1. Call to
Order.
7:32 p.m.
2. Roll.
Directors Amoroso, Comstock, Godino, Siedman and Smith
present; director Siedman presiding.
3. Manager’s Report.
Staff updated the Board on a project
close-out letter and final release sent to the California Department of Public
Health (“CDPH”) concerning the Terrace Avenue Water Main Relocation project. As detailed in the district’s letter to the
CDPH, the final (retention) payment on the project ($21,850.39) was paid to the
district’s contractor after the requisite period following the filing of the
Notice of Completion. The letter details
the source and total amount of funds spent on the project: $485,000 in loan
funds and $52,400.03 in water revenues to cover amounts exceeding the loan
amount.
-- Update
on the Terrace Avenue Bluff Stabilization Project.
The Board reviewed a copy of an e-mail to
Supervisor Kinsey from BCPUD staff stating that the district has identified a potential
project manager to lead the permitting phase of this project: Larry Kennings of
LAK Associates. A statement of LAK
Associates’qualifications was included with the e-mail and describes significant
experience with projects in Bolinas (the drafting of the Gridded Mesa Plan in
addition to several private projects), throughout Marin, and before the Coastal
Commission. David Kimball and staff met
with Mr. Kennings for approximately two hours and were very impressed with his
past experience, demeanor and keen understanding of the complex issues involved
in permitting, constructing and financing the potential bluff stabilization
project. Larry is revising his proposal
for the full scope of work necessary for Coastal Commission determination. The next step will be to schedule a meeting
at the County with Supervisor Kinsey, Department of Public Works and Planning
staffs, as well as Bolinas Working Group representatives and Larry Kennings to
regroup and plan for a meeting in Bolinas with private stakeholders and the
general community.
--
Request for Board Approval to Attend Membrane Technology Conference and
Exposition.
Lewie Likover has requested permission to
attend a conference on membrane technology next month in Las Vegas because he
believes it will be very helpful to his work on the chlorine disinfection
byproduct study. The topics to be
addressed at the conference (in addition to membrane technology) include
chlorine disinfection byproducts and nanofiltration (including membrane fouling),
effectiveness of coagulents, dealing with algae blooms, and removing organics
from the source water (via pretreatment to minimize organics and reduce
disinfection byproduct formation), among other topics. The total cost of sending Lewie to this
conference, including hotel and transportation, is about $1000 and would be
paid from the disinfection byproducts capital project budget.
D. Smith/V. Amoroso all in favor to
approve Lewie Likover’s request to attend the upcoming membrane technology conference and exposition
in Las Vegas.
Director Smith requested that Lewie prepare a
written summary of the conference to highlight key concepts and share any
written materials received with the rest of the staff.
--
Update on the Wastewater Treatment Plant Pump Station and Electrical Upgrade
Project.
Staff directed the Board’s attention to letters
that were sent to the two bidders on this project informing them that the Board
rejected all bids and asked staff to evaluate the project for cost reduction
opportunities. Staff has begun that
evaluation, including the option of installing one of the flow meters (to
measure flows from downtown to the ponds) as this is a high priority flow
meter. Staff hopes to have a specific
recommendation for the Board’s consideration at the March meeting.
--
Update on Removal of Obstructions in Zebra Right-of-Way.
Staff reported that a letter was sent to
Lawrence Juniper per the Board’s direction at last month’s Board meeting. Staff inspected Mr. Juniper’s studio and determined
that the district’s water appears to have been connected in the past from the
nearby property at 415 Yucca Road, but staff tested all spigots and they are no
longer operational. A hearing at the County
Civic Center on the property owner’s application to legalize some of its unpermitted
accessory structures was scheduled for February 27th but has been
postponed. There is still a significant
amount of material in the Zebra right-of-way, although progress has been made
on removing it.
--
Proposed Revisions to BCPUD Notification Procedures for Projects in the Public
Rights-of-Way.
