Winter Springs TLBD committee prioritizes Tuscarora monument, approves entrance lighting work

At a special meeting, the TLBD maintenance committee in Winter Springs voted to prioritize renovation of the Tuscarora monument and to replace decorative entrance lighting after a staff presentation of 27 candidate projects and associated cost estimates.

The committee, appointed to oversee assessment-district enhancements, heard from Brian Dunnigan, director of administrative services and operations, who said staff had prepared an outline of enhancement opportunities and approximate costs guided by the committee’s direction from November. Dunnigan told the board the FY26 repair-and-maintenance allocation for the assessment district was $75,000 and that staff had not solicited formal contractor bids because they wanted the committee to set priorities first. “Following direction provided to city staff on 11/19/2025, the TLBD board prepared an outline with approximate cost for various enhancements that can be completed in 2026,” he said.

The presentation included line-item estimates: Winter Springs Boulevard median and Tuscarora entrance landscaping (about $624,800), North Fountain rehabilitation ($176,000), decorative street-sign refurbishment ($50,000), small-monument landscape renovations (about $18,000 for multiple monuments), and a main-entrance lighting refit (about $19,000). Kevin Maddox, the city’s landscape and arbor manager, walked the committee through conditions and explained that the figures were material-plus-installation estimates with contingency allowances and maintenance-of-traffic costs. “That’s part of my job,” Maddox said when asked whether the city is responsible for maintenance tasks such as stump removal and tree inventory.

Committee members and residents pressed staff on the apparent disparity between small-unit costs and the total project estimates. Resident Linda Freeburn said the scope looked vague and the numbers were surprising: “We looked up the cost of a Sylvester palm, and for, like, a 15-footer, it’s about $1,000. I don’t know how we got to $14,000 for one tree.” Kevin Maddox and Dunnigan responded that commercial installations include additional factors—larger/tree clear-trunk sizes, traffic control, equipment, installation labor and contingency—that increase cost compared with retail purchases.

After a brief discussion and a numerical scoring exercise (1 = not interested in FY26, 2 = somewhat interested, 3 = very interested) the board averaged members’ scores and sorted the list. Staff reported the five top-ranked projects by score were: Winter Springs Boulevard entrance lighting (highest average), North Fountain rehab (second), Winter Springs Boulevard median 1, Tuscarora Monument, and Winter Springs Boulevard medians 3 and 4. Because the combined cost of the top five exceeded the committee’s FY26 funds, members removed the outlier — the North Fountain rehab — from near-term feasibility discussion.

The committee then made and approved two formal motions by roll-call vote. First, members moved to prioritize the Tuscarora Monument as the committee’s top project among the high-ranking items; the motion passed with all present members voting aye (Chairperson Bivona; Committee member Paul; Vice Chairperson Jones; Committee member Markey; Committee member Resztka). Second, the committee approved full replacement/refurbishment of the Winter Springs Boulevard entrance lighting, estimated at about $19,000; that motion likewise passed unanimously. With those two approvals, staff said roughly $7,000 would remain in the FY26 allocation, which the committee may reserve for unplanned repairs or apply to lower-cost items at staff discretion.

Public commenters urged clearer documentation and longer-term planning. Howell Creek Reserve treasurer Tim Lonsberry told the committee the numbers in the packet differed substantially from earlier briefings and called for a strategic plan and clearer accounting of the assessment’s revenue and reserve goals: “We have 2,263 homeowners in our association. Those folks had paid in $42,000 in their taxes for the TLBD assessment. There’s a lot of interest in our HOA on how this program is being managed,” he said.

Dunnigan and staff said next steps will be to return to the committee with refined scopes and to solicit competitive bids for the top-scored projects that fit within the FY26 budget; staff suggested additional project prioritization and budgeting at the regular February meeting. The committee adjourned at the close of public comment.