May 13, 2006 Meeting

Preparation

An e-mail was sent to each member who has provided a contact e-mail address.
Susan Chu phoned other members on the phone contact list.

Acknowledgments

Susan Chu brought brownies.   Also had a few bottles of water and some packaged health food bars left over from the Tour de Fourth.

Attendees

12 members, including one brand new and one for first time in over a  year.  1 guest.

Meeting

Agenda Items:

• Discussion of Viña Vieja Park
  • status of finishing it
  • pedestrian path and gates issues
  • resident questions and comments
• Upcoming Area Events
  • Tour de Fourth walk/bike event, May 13, 9 to 11 am.  Right before our meeting.
• Proposed by-laws on-going discussion
  • Questions, change requests?
  • Current plan is to hold vote at June 10 meeting

• anything else attendees wish to discuss

The meeting began shortly after 11:15 am in Hastings Branch Library’s meeting room.

Discussion of Viña Vieja Park

• status of finishing it
  • Top for historic picnic shelter should be installed soon.
  • Edison is supposed to put its fence in soon instead temporary orange plastic fencing
    • Susan happened to talk to Edison’s contractor for the fence.  He said it will be a white vinyl fence, providing more screening for the houses then just the chain link will.
    • Question – will the vinyl fence be used for all the Edison “safety zone” or just behind houses?  Makes sense behind houses to limit visibility, but presents conundrom for south end of park where allowing residences facing Avocado and passersby to see into the park would be better for park security and a nicer view then just the weeds on the Avocado side of the fence.
  • Edison has promised to clean up the shed mess left from the nursery after they contact Norman’s to make sure they don’t want it (a strange excuse).
• pedestrian path and gates issues
  • Gates are supposed to be unlocked when the park opens at dawn, locked after it closes at dusk.
  • Have been problems with them remaining locked late and entire days.
    Meeting attendees reported that the gate at Avocado and Alameda is locked again today (day of meeting), although the inner gates are unlocked.
  • In raising a ruckus about it on Tuesday and Wednesday the 9th and 10th, were told that uocking/unlocking of gates and restrooms is done under contract with the city by a company called Intercom Security.  Were told that on Wednesday city staff were meeting with them to straighten the situation out.  The gates were open on Thursday and Friday.
  • Have requested phone number to call when they aren’t opened/closed properly.  So far the request has been ignored by city staffers.
  • Question was raised as to whether the city might make an agreement with a resident and backup resident near to the gate to open/close them.

• vandalism
  • Late last Saturday night a pickup truck did doughnuts in the park grass, damaging it.  Anybody who notices vandalism underway should call the police.  (626-744-4241.  If someone may be in danger, call 911.)   While it is probably true the police won’t usually get there in time to catch miscreants in the act, they need to be made aware of what is happening, when it is happening, and as much descriptive information as possible.  And don’t assume someone else will call them.
• other questions and comments
  • Why are the restrooms all lit up at night when the park is supposed to be dark at night?

Upcoming Area Events

• Actually, now a past event.  Tour de Fourth walk/bike event, May 13 was right before our meeting.

• Should have received a “passport” in the mail
• Turnout ok, not a lot of people, but some.  Lots of other things going on.

Proposed by-laws on-going discussion

• Passed out copies to new attendees who hadn’t already got copies at previous meeting.
• Summarized provisions a little: membership, term limits, steering committee, other committees.
• Very little discussion.
• Question after meeting adjourned as to whether the limited term of officers starts with this year’s term or with last year’s term.
• Plan is still to hold vote at June 10 meeting
• Based on Ratification section of proposed by-laws, a copy of the by-laws and notice of the vote has to be distributed to residents at least a week before the vote.  Thinking of doing it as part of another newsletter, but it is a fairly large amount of text.

Other topics of discussion

• Want speed humps on Avocado
  • people speed on Avocado and around the corners to/from all the intersecting streets
  • what needs to be done to request humps?  petition and traffic survey?
  • who is speeding? – mostly young and/or inattentive residents
  • if get license plate of offenders can report them to traffic enforcement to have a warning issued
    • need to get specific phone number for that.  Phlunte Riddle now in charge of traffic division
• Why doesn’t city enforce overnight parking regs in our neighborhood?  Increasing numbers of cars left on street all night, including street sweeping nights.
• Do the street sweepers ever come anymore?  Yes, usually early Wednesday morning in the 1 – 3 am time frame.  Does one very fast pass on each side of the street.  Does poor job if there is much of anything to pick up – just flattens pine needles and cones.  Leaves piles of stuff in some places.  Does decent job in other places.

Next meeting is June 10, same time, same place.

Adjourned about 12:15 pm.