Yosemite West Property & |
YWPHI reports about activities of the Yosemite West Maintenance District Advisory Committee (YWMDAC). YWMDAC acts as a liaison between Yosemite West property owners and the Mariposa County Public Works Department, which is responsible for the daily operation of the Yosemite West Maintenance District. The recommendations that the YWMDAC makes to the Mariposa County Public Works Department are not binding. The Mariposa County Public Works Department reviews any recommendations and proceeds with those they feel have merit. Any major activities or policy issues generally go before the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors for approval.
YWPHI provides information about the YWMDAC as a service to the community and is not directly involved with the activities of the committee. Contact the Mariposa County Public Works Department for further information about the Yosemite West Maintenance District and YWMDAC.
Special districts are a form of local government created to meet specific needs. When inadequate tax bases make it difficult for a county to provide all the services their residents want, property owners can form a special district to pay for and administer higher levels of existing services and new services.
Basically there are two types of special districts in Mariposa County: independent, with their own Board of Directors (eg, the School District and John C. Fremont Healthcare District); and dependent, such as Yosemite West Maintenance District which is governed by the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors.
The Yosemite West Maintenance District is responsible for maintaining three services in Yosemite West:
Revenues to the Yosemite West Maintenance District come from two sources:
The Mariposa County Public Works Department prepares and mails monthly invoices to property owners for user fees for these three services. From a financial perspective, the Yosemite West Maintenance District is intended to be self-supporting and independent of Mariposa County. By design, property owners are entirely responsible for all costs incurred by the Yosemite West Maintenance District.
Below are the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors resolutions authorizing the YWMDAC:
The individuals serving on the YWMDAC are Yosemite West property owners who are appointed by the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors and may or may not be YWPHI members.
The YWMDAC members are: Jeff Hornacek, Jerry Jackman, Debra Kroon, Richard Long, John Mock and Don Pitts.
The committee currently has one vacancy (as of March 2012).
Proposition 1A, which passed in the November 2004 general election, had an ultimate goal of guaranteeing the constitutional protection of local government funds. However, it was actually a compromise with the governor and the state legislature that allows the State of California to take money from special districts for two years in return for future protection of local revenue.
According to the California Special Districts Association, "the compromise provides all local governments significant future protection of local revenues from future raids by the state, and therefore protects the crucial public services our citizens depend upon."
Under Proposition 1A, all special districts, both independent and dependent, will contribute a total of $350 million from local property tax revenue to the state's general fund in each of the next two fiscal years, 2004-05 and 2005-06. After those two years, the state will no longer be permitted to take revenue from special districts. The state is not permitted to take more than 10% of the annual operating budget of any special district.
The state is taking $26,000 in revenue (just under 10%) from the Yosemite West Maintenance District during the current fiscal year (7/1/04-6/30/05). It is being taken in two lumps sums - $13,000 in January 2005, and another $13,000 in May 2005.
The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors discussed a Resolution of Intent to Sell Fee Simple Land at Yosemite West (Resolution No. 10-128) at their meeting on Tuesday, March 16, 2010. This resolution is to sell 1.53 acres of the 3.09-acre parcel of land owned by Mariposa County (APN 006-150-007) where the maintenance yard, shed and vehicles are currently located. This parcel is on the north and east sides of Henness Ridge Road at the intersection of Henness Circle (view a Parcel Map).
A lot line adjustment would be made to add the 1.53 acres to the adjacent 15-acre parcel (APN 006-150-006). The request for this lot line adjustment was made by Yosemite Cascades LLC, Jeff Hornacek, Managing Member, to accommodate the Yosemite Cascades Guest Ranch project proposal on the adjacent property and on the 1.53 acre parcel.
The Board of Supervisors has established that the minimum bid required in exchange for the parcel will include construction of a new maintenance facility, removal of the existing facility and clean up of the current yard.
The Board of Supervisors requested that the community - as well as YWMDAC - provide input on this issue. Members of the public are also able to bid on the property.
For further information, please read these documents provided by the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors (http://www.yosemitewest.org/res10128.pdf), which include the agenda action form, minute order, and the resolution itself. Yosemite Cascades LLC intends to make additional information about its proposal available on April 9.
Yosemite Cascades LLC has information about its guest ranch project proposal on its website (www.yosemitecascades.com). Further information about the proposed Public Works Facility is available at http://www.yosemitecascades.com/html/public-works.htm.
If you would like to comment, please submit your comments via email to the Clerk of the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors, Margie Williams (email: mwilliams@mariposacounty.org).
The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board granted Mariposa County's request for an extension. The new deadlines are November 1, 2012 and December 1, 2012. The letter is available for download (238K).
There are two upcoming meetings regarding the Yosemite West Maintenance District:
Additionally, Peter Rei sent out an update on 9/27 following the 9/19 informal community meeting.
