Yosemite West Property & |
The 2006 annual meeting was held on Sunday, September 3, 2006, in Betty Clark's yard. A pot-luck brunch was served at 10:30 a.m., and the annual meeting was called to order by President Grace Bartel at 11:45 a.m. Handouts were available for all present and included the Meeting Agenda, the Annual Treasurer's Report, and the draft Minutes from the 2005 Annual Meeting. Following adjournment of the meeting at 12:55 p.m., door prizes were distributed. Approximately 40 people attended the meeting. These minutes reflect issues/presentations in the order in which they were discussed.
Directors Present: Jim Andrews, Grace Bartel (newly re-elected), Debby Hagan, Tom Lambert, and Kay Pitts.President Grace Bartel 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 4, 2005 were approved.
The Treasurer's Report (prepared by Kim O'Neil and Grace Bartel) showed that the beginning balance for all YWPHI accounts on August 31, 2005 was $11,440, and the ending balance on August 16, 2006 was $11,130. Major expenditures by YWPHI included the chipping program ($3,000), newsletter and mailings ($569), and QuickBooks software ($160). Income was generated from membership dues and interest. Al and Carol Ruiz have agreed to take over as Treasurers next year after the current Treasurer, Kim O'Neil, completes the transition to the new QuickBooks system. The Financial Report for 2005/2006 was approved.
It also was reported that YWPHI had 113 members during the past year. Membership was 5 less than the previous year. Membership payments ($25) are due now for the September 2006 to September 2007 year. All membership forms and payments should be mailed to Kim O'Neil (Treasurer).
An audit has yet to be scheduled.
Thanks were expressed for Kim O'Neil's efforts in producing the newsletter. Tom Lambert has volunteered to assume the responsibilities of newsletter editor in the future. Anyone wishing to contribute articles for inclusion in the newsletter is encouraged to contact Tom.
Fire Safety Chair, John Mock, was unable to attend the meeting. Grace Bartel expressed thanks to all of the Yosemite West residents and lot owners who participated in the second chipping program last May. Reducing the fuel load within our community and maintaining defensible space around homes is necessary to help us become more fire-safe. The YWPHI Board considers fire safety to be a priority for our community, and therefore sponsored the $3,000 chipping program this year.
Thanks to the efforts of webmaster Kim O'Neil, the YWPHI website has become the best place to get information about our community and current events. Please visit the site at www.yosemitewest.org.
Don Pitts (Yosemite West Maintenance Advisory Committee Member) presented a brief summary of recent activity. The sewer system has been running adequately with only one minor problem which has been fixed. Originally, not enough dirt was placed over the effluent emitters, so more fill has been added to correct this problem. Since the building moratorium was lifted upon certification of the sewer improvements, the expected surge in building permits has not yet materialized. No significant road work has been performed; only some cold patching of holes was done. The Maintenance District Board has not had any meetings for several months, with the next one scheduled for October 30, 2006. Walt Rolland has resigned his position on the Board after many years of service to Yosemite West. Consequently, there is a vacancy to which any property owner can apply.
Grace Bartel read a statement which was prepared by Harry Hagan. The Special Plan was reviewed and approved by the Mariposa County Planning Commission after a public hearing. A copy of this Special Plan will be posted on the YWPHI website. The Plan can not receive a hearing before the County Board of Supervisors until after the County General Plan has been approved. The General Plan is expected to be completed in late 2006 or early 2007.
The community clean-up to make Yosemite West more fire safe was a success thanks to all the volunteers and property owners who participated in the event last May. Thank you all for the continuing community support which is necessary for this program to be effective.
Kay Pitts gave a brief presentation concerning the Yosemite West Telephone Tree which has been updated. Fortunately, we have not had occasion to use it.
Helen Yates announced that the third annual Holiday Home Tour in Yosemite West will take place on Saturday, December 23, 2006 between 3 and 7 p.m. Anyone wishing to volunteer their home for this year's event should contact Helen at 559-683-7496. The evening is organized with different food theme's for each participating home, similar to a progressive dinner.
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 (Jim Andrews, Grace Bartel, Debby Hagan, Tom Lambert, Kim O'Neil, Kay Pitts, and Carol Ruiz) and Committee Chairs (Linda Andrews, John Mock, and Kim O'Neil) for all their help.
There are two vacancies on the Board of Directors to fill. Carol Ruiz is retiring from the Board after 5 years of continuous service in order to be available to assume responsibilities of Treasurer with Al Ruiz next year. In addition, the term for Grace Bartel's position has expired. Jody Brady and Grace Bartel were nominated and elected by voice vote. Each elected Board member serves for a three-year term.
Next year's annual meeting will be held on Sunday, September 2, 2007. We will continue to hold these meetings on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.
This Berkeley organization has selected Yosemite West to use in their mountain area fire study. Unfortunately, representatives from this group were unable to attend the annual meeting, but they will be contacting homeowners in Yosemite West during their study.
Chris Stein (Chief of Interpretation and Education; park liaison to Yosemite Institute) and Randy Fong (Park Architect; project manager for the relocation project) spoke about this project at the annual meeting. A handout was distributed to provide us with background information on the process to move the YI campus out of Crane Flat. The most likely relocation site for the new facility is very close to us at the "Sandlot" near the intersection of the Wawona Road (Highway 41) and Henness Ridge Road. Buildings will be concentrated within a 17 acre area which is expected to house 240 adolescents and 8-10 staff. Approximately 13,000 students (6th through 8th graders) will visit this facility each year, primarily during the school year. YWPHI members voiced concerns about water usage, sewer facilities and containment, fire issues (evacuation congestion, adolescent smoking risk), adult supervision, and disruptive behavior of YI charges elsewhere in the Park). The draft EIS should be available for public review in the summer of 2007. Please visit www.nps.gov/yose/planning for status on this project or www.yni.org/yi for information about the Yosemite Institute.
The meeting was adjourned by President Grace Bartel at 12:55 p.m. A lottery was held to distribute door prizes to those present, and the new YWPHI Board held their first meeting immediately afterward.
Respectfully submitted,
Deborah O. Hagan
Acting Secretary
 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. |