This
agenda item was prompted by a troubling encounter with a customer who was extremely
unhappy about the BCPUD’s removal of a eucalyptus tree in the public
right-of-way. The removal of this tree
was requested by another resident who submitted an arborist report and the
request was agendized for consideration and action at the Board’s regular
meeting in December. Staff followed the
district’s historic notification procedure whereby agendas are sent to all
residents within a reasonable distance of a proposed project in the public
right-of-way to alert them to the item before the Board. Unfortunately, that procedure did not alert
the customer to the situation; had the customer known this item was on the
Board agenda, she says she would have provided input for the Board to consider
in opposition to the tree removal request.
The customer advised staff that she feels the district was misled into
removing the tree because the district did not have full input from all
affected neighbors about the tree removal request.
Staff
recommended that the district’s notification procedure be revised and improved
to reduce the possibility of someone not receiving/being aware of a proposed
project in their neighborhood.
Specifically, staff recommended the district send a letter to affected
residents (a template of which is in the Board binders), along with the meeting
agenda with the item of interest highlighted, to all residents within a
reasonable area of a proposed project (not only projects proposed in the public
rights-of-way). Director Godino inquired
how far the area of notification should extend; she suggested a 2 block radius
might be appropriate. Staff agreed that
a specific distance from the project would be welcome. Director Smith said the County uses a
300-foot distance. Staff said a long
block on the Gridded Mesa is 640 feet long; the short block distance is 240
feet. After a brief discussion, the
Board agreed on notification to all customers within a 600 foot distance from
the proposed project. Staff noted that
the customer further suggested that if the BCPUD is requested to remove a tree
from the right-of-way, if the tree removal is approved, the BCPUD should
take steps to ensure the contractor selected to remove the tree did not
have any past involvement in assessing/recommending action on the tree in
question. Discussion ensued and Board
members agreed that it is prudent for the district to ensure that there are no
conflicts of interest, noting that the district requirement of an independent
arborist report is intended to address this issue.
G. Godino/V. Amoroso all in favor to approve the staff recommendation to
include a letter and highlighted agenda to all residents within a 600-foot
radius of a potential project
-- Update on Shared Personnel Between BCPUD and
Bolinas Fire Protection District.
As reported last month, staff met with the Fire
Chief and the two districts are developing a training schedule for cross
training of staffs on BCPUD and BFPD operations.
--
Update on BCPUD’s Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan.
Last month staff presented a first draft of the
district’s “asset inventory”, which is a catalog of all district assets and an
assessment of the condition and remaining useful life of each asset. Staff devoted many hours to the development
of the inventory and is now fine-tuning that inventory to develop a Prioritization
Worksheet, which will specify each asset in highest need of replacement over
the upcoming next five years. In brief,
those assets are:
Raw water transmission assets: the top priority is the replacement of the intake
pipes and valves at Woodrat Reservoirs #1 and #2. Staff will develop cost estimates for
each. Although these assets are functioning
without problems right now, the intake piping is steel and likely is
corroding. The next two assets
prioritized for replacement are the overflow piping from the Woodrat #1
reservoir under Mesa Road and the 1600 linear feet of 6-inch steel pipe between
the dams in the Arroyo Hondo Creek. Again,
staff will develop estimates of the replacement costs. All other raw water transmission assets are
in good condition.
Water treatment assets: the Woodrat Water Treatment Plant is very
well maintained by the operations staff and no major replacement projects are
needed. The top priority assets for
replacement are the chlorine analyzer and turbidity meters (currently in
progress) and the air compressors. The
next highest priority items for replacement are the steel doors and windows (in
approximately 5 years). All other water
treatment assets are in good condition
Water distribution assets: Staff has assessed the entirety of the district’s
distribution system, which consists of 108,000 linear feet (or 20.5 miles) of
piping; the piping material varies and includes asbestos/concrete, C900 PVC,
PEP, ductal iron, and steel. All of the
distribution system other than the sections consisting of steel piping is in good
condition. As such, the top priority is
the replacement of the following sections of steel distribution piping:
o
1,140
linear feet of 6-inch Sched. 40 PVC on Juniper and Canyon
o
7,380
linear feet of 2-inch steel pipe on the Big Mesa -- Birch, Cedar, Fern, Grove,
Hawthrone, Juniper, Kale, Poplar, Ivy, Walnut and Ocean . Birch, Cedar and Fern already are scheduled
for replacement in 2014 and/or 2015.
o
4,170
linear feet of 4-inch steel (Birch, Fern, and Grove).
