Public Works Update 1-23

Cape Coral Public Works Weekly Update - September 11, 2023

As we continue to monitor the progress of the Utilities Project in the NW Cape, We are providing our members with weekly updates on both road closures and construction progress.

READ REPORT

NW Cape UEP Project Brings Sustainable Development Goals

UEP Progress in 2022 by the City of Cape Coral

This past year saw the City of Cape Coral make considerable progress of the Utility Expansion Program (UEP).  Unfortunately, Hurricane Ian has slowed progress and the UEP has taken a backseat to repairing other critical infrastructure needs within the City.  Rest assured, the project is moving forward. 

Work recently completed to date includes the following:

• Completion of punch-list items related to the construction of utilities in North 2.
• Completion of the design and award of construction projects for about half of the North 1 area.
• Completion and acceptance of the overall City-wide UEP Master Plan.
• Nearing award of a design contract for North 3.

A map detailing the utility areas and anticipated service dates, as presented in the Master Plan, is as follows:

Each of the above-completed tasks is discussed briefly below. 

Completion of North 2

While there are still some minor items to be repaired, the installation of utilities in North 2 was essentially completed in 2022. Water, sewer, and reclaimed water lines were brought to all residential and commercial properties within North 2.  Roads have been reconstructed, landscaping repaired, and currently, there has been a good response from homeowners required to hook up to the new utilities.  For practical purposes, we are calling North 2 complete.

Completion of Design and Award of Construction for About Half of North 1

The City used much of what was learned in the design and construction of North 2 and incorporated pertinent items into the design of North 1.  North 1 will be broken into 11 different construction contracts, all of which will be considerably smaller than those of North 2.  North 1 east will have 5 construction contracts and North 1 west will have 6.  The 6 construction contracts of North 1 west have been bid and the total construction cost for the area is approximately $203 million.  Construction of the 5 contracts in North 1 east will be bid and commence in late 2023 or early 2024.

The City will use the same methodology to assess UEP costs to homeowners as has been previously used.  Unfortunately, due to current economic conditions in southern Florida and across the country, the assessment cost to the typical homeowner in the North 1 west area will average approximately $33,500.  While this amount may seem very high, it is in line with other area costs when adjusted to 2023 dollars.  Also, all homeowners will have the option of paying the assessment in a single lump sum or paying it off over 20, 25 or 30 years.

Please keep in mind that North 1 is completely in the NE section of Cape Coral.

UEP Master Plan

The UEP Master Plan is necessary to prioritize future areas for utility expansion, to identify existing infrastructure needs necessary to accommodate future expansion, to establish realistic schedules, and to establish preliminary cost estimates.  Please note that the dates presented below are from the UEP Master Plan and will likely be adjusted due to Hurricane Ian's impacts.

The following is brief summary of the findings and recommended improvements within future service areas. 

• North 3 will be the next area to receive utilities after North 1. This area is west of Burnt Store Road, north of the recently completed North 2 area, and extends north to Kismet Parkway.  North 3 is expected to be complete by 2025.

• Also expected to be complete by 2025 is an expansion of utilities north on Burnt Store Road to the city line. This allows the planned Hudson Creek development to move forward and will spur commercial development along Burn Store Road.  Much of this expansion may be funded by the Hudson Creek project.  Finally, by 2025 a new 22,000 linear foot sewer main on Veteran's Parkway will be constructed which is necessary for future sewer expansion.

• By 2027, the existing North reverse osmosis water plant on Kismet Parkway needs to be expanded from 6 to 18 million gallons per day.

• By 2030, the city intends to construct utilities in the North 4 and North 5 areas. Also, a new water storage tank will be constructed in the northeast section of the city.

• By 2035, the city intends to construct utilities in North 6 and North 7 areas. The city also intends to build a new water reclamation facility (wastewater treatment plant) in the northwest.  The site is adjacent to the existing reverse osmosis water plant on Kismet Parkway near Chiquita Boulevard. 

• By 2040, the city intends to construct utilities in North 8 and North 9 areas.

