BARSTOW HEIGHTS COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT
REGULAR MEETING
Monday, March 23, 2015
President Jacobs called
the meeting to order at 6:08 PM and Director Wilkey led the group in the flag
salute. Directors Jacobs, Stapp, and Wilkey were present. Directors Schendel
and Hayhurst were unable to attend. There were also no guests in attendance.
President Jacobs
requested a motion on the Consent Items. Director Wilkey motioned to accept the
Minutes of the February 23rd, 2015 Meeting, along with the Financial Reports
for February of 2015 as presented. Director Stapp seconded the motion. Motion
carried unanimously.
The Correspondence file was
offered for review. President Jacobs highlighted a letter from SDRMA notifying
the District that due to the Districts participation in their
property/liability insurance program for 28 years, our agency will receive a
longevity distribution credit on our 2015-16 renewal invoice, in the amount of
$253.
Barstow Heights Park was
addressed. The Safety Check List from the City was reviewed. There were no
deficiencies noted. The report also stated that the City of Barstow had sprayed
the weeds and wild grass inside and outside of the park with Razor Pro weed
killer and Surflan pre-emergent mixed. Park Maintenance will also remove the
creosote bush at the East end of the basketball court (as requested by the
board) by the end of the upcoming week. President Jacobs reported that he had
recently set off as many as six gas cartridges to control the Ground Squirrels.
He will continue to work on keeping them under control. Director Stapp inquired
about the email the Secretary had received and forwarded on to them recently (from
critterbustersonline.com) that offers ground squirrel and gopher control. He
asked the Secretary to please contact them to request a free estimate for the
Directors to consider.
The outdoor Plaques to
honor Mrs. Kelley and Ms. Davis were discussed briefly. The Board agreed that
the Plaques had turned out nicely and they were very pleased with them. The exact
location of Mrs. Kelley’s Plaque on a pedestal near the front (North) gate had
already been determined at a prior meeting, but the placement of Dorothy Davis’
Plaque, as well as the planning of a dedication ceremony of some type was
postponed for the Board to discuss again at the next meeting when more
Directors are expected to be present.
The Long Range Plans for
Barstow Heights Park were addressed. President Jacobs reported that the new
stairs at the top of the ramp had been completed (on Friday 3/20) and that he
was very happy with the job that John Rowe had done. Director Wilkey commented
that he thought the handrails with skateboard deterrent knobs (welded on by
Ellis Fence Company) are spectacular. All were impressed with how quickly the
job was done. As far as the new Trees were concerned, President Jacobs reported
that he had contacted Unique Landscaping for an estimate. He had met with the owner,
John Heald, to discuss what the Board wanted several weeks ago. The Secretary received
the proposed estimate by email just in time for the Board Meeting. Three trees
with deep watering systems, as well as their exact locations were discussed.
Mr. Heald had suggested that a large Cotton Wood tree be removed in order to locate
a new tree in its place. The Board determined however, that they did not want
the large shade-bearing tree removed for now, but rather preferred to move a nearby
trash can instead, and plant one of the new trees in its place. President
Jacobs motioned to approve the proposed bid of $2,225 from Unique Landscaping
to plant three 24-inch “Modesto Ash” Shade Trees ($1,200), install one new
Sprinkler Valve ($125), as well as install six 36” Subsurface Bubblers; a deep
watering system that would include 2 bubblers per new tree ($900). Director
Stapp seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. Wood Chips (for
playgrounds at both Barstow Heights Park and Venner Park) were discussed briefly.
Director Wilkey reported that he had walked around both parks to inspect them
and felt that Wood Chip levels were adequate for now. He did suggest that the
Secretary let Mark Gerardi know that the Wood Chips could use some raking to
distribute them more evenly, especially where they have worn away under the swings
and slides from being frequently trampled on. Director Stapp agreed that the
Wood Chips could wait a little longer until a deficiency is noted and the need
to replace them is more obvious. The price list for three additional picnic
tables, barbecue grills, and trash cans (from PilotRock.com) was reviewed. The
secretary had researched the item numbers and prices as was directed at the
previous meeting, to provide the Board with a list and clearer idea of how much
they would cost to purchase. The Secretary will put in an online request with
the company for an estimate on the shipping costs as well, since shipping is by
freight and can vary greatly depending upon the size/season during which the
order is placed.
Venner Park was addressed.
The Safety Check List from the City was reviewed. There were no deficiencies
noted. The report informed the Board that Venner Park had also been sprayed for
weeds and wild grass (inside and outside the chain-link fence) with Razor Pro
weed killer and Surflan pre-emergent mixed. The Board opted to discuss further the new
Benches desired for Venner Park next month.
The Office Building and
Compound was addressed. Director Stapp reported that he had looked at options
for new lighting inside the office, and will continue to work on that
improvement. President Jacobs reported that he would be picking up some weed
killer from Home Depot to spray the yard outside and around the building. The
Secretary is still looking at purchasing a paper shredder for the office.
