Greens Voting Member Steve Splaine kicked off audience comments with a few quick clarifications regarding the “no cleats; no organized sports signs” that CDD staff added at greenspaces in the Village Green and West Park Village. He said there had been a misconception that he, as VM, was speaking on behalf of the WCA Board when sharing resident concerns about the use of the greenspace, which was not the case. He added that, while there had been chatter on the Greens Facebook page regarding the use of greenspace, there had been no true polling of the residents to understand where people truly stand on the issue. Finally, he noted that nobody was actively advocating to spend the money to resod the damaged turf.
Field Supervisor David Sylvanowicz said that he felt the confusion that the WCA was involved in requesting the signs was coming from residents who were summarizing the meetings inaccurately and sharing on social media. Another Greens resident chimed in that he likes that there is a place in the neighborhood where kids can play and suggested the board discuss options to protect the turf.
Following audience comments, CDD Chair Matt Lewis turned to the first item on the agenda, which was continued discussions regarding options for mitigating rainwater that pools on the inside of the berm at Pond 120 in Sturbridge. District Engineer Robert Dvorak, who attended by phone, presented two options for creating a series of yard drains that would run between four homes in the neighborhood, one involving a series of inlets that would drain the water to the curb and one that featured a sump pump that would pump the water back into the pond. He received two bids for each concept, with the inlets running $45,000-$50,000 and the sump installation ranging from $43,000-$60,000. He noted these numbers offered good planning-level estimates to work with. Lewis added that they would need to add in the cost of running electrical to the area (roughly $23,000). Lewis said he was leaning toward the sump pump option and added that both options would keep the work entirely on CDD property, but the board would need to get homeowner approval.
Landscape Architect Ivy Clinton with VHP then took the floor to present her Landscape Master Plan for the District. Clinton previously spearheaded the West Park Village Plaza renovation. Several months ago, as part of their long-term planning strategy, the CDD Board asked Clinton to assess the state of the landscaping throughout the community and develop a plan that could be used as a guideline for future enhancements.
Clinton elaborated that her goal was to assess the conditions of the landscaping along the major corridors with special focus on the key intersections and bullnose treatments. Her presentation identified the goals for each of those three segments and categorized landscape groupings into Good, Fair or Poor condition. Clinton also prepared design guidelines that the District can use to implement renovations in conjunction with their landscaping company (Red Tree) and utilize when major renovations take. A resident asked about the timeline for landscape improvements and Lewis clarified that the Master Plan that Clinton had prepared was not for one specific project; rather it would serve as a guideline as it becomes necessary to replace aging/outdated landscaping throughout the community. Supervisor Chris Barrett added that it would assist in creating a cohesive look as updates are made.
Clinton said she would be polishing the plan a bit and adding in more technical specifications and she asked if she should include pocket parks in her final assessment. The board agreed she should.
Moving on to the preliminary discussions on the potential purchase of the Westchase Golf Course, Supervisor Reggie Gillis informed the board that golf-course consultant, Greg Christovich, was unable to attend the meeting due to a family emergency. Gillis added that current board discussions are a continuation of discussions the board has been having on and off for at least 10 years. He said several area golf courses have sold recently and Christovich, a well-respected consultant in the area, will be able to fill the board in on what is happening in the golf community. As to the question of why the conversation is resurfacing now, Gillis said that the current owner (the course is owned by a single individual) recently expressed interest in selling out of the blue. Gillis said Christovich could speak more to that and what is happening in the golf community. He clarified that nothing is truly on any path at this point. A new Greens resident asked if the course could ever be sold and turned into something else. Lewis replied that that is exactly what the board is trying to prevent. Gillis said residents should look at Pebble Creek as an example of a course in the center of a community that closed and the impact it had on the community. He said Christovich will speak more about what this looks like in other communities and the value to the community. Supervisor Jim Wimsatt added that the golf course is something the community has to get control of. A resident asked what homeowners can do to help. Wimsatt said homeowners can fight the misinformation when this becomes a wider topic of conversation in the community. We’ll provide updates as conversations continue.