• North 10 through North 12 areas are planned for 2045.

Design of North 3

The City is in the process of hiring an engineer to design utilities in the North 3 area. This effort is approximately 5 months behind schedule due to Hurricane Ian.  The design is expected to be complete in approximately 1 year with construction commencing in 2024.  Assessment costs for North 3 will likely be in line with those for North 1 west but will be refined as the design progresses.

The City is progressing well on the UEP, although recent weather impacts have certainly impacted the planned schedule.  If you have comments or questions on work completed or on planned work, please contact me at publicworks@nwcape.com. 

Don Freeman, P.E.

NWNA Public Works Committee

UEP Progress by the City of Cape Coral - 2022

This past year saw the City of Cape Coral make considerable progress of the Utility Expansion Program (UEP).  Unfortunately, Hurricane Ian has slowed progress and the UEP has taken a backseat to repairing other critical infrastructure needs within the City.  Rest assured; the project will move forward. 

Work completed in 2022 included the following:

• Completion of construction and most punch-list items related to construction of utilities in North 2.
• Completion of much of the design of utilities in North 1 and bidding of several of the construction contracts.
• Completion of the overall City-wide UEP Master Plan.

A map detailing the utility areas is as follows:

Each of the above completed tasks is discussed briefly below.

Completion of North 2

While there are still some minor items to be repaired, installation of utilities in North 2 was essentially completed in 2022. Water, sewer and reclaimed water lines were brought to all residential and commercial properties within North 2.  Roads have been reconstructed, landscaping repaired, and currently there has been a good response from homeowners required to hook up to the new utilities.  For practical purposes, we are calling North 2 complete.

Completion of Design of Area 1

The City used much of what was learned in design and construction of North 2 and incorporated much of that into the design of North 1.  North 1 will be broken into 12 different construction contracts, all of which will be considerably smaller than those of North 2.  To date several construction contracts in North 1 have already been bid and the remaining ones will be shortly after the new year.  Construction in North 1 can be expected to be in full force in 2023. Please keep in mind that North 1 is completely in the NE section of Cape Coral.

UEP Master Plan

The UEP Master Plan is necessary to prioritize future areas for utility expansion, to identify existing infrastructure needs necessary to accommodate future expansion, to establish realistic schedules, and to establish preliminary cost estimate.  Please note that dates presented below are from the UEP Master Plan and will likely be adjusted due to Hurricane Ian impacts.

The following is brief summary of the findings and recommended improvements within future service areas. 

• North 3 will be the next area to receive utilities after North 1. This area is west of Burnt Store Road, north of the recently completed North 2 area, and extends north to Kismet Parkway.  North 3 is expected to be complete by 2025.

• Also expected to be complete by 2025 is expansion of utilities north on Burnt Store Road to the city line. This allows the planned Hudson Creek development to move forward and will spur commercial development along Burn Store Road.  Much of this expansion may be funded by the Hudson Creek project.  Finally, by 2025 a new 22,000 linear foot sewer main on Veteran's Parkway will be constructed which is necessary for future sewer expansion.

• By 2027, the existing North reverse osmosis water plant on Kismet Parkway needs to be expanded from 6 to 18 million gallons per day.

• By 2030, the city intends to construct utilities in the North 4 and North 5 areas. Also, a new water storage tank will be constructed in the northeast section of the city.

• By 2035, the city intends to construct utilities in North 6 and North 7 areas. The city also intends to build a new water reclamation facility (wastewater treatment plant) in the northwest.  The site is adjacent to the existing reverse osmosis water plant on Kismet Parkway near Chiquita Boulevard. 

• By 2040, the city intends to construct utilities in North 8 and North 9 areas.

• North 10 through North 12 areas are planned for 2045.

The City is progressing well on the UEP, although recent weather impacts have certainly impacted the planned schedule.  If you have comments or questions on work completed or on planned work, please contact me at publicworks@NWNA.com. 

Don Freeman, P.E.

