Dear Members,
I want to use this months letter to update you on the status of our hurricane recovery and our plans to better prepare for future hurricanes. As you can see all of our common areas have been affected. We are working to put things back in order quickly and cost efficiently. As those of you that have had damage know, finding qualified contractors and materials takes much longer now than prior to the hurricane. Of all the areas we have to restore Pheasant Way is the largest and needs the most attention.
After the initial cleanup on Pheasant Way we were left with 25 stumps to remove. Sprinkler lines were damaged by the downed trees. The broken lines were sealed but repairs could not be completed until the stumps were removed. It was recomended that we contact Palm Beach County as they should be able to do the stump grinding for free. It was found that the County does not offer that service. We then hired Palm Beach Broward to remove the stumps. and repair all of the sprinklers. With the irrigation system running we are seeking bids to resod the areas where the stumps were ground. We are also seeking bids to apply a base layer of mulch around our remaining vegetation. These tasks should completed in March.
The next step is to begin the replanting of Pheasant Way. We are applying for a matching grant from Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful. This grant is for up to $10,000 and must be used for tree replacement. Our Common Grounds Committee and Property Manager are working on the grant application. We plan on approving and submitting this by the end of February. The Common Grounds Committee is continuing work on a master plan for all of Pheasant Way. The goal of the plan is to have uniform landscaping the entire length of Pheasant Way. The plant selection is being done based on the latest information on hurricane hardy species. While no plant is "storm proof" our goal is to select the best plants for each location in an attempt to minimize future damages and costs. The County has been contacted in regards to the damaged sidewalks along Pheasant Way. Steve Smith with the County Roads Department has informed us that 15 homes along Pheasant Way have fences on the sidewalks that must be moved before repairs can be made. Pointe Management will be sending letters to the affected residents.
Our electrical system at the front entrance is in need of repairs. We are still awaiting bids for this work. There are also reports of the light bulbs being removed from the current fixtures. The contract will include replacement of the fixtures and outlets so the system is more reliable and bulbs can not be removed so easily.
Our street signs received major damage from the storm. These signs are owned by the association and must be maintained by the association. We installed temporary stop signs within a week of the storm. A total of 22 poles were downed by Wilma. Many others have pulled loose and are in need of repair. The only quote we received so far for repair/replacement came in at $31,801. This is slightly over our insured value of about $30,000. We are consulting with the County to see if we can weld and repair some of the poles. Traffic control signs and posts must meet established design standards. We do not want to take any actions that would open the community to future liability concerns. The sign issue could take a while to resolve. When the sign posts were first ordered it took about six months for delivery. We hope that by dealing with local vendors the time can be reduced.
The Dock needs some of the deck and railing boards replaced and all surfaces cleaned and sealed. We have received two bids for this work so far, the lowest being for $1700. There were a few questions as to the scope of the bid so we are working with the bidder to address these and have the work begin.
The Park/Preserve area received a large amount of damage from the storm. The park is home to a number of Gopher Tortoises. They are considered as a species of special concern by the state of Florida. The park is also home to a number of plants that are on the Palm Beach County invasive list. To ensure that any work we do in the park does not violate any County or State codes we contacted the Palm Beach County ERM department the first of November. We asked they assign us a representative to assist in developing a plan and permitting for work in the park. The first of February Samantha Corr from the Palm Beach County ERM was assigned to us. Samantha did an onsite inspection of the park on Feb 9th. We learned that we are not in violation of any codes. There is nothing we must do in the park at this time. According to Samantha there are a number of invasive that by the current codes must be removed by 2008. Based on the information we have received on the park we will be looking at the priority of the work done there as compared to other areas of Pheasant Walk. We are seeking bids for the playground mulch to be installed in time for the April picnic.
Following the storm we had Wackenhut inspect all of our street lights. Damaged lights were reported to FPL for repair. FPL notified us that street lights are their lowest priority and crews will get to them as they become available. We will be credited for the time the lights are out.
Adelphia was contacted as to a credit for the period of time the cable was out. We will be credited from the Monday of the storm though the following Saturday.
The "W" from the front wall is at the welder for repairs. Once it is returned it will be installed.
There is a section on the front wall that was not painted due to a bush covering the wall. Now that the storm has removed the bush the painter will be out to paint the wall.
As you can see progress is being made in all areas of restoration. Some of it may not be as quick as we would like to see. The board is attempting to balance the cost of repairs with the time it takes. We are planning a special board meeting in February with the entire agenda dedicated to our common grounds. Now that we are finally beginning to receive bids for work we want to discuss and hopefully approval these bids rather than wait until the next regular meeting. We currently have about $23,000 that we can use towards all of the repair/replacements listed above. We plan on the Common Grounds committee being there so we can work together approving plans and priorities as to how to best use these funds. The board is also looking at our hurricane plans going forward.
The news tells us that we are in 10 years cycle of high hurricane activity so we need to be better prepared to deal with these storms. The board has already set aside $25,000 for future hurricane costs. We plan on placing the money in CD's or other higher interest bearing accounts outside of hurricane season, then moving it to a more liquid account during season when we may need it.
We are looking at our initial clean up plan to see if changes are needed. The County was in our community much faster in 2005 than in 2004. We are checking to see if they are using the same plan in 2006. If so we may cut back our own service from cleaning both lanes on Pheasant Way to one lane. This could reduce the money spent on clean up as well as replacement costs if we moved the debris to one of the lanes rather than on our plants and sod.
We are investigating raising the insurance coverage on our street signs and poles. The initial cost of the poles and signs was about $45,000. They had been insured for about $30,000. A decision will be made once we have the prices from our agent.
To speed up the time it takes to repair after a storm the board has discussed pre-approving certain types of work and prices with contractors. Examples of some of the items we could attempt to pre-approve are stump grinding, sod replacement and sign repair. The goal being quicker repairs with a controlled cost.
To address the issue of trash along Pheasant Way the board had Pointe Management send a letter to resident that back up to Pheasant Way. While most residents had their yards and areas picked up quickly other continued to place trash and debris on Pheasant Way long after the storm cleanup had ended. Not only does this have to be removed at the expense of all residents it causes damage to the plants. The letter pointed out that Pheasant Way is not a pick up site for SWA. Trash and debris dumped there is not normally collected. Going forward trash along Pheasant Way will be removed without further notice and the homeowner will be billed for this service as well as any damage caused to the plants and grass along Pheasant Way. Please remember SWA will always remove trash from the front of your home. Help us keep Pheasant Way cleaned up.
I hope the information provided you with answers to any questions you may have about the clean up and restoration of Pheasant Walk. If you still have a question you can contact Pointe Management by phone or email, email the board, or attend a meeting. We always have homeowner input on the agenda and are open to any and all constructive suggestions and feedback.
Sincerely,
Frank Yann