Author: admin

Click here for photos by Anina Bachrach

please thank event organizers:
Betsy Wells
Pat Becker

and everyone who helped make the event succsessful!

The Masters Board recently conducted a complete review of the Bylaws and concluded that wording of Section 3.12 and 3.13 needed to be amended and streamlined.  In short, the suggested changes increase the threshold of participation in a poll from 30% to 51% and provide provisions on how to vote if majority participation is achieved and how to address the vote if that threshold is not met. To simplify and clarify the language, the Board recommends a change regarding the participation threshold on polling from 30% to 51%. If there is less than 51% participation in the poll, the Association’s votes will be cast as determined by the Board of Directors.  

In accordance with By-Laws of the Masters at Pelican Sound Neighborhood Association, Inc., below is a red/blue-lined version of the amendment showing the words being added in underline and words being removed in struck through text.

And for your reference is seeing a ‘clean’ version on the wording, please note the following:

The Current Bylaws read as follows:

3.12. Voting Representative to Club. In accordance with the requirements of the Club documents, the Association President shall be the Association’s Voting Representative to the Club. The Voting Representative shall attend the meetings of the members of the Club, in person or by proxy, and shall cast in a block, all votes of the members of this Association on any and all questions which may arise. The votes shall be cast in the manner directed by the Board of Directors, or absent such direction, in the manner determined by the Voting Representative or other designated Director in the absence of the President.

3.13. Polling of Members. To the extent feasible and practical, the Association shall poll its members on questions to be decided by a vote of the members of the Club, so that this Association’s votes are more likely to be cast in the manner preferred by the majority of the members. If such a poll is conducted, the Board shall instruct its Voting Representative to cast all votes of the Association in a block, supporting the point of view preferred by the majority of the members who responded to the poll. The Voting Representative may vote by proxy at Club meetings. In the absence of the President, the Vice President or other designated Director may perform such duties as described by the Association President.

The Board Approved Revision of the Bylaws reads as follows:

3.12 Voting Representative to Club. In accordance with the requirements of the Club documents, the Association President will be the Association’s Neighborhood Voting Representative (NVR) to the Club. The NVR shall attend the meetings of the members of the Club and the Club’s Board of Directors, in person or by proxy, and shall cast all 100 votes of this Association on any and all matters in the format required by the Club’s Board of Directors.

3.13 Polling of Voting Interests. To the extent feasible and practical, the Association shall poll its Voting Interests on questions to be decided by votes of the members of the Club and the Club’s Board of Directors in order that this Association’s votes will be cast in the manner preferred by a majority of its Voting Interests. If such a poll is conducted and at least 51 of the Voting Interests participate in the poll, the Board of Directors shall instruct this Association’s NVR to cast the votes of this Association in a manner consistent with the results of the poll. If less than 51 of the Voting Interests participate in the poll, or if the poll does not indicate a majority preference, this Association’s votes shall be cast as determined by the Board of Directors. The NVR may vote by proxy. In the absence of the NVR, the Vice President or other designated Director may perform such duties.

The Board strongly recommends that you vote, and vote in favor of these changes. 

All owners will be sent a mail ballot/proxy the first week of April.

Several Masters residents have reported that they are not getting the emails we send from info@masters33928.us

Seems to happen most often with people with comcast.net accounts and aol.com accounts, but some gmail.com accounts are affected.

The problem is usually fixed by putting our email address in your account’s address book or contact list. Xfinity (Comcast) calls it an address book.

Here is one way to add a contact to your Comcast Address Book.

If you need help understanding the instructions or have other questions contact benbachrach@gmail.com

Dr. Ron Hedlund, 81, passed away peacefully on February 25^th, 2023, after a long struggle with the complications of Parkinsons. He and wife Ellen are original owners in the Masters. They were snowbirds for many years and became full-time residents in 2015.

Ron loved living here and especially enjoyed sitting on his lanai overlooking the lake, thinking “deep” thoughts, and watching the birds, ducks and an occasional alligator. His physical limitations precluded his active participation in many activities, but he did enjoy several seasons of bocci, conversations with neighbors and attending Masters get-togethers.

Come one, come all, to enjoy our January Social and the opening of the 2023 Bocce season.

Here’s how the event will unfold:

3pm to 5pm – Opening bocce matches at the bocce courts. All are welcome to come and cheer the teams on.

5pm to 8pm – Immediately following is our January Social on the Racquet Center lanai

Registration for this event is closed

To check who has registered: Click Here

Wally’s deli will deliver a range of sandwiches, salads, chips, and cookies. Bartenders will be ready to create your favorite beverages to be charged to your PS member account.

