- September 6, 2024
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After hearing that Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 4 will pull $500,000 from reserves to build a new pavilion in Greenbrook Adventure Park, Greenbrook resident Kevin Kumanga wants to know if the pavilion will feature solid gold toilets.
“They could rebuild a house for $500,000, and this is a pavilion,” Kumanga said. “Reserves are not a gift card they found in the street. Residents pay to have reserves. Hurricane season is coming; maybe, we’ll need (the reserves).”
The pavilion burned down on July 5, 2023. That October, Tom Merrell, director of operations for the Inter-District Authority, told the Observer at the time that he “guesstimated” the pavilion would be replaced as early as July 2024 at a cost of between $100,000 and $150,000.
Merrell said when the estimates came back, they weren’t less than $250,000, and that was to replace exactly what was lost — a wooden pavilion. The new pavilion will be made of non-combustible materials.
An investigation by state and local authorities, including the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and East Manatee Fire Rescue, concluded that the fire was accidentally set by a group of teenagers.
After lighting the fireworks, video footage shows the teens throwing the debris into a trashcan in an attempt to clean up after themselves. The trashcan didn’t catch fire until an hour later.
Because there was no criminal intent, law enforcement did not pursue charges against any individuals. The IDA has the option to file a civil lawsuit to recover damages.
However, the investigation did not reveal who the individuals on the video were, only that they appeared to be teenagers.
“We don’t know who these people are,” CDD4 Chair Michael Griffin said. “This could all change, but at least for now, the route that we’re pursuing is to pay for it out of our reserves. Nobody’s going to get assessed extra money for it.”
One Greenbrook resident said she would have preferred the less expensive pavilion because it would have been built by now. She said her family doesn't use the pavilion but does miss the restrooms.
She didn't want to be identified, but she said the families of the teens should be paying the bill. She also suggested fundraising activities.
Since the entire community uses the Adventure Park, Kumanga suggested each CDD chip in $50,000, instead of leaving the entire onus on CDD4.
Kumanga served on his former HOA’s board for 16 years and said CDD4 board members are not standing up to their fiduciary responsibilities by pulling $500,000 out of reserves for a pavilion.
He’s not suggesting leaving the charred cement slab empty, but Kumanga is questioning the due diligence of the board on several issues regarding the insurance policy, cost of replacement and the effort being put into finding the responsible parties.
“They keep saying it’s too expensive and it’s a process,” Kumanga said. “Call Morgan and Morgan and let them take their 30%.”
Steve Zielinski, executive director of the IDA, told Kumanga in an email dated May 13 that his staff members are actively reviewing all avenues of damage recovery with the insurance provider. If damages are recovered, they’ll be deposited back into the reserves.
“Pursuing civil charges will require the identification of the individuals at fault,” Zielinski wrote. “This process will necessitate that CDD4 hire an investigator or use the resources available through its insurance carrier to take this course of action. Unfortunately, it is a tedious process and one that will not be resolved in the short-term.”
With an estimate of $500,000, Kumanga also questions how a an open-air pavilion costs $500,000 when its infrastructure is already in place. The cement pad is laid, and the plumbing and electric are installed.
The pavilion will be the same size as the original, but what was wood is being upgraded to steel and cement block. An upgraded security system will be installed, too.
Architect Laura Adcock with WBRC, the firm designing the pavilion, said the old pavilion was built using a lot of columns. The new layout with less columns makes the space more useful.
“There will be spaces with tables, but there can also be spaces for yoga, dancing or other group activities,” she said.
Liliya Sablukova, CFO for the IDA, said that CDD4 will remain financially strong even after spending up to $500,000 of reserves.
“(CDD4) has cash of about $2.9 million, and they’re collecting assessments of about $2.4 million a year,” Sablukova said. “So they will still have plenty of money available.”
She also said the full $500,000 may not have to be pulled from the reserves. Insurance paid $54,000 and could possibly pay more. The Greenbrook Village Association, which is the homeowners association, is considering a contribution of up to $150,000, but has not made a final decision yet.
One point that both Kumanga and IDA staff agree on is that the insurance policy was insufficient to cover the damages.
“We have gone through the entire community and gotten all the assets to the proper levels for insurance,” Merrell said.
The assets include anything the districts own — park structures, Town Hall and operations facilities.
A contract with Rec Services Incorporated to construct and install a new pavilion was signed last week. Merrell said Rec Services contracts with the Manatee County School Board to install playground and park facilities.
The new pavilion is expected to be complete in early 2025.
