Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Minutes from 3/23/15 Meeting (approved 4/27/15)

BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, March 23, 2015

President Jacobs called the meeting to order at 6:08 PM and Director Wilkey led the group in the flag salute. Directors Jacobs, Stapp, and Wilkey were present. Directors Schendel and Hayhurst were unable to attend. There were also no guests in attendance.

President Jacobs requested a motion on the Consent Items. Director Wilkey motioned to accept the Minutes of the February 23rd, 2015 Meeting, along with the Financial Reports for February of 2015 as presented. Director Stapp seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.

The Correspondence file was offered for review. President Jacobs highlighted a letter from SDRMA notifying the District that due to the Districts participation in their property/liability insurance program for 28 years, our agency will receive a longevity distribution credit on our 2015-16 renewal invoice, in the amount of $253.

Barstow Heights Park was addressed. The Safety Check List from the City was reviewed. There were no deficiencies noted. The report also stated that the City of Barstow had sprayed the weeds and wild grass inside and outside of the park with Razor Pro weed killer and Surflan pre-emergent mixed. Park Maintenance will also remove the creosote bush at the East end of the basketball court (as requested by the board) by the end of the upcoming week. President Jacobs reported that he had recently set off as many as six gas cartridges to control the Ground Squirrels. He will continue to work on keeping them under control. Director Stapp inquired about the email the Secretary had received and forwarded on to them recently (from critterbustersonline.com) that offers ground squirrel and gopher control. He asked the Secretary to please contact them to request a free estimate for the Directors to consider.

The outdoor Plaques to honor Mrs. Kelley and Ms. Davis were discussed briefly. The Board agreed that the Plaques had turned out nicely and they were very pleased with them. The exact location of Mrs. Kelley’s Plaque on a pedestal near the front (North) gate had already been determined at a prior meeting, but the placement of Dorothy Davis’ Plaque, as well as the planning of a dedication ceremony of some type was postponed for the Board to discuss again at the next meeting when more Directors are expected to be present.

The Long Range Plans for Barstow Heights Park were addressed. President Jacobs reported that the new stairs at the top of the ramp had been completed (on Friday 3/20) and that he was very happy with the job that John Rowe had done. Director Wilkey commented that he thought the handrails with skateboard deterrent knobs (welded on by Ellis Fence Company) are spectacular. All were impressed with how quickly the job was done. As far as the new Trees were concerned, President Jacobs reported that he had contacted Unique Landscaping for an estimate. He had met with the owner, John Heald, to discuss what the Board wanted several weeks ago. The Secretary received the proposed estimate by email just in time for the Board Meeting. Three trees with deep watering systems, as well as their exact locations were discussed. Mr. Heald had suggested that a large Cotton Wood tree be removed in order to locate a new tree in its place. The Board determined however, that they did not want the large shade-bearing tree removed for now, but rather preferred to move a nearby trash can instead, and plant one of the new trees in its place. President Jacobs motioned to approve the proposed bid of $2,225 from Unique Landscaping to plant three 24-inch “Modesto Ash” Shade Trees ($1,200), install one new Sprinkler Valve ($125), as well as install six 36” Subsurface Bubblers; a deep watering system that would include 2 bubblers per new tree ($900). Director Stapp seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. Wood Chips (for playgrounds at both Barstow Heights Park and Venner Park) were discussed briefly. Director Wilkey reported that he had walked around both parks to inspect them and felt that Wood Chip levels were adequate for now. He did suggest that the Secretary let Mark Gerardi know that the Wood Chips could use some raking to distribute them more evenly, especially where they have worn away under the swings and slides from being frequently trampled on. Director Stapp agreed that the Wood Chips could wait a little longer until a deficiency is noted and the need to replace them is more obvious. The price list for three additional picnic tables, barbecue grills, and trash cans (from PilotRock.com) was reviewed. The secretary had researched the item numbers and prices as was directed at the previous meeting, to provide the Board with a list and clearer idea of how much they would cost to purchase. The Secretary will put in an online request with the company for an estimate on the shipping costs as well, since shipping is by freight and can vary greatly depending upon the size/season during which the order is placed.

Venner Park was addressed. The Safety Check List from the City was reviewed. There were no deficiencies noted. The report informed the Board that Venner Park had also been sprayed for weeds and wild grass (inside and outside the chain-link fence) with Razor Pro weed killer and Surflan pre-emergent mixed.  The Board opted to discuss further the new Benches desired for Venner Park next month.

