Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Minutes from 6/20/16 Meeting (approved 7/25/16)

BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, June 20th, 2016

Vice President Stapp called the meeting to order at 6:08 PM and Director Hayhurst led the group in the flag salute. Directors Schendel, Stapp, Wilkey, and Hayhurst were present. President Jacobs was not able to attend, so Director Stapp presided over and conducted the meeting. There were no guests in attendance.

The Consent Items were reviewed. The Secretary reported that the Minutes were not yet complete and ready to review. After taking four weeks off to recover from surgery, she discovered that she had confused and mixed up some details from the previous two meetings, and needed a little more time to correct them. The Financial Reports for March and April of 2016 were reviewed. Director Wilkey motioned to accept the Financial Reports as presented. Director Hayhurst seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

The Correspondence file was offered for review.

Barstow Heights Park was addressed. The Safety Check List from the City was reviewed. There were no safety or maintenance issues reported in the past month. The report did specify that the City had “raised the low sprinkler next to the concrete pad” and the Board was very happy to know that. The exact status of the ground squirrel situation was unknown since President Jacobs was not in attendance. The Secretary reported that while she was at the office one morning, President Jacobs did come and set off gas cartridges in two holes just outside the office building, approximately one month ago.

The update on Bid 01-15 (one shade canopy and tables) was addressed next. When asked, the Secretary confirmed that the job was completely finished. She checked it out and felt that it was done well and she’d like to pay the Contractor for the work done as soon as possible. In addition to the final balance due, there were two “change-up” service orders for additional work requested by President Jacobs or added as per new County requirements, while they were doing the job. The Board discussed the additional work and materials used, but wanted clarification from President Jacobs about exactly why and what each of the additional charges were for. Even though the Board agreed that they can completely trust the Contractor, they didn’t feel comfortable paying for the additional work above the original bid total, until they get clarification about all of the additional fees charged. Director Wilkey motioned to pay the balance of the contract, as per the original bid, and wait to pay the two most recent invoices until the Board can get further information from President Jacobs. Director Schendel seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

The new tree removal bid from Town & Country Tree Service (invoice #5712) for removal of the last two aging trees was discussed. Four trees had already been removed recently due to hazardous breaking limbs and falling branches. The Board was glad to know the approximate cost to remove the last two trees, but agreed that they would like to leave them just a little longer (at least until Fall) and as long as they do not become as dangerous to the public as the other trees were. The Board agreed they would like to address the issue again in October to determine whether or not the trees are dangerous enough at that time to make removing them necessary. In the meantime, the Secretary will keep a closer eye on them and inform the Board immediately if either tree appears to become a serious safety issue.

The new bid from Unique Landscaping to plant three new trees was addressed. The bid was for trees in either 24” boxes or 36” boxes. Director Wilkey reported that he had talked with Terri Peralta (with the City of Barstow) and she recommended, the same as John Heald had, that fruitless Mulberries really do tend to be the best trees to go with as they provide the most shade and have the easiest upkeep for their lifespan. One of the questions the Board had about the bid was approximately how tall each tree (in each of the various box sizes) would be to start out with. The Board agreed that they want to go with the largest trees possible that are still economically reasonable. Director Wilkey called John Heald during the meeting to get some answers. He learned that trees in a 24” box would be approximately 5-8 feet tall, trees in a 36” box would be approximately 15 feet tall, and the next largest size (in a 48” box) would cost significantly higher because they are more difficult to move and plant, but they could be anywhere from 20-28 feet tall. Mr. Heald would need to contact his supplier first before being able to give an exact cost for trees that large. The Board agreed that they would like another bid from Unique Landscaping for the much larger, and more mature trees (in 48” boxes) that would be more shade-bearing right away. Director Wilkey will request two new separate bids, one for trees in 36” boxes and one for trees in the 48” boxes. The Board will address the updated bids again next month.

Venner Park was addressed. The Safety Check List from the City was reviewed. There were no safety or maintenance issues reported in the past month.

The Office Building and Compound were addressed next. The Secretary had not yet requested an estimate for the kitchen renovations, or scheduled a date for the new security camera system to be installed, because of her recent surgery. She needed time to be sure she was healed enough to be back at work again during her regular office hours before getting started on those new projects.

The 2016/17 Budget Workshop was held. Director Hayhurst had a recommendation for the way the Budget is laid out for the next time. She suggested that the “Park Expenses” category be broken up into a separate line item that includes “Capital Improvements.” To her, the park expenses should be the operating expenses and things like upkeep and maintenance, and should not include all of the large improvement project expenses like it currently does. There should be a separate line item for each large capital improvement item that is/was approved. For example, “Park Canopy #3,” would have its own proposed expense total and actual expense numbers. The Board and the Secretary agreed that it would be a good adjustment to be made next time and in future years.

