Issue #133, April 18, 2023

The next Board meeting will be held Monday, April 24 at 1pm at Estero Country Club and via Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to you the Friday before by Pegasus.

Topics for discussion will include:

Letters from homeowners concerning the paint palette

Potential for ECC to purchase commercial property by front gate

Security issues and recent unauthorized entry attempt

Update on the lake bank restoration and aerator installation

Update by Rail to Trail task force

Status of FPL utility pole installation

Discussion of options for interim improvement in the hedge

Chainlink fence repairs

Financial Statements, Board Meeting Minutes, Important Documents & More

The VCA portal on the Pegasus site allows residents to view the above mentioned information as well as much more. Login with your email address and password. If you do not have a password, Pegasus can provide you with one.

Meet Your New Board

President: Robbie Robinson

Robbie and his wife, Bonnie, have lived full time in Lost Creek for 21 years. Robbie spent 33 years working for Delta Airlines as a station manager responsible for personnel, facilities, operations and contract negotiations in several markets including West Palm Beach and Atlanta. This is Robbie's 5th year on the Board and 3rd as President.

Treasurer: John Towey

John and his wife, Sandy, bought their home in Silver Oaks in 2019. They are Florida residents from Sept to May and spend the summer months in Eden Prairie, MN, a suburb of Minneapolis. John is an engineer and spent his career managing large development programs for highly specialized, embedded computers used in satellites, fighter planes, tanks, etc. This is John's first year on the VCA Board.

Secretary & Architectural Review: Marcy Neil

Marcy and her husband, Brad Beatty, have lived on Vintage Trace full time since 2018, prior to that they lived in Silver Oaks for 3 years. Marcy spent most of her career working in the property & casualty insurance industry at the corporate level. Marcy was elected to serve her first two year term in 2022.

Safety & Security: Chip Strapp

Chip and his wife, Ann, have lived in the Vines for 12 years, first as renter, then buying their home in Grand Palm in 2014. Chip and Ann split summers between Needham, MA and Center Harbor, NH. Chip worked in the sporting goods industry and applies his management talents to the Children's Welbeing Foundation which provides preventative medical care in Costa Rica. Chip has served on the Board for 4 years.

Lakes and Lighting: Bobby Dumont

Bobby and his wife, Bonnie, have lived in Southwind full time since 2011. Bobby was in sales and account management in the snack food and grocery industry in the Chicago area. This is Bobby's 5th year on the Board.

Landscaping: Linda Chain

Linda and her husband, Jim, live on Vintage Trace year round. Linda has been a Vines resident since 2010. She worked as a dental hygienist and managed an oil distribution company. Linda is beginning her first two year term representing Vintage Trace.

Communications: Michael Johnson

Mike and his wife, Julie, purchased their home in Fairway Bend in 2021 and call it home seven months of the year. Their summers are spent near family in Lakeville, MN. Mike spent 41 years as the principal of an insurance agency in Mapleton, MN. Mike is a member of the Rails to Trails committee and is serving his first year on the VCA Board.

Before You Head North...

As you resident head north please remember to include the following preparations.

Outside preparations for potential hurricanes:

Remove all furniture and movable objects from your lanai and yard.

Remove temporary windows from your lanai and lay them flat on the floor or store them in the garage.

Disconnect all hoses and store them inside.

Inside preparations to avoid leaks and reduce humidity:

Turn off the water supply to your unit/home.

Turn off and drain your water heater.

Close all drains and cover toilet bowls and tanks with plastic wrap.

Set your A/C to between 80 and 82 degrees, switch the fan from "auto" to "on", speed "low".

If you have ceiling fans, set one centrally located fan to low.

Unplug electronics and switch circuits off to major appliances to avoid power surges.

Food storage options:

Empty, clean and turn off the refrigerator and freezer and prop doors open. (This avoids returning to a moldy mess if power goes out because of a storm.)

or

Remove perishables. Store oils, spices and baking mixes in the refrigerator and nuts in the freezer to prolong freshness. Turn off ice maker but store a few ice cubes in a small air tight container in the freezer. If they have lost their shape when you return you know the power was out and all food should be disposed of.

