This page contains details on the following list of issues affecting our neighborhood and my proposed solutions for each.
- Quorum & Elections
- Landscaping
- Vendor Accountability
- Communication with Homeowners
- Addressing Your Concerns
Quorum & Elections
DID YOU KNOW – IN OUR MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS AS A COMMUNITY, OUR ANNUAL MEETING HAS ONLY MET “QUORUM” A FEW TIMES – AND NONE OF THOSE WERE IN RECENT YEARS?
A quorum (defined as the minimum number of required voting homeowners) is met per NewHaven’s By-Laws when 30% of homeowners vote in an election. That is, a minimum of 152 of our 505 homeowners need to cast a vote. Yet, last year, only 126 (25%)* of our fellow homeowners voted. Close, but not enough.
When we do not reach quorum, the Board of Directors is forced to self-organize, and does not have to use the community votes to form the board by selecting who stays on, or if any new incoming candidates are chosen.
On April 12, 2023, the NewHaven HOA will hold its annual meeting where two board of directors’ seats will come up for re-election.
Please do your part and make your voice heard through voting by Proxy (mail), or BETTER STILL please come and vote in-person at the Annual Meeting on April 12, 2023 at the South Community Center of NewHaven at 6:30 pm – located at: 147 Poinciana Drive, Jupiter, FL 33458.
* The vote count of 126 was a figure presented during the board meeting, as heard by Darius Liktorius, and may not be the actual, true number of votes cast.
Landscaping
NewHaven is was a gorgeous neighborhood when my family and I moved here in 2014. The primary ‘gripe’ I hear from most of my fellow neighbors re: NewHaven is the continually degrading appearance of the Landscaping (grass/lawns, bushes, shrubs, etc.).
You may have heard numerous explanations or reasons for the state of the landscaping, the primary one provided by our HOA board and by the current landscaping company being:
- The shade from the Oak trees is preventing the grass from thriving
While too much shade does not benefit the St. Augustine / Floratam type of grass present within NewHaven, it alone is not the only or primary cause for the condition of the grass. In fact, there are areas in our neighborhood where the grass is completely covered by shade for most of the day, yet is flourishing.
I grew up in Fort Lauderdale and my childhood home had the same type of grass, growing under two Oak trees in great condition because it was allowed to grow longer, was watered properly, fertilized, wasn’t mowed improperly, and always had leaves picked up. In summary, it was cared for.
The following are additional and fundamental causes why our grass/lawns appear the way they do:
- Problem: Grass Height & Mowing
Per the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, our grass “should be mowed to a height of 3.5–4 inches”, but our landscaping company is mowing our grass down to an average of 2-2.5″ and even shorter in certain areas because of the uneven surfaces caused by roots from the Oak trees, curbs, etc. This fact was communicated to the landscaper, but our current landscaping company dismissed this recommendation from UF/IFAS as being the “deck height” of the mower (vs the actual height of the blade of grass itself).
Additionally, our current landscaper has been known to carelessly mow the grass. For example, on the regularly scheduled day of the week (e.g. Monday) immediately following a heavy rain, they still mow the grass. The soaking wet soil and turf then becomes ‘injured’ and destroyed by the “ride-on” mower equipment because of the weight and sharp, in-place turns. They are also careless in their operation of the mowers. They have even damaged curbs, water meter covers, etc.
Solution: Insist on the grass being mowed at the height recommended by the experts, at a time when the soil is not soaking wet, and to do so with care and consideration for the grass and homeowners’ property. If this continues to remain a problem, consider sourcing a new landscaping vendor. - Problem: Leaves
Each year, the “leaf drops” from the Oak trees cover our yards full of leaves. This leaf coverage on the lawn is blocking out sun exposure even more-so than when the trees overhead are providing shade, as virtually no sun reaches the grass, regardless of angle/time-of-day. In addition to the leaves dropped directly onto our lawns, our present landscaping vendor is ‘blowing’ any and all leaves from the sidewalks, streets and allies onto our yards. Corner homeowners are affected even more, as leaves are blown ‘down the street’ (or ally) and collectively blown into the corner homeowners’ yards.
Additionally, our beds (under the trees and under shrubs/bushes), are not sufficiently raked and prepped prior to the application of mulch.
