In 2014, a significant strong rotten egg odor plagued the North Fort Myers area. One source of the odor was determined to be coming from the SLD Construction & Debris Facility just north of Herons Glen. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection Agency (FDEP) was contacted. It was found that the facility like others had Chinese drywall in the Construction & Debris landfill. As the drywall decays, it emits the Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas. The hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas has a very pungent “rotten egg” odor.

The SLD facility is regulated by the FDEP. Once enough data was collected between 2014 & 2016, which included local resident complaints, the FDEP executed a legal consent order in 2016 requiring the SLD facility to take measures to control the Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas emissions. The Herons Glen HOA Air Quality Control representatives hold a quarterly meeting with the management staff of the Waste Connection SLD facility, and the FDEP is included in the meetings as necessary. The purpose is to get updates on their progress to control the emissions and improvements to their systems as required by the FDEP. The FDEP continues their onsite inspections and monitoring of the facilities which include the complaints submitted. The company that owns the SLD facility is now called Waste Connections. Each year they attend the Firewise Community event and provide a table where residents can stop by and ask questions.

Several things need to occur for areas of Herons Glen to experience the “rotten egg” odor. The drywall is deeply covered in the landfill, and a gas collection system operates to burn off the gases. When what they call hot spots develops in an area within the landfill it can release uncollected gases into the air. It is generally not immediately known when this occurs somewhere within the landfill or between daily testing during the week. If a hot spot opens and if the wind direction is from the North or Northwest, then residents in areas of Herons Glen may smell the “rotten egg” odor. The odor may also appear if the gas is in the air, and it rains or there is heavy fog. The facility management team responds when a hot spot is discovered and has equipment to cover the areas to eliminate the release of the (H₂S) gas. The best option to eliminate the (H₂S) gas is what they call a vertical scrubber. It is reported to be the most effective solution. We expect this scrubber to be installed at the facility soon. It will not 100% eliminate a possible gas release incident but will significantly reduce the amount of gas that could be released. The monitoring will continue even after this installation.

There are other odors that come from various sources that are unpleasant, but they are not a hazard or dangerous like the hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas has been determined to be, and the other odor sources are not part of the FDEP monitoring.

The very pungent “rotten egg” odor as it is described is much stronger than the typical sulfur water smell. It can appear at anytime provided the wind or right conditions exist. A sewage or garbage or mix of sulfur and sludge smell or smell like the “dump” is generally not related to the hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas smell. If you are not sure of the offensive odor, it is ok to file the complaint just in case. It is important to file the complaint as soon as you experience it if you can. Have the date, time, and location available. In the survey link below, please note that the general location of Herons Glen on the map is E4.

http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1901263/Zemel-Road-Facilities-Survey-Form

Meeting of November 15, 2023, Mary Kelley, who is also a member of ARC, said that Andrew Cohen, ARC Chair, is happy with the ARC Approval Processes flow document that Mike Stropes had revised based on previous comments from Andrew. ARC members reviewed the document at a recent meeting and will conduct one more review at an upcoming meeting. If they agree, the document will be sent to the HOA Board for approval. Linda also asked that Mary consult ARC about any topics, such as frequent violations or misunderstandings, that might be good topics for weekly bulletin or newspaper articles.

The Committee acknowledged that the HOA Board approved the final copy of the Grounds Committee Approval Processes flow document. Use of the document will be discussed at an upcoming meeting.

Mike will work with the HGRD on final changes of the HGRD section of the HOA/HGRD Governing Structures document. Joyce will then review, followed by the Communications Committee, and the final document will go to the HOA Board for approval.

The group discussed having an article about the document for the weekly HOA bulletin, followed by a similar newspaper article. The document will be accessible via a link to the HOA website. Joyce will work with Karen and Jim Mars to have the document posted on the website. Joyce will also send a copy to each HOA Committee Chair, including the Welcome Committee who expressed interest in including it in their new resident packet. A copy of the document may be available for residents at the December 13 HOA Annual Meeting.

Linda will invite Frank and Phyllis DeSmet, Bingo coordinators, to the next meeting to discuss the policy for communicating other HOA and non-HOA activities and solicitations at Bingo. It may also be appropriate to invite Denise Fells, head of the HOA Activities Committee, to attend.

Linda will also invite members of the SSEP Committee to attend to determine how we might collaborate with SSEP. Joyce also asked that we discuss SSEP use of official HGHOA communications channels in publicizing SSEP events and activities.

At a future meeting, the group will spend time discussing what residents want to hear from the HOA so we can plan accordingly.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday December 20, 2023, at 1:00 pm in the HOA Conference Room.

Respectfully submitted
Linda Lynch, Communications Chair

The ARC received 54 applications for the month of November.

The committee reviewed a final draft of the flow chart prepared by the Communications Committee and agree with the final version. The committee voted to forward to the board a draft of proposed changes to ARC Construction Standards for consideration of composite roof tiles.

The next scheduled meeting is December 12, 2023, at 9:00 am in the HOA Conference Room/Zoom. To ensure a successful review of the applications, the December 26th ARC Meeting is cancelled due to the timing of the holiday.

Respectfully Submitted,
Andrew Cohen, Chair

ARC Application submission deadlines and meetings:

• The deadline for the December 12, 2023, ARC Meeting has passed.
• For application review at the January 9th ARC meeting, applications and support documents must be submitted by January 2nd to the HOA Office.

Reminder: The application and support documents must be submitted by the homeowner (not the contractor) to the HOA Office.

The HOA Activities Committee met on Thursday November 16th, 2023. Meeting called to order by HOA Board Liaison Denise Fell at 10:00 AM. In attendance: Bernadette Schirra, Debbie DeFazio, Donna Piascik, Shirley Hrabar, Suzanne Offutt, Joyce Lipkin, Kathy Petrillo Chair of the Welcome Committee. Sue McCoy had an excused absence.

Kathy Petrillo provided the committee with a comprehensive overview of the role of the Welcome Committee. There have been 41 closings since 4/1/23. Twenty-one have completed a 1:1 meet and greet, ten were prior HG residents and six are seasonal residents and will be greeted upon their return. The others have not responded or chose not to be greeted. A Welcome group social with newcomers will be scheduled once the restaurant renovations are completed.

Holiday decorating at the entrance to Herons Glen was completed by volunteers and committee members on November 20th. Special thank you to Lori and Jeremiah from the HOA office for their assistance.

The Christmas Cart Parade was scheduled for Sunday, December 3, 2023. The Marching Gator Band from Island Coast High School led the parade along with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The Activities Fair is scheduled for Sunday, January 21, 2024. Eleven groups are currently registered for the event.

Shredding Event – During the Firewise event on Monday February 12, 2024, from 10-11:30 a.m. the Iron Mountain shredding truck will be at Herons Glen.

Technology Class – A computer class for Seniors is scheduled for February 20,2024. More information to follow.

Ice Cream Social – Sunday, April 14, 2024.

Next meeting to be held on Thursday December 14, 2023, at 10:00 AM in the HOA Conference
Room.

Respectfully submitted.
Denise Fell, HOA Board Liaison

The HOA Office mailed the election ballot packages on November 1st. If you have not received the Herons Glen HOA Board election ballot package as of today, please contact the HOA Office by email at hoaoffice@heronsglenhoa.org to let us know if you need for another package mailed to you and the address it should be mailed to. You may also stop by the HOA Office to pick up a replacement package. Voting is one vote per lot. Deadline for submitting ballots to the HOA Office is close of business (4:00 pm) on December 12th.

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