April 29, 2020:
Landscaping Issues Which Impact Security and Costs to the HOA and homeowners:
The following is a transcript of Arthur Andelson’s comments during the First Residents’ Input Session at the March 4, 2020 Board of Directors Meeting and Board President Marion Weil’s comment directly thereafter. Arthur's comments were regarding the failure of the Board to negotiate landcaping issues. The items on that Agenda included tree removal on Landon Circle and ficus replacements in various locations. This matter is now interwoven with security issues, and is also interwoven with the fact that homeowners are on the hook for additional costs to adequately secure their homes and the community with sufficient hedging to deter unlawful entry.
“Arthur Andelson, Landon Circle:
New Business Items 4, 5, and 6 totaling 61,702 dollars in additional payments to Palm Beach Broward Landscaping.
Before voting on these items I want to know is there a predetermined price breakdown in our contract with Palm Beach Broward Landscaping for these special assignments.
This price breakdown should be discounted because they are already here in our community with their workers and machinery.
They are supposed to maintain our landscaping by irrigating, grooming, and hopefully fertilizing our plants to keep them healthy.
For example, ficuses should be fertilized once a month during the growing season from spring to fall using either a fertilizer called 10-10-10 or an 8-8-8, diluted 50 percent.
Technically what is going on here is that the way the Board is doing business on behalf of our community is that you are rewarding them for not doing their job.
I don’t know if they are doing the required fertilizing because the items you have on the Agenda strongly suggest that they are not, otherwise why would they even be on the Agenda.
If there is no predetermined price breakdown in the contract, there should be an addendum to the contract by adding a Schedule A and negotiating these types of known issues in advance.
A sample Schedule A would list the following items with detailed descriptions and prices.
Tree removal categories should have listed amounts. There should be a Large tree definition and cost including a bundle rate if there is more than one tree involved at the same time. This template would be the same for Medium and Small trees. There would be a separate cost for the root ball.
There would be a Palm Tree category.
There would be a Bush category.
There would be a cost breakdown for plant replacement.
The cost of the plant should be no more than 10 percent above their cost.
There would be a spraying category.
There would be a tree trimming category.
There would be a sod replacement category.
And the labor cost of replacement should be broken down by the size of the container holding the plant or plants with bundle rates.
Why hasn’t this been properly negotiated with this major vendor which has a million-dollar contract with us?
Also, ficus are known to be hardy and full. If they were properly maintained from the get-go, there would not be a need for these types of additional expenses because they have been allowed to grow unmanaged.
Marion: ok, thank you everybody. Approval of Minutes, Linda.”