BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, September 26th, 2016
President Jacobs called
the meeting to order at 6:01 PM and Director Hayhurst led the group in the flag
salute. Directors Jacobs, Schendel, Stapp, Wilkey, and Hayhurst were all present.
There was one guest, a resident, Terri Walters, in attendance.
Terri Walters introduced
herself as the neighborhood representative of NextDoor.com and reported that
the online group she leads has grown to include 130 members (from H Street
through P Street). She had a few concerns to make the Board aware of and
request their input on, including: 1). The
increase of signs that advertise businesses attached to the back sides of stop
signs (in the right-of-way at intersections); some advertising repairs for
hail-storm damage when the hail-storm was months ago, and 2). Complaints made about
vehicles speeding too fast on P Street (a 45 mph zone). The Board discussed with
her further some ideas to remedy these issues and suggested she contact the
County Roads department about the signs also. The Board thanked Ms. Walters for
all of the time she volunteers online to help the community, and she left the
meeting at 6:14 PM.
The Consent Items were
reviewed. Director Wilkey motioned to accept the Minutes of the August 22nd,
2016 Meeting, along with the Financial Reports for August of 2016 as presented.
Director Schendel seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
The Correspondence file was
offered for review. President Jacobs shared a flyer advertising the Pistachio
Festival in Newberry Springs coming up on November 5th (the flyer was given to
him when he attended a recent High Desert CSD Luncheon). He also highlighted an
email and notes taken during a phone conversation between the Secretary and
Mark Gerardi, confirming the removal of the rusted/unsafe trash-can lids and
notifying her that new replacement lids are being ordered.
Barstow Heights Park was
addressed. The Safety Check List from the City was reviewed. There were no new safety
or maintenance issues listed in the past month. The report did confirm that the
grass had been fertilized recently and that fence repairs (due to safety
concerns) were in the process of being done. President Jacobs reported that he
had talked with John Heald about the possibility of getting/planting a creosote
bush and a pepper tree in the right-of-way between the fences, to remedy the
privacy concerns of the neighbors next to the new shade canopy (as had been
discussed at the previous meeting). An estimate for the job had not yet been
received, so the Secretary will follow up on that. The Board opted to move the
agenda item discussing the recent planting of four new trees to be addressed
during closed executive session (due to its potential for becoming pending
litigation). The sidewalk proposal from JDR Construction was discussed next.
The Secretary explained that John Rowe didn’t recommend adding a gutter and
curb next to the sidewalk as-is, because it would likely cause a water-flow
problem that didn’t exist before. The dirt between the paved road and chain
link fence is so hilly and uneven that it would require significant engineering
and leveling in order to allow for a gutter with adequate slope and drainage.
The current proposal received from JDR Construction was for the addition of a
sidewalk for cosmetic purposes only (as one option to consider), alongside, up next
to, and just South of a portion of the chain-link fence. The Board did not like
the idea of the South edge of the concrete meeting flush/level with the dirt.
They determined that more research (knowing exactly where the property lines
and right-of-ways are) is necessary before any further discussion or decisions
can be made pertaining to that project.
Venner Park was
addressed. The Safety Check List from the City was reviewed. There were no new safety
or
maintenance issues reported in the past month. The report did confirm
that the grass had been fertilized recently and that most of the trees around
the park (that staff could reach) were trimmed with a pole saw. The Long Range
Plans list was skipped over due to the larger-than-usual list of agenda items left
to cover.
The Office Building and
Compound were addressed next. The Secretary updated the Board that so far, she
has had two contractors come by to look at and take measurements of the kitchen
that is in need of renovations. Proposals have not been received yet, but she
expects some soon. She also updated the Board on the status of the new Security
Camera System installation that had begun. Mel Wolf, owner of Hi Desert Alarm,
had just visited that morning to check in, inspect what had been done, and see
if we were ready for them finish the project. The proposal from JDR
Construction to dig and put in an underground conduit (1” plastic PVC) for the
electrical wiring that will connect the office building to the restroom
building, so the other three cameras can be installed there, was addressed next.
