The Project Wide Advisory Committee is set to approve a $1.04 million bid for pond maintenance from a company it fired two years ago in a price dispute.
PWAC members will consider the proposed bid from Solitude Lake Management when it meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at SeaBreeze Recreation Center.
In 2023, PWAC members balked at the $247,783 increase sought in its existing contract with Solitude Lake Management LLC. The increase would have raised the price of the work to $825,948. It would have represented a 40 percent increase in the price of treating ponds south of County Road 466.
Instead, it reached an agreement with Crosscreek Environmental in hopes that it would be receiving improved pond maintenance at a more competitive price of $661,205.
However, there have been complaints about the conditions of ponds throughout The Villages and Crosscreek soon began to fall from favor.
New bids were sought as residents’ complaints grew louder.
In a recent bid tabulation, Solitude rose to the No. 1 ranking, while Crosscreek fell to No. 5.
Thus, a return to Solitude appears to be in the cards.
The summer heat tends to worsen the problems with algae at ponds. Runoff of fertilizer from nearby homes can make matters worse. Community Development District 1 tried an old-school approach to its pond problems by bringing in carp to munch away at the unwanted vegetation. The carp have not yet had the desired impact.