The 2016/17 Budget Resolution 2016-1 was reviewed, approved, and adopted by the following roll call vote:
 
Richard P. Jacobs, President              Absent
Daryl R. Schendel                                 Aye
Robert M. Stapp                                   Aye
Paul V. Wilkey                                       Aye
Jeanette L. Hayhurst                            Aye

Vice President Stapp and the Secretary/Board Clerk then signed the Resolution. The Secretary will submit copies of the Resolution to the County of San Bernardino Auditor/Controller, the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors, and the Auditor, as is the standard procedure.

The General Manager reported that it had been exactly 5 weeks since her surgery and that she’s healing well, getting a lot of sleep, and starting to feel much better. She’d been working in the office again during the past week to prepare for the current Board Meeting, and is now ready to get back to working her regular office hours. She also reported that she’d been working as the General Manager/Secretary of the District for four years now (since June 12th, 2012), and that she figured that the Board would want to wait until next month to do her annual employee evaluation, when President Jacobs could be present to participate in that.

Vice President Stapp asked for the Directors’ Reports. Director Wilkey reported that when he had been talking with Terri Peralta regarding the trees, she also mentioned that the water bill for Barstow Heights Park had doubled, and she wondered if we had allowed anyone the use of any water hook-ups in the park. He reassured her that the Board hadn’t ever approved anything like that and that perhaps a broken/leaking waterline might be the explanation (Mark Gerardi would be the one to ask about that possibility). The Secretary wondered if the new “deep watering system” for the three newest trees planted could have made an impact. She will mention that question/possibility to Mark Gerardi.

Vice President Stapp asked the Secretary if there were any additional bills to be presented. She indicated that there were none. Director Hayhurst motioned to pay all of the bills as presented. Director Schendel seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. There was no New Business to address and no Executive Session was requested.

The next Regular Meeting was scheduled for Monday, July 25th at 6:00 PM. The meeting adjourned at 7:17 PM.

Submitted by:  Jen Rubio - Secretary/General Manager
 
 

Minutes from 4/25/16 Meeting (approved 7/25/16)

BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
SPECIAL MEETING
Monday, April 25th, 2016

President Jacobs called the meeting to order at 6:03 PM and Director Hayhurst led the group in the flag salute. Directors Jacobs, Schendel, Stapp, Wilkey, and Hayhurst were all present. There were no guests in attendance.

Item #3, the Emergency Tree Removal was addressed. President Jacobs updated Director Schendel (who had been absent from the previous meeting), that during the last meeting, a brief field trip was taken outside to determine a more precise location of the cement slab for the new shade canopy. While outside in the park, Director Stapp noticed that a large heavy branch on the cottonwood tree in the North West corner had broken off and was resting on top of a smaller/lower branch. It looked as though weight of the larger branch could cause the lower branches to break and fall at any moment, and these branches were located directly above one corner of the children’s playground area. The Board recognized immediately that this was quite dangerous and needed to be dealt with right away. An emergency motion was passed to allow the General Manager to call Town & Country Tree Service the very next morning to have the dangerous tree branches removed, as well as, have the entire tree removed that week also if necessary. After discussing the age of the other trees in the park with the tree professionals and learning the risks that they too might pose to the public, President Jacobs and the General Manager determined that a Special Meeting to address those concerns, should be held as soon as possible, and thus, the reason for needing to have another board meeting that evening (Monday 4/25), just one week after the Regular monthly board meeting had been held.

While dealing with the emergency removal of the broken tree on the morning of 4/19, the tree professionals warned the General Manager that the large tree located in the North East corner was also hollow, rotting inside, and dangerous enough that they recommended it be removed as soon as possible as well. Because all of the trees in the park are the same age and nearing the end of their lifespan, she asked the professionals to take a closer look at each of them and provide a written estimate of the costs to remove all of them (eventually), starting with the most hazardous tree first. Because the tree in the center (West side) was located close to where the new shade canopy would be constructed next month, the General Manager also learned that the District could save $1,000 from the cost to remove that specific tree, but only if it comes down before the new shade structure goes up. Taking the tree down once the shade structure is next to and beneath it would necessitate the use of ropes and other more time-consuming methods to remove the large branches and take the tree down without harming the new canopy, so Town & Country offered a better price if they can remove that tree sooner and before the new obstacle is in place.

The Board discussed their options in great detail (either removing just the three most urgent trees for now or removing all five of them at once). Director Wilkey asked to take a short recess to go outside and look at each of the trees again. The Board took a short break to go inspect the trees at 6:12 PM. President Jacobs called the meeting back to order and the meeting reconvened at 6:20 PM.

