During the Aug. 13 board meeting, Treasurer Eric Holt reported that the Westchase Community Association is approximately $250,000 ahead of budget currently. He said he expects some expenses to come in so the margin is unlikely to be as large at the end of the year, but overall finances are looking good.
Holt added that he planned to meet with Association Managers Rollamay Turkoane and Alice Rivera the following week to start working on next year’s budget.
Holt also reported that there is a consortium of local neighborhoods that has weighed in on potential plans for the former waste treatment plant off Sheldon Road. Initially, there was a possibility of using the land for low-income housing, he added. The consortium pushed back, and now that idea is off the table. New plans call for some sort of multi-use development, and the WCA needs to decide whether to join the consortium if the board wants to weigh in on the matter, he shared. Holt noted that the decision didn’t need to be made immediately, and the board agreed to table the matter until September.
President Michiel Oostenbrink said he spoke with Hillsborough County Neighborhood Liaison Mary Elizabeth Fuentes about the ongoing situation on Brompton regarding parking and signage to meet fire codes. The association asked the county to bring in a software engineer to determine what signage and striping was necessary to allow fire trucks to safely navigate the area. After analyzing the software, the county removed a majority of the restrictions on the north side of Brompton. Issues on the south side have not yet been fully resolved, he continued. The CDD trimmed more than 40 oak trees to elevate the tree canopy to give the fire trucks better access. Oostenbrink said he hopes the issue will be put to bed soon.
In a Document Review Committee (DRC) update, Holt told the board that there is now an individual version of each INSG on record now. The committee plans to provide each Voting Member with an INSG reference packet, which will include a cover letter; all of their neighborhoods’ INSGs; a list of all unit addresses in their neighborhood for reference; and instructions on how to propose any amendments to the INSGs. The DRC has a vacancy, and Holt asked Inframark to send out an email blast letting residents know.
Brad Swindell, chair of the Technology Advisory Committee (TAC), reported that they were working with property management to move forward on the video surveillance project, which was tentatively scheduled to begin on August 24.
Welcome Committee Chair Charles Stephens resigned in July, reported Director Terry Lanzar. In Stephens’ absence, Lanzar said she reached out to current committee members to determine whether they still wanted to serve. Three members resigned. Holt moved to make Lanzar the temporary chair, and all members present voted in favor. Richard Torra attended the meeting remotely and Jack Maurer was absent. Lanzar then moved to add several volunteers to the committee, and her motion also passed unanimously.
Oostenbrink reported that a resident had been sent a cease-and-desist letter for having informally organized an aerobic fitness group similar to the one that resident Linda Senkowicz pays the association to offer. He noted that the board must approve all organized activities in the community facilities but admitted that the group in question was informal and no money had changed hands. Holt moved to rescind the letter, and his motion passed, 6-0. Oostenbrink extended an apology on behalf of the board to Sherry Van DeMotter, the resident who received the letter. She expressed her frustration with the lack of communication from the board prior to the letter, calling it “horrible.”
The board held a special meeting on July 20 at the Countryway activity center, Oostenbrink shared. Because it was held in a different location than was initially posted, board members needed to ratify all motions made at the meeting. All passed unanimously. Oostenbrink then tabled the discussion about the WCA’s plan to transition from lifeguards to Community Service Attendants (CSAs).
The board reviewed several capital improvement proposals. After a lengthy discussion, they agreed to table the matter until their next meeting, which was scheduled for Monday, August 17.
The next item on the agenda was a review of the proofs of new “Swim at Your Own Risk” signage for the pools. Holt asked whether it was possible to remove the pool hours from the sign, since the hours might change. Inframark Director Michelle George replied that Florida statute requires the hours to be on the sign, noting that many communities opt to use “from dawn to dusk.”
The proof also read that children under the age of 14 must be supervised by an adult. Holt suggested changing the age to 15 to be consistent with current Swim & Tennis rules. Torra pointed out that current rules dictate that residents must be 12 years of age (not 15) to use the facilities without adult supervision.
Board Member Jessica Siddle moved to modify the proposed signage to say that “children under 12 years of age must be supervised by a responsible adult” and to change the listed hours to “from dawn to dusk.” The motion passed unanimously.
Oostenbrink suggested that the WCA install a plaque in honor of former Swim & Tennis Committee chair Dan Haigy, who recently passed away unexpectedly. Holt suggested having Haigy’s fellow committee members come up with the size and wording of the plaque, as they knew him best. Oostenbrink agreed to discuss the matter with current committee Chair Pam Wilcox.