February 11, 2015
Pedestal Replacement
La Casa has been changing out electric pedestals behind homes throughout the Community. An electric pedestal is the box in the back yard that holds your electric meter. This is the source of electricity that feeds each home. As the Community ages so do our electric pedestals. Your reserve monies are paying for your replacement box and labor to do the work.
For several years you have heard about the Board funding reserves; this ongoing project is one of the largest expenses your Board has undertaken. The final cost when the project is done in the next 7 to 9 years will be close to $1,000,000.00. As of today 259 home have had new electric pedestals installed. By the end of 2015 we plan to have another 80 homes upgraded with new pedestals. That’s 339 homes making us one-third completed, with 635 homes to go. Management has started with the oldest electrical pedestals first and will work our way to the newer ones as time moves forward.
Homeowners are contacted by phone and told when the work will occur. We try to give as much as a 30 day notice. The work normally begins at or around 9:00 am that day and the Homeowner will be without power for at least 4 to 6 hours pending work problems, Sarasota Inspector scheduling and FPL workers schedule. With three different contractors being involved, it is a scheduling coordination that has worked well so far.
If you have not been notified do not worry it may be a few years down the road. Remember the older units are being done first. The Boards mandate is to maintain the Community of La Casa. Having the reserves set in place, the work gets done without causing a one-time large assessment.
Randy Browning, Park Manager