Wednesday, August 30, 2017

The Board of Directors on 8/28/17


We are pleased to share the latest
annual photo taken of the members of
our 2017 Board of Directors!

(L to R):  Our newest Director, Gene Low, Daryl Schendel,
President Dick Jacobs, Vice President Robert M. Stapp, and
Jeanette Hayhurst. Our board members continue to work
hard to make our community and beautiful parks better.
We are so thankful for all that they do!

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Minutes from 7/24/17 Meeting (approved 8/28/17)

BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, July 24th, 2017

President Jacobs called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM and Director Low led the group in the flag salute. Three directors were present (Jacobs, Low, and Stapp) and two directors were absent (Hayhurst and Schendel). There were no guests attending.

The consent items were reviewed. Presidents Jacobs motioned to accept the minutes of the June 19th, 2017 meeting, along with the financial reports for June of 2017, as presented. Director Low seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

The correspondence file was offered for review. President Jacobs shared a letter from LAFCO informing the district that their office is moving to a new location in San Bernardino. He also presented a five-page letter just received from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. He volunteered to read and study it further, then bring it back to the next board meeting for further discussion and consideration.

Barstow Heights Park was addressed. The safety check list from the City of Barstow was reviewed. There were no new safety or maintenance issues listed. The report did specify that the park had recently been fertilized with nitra king fertilizer. President Jacobs reported that he continues to keep the ground squirrels under control and that there haven’t been very many new holes to deal with.

The secretary had no new information from Unique Landscaping regarding the pepper tree planting job. The two new trees were still “on order” but expected to arrive for planting very soon.

The bid received for the installation of a new street lamp near the basketball court (Bid 02-17) was discussed. The price of the project was much higher than anticipated, and the board agreed that they’d like to look in to other possibilities (like solar lighting perhaps), before hiring anyone for the job. President Jacobs motioned to decline the only bid received. Director Stapp seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. President Jacobs reported that the secretary had received another bid that morning for installing outdoor lighting, but because that bid hadn’t arrived by the required deadline, it could not be considered. There was also uncertainty as to whether or not the estimate included “prevailing wages” in their pricing, as is required by law. The Secretary will follow up with the bidder for more information and will ask both bidders if they would be interested in submitting new proposals that can include more affordable solar lighting options, instead of electric.

Director Stapp updated the board that the worn-out net on the basketball court at Barstow Heights Park that he had reported on last month had been replaced. He had intended to purchase and replace the net himself, but discovered that it had already been done. The person who replaced the net was unknown, so the secretary will ask Mark Gerardi with the City of Barstow if he knows who might have replaced it (a City employee or a good Samaritan perhaps?) to try to solve the mystery.

Venner Park was addressed. The safety check list from the City of Barstow was reviewed. There were no new safety or maintenance issues reported.

Director Stapp updated the board regarding progress on the shade cover project (three canopies to shade the playground equipment at both parks). Since the plot plan of Venner Park was recently completed, the secretary now needs to know what size and format (hard copy or digital) is needed to send the plot plan on to the shade cover company so the project can move forward.

The new trash cans that are needed at both parks were addressed next. The board discussed the current cost of ordering 22 new trash cans (9 at BHP and 13 at Venner), which would total $8,360 plus the cost of freight and tax (which was estimated to be approximately $800-1000). The secretary will first need to get permission from the City of Barstow to ship to, unload, and store them at the City warehouse like had been done before (and since a forklift is required to unload them). Director Stapp motioned to approve the purchase of the 22 trash cans for $8,360 plus the cost of freight and taxes. Director Low seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. The board will discuss who they might hire to install the trash cans at the next regular meeting when more directors are present.

The office building and compound were addressed next. There was no new progress on the kitchen renovation job to report. The secretary did report that Unique Landscape had been at the office on Monday afternoon 7/17 and had worked for 2.5 hours to remove all the weeds, replace 12 plants that were dead, re-set the sprinkler timer, and instructed her how to gradually reduce the water settings as the weather begins to cool, to prevent the new plants from freezing or being overwatered.

