MINUTES OF MEETING
NORTH SPRINGS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
The regular meeting of the Board of
Supervisors of the North Springs Improvement District was held Wednesday, July
3, 2002 at 4:05 P.M. in the District Office, 10300 N. W. 11 Manor, Coral
Springs, Florida.
Present and constituting a quorum
were:
Matt Lauritzen President
Salvatore J. Mendolia Secretary
Thomas L. Grossjung Vice President
Also present were:
Rhonda K. Archer Finance
Director
Dennis Lyles Attorney
Donna Holiday Recording Secretary
Jane Early Gee & Jenson
Warren Craven WCI Communities
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS Roll Call
Mr. Lauritzen called the meeting to
order at 4:05 p.m.
SECOND
ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of the
Minutes of the May 23, 2002 Meeting
Mr. Lauritzen stated that each Board
member had received a copy of the minutes of the May 23, 2002 meeting and
requested any additions, corrections or deletions.
There not being any,
On
MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the minutes
of the May 23, 2002 meeting were approved as submitted.
THIRD
ORDER OF BUSINESS Public
Hearing to Consider the Adoption of the Budget for Fiscal Year 2003 and Levy of
Non Ad Valorem Assessments
Ms. Archer stated the only changes
in the budget from the one distributed two months ago, is due to the number of
assessable units that were updated and sent to us yesterday. I will distribute the revised budget along
with a chart showing the assessment levy on each area. Each year the Property Appraiser goes through
their rolls and determines the number of assessable units in each of our
assessment areas. We have so many
different areas because over the years we have annexed property into the
District and developed a water management plan around those annexations and
have issued bonds to incorporate those areas into an overall water management
system so that each area pays for its own related water management system. The bonds associated with the original area
of North Springs have been paid off and the owners in that area pay only a
maintenance assessment. Everyone in
Supplement No. 1 pays the supplement No. 1 bonds, the people in Supplement No.
2 pay for the supplement no. 2 bonds and the people in Supplement No. 3 pay for
the supplement no. 3 bonds. Not all of
the Supplement 3 and not all of the Supplement No. 2 bonds have been issued
yet. We will come back to you later this
year to talk about another bond issue that will provide water management
service to the future areas being developed in North Springs.
Everybody receives a maintenance
assessment which comes from the general fund that we are proposing to be $60.39
which is exactly what it was last year.
In order to keep the assessments level we fund up or fund down our
reserves that we set aside for pump and engine replacements. Everybody pays the administrative and
maintenance assessment of $60.39 except for North Springs 6 which is an area
that encompasses the Beaty property.
They only pay the administrative assessments at this time because they
receive no water management service in that area. When we issue future bonds for the Beaty
area, they will receive a maintenance assessment at that time.
The debt service schedules tie back
to these numbers related to the debt service.
In addition there is the Heron Bay Mitigation area. All of the Heron Bay property has mitigation
areas within it that the District has accepted and agreed to provide
maintenance of those mitigation areas.
They get a special assessment for that each year depending on the budget
and that is projected to stay the same as the prior year. We bid that contract every two years and this
year we propose to add another area to that contract but because we have more
platted units in that area, we are able to keep the assessment the same after
we add the additional expense.
Heron Bay Commons maintenance and
Heron Bay Commons debt is levied against the Heron Bay Commons property. Some of it is levied per platted lot basis
and the rest is levied against the unplatted acres which is why you will see
$250 and $350 per lot in some columns and other columns are unplatted acres and
it is a larger number for the acreage calculation.
Parkland Isles maintenance and
Parkland Isles debt remains the same as in prior years.
There are 12,612 assessable units
which are either a platted lot and if it is unplatted it is an acre. An acre eventually gets platted into lots and
is why there are more assessable units this year than last year because one
acre can be platted into 2 or 3 lots. In
most cases the assessments have remained the same or gone slightly down. In some case, however, they have gone
slightly up which is related to the debt service fund budget and the number of
assessable units in that particular area.
