Habitat
Community Development District

The regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the Habitat Community Development District was held in the Bella Terra Clubhouse at 20070 Bella Terra Boulevard in Estero, Florida and also via web conference on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 4 p.m.

Present (or attending via web conference) and constituting a quorum were:

Joe Napolitano – Chair
Larry Roth – Vice Chair
Linda Lea Gibson – Assistant Secretary
Jenny Licht- Assistant Secretary
Mark Novitski – Assistant Secretary

Also present (or attending via web conference):

Cal Teague – PDM District Manager
Chris Pepin – Field Manager
Greg Urbancic – Attorney
Charlie Krebs – Engineer
Tad Kring – Irrigation Specialists
Christopher Dudak – PDM Client Services Manager
Residents

The following is a summary of the actions taken at the Habitat Community Development District Board of Supervisors Meeting.

The meeting was called to order and all Board members were present. Also in attendance were Cal Teague, the District Manager, and Tad Kring from Irrigation Specialists. Participating via web conference were Charlie Krebs, the Engineer, Greg Urbancic, the Attorney, Chris Pepin, the Field Manager, and Christopher Dudak of PDM.

Diane Meek was reporting on behalf of the Master Landscape Committee regarding the emergency access road that had been installed. 40 to 45 Calusia plants had been removed, and Don from Estate was going to move them. However, he reported that they had been thrown out. The cost to replace them is prohibitive, and she asked the CDD for help.

Doug Whalen noticed that the fiber optic installation by Hotwire is on the Agenda, and he would like the CDD to act favorably toward them.

Jim Meek was concerned about the removal of a stop sign at the corner of Irsina and Bella Terra Boulevard He stated that trees are blocking the view of the intersection. He had observed that the community’s roundabouts are not like those in the County. He believed that the stop sign should have been left there, and he asked the Board to revisit the yield sign placement. He also commented that he was happy about the emergency egress.

A. Draft Meeting Minutes for November 16, 2021

A. Irrigation Contractor

Tad Kring from Irrigation Services addressed the following issues:

i. Monthly Irrigation Report

Tad stated that all the pumps are running well. He also covered the weekend emergency procedures.

a. Snail Treatment Program Update

Tad reported that they had started treatment in mid November in the areas of Torre Del Lago and Troia, which had been the worst. They had observed hardly any snails in Troia’s filters recently. He stated that there were no work orders received over the holidays. There were 25 received after the new year in single family homes and the villas, which is far less than usual. Tad observed that the snail counts were down, and that the chlorination was working. Tad stated that they use 2.5 gallons of chlorine per 100 gallons of water, and that with this concentration, it is impossible to damage grass or plants. He stated that chlorinating will continue throughout the community. He submitted a proposal for the treatment through the end of January. At that point, they will be 80% through Bella Terra, and he believed they will be zeroing in on completion. After the initial chlorination is complete, they will begin maintenance. The first phase before mid-December, was at the cost of $12,300, and phase two will cost $15,000.

Vice Chair Roth wondered what the maintenance costs would be. Tad stated that it will be lower, and will be within his regular contract costs.

Tad submitted a proposal #3279 for a filter upgrade at $780 per installation. There may be more needed in the future.

Supervisor Novitski observed that a resident shut off the timer and his irrigation was on for three days. He stated that it needed to be clarified that water can run during an emergency, but otherwise the residents should be notified to shut it down. Tad stated that he had been working with Cindy from Alliant asking for reports and wondering what the process of communication is. Alliant has an on-call manager, and Tad stated that he can be the second one notified.

Vice Chair Roth asked for clarification on where Bella Terra has its water usage approved. It was stated that it is from Southwest Florida Water Management District and is for 2 days a week.

Tad stated that Don at Estate would like access to the timers at PS2. Tad felt that he had communicated that he is available to open the gate and provide access when notified in advance.

ii. Solitude Representative to Address Alternate Lakes Treatment Options

District Manager Teague reported that he had approached them and had not heard from them as of yet.

B. District Manager

District Manager Teague stated that everything he wanted to discuss will be addressed in the meeting.

C. Field Manager

i. Current Field Report

Field Manager Pepin reviewed the report and the following was discussed:

He reported that the alligator flag on Lakes 10 and 16 had been sprayed.

On Lakes 5 and 10, where the geo tube was installed, some littorals need to be planted.

A letter had been sent to a resident who ran a drainpipe to the lake. Chris reported that he is happy with the repairs that were made.

Field Manager Pepin planned to send a letter to the resident who had been dumping palm fronds in the preserve.

They had cut back encroaching vegetation on the preserve border where mowing will be done.

There was a hydraulic spill on Cleto Drive and Cosenza from a garbage truck, and they put sand on it to clean it up. It was reported as unsightly, and this needed to be remedied. Chris stated that he will get photos and contact the owner.

The trail camera was not functioning, but there is a second one on standby.