Director Wilkey suggested that she contact him before purchasing one, so he
could tell her the make/model of the one that he is using at his office that is
working well for them. The need for a new Bulletin Board will be addressed at
the next meeting.
The Audit agreement for
upcoming FYE 2015 was discussed. Director Wilkey reported that he had spoken
with Chris from Charles Z. Fedak & Company on February 26th. He had asked Chris
if the District was in any way financially bound to continue with them as the
Auditor for the next year and Chris responded that he was not aware that we
were in any way legally required to do so. Director Wilkey felt satisfied that
the former contract is non-binding and that the Board is free to choose another
Company to do the Audit, if so desired. Director Wilkey didn’t feel it
necessary to contact Paul Kaymark with the new firm (The Pun Group) as planned,
due to the answer he received from Chris. The Board agreed that it would be
wise to make the final decision about which company to hire at the next
meeting, when all of the Directors could be present to have their opinions
heard before a vote is taken.
The maturity of two CD’s
(ending in 8625 and 1164) were addressed. During the discussion the Secretary
was able to confirm that the FDIC insurance coverage (of $250,000) applies to
the checking and savings account balances combined, and not to each separate account
and each CD is insured separately with its own insurance (not FDIC). Director
Wilkey motioned to cash out the CD that matured on 3/22/15 (approximately
$35,500), as well as, cash out the CD that will be maturing on 4/22/15
(approximately $70,000), and deposit those monies into the savings account to
take advantage of a higher interest rate return (0.450%). President Jacobs
seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously.
Resolution No. 2015-1,
the agreement to move the current election cycle from August of odd years to
November of odd years, was addressed next. The Resolution was reviewed,
approved, and adopted by the following roll call vote:
Richard P. Jacobs,
President Aye
Daryl R. Schendel Absent
Robert M. Stapp Aye
Paul V. Wilkey Aye
Jeanette L. Hayhurst Absent
The Policies and
Procedures items on the agenda were postponed until next month. The General
Manager reported that she did complete her Ethics Compliance Training (AB1234)
online on Wednesday, March 4th. She also reported that Debbie Bolton from
Stewart’s Tax Service had been to the office on Wednesday, March 18th. She was
able to reconcile all of the book-keeping for the past four months in about two
hours. The Directors asked if the Secretary was happy with the QuickBooks program
and her new method of keeping the books. She responded that yes, it has been a
big improvement overall; her only complaint had been the challenges she had
encountered with figuring out how to print checks. It turned out that the
checks she had purchased were not compatible without the purchase of additional
software and online banking access, so after much trial and error she
ultimately discovered that she would need to order different checks directly
from QuickBooks (that include the banking institution and account numbers
already printed on them). She was encouraged to go ahead and get the correct
checks ordered. She reported that she had printed out a “New Prevailing Wage
Requirements – Fact Sheet” for each Director to review (for informational
purposes). Finally, she reported on the progress she had made with getting the
Edison Company to come out and upgrade/replace bulbs on the lighting (Street
Lamps) at Barstow Heights Park. She will put in a request that a new Street
Lamp be installed near the East end of Basketball Courts.
President Jacobs requested
the Directors’ reports. Director Wilkey reported that his locked vehicle had
been broken into (in his driveway) a week prior. No damages to the vehicle
occurred and personal information was the only thing taken. He spoke to a
Sheriff who told him that his had been the second vehicle break-in reported in
the area that morning and it was only 8:30am. He suggested that the Secretary warn
residents through the blog and Facebook to keep a closer eye out for suspicious
activity and to not leave valuable items in their vehicles. Director Stapp
reported that when he turned up N Street recently he noticed that alongside the
road (about 8-10 feet in from the curb) all of the bushes had been mowed down
on both sides, leaving only root stubs. It appeared that some kind of heavy equipment
was used. He wondered if the County Roads department was responsible, if it had
been in response to our concerns voiced last year about overgrowth obstructing
the view of drivers, why they would clear the bushes on just that one street,
and if more clearing is planned. President Jacobs commented that he was pleased
to have observed that the County had been replacing/repairing some of the curbs
with “hot mix” that were damaged by the flooding last August. Director Stapp also
mentioned his concerns about a large tour bus parked on a property in the
heights. The Secretary will try to get answers to his questions from the County
Roads Department and Code Enforcement.
President Jacobs asked
the Secretary if there were any additional bills to be paid. She indicated that
there were none. Director Stapp motioned to pay all of the bills as presented. Director
Wilkey seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. There was no New
Business to address and no Executive Session needed. The next Regular Meeting
was scheduled for Monday, April 27th at 6:00 PM. The meeting adjourned at 7:22 PM.
Submitted by: Jen Rubio - Secretary/General Manager
