Yosemite West Property & |
The meeting was held on April 20, 2011 at Tom Lambert's house. The meeting was called to order by President Lambert at 7:05 p.m. and the agenda was distributed.
Directors Present: Kipper Caranto, Bill Duff, Rea Jackman, Tom Lambert, Kim O'Neil, Kelly RichMinutes from the September 6, 2009, October 14, 2009, September 5, 2010, and October 20, 2010 meetings were approved with no changes.
The Q1 2011 financial report was submitted at the March 31, 2011 meeting.
2010-11 Membership Report: YWPHI has 119 active members.
a) 2010 Defensible Space Grant Status
Fuel Reduction inside the communityWe completed on-the-ground work inside the community for the season on November 12, 2010, treating 71 parcels (25 houses and 46 vacant lots) and chipping approximately 2000 tons of cut and down wood. See Participating Parcels Map below. The two-year combined participation total is 172 parcels or 60% of all parcels in Yosemite West. Work has stopped for winter and will resume in late spring 2011.
The project goal is 80% of all parcels in Yosemite West, so we mailed an information packet (on how to sign up for the defensible space project) in March 2011 to 64 owners of 84 selected parcels who did not participate in 2009 or 2010. We have received a 15% positive reply as of April 11, 2011. The deadline to sign up is May 1, 2011.
This is the last year of this project and all work must be completed by September 1, 2011.
Fuel Reduction outside the communityThe California Fire Safe Council informed us on November 16, 2010 that the federal environmental and cultural resource compliance review of our project for work outside the community is complete. No on-the-ground work in the project area outside the community was done in 2010; this work is planned for summer 2011.
b) 2011 Project Area YW-004 Grant Status
YWPHI was awarded a 2011 National Fire Plan grant for $94,350 for fuel reduction on Project Area YW-004 (see the Yosemite West CWPP) on June 14, 2010. In March 2011 we signed the grant agreement and the National Park Service (NPS) informed the California Fire Safe Council that it will likely be after the end of the current fiscal year (September 2011) before NPS knows if they will be able to fund the 2011 grants. This is the first time this has happened with NPS-funded grants through the California Fire Safe Grants Clearinghouse. Right now NPS is working with a 20% deficit and will only be able to fund grants if they receive new funds and have some remaining at the end of their current fiscal year. All grant activities are on hold until further notice.
John Mock said that curbside owner-made chipping piles need to be ready by the Tuesday after Memorial Day (May 31st). Chipping does not require an owner's signature, but the owners needs to flag their pile(s) and inform the Fire Safety Committee so we know it's there.
The need was discussed for a fourth hose house on Henness Circle to store YWPHI-owned equipment currently located on a private property owner's deck. Kim O'Neil made a motion, seconded by Tom Lambert, to approve $1,000 for this project. However, we need a volunteer to implement this project.
Bill Duff asked about fire hydrant markers. John Mock explained that it is Mariposa County's responsibility to mark fire hydrants, not that of YWPHI.
Discussion about the spring newsletter included topics specific to the spring issue and broader topics about content and distribution.
Content
Bill Duff suggested that the newsletter could include: a snowstorm post-mortem, information about the Memorial Day cleanup, information on roads and a statement of YWPHI policy about County-maintained roads, information about the status of work at the Yosemite Institute campus site, a report on the YWPAC and the YWMDAC, and that District 1 Supervisor Stetson could be asked to contribute an article.
Distribution
Bill Duff commented that he knows of a HOA in Irvine that distributes a brief 4-5 page newsletter to everyone with links to web articles.
Bill Duff offered to print and mail hard copies of the newsletter. Kelly Rich commented on electronic vs. print version of the newsletter; print version costs approximately $2 per copy and mailing for 175 households would cost about $350 per issue. Kelly Rich made a motion, seconded by Tom Lambert, that YWPHI send a hard copy of the spring newsletter.
None.
The purpose of conducting a member survey is to get a sense of what members want from YWPHI and to develop a strategy for getting more people actively involved. The survey could include a question about whether it is appropriate to spend the money YWPHI has on one or more big projects that would noticeably improve the neighborhood. The results of the survey will say "this is what you told us" and "here's how you can participate."
The survey may include questions on these topics:
Tom Lambert proposed asking about roads, garbage, and YWPHI presence at Board of Supervisors meetings. This proposal failed to pass a vote, with three members abstaining.
Kelly Rich suggested separating "crisis issues" from survey issues. Bill Duff suggested a length of 20-25 questions. Tom Lambert thought 20-25 would be too long, and suggested 12 questions. Kelly Rich suggested 1-2 questions with written responses and the rest multiple choice. Bill Duff encouraged the Board to draft and circulate the survey now. The Board agreed to prepare a draft.
The Board discussed what is YWPHI's responsibility to represent homeowners before the Board of Supervisors in light of crumbling infrastructure. The Board discussed how politics can polarize the community and that the Board taking a political position would not be advisable.
Tom Lambert raised the issue of the County reinvesting transient occupancy tax (ToT) in Yosemite West. He said Supervisors Stetson and Allen would be amenable. The Board discussed the role of YWPHI as it relates to this issue. Kipper Caranto, Rea Jackman and Kelly Rich said they were in favor of YWPHI involvement since individuals have not had success with this issue. Kim O'Neil and Kelly Rich were not. Tom Lambert made a motion to include this topic in the member survey, but there was no second.
Richard Heim previously volunteered to organize the cleanup. Don Florence, County Emergency Planner, confirmed he will be the guest speaker at the picnic. Kim O'Neil made a motion, seconded by Tom Lambert, to approve a $500 budget for the picnic. Rea Jackman will organize the picnic food, beverages, and supplies. Kim O'Neil offered to contact the property owner for permission to hold the picnic in their yard.
Bill Duff suggested inviting the County Public Works' employees to the picnic to show appreciation for their help during the spring snowstorms. Kipper Caranto made a motion, seconded by Tom Lambert, to approve $200 to give movie tickets to five Public Works employees in appreciation.
Kim O'Neil confirmed that the annual update to the telephone tree was completed and distributed to homeowners.
The need for neighborhood cleanup was tabled for now, along with these possible projects:
The next board meeting is Wednesday, June 8th at 7 p.m.
The meeting was adjoined at about 9 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Kim O'Neil
Acting YWPHI Secretary for Bill Duff and Tom Lambert
 Copyright text © Yosemite West Property & Homeowners, Inc. 2003-2012, Copyright photographs © John Mock 2004-2012. All rights reserved. Unauthorized redistribution of this document is prohibited. Updated February 7, 2012. |