Mr. Mendolia asked on the tax levy
history, how did the number go down from 2001 to 2002?
Ms. Archer responded the year before
we had to fund up additional funds to replace some pumps and engines in our
pump stations and then we moved back down to where we were the year
before. The biggest thing that helps us
reduce our levy each year is the platting that takes place where an acre may be
platted into 2 or 3 lots, then it becomes 2 or 3 assessable units instead of
one. Our denominator increases each year
and our numerator basically stays about the same or rises a little bit. Each year in theory our assessments should
come down a little bit or stay even assuming that the more houses being built,
we will incur more maintenance expense for the canals being dug. Our maintenance assessments are leveling out
at the same rate as development.
Mr. Grossjung stated there are only
two sections, NS 2A and NS 2B that have a modest increase in their history and
that is due to debt service increase.
Ms. Archer responded that is
correct. Their general fund assessment
remained the same as it was the prior year but their debt service went up and
that is because of the debt service schedule that is tied to their bonds. It increases and decreases each year by
$5,000 increments. You can only amortize
bonds and call bonds in $5,000 increments.
It is not like a mortgage where you can make the annual payment be
exactly the same amount each year. Some
years you will pay off $5,000 more and some years $5,000 less but it stays
within that range.
Mr. Grossjung stated from our
perspective we need to maintain control over the general fund which is where we
have discretionary ability to curtail spending.
Ms. Archer responded that is
correct. We have no control over the
debt service amortization schedule. When
we originally issued the bonds we said based upon certain assumptions that it
would never exceed a certain amount and it does not exceed that amount because
that is based on the maximum annual debt service in any one year. We are always under the cap that was
disclosed when we originally issued the bonds but we are moving up and down a
little bit each year to amortize that years debt.
Mr. Grossjung stated the variables
in the Heron Bay Commons maintenance is a function of what the homeowners
decided they want.
Ms. Archer responded it is the same
maintenance budget we had the year before and it is $250 per unit. The variance from the prior year relates to
the number of lots that have been platted out of the acres.
Mr. Grossjung asked what constitutes
the mitigation?
Ms. Archer responded all of the
property in Heron Bay that we provide special mitigation service for and we
have a contract for that, plus the additional property that we will add into
those mitigation areas. As they develop
more property, they create more mitigation areas and we agree to maintain them
and assess the residents for them that are benefiting from those. We have increased our expense for mitigation
in anticipation of accepting those new areas next year but with it, we have more
assessable units in Heron Bay because more property is being platted.
Mr. Mendolia stated there is nothing
on the chart for Parkland Isles maintenance and debt.
Ms. Archer responded in the back of
the budget is the Parkland Isles budget and we neglected to put that in the
chart that I distributed. The Parkland
isles budget has not changed from the draft that I gave you two months
ago. It is still $325 per year for the
maintenance budget and the same debt service assessment that was adopted.
Mr. Grossjung stated the proposed
levy will be modified by the Parkland Isles assessments.
Ms. Archer responded yes it
will. There are 212 fifty-five foot
lots, 235 seventy foot lots and 159 eighty foot lots in Parkland Isles and each
receives a different debt assessment and they all receive the same maintenance
assessment. Resolution 2002-3 spells out
the different areas in the District, the different maintenance and debt
assessments for those areas and what they will be assessed and we will attach a
chart to it as an exhibit.
Mr. Grossjung stated in the
Resolution there are numbers missing on page 2.
Ms. Archer stated I will read those
into the record.
Number
of Units Heron Bay w/M
Unit
3C 7 Unit 3D 10
Unit
4 710 Unit 4A 725
Unit
4B 75 Unit 5A 878
Unit
4C 98
Unit
5 277
Unit
6 678
We will put those numbers in the
Resolution
Mr. Grossjung stated the Resolution
incorporates the additions for Heron Bay mitigation, maintenance and debt but I
don't see anything that incorporates Parkland Isles.