NWNA Public Works Committee

Cape Coral Capital Improvement Projects Update

On May 25, 2022 the City Council was given an update on all major Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) and Public Works projects currently ongoing in the City.  Attached is that presentation. 

This presentation touches on the project status of the Utilities Expansion Project; Parks Go Bond; Police, Fire and Fleet training and Maintenance Facilities; Road, Trail and Sidewalk programs; water quality projects, utility projects, and several other miscellaneous projects. We thought this was a thorough, albeit brief, update and worth sharing. The presentation is also available on the City's website.

CIP Project Status

Utility Expansion Project (UEP) Update

The City's UEP Project Master Plan Update

On February 23, 2022 City Council was updated by the Cape Coral Utilities Director on the final results of the ongoing Utility Expansion Project (UEP) Master Plan. If you remember from the November 2021 NWNA update on the UEP, City Council and the Mayor had requested that the engineers re-evaluate sequencing and scheduling of some of the areas planned for utility expansion.  This re-evaluation is now complete and the Master Plan is being finalized.  This memo gives you a summary of this Master Plan which will be the guidance document that the City uses for the entire UEP going forward.

All service areas are presented in the graphic below along with anticipated operational dates.  The second graphic depicts all projects expected to be complete by 2027.  Following the graphics is a brief summary of the Master Plan:

Service Areas and Anticipated Schedule

Projects Anticipated to be Complete by 2027

1.      North 2 is complete. 2.      North 1 is the next area to receive utilities. This area is currently under design and construction is expected to begin in late 2022. Construction will take approximately 2 years. 3.      North 3 will be the next area to receive utilities after North 1. This area is west of Burnt Store Road, north of the recently completed North 2 area, and extends north to Kismet Parkway. Design is expected to start this coming summer. Construction will likely start in late 2023 and be complete approximately 2 years later. 4.      Also expected to be completed by 2027 is an expansion of utilities north on Burnt Store Road to the city line. This allows the planned Hudson Creek development to move forward and will spur commercial development along Burnt Store Road and the western portion of Pine Island Road. Much of this expansion may be funded by the Hudson Creek project. Additionally, a new 22,000-foot sewer main on Veteran's Parkway will be constructed which is necessary for future sewer expansion. 5.      By 2027, the existing North Reverse Osmosis Water Plant (potable water) on Kismet Parkway will to be expanded from 6 to 18 million gallons per day (mgd) and the Southwest Water Reclamation Facility (wastewater) will be expanded to 20 mgd. 6.      Anticipated operational dates for the remaining service areas are as indicated in the top graphic. Additionally, a new Water Reclamation Facility (wastewater) will be constructed in the Northwest, adjacent to the existing North Reverse Osmosis Plant, to support sewer expansion in the years following 2027. Costs for the above projects through 2027 are anticipated to exceed $1 billion (yes…billion). Some of this cost will be borne by developers, but much will be borne by the City and the users of the system. The Utilities Department is requesting an annual 3 percent increase to user rates starting in FY 2023. Again, these costs are on a macro scale, and it's too early to speculate what each homeowner will pay, but it's likely that the users in North 1 and North 3 will be paying similar assessments as those paid in North 2. If you have comments and questions that you believe are appropriate at this point in the planning process you may email me at publicworks@nwcape.com. I will prepare a consolidated response of appropriate comments to the city. You may certainly contact your City Council Member directly if you prefer. Don Freeman, P.E. NWNA Public Works Committee

Utility Expansion Master Plan Update

On November 10, 2021, City Council was briefed by the Cape Coral Utilities Director, on the tentative results of the ongoing Utility Expansion Project (UEP) Master Plan. 

Presently, utilities (water, sewer, and reclaimed water- treated wastewater to be used for irrigation only) are being designed in the North 1 area of the city, and construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2022. The remaining areas of the city without public utilities are the subject of the UEP Master Plan. 

The UEP Master Plan is necessary to prioritize future areas for utility expansion, to identify existing infrastructure needs necessary to accommodate future expansion, to establish realistic schedules, and to establish preliminary cost estimates. 

The entire agenda and presentation given to City Council are available below. 