The Office Building and Compound was addressed. Director Stapp reported that he had looked at options for new lighting inside the office, and will continue to work on that improvement. President Jacobs reported that he would be picking up some weed killer from Home Depot to spray the yard outside and around the building. The Secretary is still looking at purchasing a paper shredder for the office. Director Wilkey suggested that she contact him before purchasing one, so he could tell her the make/model of the one that he is using at his office that is working well for them. The need for a new Bulletin Board will be addressed at the next meeting.

The Audit agreement for upcoming FYE 2015 was discussed. Director Wilkey reported that he had spoken with Chris from Charles Z. Fedak & Company on February 26th. He had asked Chris if the District was in any way financially bound to continue with them as the Auditor for the next year and Chris responded that he was not aware that we were in any way legally required to do so. Director Wilkey felt satisfied that the former contract is non-binding and that the Board is free to choose another Company to do the Audit, if so desired. Director Wilkey didn’t feel it necessary to contact Paul Kaymark with the new firm (The Pun Group) as planned, due to the answer he received from Chris. The Board agreed that it would be wise to make the final decision about which company to hire at the next meeting, when all of the Directors could be present to have their opinions heard before a vote is taken.

The maturity of two CD’s (ending in 8625 and 1164) were addressed. During the discussion the Secretary was able to confirm that the FDIC insurance coverage (of $250,000) applies to the checking and savings account balances combined, and not to each separate account and each CD is insured separately with its own insurance (not FDIC). Director Wilkey motioned to cash out the CD that matured on 3/22/15 (approximately $35,500), as well as, cash out the CD that will be maturing on 4/22/15 (approximately $70,000), and deposit those monies into the savings account to take advantage of a higher interest rate return (0.450%). President Jacobs seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.

Resolution No. 2015-1, the agreement to move the current election cycle from August of odd years to November of odd years, was addressed next. The Resolution was reviewed, approved, and adopted by the following roll call vote:

Richard P. Jacobs, President        Aye
Daryl R. Schendel                           Absent
Robert M. Stapp                             Aye
Paul V. Wilkey                                 Aye
Jeanette L. Hayhurst                      Absent

The Policies and Procedures items on the agenda were postponed until next month. The General Manager reported that she did complete her Ethics Compliance Training (AB1234) online on Wednesday, March 4th. She also reported that Debbie Bolton from Stewart’s Tax Service had been to the office on Wednesday, March 18th. She was able to reconcile all of the book-keeping for the past four months in about two hours. The Directors asked if the Secretary was happy with the QuickBooks program and her new method of keeping the books. She responded that yes, it has been a big improvement overall; her only complaint had been the challenges she had encountered with figuring out how to print checks. It turned out that the checks she had purchased were not compatible without the purchase of additional software and online banking access, so after much trial and error she ultimately discovered that she would need to order different checks directly from QuickBooks (that include the banking institution and account numbers already printed on them). She was encouraged to go ahead and get the correct checks ordered. She reported that she had printed out a “New Prevailing Wage Requirements – Fact Sheet” for each Director to review (for informational purposes). Finally, she reported on the progress she had made with getting the Edison Company to come out and upgrade/replace bulbs on the lighting (Street Lamps) at Barstow Heights Park. She will put in a request that a new Street Lamp be installed near the East end of Basketball Courts.

President Jacobs requested the Directors’ reports. Director Wilkey reported that his locked vehicle had been broken into (in his driveway) a week prior. No damages to the vehicle occurred and personal information was the only thing taken. He spoke to a Sheriff who told him that his had been the second vehicle break-in reported in the area that morning and it was only 8:30am. He suggested that the Secretary warn residents through the blog and Facebook to keep a closer eye out for suspicious activity and to not leave valuable items in their vehicles. Director Stapp reported that when he turned up N Street recently he noticed that alongside the road (about 8-10 feet in from the curb) all of the bushes had been mowed down on both sides, leaving only root stubs. It appeared that some kind of heavy equipment was used. He wondered if the County Roads department was responsible, if it had been in response to our concerns voiced last year about overgrowth obstructing the view of drivers, why they would clear the bushes on just that one street, and if more clearing is planned. President Jacobs commented that he was pleased to have observed that the County had been replacing/repairing some of the curbs with “hot mix” that were damaged by the flooding last August. Director Stapp also mentioned his concerns about a large tour bus parked on a property in the heights. The Secretary will try to get answers to his questions from the County Roads Department and Code Enforcement.

President Jacobs asked the Secretary if there were any additional bills to be paid. She indicated that there were none. Director Stapp motioned to pay all of the bills as presented. Director Wilkey seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. There was no New Business to address and no Executive Session needed. The next Regular Meeting was scheduled for Monday, April 27th at 6:00 PM. The meeting adjourned at 7:22 PM.

Submitted by:  Jen Rubio - Secretary/General Manager

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