Good Afternoon and Happy Friday Celebration Residents;
As many of you are aware, the petition for a referendum vote regarding the Board’s April 27, 2023, approval of the Lot D project was submitted to Town Hall on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
Verification of signatures and ownership was completed by Town Hall and CROA legal counsel yesterday. For the petition to be successful and initiate a community vote, signatures needed to be gathered from 8% of the membership in good standing. After review, there were a sufficient number of valid signatures to meet the 8% threshold and trigger a referendum. A referendum is a direct vote of the Owners. Pursuant to section 4.3(c) of the Celebration Residential Owners Association Charter, ballots must be sent out 30 days after receipt of a petition with the requisite number of signatures.
The Board of Directors has established that polls will open on TUESDAY, MAY 30, 2023, and close on MONDAY, JUNE 12, 2023, at 5:30 PM. All ballots must be received no later than 5:30 PM on MONDAY, JUNE 12, 2023. Any ballots received after this date and time will not be counted. You may only vote once per unit owned. You have the option of casting your vote online via Simply Voting or by completing a paper ballot and submitting by U.S. Mail or placing it in the ballot box located at Town Hall. You may choose to vote by a paper ballot or electronically. Out of consideration for the residents who tabulate the paper ballots, it is highly encouraged that you cast your ballot electronically. If you cast a ballot both a paper and electronic ballot, the electronic ballot will be the one counted, not the paper ballot.
This community vote will be held in a similar manner to CROA Board elections. However, there are some slight differences. The referendum requires two things to be successful:
- At least 10% (453) must vote in favor of the referendum. Anything less than 453 votes in favor of the referendum means it fails.
- A majority of all votes cast must vote in favor of the referendum. If 1,000 members vote, then at least 501 must vote in favor of
the referendum.
For the purposes of this vote, you will be voting yes or no to the referendum. The referendum is specifically addressing originally numbered Action Item B-16 from
the CROA Board April 27, 2023, Board Meeting which stated:
Motion to approve one of the three Poli bid options to develop Lot D in the civic corridor: Original Scope Bid to address water management and necessary fill on the whole lot, build a 50-space parking lot, build 8 pickleball courts with lighting and seating, make the west end of the lot pad ready with sod to accommodate overflow parking and/or open field play, and move the entrance gate to accommodate keycard entry in the amount of $1,994,461 – CROA Capital Improvement Fund
Reduced Scope Option 1 Bid to address water management and necessary fill on the whole lot, build 8 pickleball courts with no lighting or seating, make the west end of the lot pad ready with sod to accommodate overflow parking and/or open field play, and move the entrance gate to accommodate keycard entry in the amount of $1,458,405 – CROA Capital Improvement Fund
Reduced Scope Option 2 Bid to develop the whole lot, address water management and necessary fill on the whole lot, build 8 pickleball courts, and move the entrance gate to accommodate keycard entry in the amount of $1,332,515 – CROA Capital Improvement Fund
The motion that was approved by a 4 to 3 vote at the meeting was a modification of the above and was as follows:
Motion to approve Poli Reduced Scope Option 1 Bid to address water management and necessary fill on the whole lot, build 8 pickleball courts with lighting but no furnishings, make the west end of the lot pad ready with sod to accommodate overflow parking and/or open field play, and move the entrance gate to accommodate keycard entry in the amount of $1,606,840.00* – CROA Capital Improvement Fund.
*After the meeting, upon review of the numbers, it was discovered that the actual cost was $1,536,855.00 as the math done during the meeting was counting the electrical wiring and conduit twice.
A YES vote for the referendum means you wish to overturn the April 27, 2023, CROA Board vote to fund the Lot D project from the CROA Capital Improvement Fund. This would end the Lot D project as it is currently proposed and would prevent any substantially similar projects from moving forward for a 1-year period.
A NO vote for the referendum means you wish to uphold the April 27, 2023, CROA Board vote to fund the Lot D project from the CROA Capital Improvement Fund. The Board will sign a contract with Poli to complete this project. Calic would remain as the Owner’s representative to ensure the project is completed appropriately, timely, and on budget. Poli would set up construction fencing around Lot D and commence work.
For a review of the Lot D project presentation and the full financial breakdown, please click here. A summary is below:
Lot D has a developable area of approximately 1.96 acres and is supported by an existing pond and existing pipe as a connection point for future development.
The project as approved on April 27th includes:
- Fully clearing and grading all 1.96 acres of the lot
- Addressing water management
- Ensuring the entirety of the lot is pad ready so it is prepped for anything else that is approved for construction on the lot
- Constructing 8 pickleball courts with fencing and lighting but no furnishings (benches, shade structures, etc.)
- Installing sod on the West end of the lot so it can be used for open field play
- Installing irrigation for the landscaping around the courts
and for the sod on the West end of the lot
The cost attributable to clearing, grading, water management and movement of an electrical distribution box, (all required no matter what you put on the lot) is $952,469.00.
The cost attributable to the 8 pickleball courts, their fencing, and lights is $413,096.00.
The cost attributable to installing sod and irrigation on the West end of the lot and moving the entrance gate to allow for keycard access is $61,485.00.
Sidewalk movement and pavement work costs are: $109,805.00.
If you have questions about the referendum process or the Lot D Project, please contact Town Hall at TownHall@ciramail.com or 407-506-1200 or
contact the CROA Board via email at CROABoard@townhall.celebration.fl.us.
Sincerely,
Lauren
Gunnyon
Executive Director