The board briefly discussed the letter received from the San Bernardino County CSDA regarding a legal issue involving LAFCO. The director’s agreed that the item was of importance simply to help them stay educated and informed, then determined that no response or action was necessary.

Further review of the list of long range plans was postponed until when more directors are present.

The general manager reported that in addition to being excited about the new landscaping outside the office building that looks great again, she was also very happy to get the new computer system up and running finally. Her husband Jose, who knows a lot about computers, assisted her in making that happen. They purchased an external hard drive from Walmart and saved all the old files to it, so she still has access to any of the old documents she might need to utilize on the new computer. She will also continue to use the external hard drive to back-up her current files monthly. She will keep the external hard drive stored with her off-site, so that the district will always have access to most of its critical documents in case a fire or other emergency makes access to the office computer impossible. The secretary was directed to take herself and her husband out to dinner at the district’s expense, to thank them for the extra hours they both spent working to get the new computer set up.

President Jacobs asked for any directors’ reports. Director Stapp shared his concerns that the roads are getting bad again (large cracks and potholes) and would like more information about if/when there are any plans being made by the county to do some repairs. The Secretary will send an email to Bill Little to ask about it and will begin drafting a letter to the County Board of Supervisors Representative to request that more attention be paid to improving the condition of the roads in Barstow Heights.

President Jacobs asked the secretary if there were any additional bills to be presented. She indicated that there was one that had just arrived; a bill from Unique Landscaping for $400 (invoice #8906). Director Stapp motioned to pay all the bills, as presented. Director Low seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

There was no new business to address and no executive session requested.

The next regular meeting was scheduled for Monday, August 28th at 6:00 PM. The meeting adjourned at 7:02 PM.

Submitted by:
Jen Rubio
Secretary/General Manager

Friday, August 25, 2017

Agenda for 8/28 Board Meeting

A G E N D A
BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, August 28th, 2017 - 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 – July 24th, 2017
                             Financial Reports – July of 2017

5.   Correspondence

6.   Parks:         Barstow Heights:     Safety Check List and Ground Squirrels
                                                      Pepper Tree Planting (done)
                                                      Bid 02-17 Street Light (solar options?)

                        Venner Park:          Safety Check List
                                 Shade Covers (playground areas of both parks)
                                 Trash Cans (both parks)

7.   Office Building & Compound

8.   Letter received from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians (review)

9.   New Policy – Best Practices for “Capitalization Thresholds for Capital Assets”

10.  Water Conservation

11.  Safety Review Report

12.  General Manager’s Report

13.  Directors’ Reports

14.  Bills:          Edison - $106.25                     Terminix - $44.00                                
                        City of Barstow - $93.00          Frontier Communications - $89.49    
                        Stewart’s - $100.00                 Merrell Johnson Engineering - $349.50

15.  New Business

16.  Executive Session - Litigation GC54956.99 (A) and Personnel GC54957.1

17.  Adjournment


Thursday, August 24, 2017

Road Work Begins Monday 8/28!



Residents and those driving through the Heights,
you may already be aware that Road Work
is set to begin on Monday, August 28th!

We have been informed that the work will be performed on
the County sections of Rimrock Road, H Street, and L Street.

The road work is expected to continue on
through September 26th (and maybe longer).

PLEASE slow down and
be extra cautious while driving
to ensure the safety of others!

You can expect some slowing and delays wherever the
road crews are. Needless to say, it may also be a good idea
to leave earlier than you normally do if you have
somewhere important to be at a set time.

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Minutes from 6/19/17 Meeting (approved 7/24/17)

BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, June 19th, 2017

President Jacobs called the meeting to order at 6:02 PM and the Secretary led the group in the flag salute. All Directors (Jacobs, Schendel, Stapp, and Hayhurst) were present. There was one guest attending, the soon-to-be Director, Gene Low. Mr. Low repeated the “oath of office,” and was sworn in by the Secretary as the newest member of the Board of Directors, as appointed in lieu of election by the County Board of Supervisors. Director Low then took his seat at the table up front alongside the other Directors and was congratulated and welcomed to the Board.