Supervisor Licht and Field Manager Pepin are working on landscaping at the egress.

ii. Project Updates

a. FPL Street Light Head Replacement

They are waiting for the Village of Estero to add Habitat CDD to their agenda to further discuss this matter. Chris had not received any correspondence from them since early December.

b. Clocktower Foam Repair Update

They have not been able to find a contractor.

c. Roadway Restriping Update

This project is 100% complete.

d. Yield Signs in Roundabouts

Yield signs had been installed, and Chris was obtaining an estimate to have the white stop bars removed from these locations.

Motion withdrawn.

Supervisor Novitski recommended that the stop bars be painted black and that they not be removed. The Board agreed

e. Fountain Bollards

Field Manager Pepin reported that he now had a supply of bulbs to replace those not working. He approached West Coast Electrical about alternate lighting solutions, but he had not received a response. The Board discussed other lighting options, and Chris will look into these.

f. Damaged Drainpipe Behind Boccala Lane Repair Update

There were numerous companies contacted, but none would give a bid. There was a bid from MRI Construction which had been discussed at the last meeting.

g. Asphalt Repairs Update Ardore, Plati, and Cleto

This project is 100% complete.

D. Attorney

i. Hotwire Fiber-optic Installation and Indemnification of CDD Update

In the packet there was an email stating that the HOA insurance had been added to the CDD as an also insured. The contract had already been signed, specifying that if there is any damage by the HOA, they would be responsible to repair it. The Board needs to get the contract sent to Attorney Urbancic.

The CDD has no say on the wires installed by Hotwire if they are within utility easements, unless they overlap our LME and easement for irrigation.

District Manager Teague stated that Hotwire had been given access to the CDD’s GIS via Chair Napolitano.

Attorney Urbancic also reported on some potential new legislation. One is that they be allowed to have virtual meetings when there is a declared emergency. The second is discussing a potential for increase of sovereign immunity liabilities.

E. Engineer

Engineer Krebs presented his report and the following was discussed:

i. Emergency Access Road Project Updates

Engineer Krebs reported that Bentley had put in the conduit. The FPL account had also been set up, and he is working with them.

The Board discussed putting sod over the block and if it would be inside the block or underneath it. It was stated that grass would eventually grow over the pavers, because there is not much traffic there. Engineer Krebs stated that there were two contractor options, to fill the area with stone or put sod over the pavers. Supervisor Novitski recommended the latter. The Board decided to revisit this project when the Corkscrew roadwork is complete.

ii. Lift Station Turf Block Installation Proposal

The Board discussed placing turf block at the lift station rather than stone. They decided to wait on the turf block decision, but to go ahead and give the County the authorization to complete the project.

iii. Roadway Milling Estimates

Engineer Krebs stated that it would cost 1.7 Million to resurface the roadways, and that more would be needed for curb repairs, marking, signage and other issues that may arise. The Board decided that 2 million needs to be budgeted in the next cycle for this project.

A. Interior Gatehouse Renovations

Vice Chair Roth stated that he did not have an update. He mentioned that the HOA had fixed the bottom rail on the sliding door, but it may need to be replaced. The HOA is responsible for this, but the CDD is assisting the HOA with sourcing the floor replacement as a favor to them.

B. Whack Out Weeds Chemical Issue

Field Manager Pepin stated that they are still looking for an organic product that is available in bulk.

C. Clocktower Sidewalk Ramps

The Board discussed removing the ramps and replacing them with curb and gutter. They decided to table this issue until April or May, 2022.

D. Littoral Plants for Lakes 5 & 10 Proposal

This was discussed and approved previously during the Field Report.

A. Financials for November and December 2021

District Manager Teague reported that they are in good financial condition.

A. Estero Council of Community Leaders: https://esterotoday.com/research-and-reports/

Supervisor Novitski reported that the monthly meeting discussing the Corkscrew Project is now on the ECCL website.

In reference to her earlier comments, Superisor Licht mentioned Estate’s request to have combination access to the two timers per the Master Landscape Committee. She also mentioned that the Board is receiving reports from Tad that the snails problem has been reduced. She would like a quantitive study to verify these reports. Chair Napolitano stated that the CDD has hired a contractor who gives a thorough report, and we should have faith in his findings. Supervisor Gibson stated that the regular wet checks by the individual associations should give evidence of a snail reduction, and that the CDD is not responsible for it.

Vice Chair Roth asked who has access to the emergency exit. It was stated that the HOA Manager, the CDD Chair, and Field Manager Pepin have access, and that emergency vehicles have their own access control. Vice Chair Roth suggested that the types of emergencies for this access needs to be defined.

Chair Napolitano wondered if there can be a separate fence or gate for the employees to gain access to their pumps. Field Manager Pepin will look into this.

Supervisor Novitski stated that he will be resigning in September, and he will not be running in May, so the Board will need to find new candidates.

Ed Capezzuto commented that he has had good reports from his wet checks. He believed that the individual homeowners need to have the responsibility for monitoring their wet checks and for reporting any issues.

Diane Meek stated that Tad’s employee is driving his ATV on her property, and she believed that he should stay on CDD property. Staff will send a note, asking Tad to pass this on to his employee.

The Meeting was adjourned by Chair Napolitano at 5:38 p.m.

The Next Regular Meeting will be February 15, 2022 at 4:00 p.m.