Director Wilkey motioned that all five cottonwood trees in the park be removed. Director Stapp seconded the motion. Further discussion and debate continued. The Board agreed that they would like to spend a little more money to plant much larger/mature trees as soon as possible, and asked the Secretary to add that item to the next meeting Agenda. The Board eventually came to the conclusion that the last two trees, that were not considered as immediately dangerous, could wait at least a few more months to provide some shade through the hot summer. Director Stapp withdrew his second and motioned for Director Wilkey to amend the original motion. Director Wilkey amended his motion and moved that the Board go ahead and approve the Bid to remove just the first three trees in order to eliminate the danger to the public, as per the bid from Town & Country Tree Service, for the amount of $7,100. Director Stapp seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

Another update on Bid 01-15 (one shade canopy and tables) was addressed next. President Jacobs reported that after the last meeting he did call Jerry Linebaugh again, and the latest news is that the shade canopy is now fully fabricated and in the paint shop being painted. He expects it to be shipping (on the road) within a week or maybe two. Construction of the new shade canopy is therefore likely to begin by the middle of May. The Board discussed the possibility of extending the cement pad a few feet closer to the fence, to eliminate the need for upkeep of such a small strip of grass there between the cement slab and the fence.

The General Manager reported that she finally has an exact date scheduled for her surgery (Monday, May 16th), and thus, will be needing to take time off the last two weeks of May and probably the first two weeks of June to recover. The Board agreed that the next Board Meeting could be held in mid-late June, or as soon as the Secretary is ready to start preparing for one. She also updated the Board that she was planning to have a few spare keys to the office made for the other Directors to use, in case they need access while the President is away on vacation and she is still home recovering. Director Hayhurst mentioned how much more convenient a keyless entry system would be. The Secretary was directed to add that improvement idea to the Long Range Plans List for further discussion.

President Jacobs asked for Directors’ Reports. Director Stapp wanted to let the Board know that he got into an interesting discussion with someone on Facebook regarding the water tank next to the park recently. The tank is believed to be over 60 years old and rumors that it is leaking and is supposed to be removed soon have been ruminating for some time. This discussion made him curious about the status of the tank and if we know any date for certain that its removal might happen. Director Hayhurst shared her opinion that it is totally up to the BLM to determine that and therefore, it’s hard to speculate on a specific date right now.

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 Schendel seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. There was no New Business to address and no Executive Session was requested.

The next Regular Meeting date was not scheduled, but anticipated to be held sometime in mid-late June. The meeting adjourned at 6:47 PM.

Submitted by:
Jen Rubio - Secretary/General Manager
 
 

Minutes from 4/18/16 Meeting (approved 7/25/16)

BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, April 18th, 2016

President Jacobs called the meeting to order at 6:02 PM and the Secretary led the group in the flag salute. Directors Jacobs, Stapp, Wilkey, and Hayhurst were present. Director Schendel was not able to attend. There were no guests in attendance.

The Consent Items were reviewed. Director Wilkey motioned to accept the Minutes of the March 28th, 2016 Meeting, along with the Financial Reports for March of 2016 as presented. Director Hayhurst seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

The Correspondence file was offered for review. A letter sent from the Secretary to Jan Fowler was noted. The Secretary had been unable to reach her by phone or email in recent months, so tried to notify her by mail that the District had a typed copy (transcript) of the November 4th Park Dedication Ceremony completed and ready to share with her, as she had requested. The letter had been returned to the Secretary (marked unable to deliver/forward) and it now appears that the Fowlers have moved from their home on Brucite Road, so the Secretary has been unable to contact them for now. She still hopes they will contact her. The Board also addressed a letter from LAFCO regarding its Board Member Election. Director Hayhurst motioned that the Board vote to elect Kimberly Cox to fill the vacant position. Director Schendel seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. The Secretary will submit the Board’s vote to LAFCO. Lastly, President Jacobs highlighted a copy of the letter of opposition that the Secretary had been directed to type and submit (during last month’s meeting) regarding Senate Bill 885. The Secretary had submitted six copies of the letter to the proper elected officials and authorities (by fax and email), as instructed to by the CSDA.

Barstow Heights Park was addressed. There was no Safety Check List from the City to review. President Jacobs was happy to report that no new ground squirrels had been seen in recent weeks.

The update on Bid 01-15 (one shade canopy and tables) was addressed next. President Jacobs reported that while the District continues to wait on County approval for and fabrication of the shade structures, he would like the Board to help him determine the exact location where the shade canopy should go. The Board adjourned at 6:15 PM to take a quick field trip outside to the Park, so the Board could assess and determine the location visually. President Jacobs called the meeting back to order and the meeting reconvened at 6:31 PM. The Board had agreed on the exact location of the shade canopy next to the fence (as was marked with paint on the grass by President Jacobs), approximately ten feet away from the fence, with some additional concrete slab necessary to fill-in all the way right up to the edge of the chain-link fence if possible (as long as that will be in compliance with County regulations and standard engineering procedures). President Jacobs also updated the Board that he had recently met and talked with John Heald, of Unique Landscaping, at which time John had recommended fruitless mulberry trees, and perhaps a very large one in the North West (front) corner. He will submit a Bid/Proposal for adding more new trees to the South West side of the park before the next Board Meeting.

