BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, July 25th, 2016
President Jacobs called
the meeting to order at 6:04 PM and Director Schendel led the group in the flag
salute. Directors Jacobs, Schendel, Stapp, Wilkey, and Hayhurst were all present.
There were two guests in attendance, residents, Gene and Rose Low.
During public
comments/questions, Gene Low asked about the large trash dumpster that used to
be located behind the park. He noticed that it had recently been removed. The
secretary will inquire about it with the City of Barstow, as to why it was
removed and whether or not it will be replaced.
The Consent Items were
reviewed. Director Hayhurst motioned to accept the Minutes of the April 18th,
April 25th, and June 20th, 2016 Meetings, along with the Financial Reports for
May and June of 2016 as presented. Director Stapp seconded the motion. The
motion carried unanimously, with President Jacobs abstaining from the vote due
to his absence at the previous meeting on June 20th.
The Correspondence file was
offered for review. After some discussion, and due to a lack of information
about the candidates, the Board opted not to submit a vote for the CSDA Board
Election.
Barstow Heights Park was
addressed. There was no Safety Check List from the City to review. Director
Wilkey reported that there was one safety issue to be noted. He noticed that
the lid on one trash can near the new shade canopy is rusted and full of holes
that are sharp around their edges. The Secretary will report the concern to the
City of Barstow and request that the lid be removed and/or replaced as soon as
possible. President Jacobs continues to keep an eye on the Ground Squirrels and
very few had been sighted in recent weeks.
The Board again welcomed
Gene and Rose Low and invited them to address the privacy concerns that the new
covered picnic area has created for them. Mr. Gene Low reported that because
the new picnic tables are located on a raised concrete slab adjacent to their
back yard, the people who use it are often looking straight into their yard, windows, and porch,
and it has become increasingly uncomfortable for them both. They had been aware
that the new picnic area was going in, but unfortunately they (and the
District) didn’t foresee that the picnic tables would be located and raised up in
such a way that the public can see so directly over their brick wall and into
their windows and level with their elevated back porch. Mr. Low proposed that
perhaps a one-way shade of some kind could be added above the chain-link fence,
but was open to additional ideas. Director Schendel suggested adding an
extension of the chain-link fence upward and adding slats (privacy inserts),
but then agreed that it might obstruct their view of the park too much. Director
Hayhurst suggested planting a bushy tree/shrub of some kind that would lose its
leaves in winter, providing a better view of the park for them during colder
months when fewer people are using the park. President Jacobs requested that
everyone do some brain-storming and begin making a list of ideas. Mr. Low will
take some measurements to give the Board a better idea what size of an area
needs covering. Director Wilkey suggested maybe adding some lattice paneling
above the brick wall that could easily be taken down and put back up again if/when
desired. Director Stapp clarified that the reason why the picnic area was
located near the center of the park (rather than closer to the South end as it
had originally been planned) was to allow for a more open area of grass where
guests could put up bounce houses or use the open space for other activities.
He also suggested that Ellis Fence Co. should be contacted and asked about what
kinds of privacy fencing options they might have to offer. The Secretary
suggested that everyone email their ideas to her so she can type up a list of
all of the suggestions to review and discuss again at the next meeting. Mr. and
Mrs. Low left the meeting at 6:27 PM.
The completion of Bid
01-15 (one shade canopy and tables) was addressed next. President Jacobs shared
with the Board that there were three reasons why add-ons to the job were
necessary. 1). The Board’s decision to move the location just a little West of
where it had originally been planned caused an unanticipated drainage problem
(water from sprinklers would have run off and down into the right-of-way which
would have resulted in weeds and debris collecting there). To remedy this,
fill-dirt was required to raise and level the area. 2). The raising of the slab
left a large step down from the North side of the cement to the ground
(tripping hazard), so more fill-dirt had to be added there to create a tapered
slope. 3). President Jacobs discovered that a small part of cement curbing, South
of the playground area and very close to the new picnic area was lifted and
cracked by large tree roots that had undermined it (another tripping hazard),
so he asked them to fix that also while they already had their cement truck and
equipment out. The Board was satisfied with all of the extra information and
agreed that the contractor be paid the final balance due for the additional
work done. Director Wilkey motioned to pay the bill as presented. Director
Schendel seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
The planting of new trees
(on the South West side) was addressed. Director Wilkey reported that he had
been in contact with John Heald of Unique Landscaping again since the last
Board meeting, and was able to find out that the price of a single 48” box fruitless
mulberry tree (planted with deep root watering system included) would be approximately
$2,300 each. The Board further discussed the price comparisons of different
sized trees ($500 for a 24” box tree and $800 for a 36” box tree). The Board
agreed that the largest trees would be worth the investment, but wanted to
determine the exact placement where they should be located before proceeding further.
The board took a recess and field trip outside to determine the tree locations at
6:49 PM. The Board reconvened at 7:04 PM. Director Hayhurst motioned to approve
the purchase and planting of the four new trees (3 large trees in 48” boxes,
plus one in a 36” box), not to exceed the cost of $8,500. Further discussion
continued. Director Hayhurst then amended her motion to include four new trees
(all of them large in 48” boxes), not to exceed the cost of $9,500. Director
Schendel seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously, with Director
Wilkey abstaining from the vote.
Venner Park was
addressed. There was no Safety Check List from the City to review. Director
Wilkey will ask around (including asking Terri Peralta) what is recommended to
remedy the worn-slick cement surface of the Basketball court at Venner Park.
The Office Building and
Compound were addressed next. The Secretary reported that she would be meeting
with Mel of Hi Desert Alarm in the coming week to finalize details with him and
schedule a date for the new security camera system to be installed during
August.
The Conflict of Interest
Code was addressed. The Secretary will
add it to the September meeting Agenda for review and approval before it is due
to the County again (every two years) on October 1st, 2016.
The General Manager reported
that she had been very busy at the office in recent weeks, had paid a lot of
bills, and had been a little overwhelmed at times while getting caught up on
work she was behind on due to taking four weeks off to recover from surgery.
She felt like she was finally starting to get a handle on it all again.
President Jacobs asked
for the Directors’ Reports. Director Stapp inquired about the street lamp project
(near the Basketball courts) that the Board had been discussing earlier in the
year. The Secretary had nothing new to report, but promised to follow-up again
with Southern California Edison on that. It was suggested that perhaps bids from
other contractors (like Wade Harris) could be sought. Director Schendel
reported that the water company had been doing quite a bit of work and tearing
up the roads near his house. Director Stapp expressed disappointment that so
much rock and gravel debris was still covering so many of the roads near his
home since the last rain and hail storm. The Secretary will request from the
County an update on the roads situation. Director Hayhurst was happy to finally
receive the information needed for the Records Retention Policy. The City and
Helendale CSD both use the State of California’s approved Records Retention
Policy that is 71 pages long and is considered the industry standard. She
emailed the secretary the link to the document online and the Secretary will
share it with the Directors soon for their review and approval.
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 Wilkey 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, August 22 at 6:00 PM. The meeting adjourned at 7:28 PM.
Submitted by: Jen Rubio - Secretary/General Manager
