Tenaya Bake and Garage Sale

We raised $1350.00 from the May 16th Bake and Garage Sale. A special thanks to every one who contributed and made this another successful sale. All proceeds from the sale will go towards Park Maintenance.

Neighborhood Meeting: Saturday, April 25, at 10:00 a.m.

Should We Annex to the City of Fresno?

A neighborhood meeting is scheduled on Saturday, April 25, at 10:00 a.m. at Tenaya Park.

The primary purpose of this meeting is to discuss the possibility of annexing to the City of Fresno. We will also give a brief update on Park operations and finances.

Several months ago, the City asked Tenaya Estates to consider annexing. The Board met on February 21 to discuss the issue. There were questions about the process and how annexation would affect the neighborhood. The Board didn’t reach any conclusions. Instead, the Board agreed that property owners should be involved in the information gathering and decision-making process. Jim McKelvey will work with the City to get more information and answers to questions for the meeting on April 25.

Here’s what we know so far:

· The City will not force us to annex. A majority of property owners would need to vote in favor of annexation.

· After annexation, we would be able to vote for Fresno City Mayor and a City Council representative plus a representative on the County Board of Supervisors. Currently, we can only vote for the representative onthe Board of Supervisors.

· The City would provide fire protection. Although we’re currently in the North Central Fire District, the District now contracts with the City for fire protection. After annexing, our area’s fire rating might improve which would mean lower fire insurance premiums for property owners.
· The City would provide police protection. Currently, the County Sheriff polices our area.

· The City would provide solid waste disposal including an annual curbside pickup. Fresno County recently ended its annual curbside program. City trash pickup is likely to be less expensive than the current private hauler. However, State law would require us to stay with the private hauler for 5 years after annexation.

· The City would provide municipal services like street sweeping and graffiti removal which currently aren’t available from the County.

· The Tenaya Estates Board expressed a strong desire to keep local control of Park maintenance. Currently, Tenaya Estates contracts with Fresno County to maintain the Park. We select and pay our own vendors; decide when and how much to water; and are able to make repairs quickly when needed. As a result, the Park looks beautiful and lots of people use and enjoy it. The Board does not want to risk returning the Park to management by government bureaucracy.

· The County keeps about 30% of the Park’s annual budget to cover administration and audit fees, even though we now do all the work. These fees might not apply in the City. We could then use these funds for capital improvements to the lights, sprinklers, and the playground.

· The City might be willing to cover general liability insurance costs of about $1,500 per year. The City might also agree to cover the costs of water and power. We aren’t sure of the net impact of annexation. Solid waste costs will go down. Premiums for fire insurance might go down. The annual Park assessment might change. Property taxes might increase by about $100

Tenaya Park Homeowner's Association Garage and Bake Sale!

Thanks very much to all for your effort and participation in the recent bake and garage sale at Tenaya Park.  We raised $1741.00 from sales and donations.  

The funds are being used to pay for the recent removal of the large oak tree, sprinkler repairs and recent replacement of four overhead lights.  If nothing else breaks between now and the first of the year we will end up with about $500.00 in our bank account.

Thanks to all for a successful fund raiser.

Vern and Carla Grant

Tenaya Park Homeowners Meeting Saturday, June 12, 2008

A Tenaya Park homeowners meeting will be held on Saturday, June 12, at 10:00 a.m. at the Park near the basketball court. At this meeting, we will provide an update on the Park and a report on finances.

It's also time for the annual election of Board members. The current Board is:
Vern Grant - President
Paul Heath - Treasurer
Cynthia Downing - Secretary
Jeff Earl
Jim McKelvey
Janice Normart
Brad Stevens

Hope to see you there.

Mulberry Trees Removed, Will Be Replaced Soon

During the week of February 4 - 8, 2008, three mulberry trees were removed from the west side of the park. They were badly rotted and they dropped heavy limbs without warning. Our contracted landscaper, and an independent arborist, both recommended these trees be removed before a falling limb did serious damage or caused injury. They will be replaced with three sunburst locust trees whch are fast growing, more suitable for a park environment, and provide excellent shade. We've posted pictures to show the rot in the mulberries after they were cut down.

A drainage project along the west walkway and the northern edge of the Park has been completed. We're pleased to report that water no longer pools in these locations.

Major trimming of Park trees and trees that block lights will begin on March 3, 2008. This work will take about a week to complete.

Additional measures to prevent vehicles from unauthorized entry into the Park will be taken during April and May.

Dogs Off Leash At Tenaya Park

The issue of dogs off leash at Tenaya Park has come up again. There is a misperception that the law requires dogs to be on leashes at all times. In fact, Fresno County's leash law requires dogs to be on leashes or “under the immediate control of a responsible person.” The law does not define "under the immediate control."

Some Tenaya Park homeowners have dogs that enjoy chasing balls and playing together at the Park. Other Tenaya Park residents aren't dog lovers and would prefer that dogs be kept on leashes at all times. None of us want stray dogs roaming through our neighborhood or dog owners who don't control their dogs when they're at the Park.

We all want to enjoy the Park. Rather than making this a divisive issue that creates hard feelings, we need to find ways to share the Park. When you're at the Park, if dogs are bothering you, let the owners know at that time. If the owners ignore your concerns and you're repeatedly bothered by the same dogs, let a Tenaya Park Board member know. Give a description of the dogs, when you normally visit the Park, and any information about the owners that you can. If the offending dogs live in the neighborhood, the Board will try to discuss your concerns with the owners and suggest each of you use the Park at different times. If the dogs don't live in the neighborhood, the Board can be on the lookout and try to discuss the situation if the dogs visit the Park again.

If we can all approach this with a spirit of cooperation, everyone (dogs and people) will be able to enjoy the Park.

Positive Feedback About the Public

It's nice to hear positive things about the Park! Vern Grant posted signs with the Park's web address. Shortly after the signs were posted, we received this very nice Email. We wanted to share it with the neighbors.

-----Original Message-----From: Scott & Niki
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 1:40 PM
To: Downing, CynthiaSubject:
Re: Tenaya Park

Thank you for your quick reply. We are thrilled...what a God send. I will be visiting regularly. We don't have a safe quiet park anywhere near our home. We are calling it "secret park" already:-) I have lived in Fresno my whole life and never heard of it.
God Bless,
Niki


On 1/17/08 1:32 PM, "Cynthia Downing" wrote:

The Park is a public park. It's open to anyone to use and I'm glad you enjoyed it. 143 homeowners who live around the Park pay additional taxes to maintain the Park so we're glad when families like yours are able to use it. As far as rules, the Park closes at 10:00 p.m., alcohol is not allowed (in any public park), and we hope people won't get too noisy later in the evening.

Pleae visit again when you can!

Cynthia Downing

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott & Niki
Sent: Thursday, January 17, 2008 1:28 PM
To: Downing, Cynthia
Subject: Tenaya Park

My children and I visited the park today and had a fabulous time. I was wondering about the rules of the park. Is it actually open to anyone to use? I do not live in the neighborhood, was it alright that I spend a few hours there? There was NO ONE else around so I couldn't find anyone to ask. Please let me know so that we can plan on visiting again if it is permitted. I live in the Tower District. Thank you for the Park. It is beautiful.

Niki