Venner Park was addressed. There was no Safety Check List from the City to review. The secretary reported that she had been in contact with Ellis Fence Company to have the cracked/rusted fence caps at Venner Park inspected and repaired. The quote she received for the work that needed to be done was exactly $200, so she was able to give them the “go ahead” to schedule the repairs, which will be completed by the end of the coming week.

The Office Building and Compound were addressed next. The new security camera system bid from Hi Desert Alarm was discussed. The Board had a few questions regarding whether or not the system runs on motion sensors and also, how many weeks-worth of recorded surveillance will be saved for playback at a time. Director Hayhurst motioned to approve the proposal (dated 2/28/16) for the new 6-camera system installed on two buildings at Barstow Heights Park for the price of $3857.86. Director Stapp seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

The Records Retention Policy was tabled for another month to allow the Secretary and Director Hayhurst more time to gather the necessary references to begin creating this new policy for the District.

The General Manager reported that medical insurance approval for her upcoming surgery was taking a little longer than expected, and while she was still uncertain of an exact date, she was anticipating that it most likely would be scheduled as soon as early-mid May. She reported that she would continue to work on getting ahead on tasks at the office so she will be prepared to take the 3-4 weeks off (without pay) that she will likely to need to recover. She also reported that she would be meeting with the accountant, Deb of Stewart’s Business and Tax Service, very soon again to reconcile all of the accounts and make sure the QuickBooks files are balanced and up to date before her surgery.

President Jacobs asked for Directors’ Reports. Director Hayhurst thanked all of the Board Members for attending the MWA (Mojave Water Agency) High Desert Water Summit held at Barstow College on Wednesday 4/13. They agreed that it had been a well put-on event and that the speakers were really great.

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. President Jacobs seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

There was no Executive Session requested, but there was one item of urgent New Business to address. While taking a brief recess outside to determine the location of the cement slab and new shade canopy that evening, Director Stapp noticed that a large heavy branch on the cottonwood tree in the North West corner had broken off and was resting on top of a smaller/lower branch. It looked as though weight of the larger branch could cause the lower branches to break and fall at any moment, and these branches were located directly above one corner of the children’s playground area. The Board recognized immediately that this was quite dangerous and needed to be dealt with right away. Director Stapp motioned an emergency call to action, that the General Manager should contact Town & Country Tree Service the very next morning to have the dangerous tree branches removed, and if necessary (and cost-expedient), also have the entire tree removed including the grinding up of its stump and roots and the leveling of all dirt in the area. Director Wilkey seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

The next Regular Meeting was tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 23rd at 6:00 PM providing that the Secretary might not have had her surgery yet and is still available. The meeting adjourned at 7:09 PM.

Submitted by:
Jen Rubio - Secretary/General Manager
 
 

Friday, July 22, 2016

Agenda for 7/25 Board Meeting

A G E N D A
BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, July 25, 2016 - 6:00 PM

1.   Call to Order and Flag Salute

2.   Roll Call and Recognition of Guests

3.   Public Comments/Questions

4.   Consent Items:          Minutes – April 18th, April 25th, and June 20th, 2016
                                     Financial Reports – May and June of 2016

5.   Correspondence

6.   Parks:             Barstow Heights:              Safety Check List and Ground Squirrels
                                                                           Long Range Plans List
                                                               Privacy concerns of the neighbors next to the new shade canopy
                                                               Completion of Bid 01-15 (one shade canopy and tables)
                                                               Planting of more trees Bid (south west side of park)

                                 Venner Park:                 Safety Check List
                                               Long Range Plans List

7.   Office Building & Compound:               Long Range Plans List
                                                                                  Kitchen renovations (still in the works)
                                                                                  Security camera bid (approved, work to be scheduled)
 
8.   Conflict of Interest Code

9.  General Manager’s Report

10.  Directors’ Reports

11.  Bills:                Edison - $96.60 (July)
                                Terminix - $42 (June) and $42 (July)
                                Frontier Communications - $83.39 (June) and $88.92 (July)
                                State Compensation Insurance Fund - $1217.20 (annual premium)
                                Stewart’s Business & Tax Service - $100 (2 hours accounting work)

12.  New Business

13.  Executive Session – Litigation GC54956.99 (A) and Personnel GC54957.1

14.  Adjournment