By Mary Thurwachter
Before the Lantana Nature Preserve was created in 2000, the property’s buyer — who purchased 13.4 acres to build the Carlisle adult congregate living facility next door — agreed to pay $400,000 to design and construct the park. The agreement stipulated that the Carlisle would be responsible for maintenance and upkeep at the 6.5-acre park on East Ocean Avenue.
The Carlisle chose to pay the town to do the maintenance. However, that arrangement isn’t reflected in the legal documents.
At its Oct. 28 meeting, the Lantana Town Council voted to continue with the status quo and to amend documents to reflect that.
“I think we need to retain control because I don’t want to have something that isn’t acceptable,” said Mayor Dave Stewart.
The payment from the Carlisle for 2019 is $55,324. The annual budgeted amount is $32,000, with the remainder to go to updates such as a new roof on the gazebo and rebuilding the nature trail. The town, as detailed in the original sale agreement, can’t spend more than the amount Carlisle contributed for the preserve.
“Over time, projects have been deferred due to budgetary constraints,” said Town Manager Deborah Manzo. The planned asphalt pathway, expected to cost about $60,000, is one example. Hurricane Irma severely damaged the shell rock path two years ago. Since then, the council has debated various materials for rebuilding the path and, in June, agreed on asphalt.
Nature Preserve devotees prefer the shell rock, but council members dismissed it as too easily washing away.
Since Irma, the park has suffered from neglect and has been overgrown with weeds and invasive vegetation.
Rebuilding the path and cleaning up invasive vegetation aren’t the only concerns. Hypoluxo Island resident Media Beverly, who looked into the town’s financial records for the preserve, said if all the deed requirements were met since 2002, there’s approximately $433,000 unaccounted for in financial records.
“I’m speaking on this issue because the town requested $8,750 from the Friends (of the Nature Preserve) to remove exotic plants from the Nature Preserve,” she said. “The Carlisle has spent $50,000 to design and $350,000 to build, plus about $863,000 to maintain the preserve. That’s $1.26 million they’ve invested to beautify the town of Lantana.”
Beverly said she was not suggesting the money is missing or was mishandled, just that some income and expenses were never posted to the preserve.
“Any money remaining after expenses has to still be there somewhere,” she said. “There’s a lot of money in the town’s general fund that belongs to the Nature Preserve. Let’s find it and put it in a special revenue fund so we can move on with the invasive plant removal and pathway reconstruction.”
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