As such, staff has identified a total of 12,690
linear feet of distribution system piping to prioritize for replacement.
Sewer collection system assets: Staff has assessed the condition of the district’s
sewer collection system, which led to the upgrade of service laterals on Wharf
Road in 2013. The top priority asset for
rehabilitation is the wetwell and the second priority asset for rehabilitation
is the section of collection main under Wharf Road from the beach to the lift
station. Staff will work with the
district’s outside wastewater engineers to develop estimates for these
projects. All other sewer collection
system assets are in good condition.
Sewage treatment facility assets: as the
Board is aware, the top priority asset for replacement is the electrical
control panel for the irrigation pumps and the irrigation relief piping under
the panel. The second highest priority
asset for rehabilitation is the lab building at 101 Mesa Road, which needs to
be fumigated and re-sided; this project has been budgeted and planned for
2014. All other sewage treatment
facility assets are in good condition.
Sewage disposal assets: the top priority for replacement is the
fencing around the sprayfields; the second priority for replacement are the 4-inch
valves at the treatment ponds; the third priority for replacement is the fencing
around the treatment ponds and the fourth priority for improvement are the
maintenance roads in the sprayfields.
Staff will develop estimates for the first two priorities to implement
in the next five years. All other sewage
disposal assets are in good condition.
Corporation yard assets (consisting of vehicles,
buildings and maintenance equipment):
Staff has identified the top asset for replacement as the 1993 Ford 250 (with
Tommy lift) and has scheduled this for 2014.
The second highest priority is the replacement of the district’s backhoe
and staff is developing an estimate for this item. The final priority is the replacement of the
shop buildings in the yard.
On the water side of operations, consumption was
higher on the mid Mesa through the end of January, which reflects the alarming
rise in consumption we were seeing in December and January during the extended
warm and dry stretch. Staff predicts the
consumption numbers will look very different for the end of February since the
Heightened Voluntary Conservation Alert went into effect on January 17th.
As will be reported later on the agenda,
the community responded well to the district’s Heightened Voluntary Conservation
Alert and reduced consumption district-wide by 30% as compared to the
consumption at this time last year.
Staff reported that since the last Board
meeting, in other words betweeh January 15, 2014 and February 19, 2014, the
district received 9.2 inches of rain, bringing the rain total for the year
(i.e., July 1, 2013 through February 19, 2014) to 14.8 inches. In contrast, the rain total from the prior
year for the same time period (i.e., July 1, 2012 through February 19, 2013),
the district received 23.2 inches. As
such, the year is still far below normal in terms of precipitation. As for the district’s emergency stored water
supply, the Woodrat #1 reservoir is full at about 25 acre feet (or 8,146,000
gallons), but Woodrat #2 has only about 18 acre feet (or 5,865,000 gallons) in
storage – as such, the district has approximately 14 million gallons of water
in emergency storage. Prior to the onset
of the recent rains, the district had about 10 million gallons in storage. Staff recommended that the Heightened
Voluntary Conservation Alert remain in effect as streamflows in the Arroyo
Hondo seem to be dropping back below normal and the upper dam currently is
silted in. The Board had no
objection.
Staff directed the Board’s attention to the
binders, which include copies of the customer mailer announcing the Heightened
Voluntary Conservation Alert on January 17th, as well as a template
letter sent to all customers with high water consumption of at least twice the
district average asking them to make even stronger efforts to conserve. Staff complemented the entire district staff
for their hard work to implement the heightened alert, as well as the
district’s customers for their fantastic response.
Staff attended the January 29, 2014 Marin
County Board of Supervisor’s meeting with the other Marin water district
managers to present an update about the County’s water supply. After the presentation, staff attended a
lunch with the other managers, which was a great opportunity to network on the
drought and many other issues of common concern. Staff also attended a meeting of the Local
Agency Formation Commission (“LAFCO”) on February 13th to hear the
staff update and Commission discussion about LAFCO’s upcoming Countywide Water
Municipal Service Review. Staff reported
that it is likely LAFCO will be requesting additional information from the
water districts and may also seek to present its review findings at an upcoming
Board meeting.
