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River Ridge CDD appoints new supervisor, approves gatehouse redesign subconsultant and several operational measures
Summary
At its Oct. 22 meeting the River Ridge Community Development District appointed Keith Merrill to a vacant board seat, adopted officer appointments, authorized RG Architects as a Bowman subconsultant for gatehouse redesign, approved emergency street‑sweeping cleanup and a drainage easement, and ratified audited financials.
River Ridge Community Development District supervisors met Oct. 22 in the River Club Sound Room and by Zoom and approved a series of governance and operational actions, including appointing a new supervisor and authorizing design work for two gatehouses.
Chair Bob Schultz nominated longtime resident Keith Merrill to fill the Board’s vacant Seat 1 (term through November 2026); the Board approved the appointment on a motion by Schultz, seconded by Robert Twombly. Mrs. Adams, acting as a notary, administered the Oath of Office to Merrill and District Counsel Tony Pires reviewed required ethics training, the Sunshine Law, public records obligations and the Form 8B conflict memo.
The Board adopted Resolution 2025‑01 electing officers as nominated (Bob Schultz as Chair; Terry Mountford as Vice Chair; Kurt Blumenthal, Robert Twombly and Keith Merrill as Assistant Secretaries) and removing James Gilman as an Assistant Secretary. The resolution left prior staff appointments, including Chesley “Chuck” Adams as Secretary, unchanged.
On capital projects and consulting, the Board authorized Bowman to retain RG Architects, P.A. as a subconsultant under Bowman’s standard terms to redesign two gatehouses; the design phase and permitting are expected to take 12–18 months, and a $62,500 design fee was discussed as a reimbursable, up‑front deferred cost to be invoiced when financing is issued. The Board also approved Bowman Consulting Group’s proposal for landscape architecture services for a Pelican Sound master signage program.
Operational approvals included ratifying Resolution 2024‑05A accepting the audited financial report for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2023; accepting unaudited financial statements as of Sept. 30, 2024 (staff flagged several budget misclassifications to be corrected in the next financials); approving an emergency street‑sweeping cleanup by Precision Cleaning, Inc. in a one‑time amount of $1,475 with authorization for additional week‑to‑week cleanings if needed; and approving a Proposed Grant of Easement from PSGRC to RRCDD for drainage, with the Board agreeing that future easements will include a sketch and legal description when placed on the agenda.
The Board reviewed the Lee County NPDES Permit FLS000035‑004 Cycle 4 Year 7 Annual Report, which Lee County approved and will be filed with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in advance of the Nov. 1, 2024 deadline. District staff will monitor any forthcoming changes to sampling requirements when the next permit language is issued.
Other actions included approval of the Aug. 27 public hearing and regular meeting minutes as amended and rescheduling the November meeting from Nov. 12 to Nov. 19, 2024. Most motions were recorded as passing 'with all in favor.'
Votes at a glance
- Appointment of Keith Merrill to Seat 1 — Motion: Mr. Schultz; Second: Mr. Twombly; Outcome: approved (recorded 'with all in favor'). - Resolution 2025‑01 (Elect/Remove Officers) — Motion: Mr. Blumenthal; Second: Mr. Mountford; Outcome: adopted ('with all in favor'). - Authorize Bowman to retain RG Architects (subconsultant) — Motion: Mr. Blumenthal; Second: Mr. Mountford; Outcome: approved ('with all in favor'). - Bowman Consulting Group proposal (master signage) — Motion: Mr. Blumenthal; Second: Mr. Schultz; Outcome: approved ('with all in favor'). - Precision Cleaning emergency street sweeping ($1,475) — Motion: Mr. Blumenthal; Second: Mr. Mountford; Outcome: approved ('with all in favor'). - Proposed Grant of Easement (PSGRC to RRCDD) — Motion: Mr. Blumenthal; Second: Mr. Schultz; Outcome: approved ('with all in favor'). - Ratification of Resolution 2024‑05A (Audited financials) — Motion: Mr. Schultz; Second: Mr. Blumenthal; Outcome: ratified ('with all in favor').
What’s next
District staff will finalize corrections to the financial statements after reviewing invoices, continue coordination on permitting and design tasks for the gatehouse and signage programs, and track any changes to NPDES reporting requirements when the next permit is issued. The Board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19, 2024.