Ms. Archer stated historically we
haven't included them but that is a good point.
I think they should be in here and with your permission I will make that
change and ask that when you approve the resolution to approve it with the
amendment to add the Parkland isles assessments. It does reference an attached Exhibit
"A" which will have the Parkland isles on the attachment but it
should be referenced in the Resolution.
I will add a section that does that.
Mr. Grossjung asked Mr. Lyles are
you comfortable with that?
Mr. Lyles responded yes.
Mr. Lauritzen opened the public
hearing and there being no comments or questions from the public,
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Mendolia with all in favor Resolution
2002-3 levying assessments for payment of debt service and maintenance costs
for the period October 1, 2002 through September 30, 2003 subject to the
addition of the Parkland Isles assessments and other changes outlined above,
was approved.
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the budget
for fiscal year 2003 was adopted.
FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Consideration of Award of Contracts
A. Underwater
Diving Services
Ms.
Archer stated provided in your agenda package is the tabulation of bids
received for underwater diving services.
We received three bids and the low bid was Industrial Divers of $19,925. Industrial Divers has performed this service
for us in the past and they are familiar with the work and scope of services.
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Mendolia with all in favor the contract
for underwater diving services was awarded to Industrial Divers in the amount
of their low bid of $19,925.
B. Heron Bay East Pod 5 and Heron Run Drive
Phase 2
• Work Authorizations No. 68 and 69 for
Engineering Services During Construction
• Funding Agreement with WCI
Ms.
Early stated we advertised for bids for Pod 5 and Heron Run Drive Phase 2 which
is the last pod in Heron Bay East and the remaining piece of roadway that goes
onto those parcels. We received five
bids and the low bid was submitted by Florida Sewer & Water in the amount
of $1,189,397.60. We recommend awarding
the contract to Florida Sewer & Water subject to funding being available. They have done Pods 1, 2, 3, and 4 and they
are doing the Greens and Heron Bay Central.
Ms.
Archer stated this is the typical funding agreement with WCI where they agree
to fund the cost of these improvements and be repaid at a future date out of
our connection fee fund or future bond financing.
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Mendolia will all in favor the contract
was awarded to Florida Sewer & Water in the amount of their low bid of
$1,189,397.60, Work Authorizations 68 and 69 were approved and the funding
agreement with WCI was approved.
FIFTH
ORDER OF BUSINESS Consideration
of Deed of Conservation Easement and Agreement
Ms.
Archer stated this deed is to deed over to the District additional mitigation
areas for ownership and maintenance.
Mr.
Craven pointed out the additional mitigation areas on the map.
Mr.
Lyles sated this instrument is going to require that the District grant to
Broward County a perpetual conservation easement. This is part of the developer requirements
for that portion of the District and we have previously been granted this
property by the owner, WCI, and at this point we are adding a little piece to
some easements that we have conveyed to Broward County for conservation
purposes in the past. This came up
quickly. There are some real estate
documents that still need to be tied down in terms of the chain of title and a
couple of technical details like that but in talking to the District engineer
and to Mr. Craven we think we are ready to authorize the execution of the
easement and agreement by which we will convey this conservation easement to
the County and agree that we will be responsible for maintaining it in the
future subject to refining the engineering and legal details before it is
executed by the President. We sometimes
get the authority for these things at our monthly meeting subject to any loose
ends that we want to tie up before we actually have your signature on the
dotted line. We did this same sort of
exercise back in 2000 for some other parcels of property and those have been
successfully managed as conservation easements within the District based on
similar documents that you authorized and executed at that time. We will make sure that these documents line
up and are consistent with what you have done in the past.
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the Deed of
Conservation Easement and Agreement was approved and the President was
authorized to execute same subject to final engineering and legal review.
SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Consideration of Work Authorizations
A. Work Authorization to Add Remaining Section
of Nob Hill To Existing Design Contract
Ms.
