Golf Course Projects
Stoneybrook Golf Course
To the non-golfer the Stoneybrook Golf Course can be seen as
anything from a beautiful landscaped area to a problem creating
facility that the Owners of property at Stoneybrook have to live
with.
The Board of Supervisors certainly hope that it is a beautiful
landscaped area and do their best to ensure that any problems that
affect the Owners are resolved quickly.
Players
The Golf Course is one of the few public-use courses in SW
Florida and is probably the best from a players point of view;
consequently the course is used by many golfers some of whom do not
always respect the gated community and behave in an unbecoming way
to that expected of a person playing the game.
Golf has always been a gentlemans (and Gentlewomans) game where
standards of etiquette are high, but, unfortunately like many
standards in life today, behavior of some Golf Players is below what
should be expected. The Staff at Stoneybrook Golf Course will always
do their best to watch for bad behavior and take appropriate action
but if you notice anything that you consider is in poor taste please
don't hesitate to call the Pro-Shop on 948-3933. Try to obtain a
Golf Cart number or have a good description of the individuals.
Tree Replanting
Storms over the past two years have certainly taken their toll on
the Golf Course where many established trees were destroyed or
damaged. The CDD has a program to replace these trees as soon as
weather and ground conditions permit. Please remember that it is
impossible to replace a 50 foot tall pine or oak tree, we can only
replace it with a smaller tree and wait for it to grow.
We are confident that our new plantings consisting of different
types of trees will eventually develop into more attractive
preserve-type areas than they were prior to the destruction and by
the end of this year all replacement plantings will be complete.
While on the subject of Preserve Areas please be aware
that our large natural preserve areas are out of bounds to residents
and golfers alike and any trees that fall over in these areas have
to remain and rot. If you have any concerns regarding the
Landscaping around your property (not on your property) please check
with your Homeowners/Condo/Villa Association to ensure that it not
their responsibility. If it is not their responsibility then by all
means contact the CDD by calling 239-948-9057 and leave a message.
The CDD Board of Supervisors are determined to run the Golf
Course with no Golf Course expenses passed onto the Homeowners and
with all changes/improvements to the course paid by the income it
receives from Green Fees etc. Having this self-financing restriction
will not always allow us to complete improvements when we would like
to and our improvement plans may have to be delayed until finances
permit.
Some planned improvements are:
Sand Bunkers
Many of the bunkers are holding water so new
drainage systems will be added to create dryer sand.
Fairways
Some fairways have wet spots that also require drainage
systems to be added and/or modified.
Coquina Cart Paths
The heavy rains of the summer and low points
that collect irrigation water have caused some problems in various
areas of the cart paths. Additional coquina will be added to make up
the low spots and drainage in these areas will be addressed.
Starter Sheds
We are looking into providing new more attractive
starter sheds for both the Bag Boys and the Starter.
Golf Carts
The Golf Carts are leased and this lease is about to
expire. We intend signing a new lease for new carts and at the same
time providing a new GPS system that will be more desirable for the
golfer. The new GPS system will also allow the CDD to create an
income flow from customized advertising on the system.
Pro-Shop
The Pro-Shop is six years old and is showing signs of
wear. Some minor improvements will be made to update the shop. The
Pro-Shop will be charging more for Green Fees in 2007 bringing Stoneybrook in line with other golf courses of this standard.
Irrigation
One area that Owners are probably not fully conversant with is
who is responsible for Golf Course and Home Site irrigation water
production and who pays for it?
First of all, the CDD is responsible for producing and delivering
the water and up until now we obtained it by pumping water out
of the underground aquifer into the lakes by the 16th tee box
(remember the one on the east side used to be brown with mineral
deposits). Now, however, we receive recycled water from the local utility
company. This water is free at the moment but in about 2 years we
shall have to start paying for this water. It will be far less cost
than normal domestic water but there will be a nominal charge set by
the Utility Company and we shall have no choice on whether to accept
the water.
A recent study undertaken by a large Engineering Company on
behalf of the CDD shows that the Homeowners use 57% of the
irrigation water while the Golf Course uses 43%.
As part of the Engineering study costs were established for the true cost of providing irrigation water that would include pump maintenance, pipe repairs, electricity to run pumps, reserves and all the other miscellaneous costs involved. This figure was then divided in the 43/57 ratio and the CDD and HOA provided with figures for their budgets.
The study resulted in a reduction charged to the individual Homeowners that will be reflected in their Master Association Fees.
The Master Associations Board of Directors has requested that instead of the irrigation charges being part of the Master Association fees (as they are at present) the CDD should collect the irrigation water charges from the Homeowners by adding the charge to the Lee County Taxes. There would be an additional charge of 4% to Homeowners, charged by Lee County, to do this. The CDD has not accepted this request and feel that the Irrigation Water Charge should be treated in the same way as Comcast Cable, Community Pool Maintenance, Security and other service charges in that they are all considered part of the Association Fees. If you have a view on this matter please let your views be known to the CDD and Master Board.
Be assured that the CDD Board of Supervisors are Owners of property at Stoneybrook, live in Stoneybrook and, like you, want the best value, most attractive Community in Southwest Florida.
