Yosemite West Property & |
The 2005 annual meeting was held on Sunday, September 4, 2005, in John and Betty Clark's yard. A pot-luck brunch was served at 10:30 a.m., and the annual meeting was called to order by Vice-President Helen Yates at 11:42 a.m. Handouts were circulated and included the Meeting Agenda, the Annual Treasurer's and Membership Report, Fire Safety Demonstration Notice, and the draft Minutes from the 2004 Annual Meeting. Approximately 40 people attended the meeting. These minutes reflect issues/presentations in the order in which they were discussed.
Grace Bartel, and Helen Yates.
Larry Anstead, Debby Hagan, Kim O'Neil and Carol Ruiz.
Vice-President Helen Yates called the meeting to order, and began the meeting by having all those present introduce themselves.
The minutes from the last annual meeting on September 5, 2004 were approved.
The Treasurer's Report (prepared and presented by Linda Andrews) showed that the beginning balance for all YWPHI accounts on August 31, 2004 was $12,896, and the ending balance on August 31, 2005 was $11,440. Expenditures by YWPHI included newsletter mailings ($1,235), website costs ($208), mailbox shed ($538), new information sign ($433), fire safe expenses which includes new hose boxes ($1949), miscellaneous items ($48), and bank service charges ($60). Income was generated from membership dues ($3000) and interest ($16). The Treasurer's Report for 2004/2005 was approved.
As Membership chair, Linda Andrews also reported that YWPHI had 118 members as of August 31, 2005. Membership was one less than the previous year. Membership payments ($25) are due now for the September 2005 to September 2006 year. All membership forms and payments should be mailed to Linda Andrews (membership chair and treasurer). Special thanks were extended to Pete and Joan Ulyatt for their many years of service as YWPHI treasurers and membership chairs.
Last year an audit was performed by Linda Andrews. Helen Yates reported that our accounts and the documentation are perfectly organized and that no irregularities were found. Another audit will be conducted this year.
Editor Kim O'Neil was unable to be present. She was enthusiastically thanked for the high-quality Newsletter that she produces. Anyone with suggestions or wishing to contribute articles for inclusion in the newsletter is encouraged to contact Kim.
Fire Safety Chair, John Mock, was unable to be present. Vice-Chair Harry Hagan expressed thanks to the National Park Service (NPS) and specifically to NPS personnel for their efforts to aid Yosemite West with fuel reduction on Park property adjacent to our community. Last year the NPS implemented a fuel reduction program along the entry road to Yosemite West, from Highway 41 to the mailboxes. The resulting debris piles will likely be burned this winter. The Mariposa County Fire Department has been working on firesafe assessment reports for each house in Yosemite West. Drafts were shown at the Memorial Day meeting. Homes are assigned a color code based on evaluation of specific firesafe criteria. The color code ranges from red, orange, yellow to green, with red the worst prepared and green the best prepared. No Yosemite West homes earned the green rating. In spring of 2005, YWPHI obtained use of a chipper for disposing of branches and small brush that residents had piled alongside the road. This program was quite successful, and YWPHI will look into getting the chipper again this year. The chipper was provided by the Mariposa County Firesafe Council using grant money. YWPHI is considering sponsoring a proposed ordinance to require that vacant Yosemite West lots be maintained in a firesafe condition.
Thanks to the efforts of webmaster Kim O'Neil, the YWPHI website is functioning at www.yosemitewest.org. Please visit the site for community information.
Don Pitts (Yosemite West Maintenance Advisory Committee Member) presented a summary of the sewer repair situation. Delays have been encountered due to the insolvency of the general contractor. Work has, however, resumed, and target date for completion of the project is fall, 2005. No building permits will be issued until the repair is completed and tested. The Maintenance Advisory Committee recommended a rate increase (about 26%) on water usage because costs have exceeded revenues for several years. Also, the State now requires that reserve funds for capital assets be fully funded. As a result, deficits incurred in supplying water cannot now be funded from reserves.
Harry Hagan, chair of the YWPAC, reported on the draft Special Plan for Yosemite West. A final draft has been approved by the Committee, and will be forwarded by the Planning Department to the Planning Commission sometime this fall. A public hearing by the Planning Commission will take place (possibly on a weekend) during which community members can voice further opinions and suggestions. The plan addresses excessive exterior lighting, and places size limits on future homes. It also addresses rental issues. It does not place a limit on the number of homes that will be available for rental in Yosemite West. Thus, in the future, the rental option is preserved for all Yosemite West owners. There will, however, be some size limits imposed on rental homes (no more than 3 bedrooms available for rent per home, and duplexes constructed in the future will not be allowed to have both units available for rental). The plan proposes to reduce the impact of large check-in facilities, and proposes that no check-in facility would be allowed to service more than four rental homes. The draft Special Plan is a proposal only, and final determinations will be made by the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors following public input. If adopted, the Special Plan would be a part of the County's new General Plan, which will be the County's master land use document.
The 2005 Memorial Day Clean-Up was very successful. The chipping program significantly reduced the amount of debris that had to be transported to the burn pile. The participation level was very high, and thanks were extended to all those who helped transport debris to the burn pile.
The new informational sign was installed in fall, 2004. Special thanks were voiced for efforts by Larry Anstead, Ken Wall, and Todd Yates for creating and installing the new sign. The volunteers who have been keeping the shed clean were thanked for their efforts.
Kay Pitts reported on a break-in of mailboxes that took place in early August. Virtually all mailboxes were opened, and mail stolen. Unfortunately, according to the Postal Service, Yosemite West does not generate a sufficient volume of out-going mail to justify installation of a standard mailbox for deposit of out-going mail.
Bears are always present in and around Yosemite West, and at least one problem bear was captured and destroyed in 2004-2005. The overall level of bear activity has been lower this year than in some recent years.
A special NPS demonstration will take place on September 17, 2005. The NPS will bring in a trailer that will simulate a house fire, and the program will teach people how to safely respond/evacuate. The session is free, and all community members are encouraged to attend the training sessions.
The highest priority issues for the coming year include fire safety, mailbox safety and addressing the water quality problems. Also, the telephone tree will be updated.
In December, 2004, YWPHI sponsored a holiday home tour, which was a great success. There was great support for repeating the event in December, 2005. Contact Helen Yates for information.
Ken Wall explained that Yosemite West has been invaded by Tussock Moth Caterpillars. They are fuzzy, and the hairs can cause particularly bad allergic reactions. Even breathing hairs released by the caterpillars can be harmful.
The contributions of all Board members and Committee Chairs are greatly appreciated and are necessary to help Yosemite West maintain the character that brought us here. Thanks to last year's Board members (Larry Anstead, Grace Bartel, Debby Hagan, Kim O'Neil, Carol Ruiz, and Helen Yates), and Committee Chairs (Linda Andrews, John Mock, Kim O'Neil, and Joan and Pete Ulyatt) for all their help.
YWPHI ended the 2004-2005 year with six Board members. The term for Helen Yates expired, and Larry Anstead is resigning. Jim Andrews, Tom Lambert and Kay Pitts were nominated and elected by voice vote.
Next year's annual meeting will be held on Sunday, September 3, 2006. We will continue to hold these meetings on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.
The meeting was adjourned by Vice-President Helen Yates at 12:40 p.m. After the meeting, a lottery was held to distribute door prizes, and the new YWPHI Board held its first meeting immediately afterward.
Respectfully submitted,
 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. |