Early stated we are under contract currently for the remaining portion of Nob
Hill, north of Heron Bay Boulevard north entrance. That work authorization is complete and we want
to incorporate that into the plans so we can bid one set of plans.
Mr.
Grossjung asked is this funded from existing bonds?
Ms.
Early responded yes, Supplement 3 has existing bonds.
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor Work
Authorization to add remaining section of Nob Hill to existing design contract
was approved.
B. Work Authorization for Design of County Line
Road from Nob Hill to University Drive Extension - Engineering Design Agreement
Ms. Early stated County Line Road is
to extend from Nob Hill Road to University and University is currently under
contract to be constructed. We will
probably start that in the next couple of weeks. This will require a funding agreement
Ms. Archer stated this will be done
as a WCI funding agreement and when we issue the water management bonds for
that area they will be repaid.
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the work
authorization for the design of County Line Road from Nob Hill to University
Drive Extension and the engineering design agreement with WCI were approved.
SEVENTH ORDER OF
BUSINESS Consideration of Permit
Requests
A. Ratification of Permit Issued to
International Investments for
Drainage Outfall for Ridgeview Plaza
Ms.
Early stated we had this permit issued in June because the property owner was
under a deadline and there was not a June board meeting. It is a typical surface water management
permit. There was nothing special about
it. We have an existing system and they
were joining up with the system.
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the
Ridgeview Plaza permit was ratified.
B. Landscape Beautification Along Fence Behind
Country Hills Along N. W. 104th Avenue Access
Ms.
Early stated we wrote a letter that I have with me today that was not in your
agenda package. If you read their
request, they are requesting that the District participate in the landscape
improvements either by funding or labor.
In their letter it says that some of the homeowners would consider
donating money or time to install the plants.
I met with Mr. Schooley and that is his only access to that canal. If there were debris in that canal they would
have no way to get in. We are
recommending denial. Mr. Schooley spoke
with one of the homeowners and he suggest they put a hedge along the fence line
of the school and I think the school was willing t do that. I don't know if the homeowners are happy with
that but this won't work. The other
problem is who is going to maintain that.
Mr.
Lauritzen stated if they put ficus along that fence, our crews could get in
there with no problem.
Ms.
Early stated that is correct. There are
other things they can do and that is what Mr. Schooley discussed with them but
this is what they submitted.
Ms.
Archer stated what the schools have done in the past is they don't maintain
outside the fence down to the water line like the City ordinance requires. They only maintain within their fence. it all gets overgrown and everyone complains
to the District to maintain it and the City ordinance requires the abutting
property owner to maintain it. I
recommend you put the burden on the school to install on their side of the
fence so that it will be maintained.
On
MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by Mr. Grossjung with all in favor the request
was denied.
C. Coral
Park Education Center - Drainage Outfall
D. Wyndham
Heights Parcel F - Drainage Outfall
Ms.
Early stated items C and D are typical drainage outfall permits. We recommend approval.
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Mendolia with all in favor Items C and
D were approved subject to the standard permit conditions.
EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Staff
A. Attorney
Mr.
Lyles stated I have one item in follow-up to an item that was on your agenda in
May and that is the deeds for University Drive and Trails End
construction. You authorized at your May
meeting staff to go forward and work with WCI and the property owners and their
attorneys to finalize the deeds that will be necessary to undertake
construction of Trails End and University Drive. We have done that. I have the originals here today to be
executed. The way we left it at the last
meeting was that we would have it signed in the interim and ratified at this
meeting. Since they have not yet been
signed I will ask the Board to authorize execution of the deeds regarding
construction of University Drive and Trails End. There are four separate instruments. Two from WCI and two from Beaty Trust. We are accepting this right of way for
construction purposes only. Ultimately,
University Drive will be turned over to the City but we will be responsible for
the construction in the interim.
On
MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the
President was authorized to execute the instruments of conveyance for
University Drive right of way and Trails End right of way.
B. Engineer - Change Order No. 2 & Final
for Pinehurst Woods with Telcon, Inc. a Net Decrease of $2,273.26
Ms.
