It was among the better attended homeowners meetings, certainly the best ever hosted by a committee.
At the Club on Tuesday afternoon, Marsh Creek board member and Safety and Security Chairman Scott Herrington deftly walked 100 or so residents through a pair of minefields: the issue of speeding, and the fate of the Mizell Guard Gate. He served notice that residents will soon need to make potentially costly decisions on both.
SPEEDING
“I’ve lived here for 25 years, and it’s gotten worse and worse”, said Sharon Mirzai, echoing other attendees voicing frustration at drivers who, as one said. use the community as though it were a racetrack.
“We have to jump off the road constantly, we fear for our lives”, one shouted, joining in on behalf of Marsh Creek’s sizeable contingent of street walkers.
In his opening remarks, Herrington noted that the most recent community survey identified speeding as “the most pressing issue“. However, he added that “speed depends on where you live”. Essentially, he made the point that the sin of speeding usually happens on the main roads, not the side streets.
Facts: There are 664 Marsh Creek homes, 600 non-resident club members, and a multitude of contractors, resulting in 2243 cars on average coming through Marsh Creek gates and down its streets daily.
Herrington laid out steps already taken and the options that may come.
- New stop signs were installed, and others re-positioned, in a bid to address the most dangerous intersections, with potentially more on the way.
- The committee is considering asking the SJC Sheriffs Department to initiate “presence” patrols inside the gates as a deterrent to speeders. However, Herrington pointed out that to go the next step and hire deputies to establish radar traps and ticket would require Marsh Creek to change all its road signs at a cost of about $50,000. Deputies, he said, cannot currently write tickets in Marsh Creek because MC signage does not conform to FDOT standards.
- To install speed bumps/humps, there would be an estimated price tag of $2500-5000 each, an option that drew some fire for the cost, the potential negative impact on property values, and the fear of hampering first responders in an emergency.
- The more benign choice of investing in flashing Radar Speed Signs would cost $3000 per fixed sign or $9000 for the mobile trailer version.
The committee and the board plan to reach out to the community with recommended options.
The Fate of the Mizell Gate
The background here is that the Garda security contact expires at the end of this year, and Herrington reported the company is seeking a hefty contract increase to cover rising costs. He said that Garda claims it is unable to recruit security guards at the current minimum wage. There is also need for a new patrol car, the cost of which ($1380/month) Marsh Creek would be contractually obligated to cover.
This year, the Garda security contract costs $520,000, or 47% of the MCOA budget. If the company’s contract demands are met, that line item would surpass $600,000 next year, according to Treasurer Ken Gentile, who said dues were nonetheless expected to rise by $20 to $25 per quarter next year.
One option to drive down the cost, explained Herrington, would be to reduce manned hours or eliminate the Mizell Gate entrance for visitors. Essentially, this would leave the gate un-staffed, either through the overnight hours, or permanently, rerouting visitors to the Main Gate. Residents would still use the automated gate at both entrances. The change, said Herrington, would affect “5 cars on average” between 11pm to 7am. The benefit, he said, would be a saving of “a couple of hundred thousand” dollars.
Herrington raised another potential option: transforming the Mizell entrance into a virtual gate controlled with cameras and microphones by the security guard in the Main Gate. He said he has investigated a similar operation at the King and Bear community and found it to be “a good system” and reported that “many others have enjoyed success with this”.
This last option drew pushback from some who said they would worry about intruders.
The Safety and Security Committee and the Board will come to the community with a recommendation for 2023.
Where in the world are you shopping for speed bumps ?
Take a look in the ULINE catalog out of Altanta pgs 720 , deluxe rubber. They do not cost over $220. each
Thank you all for your observations and opinions. All have merit and I got some excellent suggestions at the meeting and in these responses that will help as we consider our options in addressing these challenging issues. Ultimately, the community will indicate their desires, and the BOD will apply them as best we can while adhering to the regulations dictated by our founding documents and By-Laws. Any HOA member can attend any of our monthly committee meetings, as well as the HOA Board of Directors meeting, and ask questions on these issues. I welcome anyone at our safety and security committee meetings, the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 10:00am in the ladies card room at the club.
The club does pay a certain amount to the HOA, but questions on how much and how it is applied would best be directed to the Finance Committee. As you consider the clubs role in our association, remember please that over and above what the club pays, they allow us to use their facility multiple times every month for committee meetings (like Tuesdays with many in attendance), for the BOD meetings every month, and for the large end of year HOA membership meeting. All at no charge. This represents a significant cost savings vs. having to pay a fee to use space for all these events. The club also adds a significant value to our community, having a positive impact on our home values. GM Mary Clair, and Membership Director Marianne, have always been responsive and helpful with any issue addressed to them. Its a collaborative relationship and I am thankful for their cooperation and support.
We are, as a committee and a BOD, researching alternatives to our current SOP at the back gate. We recognize that what we do there will also have an impact on the residents that live near the front gate, and always consider that in our thinking. From a fiscal perspective, we cannot continue to operate the way we are without fairly significant cost increases going foreword. Closing the back gate to visitors overnight is one option that will help in 2023, but may not be able to recoup enough to offset cost increases in following years. Converting the back gate to a hybrid model that puts a patrol supervisor there when necessary, but operates with a virtual guard (the guard working at the front gate via cameras, screen and voice contact) for guests and vendors, allowing the gate to remain fully functional 24/7 is another option, one that offers a more significant reduction in yearly costs. In either case, the gate will NEVER be left open, as was brought up at the meeting, and residents with bar codes will ALLWAYS be able to access the community through that gate. I look forward to hearing the opinions of our residents as to what they want.
Does the club (ClubCorp) share any of the costs of security personnel and maintaining the gates? If not, why? Surely, the security the gates provide adds value to their membership. Also, the beautiful entrance landscaping, maintained throughout the community, by the HOA, lends itself to the private feel of this club and again, adds value. So in effect we, the HOA, pay to beautify this club. If they do pay, someone please educate me. If they do not, then I ask again, why?
Thanks, Brian for this summary; very helpful for those residents that were not able to attend in person. As a resident, I would definitely like to see more of this type of constructive discussion relating to other community issues. Kudos to the Safety and Security Commitee for facilitating this very well atteneded forum.
Excellent recap, Brian!
cheers, M
Speeding on main roads is where most pedestrians are walking and running or bike riding not dead end roads.I live on main road for 30 years how i haven,t been t boned pulling out on lakeway i dont know.
The back gate should be closed permanently between 11 PM and 7 AM with no access. Emergency vehicle companies in our area should be given an access code at night if possible. Land in the front of marsh Creek is still not sold and off of our books it’s been too many years with no decision in a costly mistake by marsh Creek. And camera systems have come down nationwide and Many homeowner associations use multiple types ,we should be able to have exact camera systems presented to the members and homeowners in Marshcreek.
Venders that have yearly contracts to mow lawns in Marshcreek or handle pools should be given vender access, automatic access to Marshcreek to speed traffic at the gates. Signs that flashed at speeders would be enough.
Thanks for giving a timely and concise summary of importance to most residents. The audience participation was helpful and covered a wide variety of observations and suggestions. This was a wonderful example of how an HOA should interface with its residents.