UEP Master Plan Update

The following is a brief summary of the preliminary findings and recommended improvements with the future service areas. Service areas are shown on the map below.

My Summary

• North 3 will be the next area to receive utilities after North 1. This area is west of Burnt Store Road to the North Spreader Waterway, north of the recently completed North 2 area, and extends north to Kismet Parkway. Utilities are expected to be installed by 2025.
• Also expected to be completed by 2025 is an expansion of utilities north on Burnt Store Road to the city line. This allows the planned Hudson Creek development to move forward and will spur commercial development along Burnt Store Road. Much of this expansion may be funded by the Hudson Creek project. Finally, by 2025, a new 22,000 linear foot sewer main on Veteran's Parkway will be constructed which is necessary for future sewer expansion.
• By 2027, the existing North reverse osmosis water plant on Kismet Parkway needs to be expanded from 6 to 18 million gallons per day.
• By 2030, the city intends to construct utilities in the North 4 and North 5 areas. Also, a new water storage tank will be constructed in the northeast section of the city.
• By 2035, the city intends to construct utilities in North 6 and North 7 areas. The city also intends to build a new water reclamation facility (wastewater treatment plant) in the northwest. The site is adjacent to the existing reverse osmosis water plant on Kismet Parkway near Chiquita Boulevard.
• By 2040, the city intends to construct utilities in North 8 and North 9 areas.
• North 10 through North 12 areas are planned for 2045.

Yes, planning level cost estimates have been included in the UEP Master Plan and these were shown in the presentation given to City Council. However, these costs are on a macro scale, and it's too early to speculate what each homeowner will pay.

It is important to note that the UEP Master Plan is intended to be a guide for future utility expansion. Specific details of pipe and pumping station placements are not yet completed.

This document will be modified (and boundaries of service areas will likely be realigned) as the project moves forward. In fact, City Council and the Mayor have already requested that engineers look at the possibility of moving North 11 up in the schedule.

So, the next steps are as follows:

• Engineers will address comments from city staff, City Council, and the Mayor, including the pros and cons of constructing utilities in North 11 sooner.
• The UEP Master Plan report will be finalized.
• The city will hire a consultant to re-evaluate impact fees, one-time utility assessments, and user fees taking into account the timing and estimated costs of the above projects.
• The city will hire a consulting engineer to design Area 3 and improvements scheduled to be online by 2025.

Again, this is a high-level master plan and is not intended to include specific project details.

If you have comments and questions that you believe are appropriate at this point in the planning process you may email me at publicworks@nwcape.com.

I will prepare a consolidated response of appropriate comments to the city. You may certainly contact your City Council Member directly if you prefer.

Don Freeman, P.E.
NWNA Public Works Committee

Bioswales Update

Installed Bioswale Issues: Dead grass and Standing water

Local residents have noticed some issues with the newly installed bioswales within the in North 2 UEP area. We asked the UEP Project Manager to look into the problem and resolve the issues that have surfaced.

1. Dead Grass
2. Standing water

The Project Manager quickly responded as follows:

Response from Kevin Higginson the Project Manager

From: Kevin Higginson <khiggins@capecoral.net>
Sent: Monday, October 26, 2020, 8:53 AM
To: president@nwcape.com
Cc: Sam (Rosa) Yaffey; Donald Freeman; Dennis Winchester; Audrie Goodwin; Elizabeth Ellis
Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL] - Re: Bioswale

Mr. Bashaw,

The bioswales in Contract 2 are completed and we expect the bioswales in Contract 1 to be completed this week. It appears that we will have some excess bioswale media in Contract 1 and are working with the contractor to utilize this media in about 200 additional lineal feet of bioswale.

We have performed an inspection of Contract 2 bioswales and have identified 13 locations where the sod appears to be stressed or needs to be replaced. The sod at Ms. Yaffey’s address and the other addresses she identified are on the Contract 2 punch-list. We are monitoring these areas and, where it is determined to be necessary, will be requiring the contractor to replace the sod. I expect this to be done within the next two to three weeks.