Preparedness Plan Development

Hurricane Ian highlighted the need for a updated plan to coordinate services and improve communication with both ECC and local government. Michael Johnson has been formed a committee comprised of Kathy Combs, Bill Feeney and Martha Shepardson to develop a preparedness plan for our community.

FPL Utility Pole Replacement

Lewis Tree, a FPL subcontractor, has begun the removal of trees and sections of the hedge in preparation for utility pole replacement on the the West and North sides. FPL has scheduled the pole replacement to begin in July .

Perimeter Barrier Restoration

FPL must complete its pole replacement project before any work can begin on the perimeter barrier. The landscape committee is utilizing this time to obtain proposals and prepare a presentation of the costs and pros and cons of the various options to the membership and the Board for approval.

This hurricane recovery has been and still is a huge project with lots of moving interdependent parts. Options being considered include fence OR wall, fence AND wall, repairs OR replacement, repairs AND replacement.

It will take patience to get through this process but we will get through it together. Be assured your Board and the Landscape committee are working hard to present the best options.

Lock Your Doors

An intruder was reported in Southwind attempting to enter an occupied unit between 8:30 and 9pm on April 12th. Police we called and responded promptly, however, the perpetrator was not apprehended.

Between the damaged chainlink fence and the holes cut in the hedge access to our community from outside has been very easy. Lock all your doors! Don't leave sliders open at while away or at night. Be sure to lock service doors, golf cart doors and garage doors too.

Aerators and Lake Bank Restoration

Installation of 44 aerators is nearly complete with a few electrical connections still to be done. The aerators circulate water from the bottom to the surface increasing dissolved oxygen levels in the lake. This will help clean the water, improve the fish habitat and retard algae growth. Over time they will also decrease the amount of chemicals required to maintain water clarity and chemistry.

Hurricane debris has been removed from the lakes.

Restoration of the lake bank at Fairway Bend will begins this week with an estimated completion time of 8 to 10 weeks. Due to new requirements by the Village, this installation will be slightly different from Lost Creek with the addition of bag footers. This new requirement should result in improved appearance and performance.

In addition, the littoral plants along Lost Creek's lake bank have been replaced with a variety that the fish find less tasty. These littorals are an intricate part of the bank restoration providing camouflage for the restoration bags and stability for the soil as the water depth changes during the season.

Annual Maintenance Review

The annual maintenance review of homes along Vintage Trace was completed on March 31. Pegasus will notify homeowners directly of required repairs and maintenance issues. In recognition of the difficulty in scheduling work, homeowners will have 60 days to make repairs instead of the normal 14 days. In addition, as a consequence of the golf course renovation, owners needing to clean their roofs will have until 10/1/23 to comply.

Rails to Trails

The Rails to Trails Committee continues opposition to the bike rail trail bisecting our community. Jan Ferris connected me with Katiuska Carrillo from Gulf Shore Business magazine. She had written an article for the Friends of Bert and the committee wanted to interest her in the other side of the issue. The committee had a phone interview with her, then met her again at the lawyer info session held by the Lewis Rice Law Firm. The Lewis Rice Law Firm is interested in representing property owners for federal property claims. 

The committee invited the attorneys and Katiuska to come to the Vines and see it firsthand. The lawyers took a tour, asked questions and saw the issues. Then Katiuska visited and took photos. She appeared very sympathetic to the impacts here. Select the link below to read her article in Gulfshore Business Magazine.

Separately, Diana has been in contact with Gwen Salata, from FGCU digital magazine. We expect that she will also be doing a follow up soon. She was also at the lawyer info session.

Have You Noticed Something Missing?

Please, please send photos! Wildlife, flowers, scenery. All make interesting additions to the newsletter. Please send your photos to moultond19227@gmail.com

Do you want to know what is happening in Estero? Do you want to get involved? Click on the link below to learn more about Engage Estero and its mission and its impact on the development of Estero click on the link below.

Village of Estero

https://estero-fl.gov

Your Councilmember is

Jon McClain

mclain@estero-fl.gov

239-221-5035

Non-emergency police:

239-477-1200

Hurricane hotline:

877-769-3272

The Vines Community Association is managed by:

Pegasus Property Mgt.,

8840 Terrene Ct.

Bonita Springs, FL 34135

239-454-8568