Solution: Our landscaping vendor should be required to (and NewHaven budget for) consistent and timely picking up of the leaves (not blowing them onto our yards), regardless of the time of year, or how many leaves have dropped since the landscaper’s prior week visit. Beds should be raked of leaves and properly prepped before mulching. Occasional raking of lawns should also be undertaken vs just ‘blowing’ leaves on or off of them. - Problem: Irrigation / Watering
Per the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural sciences, watering our grass:
1. Should “take 30 to 45 minutes to apply the correct amount of water through [our] irrigation system”, but our watering schedule never exceeds a ~20 minute duration.
2. “When rainfall is adequate to meet plant needs, supplemental irrigation systems should be turned off.”, but there is no rain sensor/gauge built into the irrigation system, so watering is taking place regardless of rainfall. During the rainy seasons, this “Overwatering will harm long-term turf health because it greatly increases disease susceptibility and thatch buildup and leads to a shorter root system, which reduces the turf’s overall stress tolerance and ability to survive with less water. Additionally, overwatering promotes the growth of certain weed species such as dollarweed and sedges.”
Additionally, the ‘coverage’ by our irrigation system is inconsistent; with some areas receiving too much water, while others are receiving insufficient amounts. As an example, our irrigation vendor recently came by adjusting the sprinkler heads and I was hoping for a better result, but instead of replacing the sprinkler head to one with a more optimal pattern, they simply adjusted it to spray as much water as possible. They did not even notice or consider that their adjustment caused the majority of the water to over-shoot the grass, missing most of it, while soaking my (then parked) car with water. I did not realize this until I walked up to my car the next day to discover water spots all over it.
Also, our irrigation source comes from nearby lake/detention bodies of water, and it has been mentioned the amount of water NewHaven is using from the permitted quota is a fraction of what we are entitled to be using.
Lastly, the Oak tree roots have damaged several ‘main’ irrigation supply lines leading to massive losses of water from the aforementioned quota. There should be a sensor in-place to shut-off the pump systems, or turn off a main supply valve for NewHaven, in the event one of our pipes is damaged and wasting water during a time when the irrigation system should not be running.
Solution:
1. Install and calibrate a rain sensor into the irrigation system.
2. Install a sensor to automatically “shut-off” the water supply to the system if a pipe further down the system springs a leak while irrigation is not scheduled to take place.
3. Evaluate and take corrective action on our watering schedule and duration of watering.
4. Insist that our irrigation vendor evaluate each and every sprinkler head for appropriate pattern, distance and coverage of lawn/turf and take corrective action.
5. Ensure that we are utilizing the full quota of water available to us. - Problem: Mulch
NewHaven receives a single, annual application of mulch. Within six to eight months, due to the heat of the Florida sun and rain, this mulch rots and starts to decompose, exposing dirt, leading to weed growth and erosion of the soil, in addition to a less pleasing aesthetical appearance. We should be considering two applications of mulch per year. One preceding the Holiday season (as is generally performed) and another six months later.
Additionally, our beds (under the trees and under shrubs/bushes), are not sufficiently raked and prepped prior to the application of mulch.
Lastly, there should be better coordination between the landscaping and mulching vendors to ensure this happens in the correct sequence.
Solution: Increase our mulching schedule to twice per year, while ensuring beds are raked of leaves and properly prepped before mulching, with better coordination between both vendors.
- Problem: Landscaping Budget
The line items within the NewHaven budget pertaining to landscaping maintenance services have barely changed over the years that I have been a homeowner (since 2014). In fact, there was even a year with a downward revision to the total budgeted amount. Thankfully, the most recent budget saw an increase, but it is still insufficient.
As far back as 2016 – prior to NewHaven switching vendors, I confronted one of the field service managers for our former landscaping company regarding the dwindling lack of care over our neighborhood. He confirmed my suspicions at the time – that our HOA was not keeping up with the increasing costs of services, and they were being forced to ‘cut corners’ to continue to meet the amount budgeted. From cutting back on fertilization and weed killer applications, to not picking up leaves.
