Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Tenaya Estates Board meeting minutes - October 5, 2011

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

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

Board member absent:
None


A quorum of the Board of Directors was called to order at 6:10 p.m. with Vern Grant, President, presiding.

It was m/s/c to approve the minutes of the July 20, 2011, Board meeting as presented.

Paul Heath gave a financial report. A request for reimbursement was submitted to the County in late August. The reimbursement arrived in late September so there is now money in the bank. These monies must carry operations until assessments are collected with taxes in December and January. The annual general liability insurance premium has been paid. Currently, there is $12, 813.02 in the checking account.

It was agreed we need to proceed with trimming the trees. Vern Grant will get bids from several vendors. A cost of $3,000 is likely.

Mapping of the Park’s irrigation system still needs to be done. Hiring a specialist to assess the playground flooring also needs to be done. These projects need to be completed by the next Board meeting.

The Board explored the possibility of hosting the Fourth of July as a fund raiser for the Park. A final decision will be made by the January Board meeting.

The Board agreed to spend $400 to plant ficus vines along the walkways.

The possibility of forming a separate entity to take ownership of the Park was discussed.

It was agreed that Jim McKelvey and Cynthia Downing now need to meet with County Supervisors Judy Case and Debbie Poochigian.

The cost to replace the basketball backboards is about $1,900. Donations of approximately $955 have been collected. Janice Normart will work to raise the balance so there are funds to replace the basketball backboards. It was agreed to table any decision on the part of the Board until the January Board meeting.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
________________________________________
Cynthia Downing, Secretary

Tenaya Estates Board meeting minutes - July 20, 2011

A meeting of the Tenaya Estates Board of Directors was held on Wednesday, July 20, 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

Board member absent:
Brad Stevens


A quorum of the Board of Directors was called to order at 6:02 p.m. with Vern Grant, President, presiding.

It was m/s/c to approve the minutes of the April 6, 2011, Board meeting as presented.

Paul Heath gave a financial report. He presented a report of actual compared to the budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. At year end, there was $6,772.03 in the checking account. Expenses for the fiscal year had been budgeted at $29,500; actual expenses were $28,598.46. Paul proposed budgeted expenditures of $29,500 for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. It was m/s/c to approve the proposed budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.

Paul Heath recommended the Board consider repairs to the irrigation system. He also advised that repairing the playground flooring will cost between $12,000 and $17,000. For $800, a certified playground specialist will assess the actual cost of repairs to the playground. It was m/s/c to authorize Paul Heath to arrange for the specialist with Cynthia and Tom Downing donating to cover this cost.

Paul Heath reported on the rocks that were put in front of his house to block off access to the Park. The Heaths had agreed to split this cost with Tenaya Estates. The total cost for the rocks was $850. The Heaths will be donating $425 to the checking account. The County will be asked to reimburse us for $850.

Jim McKelvey reported he talked to Deputy County Counsel Mike Rowe. Rowe has been ordered to charge $113 per hour for his time. He indicated we can adopt the rules but the CSA would have to pay to put the items on the agenda. The staff report would cost $5,000 to put on the Supervisors agenda. Mr. McKelvey also suggested we could create our own district with an elected board of directors as an alternative to staying under County control.

It was agreed that Jim McKelvey and Cynthia Downing will meet with County Sueprvisors Judy Case, Phil Larsen, and Debbie Poochigian to discuss political support for the rules or forming a separate district.

Janice Normart presented a report from Jim Yager and Matt Angell on mapping the Park’s irrigation system. Janice will schedule a meeting with Vern Grant, Michael Jenkins, and herself on Saturday at 9:00 a.m.

Janice Normart advised that Randy Priester has offered to create signs with the Park rules if the Park will cover the material costs.

Vern Grant reported that 10 plants have finally been installed on the eastern walkway.

Michael Jenkins gave a report on Fourth of July activities.

There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 7:31 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

________________________________________
Cynthia Downing, Secretary

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