The consent items were reviewed. Director Stapp motioned to accept the minutes of the May 22nd, 2017 meeting, along with the financial reports for May of 2017, as presented. Director Hayhurst seconded the motion. The motion was approved 4-0, with Director Low abstaining from the vote. Director Hayhurst will review and add her signature to the newest reconciliation forms prepared by the accountant.

The correspondence file was offered for review. President Jacobs shared the letter and forms from CSDA regarding its election of new officers. The Board opted not to cast a vote.

Barstow Heights Park was addressed. The safety check list from the City was reviewed. There were no new safety, or maintenance issues listed. President Jacobs reported that the ground squirrels are under control.

The Secretary had no new information from Unique Landscaping regarding the pepper tree planting job. The trees had been “on order” for a few weeks and they were still waiting for them to arrive before the job could be scheduled and completed. The Secretary also reported that bid sheets for bid 02-17 (new street lamps) had been mailed out to 14 contractors/potential bidders. All bids are due by noon on Tuesday, 7/18, so the Board will be able to review them at the July 24th regular meeting. Director Hayhurst reported her concern about the growing number of weeds outside and around the office building. The Secretary was directed to hire someone to clean up the weeds to address that problem immediately. Director Stapp then reported his recent discovery that a basketball net at Barstow Heights Park was worn out and in shreds. He volunteered to replace it later during the week, and might also buy a few spare nets, to be ready for the next time one needs replacing.

Venner Park was addressed. The safety check list from the City was reviewed. There were no new safety, or maintenance issues reported, but the list did state that the broken concrete and roots that were reported last month had been demolished and removed, and that 160 square feet of concrete had been re-poured to replace the effected sidewalk. The City is also working with Unique Landcaping to replace some plants and a tree.

Director Stapp had nothing new to report regarding the shade covers since the project will have to wait until the completed plot plan of Venner Park is received. The Secretary was asked if she had any updates from the engineering company. She reported that she hadn’t heard anything from them yet, but had just received a bill (believed to be just a partial bill for the surveying already done). The need for new trash cans, especially at Venner Park, was discussed next. President Jacobs shared the maps/diagrams he had drawn up of both parks so the Board could determine the exact number and locations where they wanted the new trash cans to go. They agreed that each canopy at Venner Park needs at least three new trash cans, and that the three already existing concrete trash cans there should also be removed and replaced. According to the Board’s estimate, the job might include as many as 22 new trash cans total that would need to be purchased and installed at both parks.

The office building and compound were addressed next. There was no new progress on the kitchen renovations as re-estimates are still in the works. Further review of the list of long range plans was postponed again.

The General Manager reported that the accountant had been at the office again that prior week and that all of the financials were once again up to date. Director Hayhurst asked a few questions regarding some numbers in the reconciliation file that she now reviews and signs off on every month, and they discussed that briefly.

President Jacobs asked if there were any Directors’ reports. Director Hayhurst suggested that “water conservation,” be added as an agenda item (perhaps for the September meeting), so the Board can discuss any turf/drought concerns or ideas that might be considered to ensure that the District continues doing all it can to help conserve water.

President Jacobs asked the Secretary if there were any additional bills to be presented. She indicated that there were two that had just arrived; a bill from the City of Barstow for $1,400.00 (concrete at Venner Park), and another bill from State Compensation Insurance Fund for $1,215.89 (final 2016 premium). Director Low 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, but a closed executive session was requested to address personnel and the Secretary left the meeting at 6:46 PM.

The Secretary returned at 6:57 PM to discuss her annual employee evaluation with the Board. The meeting then reconvened at 7:01 PM. President Jacobs motioned to increase the General Manager/Secretary’s pay by fifty cents an hour starting July 1st, 2017. Director Hayhurst seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

The next regular meeting was scheduled for Monday, July 24th at 6:00 PM.
The meeting adjourned at 7:05 PM.

Submitted by: 
Jen Rubio
Secretary/General Manager