The Walden Lake Community Association Board of Directors voted Oct. 20, to enter into a contract with a new management company for 2015.
The motion was to negotiate a contract with Greenacre Properties Inc. Five board members, including President Jim Chancey, voted in favor of the motion. Three board members voted against it, preferring to continue management under longtime management company Associa.
A final contract with Greenacre has not been agreed upon yet, so many details are unclear.
The change in management companies will affect the four employees who work in Walden Lake. Under Greenacre, three of them — administrative assistant Bette Guarino, community administrator Marlene Merrin and grounds technician Larry Evans — could be employees of the association but paid under Greenacre’s federal identification number. Chancey said until the contract is set and signed, it is unclear what will happen to the employees.
They could be trained by Greenacre and undergo a 90- to 120-day evaluation. If Greenacre managers notice only “gaps” in the employees’ performance, they will bring their concerns to the board. Otherwise, the board will have minimal involvement in disciplining and training the employees.
But, it is certain Lee Weiss will no longer be Walden Lake’s on-site property manager after the new contract is signed. Greenacre will screen its available property managers and allow the WLCA board to meet and interview three potential candidates from which to choose.
“I do not see any current Associa managers as a candidate,” Chancey said.
Employees from Greenacre and Associa met with the board at a special workshop Oct. 15, to answer the board’s questions before Monday’s vote.
“We have experience; we have technology; we have a willingness, and we would love to be your management here and be a part of this,” Greenacre CEO Jeffrey Greenacre said at the workshop.
The company, headquartered in Tampa, will be celebrating its 40th year of business this fall. It manages about 60,000 homes belonging to about 140 associations, all of which are in Florida. Walden Lake will be one of its largest communities.
Some board members who voted in favor of a contract with Greenacre lauded the company for its status as a debt-free, family-owned business.
LANDSCAPING
The board also discussed its contract with Complete Landcare at its October meeting.
WLCA has been in contract with Complete Landcare for about 10 years. Eddie Evans, vice president and director of operations for Complete Landcare, attended the meeting.
“Our guys know the property inside and out,” Evans said.
The landscaper is responsible for the annuals at each of the community’s five entrances. If the association had not extended the contract and attempted to maintain those plants independently, the cost would have reached about $29,000. Evans offered to absorb those expenses, as well as take off $1,000 of maintenance charges per month, if the contract was extended.
The board voted unanimously to extend the contract with Complete Landcare.
Another topic of discussion regarding landscaping was a row of wax myrtles that block the view of a white fence on the outside of the east entrance from Charlie Griffin Road. The board voted to replace the wax myrtles with viburnums.
“The viburnums are a much better-looking plant than the wax myrtles ever were,” said board member Jan Griffin, who offered the Landscape Committee report.
Without any plants in that location, the fence would be exposed, and Chancey said there have been problems of people painting graffiti on it.
Evans said the labor cost for replacing the plants would be $375. He charges $10 more per viburnum than his company paid for them, which, in this case, will cost the association $25 per plant. The project requires 375 viburnums, so the total cost will be $9,750.
The motion for this project passed with six approving votes. Terry Murphy was one of the two board members who voted against it.
“I just feel that that $10,000 could go a lot further in other areas of the community,” Murphy said.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.