BARSTOW
HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR
MEETING
January
28th, 2013
President Jacobs opened the meeting at 6:01 PM and Director
Stapp led the group in the flag salute.
Directors Jacobs, King, Schendel, Stapp, and Wilkey were all present. Guests in attendance included Barstow Heights
Residents, Norm and Tricia Sheppeard, John Heald of Unique Landscaping, and
Rich Harpole, City Council Member of the City of Barstow.
Mr. Rich Harpole was the first to comment. He stated that he had read the Minutes from
our October meeting online, and was concerned that we had told our residents
that annexation into the City of Barstow was unlikely because so many residents
are opposed to it. Mr. Harpole wants to
make sure our residents have more information to consider and came to start a
dialog with us to further discuss the possibility. While those residents who are opposed are
concerned about possible zoning changes, sewer hook-up issues, and property tax
increases, he assured us that these fears are unfounded and that the City would
work with us to make sure the benefits to our community would outweigh any
potential drawbacks. He named a few reasons
why annexation could be beneficial to us and wants to continue discussing the
possibility with us in the future.
Director Schendel respectfully offered his objections to annexation and
President Jacobs also advised Mr. Harpole to talk further with the City
Manager, Curt Mitchell, about making more detailed information about annexation
available to us so we can discuss it further.
Another guest, Mr. Norm Sheppeard, also expressed his concerns about
additional costs residents might get stuck with and questioned whether the
sewer system would be adequate to handle the increase. Mr. Harpole expressed his desire to continue
discussing these issues with us again soon, and needed to leave the meeting at
6:22 PM to attend another meeting.
Mrs. Tricia Sheppeard was back to update us about the Smoke Tree
again. She brought a phone number along
for us to use to call for pricing and availability. The board acknowledged that Mr. John Heald
was also attending to discuss his Landscaping Bid with us and that perhaps he
could help us get some Smoke Trees to add to the upcoming Landscaping project
that is in the works for Venner Park.
President Jacobs requested a motion on the Consent Items. Director Schendel motioned to accept the Minutes
of the November 26th, 2012 Meeting, along with the Financial Reports for November
and December of 2012 as presented. Director
King seconded the motion. Motion carried
unanimously.
The Correspondence was offered for review. Director Jacobs highlighted three items in
the Correspondence folder including: 1).
The statements from Desert Community Bank that showed that approximately $1000
worth of interest had been earned on our accounts over the past year, 2). A
letter from the County that shows our allocated tax revenue for FY 2012-13 will
be $57,855, and 3). A letter from SDRMA informing us that a longevity
distribution of $175 would be credited to our account this year because we have
been participating in their Property/Liability Program for 25 years.
H Street Park was addressed.
The Safety Check List from the City was reviewed. Director Stapp reported that the Ground
Squirrel problem continues to be under control and that he only found one hole
that continues to need re-filling occasionally.
The Board is still waiting for more information from Town & County
Tree Service regarding Bid 12-03 Tree Maintenance. The Secretary was directed to send Mr. Hilarides
an invitation to the next board meeting so the board can ask questions and get
more information from him. The Secretary
was also directed to order a new Rules and Regulations Sign for H Street Park,
as that is still needed there as well.
Venner Park was addressed. The Safety Check List from the City was reviewed. The gopher is back and leaving mounds in the grass again. The Secretary was directed to ask Mark Gerardi for any suggestions he can offer to help us to remedy our gopher problem.
Proposal 12-04 (Landscaping at Venner) was reviewed and the Board discussed the Landscaping project with Mr. John Heald of Unique Landscaping. His company was the only one to offer a proposal to do the work and had submitted a detailed estimate with photos and rock samples. The Board reviewed his estimate and the sketch of the proposed landscaping layout. The Board asked for further clarification about how much rock would be needed and Mr. Heald responded that it would be approximately 85 tons. The Board was especially pleased with the idea of using wall blocks to create a retaining wall along the top edge of the volleyball court and asked Mr. Heald if he could look into the additional costs of adding more sand and new wood to re-furbish the nearby Horse Shoe Pit area also. Director Wilkey suggested having a more defined border of some kind to separate the Volleyball Court from the Horse Shoe Pits as well. Director Wilkey also mentioned that he would need to abstain from any vote pertaining to the hiring of Mr. Heald since his daughter is currently dating Mr. Heald’s son (conflict of interest code). Mr. and Mrs. Sheppeard also let the Board know that they have some large decorative rocks they would also be willing to donate to the Landscaping project.
The finalized spiral-bound copy of the District’s FYE 6-30-12
Audit was reviewed again. President
Jacobs motioned to approve of the final copy of the Audit. Director Stapp seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
The Website/blog was discussed briefly. The Secretary informed
the Board that there had been increased traffic on the Facebook page and that
we currently have 59 subscribers who have “liked” the page. Residents have been utilizing the page to
communicate about and help warn each other of the three dangerous dogs that had
been on the loose in the area. The
secretary was excited that so many have now discovered this new way for
residents to communicate so easily with each other and hopes it will continue
to be a source that can strengthen and unify our neighborhoods.
The General Manager reported that things have been going much
smoother at the office and that she was feeling more confident after having had
a little extra time (no Board Meeting to prepare for in December) that helped
her accomplish a lot more of the tasks on her list.
President Jacobs requested Directors’ reports. There were none. President Jacobs did direct the Secretary to
make copies of the sketch of the proposed Landscaping layout for all of the
Directors to have to study before the next Board Meeting so some decisions about
the project can be made.
President Jacobs asked the Secretary if there were any
additional bills to be paid. She
indicated there were none. Director King
motioned to pay the bills as presented.
Director Wilkey seconded the motion.
Motion carried unanimously. There
was no new business to address.
The next Regular Meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 25th,
2013 at 6:00 PM. The meeting adjourned
at 7:21 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Jen Rubio
Secretary
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