Thursday, April 7, 2011

Tenaya Estates Board meeting minutes - April 6, 2011

A meeting of the Tenaya Estates Board of Directors was held on Wednesday, April 6, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. at the Downing residence.

Board Members Present:
Vern Grant
Cynthia Downing
Paul Heath
Michael Jenkins
Jim McKelvey
Janice Normart
Brad Stevents

Board Members Absent: None


A quorum of the Board of Directors was called to order at 6:08 p.m. with Vern Grant, President, presiding.

It was m/s/c to approve the minutes of the February 26, 2011, Board meeting as presented.

It was m/s/c to take the approved version of the rules without any ordinance citations to the County Board of Supervisors with a request that County staff help us finalize the rules for adoption without any cost to the County Service Area. It was m/s/c to add a rule that will prohibit open fires without a permit.

Paul Heath reported there is $9,514.96 in the bank. Although the budget remains tight, it appears we'll have enough money to cover repairs and maintenance.

The garage and bake sale is set for May 14, 2011.

Janice Normart reported on a meeting she had with Matt Angell of Madera Pumps. He explored the possibility of mapping the Park with GPS to identify where sprinklers are located. It was m/s/c to hire Mr. Angell to perform the study on Tenaya Park sprinklers for an amount of up to $500.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 6:51 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Cynthia Downing, Secretary

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Tenaya Estates Board Meeting Minutes - January 5, 2011

A special meeting of the Tenaya Estates Board of Directors was held on Wednesday, January 5, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. at the Downing residence.

Board members present:
Vern Grant
Cynthia Downing
Michael Jenkins
Jim McKelvey
Janice Normart

Board member absent:
Paul Heath
Brad Stevens

A quorum of the Board of Directors was called to order at 6:06 p.m. with Vern Grant, President, presiding.

It was m/s/c to approve the minutes of the September 18, 2010, special Board meeting; the October 6, 2010, Board meeting; and the December 4, 2010, special Board meeting.

The question of tree trimming arose. Janice Normart suggested we could skip tree trimming again this year.

The survey of homeowners was discussed at length. Questions were modified and clarified. It was m/s/c to send the survey to homeowners out as revised.

Dates for 2011 and 2012 Board meetings were discussed. Meetings will be held on April 6, July 6, and October 5, 2011, and January 4, 2012.

A special Board meeting was scheduled February 2, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. at Janice Normart’s house to tally survey results.

It was agreed to hold a garage and bake sale on May 14. Carla Grant will host this event.

Janine Gallego will run the Fourth of July festivities in 2011.

Vern Grant proposed the Board send letters to homeowners with trees that hang over onto Park walkways. A draft letter will be brought to the February Board meeting.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 7:22 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
________________________________________
Cynthia Downing, Secretary

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Tenaya Estates Board Meeting Minutes - December 4, 2010

A special meeting of the Tenaya Estates Board of Directors was held on Saturday, December 4, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. at the Grant residence.

Board members present:
Vern Grant
Cynthia Downing
Paul Heath
Michael Jenkins
Jim McKelvey
Janice Normart
Brad Stevens

Board member absent:
None

Guests Present:
Jeff Kollenkark from Weed Man

A quorum of the Board of Directors was called to order at 9:15 a.m. with Vern Grant, President, presiding.

Since this was a special meeting of the Board, minutes of prior meetings and financial statements were not presented.

Jeff Kollenkark from Weed Man presented information about the condition of the turf at the Park. Bermuda grass looks good in the summer but turns brown in the winter. If other kinds of grass are allowed to grow during the winter, the turf looks mottled and not as attractive. Recently, the Park was seeded with rye grass. It was seeded late this year because there were so many organized soccer and rugby teams playing at the Park. As a result of the late seeding, the Park has mottled dead spots and muddy areas.

To maintain the turf in reasonable shape, the Park should be reseeded and not used between Labor Day and the end of November. After seeding, there should not be any sports activities for 30 days to allow the turf to germinate. The turf needs an additional 60-day period to restore itself. Cleats are harder and provide more wear and tear on the turf.

One possible suggestion was to rope the Park off for maintenance for 60 days. Everyone would not be allowed to use the Park during this period.

The irrigation system should provide uniform coverage and water efficiency.

It was agreed that Dave Sodolsky from the Water Technology Institute at Fresno State will come evaluate the turf and irrigation system.

