Meeting Minutes for February 16, 2021
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, February 16, 2021 at 4 p.m.
Present (or attending via web conference) and constituting a quorum were:
Mark Novitski – Chair
Larry Roth – Vice Chair
Linda Lee Gibson- Assistant Secretary
Jenny Licht – Assistant Secretary
Joe Napolitano – Assistant Secretary
Also present (or attending via web conference) were:
Cal Teague – District Manager
Greg Urbancic – Attorney
Charlie Krebs – District Engineer
Chris Pepin – Field Manager
Christopher Dudak – PDM Assistant to the District Manager
Nancy Dudak – Premier District Management
Residents
The following is a summary of the actions taken at the Habitat Community Development District Board of Supervisors Meeting.
| FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS | Call to Order and Roll Call |
The meeting was called to order by the Chair, and Cal Teague, District Manager, called roll. All Board members were present. Also present were the Attorney, Greg Urbancic, Engineer, Charlie Krebs, via Internet, and Field Manager, Chris Pepin. Assistants to the District Manager, Christopher Dudak and Nancy Dudak, attended via Internet due to the Covid-19 virus.
| SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS | Pledge of Allegiance |
| THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS | Approval of the Agenda |
The Board reviewed the Agenda.
On MOTION by Supervisor Napolitano, seconded by Supervisor Licht, with all in favor, the Agenda was approved as submitted.
| FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS | Audience Comments on Agenda Items |
Ed Capezzuto discussed speed humps and stated that having one on Torre del Lago is not going to solve the speeding issue within the community. He said that they should be controlling traffic in other ways, suggesting that a survey be done. He also stated that this should be addressed by the Master HOA.
| FIFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS | Approval of the Meeting Minutes |
A. Draft Meeting Minutes for January 19, 2021
The Board reviewed the Meeting Minutes from the previous meeting.
On MOTION by Vice Chair Roth, seconded by Supervisor Licht, with all in favor, the Meeting Minutes from January 19, 2021 were changed to reflect a correction concerning where the Board members are listed, Supervisor Gibson should be noted as “excused.”
| SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS | Staff Reports |
A. Irrigation Contractor
The District Manager stated he got an email from Mr. Kring with the report.
i. Valve Replacement Update
No new valves were upgraded or replaced but the irrigation report states that there is some clogging in the system and Tad will monitor it. There was a discussion about cleaning the grates on the pumps in the lake. The Board agreed to discuss how the system works at the next meeting. They requested a cleaning history log at that time.
ii. Watering Zone Review
This was discussed at the last meeting.
B. Chair
i. Fences along BT Preserves
The Board reviewed pictures of people walking through the Preserve in the area of the condos and Bella Terra Boulevard that were obtained by trail cameras. Having people in the Preserve is a violation of the permit. From the area behind the condos to Bella Terra Boulevard, the Chair said it measures about 2,500 feet of fence. The Chair said he would hate to get fined for people trespassing in a restricted area. It was asked if a fence would disturb the natural habitat, but the Chair did not believe it would be a deterrent to wildlife who access the Preserve. The Field Manager said he will get fence estimates for the next meeting.
C. District Manager
The District Manager had no issues to comment on.
D. Field Manager
i. Field Report for February
- The Field Manager said the lakes look good.
- He said the Lake 26 aerator needs to be built up.
- He started to reevaluate the lakes for erosion. There are issues on Lakes 10, 5 and 3 with over a two-foot drop. He was asked to get some estimates on these for next month’s meeting.
- He also mentioned trespassing in the Preserve, which was addressed by the District Manager, Attorney and Engineer.
- Solar markers are being replaced in some areas.
- One of the LED light poles was hit and it left paint scratches. The integrity of the pole was said to be intact, and the Field Manager was authorized to touch it up with paint.
- The Brazilian Pepper plants are getting cleaned up.
ii. Project Updates
a. Stormwater System Inspection Report Update
The Field Manager reported that he compared the 2018 inspection report from MRI to the 2020 report, highlighting discrepancies. He spoke with MRI and said they blamed the landscapers for blowing leaves into the catch basins and that was why the numbers were poor. The Chair asked the District Manager to follow up on this.
b. FPL Street Light Head Replacement
The District Manager stated that they just got a contract for one street light head, which is a tester. It was stated that FPL does not want to put all 300 in until the Board approves them. The Field Manager said it should be done in a month.
c. Speed Humps and Signs Installation
The Field Manager said that D&G has looked at the wider speed humps as an alternative option as requested, but the wider humps come in a different configuration that does not comply with the needed space for the fire trucks on a 20′ wide road. The Chair said he wants to table the matter for now. He asked that the District Manager send a letter about this to the Master HOA asking them to do more about the speeding issue.