The City will be performing a similar punch-list inspection in Contract 1 and will address the issues that are identified.
If I can be of further assistance, please advise.Sincerely,
Kevin L. Higginson, P.E.
Utilities Extension Manager
Utilities Extension Office
P.O. Box 150027
Cape Coral, FL 33915-0027
Phone: 239-574-0706
Fax: 239-242-3903
khiggins@capecoral.net

New Leadership Introduction - UEP

NWNA Vice President Dennis Winchester and Public Works Chairman Don Freeman held an introductory meeting with Public Works Director Mr. Paul Clinghan and Utilities Extension Manager Mr. Kevin Higginson.

The meeting provided an opportunity to introduce Don to the Public Works leadership, discuss his background, learn about Public Works initiatives/processes, and discuss some current North 2 UEP resident issues. It was a highly informative and cordial meeting.

Utility Hookups in UEP North 2

UEP North 2 construction is essentially complete and homeowners are in the process of hooking up. Approximately 3200 properties within the UEP North 2 area now have City water, sewer, and reclaimed water available.

Residential hookup instructions are located here:

Residential Hookup Instructions - Click Here

On September 14, 2020, City Council approved Resolution 216-20 which provided an additional 60 days for developed properties to hook up to the new sewer and water utilities. With this change, homeowners within UEP North 2 now have 240 days from the date of the Notice of Availability (NOA) to connect to the City’s water, sewer and/or irrigation systems.

Residents with issues/concerns should contact the North 2 UEP telephone number 833-227-3837 and document their specific issues/concerns. The issues recorded will form a punch list of items that will need to addressed before final contractor payments are made.

North 2 Driveway Repairs

There have been some complaints from homeowners regarding the quality of work performed on the replacement of driveway aprons which were destroyed during construction. Most complaints are related to concrete-stamped and/or colored concrete aprons not matching the original driveways.

The City is aware of approximately 50 such complaints and they are working to resolve these. Residents should not sign off on acceptance of the driveway if they are not satisfied that the repairs meet the original design and configuration.

The City has withheld funds from the water/sewer contractors, and they are working with these contractors to get the problems resolved. This will take some time as the City is legally required to address these issues with the contractor first.

Therefore, they request patience from homeowners. If you have already called and/or emailed the UEP with your complaint, then rest assured they are aware of it. If you have a complaint and have not yet registered it with the City you should send an email to: uepnewconst@capecoral.net, or call the above phone number and explain the issue. Attaching photos to an email will help the City understand the problem. Please note, repeated pestering of City staff about individual issues will not get the repairs completed any sooner.

North 2 Bio Swales

Residents have raised concerns about replacement grass dying and not being replaced in a timely manner.

Public Works does monitor the grass replacement and when they determine the grass is dead it will be replaced. We saw examples of grass replacement in several areas.

Again, the City asks for your patience.

UEP North 1 Update

Yes, North 2 was completed prior to North 1. The City has signed a contract with the Engineering Firm Tetra Tech to complete the design of water/sewer/reclaimed water for the North 1 area.

The proposed work area for North 1 is located here: https://www.capecoral.net/uep/north_1.php

Please note that North 1 is located east of Santa Barbara Boulevard so this area may not be of much concern to NWNA members. Lessons learned from North 2 will be incorporated in North 1 as appropriate. Actual construction will not start until the summer of 2022.

UEP Master Planning

The UEP Master Plan is the responsibility of the Utilities Department and they are working with the engineering firms of AECOM and CDM Smith in the development of the Master Plan. The Master Plan will look at the remaining areas of the City without water and sewer and prioritize need.

Many issues will be considered such as population density, anticipated residential development, commercial development, environmental need, and land acquisition for lift stations when prioritizing need. Additionally, existing utility infrastructure needs to be assessed and, in some cases, upgraded as part of the expansion program. For example, existing pipelines in the southwest and southeast need to have the capacity to transport wastewater from the expanding sewers in the northwest to the existing treatment plants.

The Master Plan is expected to be completed by late 2021. Once complete we will have a better understanding of the anticipated schedule for future utility expansion in the northwest.