It was agreed to mail out surveys to determine what the neighbors want in terms of use of the Park. The Board will comment on and approve the draft survey that Michael Jenkins prepared by December 11, 2010. Neighbors will be asked to complete and return the surveys before the January 5, 2010, Tenaya Estates Board meeting.

It was agreed to leave up the signs and tape for the time being in the hopes of deterring rugby players and other sports teams.

The County took more than $1,900 out of the Park budget this year to pay for PG&E costs. The Park now has three service accounts on its PG&E bill. The Park has about $2,000 less to spend than it did before.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 10:40 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
________________________________________
Cynthia Downing, Secretary

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Tenaya Estates Board Meeting Minutes - October 6, 2010

A meeting of the Tenaya Estates Board of Directors was held on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at the Downing residence.

Board members present:
Vern Grant
Cynthia Downing
Paul Heath
Michael Jenkins
Jim McKelvey
Brad Stevens

Board member absent:
Janice Normart


A quorum of the Board of Directors was called to order at 6:43 p.m. with Vern Grant, President, presiding.

Paul Heath presented a financial report. The County has unexpectedly discovered PG&E accounts for which Tenaya Estates has not been billed. After paying PG&E costs of about $1,900 for the year, Tenaya Estates will be on an extremely tight budget.

The question of whether to appeal Tenaya Estates’ 501(c)(4) status with the IRS was discussed. It was agreed to table this issue until the Board determines if the Park should remain public or be turned into a private park.

Replacement of the playground mats was discussed. After determining the financial impact of the newly discovered PG&E service accounts, it was agreed to get bids for repairs. Vern Grant will get three bids at the end of the year or as finances permit.

Fourth of July festivities at the Park were discussed. It was noted that Janine Gallego had done an outstanding job of organizing a very successful event and proceeds were more than expected. The Board decided the event should not be run as a fund raiser for the Park. Instead, the person organizing the event will keep the proceeds and use them to cover costs of next year’s event. It will be up to the event organizer to decide whether to donate some of the proceeds to the Park.

Issues with respect to use of the Park were discussed at length. It was agreed that neighbors should be surveyed to see how they felt about use and activities at the Park. Michael Jenkins volunteered to develop the survey in conjunction with Brad Stevens and Cynthia Downing.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 7:54 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
________________________________________
Cynthia Downing, Secretary

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Tenaya Estates Board Meeting Minutes - September 18, 2010

A special meeting of the Tenaya Estates Board of Directors was held on Saturday, September 18, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. at the Grant residence.

Board members present:
Vern Grant
Cynthia Downing
Paul Heath
Michael Jenkins
Jim McKelvey
Brad Stevens

Board member absent:
Janice Normart

A quorum of the Board of Directors was called to order at 9:20 a.m. with Vern Grant, President, presiding.

Since this was a special meeting of the Board, minutes of prior meetings and financial statements were not presented.

Vern Grant provided a recap of recent events at the Park. Renovations of the pool and track at Bullard High School left the Fig Garden Youth Soccer League with nowhere to practice or play League games. Over the past few weeks, League teams began using the Park for practice and games every night of the week but Friday. Some evenings, as many as four League teams were at the Park simultaneously with up to 200 coaches, parents, and other family members.

Tenaya Park Board members began getting complaints from neighbors who were impacted by cars parked in front of their driveways or children urinating along walkways. Concerns were raised about increased amounts of litter, overflowing trash cans, and increased costs of sprinkler repairs. Vern requested a meeting with the head of the League to discuss these concerns and look for possible resolutions. This gave rise to a misunderstanding that the Tenaya Park Board was trying to prevent children from playing soccer in the Park. The County began receiving calls about the situation which is a concern. If the Park becomes a political issue, the County might decide to take management of the Park back. From past experience and given the County’s current budget shortfalls, that would likely mean returning to a Park that is poorly maintained with weeds, areas of dead grass, broken sprinklers, standing water, trees that aren’t trimmed, graffiti, and similar problems.

Paul Heath and other Board members worked diligently to dispel the misunderstandings. It was noted the League voluntarily agreed to limit the number of teams practicing at the Park to two teams per night. The Tenaya Park Board unanimously authorized Jim McKelvey to work with the County to better define the authority of the Tenaya Estates Board to develop guidelines for use of the Park. The guidelines will take into consideration the Park’s lack of public parking, lack of restroom facilities, lack of insurance coverage for organized sports teams, and an infrastructure that was not designed for organized team sports. It was also agreed that a newsletter and survey will be mailed to the Tenaya Park homeowners who pay assessments to determine their vision and preferences for Park usage.

