Cheval West Express: May 15, 2024

Cheval West Express: May 15, 2024Newsletter

Cheval West Express: May 15, 2024

Monthly Meeting Information

Meeting Packet

  • You can find meeting packets on the Cheval West website.

Suncoast Parkway Widening Project

  • The Florida Turnpike Enterprise has begun its preliminary design and engineering study for the widening of the Suncoast Parkway, from Van Dyke Road in Hillsborough County north to State Road 52, in Pasco County.
  • This project will have a significant impact on our community as the parkway runs through Cheval
  • The District has opened a dialogue with with FDOT to discuss various concerns and to ask questions about the project. Please see the below section for further information. Also, please contact the Board or attend a meeting to express input about this important issue.

Streetlight replacement: TECO Proposal

  • The cost of street lights in Cheval is one of the top three expenses for our community. The Board has approved a street light renewal proposal from TECO.
  • The new street lights will be installed over the remainder of 2024. Once the work is completed, the new agreement reduces anticipated costs from from nearly $250K/year to approximately $170K/year.
  • Additionally, the board is considering options for traffic calming devices, data network connection nodes, and Cheval branded ornamental plates at selected locations.

Gatehouse Refurbishment Project

  • The multi-year effort to complete the much needed refurbishment of the District's gatehouses is underway.
  • The Ramblewood gatehouse will remains closed to non-barcoded traffic. Please direct your guests, vendors, and non-barcoded resident vehicles to either the Dale Mabry or Lutz Lake Fern gates.
  • Each gatehouse site can take up to 90 days to complete. Lutz Lake Fern gatehouse and guest entry lane will close in a similar fashion once work at Ramblewood finishes.
  • The Board will discuss two change orders for the Ramblewood site. One change order is related to flooring. The second change order pertains to the sliding glass door installation.

FY2025 O&M Budget Discussion

  • This month's meeting includes the initial budget for FY2025. The District's fiscal year runs from October 1st through September 30th. The Board must set the "high water mark" this meeting. The initial budget includes a 5.45% increase to the District's O&M assessments.
  • Please attend the meeting to provide input about this important topic. The FY2025 O&M budget will remain on the agenda through the Public Hearing scheduled for August 15, 2024.

Landscaping Inspection Report

  • The Board hired OLM to conduct monthly landscaping inspections. The inspections started in October. You can find the latest report in the meeting packet.

Florida Highway Patrol

  • The District continues to engage the Florida Highway Patrol to assist with traffic calming and enforcement within Cheval West.
  • During recent shifts, several vehicles were stopped for using the exit lane as an entrance. This practice is very dangerous. Please stop this practice, drive at or below the speed limit, and remain courteous to others when operating a vehicle within the District.

Patience and Courtesy

  • A handful of residents have been observed refusing to depart the RW resident lane even though their vehicle doesn't have a barcode. Please do not use resident lane if your vehicle doesn't have an active barcode.
  • These events create delays and present safety issues for others. It's also unnecessary and unacceptable to berate the community services staff.

Ongoing Efforts

  • Please feel free to visit the District's Project and Issues Tracker.

Website Enhancements and New Tools

  • Work continues on Cheval West's website comprehensive renewal designed to improve aesthetics, user experience, and feature richness.
  • The new site includes Theo, an AI enabled digital assistant, trained on Cheval West's documents including the Homeowners Association (HOA) rules and regulations. This innovative tool aims to streamline access to important information. Visit the new website and check it out!

Access Control Equipment and Software Renewal

The access control software and equipment has aged to the point of needing renewal.

The Board approved a proposal to completely renew this equipment as part of the ongoing refurbishment project. This additional work will renew the gate operating equipment, control boards, wires, magnetic loops, and the dwellingLive software.

Please stay tuned about this major effort as it continues to evolve of the coming months.

Reminders

Gatehouse Phone System & Camera System

  • As a reminder, all gatehouse calls are recorded. Additionally, the community invested in new cameras featuring hi-definition imaging, night vision, stored recorded footage and more.