Staff noted that the district sent out an
updated TTHM/HAA5 notice to its customers at the end of January. Lewie Likover continues to work with the
district’s consultant, Jonathan Van Bourg, to evaluate and recommend best next
steps for the district to reduce these chlorine disinfection products from its
treated drinking water.
The district experienced a leak on its “booster
pump line” from the storage tanks to Commonweal after the recent rains when a fitting came
apart near the diversion line from the Arroyo Hondo creek to Woodrat #2. A dresser coupling failed, possibly due to erosion
in the stream bed that diverts to Woodrat #2. The district made an emergency call to Piazza
Construction to come repair the leak as specialized equipment was
necessary. A temporary repair has been
made using couplings, and Piazza will return in the next month to install
flanged fittings with a ductal iron spool as a permanent repair.
Staff is making plans for an inspection of
the district’s two treated water storage tanks on Mesa Road – interior and
exterior – with a diving company to inspect and clean the interior of the tanks
and a separate inspector to assess the outside of the tanks. The cost of these inspections is likely to be $10,000
– 12,000, depending on the number of days needed and whether interior cleaning
of the tanks is actually necessary; the cost will be reduced by about $5,000 if
cleaning is not necessary.
The Board reviewed correspondence sent and
received since the last regular Board meeting, including e-mails from Gregg
Welsh regarding the historic configuration of space and uses at 22 Brighton Avenue,
and an affidavit from David Van Dusen regarding a specific agreement between
the BCPUD and Mr. Welsh concerning his unused water meter after the laundromat
no longer had a lease at 22 Brighton.
The Board directed staff to include an item on the Board’s March meeting
agenda to consider the status of Mr. Welsh’s meeting.
On the sewer side of operations, flows remain
very low into the system, about 22,000 gallons per day. Staff noted there was a spike in flows during
the recent rains, which suggests possible gutter systems directing rain water
into the collection system. Staff will
plan a smoke test to identify whether this is a likely cause behind the
increase in flows.
--
Drainage Project Manager’s Report.
The Board received a written report from
Drainage Project Manager Lewie Likover.
4. Community
Expression.
Meg Simonds reported that her 16,000 gallon water
storage tanks filled up with rainwater during the recent rains, noting that it
is possible to store quite a bit of water from relatively little rain. The Board requested staff to consider
including an article to inform customers about this in the next issue of the Pipeline.
5. Request for Financial Relief from Quarterly
Water Bill pursuant to BCPUD Resolution 553 – 231 Alder Road (N. Heiner).
Director Smith reported that as agreed at the
January Board meeting, he spoke with the plumber who repaired the leak in the
kitchen faucet that caused the water loss at issue in this case. The plumber confirmed that the faucet was
malfunctioning; in fact, it was turning on spontaneously in the middle of the
night, unbeknownst to the customer.
Director Smith said he believes this customer was unaware of the faucet
malfunction until the bill arrived and then immediately had it repaired; as
such, he recommends the Board foregive the entire amount of the bill attributable
to the leak.
D. Smith/L. Comsock all in favor
to excuse the amount of the bill attributable to the leak as determined by
evaluating the historical usage by this customer during the same billing
quarter, as per the district’s established practice in such cases.
6. Request for Finance Relief from Quarterly
Water Bill pursuant to BCPUD Resolution 553 – 373 Ocean Parkway (J. Clements).
Joyce Clements was present to explain that
the leak occurred at a property that she rents to a tenant. The leak occurred underground on the customer
side of a pressure reducing valve at the meter which had worked well for many
years. She called the BCPUD as soon as
she found out about the leak (after receiving the bill as this was a blind
leak) and had it repaired immediately. Director
Smith inquired whether the meter was checked again after the repair to the
pressure reducing valve to ensure nothing else was leaking at the house. Bill Pierce volunteered to check the property
the following morning.