Cost per person: $15

Deadline to register: January 6^th

Payment: Please drop off your check (payable to Michele Towey) or cash (in an envelope with your name) at 21948 Masters Circle. A box will be by the front door.

Kindly note: the January 6^th deadline is important for the correct amount of food to be ordered and paid for in advance.

The more the merrier to usher in the new year with a January Social and Bocce opening. Gather for a fun event with your neighbors.

All community members, house guests and renters are invited to join our event. Masters residents – Please remember to wear your name badge.

Questions? Please contact me at: Michele.Towey@gmail.com

Michele Towey – Event Coordinator

There have been reports of a number of vehicles not coming to a stop where Masters Circle intersects with itself.

The Stop sign is down but drivers still need to come to a complete stop, especially as the house on the corner has a large stack of  construction materials that impairs sitelines. 

Please remind your visitors to be aware of the situation; a temporary sign will be in place as soon as possible.

Tree Trimming and Removal of Dead Branches From Trees on Your Property

If an owner has dead branches on the trees on their property (other than the Canopy trees), it is the homeowner’s responsibility to hire a contractor to clear these branches.

If you wish to take advantage of Greenscapes (with its subcontractor, Johnson Tree Services), working in the community to have your trees cleared of dead branches or additional tree maintenance, please contact Jami at Greenscapes ASAP. This work is NOT covered by the Masters Association.

The Masters Neighborhood Association does not endorse businesses, however, here are some contractors that have received good reviews on the work they have completed.

• Greenscapes of Southwest FL Office:  239-643-4471 Jamie McGarvey, Landscape Manager
• Johnson Tree Service:  239-947-4720
• TLS Lawn & Tree Service:  239-851-1353

Regarding tree trimming, all work is to be performed in accordance with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI A-300and Z133.1 standards) and associated Best Management Practices for Tree Pruning. Please note that trees may not be trimmed merely to improve views.

Replacement of Trees

Various rules and regulations regarding trees must be considered:

General Trees

• The Lee County Land Development Code requires one General Tree per 3000 square feet of development area.
• 75% of the General Trees must be native trees, and no more than 25% can be palms.

Trees along the road

• The Lee County Land Development code requires five trees per 100 linear feet along the street.
• 75% of such trees must be native trees. 50% can be palm, however they need to be clustered, NOT lined up with equal distance between them.
• Three palms equal one canopy tree.

Pelican Sound – Declaration

• Paragraph 5.2 states that “Trees within a neighborhood Association that are on an easement will be maintained by the Neighborhood Association including trimming, fertilization, and replacement … If said trees are damaged as a direct result of a storm, the Neighborhood Association shall be responsible for replanting or replacing.

To ensure compliance, hurricane downed Canopy trees will be replaced.

ARC Application for Planting, Removal, or Replacement of a Tree

The ARC application process:

1. Submit Exhibit C – ARC Tree/Palm Removal and Replacement Application.
2. When removal is approved, a replacement tree/palm may be required. If so, it will be noted in the approved application. In the event a replacement tree is required, complete the tree replacement fields.
3. As we are single family lots, a Village of Estero “Vegetation Removal Permit,” is not required. However, every lot is required to maintain two native trees in compliance with Lee County Land Development Code. Canopy trees on a resident’s property count as native trees.

In the event of a storm or natural disaster, a tree or palm is downed or sustains significant damage that creates a hazard to buildings or safety to people, an approved ARC tree Removal and Replacement Application is waived.

If you have any questions/comments or concerns, please feel free to contact the Masters ARC Chairperson or Pelican Sound Golf and River Club’s Executive Assistant.

Communication Committee : (formerly website committee)

• Review and update website content and format to keep current.
• Review and edit blast emails and website content received from events and activities organizers, Board members, plus any ad hoc communications.
• Training and support are provided.

Events and Activities:

The events and activities for our neighborhood are run by a network of many of the same volunteers. Year after year, they step-up to serve our community and certainly deserve our gratitude and appreciation.

So, as we call for volunteers, we’re also calling for new volunteers to become involved in our community. The work involved isn’t onerous and is very rewarding.

We currently have the following roles open:

Social Committee Chair:

• Masters’ social functions includes several events, each led by an event organizer. The Chair assists and oversees the advance planning with the event organizers.
• Book dates with PS venue and food & beverage manager (and caterer if off-site vendor), golf club manager or racquet club manager.
• Advise Communication Committee Chair of event, create content for blast email and website posting, advise of dates for posting and follow-ups.
• Recruit new event organizers, when required.

