The POA Board approved another land purchase from Cooper Communities at its regular meeting on Thursday. A parcel of land that includes the only boat launch on Lake Ann is currently owned by Cooper.
In 2017, the POA purchased 14 parcels from Cooper for $2.6 million. Some of the parcels had been leased by the POA for facilities, including the Tanyard Creek Nature Trail and Loch Lomond Park. In a guest column written for the "Weekly Vista" by POA chief operation officer Tom Judson in June 2o17, Judson said he believed all the parcels owned by Cooper and used by the POA were included. Recently, he discovered that the Lake Ann ramp had been overlooked. The parking lot, the canoe rack and the pavilion are all on land already owned by the POA, but Cooper owns the land under the boat ramp, the fish cleaning station and the dock.
The POA is also interested in buying a parcel close to the water tower on Trafalgar and Lancashire for future expansion. Cooper and the POA split the cost of an appraisal for that property. Judson said Cooper accepted an offer of $69,500 -- the value of the Trafalgar parcel -- for both parcels with some contingencies.
The contingencies include a successful lot split for the Lake Ann property and rezoning for the Trafalgar property from residential to commercial.
The POA had already considered moving the Lake Ann ramp further up the cove since it owns that property, Judson said, after the meeting. The problem with moving, he said, is that the cove is very shallow further up.
The board also approved a bid to move a water line that crosses Highway 71 at 340 bridge as a capital project for the water department. Work on the bridge is planned by the state. Although there was an earlier estimate for $375,000, when bids came in, the low bid was $498,000. The costs were affected by covid-19. After Chairman David Brandenburg assured the board that "due diligence" had been done, the board accepted the bid.
The budget, presented to the public at the previous week's work session, was approved on Thursday. It includes just under $900,000 of capital improvements in the form of new equipment for golf maintenance, and for maintenance and construction and updates at the Kingsdale Pool complex. Both the Country Club and Highlands golf courses will have their red tee boxes improved. The recreation department will get three more tiny cabins in Blowing Springs and pickleball courts at Branchwood.
Judson assured the board that all commitments made by the 2020 plan during the campaign for an assessment increase will be met and there is a positive cash flow of $94,674 which he called "a little thin."
The capital improvements don't match depreciation, which is a "best practice," Judson said, but the capital projects total close to 50 percent of depreciation, which is better than the last two years, he said.
The budget was approved along with the fee schedule which was adjusted to include the new sales tax.