November Update
This month was messy on all fronts. So I’ll just get right into it:
On Friday, November 3, CROA held interviews for a new project manager for the Playground Project. Four candidates were interviewed over a four-hour session. After some discussion, Vigilant Services was selected as the preferred project manager. Grand Manors was instructed to obtain a contract, which Vigilant agreed could occur by Wednesday, November 8.
On November 8, CROA held a workshop to discuss the evaluation results for Grand Manors. Cindy Swisher presented a slide deck showing results of the board evaluation that was proven in the meeting to be skewed and inaccurate with the source material. It did not match the facts of the raw data, but rather manipulated results. Throughout the meeting Ms. Swisher and Celia McFadden spent their speaking time defending Grand Manors negative performance aspects, rather than providing feedback of issues and areas of improvement as was the intent of the workshop (as stated specifically by Ms. Swisher.) At the end of the meeting, the board voted (4/2) to have Grand Manors determine their own performance improvement plan rather than the board provide them directives for improvement based on the board and resident survey feedback. Grand Manors will provide this plan by the November board meeting.
At the November 8 workshop, Ms. McFadden and Jared Wise (myself) both put their names in to replace Mr. Jim Hays (resigned board member) as the Technology Committee liaison. Ms. McFadden was selected in a 4/2 vote, based on the sole argument that she “knows the least about technology of anyone on the board.” At the same meeting, Charles Richards was appointed as CCDD liaison and Ms. Swisher was upheld as the CJC representative.
At the November 8 workshop, Mr. Wise (myself) explained that he attended the Technology Committee meeting in an effort to bring more information and direction regarding the recording and broadcasting of CROA meetings. Mr. Wise explained that there were multiple software updates necessary, some firmware updates required, and also a cable connectivity issue that was causing audio issues. Jose Otero confirmed that all of this had been corrected and updated. He also confirmed that meetings are set to record written transcripts as well now. Mr. Wise expressed his confidence in these updates, and recommended to allow meetings to continue with the Teams platform to test and evaluate accurate performance now that attention had been brought to the matter.
On November 9, Mr. Wise (myself) met with Lauren Gunnyon and Jeffrey Webb to discuss the playground contract next steps, and the importance of the order of the contracts for review. The recap of this meeting to the Board can be found here.
On Friday, November 10, CROA hosted a Founders Day event at Lakeside Park. This event was exceptionally attended, and residents seemed to really enjoy the concert and laser show, as well as the variety of offerings surrounding the show.
On Monday, November 13, Grand Manors notified the Board that an additional $27,000 for 2,000 more pounds of fill (on top of the $87,500 for 6,000lbs. already spent) was needed for the erosion issue at Spring Park Pool. No more information was provided other than this. Mr. Wise (myself) and Mr. Richards would not vote to approve the expense unanimously based on the lack of information available for the expenditure. Ms. Swisher attempted to call for an Emergency Meeting to approve this expense. Mr. Wise (myself) pointed out that this does not constitute an emergency meeting, per our bylaws and Florida Statute 720.316, and that it should be scheduled with due notice to the membership. Ms. McFadden then called for a Special Meeting, to which Mr. Wise seconded. Then, Ms. McFadden withdrew her request.
On November 13, Jeffrey Webb notified the Board that a draft contract would be available by 2pm. Mr. Wise (myself) expressed serious concern over Vigilant Services delays and conflicting information from previous discussions, as well as the fact that incorrect information was being shared with homeowners. Ms. Swisher insisted that we were proceeding regardless. This communication can be found here. Later that evening, a contract was delivered that was incomplete and incorrect. Additionally, the accompanying documents had errors, including wrong bid deadlines. Mr. Wise asked for clarification and corrective action. Mr. Wise also asked where the agreement between Grand Manors and CROA was, as it had also not yet been delivered as promised by Grand Manors.
On Thursday, November 16, Jared Wise (myself) resigned as the liaison for the Playground Project. The resignation e-mail can be found here. At the same time, I made the following public statement:
“In September, I was appointed as Board liaison for the Playground Project to get the projects back on track. I have consistently held vendors accountable and challenged management to keep the project on track and as a priority. Through much pushback, I have held public meetings and at the very least made the realities of the status of the project visible to homeowners.
In fact, the report I issued in this week’s [11/13] Monday Matters was based on incorrect information I was provided by Grand Manors. The truth is, two weeks after the fact, we still do not currently have a contract with the new project manager (over a week now). And RFP’s were NOT issued last week for bid. There has also been no proactive follow-up from CROA attorney Slaten & Associates regarding the lien placed on our playground properties, even with me repeatedly requesting updates. Grand Manors continues to drop the ball and act irresponsibly on what is arguably the most important project currently in town.
Recently, the majority of the Board has decided to stop supporting my recommendations that protect CROA from legal exposure and contract deficiencies. Cindy Swisher and David Anderson are actively blocking my forward-moving recommendations as liaison (and the sole individual who has been actively trying to hand-hold the project forward since June). And what’s worse, their pushback and intentional disregard for my action plan and demand for accountability seems to be based on the fact that I personally made the recommendation, rather than the evidentiary facts presented to them.
The playgrounds are approaching their 20th month under Grand Manors supervising their rebuild. I cannot participate further in the reckless and irresponsible direction that the Board continues to pursue with regard to the playgrounds. I believe we should be holding those accountable for their actions and words (such as deadlines, schedules, etc.), but instead we are handing the reins over to those who have proven inept on this project time and time again. It is because of this that I resigned my position as liaison for the playground project today. I am not leaving the Board, and will remain in my current Director position and other liaison roles.”
