Greyhawk Landing CDD Seat 3: Jim Hengel

Name: Jim Hengel

Age: 64

Occupation: Golf course agronomic consultant

Education: Bachelor's degree in political science from SUNY Oswego; associates degree in turf grass management from University of Massachusetts Amherst

Elected government experience: None

Why do you want to serve on the CDD?

Greyhawk Landing is a wonderful community in which to live and socialize. The CDD is a business, competing with surrounding communities for real estate sales and resales. We need to remain competitive within the marketplace enhancing our property values. As a CDD Board member, I will strive to enhance the community landscape aesthetics, investigate the need for additional amenities, while maintaining our reserve fund and maintaining our current CDD payments.

If elected, what will be your top three priorities during your term?

I know from my involvement in the “Say No to Auto Dealerships” that Greyhawk Landing is full of talent is a variety of professions and fields. I would propose more community involvement with the development of advisory groups of residents for five separate areas of concern within the community:
Finance, Landscape/lake management; Security; Recreation (pools, clubhouses, playgrounds, athletic fields, tennis and basketball courts); Roads and nature trails (infrastructure). This would improve communication both to and from the residents of Greyhawk Landing and ease the frustrations of perceived inaction of the current board on areas of concerns raised at monthly board meetings. From the ideas of these five committees, a Master Plan for Greyhawk Landing can be developed providing direction for the community with a fiscally responsible plan developed to implement these ideas in a timeframe. I would also propose the Board have periodic publicized “work sessions” between the regularly scheduled Board Meetings to discuss pending issues. This will enable the board to be more decisive in decision making at the monthly board meetings, further reducing resident frustration to continued delays on pressing issues.

What makes you a better candidate for this position than your opponent?

I feel my 45 years as a Green Industry Professional as a Certified Golf Course Superintendent, in Facility Management, as an LLC member in facility ownership and as a Sole Proprietor as an Agronomic Consultant place me in a unique position to enhance the community in a business manner. I have
experience in Lake Management and Common Area Maintenance management and am Certified in Florida Best Management practices.