The Vines Community Association Newsletter

Issue #142, February 4, 2024

Board News

Board Meeting

The next Board meeting will be held on Monday,

*February 25,2024 at 9am at Estero Country Club and via Zoom. The Zoom link will be emailed to you the Friday before by Pegasus.

*Correction to VCA Board Meeting date from January newsletter

A Friendly Reminder

As our neighbors return from their northern homes, it is a good time for all of us to review our Community documents. Whether you live on Vintage Trace or in one of The Vines communities there are rules and regulations which must be followed to provide quality of community lifestyle and safety.

Guidelines for commercial trailers, dumpsters, etc. on residential properties are outlined in the VCA Rules and Regulations Section 12. Also, see Section 19. No commercial advertising or signage other than approved for sales signs are allowed on residential properties.

VCA Rules and Regulations

Financial Statements

Due to a personnel change at Pegasus the monthly and end of year financials are still in the process of being finalized. When our financials are complete and approved, they will be posted on the Pegasus Web Portal.

Work is continuing on the reserve study being performed with Association Reserves. All parties are working through questions and answers. Plans are being formulated to ensure our reserves are adequately funded.

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.

Pegasus Web Portal

Architectural Review Committee

At the February 25, 2024 VCA Board meeting, the ARC will be presenting a new color palette. 37 of 100 Vintage Trace residents responded with their opinions and the committee used those responses and advice from a Sherwin Williams consultant to develop the color palette.

Modifications requiring an ARC Form (available on VCA website) and prior approval include but are not limited to:landscaping, exterior painting, lanai screening, lighting, roof replacement, storm shutters, tree removal and window replacement.

ARC forms should be sent to Vangi Sidoti at Pegasus Management. [email protected] per Rules and Regulations (Section 14).

Rick Knox, Chair of ARC, has committed to a timely review of all submissions in the ARC application process and will, if necessary, meet to discuss all submissions with the homeowner and resolve any issues.

Lake Bank Restoration

The VCA and Estero Country Club are continuing the lake bank restoration project at Southwind, Grand Palm and Hole #7 at ECC.

Grand Palm lake bank restoration

Estero Country Club, Hole #7 lake bank restoration

FPL Pole Replacement

The initial pole replacement project is complete. However, the Country notified us that more poles need to be replaced along the front section of The Vines. This portion of the project should take 2-3 weeks.There is no definite start date at this time.

Traffic on Vintage Trace Circle and in the neighborhoods

Please review the parking regulations for Vintage Trace Circle and for your community. (VCA Rules and Regulations Section 12 (D8.7) Caution is urged to protect vehicles, pedestrians and bikers. There are ongoing home renovations, roofing projects, etc. All of those trucks and equipment along with the usual commercial traffic make travel to and from U.S.41 hazardous. Please slow down to 23 MPH and give plenty of room to all using our roads. Pedestrians and bikers, please move to single file to allow cars, carts and commerical vehicles to pass safely.

Striping and road repairs have been completed. Vehicle and pedestrian travelers should expect a smoother and safer experience.

See the VCA Rules and Regulations

Perimeter Barrier Replacement

The fence repair is complete. Hedge replacement is on going.

Two companies, Permacast and Heatherwood, presented their proposals for a perimeter wall. After the presentations, many questions arose and must be considered. There will be an informational e-mail within the next 10 days with some options for residents to consider and choose. Please read the e-mail carefully, print it out and return your response to the ECC office where there will be a box for five days. Your input will be used to help the VCA Board make decisions on what the final project will look like.

Irrigation Project

We have on-going irrigation issues and repairs. The planned irrigation project will probably happen sooner than later. Repairs are costly and temporary.

Lake Water Quality

Recognizing that the aeration of the lakes has been a huge success, there is an on-going issue with the Silver Oaks lake. Due to that area's configuration, the motors used to run the aerators must be placed close to homes causing an unacceptable level of noise for residents. Work is on-going to resolve the problem.

The VCA has approved a plan for ECC to monitor the weir and lake levels. Data will be collected and analyzed to see if opening and closing the weir makes a difference in lake water retention.

Security Issues

ATTENTION: When entering or exiting Nuthatch Lane, please do not pull too close to the barriers or, not wait for the car in front of you to go through the gate. Both of these actions cause the electronic eye to malfunction rendering the gates unusable.

Please be sure that you follow the regulations for allowing vendors on property.(VCA Rules and Regulations Section 7 - C).The guidelines are clear about the hours vendors can be on premise, parking requirements, equipment on site, etc. Please do not put our Security personnel in the position of denying access or inconveniencing you, your neighbors or your vendor.

If you see a security issue that needs police attention, call 911 or the Lee County Sheriff at 239-477-1200 or 1000. DO NOT CALL THE FRONT GATE! Gate security personnel cannot report to the police something they did not see themselves.

Rails to Trails

Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages and click the “like” button on our posts.

Activity on the Rails to Trails project seems to be off the radar. The Village of Estero has an extremely large agenda, with hurricane Ian recovery and multiple large projects taking precedence. Of interest, bicycle and pedestrian improvements at Estero on the River, Sandy Lane/Broadway Avenue East, Williams and Corkscrew Roads are in the works.

Safe Trails Facebook Page

Safe Trails on Instagram

Community Relations

Contacts with representatives from Walmart, Tyson Eye, Mister Car and the Health Center are continuing. Hopefully, this will result in smoother interactions and enhancements to the areas immediately surrounding The Vines, to the benefit of all involved. Contact with an Osprey Cove representative is in the works.

Our hurricane preparedness plan has been reviewed and updated. The plan should be available on The Vines or Pegasus websites in the near future.

There are many Estero/Lee County government meetings held at various times and sites. If you have an interest or specific expertise in community affairs and would like to help out with attending these meetings, please volunteer to do so. There are links attached to Village of Estero and Engage Estero below that provide topics/dates/locations for meetings. If you attend any meetings, please share the information by contacting Mike Johnson at [email protected].

Eagle activity at Estero Country Club #2. Thank you Jerry Yeager

Help make the newsletter interesting! Send your photos to [email protected]

Estero News

Estero Village has it's own eagle family.

A pair of bald eagles have made their home in the tallest tree at the Estero on the River property since 2022. They have been spotted with at least one eaglet (left center).

Visit our Website

Village of Estero Meetings - for meeting agendas please go to Village of Estero Website (link above)

Council Meetings - open to public. Meetings start at 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday, February 7 and 20

March 6 and 20

Planning, Zoning and Design Board meetings - open to public. Meetings start at 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 13 and March 12

Items of interest at Village of Estero meetings:

Mixed use project on 7-acre vacant lot of Arcos Avenue (storage,hotel, retail/restaurant, medical offices)
Private pre-school off Three Oaks Parkway at corner of Quente Way and Arcos Avenue.
Re-zone of 21.4 acre parcel on Corkscrw and Sandy Lane for 171 unit townhome community