MINUTES OF
MEETING
NORTH SPRINGS
IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT
The regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the North Springs
Improvement District was held Thursday, February 7, 2002 at 4:05 P.M. in the
District Office, 10300 N. W. 11 Manor, Coral Springs,
Florida.
Present and constituting a quorum were:
Matt Lauritzen
President
Sal Mendolia
Secretary
Also present were:
Rhonda K. Archer
Finance Director
Dennis Lyles
Attorney
Donna Holiday
Recording Secretary
Jane Early
Gee & Jenson
Roger Moore
Engineer
Scot Davidson
WCI
Warren Craven
WCI
FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS
Roll Call
Mr. Lauritzen called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. and Ms. Archer
called the roll.
SECOND ORDER OF BUSINESS
Approval of the Minutes of the January 3, 2002
Meeting
Mr. Lauritzen stated that each Board member had received a copy of the
minutes of the January 3, 2002 meeting and requested any additions, corrections
or deletions.
There not being any,
On MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by
Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the minutes of the January 3, 2002 meeting were
approved as submitted.
THIRD ORDER OF BUSINESS
Consideration of Interlocal Agreement with Broward County for Feasibility
Study, Preliminary Design or Related Services for Projects Recommended under the
Broward Countywide Integrated Water Resource Plan
Ms. Archer stated several months ago you approved in concept that we
proceed with the application for grant money that coincides with this Interlocal
Agreement to do some water studies.
Part of the study is another interconnect to the west for potable water
between North Springs and the City of Coral Springs. Exhibit A to the agreement lists the
programs involved. This is the
final form of the agreement which will allow us to get the grant money to do
these studies. It is not just
potable water but moving storm water from drainage basin to drainage basin such
that when it is low is some areas we can move the water rather than outfalling
to the Everglades. These are
studies that we submitted which were approved. If you formalize this agreement we will
forward it to the County and they will put it on their agenda and we will
receive grant money to do the studies listed on Exhibit A. The total amount is $50,930 and half
will come from the County and half will come from us.
On MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by
Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the Interlocal Agreement with Broward County as
outlined above was approved.
FOURTH ORDER OF BUSINESS
Consideration of Five Year Permit Renewal/Recertification Program for
Surface Water Management Permits
Mr. Lyles stated this item has been before a couple of other Boards in
this portion of Broward County.
Coral Springs Improvement District has had it on their agenda and Turtle
Run C.D.D. has had it on their agenda.
In part this is in response to some of the criticisms that have been
levied at Districts. We believe
they are unfounded because we understand how these Districts are supposed to be
operated and we believe over a long period of time, the Districts in this part
of Broward County that have been managed by Severn Trent have been functioning
properly, they manage the storm water properly, we have not had flooding
incidents that are out of line with the stormwater events we have experienced
and some other parts of the county have.
There are those who would put Broward County over these stormwater
systems and the Districts. Part of
their effort has been to point out that they don't know if everything meets
current engineering standards. One
of the criticisms that we have responded to with this item on the agenda is that
the permits get issued and there is no follow-up. No one does any reinspection to see that
things are continuing to function the way they were proposed to function when
the permit was originally issued for an outfall, an interconnect or a control
structure of some kind.
Mr. Lauritzen asked isn't that part of what management
does?
Mr. Lyles responded it is part of what management does but it has been
more of a system that if our field personnel see a problem, we inspect and do
what needs to be done. What some
other Districts in the southern and central part of the County are doing is a
voluntary program that they instituted several years ago, a five year
recertification. If you approve
this program, people to whom we have issued a permit of some kind, will be
required on a five year basis have a certification from an engineer hired for
that purpose, not our engineer, that the permitted improvement is still
functioning within the criteria established when it was permitted and we will in
turn have that record and it will be part of the overall County system of
monitoring to make sure things like this continue to function and to the extent
that they have a water quality component, that there is no degradation of water
quality standards. What we have
before you today is not adoption of this program. The item in your back-up describes what
it will look like and who is already doing it and who is thinking of taking it
on and exploring implementing it voluntarily. Staff's recommendation at this time if
you agree it is worthy of consideration, is to let us do some work and present a
more detailed proposal at an upcoming meeting. If we are going to adopt it, we believe
you will adopt it through a rulemaking procedure and advertise it and put it
into effect that way.
Mr. Lauritzen asked would they be accountable to us or Broward
County?
Mr. Lyles responded they will be responsible to us. Keep in mind that everything that we do
as a District comes from the South Florida Water Management District permitting
and criteria. The ultimate party to
whom everybody is accountable is S.F.W.M.D. and we have no quarrel with that and
we want it to continue that way.
What we want to avoid is creating some new layer between this District
and S.F.W.M.D. which is the County having the ability to come in and do
inspections or repairs and sending us a bill. We don't think that is an appropriate
way to go forward. We want to
present a united front with the other Districts that are run responsibly by the
independent Boards that are elected to run them such as this Board. We would be joining in with those
Districts. The larger ones are Old
Plantation, Central Broward and South Broward Drainage Districts. They already do this. We would like to add North Springs and
Coral Springs.
Ms. Archer stated we want to identify all the permits and the size of the
recertification.
On MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by
Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor staff was directed to research the permits
involved and to bring back to the Board a recommendation at a future
meeting.
FIFTH ORDER OF BUSINESS
Consideration of Change Orders
A. Change Order
No. 1 & Final for Pine Island Road and Trails End Extension for a Net
Increase of $72,363.68
Ms. Early outlined the items in the change order.
On MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by
Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor Change Order No. 1 & Final for Pine Island
Road and Trails End Extension for a Net Increase of $72,363.68 was
approved.