D. Smith/L. Comstock all in favor to
excuse the amount of the bill attributable to the leak as determined by
evaluating the historical usage by this customer during the same billing
quarter, as per the district’s established practice in such cases.
7. Request to Exchange Real Property: APN# 190-162-10 (on Hawthorne near Alder) owned by T. Lovelace and L. Honma,
proposed to be exchanged for APN# 190-041-20 (on Tulip near Poplar), owned by
the BCPUD (T. Lovelace).
Director Siedman noted that there is a request to exchange real
property in the Board binders, along with parcel maps and a copy of BCPUD Resolution
482; this is a resolution passed on January 15, 2003 which states that it is the
district policy to retain title to undeveloped parcels on the Gridded Mesa
unless a resident with a failing septic system needs the land to repair the
septic system. Director Smith noted that
the resolution also says nothing prevents the BCPUD from selling its property if
it determines it is in the public interest to do so, and he inquired whether
there is anything that would favor BCPUD agreeing to this property exchange? Staff reported that Mr. Lovelace thought the
BCPUD might want the parcel near Alder for drainage purposes, but staff
confirmed with Drainage Project Manager Lewie Likover that the district does
not need that parcel.
V. Amoroso/D. Smith all in favor to deny the request
to exchange real property.
8. Coastal Permit Application (14-13) and
Design Review (14-51) to Construct a New Barn/Storage Accessory Structure --
480 Horseshoe Hill Road (L. Mornell).
Director Siedman
noted that no one was present to discuss the application and directed staff to
inform the County that the matter was included on our agenda but there was no
public comment.
9. Coastal Permit Application (14-14) to Obtain
a Domestic Well Permit – 280 Mesa Road (B. Hunt).
Once again,
director Siedman noted that no one was present to discuss the application and
directed staff to inform the County that the matter was included on our agenda
but there was no public comment.
10. Request
for Clarification from the BCPUD: Are
Septic Systems Allowed in Downtown Bolinas? (L. Ferlinghetti).
Director Siedman referenced an e-mail from Lorenzo
Ferlinghetti stating that he owns property downtown and also owns a sewer
connection; he would like to drill a well and inquires whether septic systems
are allowed downtown, as the answer to that questions affects the setbacks
required for any proposed well.
Discussion ensued among Board members about the fact that the district’s
sewer system is at capacity and cannot provide any additional connections and
whether the district is in an appropriate position to deny a property owner the
ability to install a septic system (which otherwise are regulated by the County
of Marin’s Environmental Health Services Department). The Board ultimately directed staff to inform
Mr. Ferlinghetti that it is beyond the purview of the BCPUD to prohibit septic
systems in downtown Bolinas as that is up to the County of Marin, not the
BCPUD.
11. Proposal by the County of Marin’s Department of
Public Works to Repaint the Red Curb in front of the Presbyterian Church on
Brighton Avenue near Wharf Road at the Existing Stagecoach Bus Stop.
Director Comstock said that he understands
that the fire hydrant zone should be red to prohibit parking that would block
access to the hydrant, but he questioned whether the area behind the fire
hydrant shouldn’t be an appropriate “loading zone” color for the Stagecoach
bus. After a brief discussion, staff was
directed to contact the County of Marin’s Department of Public Works to request
more information about the specifics of the repaining proposal.
12. Appoint Ad Hoc Committee of the Board of
Directors to Evaluate District Procedures Governing Amount of Water Use Allowed
for Conditional Expanded Water Use Permits.
Director Amoroso recommended that the entire
Board should work on this issue rather than an ad hoc committee of the Board
because there are implications for Resolution 173, which is the resolution that
established the moratorium and was successfully defended in court. Director Smith said the Board discussed this
at the last meeting (because director Smith said he would like to explore
whether the allocation system could be more fair) and director Siedman had
offered to help research the issue, so he thought the two of them would be the
ad hoc committee. After a brief
discussion, it was agreed that rather than form an ad hoc committee, directors
Smith and Amoroso would conduct preliminary research of the pertinent court
decisions and report back to the full Board.
