Starlight
Mesa
Homeowners
Association
Board
Meeting
Minutes
6-15-16,
7:30
SP
House
Present: Greg Goeckner (GG), Sylvia Paz (SP), Brent Tweddle
(BT), Cynthia Smither (CS)
Not Present: Kirk Gerbracht (KG)
Also Present: George and Barbara Hiller (GBH), Alex Fan (AF)
Renovation requests:
Front lawns: CS and SP presented requests to replace their
front lawns with low-water vegetation.
The Board unanimously approved (the requesting Board members
abstaining).
Alex Fan Renovations: AF presented a
request to add a den to 281 Starlane and to replace his front lawn with
artificial turf. The den would be at the
back of his house. It is a single story
addition and it backs up to the hillside behind his house. The addition would not block his neighbors’
view as his lot is offset from the lots above and below it. He will use the same exterior finish and roof
on the addition as on the existing house.
The Board unanimously approved the addition. AF also wants to replace his front lawn with artificial
turf. He proposes to use a product
available from Home Depot. He has installed
the same type of artificial turf at another house he owns. SP pointed out the environmental concerns
related to artificial turf. GG noted
that other homeowners had made similar proposals but none of them had been
approved or been completed. The Board
needs to ensure consistency in quality and color of the artificial turf in the
neighborhood. BT asked about the
lifetime of the product. AF advised that
the installation at his other house was installed 15 years ago and still looks good. It helps to have plants around the artificial
turf. The lawn area in the front yard is
700 sq. ft. and the planting area is 500 sq. ft.; the plants would be most
visible from the street. BT asked if natural
grass could be installed later. AF
advised that this was not as much of a problem as with older artificial turf products. BT advised that the Board should consider the
subject carefully as this installation would set a precedent.
Hiller roof: GG advised that the Hillers had selected a
dark brown composite cement roof tile for their house. The Board unanimously approved the proposal.
KS Kim – 241 Starlane: GG advised that renovations were ongoing at
this house. The owners had asked for approval
to enclose the area around the front door (the “rock garden” area in the
initial design). GG noted that he had
made a similar renovation to his house (with Board approval). The Kims also requested approval to change
the exterior finish on their house and presented pictures of three possible
finishes. BT suggested that they submit
a sample of the finish they ultimately decide on and the Board will consider
the request at that time. The Board
unanimously approved the request to enclose the area around the front door.
Maintenance issues:
Renewal of Toribio agreement: BT asked how the Association should deal with
this contract as people put in more low-water yards. He suggested that we ask Jose to reapply
mulch to those yards every year. GG also
noted that some of Jose’s crew needs to be further trained on drought-tolerant
plantings. SP has the existing contract
and will circulate it to the Board for review.
It is not due for renewal until December. The current contract (2014-2016) added a point
system for bonuses but that was never implemented. BT suggested taking a different approach to
performance in the new contract, perhaps prescribed annual increases. GG asked if the renewal should be for three
years? SP prefers a two- or three-year
renewal. BT suggested that a longer term
might result in a better working relationship.
GG suggested finding out what length term Jose wants. CS trusts Jose and his workers. SP suggested asking Jose to attend an
upcoming Board meeting when we are ready to discuss renewal.
Concrete work: SP prepared a schedule of the proposals for
concrete repair work. For the putting
green park concrete she recommends the Ron Leon proposal, which includes the concrete
removal from the children’s park, for $5912.
BT said that work on the children’s park might require a special
assessment and suggested just doing the putting green park work now for $5462. GG asked if there were funds in the budget
for this work? He reviewed the 2016
budget and asked if the Board still needed funds for hillside planting? SP will ask Jose. If there is no need for funds for hillside
planting, then the funds can be used for concrete work. Following the meeting, SP advised that there
was no plan for additional hillside planting this year and the Board
unanimously approved proceeding with the concrete work in the putting green
park and the children’s park.
Pool inspection report: SP advised that the pool inspection report
indicated minor corrections were needed to the pool signage - custom signs about
the pool size and capacity. CS will
research what signs need to be changed.
Pool committee meeting update: CS
reported that the committee had a good initial meeting. BT said that several non-board members
attended – Jian Zhao and Charles Tran. Joe
Bergen and several other people who volunteered did not attend. The committee recommended BT and Glenn
Cunningham as co-chairs. BT said that no
further meetings had been scheduled yet.
The committee needs to get input on community priorities for the pool
renovation; there does not seem to be a lot of support for changes to the pool layout
or for adding other facilities. The
consensus of the committee was to do the needed pool maintenance and to update the
pool appearance. CS noted that the
committee also agreed to change the back fence at the pool. Jian Zhao was working on a survey about the
pool renovation to send out to all residents.
It will include options and costs and ask about support for a special
assessment to fund pool renovations. The
survey needs to be designed properly to be useful. The committee will get rough cost estimates before
sending out the survey. The pool was not
re-plastered when the last pool renovations were done and it should be done
now.
Tennis court wind screens: SP reported that Jose fixed them.
Hillside brush clearance: SP reported that Jose’s crew would be done
with the whole job by the following week.
The work on Lot 93 should be done now.
SP and BT will walk around with Jose to inspect the work and then will pay
Jose.
Gazebo furniture: SP reviewed several options for replacing the
gazebo furniture. We are looking for a
set without an umbrella, no glass table-top, and with no cushions on chairs, as
these will likely get lost. SP found a
good option available at Costco. The
Board agreed to wait to see if we have the money in the budget. Following the meeting, after the Board
confirmed that the funds allocated for hillside maintenance were available, the
Board unanimously approved purchasing the set of gazebo furniture from Costco
for approximately $1200.
Children's park update: BT reviewed his plan for improvements to the
children’s park. He proposes to renovate
both the upper and the lower children’s play areas. The plan will require homeowners to help
assembling new equipment. He needs to
meet with Ronnie Sigal to discuss his plan, then the Board can survey homeowners
about their interest in the proposal. SP
suggested combining the survey with the pool renovations survey. BT noted that an assessment likely will be
needed so everything should be combined in a single survey laying out possible
priorities and costs. CS commented that
she did not like the proposed colors of the playground equipment and would prefer
earth tones; BT revised his plan accordingly.
Oleander trimming on Pali Point: BT advised that Mrs. Pixler’s objections to trimming
the oleanders were no longer effective as the oleanders had stopped flowering
and so we should do that work now. CS noted that blocking the sidewalk was a
safety issue. SP will tell Jose to go
ahead.
Break-in on Starlight Mesa – video cameras
as option?: GG reviewed the Board’s prior discussions about installing security
cameras. There are three street
entrances to the Mesa that would need to be monitored. Each would have to have cameras, power and computers
installed for recording video, all located outside and away from any existing
Association facilities. The Board is
watching the development of wireless cameras that might ameliorate these
technical issues.
Treasurer’s Report
KG was unable to attend the meeting but
sent a report. The operating account
balance at 5-31-16 was $33,385 and the reserve account on 5-31-16 was $67,417.
Executive Session
The Board unanimously appointed a
Litigation Committee of SP, BT, CS and GG to manage existing legal issues.
Next meeting
July 20,
2016
7:30 p.m.
SP House