Early stated we have a final and balancing change order for Pinehurst Woods
which is now Grand Cypress Estates and is not in your package. It is a final and balancing change order to
reflect as-built quantities and is for a net decrease of $2,273.26.
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Mendolia with all in favor the final
and balancing change order for Pinehurst Woods with Telcon, Inc. for a net
decrease of $2,273.26 was approved.
C. Superintendent
Ms. Archer stated I am distributing
correspondence that has gone back and forth between us and Stacy Ritter. I believe each of you received in the mail
during the last month a letter that I sent out to all the residents about the
water pressure in North Springs. When we
started having water pressure problems to the west in the vicinity of Brookside
Square, we attributed it to two possibilities.
One being that our booster pump station has not been completed and is
not on line yet and that is going to provide us with additional pressure for
the properties to the west. Two, we
thought we will go out and check the valves throughout the lines and make sure
that one or more of the valves have not been closed or partially closed that
would mess up the pressure going from the plant to the west because we didn't
seem to be experiencing any problem to the east. We authorized the ordering and installation
of two high service pumps at the original water treatment plant that we were
going to install anyway for back-up and bring those on line so that we could
provide additional pressure for water going west. Then we sent the guys out over a total of
about five days and had them exercising all of the valves between the water
plant and the area where we were experiencing a problem with the water pressure. In exercising the valves, they turn them as
far as they can one way and as far as they can the other way in the hope that
exercising them if they have gotten closed somehow over time that they will be
opening them up as far as they can go.
You don't really know from what I understand when you exercise them, if
you are actually opening them any more than they already were because by the
time you turn them all the way you can to the left then all the way to the
right, you don't know if you have opened them or not. From what we found after we went through that
process was that we don't have any more water pressure problems. It could have been one or it could have been
more valves. In new construction areas
they find a lot of developers are closing off the valves while they tie into
the water line and then they are not opening them all the way or they are not
opening them at all. We think over time
that has attributed to that low pressure situation that we had.
We have only heard from two people
with a problem and we talked to them every day when we were exercising the
valves and having them check water pressure as we were doing the program. The person with the water pressure problem at
the bagel shop was very happy with the results and actually commended us and
complimented everyone he could get on the telephone on the great job that we
did. I reported back to the health
department and the health department's report back to Stacy Ritter shows that
we did immediately jump on the problem and solve it.
Mr. Lauritzen stated you are telling
me that you had one complaint regarding water pressure.
Ms. Archer stated that is my
understanding. I asked Ms. Ritter in my
letter to provide me with a list of the people who complained so that we could
go out and address each and every problem individually to make sure that we
have solved all the problems and I have not received that list.
Mr. Grossjung stated Ms. Archer's
letter is excellent. it speaks directly
to the safety level of the water supply.
Mr. Mendolia asked what is the water
pressure supposed to be?
Ms. Archer responded it is required
to be over 20 to be safe. It was leaving
the plant at 60. We were turning it up
as high as we could get it which is the exact opposite of what she said in her
letter. We were actually turning up the
pressure as high as we could when we realized there was a problem at the far
west end of the system. Doing that at
the same time as we exercised the valves, we were addressing it as best we
could. It never fell below 25 during
that period of time. It was usually
first thing in the morning when it was low and after about 9:00 in the morning,
the pressure would be up again because people would be using less water. I think you will see an improvement when we
have the booster pump station on line because that will increase the pressure
coming from the north. right now you
have pressure coming from the south and once we bring that on line it will be
coming from the north.
NINTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Supervisor's Requests and Audience
Comments
There not being any, the next item
followed.
TENTH
ORDER OF BUSINESS Approval of
Invoices and Requisitions
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Mendolia with all in favor the
requisitions and invoices were approved.
On
MOTION by Mr. Grossjung seconded by Mr. Mendolia with all in favor the meeting
adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Salvatore J. Mendolia Matt
Lauritzen
Secretary President