13. Water Supply Update; Greywater Systems for
Outdoor Irrigation.
Staff noted that the main details of the
water supply update were provided during the Manager’s Report. Director Smith said that he is interested in
publicizing for the community information about the County’s simple permit process
for greywater systems and the availability of a brochure and design manual from
the San Francisco Water Department. Director Smith noted that many people are
discouraged from installing greywater because of the need to do replumbing,
install pressure tanks, and so forth, but perhaps outreach to local plumbers
would be helpful. Meg Simonds commented
that it is much easier to collect rainwater than deal with the complexities of greywater
irrigation. Director Smith agreed, but
said he ultimately decided against tanks at his house because of the huge tanks
needed, which are made of petroleum so there are tradeoffs to consider with
either approach. After a brief
discussion, it was agreed that staff will develop an article for the next issue
of the Pipeline and a letter to be sent to plumbers in Bolinas and
Stinson Beach about greywater irrigation systems.
14. Volunteer Committee Reports
--
Bolinas Lagoon Advisory Committee: A meeting of the committee has
been scheduled for March 7, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. at the Firehouse Public Meeting
room.
--
Downtown Parking & Traffic Committee: The current volunteers for
this committee are Michael Rafferty, Remick Hart, Chris Weare, Stacey Henderson
and Eleanor Lyman. Remick Hart inquired
whether the committee can make recommendations about sidewalks in the downtown
area. Director Siedman suggested he
raise this issue with the committee to determine if the committee wants to
address it.
--
Resource Recovery: Nothing to report.
--
Water Conservation Assistance Committee: Staff noted that an ad was placed in the Hearsay News,
but more outreach will be necessary to let interested people know about the
formation of the committee.
--
West Marin Mosquito Control Coordinating Council: Directors Amoroso and Godino have volunteered
to jointly replace former director Kimball on the council and that process is
underway.
--
Sewer Pond Land Management Committee: Receive Committee
Recommendations for Lease Amendments.
Director Siedman reported that the committee has met at least six times,
including several site visits to the property, to review and negotiate the lease
terms with the Murches. The committee
ultimately developed proposed amendments to the lease which are in the Board
binders. The recommendations are not
scheduled for action tonight; rather this is an opportunity for the public to
comment and he noted that several members of the committee are present in the
audience.
Mickey Murch said that when the committee
review of the lease began, he felt very threatened; however, as the meetings
have progressed over time, he feels that the lease agreement is a better
document. He noted that he agreed to
curtail some of the projects he would have liked to do, but he feels better
about the lease now and hopes that the other committee members do, too. Mickey noted that the committee has talked a
lot about demonstration areas near the lease sites to plant natives now that
the invasive non-natives have been removed and he is happy that will be the
next part of the process. He said he is
honored to have one of the many leases the BCPUD has issued over the years at
this property and noted that everything he grows is for sale only in the
Bolinas community.
Tish Brown, one of the committee members,
said she is very happy about the demonstration areas and the preservation of
the wildlife cooridor from Mt. Tam to the Point Reyes National Seashore. She said she supports the committee’s lease
recommendations.
Jody Angel, another member of the committee,
said she used to live on Overlook Road and feels that Peter Warshall designed
the wastewater treatment facility to serve as a bird refuge and that machinery
used in farming will disturb the birds.
Jody said that the fencing on one of the leased parcels affects the
former Sun Festival site and that many people she knows would like to see that
festival return to this land. She also alleged
that there are legal prohibitions on growing food crops on this property and
said all of the district’s prior leases were for grazing and non-food
crops.
Director Amoroso, who also served on the
committee, noted that the area by the Resource Recovery Center was used as a
community garden for edible crops many years ago, but then lay fallow for years
until the Murches started farming it again about ten years ago, and another
area was leased by Jimmy Friedrich for years to grow cucumbers. He therefore does not agree that edible agriculture
is new to the property, but said that he agrees with the concern about the loss
of any of the the historic Sun Festival land.