Finance Coordinator:

• Volunteers at times will need small amount of funds to cover upfront costs or replenish stock. The Finance Coordinator will assist event & activity organizers raise funds through community donations and handle the funds.
• Social Events, Christmas Decorations, Flags, Community Donations cannot be handled by the Association per legal documents.

Please give some thought to volunteering. If interested please contact the neighborhood association president: nvr@masters33928.org

* Resident Loss Assessment – Hurricane Ian

The Board, in addressing a needed hurricane assessment to cover unplanned expenditures, took the following actions:

• Approved advancing funds from existing reserves, consistent with 6.4 in our bylaws. The regulations require return of the money within one year.
• Approved a loss assessment, payable in in the first quarter of 2023. If a member prefers, payment may be made in quarterly assessments during 2023, or in one installment if needed for insurance reasons. Invoices for first quarter go out following the December 9, 2022, Board meeting.
• Approved a loss assessment which included emergency road clearing charges. After the Board meeting, these charges were excluded reducing the loss Hurricane clean-up costs to $40,870 and the loss assessment to $408 or $102 quarterly.

* Loss Assessment – Insurance policy coverage

Residents should consider reviewing their insurance policy coverage for loss assessment as it may be claimed and the conditions for claim submission. Policies may:

• cover loss assessments independent of policy hurricane coverage.
• have a cap on allowed assessment.
• allow only one assessment per event – PSGRC will most likely have an assessment.
• define allowable expenses in assessment – i.e. must be physical property versus cleanup.

Cambridge Property Management will prepare appropriate documentation for residents to submit to their insurance company.

* Tree Damage on Residents’ Side or Rear of Property

A number of trees have dead or broken branches which removal is the responsibility of the resident. It was noted that Greenscapes will be trimming Sable Palms early to mid-December and if residents choose, they may request a quote from Greenscapes for the removal of dead or broken branches to be performed at the time sable palms are cut. This might be the most economical means as Greenscapes will already be in every back yard.

Residents can email Jami for a quote at: jmsgarvey@greenscapesfl.com They should make sure they include that the work is to be done at time of sable palm cutting.

* Streetlights

Several streetlights are out and replacement light bulbs have been requested.

* Street tree canopy

Residents raised the question of whether we want to replace damaged trees within the “canopy area” of street. The President pointed out we had a study done several years ago with interest in keeping the trees. Several residents present thought we should revisit the topic in light of potential Hurricane tree damages. The ARC Chair was asked to review existing rules and village laws and then survey residents. In the interim, the Board will hold up replacing damaged trees from Hurricane Ian.

* Community Volunteers Needed

The President noted while having 30 or more volunteers in our community (greatly appreciated) we still have a need for additional help. We need volunteers for:

• Social Coordinator – Replacing Don Jancin after 10+ years. Limited to social events 
• Communication Committee Chair (formerly Website Committee) – June Roberts is stepping down after 4+ years in the role. We need a volunteer to support communication needs on our website
• Financial Coordinator – support obtaining community funds that cannot be processed through our Masters Board. Previously done by the Social Chair.

A call for volunteers will be circulated to the community seeking volunteers.

* Drainage Problem – Lakes Golf Holes 5-8 Around Perimeter of Masters Homes

We are following activity of RRCCD that is responsible for and addressing the continuous flooding during heavy rains. They have a preliminary study that will be discussed at their December 13, 2022, meeting which will outline options and costs. We will continue to keep residents appraised of situation until resolution has been achieved.

* Vendor Review

The Board discussed specific vendor concerns. The President and a member of the Board would meet with our vendors to discuss our concerns on current service level issues.
Residents commented if vendor meetings were not successful, The Board should consider issuing RFQ’s for specific service before signing a new contract. The Board acknowledged the comments and will deal with issues as appropriate.

Donald J Jancin – Masters Board Secretary

THESE ARE NOT OFFICIAL MINUTES

As you know, due to the damage Hurricane Ian did to our River Club, we’re unable to hold our annual Holiday Party.

In lieu of the party, the committee has been collecting donations for the Estero Forever Foundation to help Estero residents whose lives have been  affected by the storm. To date, our Masters community has donated almost $4,000

I’ll be keeping the box at my front door for another week. Please make out a check in any amount to: Estero Forever Foundation, and drop it off by November 9th at #21913.

Many thanks to all of you who have donated to this worthy cause to help Estero residents during the holiday season. 

Mary Grace Gallagher – Holiday Party Co-ordinator