BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, August 27th, 2018
President Stapp called the meeting to order at 6:01 PM and Director Jacobs led the group in the flag salute. All five directors were present (Stapp, Jacobs, Schendel, Hayhurst, and Low). There was one guest, James (Rick) Hoover, a resident of Barstow Heights, in attendance. Mr. Hoover and the secretary presented the board with copies of letters that Mr. Hoover had received from the County of San Bernardino and the City of Barstow. These letters were his evidence and verification that his correct street name on record should be “L Street,” while the U.S. postal service had continued to insist on utilizing “Avenue L” in their computer/records database. This had caused Mr. Hoover difficulty with trying to renew his driver’s license, because the addresses on record weren’t matching and couldn’t be verified by the DMV with the post office. Mr. Hoover wanted to make the board aware of the dispute, in case his research and correspondence to resolve the issue might be of help to other residents. The board thanked him for the useful information and he left the meeting at 6:05 PM.
The consent items were reviewed. Director Low motioned to accept the minutes of the June 25th, 2018 meeting, along with the financial reports for June and July of 2018, as presented. Director Jacobs seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
The correspondence file was passed around for review.
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. Director Jacobs continues to keep the ground squirrel population under control. There have been very few of them seen at the park in recent months. Black widow spiders had also been seen in the restrooms at BHP and reported to one of the Directors. The secretary will inform the City, so they will know that they need exterminating.
President Stapp reported that the District had received the final inspection reports from APC Play and copies of them were reviewed and verified. Director Jacobs motioned to approve the inspections, accept the job as completed, and pay the final invoice. Director Hayhurst seconded the motion with special thanks to President Robert M. Stapp for leading the project and dedicating so much of his time to it. Director Jacobs added that he hoped that the board had learned a valuable lesson, in that from now on an in-person site inspection should be required by the board, to avoid all the additional delays that could have been avoided if the shade company had visited the site to know about the elevation changes prior to starting the project. The motion carried unanimously.
President Stapp also reported that the new solar light had been installed. The Directors expressed their disappointment that the solar light wasn’t as bright and didn’t light the area up as well as they had hoped it would. The secretary reported that she had been given a remote control (without instructions) and that perhaps making some adjustments with the remote might be helpful. Director Low volunteered to research the remote control online and learn how it works. Three new trash cans had also been installed. The secretary will be purchasing the three large plastic trash cans from Home Depot this Tuesday to insert and line the metal cans with, just as had been done before.
Venner Park was addressed. The safety check list from the City of Barstow was reviewed. There were no new safety or maintenance issues listed. The secretary was directed to ask Al Fierro to remove the goat heads that been reported and complained about at Venner Park. The secretary also reported on her progress in contacting Pacific Park and Playground to request an inspection of the playground equipment at both parks. The company was researching the history of the playgrounds (specifically
what had been installed by them prior and when) and then she expects to have an estimate from them for the cost of the inspection by the next meeting. Director Jacobs reported that he had heard from Mark Gerardi concerning the surface rust on the posts of the swing sets at Venner Park. The City did the “hammer test” and determined that the poles are sturdy and safe for now, but that perhaps they could be excavated and painted with a protective coating to prevent future corrosion.
The secretary reported that R. Sanchez Roofing would be coming to the office the next morning to inspect the roof and provide an estimate to replace it. She was directed to ask them to include the cost to replace the fascia boards that are very weathered, as well.
The updated long-range plans list (and potential capital improvements) was discussed briefly. A lot of progress continues to be made as more things continue to be checked off the list.
The safety review report was discussed. Director Low said he was satisfied with what had been written. Director Schendel motioned to accept and approve the safety review report as presented. Director Hayhurst seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.
The general manager reported on the finances. She wanted the board to know that she had transferred $50,000 from savings to the checking account on 8/15, to cover the final large check she had written to pay for the shade canopy project. She also reported that Desert Community Bank had waved the small “per check fees” charged due to changes that had occurred when the bank was sold to another larger bank (Flagstar). She asked the board if they wanted to consider adding any amendments or making any changes to the current conflict of interest code/policy, and they agreed that they did not. When asked about the audit, the secretary reported that she had signed the engagement letter months ago but had not yet been asked to provide any more information to them. She was expecting them to contact her again very soon to start the process.
President Stapp asked if there were any directors reports. Director Jacobs encouraged the other board members to stop by the office to check in on the secretary monthly to become more familiar with the work she is doing. Director Hayhurst reported that she had applied as a candidate for the Mojave Water Agency, as well as, for the Barstow Heights CSD. She was able to confirm with the County that she is running unopposed for both positions and that there are no conflict-of-interest issues to be concerned about. Director Schendel expressed his concerns about yard clean-up issues again. The Director’s will bring any addresses to the next meeting that need reporting to code enforcement. Director Low and Director Stapp reported that they had turned in their candidacy applications for the BHCSD Board of Directors by the 8/10 deadline. President Stapp reported about a suspicious car fire in the desert off L street, as well as, the recent potentially deadly snake bite of a resident (with a positive outcome due to his quick response to seek treatment).
President Stapp asked the secretary if there were any additional bills to be presented. She indicated that there were none. Director Jacobs 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, September 24th at 6:00 PM. The meeting adjourned 7:16 PM.
Submitted by: Jen Rubio
Secretary/General Manager
Secretary/General Manager