Janine Aroyan said that she feels it is very
important to get the public’s input on this issue, not just the committee
members’ input. She particularly would
like to solicit input on how to best improve the areas outside the fence lines
on the leased parcels where the non-natives have been removed, as this is a
great opportunity to make improvements there, as well as ensure that erosion
will not occur.
Director
Comstock asked Jody Angel if she has any evidence of legal prohibitions on
farming this property. Jody responded
that it has never been allowed and that the state had wanted a 10-foot high
fence around the entire property when the wastewater facility was installed. Director Amoroso said that the district has an
operating permit that governs this property and nothing in that permit prohibits
any uses outside of the operational area.
Mickey noted that the BCPUD required a setback of at least 200 feet from
all sprayheads, which has been honored, and that he has taken careful
precautions to direct any surface water away from the leased parcels.
Discussion
turned to the proposed lease amendments and director Amoroso offered several
clarifying revisions, including clarification that the farming permitted on
Parcels B and C is dry farming only. Janine
Aroyan said she personally supports a provision allowing for the catchment of
rainwater for the demonstration projects to be undertaken outside the leased
parcels. Director Godino expressed
concern about prolonging the process of finalizing the lease revisions vs.
obtaining public input and how to best balance those considerations. Jody Angel said that no one in the community
knows about these leases; she said the community loves the sewer pond land and
does not want it taken over by the Murches with loud machines and fences. Director Smith said that in his view, whenever
something new happens in town, those who oppose it do so more loudly than those
who support it; he said that he has heard a lot of support expressed in town
for this lease and in favor of locally produced food. He said that the community is in trouble
because of an aging population and a very high cost of living for young people;
many of his friends have had to move to Petaluma as it is too difficult to make
a living in Bolinas. He said he supports
doing what the district can to encourage our young people to work and live
here.
Janine suggested that the committee write something for the Hearsay to
inform the community about the leases and provide time for public comment. Although she feels that there is a loss to
the community as a result of the leases – at least for those who walk the land
and prefer it as open space – the committee has worked hard to balance
everyone’s considerations and reach a compromise. Director Siedman concluded the discussion on
this item by directing staff to post the lease revisions on the district’s
website and down at the library; in addition, the committee will publish an
article in the Hearsay News encouraging the public to comment on the
lease.
15. Other Business
a.
Board
Committee Reports
-- Finance: Second
Quarter Financial Reports; Minutes of the February 4, 2014 Committee meeting. The Board received the second quarter
financial reports; staff said the minutes of the February 4, 2014 Finance
Committee meeting will be approved at the next Finance Committee meeting.
-- Legal:
Request from Redwood Empire
Disposal to Open Discussions Regarding Solid Waste and Recycling Services
Franchise Agreement. Director
Siedman noted that the BCPUD is responsible for franchising the town’s solid
waste disposal and the current franchise holder is seeking to start discussing
a new contract. The Legal Committee will
meet with the franchisor and report back to the Board.
-- Mesa Septic, Flood Control and Roads: Nothing
to report.
-- Operations: Director
Siedman commented that there is an interesting article in the current San
Francisco Chronicle about methods to prevent evaporation in reservoirs.
-- Park and Recreation: Director
Siedman reported that the County has determined that the Mesa Park’s coastal
permit application to install the Irrigation and Public Restroom Project is
complete and has been set for hearing on March 27th. On a separate topic, he noted that the donor for
the improvements at the Downtown Park is going to donate the funds for Mesa
Park to purchase the easement next to the Bustamante dental office and behind
it, so there soon will be walkable access from the garage and People’s store
over to the Downtown Park.
-- Personnel: Staff is
planning to submit a proposal to negotiate certain terms of the Memorandum of
Understanding re: Compensation and Benefits.
--
Sewer: Nothing to report.
b.
Minutes
of the January 15, 2014 Regular Meeting.
D. Smith/L. Comstock all in favor to
approve the minutes of the January 15, 2014 regular meeting.
c.
Warrants
G. Godino/D. Smith all in favor to approve the warrant list.
d.
Scheduling
of Next Meeting(s)
March 19, 2014 at 7:30 p.m.
16.
Adjournment.
10:49 p.m.