Short Term Planning

Pine Island Road west of Chiquita Boulevard is another area of great commercial growth currently without City water and sewer. Utilities in this area will likely be constructed by a developer interested in expanding into the area.

Walmart was planning on building the utilities in this area, but they have since backed out of their project. As a minimum, this area will be an extremely high priority identified in the Master Plan if utilities are not built sooner.

Similar to the Burnt Store Road expansion from Tropicana to Pine Island Road. Florida DOT will be starting the construction of its road-widening project in early 2021.

The City recognizes the need to install utilities here as they currently stop at Embers Parkway. This area too will likely be identified as a priority in the Master plan, and hence the City is installing sleeves underneath the roadways as part of the DOT project to accommodate future utility expansion.

You ask, we search for the answers and deliver!

UEP Connection Extension

During the June time frame, NWNA identified the potential for delays in meeting the 180 days connections based on the limited number of available plumbing companies supporting the connections efforts.

This concern has come to fruition.

Thankfully, the City Public Works has recognized the delays and has added an additional 60 days to the original 180-day time frame for connections. Below is the Resolution that will be presented to City Council for approval.

Per City Code Chapter 19 Section 2.5 (e), owners of developed properties have 180 days from the date of the Notice of Availability (NOA) to connect to the applicable municipal water and/or sewer systems.

Given the large size of the North 2 UEP (over 3,200 developed properties), the relatively small quantity of plumbing contractors that perform the customer connections, and the various issues facing some property owners as a result of the COVID pandemic, the staff is requesting authorization to extend the 180-day deadline on all phases of North 2 UEP an additional 60 days.

This will allow property owners a total of 240 days from receipt of the NOA to complete their plumbing connections before initiating the code compliance process for non-connection. If approved, staff will inform all applicable property owners of the additional time to complete the plumbing connection requirements.

Resolution 216-20

Bioswales Update

The city's Utilities Expansion Project (UEP) Manager provided the following information relative to bioswales being added in specific areas in Contracts 1 and 2.

Bioswales will only be constructed in approximately four percent of the swales in Contracts 1 and 2. Due to grant funding, the city negotiated separate pricing for the construction of the bioswales in these two contract areas.

The bio-activated media used in the bioswales is proprietary and is acquired from the suppliers located in Central Florida. The decision to construct the bioswales was made at the end of the project to minimize costs related to material delivery, storage and handling of the bioswale media.

This is the first time bioswales will be constructed in our city. The city has been actively seeking and obtaining, grants from local, state and federal sources to help with construction costs. In fact, North 2 has received about $2.6 million from South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) for Total Maximum Daily Limit (TMDL) and alternative water supply grants.

Your Questions Answered

What are bioswales?

Bioswales are channels designed to concentrate and convey stormwater runoff while removing debris and pollution. Bioswales can also be beneficial in recharging groundwater. Bioswales are typically vegetated, mulched, or xeriscaped. They consist of a swaled drainage course with gently sloped sides.

Why are they important?

Bioswales are intended to remove pollutants and nutrients from storm water, which helps to improve the water quality in our surface waters, including city canals and adjacent water bodies such as Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass.

Where will they be located?

They will be located in an area between Burnt Store Road and Old Burnt Store Road south of the Bonefish Canal, generally in the Ceitus Parkway and Embers Parkway areas. The swales are located along city streets between the edge of the pavement and the right-of-way line. We are installing them in front of developed properties, to minimize impacts from new home construction.

UEP Updated Information

January 13, 2020 Public Works
North 2 and North 1 Updates to City Council.

Public Works Director Paul Clinghan and UEP Project Manager Kevin Higginson provided an update to the City Council on North 2 and North 1 UEP Projects.

North 2 Highlights

• Notices to Proceed for Construction issued 10/18/2017 thru 03/02/2018.

• Assessment methodology same for SW 6&7, North 2 and North 1.

• North 2 Construction Time Extensions were approved primarily due to material and labor shortages.

