WCA Board President Michiel Oostenbrink reported at the July Voting Members meeting that the board is working with Inframark to prepare for the upcoming transition from lifeguards to Community Service Attendants (CSAs).
He also referenced some staffing changes, noting that the Community Association Manager 2 will be leaving her role. He added that the board opted to make a change that will better align with the direction the association is taking.
The Swim & Tennis Committee has been working with Inframark and the CDD to come up with a plan to update the landscaping around the facilities, Oostenbrink explained. Bleachers have been installed at the pickleball courts, at the request of the S&T Committee.
Oostenbrink applauded the Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) for putting together an impressive scope of work for updating facility entry system and installing CCTV cameras to oversee the community’s amenities. He said that the TAC ranked the vendors using a 10-point system, then shared those rankings and, ultimately, its recommendation, with the board. The board then voted to follow TAC’s recommendation. Over the next few months, the selected vendor will install a new entry system that will allow residents to use a key card, a fob or an app on their phone to access the pools, tennis courts and other amenities.
Harbor Links VM Nancy Sells asked about the cost of the new systems. The total cost will be around $88,000, an amount which can be absorbed without negatively impacting the association, Oostenbrink replied. The board had initially budged about $60,000 for the project, he added.
Oostenbrink added that the board planned to meet publicly with Inframark officials to review the reserve list items on July 20 at 3 p.m.
Karen Gonzalez Pittman, member of the Florida House of Representatives serving District 65, will attend the August VMs meeting, Oostenbrink reminded those in attendance. He asked that VMs share any potential topics of discussion with him so he could summarize them and pass them along to Pittman prior to the meeting.
WCA Board elections will be held at the September VMs meeting, and Kathleen Reres, association counsel, will provide the VMs’ annual legal training either in October or November, Oostenbrink said.
The board has asked Inframark to reach out to the various sub associations to get the proper contact information for each of their property managers, he continued. Reres is in the process of putting together a comprehensive chart outlining who (the association, sub-association, or resident) is responsible for what, Oostenbrink explained. The plan is for Inframark and the sub-associations to work collaboratively, he added. Reres noted that the association does have the right to inspect for violations in neighborhoods with sub-associations, he continued.
Oostenbrink asked all VMs who had not yet submitted their ballot for the Master Guideline Amendments to do so before the end of the meeting. Inframark was going to tabulate the results and share them with the VMs prior to their recording.
The next item on the agenda was to vote on the appointment of a new director to fill the board seat vacated by Ashley Wait-Woodcock. Oostenbrink reported that there were initially five candidates for the position. Tim Green and Pam Wilcox had both requested earlier in the day that they be removed from the ballot. The remaining three candidates were given the opportunity to give a three-minute speech to the VMs, but candidate Philip McCabe was not present at the meeting.
Candidate Marlon Santos took the floor to deliver his statement. He noted that he has been a resident since 2023, serves on the TAC, and has spent the past 25 years working as a software engineer. He said he cares deeply about the community and would focus on improving efficiency, transparency, and open communication if elected.
Greens resident Richard Torra told the VMs that he has lived in Westchase since 2007, and his children grew up here. He explained that his only goal was to serve and shared that he has been an attorney for the past 30 years. He added that he reads the World of Westchase magazine cover to cover and has served on both the Salvation Army and Keystone Little League boards.
The VMs then took a moment to fill out and submit their ballots to the CAMs who were present.
Bennington VM Russ Crooks moved to approve the Nominating Committee Rules for the upcoming Board of Directors election, and his motion passed unanimously. Oostenbrink said that residents who declared their candidacy and submitted a bio by August 7 could have that bio published in the WOW. The overall deadline to declare one’s candidacy is August 31, he continued.
Oostenbrink then addressed the VM Meeting Video Streaming & Access policy. Once streaming has begun, only members and invited speakers may participate in the meetings; others may only view the proceedings, he explained. All recordings are official association records and will remain accessible for 12 months only to association members who are signed up for Vantaca, he continued.nAny technical errors will not invalidate a meeting, and attorney/client privilege sections are not to be streamed or shared, Oostenbrink announced. He clarified that the board formally approves such policies, but that board members wanted the VMs to approve this one as well. Woodbridge VM Rick Goldstein moved to approve the policy, and it passed unanimously.
Oostenbrink then ceded the floor to Saville Rowe VM Bill Carey, who had previously asked to add a discussion about community culture to the July agenda. Carey spoke briefly, noting the importance of bringing a solution to the table whenever a problem is raised. He also mentioned that it’s vital to keep ongoing problems on the map and to keep meetings to a reasonable length.
Inframark officials then announced that Torra had won the election.
Crooks stated that the recent Covenants Committee meeting was quite successful and well run. He also raised concerns about the physical state of Linebaugh Avenue, and reported that Wait-Woodcock had said the county had no immediate plans to address it. He said he encouraged the board to take the matter up with county officials.
Sells asked whether the board planned to appoint a new Government Affairs Committee chairperson. Oostenbrink said the board would like to do so, but was experiencing difficulties finding someone who wanted to serve. Sells noted that she was concerned about the apartment complex going in near the Oldsmar Flea Market.
Sells also said she wanted to know when the bathrooms at the West Park Village pool would be completed. Oostenbrink said the board was working on creating a scope of work. Stonebridge VM Christine Lindsay asked whether the CDD was still considering purchasing the golf course. Oostenbrink replied that the board wants to collaborate with the CDD for a workshop to discuss any such plans that may be in the works.
Barry Anderson, VM for The Shires, questioned whether the board had accepted a bid from a vendor to resurface the tennis and pickleball courts. Inframark Director Michelle George said that the management company has bids for the board to review. Anderson also said he’d like to receive quarterly reports showing how much completed projects had cost and how much had been budgeted for them.