B. Change Order 1
& Final for Aquatic Plant Control in Heron Bay for a Net Decrease of
$10,067.80
Ms. Early outlined the items in the change order.
On MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by
Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor Change Order 1 & Final for Aquatic Plant
Control in Heron Bay for a Net Decrease of
$10,067.80.
SIXTH ORDER OF BUSINESS
Consideration of Permit Request from Joanne Corinella to Construct a
Fence within a Drainage Easement
Ms. Early stated apparently in Pine Ridge South, some of the lots abut
the water and then there is a 100' FP&L easement. People have constructed decks and all
kinds of structures without a permit.
There are several structures there already. This person is asking for a permit to go
past the District's easement and to encroach into the FP&L easement. My engineer went out there and he
recommends that we don't do that.
Mr. Schooley has been out there and he recommends the same thing because
he has no access.
Mr. Lauritzen asked has someone explained to her that we need
access?
Ms. Early responded my engineer spoke to her about
this.
Ms. Archer stated if you want to follow staff's recommendation and deny
it, you should have us determine how many properties are encroaching and how
much area we need to maintain that and notify the other property owners that
they need to move their fences back to where they need to be moved to so that we
have adequate access.
Ms. Early stated I will go out there with Mr. Schooley because the
applicant is already encroaching into the easement. If he feels that he still has enough
room for maintenance, we can say that everyone has to back up to that
point.
Mr. Lyles stated if they have a dock and it is in our way, in an
emergency we will take it out but fences create a different problem for us
because they have some protections under Florida Law. We need to take a closer look at this
and notify people who have a fence or encroachment into our easement that they
have to remove it or relocate it and see how it goes. We have run into this in other Districts
and the vast majority of people are ultimately willing to comply.
Mr. Lauritzen asked how far are we going down that road? Will we send them a letter and then who
enforces that? Do we call code
enforcement?
Ms. Archer responded the City of Coral Springs will back us on it.
On MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by
Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the permit request for the construction of a
fence within the drainage easement was denied.
SEVENTH ORDER OF BUSINESS Staff
Reports
A.
Attorney
There not being any, the next item followed.
B.
Engineer
Ms. Early stated I have a request from WCI. I have two change order requests, and if
you authorize us to do them, we will do the paperwork next month. In May 2000, we brought a bid to the
Board for Heron Bay East earthwork and it was an unbalanced bid submitted by
Ryan. I recommended at that time
not to award the contact. WCI came
to the table and said they didn't want to have to rebid because it would put
them behind schedule. We agreed to
let them contract with the second low bidder which was Triple R. I believe there was only a $900
difference. They were going to give
the District the 10% credit and they would be reimbursed by the bonds as the job
went on. They now have Heron Bay
Central and Triple R is right on top of Heron Bay Central finishing up Heron Bay
East and they want Triple R to move into Heron Bay Central to dig 35 acres of
lakes additional rather than going through the bid process and have someone else
move in because they are getting behind schedule again. That is the first change order. You will get the same 10% credit.
Mr. Lauritzen stated that sounds like a large job.
Ms. Archer responded these will be handled as acquisitions. Rather than the District doing the work,
they will do the work and we will acquire it from them, less 10% of the actual
cost.
Ms. Early stated we are still inspecting the work for them because they
want the District to know that Gee & Jenson inspected the work as it went
along so that we can recommend them being reimbursed.
Mr. Lyles stated we are not really here for a change order as much as a
briefing on some infrastructure work that is going on at WCI's expense and
risk.
Ms. Early stated if they let Triple R continue, the excavation down to
elevation -5 which is all the District pays for, they will be reimbursed through
the existing bonds.
Mr. Lyles stated there will be an acquisition agreement and we have the
right under our Act to acquire a finished improvement. Since WCI is so far into the project and
has a contractor on site, they want to finish it, pay the contractor and have us
acquire it. Our engineer has
already telling us that she is going to be able to certify it and that it is at
or below market value. All of this
is a briefing of something coming our way as opposed to asking for a vote
today. Later on there will be an
acquisition agreement and we will acquire the improvements and it will be part
of the system.
Ms. Early stated we bid Heron Bay East, Pod 1, 2, 3, and 4 and Florida
Sewer & Water was the low bidder on all four pods. I have two pods in Heron Bay Central
that WCI wants to move into and they want to avoid having to wait 30 days to go
out to bid in order to get them started.
Being that Florida Sewer & Water has been the low bid on the past
four jobs and they don't have to remobilize we wanted to change order the P
& D water and sewer of those two pods into their contract. I talked to them to see if they would
hold their price because the contact says that if we increase or decrease the
quantities by 25%, they have the right to renegotiate the price. They have agreed to hold the prices they had in their original
bid. The District only pays for the
water and sewer portion which is advance funded by WCI. I will have to bring the paperwork to do
a change order for that to the next Board meeting and you will have to do an
amendment to the funding agreement.
Before I did all of that I wanted to bring that to the
Board.
Mr. Craven stated we looked at the original bids and don't feel that we
will get better prices.
C.
Superintendent
There not being any, the next item followed.
EIGHTH ORDER OF BUSINESS
Supervisor's Requests and Audience Comments
There not being any, the next item followed.
NINTH ORDER OF BUSINESS
Approval of Requisitions and Invoices
On MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by
Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the requisitions and invoices were
approved.
On MOTION by Mr. Mendolia seconded by
Mr. Lauritzen with all in favor the meeting adjourned at 4:45
p.m.
Salvatore Mendolia
Matt Lauritzen
Secretary
President