• North 2 is like all previous UEP’s and all utility and road construction projects in SW Florida. Most complaints are related to dust (dry season), mud (rainy season), and traffic detours.

• North 2 UEP Utilities Notice of Availability – January, February and March notifications will be mailed for specific areas completed with the first surface lift placed.

• 180 Days for homes to connect to Water, Sewer and Irrigation (Plumbers Connections) upon receipt of Notice of Availability.

• After 180 Days Second Lift of pavement placed.

• North 2 Under Budget - Anticipate a North 2 UEP refund. SW 6&7 UEP had a refund of $524 per Equivalent Parcel (EP) for all three utilities.

North 1 UEP

• Presently in negotiations with a National Firm (Tetra Tech) for Design, Permitting and Bidding

• Design Contract to be on March Agenda for Approval by City Council.

• Scope includes evaluation of Construction Contract Phasing considering Funding, Assessments, Bidding, Construction Means and Methods and Construction Contract Time.

• North 1 UEP could be divided into Two Phases with two separate Assessments as approved by City Council.

North 1 UEP Proposed Schedule

• Permitting, Design and Bidding – Starts April 2020

• The City will meet with the NWNA to discuss specific concerns they have during the North 1 UEP design phase.

Overburdened by the City with UEP Charges

The City Finance Director Victoria Bateman, City Manager John Szerlag, the Past Mayor and the past City Council (including Rick Williams) adopted a Utilities Expansion Financial plan that grossly overburdens the Northwest Cape Property Owners.

• For those Property Owners that could not afford to pre-pay, a Penalty Tax of $1344. was added to the Line Assessment charges and an additional Penalty Tax of $1350. was added to the CFEC charges. These additional Taxes total $2694.00
• Also, for those Property Owners unable to pre-pay, the City is charging 5% interest per year. This 5% charge will be used to pay the 1% interest being charged by the State SRF Loans.
• To add insult to injury, the City Finance Dept. is also charging a Collection Fee.
• The residents that couldn’t pay were unable to do so because of their finances. They do not deserve to be additionally burdened.
• There are approximately 7000 Property Owners that could not pre-pay. Based on the data that I secured from the City, those Owners will pay the City over $900,000 dollars in interest and collection charges per year.
• Overall, the City will collect from these 7000 Property owners, over $17.4 million per year in Assessments, Interest and Collection Charges.
• Additionally, before the end of the year all UEP area homeowners will be required to pay approximately $2000. to a Plumber, to connect to the City Utilities.

This project has become a City revenue generating scheme, with the blessing of the City Councils past and present. They chose to not question any details with regards to the UEP Project. We are not being fairly represented and they continue to overburden the Property Owners with additional TAXES!!!

Latest List of Audit Questions

What Can You Do?

The Mayor and City Council needs to make the following changes to the UEP Financial Plan.

• Eliminate the Penalty Taxes of $2694.00
• Reduce the Interest Rate to the exact rate charged by the State.
• Eliminate the Collection fees charged by the City Finance Dept.
• Change the CFEC payback timetable from 6 years to 20 years.

Call and Write all the Council Members, the Mayor and the City Mgr. with your concerns, regarding these UEP costs. To those that are not in the UEP areas, these costs will affect you in the future, with greater construction costs.

•   
  

  Position: Name	Email	Telephone #
  Mayor: Joe Coviello	jcoviell@capecoral.net	239-574-0436
  District 1: John Gunter	jgunter@capecoral.net	239-574-0436
  District 2: John Carioscia	jcarioscia@capecoral.net	239-242-3288
  District 3: Marilyn Stout	mstout@capecoral.net	239-242-3288
  District 4: Jennifer Nelson	jinelson@capecoral.net	239-242-3288
  District 5: Dave Stokes	dstokes@capecoral.net	239-574-0437
  District 6: Rick Williams	rwilliam@capecoral.net	239-574-0437
  District 7: Jessica Cosden	jcosden@capecoral.net	239-574-0437
  City Mgr: John Szerlag	jszerlag@capecoral.net	(239) 574-0451