Community Access Control & dwellingLIVE Profile

  • Directly manage your property's guest and vendor list using the dwellingLIVE portal.
  • Using this feature improves access control operations for the entire community.
  • Contact the Cheval West Gate Manager to obtain a code if you need to create a new user profile.
  • Find more information about access control and dwellingLIVE go here.

TPC Golf Course and Clubhouse

We would like to remind everyone that the golf course located within our community is private property and not open to non-patrons.

Please be aware that any unauthorized entry onto the golf course at any hour of the day is strictly prohibited, and violators may be subject to legal action.

FDOT's Proposed Widening of SR-589

  • The Board continues to aggregate questions and concerns in its effort to better understand the scope and impact of this project on Cheval West, including:
  • Type of Widening: Is the widening planned to be interior, exterior, or a combination of both? If exterior, will FDOT require additional land beyond its current footprint? 
  • Road Realignment: Will there be any realignment of the road, and if so, in what sections? Any changes to existing interchanges?  
  • Water Runoff Management: What are the plans for managing additional water runoff from the widened road? Will this increased runoff necessitate the use of existing CDD water management infrastructure? 
  • Construction Equipment Access: What types of equipment will require access to CDD roads, and how will this be managed? Cranes, trucks, Earth moving equipment, etc.  
  • Staging Areas: Are there any plans to use District property for staging areas during construction? Construction equipment, vehicles, material, and products.  
  • Noise Mitigation: What measures are planned for sound mitigation and attenuation to address the expected increase in traffic noise? 

 Depending on the answers to these questions, several possible concerns arise for the community and the District:

  • Noise Impact: Effective noise mitigation and attenuation strategies at both the project site and home parcel site is critical, especially for homes in the Maisons Dr., Le Dauphine Place, Chemille Dr., TPC Blvd, and Terrain de Golf areas. (Impacted corridors).  
  • Road and Infrastructure Maintenance: We need to ensure the renewal of roads and underlayment in areas stressed or damaged by heavy construction equipment.  Requires budget and resources. 
  • Stormwater Management: The expansion of stormwater management infrastructure to handle the increased runoff from the widened road is critical.  Requires budget and resources  
  • Landscape and appearance:  Beautification of adjacent landscaping, including area under the two overpasses and sections running parallel to the highway from Ramblewood to Lutz Lake Fern (Cheval corridor)

 Community support and engagement about this project is critical for the Board to understand your concerns and to navigate the many potential issues facing Cheval West. Please contact the Board if you would like more information or would like to share your opinions.

General Information

Illicit Discharges

  • Waterways are very important to the community and everyone must work to protect them. Please take a minute to read about water pollution and illicit discharges here.

CWCA Documents (HOA)

Please click the link below to access the member's area provided by Greenacre Properties Inc. for the Cheval West Community Association. This members area is linked on the CWCA page of the Cheval West website. You can find links to submit ARC forms there too.

Initial planning is underway to rebuild the online presence for the CWCA. Stay tuned for more information.

Upcoming Events:

Board Meetings

  • May 16, 2024 9:00 AM CWCA Monthly Board Meeting & CDD Workshop 10:30 AM CDD Monthly Board meeting @4310 Cheval Blvd, Lutz FL 33558 (Sunset Room)

CWCA Committee Meetings 

  • Architectural Review Committee Meetings: Normally, the third Wednesday of each month via Zoom @ 6:00 PM Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 15, 2024
  • Fine Review Committee Meetings: Normally, the second Tuesday of each month via Zoom @ 4:00 PM Next meeting: Tuesday, June 11, 2024
  • Participate via remote access, contact Shelly for login information or visit Cheval West's calendar here.

In Closing  

  • Please continue to share with our neighbors and encourage others to sign up. Feel free to hand out copies or forward via email among neighbors. Past issues of this newsletter can be found here!