Director Hayhurst motioned to approve the bid for the conduit work to be done
for $920. Director Wilkey seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
At 6:51pm, an updated
copy of last month’s Safety Review Report was read aloud by the Safety
Coordinator, Director Paul Wilkey. Director Hayhurst motioned to approve the
report as revised. President Jacobs seconded the motion. The motion carried
unanimously. The Board then addressed the safety issue that persuaded them to
direct the Secretary to re-write the report in the first place; that being the
chain-link fence repairs found necessary at Barstow Heights Park. The Board
reviewed the quote from Ellis Fence Company to repair and replace top railing
that poses a safety hazard (approximately 130 feet), as well as, to do
miscellaneous repairs on barbed wire, chain link, bent posts, and any other
safety issues found, around the park perimeter fence and parking lot fencing.
President Jacobs motioned to approve the bid and hire Ellis Fence Company to do
all of the work for a total of $2,060. Director Schendel seconded the motion.
The motion carried unanimously.
The Records Retention
Policy was addressed. Director Hayhurst motioned that the Board adopt the standard
Records Retention Policy, written and adopted by the State of California (and accessible
online at: http://archives.cdn.sos.ca.gov/local-gov-program/pdf/records-management-8.pdf). Director
Wilkey seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
The General Manager reported
that it had been a very busy and productive month. The auditor came to the office
to complete the “field work” portion of the audit on Thursday 9/22. In
preparation for the audit, the accountant had come to the office three separate
times prior, to complete all of the accounting work on QuickBooks that she was
required to do. The Secretary had also been in touch with Zapp Electric, and
had received a proposal for a 500 watt outdoor LED light fixture to light up
the basketball court at Barstow Heights Park. The price quoted was $1450 to
install the lamp to the existing pole next to the office building.
Unfortunately, the Secretary didn’t realize until later that mounting it to
that pole won’t be an option because the pole is owned by Southern California
Edison. She will contact them again to request a new proposal that includes the
installation of a pole near the Southeast side of the Basketball Court, as well
as, another quote for a “solar-powered” street lamp.
President Jacobs asked
for the Directors’ Reports at 7:05 PM. Director Wilkey reported that Mark
Gerardi had apologized to him and asked him to share with the Board his regrets
for not always having the safety review checklists ready in prior months.
Director Stapp expressed his concerns
about the condition of
the roads during and after the water main upgrades that are being worked on.
Director Hayhurst will ask her friend at the water company for a summary of the
work that is planned (and on which streets) in future weeks, to get a better
idea of what to expect. Lastly, President Jacobs voiced his concerns about a
flyer he saw advertising a “Fun Day” event at Venner Park a few weeks prior, at
which the public was charged a small fee for participation. He wondered if any
of the public may have felt inconvenienced by it or if any were unhappy that
the park was likely full to capacity that day.
President Jacobs asked
the Secretary if there were any additional bills to be presented. She indicated
that there were none. Director Stapp motioned to pay all of the bills as presented.
Director Hayhurst seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
There was no New Business
to address. A closed Executive Session was requested at 7:15 PM. One item to be
addressed would be possible litigation and the other item regarding personnel.
The meeting re-adjourned
at 7:28 PM. Director Hayhurst motioned that inasmuch as the Board had requested
just four trees be planted, that the Board pay for just four trees, and because
36” trees were planted (instead of the 48” trees that were agreed to), that the
Board pay only the price quoted for the 36” trees ($1,100 per tree, including
the deep root irrigation system), for a total of $4,400 payable to Unique
Landscaping. Furthermore, since a deposit of $4,750 had already been paid, the
District will respectfully request that the $350 over-payment be returned and
that the two additional 24” trees (that were not agreed upon), be removed.
Director Stapp seconded the motion. The motion carried with four votes in
favor, and one Director (Wilkey) abstaining from the vote.
The Board returned to
closed Executive Session to address personnel (and the Secretary left the
meeting) at 7:31 PM.
The Secretary returned at
8:15 PM to discuss her annual employee evaluation with the Board and the meeting
then reconvened at 8:32 PM. President Jacobs motioned to increase the General
Manager/ Secretary’s pay by fifty cents an hour, bringing her salary up to
$18.50 per hour (retro-active to July 1st, 2016). Director Hayhurst seconded
the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
The next Regular Meeting
was scheduled for Monday, October 24th at 6:00 PM. The meeting adjourned at 8:34
PM.
Submitted by: Jen Rubio - Secretary/General Manager