E. Attorney
i. Unlicensed Vehicles on Bella Terra Roads
The Attorney stated there are potential liability concerns of having unlicensed vehicles in the community. He said that education is a good option to inform the community of the concerns. He also suggested an agreement to allow the police to patrol the community. The Master is working on this and a letter is being created.
F. Engineer
i. Swale Behind 21027 Torre Del Lago Update
The area is still too wet and they hope to begin this project by March.
ii. Village and County Emergency Egress LDO status
They have received comments from Lee County and the Village of Estero. The County is asking for an acknowledgment from the Board that they will be responsible for maintaining the turf block portion of the emergency access that will be located in the right of way. The Attorney prepared Resolution 2021-02 to accept this responsibility. The Engineer stated that he is preparing the draft landscape plan that he will send to the Board for review. He will indicate that all the plants must be native and meet height and size requirements. He also said that he is updating the bid tabulation based on the comments from the Village and the County, and once sent back, it will give them the quantities so they can fill in their prices. He is going to include a specification for the gate to see if he can get some early pricing on that, too. He said he will reach out to Florida Power & Light to start that process.
On MOTION by Vice Chair Roth, seconded by Supervisor Gibson, with all in favor, the Board approved Resolution 2021-02 stating that the Board will accept responsibility for maintaining the turf block portion of the emergency access that will be located in the right of way.
iii. Emergency Access Road Electrical Plan and Construction Proposals
The Engineer will get with FPL on this.
| SEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS | Discussion/Action Items |
A. Clock Tower Tile Retiling/Cleaning/Water Quality Analysis
The Field Manager collected water samples that indicated that the salinity of the water at the Clock Tower was high. They are considering a softening system such as Culligan that is connected to the pumps to recycle the water. Supervisor Licht said that the tiles have a lot of calcium but could last for a while. The Chair wants to correct the water problem before retiling.
B. Village of Estero Multi-Use Path Along Corkscrew Road
Supervisor Licht reported that the project was on track and had nothing new to report.
C. fStop & Florida Wildlife Sharing the Landscape Project
The District Manager said fStop approached him on adding wildlife cameras to the Preserve areas for their educational programs. The Chair asked if the pictures could be placed on their website, which the District Manager confirmed.
On MOTION by Supervisor Gibson, seconded by Vice Chair Roth, with all in favor, the Board voted to participate in the fStop & Florida Wildlife Sharing the Landscape Project, to have wildlife cameras placed in the Preserve areas.
| EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS | Financial Reports |
A. Financials for January 2021
The January 2021 Financials were discussed.
On MOTION by Supervisor Napolitano, seconded by Supervisor Gibson, with all in favor, the Board accepted the Financials for January 2021.
| NINTH ORDER OF BUSINESS | Communications |
A. Estero Council of Community Leaders
i. Greater Estero Community Report
a. https://esterotoday.com/research-and-reports/
ii. Online Meetings and Agendas
a. https://esterotoday.com/reports/
| TENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS | Supervisors Requests |
- Supervisor Licht asked about painting the CDD asset boxes, and the Chair said he will agree with the color she chooses.
- She also asked that sidewalk extensions be considered as part of the budgeting process.
- She requested new plant material for the cul-de-sacs to be part of budget considerations for the FY2022 Budget.
- Supervisor Gibson said that the Comcast boxes should be reinforced or lifted because they are sinking. Vice Chair Roth was asked to get a list of them from the President’s Council.
- Vice Chair Roth asked if the pump stations that were calibrated several years ago should be checked again. He was told that they are being monitored.
- He asked if the guardhouse roof raising could be added to the next Agenda.
- The Chair said he got a resident email about someone feeding the deer. The person who is doing it will get a letter stating that feeding wildlife is prohibited if it is on CDD property or forwarded to the Master to take care of.
| ELEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS | Audience Comments |
- Ed Capezzuto addressed the speed hump issues and cul-de-sac plants.
- Jim Meek commented on the fence, trash issues, the gatehouse and controlled access.
- There was another discussion about signage for clearance at the gate for the next meeting.
- Another person suggested getting information out to homeowners about the projects that are going on.
- Reese was asked if the meeting was broadcasted on the ECCL link.
| TWELFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS | Adjournment |
There being no further Orders of Business and,