After the results of the survey have been compiled, the Board will convene a neighborhood meeting to share the results and obtain additional feedback and input.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 10:40 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,

________________________________________
Cynthia Downing, Secretary

Friday, July 16, 2010

Tenaya Estates, Inc. Board meeting minutes - July 15, 2010

A meeting of the Tenaya Estates Board of Directors was held Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. at the Downing residence.

Board members present:
Vern Grant
Cynthia Downing
Paul Heath
Michael Jenkins
Jim McKelvey
Janice Normart


Board member absent:
Brad Stevens


A quorum of the Board of Directors was called to order at 6:35 p.m. with Vern Grant, President, presiding.

The minutes of the July 15, 2010, Board meeting were approved as presented.

Paul Heath presented the financial report for the period July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010. Income was $27,755,11. Expenses included $15,000 on Park maintenance; $2,878 on facilities and grounds repairs; $672 on new trees; $2,589 on irrigation water; #765 on electricity; $1,361 on liability insurance; and $1,180 on administrative expense. There is approximately $10,350 remaining in the Tenaya Estates checking account. The bank statement was included in the financial report and tied back to the financial statements.

It was noted that the IRS had waived $1,941 in penalties that had been imposed due to late filing of tax returns. Tenaya Estates will not have to pay any fines or penalties for late filings.

The State Franchise Tax Board has approved non-profit status.

A proposed 2010-2011 budget was presented for discussion. It was agreed that one garage and bake sale and the Fourth of July Festivities will be used as fund raisers for the Park in 2011. It was noted that although the water is metered, it doesn’t appear that anyone is reading the meter. The proposed budget includes reserving $5,000 for major repairs; this reserve would be at our ready access and would not require us to request the reserve funds on deposit with the County.

Paul Heath will talk to County staff about the possibilities of tapping into reserves on deposit with the County to replace the playground flooring.

It was m/s/c to approve the proposed budget as presented.

Vern Grant discussed proposed improvements to the Park. One drainage project per year for the next 3 years is proposed. It was m/s/c to approve drainage improvements at a cost of about $500 per year over the next 3 years.

Vern Grant wants to plant ficus vines along the Lazarus fences. The vines cost $15 apiece. A budget of $200 for planting focus vines was approved.

Sharing the expense of installing rocks in front of the Heath’s house to prevent vehicles from driving into the Park was discussed. This is the last area of access to the Park that would be needed. The Heaths will pay half and Tenaya Estates will pay the other half for the rocks and installation. The Board authorized and expenditures of up to $400 for this purpose.

A draft Rules of Engagement was presented for review.

The Board agreed to sponsor an ice cream social on Saturday, October 2, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,


________________________________________
Cynthia Downing, Secretary

Monday, June 14, 2010

Annual 2010 Fourth of July Festivities at Tenaya Park

This year for the first time, we are planning our party in advance to get an accurate head count.
$10.00 Tri-tip Dinner includes Rice pilaf, Beans, Salad, and Drink
$5.00 Hot dog Dinner includes: Chips and Drink
Please bring a potluck dish that serves 8-10 people: Bring Hors d"oeuvres, Desserts and side dishes.
Here is a schedule of the Activities for the day:
12:00 p.m. Water slide/Bounce House, Kiddy pools, and pick-up sports (bring your gear)
5:30 p.m. Please bring Potluck Dishes and Cake Walk items to the park
6:15 p.m. Dinner and Potluck Buffet
7:15 p.m. Children's Patriotic Parade (prizes for best in show, originality and most patriotic).
7:30 p.m. Cake Walk
8:30 p.m. Basketball Court: Fireworks!!!! Safety First! Bring your own and you are responsible for your clean-up.

If you have any questions, please contact Janine @ 559-431-4233 or via email j9smunch@earthlink.net.
Please RSVP and buy your tickets by Saturday, June 19th. You can mail or drop donations off to Janine Gallego 1366 W. Tenaya Way. Volunteers are needed for setup, decorations, serving of potluck and cake walk. Please notify Janine if you would like to volunteer.

Our Tenaya Park neighbors are awesome, and we're looking forward to another relaxing Independence Day with our Family and Friends.