On Friday, November 17, Jeffrey Webb informed the Board that Ms. Swisher signed (thereby executing) the Vigilant Services contract. At no point was there a review by the Board, a discussion by the Board, or a vote by the Board to approve this contract. This was a direct and blatant violation of CROA Bylaws section 3.22, with which both Ms. Swisher and Grand Manors leadership are aware of. Mr. Wise (myself) called twice for a Special Meeting to address this irresponsible action as well as discuss the contract issues, however this was never seconded, and therefore was not scheduled.
The Dog Park Committee was held on Tuesday, November 21st with the following highlights:
The recap of the Training Workshops were that the events were successful. There was a small dog park and large dog park training workshop with a trainer answering questions and engaging with dogs in a hands-on session. It was well attended at both parks for both days. Training was well-received by residents. There is interest in having another training workshop soon. This will be discussed in the future.
Committee Chair Taylor Bentzoni asked about discontinuing the use of Roundup at the dog parks. Brayan Senquis said that the active ingredient is the same in almost every product, and so that makes it difficult to use a different product. Taylor made a motion to stop the use of Roundup in the dog park. It passed unanimously.
Jared Wise requested Brayan to request an updated timeline on the rock delivery and installation, as well as a proposed new chemical that is pet-friendly, with a MSDS sent to the board for review.
The Pups & Pints event will take place on January 20th. The next meeting will be January 16th at 4pm.
On Tuesday, November 21, the Master Plan Advisory Group (MPAG) met and planned next steps for amenity research and community surveys. They will be touring all parks and amenities in December, to have a first-hand perspective of the CROA spaces in their purview. Their next meeting will be Tuesday, January 9.
On Wednesday, November 29, 2023, many topics were discussed, and I encourage residents to watch the video for all the details. Here are some notable actions that took place at the November Board Meeting:
There was a motion by Mr. Wise (myself) seconded by Mr. Richards to approve Community Group Definitions, Designations and usage fees recommendation by the Parks and Recreation Committee. The Recreation Committee revised the community group definitions to ensure there is no confusion when organizations register through Town Hall. Requirements have been assigned to each group, ensuring every organization is held accountable. A usage fee has been included for all community groups to ensure there is equity across the board as there is limited space available in CROA owned spaces. Dr. Anderson claimed that the Celebration Foundation deserved its own special category in order to give them priority to over other groups. Mr. Richards pointed out that Dr. Anderson was violation the code of conduct by showing preferred treatment to one group (specifically: Objectivity. Each Board member shall act impartially and not give preferential treatment to any one group, organization, business or individual. Each Board member must disclose to the Board of Directors any agreement, understanding, or special arrangement which he/she has with any person, business or organization regarding any particular matter that concerns any Board activity or item that the Board is considering.) The vote to pass failed 2/3/1 (with Ms. McFadden abstaining.) There will be an upcoming workshop on December 12 to discuss the group definitions recommended by the Recreation committee in December.
There was a motion to ratify the contract for Vigilant as the third-party Project Manager on behalf of CROA, however Mr. Wise (myself) pointed out significant missing or conflicting terms of the contract (such as the scope of work was not referenced in the contract anywhere, payment terms were unclear, and Liability and Dispute Resolution were unacceptable, among others.) Mr. Wise also asked if the contract was reviewed by CROA’s attorney, and management confirmed it had not been reviewed by legal. The board voted to table the contract until proper due diligence occurs.
With regard to the playgrounds, Mr. Richards asked if a new board liaison should be appointed. Ms. McFadden stated that new management employee Jeffrey Webb would fulfill that role. The motion to select the contractor to complete the playgrounds was tabled as the not-yet-contracted project management firm, Vigilant Services, asked to extend the deadline to get more proposals. Jeffrey Webb stated there are currently two proposals submitted properly and within deadline, and one more in the process of being written.
With regard to the agenda item to change Island Village operating hours, Grand Manors recommended changing the operating hours to 24/7 pursuant to the CROA Board agreement with Street Lights Residential. However, at the meeting, Executive Director Lauren Gunnyon contradicted this recommendation, stating she would not recommend the board vote to do this. Mr. Wise (myself) questioned this conflict of advice. Mr. Wise also asked asked for the a copy of the agreement, with Lauren Gunnyon stating she would look into getting it. The motion was tabled.
There was a motion to approve $196,698.14 for community-wide keycard access upgrade as recommended by the Technology Committee. The Technology Committee and GrandManors IT have partnered with Protech security to evaluate three products that can replace our current system. The decision to go with Protech Security is based on the work done at Island Village which was to standard. However Mr. Wise (myself) asked why three competitive bids (per standard operating procedures, and Grand Manors contract requirement [section5.3.3.1]) were not obtained. The Technology Committee chair, as well as Jose Otero (IT Director) and Lauren Gunnyon (Executive Director) said they understood this request and could get the two other bids. Dr. Anderson said the bid we have is acceptable (with no documentation to base this on), and the vote passed 4/2 with Mr. Wise and Mr. Richards voting against proceeding without three competitive bids.
At 8:37pm, Dr. Anderson stated he was “physically exhausted” and had to leave, so he asked two additional questions of Grand Manors for them to answer later, and then left 4 minutes later.
I’m out of encouraging words to end my monthly updates. Cindy Swishers reckless need to sign contracts that aren’t reviewed or even voted on) is beyond my comprehension of responsible thinking or professional leadership. I have no words for the irresponsible and dangerous actions Cindy Swisher, David Anderson, Celia McFadden, and Bill Grindl took this month. Further, Grand Manors allowing these things to happen under their alleged professional experience, and in doing so violating their contractual terms, is unfathomable.
All I can say is that I hope next month is better.