this the only private lake in Coral Springs that we are
maintaining in this manner?
Mr.
Moyer responded this is the only lake that I am familiar with that we do not
have any rights to.
Mr.
Lyles stated you have directed me to meet with the counsel for the association
and come back with the outlines of an arrangement that would be mutually
satisfactory.
Mr.
Hans stated regarding Lake Coral Springs itself, I received a request from
someone to build a dock. We decided on
the lake we have no jurisdiction. Is
this how we need to respond?
Mr.
Hanks stated be sure to thank the City for referring to us.
Mr.
Lyles stated be very specific. It is
privately owned, and we do not have an easement over that lake; therefore, we
have no jurisdiction to approve or disapprove.
Mr.
Joyce asked how do I direct staff with regard to complaints we receive from
Lake Coral Springs about litter in the lakes, runaway boats, etc.?
Mr.
Eissler responded we cannot change anything now.
Mr.
Weinberg stated I respectfully request that you continue to operate status quo.
Mr.
Lyles stated if you continue to do the routine matters staff has undertaken in
recent months for the next month so, you can anticipate being reimbursed for
that minimum maintenance activity in this particular body of water pending
negotiations with the HOA.
Mr.
Fennell stated given that expectation, we will continue service until the next
meeting.
The
Board unanimously agreed.
Messrs.
Weinberg, Moscovitch and Morrison left the meeting at this time.
FOURTH
ORDER OF BUSINESS Consideration
of Award of Contracts
A. Belt Filter Press
Mr.
McKune stated on October 2, we received two bids for a belt filter press. We have a piece of heavy equipment there,
which has been requiring more maintenance.
We will have the existing contractor take it from the truck and put it
in place.
Mr.
Fennell asked what class of sludge will we end up with?
Mr.
McKune responded Class B. Whatever we
do, we want to be part of an ultimate solution that could be Class A.
Mr.
McKune stated we put in the specifications that we wanted short-term
delivery. We spoke with the bidders, and
they both have equipment so we do not have to wait for the complete
construction process to take place. This
will save us time.
Mr.
McKune described the two proposals submitted by Andritz-Ruthner for the polymer
feed system and discharge chute.
On MOTION by Mr. Eissler seconded by Mr.
Hanks with all in favor the belt filter press contract was awarded to
Andritz-Ruthner in the amount of $169,500; Proposal No. J1325-01-101603 for the
emulsion polymer dilution and feed system was approved in the amount of $7,250;
Proposal No. J1325-02-101703 for the cake discharge chute was approved in the
amount of $2,850.
B. Chemicals for Aquatic Weed Control
Mr.
Moyer stated staff inadvertently thought the bid opening was a day earlier than
it actually was and opened the bids.
However, there was one bid the next day.
We need to make clear that even though the bids were opened a day early,
those bids were not given to any of the bidders. No one had access to the bids. Helena Chemical Company is aware of this, but
they are not going to file a bid protest.
On MOTION by Mr. Eissler seconded by Mr.
Hanks with all in favor the chemicals for aquatic weed control were awarded to
the lowest, responsive and responsible bidders respectively and in the case of
the same bid, the contract was awarded to the same bidders and will be
purchased in accordance of availability and the minor deviation from bid
specifications described by Mr. Moyer in connection with the pre-opening of the
bids was waived.
FIFTH
ORDER OF BUSINESS Consideration
of Work Authorization No. 23 for Engineering Services for Mechanical Integrity
Testing of the Deep Injection Wells
Mr.
Moyer stated this item is a requirement of the permit, and a time constraint is
involved. We had to pay $10,000 in fines
because the last report was three days late.
Mr.
McKune stated the cost is $75,000 for the engineering, and the contractor will
cost $150,000. We would like to get the
contracting and work completed before the next rainy season so that we do not
run into a hydraulic problem. We have a
large injection well and a smaller one.
The large well is capable of taking the entire flow of the
District. When we do the testing, the well
is taken out of service; therefore, we can only put the entire flow from the
District down the smaller well, which is adequate to take the flow during dry
days, but not during the rainy season.
Mr.
Eissler asked is this a budgeted item?
Mr.
Moyer responded I did not see it in the budget.
It may have to come out of the capital improvement program.
On MOTION by Mr. Eissler seconded by Mr.
Hanks with all in favor Work Authorization No. 23 for engineering services for
mechanically integrity testing of the deep injection wells was approved in the
amount of $75,000.
A. Attorney
There
not being any, the next item followed.
B. Engineer
1. Monthly Water Update & Sewer Charts
2. Update on Construction
Mr.
McKune stated the major work has been done.
We are finishing the painting of the head works. When this is done and cured, we will be able
to run the flow through the head works and into the plant. The only thing left to do is the final
testing.
A trip to visit the site was planned for
4:00 p.m. on November 17, 2003.
C. Superintendent
– Correspondence Dealing
Mr.
Moyer stated Dan Daly provided me with a letter dated October 6, 2003 addressed
to Mr. & Mrs. Parrish regarding an outstanding utility bill. They have agreed to pay $1,000 on October 31
and make payments according to schedule.
D. Complaints
There
not being any, the next item followed.
SEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Supervisors Requests and
Audience Comments
There
not being any, the next item followed.
On MOTION by Mr. Eissler seconded by Mr.
Hanks with all in favor the invoices were approved.
There
being nothing further, the meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m.
Glen Hanks Robert
D. Fennell
Secretary President