WCA Board Members Rick Goldstein, Nancy Sells, and Terry Boyd were not present at the August meeting. President Michiel Oostenbrink clarified that the board only needed to have four members in attendance to achieve a quorum.
Chelmsford VM Joanne Maurer addressed the WCA board as part of the open forum to ask what her community could do to get extra security patrols in light of some recent suspicious activity. Oostenbrink explained that the neighborhood would have to pay for any additional security. He suggested that she reach out to the CDD to see whether they could provide her with any options.
Due to Treasurer Boyd’s absence, Oostenbrink delivered a brief financial report. He moved to approve the 2024 draft audit performed by Mike DeMare, the association’s CPA, and his motion passed unanimously. He also reported that Inframark has been working hard to get the WCA’s historical transaction details from Greenacre into Vantaca.
Association Manager Jennifer Jordan said that Inframark is still waiting for access to some cash flow accounts and is sifting through a “data dump” provided by Greenacre. She asked the community for patience moving forward. Oostenbrink acknowledged that there’s a lot of work to be done in the next few months before approving the budget.
Oostenbrink shared the results of a straw poll regarding potential changes to lifeguard staffing that was held at the August VM meeting, saying that it seemed that the majority of VMs would support removing lifeguards for all but the summer months. He added that If the board opted to do so, the decision would have significant financial implications from a budget standpoint. The board has tentatively slated a budget workshop for some time in October.
Moving on to old business, the board revisited a discussion about changing the opening hours of the West Park Village pool on weekends. Jordan reported that the current Countryway pool hours are from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends; the WPV pool is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. Pam Wilcox, who serves on the Swim & Tennis Committee, asked the board to consider opening the WPV pool two hours earlier on weekends.
Radcliffe resident and former WCA Board Member Eric Holt stated that the board had discussed the question of pool hours numerous times, and they reached the conclusion that there was not sufficient demand for early swimming on the weekends. He also noted that if the board were to decide to do away with lifeguards during most of the year, expanding pool hours would be more straightforward and less expensive.
Director Jack Maurer asked whether it was possible to create some sort of cost index to determine the actual expense of having the pool open for an additional hour. Mary Griffin, VM for the Single Family Homes of WPV, said there used to be a formula that calculated that cost and that the process could be replicated. Oostenbrink moved to change the opening time at the WPV pool from 10 am to 8 am on weekends, effective Saturday, August 16. The board voted 4-0 in favor of his motion. The WPV pool will now be open from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Director Theresa Lanzar made a motion to appoint Brad Swindell to the Modifications Committee and Mike Ward to the Swim & Tennis Committee. The motion passed unanimously.
Oostenbrink shared that a potential vendor had reached out to ask whether he could use the pool to host a youth water polo program. He added that the board continues to receive similar requests, and he wondered aloud whether it was time to establish consistent criteria for external vendors wanting to use the community’s pools.
Maurer said that, based on the terms of his contract, Coach Patrick from Pipeline is allowed to approve or deny any other company that wants to profit from programming using the pools. Lanzar questioned exactly what services Pipeline provides to the community and the schedule of those services. She said she wondered whether Westchase was getting its money’s worth.
Director Jessica Siddle suggested that Pipeline be required to make a presentation to the board when their contract comes up for renewal. Maurer said that would be in January, and Siddle asked that Coach Patrick attend the November or December WCA Board meeting. Oostenbrink recommended that the S&T Committee review the contract with Pipeline to determine what services are being provided and at what times. Committee Chair Dan Haigy agreed to do so.
Oostenbrink explained that Jordan had a difficult time doing payroll for lifeguards because the reality of the incentive pay seems to have strayed from its true intent. The extra 50 cents per hour was meant to benefit only those who opened and closed the pools, he added. Almost everybody is receiving some form of that incentive pay for working mornings and/or evenings, Jordan reported. Siddle moved to give lifeguards an additional 50 cents per hour for working the first two and last two hours of the day. Her motion passed unanimously.
Oostenbrink informed the board that the WCA’s website maintenance contract with Off the Page Creations is up for renewal. The company charges $95 per month for hosting, email support, security scans, and more, he continued. Swindell said that he works in web design and recommended that the board explore less expensive options. Oostenbrink said he was hesitant to do so given the huge transitions that the association is currently experiencing. He recommended approving the current contract renewal and investigating other possibilities later in the year. Lanzar moved to approve the contract, and the board voted 4-0 in favor of the motion.
Jordan presented Inframark’s plan for sending residents compliance letters, which would include a courtesy letter, followed by a reminder notice, a hearing notice (which would be sent via certified mail), and a notification that they have been fined. Discussion ensued about whether the proposed plan was a change from what the board had been doing while being managed by Greenacre. The board agreed that the second letter in the process should be sent via certified mail, and Jordan agreed to do as they asked.
Oostenbrink shared that Jordan and her staff members took pictures of 33 neighborhoods and found 304 infractions in two weeks. The majority were lot maintenance issues, he added, like trash and debris. Inframark had only sent out three letters for urgent matters, but Jordan said she wanted to wait for the board to approve her templates until she sent out the remainder of notices. Oostenbrink committed to approving the templates by September 2.
Oostenbrink then said that the board needs to discuss the monitoring of Inframark’s contract based upon the table of deliverables that they agreed to when they signed their management contract. Inframark will be held to the exact standards to which Greenacre was held, he noted. Lanzar said she wanted to meet with Jordan and other company officials before September 2.
Jordan asked the board to approve an emergency repair of the second pump at the WPV pool for a cost of just under $3,400. Siddle moved to do so, and the motion passed unanimously.
Government Affairs Committee Chair Goldstein was absent, but Oostenbrink reported that the proposed crosswalk on Linebaugh Avenue would not be moving forward. Maurer expressed concern about the CDD’s proposed trail project and requested that the board formally look into the matter. Oostenbrink shared that he had reached out to CDD Chair Matt Lewis for clarification. He added that he had invited Lewis to address the VMs at their October or November meeting. Oostenbrink said he agreed that there should be a point person on the board to stay apprised of any progress on the trail. Given that board elections are being held in September, however, he said he felt that it would make more sense to wait to appoint that person. Siddle agreed to attend the next CDD meeting in the meantime.
Haigy reminded the board that the S&T Committee currently has seven members, and requested permission to add an additional member. The committee may have up to nine members, so the board deferred action until Haigy had an actual candidate to present.
An audience member asked whether the tennis court lights could be turned off at 9:10 p.m. instead of at 9 p.m. to ensure that players were able to use the court for the full length of their reservation. Haigy agreed to look into it.