Inflation is likely on most everyone’s minds these days. It is driving up the cost of materials and services. Prior to COVID-19, the publicly published inflation rate was around 2% per year. More recently, we have been facing inflation rates in excess of 8% per year. Yet, our HOA budget has not kept up even with the former, lower inflation rate. This has left us with a roughly a 26% deficit (gap) in the amount budgeted for landscaping just to get back to the level of care we were receiving in 2014 (which was already starting to fall short).
Contrary to what one might think, it is not a substantial monthly increase to restore the landscaping budget to 2014 coverage levels. Roughly $12 dollars per month, per household* to do so.
Solution:
1. Our landscaping budget should, at minimum, be adjusted for the past nine years of inflation.
2. We should form a Landscaping Committee (I am happy to serve as the sponsor from the board) to determine what a proper landscaping services program should look like and what it might cost, by surveying our existing landscaping vendor and at least two additional vendors, to come with proposals and estimates. Our board would then, in concert with our Finance Committee evaluate those results and vote on any necessary adjustments to the landscaping budget.
* Landscaping monthly cost increase estimate based on increasing existing landscaping budgets for Single Family, Town Home & Common Areas by 26% from 2022 budgeted amount.
Vendor Accountability
The NewHaven HOA Board of Directors votes on and ultimately selects bids from vendors to carry out respective services in the neighborhood. I believe the scope of work presented and agreed-to should be carried out as formally agreed-to, in writing; without verbal exceptions or alterations to those terms.
One such example that runs counter to those expectations, was with our present landscaping vendor. The landscaper presented a written agreement to NewHaven that was subsequently was executed (signed) by them and NewHaven. This agreement included explicit regular leaf and other debris pickup with each service visit. Yet, as you know, this does not happen regularly; in fact, it happens rarely. When I, as a homeowner, obtained a copy of, reviewed and discovered the terms of this agreement included regular leaf pickup, I brought this to the attention of the board. The board communicated this concern to the owner of our landscaping company. The owner dismissed the leaf pickup as not being part of the agreed-to terms. Apparently, the leaf pickup was not part of some verbal agreement (made between the landscaper and a former board member) that superseded the written agreement, and insisted that leaf pickup would only be conducted with an extra charge. So it is my understanding our HOA board renegotiated the agreement, agreeing to pay for a few leaf pickups per year (during the Oak tree leaf drop season). Side note: more than a few pickups is needed to keep the grass healthy as I mentioned above under Landscaping.
I find this example disappointing, and I hope you do as well. I am a firm believer that terms written into an agreement cannot be altered unless the agreement: 1) has provisions to make amendments; and 2) those amendments must be made in writing, agreed-to and signed by both parties as voted upon by all members of the HOA board. Anything less is fiscally irresponsible and a disservice to our neighborhood.
Communication with Homeowners
I believe an increase in bi-directional communication and engagement with our fellow NewHaven Homeowners should be encouraged and achieved.
While there is a dedicated, separate and homeowner-led Facebook Group for NewHaven (and this group should undoubtedly remain in place), there is no platform (other than emails sent by the Property Manager), for the HOA Board and Property Manager to maintain a Community Calendar or Announcements from the Manager or the Board. This should be established.
Historically, our Annual Meeting has been held around the time of our school system’s Spring Break, limiting participation from homeowners with children. This is also a time of year when some of our seasonal homeowner-residents may have returned to their northern homes, limiting their participation. Our Annual Meeting should be held during a more ideal time of year, possibly immediately preceding or immediately following the holidays when seasonal homeowners are physically present, and families are less likely to be traveling.
Transparency with homeowners is essential. For example, instead of simply informing them that a Proxy is used to establish Quorum, explain to them that without reaching Quorum, no actual election is taking place.
Additionally, due dates chosen for certain deadlines, such as applications for running for the HOA board of directors, fall on days of the week and month that are awkward and mystifying. For example, a due date in the middle of the month on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Instead, a deadline should fall on a Friday or first (or last) day of the month (unless a holiday).
Addressing Your Concerns
I believe in addressing NewHaven Homeowners’ concerns. I do not believe in appeasing or dismissing those concerns unless deemed to be unrealistic or inconsiderate of other homeowners.
If the NewHaven HOA Board of Directors and Property Management are upholding their respective roles to the utmost of their respective abilities, with an eye toward the continued betterment of the neighborhood, while encouraging each other to do so, there should be limited need for a NewHaven Homeowner to petition the board to intervene.