Starlight Mesa

Homeowners Association

Board Meeting

7-20-16, 7:30 p.m.

SP House

Present – Greg Goeckner (GG), Sylvia Paz (SP), Brent Tweddle (BT), Kirk Gerbracht (KG), Cynthia Smither (CS)

Renovation requests:

GG reviewed Alex Fan’s request to install artificial turf in his front yard. Based on a California statute passed in 2015, the Board must approve such a request but can set standards for color and quality of those installations. BT circulated several documents he found that provided standards for artificial turf installations in other communities. GG will pull together a draft policy statement for the Board to review. KG noted that there are not many lawns that abut each other so color consistency will not be that important here. He felt we should have a minimum pile height requirement. Jim Mulligan’s sample from his proposal last year looks good. BT noted the importance of having appropriate backing underneath the artificial turf too.

GG noted that we are still waiting to hear a selection of the exterior finish for the KS Kim house; he will remind them.

GG reported that the Hillers’ roof is almost done.

Maintenance Issues:

At the meeting, the Board completed assembly of the new gazebo furniture, which would be placed in the gazebo the following day.

BT noted a report of leaking water, but he was unable to find any leaks.

SP reported a complaint about the timing of the lights at the pool. BT noted that Joe Bergen (JB) had set up the timing scheme. GG noted that details of the lighting scheme are given in the All Things Mesa document – an astronomic timer is used. The Board should ensure that it is still properly set.

KG raised the issue of pool locks. His wife had seen people using the pool who were not from the neighborhood, who reached over the gate and opened it from the inside. SP noted that the Board had looked at the issue of changing the locking mechanism to prevent this when the locks were changed recently; alternative mechanisms were very expensive. GG noted that the pool committee was not interested in changing the locks. CS reported that the committee felt that non-residents could still break in to the pool regardless of the type of lock we install.

BT reported on proceedings of the pool committee. JB wants to have another meeting to redraft the SOW and restart the process. The committee needs to resolve the SOW first and then get bids. Once bids are in, the committee will then complete its survey of the neighborhood related to pool renovation priorities.

SP and BT walked the brush clearance area with Jose Toribio to inspect his work. The fire department promised to check the work on July 15 and get back to SP if any additional work was needed. Since we did not hear that there were any issues, we can assume that the work was satisfactory to the fire department. GG will respond to Connie Gilmore about brush clearance on the hillside behind her home; that land appears to belong to JPL.

KG reported that he had called the city about getting a single trash company to service the neighborhood. The city said it was up to us to agree on a single company. He then talked to all of the trash companies serving LCF. Their contracts with the city prevent them from giving group discounts, so there is little incentive for neighbors to agree to a single company. At the same time, the city also is pursuing the idea of moving to a single trash company for the entire city. Many residents are unhappy with so many trash trucks on the streets every week. KG will continue to follow up on the issue. CS noted that she had been included in a survey on whether the city should adopt a single trash company policy.

BT sent around a revised draft of his plan for renovations to the Children’s Park. He will send it to Ronnie Siegel (from Swire Siegel Landscape Architects and who had offered to donate 2 hrs. of consultation to the SMHOA) for input.

Treasurer’s Report:

KG reported that at the end of June the operating account had a balance of $23,113 and the reserve account had a balance of $68,508.

JPL Survey – update:

GG advised that he had been contacted by the GSA representative to let him know that further work on the JPL boundary survey project along Starlight Mesa and Starlight Crest had been delayed.

Security Issues:

GG reported that he continued to receive inquiries from members of the neighborhood about installing cameras at the community entrances. The Board agreed that such installations were impractical and unlikely to provide useful video images with the current technologies available for such cameras.

Annual picnic planning:

GG advised that he would send a save the date e-mail for the picnic. The Board needs to get a list of items required for prior year’s picnics. Three Board members noted that the 9-10-16 date for the picnic conflicted with other commitments and the Board rescheduled the picnic for September 24^th.

Next Meeting:

August 17, 2016

7:30 p.m.

SP house