Update letter from Peter Rei. (58K)In place of the anticipated YWMDAC meeting on 9/19, there will be an impromptu "community information/discussion meeting" at the Maintenance Yard at 1:00pm. Here are several new documents we have received that are relevant:
Agenda for the (postponsed) 9/19 YWMDAC meeting (110KB)On August 30, 2012, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a Notice of Violation to Mariposa County for failing to comply with the Waste Discharge Requirements for the Yosemite West Wastewater Treatment Facility. The complete Notice of Violation and attached Facilities Inspection Report are a 3MB download (http://www.yosemitewest.org/u/nov20120830.pdf).
According to the notice, at the time of a May 30, 2012 inspection, the County is in violation of its WDRs as follows:
Download a copy of the letter sent to all Yosemite West property owners from the Mariposa County Public Works Department announcing the lifting of the building moratorium effective June 1, 2006.
The Mariposa County Board of Supervisors at an April 18, 2006 meeting voted in favor of lifting the building moratorium in Yosemite West. A second reading of the ordinance (due to procedural requirements pertaining to the adoption of ordinances) will take place on May 2, 2006 at the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors' meeting. The ordinance lifting the building moratorium will become effective 30 days later, or on June 1, 2006. The Mariposa County Public Works Department will be mailing a letter to all Yosemite West property owners after the May 2 meeting.
Read about the sewer system in Yosemite West and the history leading up to the current sewer repair project. A building permit moratorium is in place and will remain in effect until the WWTF is repaired and tested.
Construction on the Yosemite West Wastewater Treatment Facility is approximately 90% done as of April 2005. Most of the physical construction is complete and two remaining projects are the electrical work on the transformer pad and the telemetry systems that will control the water and sewer systems. The entire electrical system and the computer system to operate the sewer plant will be installed after the snow melts and the site is readily accessible. PG&E needs about five weeks to complete their work.
The contractor Mauldin-Dorfmeier Construction Inc. has officially filed for bankruptcy. Mariposa County had the job "bonded" both on a performance and a financial basis to ensure its completion. The surety company that bonded the project has hired consultants to take over the project management and hire contractors to finish the work. Dana Hertfelder said, "We currently hold $600,000 due the contractor and we have identified about $490,000 owed to subcontractors." Work was shut down for the winter and is expected to resume in May after the subcontractors are paid. Although the situation is unfortunate, Mariposa County assures the residents the sewer will be built as planned. If all goes as planned now, the construction could be completed as early as late July 2005.
Once the sewer repairs are completed and the system is online, the system will be tested. When the system is operating satisfactorily, then the California Regional Water Quality Control Board will be notified. Assuming the California Regional Water Quality Control Board approves the sewer system, the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors will then determine when building permits will be issued and also when the building moratorium will be lifted. Dana Hertfelder said it will probably take three months from when testing starts until the moratorium could be lifted.
The sewer project in Yosemite West is basically shut down for the winter. Most of the physical construction is complete and the two current projects that remain (and hopefully could be done before spring) are the electrical work on the transformer pad and the telemetry systems that will control the water and sewer systems. The entire electrical system and the computer operating system to operate the sewer plant will be installed after the snow melts and the site is readily accessible.
Mariposa County has received numerous "stop notices" from various subcontractors citing non-payment of sums allegedly due them, raising concerns about possible financial difficulties of the general contractor, Mauldin-Dorfmeier Construction Inc.
Mariposa County had the job "bonded" both on a performance and a financial basis to ensure its completion. They have been in discussions with the surety company that bonded the project and that entity has indicated that they wish all future payments by Mariposa County to come to them rather than directly to the contractor.
Although the situation is unfortunate, Mariposa County assures the residents the sewer will be built as planned. There may be a delay while it gets sorted out, but the delay should be minimal as it coincides the winter shut-down period. Hopefully the work will proceed on a timely basis when the snow melts in the spring.
Dana Hertfelder, Acting Director of the Mariposa County Public Works Department said that the sewer repairs are tentatively scheduled to be completed in December 2004. The final completion date is dependent upon weather conditions this fall. (If weather conditions do not permit completion by December 2004, repair work will stop for the winter and would likely resume in April or May 2005).
Once the sewer repairs are completed and the system is online, the system will be tested. Dana said it will probably take three months from when testing starts until the building moratorium could be lifted. Mariposa County in concurrence with the California Regional Water Quality Board will determine when building permits will be issued and when the moratorium will be lifted, which may not necessarily be the same date.
The water in Yosemite West is acidic, with low pH (5.2 - 5.8) that causes erosion of pipes and discoloration. Residents can learn more about common water quality problems, household water treatment technologies, water contamination solutions and more.
Don Pitts gave an update about YWMDAC activities at the 2004 annual meeting on September 5, 2004:
Anyone experiencing water outages, insufficient water pressure or other problems is urged to contact Dana Hertfelder at the Mariposa County Public Works Department.
Notes from July 18, 2003 meeting
 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 March 8, 2012. |
