Balmoral gate solution still elusive

LAKEWOOD RANCH — After hearing from residents at a July 18 meeting about proposed changes to the Balmoral Woods Boulevard gate, Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 6 supervisors moved no closer to a solution.

However, they did eliminate one option.

In a 4-1 vote, supervisors rejected a proposal from CDD 2 and CDD 5 to add a third shift for security services and to share equally in costs for all gates accessing Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.

Under the proposal, those two districts would have paid $15,000 each to fund a night shift for security services at the entrance at Balmoral Woods and Lakewood Ranch boulevards. Currently, the gate switches to transponder-only at 10:30 p.m.

But, supervisors also acknowledged their lack of consensus when they voted to continue the gate discussion to their 2:30 p.m. Aug. 13 meeting, at Town Hall.

Until supervisors recently revised their proposals, CDD 6’s plan had been to make the Balmoral Woods gate transponder-access only, in an effort to save up to $80,000 annually in the 2014 Fiscal Year budget.

Town Hall staff had to open an additional salon to accommodate the rush of people, primarily residents of Districts 2 and 5, who came for the gate discussion and left as it ended.

Steven Peters, president of the Country Club Edgewater Village Association, said he received more than 50 emails opposed to transponder-only gates and that he, himself, welcomed the proposal for nighttime security personnel at the gate.

“Manned gates are a deterrent to criminals,” Peters said. “Lakewood Ranch is one of the safest communities in Florida. Don’t jeopardize that with this reckless gate plan. Unmanning the gates is ill-advised and dangerous.”

Attendees applauded his comments.

Tom Willson, a CDD 6 resident whose home is in the Silverwood neighborhood, is against manning the gate.

“There is very little screening with guards,” Willson said. “These ‘gizmos’ that people keep them as — the bar codes and call boxes — they are real technology that’s out there.”

Supervisors say they won’t act until they have a coherent plan that pleases as many people as possible.

“If it doesn’t have community support, we will throw it in the trash,” CDD 6 Chairman Bob Burstein said. “We are trying to come up with an answer to a very difficult question. We have to do the right thing.”

Contact Josh Siegel at [email protected]. 

IN OTHER BUSINESS:

CDD 1:
• Chairwoman June Stroup presented an award of service to the retiring CDD 1 board member Jean Stewart for her service.

Stewart, who sat in the crowd, said, “This is a very sad day for me, but I have to move on to the next chapter.”

Résumés for Stewart’s vacated post are being accepted through Aug. 5.

The board approved Stroup as Stewart’s replacement as the district’s representative on the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority for the next two months, until someone is appointed permanently.

• Supervisors agreed to discuss removing Brazilian pepper trees at Heron’s Nest Park, during the FY 2015 budget period.

CDD 2:
• Supervisors tabled discussions about revising the board’s palm tree replacement policy.

• Staff informed board members the gate at The Masters Avenue and Lorraine Road will open at 6:30 a.m., 30 minutes earlier than before, to accommodate golfers.

CDD 4:
• District Engineer Mike Kennedy said the district will address beach erosion along the Braden River by installing riprap in January or February. Costs should not exceed $35,000.

CDD 5:
• Operations Director Ryan Heise said the run time of irrigation along sidewalks temporarily will be cut in half because of recent heavy rains.

CDD 6:
• Residents questioned increases in the district’s budget. Chairman Robert Burstein said in the last two years, the district has used surplus money to pay current expenses, rather than saving the money for reserves. Now, the district must adjust.
“We are simply paying this year what we should have been paying the last two years,” Burstein said.

• Supervisors requested to hold joint meetings with CDDs 2 and 5.

IDA
• Staff reported the new maintenance facility will be move-in ready in mid-December. Work on the roof will begin soon.

+ Lakewood Ranch IDA adopts FY 2014 budget

The Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority board unanimously adopted its 2014 Fiscal Year budget July 18.

The budget is 1.3% lower than last year.

Highlights of the $3.1 million budget include operations-and-maintenance staffing increases; Town Hall staff will be reduced.

The IDA also will continue to fund improvements to information technology and security and Town Hall asset repair and replacement.

“This is a prudent, sound budget we feel continues to provide services to residents while keeping costs down,” said Steve Zielinski, Town Hall chief financial officer.

Revenues for the IDA budget are collected through Lakewood Ranch Community Development District contributions.

CDDs 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 will adopt their 2014 Fiscal Year budgets at 9 a.m. Aug. 15, at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall.