The regular meeting of the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association Board of Directors was held Thursday, March 16, 2000, at 7:35 p.m. in the auditorium with President Dorothy Partridge presiding over the meeting.

1.1 CALL TO ORDER - President Dorothy Partridge called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m.

1.2 SALUTE TO THE FLAG - President Dorothy Partridge led the Board and the audience in the pledge of allegiance.

1.3 ROLL CALL - Directors Jim Spears, Dorothy Partridge, Jim Sherman, David Sloan and Patricia Pebelier were present.

2.0 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING -

2.1 Approval of Minutes of Meetings No. 1032, 1033, 1034, Thursday February 17, 2000, - Director Sherman made motion to approve the minutes, with a second by Director Sloan , the motion passed unanimously.

3.0 COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC AGENCIES -

3.1 Alameda County Sheriff's Department - Deputy Lind gave the statistics for February 2000, he reported that there was a rise in stolen vehicles as well as an increase in his department's recovery of stolen vehicles.

Lind reported that the Sheriff's department conducted a probation search on a residence on Corte Francesca in San Lorenzo. They coordinated this search with Child Protective Services and apprehended some individuals who had were in violation of their parole.

Director Partridge asked Lind whether his unit is still working on graffiti in the area. Lind stated that the sheriffs department is working on graffiti and is attempting to contract out to a company who could assist with abatement. He invited residents to contact the COPP shop to report any sightings of graffiti at 510-667-7770.

3.2 CHP Department - Officer Greg Schmecht and Officer Rick Baller gave the CHP statistics for the month of February as follows. There were 202 speeding tickets written in the month of February for all of the unincorporated area, with 34 of these given in San Lorenzo. There were 215 fix-it tickets issued in the Hayward unincorporated areas, including the freeway; there were 701 citations issued, with 85 issued in San Lorenzo. Out of the 93 traffic collisions for the unincorporated area there were 10 in San Lorenzo. There were 104 DUI arrests for the whole area; 105 towed vehicles, 30 of which were in the San Lorenzo. Officer Baller invited residents to contact the CHP to report any problems at 510-581-9028.

Director Sherman congratulated the CHP and Sheriff for an informative COPPS meeting this past month. Director Partridge requested the CHP increase its patrol on Via La Jolla off of Buena Vista where motorists have been reported to chronically run the stop sign.

Officer Tuazon reported that the Traffic Safety Grant which allocated additional funds for patrol near school safety zones has run out. He stated that the CHP will still hold eight (8) Bike Rodeos this year and that his department would still continue to cover schools. Tuazon said that each morning and afternoon three to four officers are asked to cover one particular school, alternating schools on different days of the week.

Tuazon reported that the CHP has started a new program called the "Chippers Club Card". This program will provide a picture of a child with his or her vital information for parents. He stated that the program is free and that the department has already started it with local brownie and tiger scout troops. His department is the first Highway Patrol Unit to initiate this type of program and they will be offering the program at bike rodeos and ultimately making it available at all of the schools.

3.3 Supervisor Gail Steele - Alison Lewis, Chief of Staff for Supervisor Steele, gave a report on the Airport Committee which met last night. The Consultant for the Airport gave supplementary material to members at the meeting which had not yet been analyzed. Lewis stated that the report shows that the federal government believes that economic development for the airport is more important than neighborhood noise problems. She stated that June 2lst is the next scheduled meeting and she encouraged the Homes Association to look at the report and send comments back to the committee prior to its next meeting.

Director Partridge noted that the Board's member to this committee, Director Sloan has not been getting meeting notices. She questioned whether the Association Board should have a letter forwarded to committee President, McClintock, stating that Sloan is the Association's new appointment. Partridge questioned whether Supervisor Steele would need to appoint Sloan. Lewis stated that Steele should be informed about the new appointment. The Administrator stated that she would draft the letter to Supervisor Steele, with a copy to Committee President, McClintock.

Lewis announced that there are several vacancies on county commissions. The openings are as follows: Two vacancies on the Mental Health Commission; one seat on the Public Health Commission; one seat on the Maternal and Child Commission; one seat on the Fish And Game Conunission.

4.0 PUBLIC COMMENT

Beckman reported that the Lorenzo Theater Foundation's Pasta Feed will be at the San Lorenzo Community Hall on April 9th. He also stated that the Foundation will be hosting another craft faire in June.

Beckman displayed a flyer of meetings to be held regarding aircraft noise. He stated that the Regional Airport Committee is sponsoring these workshops regarding overflight noise. April 6th is the meeting in Oakland. He will give the flyer to the Administrator who can display it in the Association Office for all who are interested.

Harry Curlett read a letter to the board - (see attached). He stated that this is the third letter in a series of letters and wanted a response from the Board by March 21, 2000.

Kathy Ready thanked the Board for moving the Public comment up on the agenda.

5.0 FINANCIAL REPORT -

5.1 Approval of February 2000 Expenditures - Director Sherman moved with a second by Director Spears, that the Board approve the expenditures for February 2000. The motion was passed unanimously.

5.2 Discussion of Significant Variances - The Administrator said that there were no significant variances to report.

6.0 LIEN AND VIOLATION REPORT - The Administrator reported that there she did not have the lien report in her packet and would report on that next month. There are currently 192 cases open.

Inoperable/Unlicensed vehicle in front or side yard area     20
Recreational vehicle in front or side yard area               6
General Maintenance of property                              46
Vehicle parked on lawn or other unpaved areas                 2
Others                                                        5
Total Number of Letters Sent in February 2000                79

7.0 BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT REPORT -

7.1 Business Development Reports - Ready reported that they had received a report from Eileen Dalton from the county regarding redevelopment. There were questions as to why the San Lorenzo area did not include residential areas. Dalton had gone out with county staff and identified areas in residential San Lorenzo that could be included. There would be a town hall meeting regarding this issue on April 3d in the San Lorenzo Community Hall.

Ready reported that the owner of the Lorenzo Manor Shopping Center has proposed red for the new roof to the center. A motion was made by the BDC to suggest that Board forward a letter to the owner asking her to pick a more neutral color that would match the existing businesses/shopping centers in the area.

Ready stated that Stacy Sorensen for County Zoning was present to hear the committee's concerns with some of the problem businesses in the area. Sorensen would be following up with these complaints with the property owners. The committee was also updated about the Task Force and the Christmas in April program which is scheduled for April 29. The Christmas in April program is trying to get student participation and will need help the weekend prior as well as the weekend following the event.

Ready reported that the BDC is still trying to get San Lorenzo Business active with the San Leandro Chamber.

Ready said that there are some additional concerns that she has become aware of in the past few days with respect to the Lorenzo Shopping center. She stated that there are three (3) retailers who have differing opinions on the proposed red roof. There is the one belief that the owner intends to put on a red roof with new awnings, another belief that the red will be single red stripe and not the entire roof, and another belief that there will be a red facade with signs underneath and that each of these store signs would be in English as well as Chinese. She also stated that she has information that the new owner has done work on an existing business without acquiring county permits, and suggested that the Board may want to consider this prior to making a decision on the new owner's proposal.

The Administrator stated that the only item the Board would be voting on would be the proposed color of the roof, the plans that she was given by the owner did not indicate any building improvements or restructuring. Director Partridge stated that the individual business owners should be responsible for contacting the county if they have any questions regarding any structure modifications. She stated that some of the Board members as well as the Administrator had gone over to the shopping center that had the proposed "red" on its roof. The Administrator stated that she had spoken with the architect who stated that the awnings would not allow any additional'sun/heat into the building. She stated that she had asked one of the business owners to contact the architect directly about these new awnings to hear what he had to say.

Ready stated that she had went over to the shopping center to view the proposed red and did not like the color, but did not think it stood out or was offensive in that area, due to the fact that there were several other red roofed buildings/shopping areas near it. Ready stated that the area of the Lorenzo Shopping Center does not have similar red roofs around it. Director Partridge stated that there are many shopping centers in the area that have red tiled roofs, Toys R Us, Hesperian House and St. Joaquims all have red roofs, she does not agree that there are no shopping centers in the area with similar color roofs.

Director Sloan stated that he had a different attitude when he actually viewed the color of the roof. He initially thought the roof would be a "fire engine red". The color he saw was not that red and did not look bad. The Administrator stated that one of the BDC members McKinnon had asked how long the roof had been there and found out it was approximately ten years old. The roof did not look faded and had held its color well. Pebelier stated that she initially had a problem with the red color, but upon viewing the shopping center across the bay, felt that color was more of a terra cotta and did not think it was bad. She would be concerned if the other colors of this center were also used, however the owner and the architect had stated that the red roof would be the only change in colors to the shopping center. Director Spears stated that he did not have a problem with the color and said that one of the business owners in that center had stated that he "did not care what color they painted it". He felt the color would be a great improvement and would catch the public's eye.

Travis Thoms stated that he was not at the last BDC meeting, however he stated that the many of the committee members are involved with the Task Force Specific Plan which is concentrating a lot of energy and time in making sure that the architecture for the shopping center in the Village Square fit in with existing architecture. Thoms stated that if the Lorenzo Shopping Center is to have a red roof, other businesses in the area should have similar colors, so that it would blend in with the area. Harry Curlett stated that the owner may have the red roof as their logo for each of the centers they own and this should be considered.

Resident Patricia Houk asked whether it was a tile or a metal roof. Director Pebelier stated that it would be a metal roof. Houk stated that if that is the case, she concurs with Thoms that San Lorenzo should have architecture that blends in with surrounding businesses and statements that "it does not look that bad" are not aggressive enough for the businesses and residents in the area.

Director Partridge disagreed that every shopping center should look the same in the area. Thoms stated that if one area of San Lorenzo has a "small town feel" and then half way up the block there is another completely different look - it detracts from what many residents want. Thoms stated that the colors should be consistent with the area, "red" is not a small town color -business colors should be more neutral. Partridge stated that she did not find the color that offensive and that the shopping center, she and others viewed, was near a residential area.

Mary Reynolds stated that with all the work that has been put into the Task Force and the Specific Plan she did not see why the owner could not wait until another more neutral color could be looked at and agreed upon. Partridge stated that she felt it was unreasonable to tell the property owner to wait to paint the center at this time, she did not feel the color was offensive or out of context with surrounding areas.

Director Sloan made a motion to approve the terra cotta red for the roof of the Lorenzo Shopping center as presented by the owner in the picture to the Association. Spears seconded the motion, the motion carries unanimously.

Ready was concerned with the color of the building she saw due to the fact that it is ten years old. She questioned how the Board could be sure that the color had not faded. She said she would like the architect or owner to present a large sample of the red to be used to the Association Board and residents. Ready stressed that the residents will be stuck with this color for a long time and should see exactly what red would be applied to the center. The Administrator stated that BDC member McKinnon had talked with the business owners in the center where they viewed the red, who had said that the color had faded very little in the 10 year period.

Reynolds stated that the Board does not represent the whole Association and its homeowners views. She suggested that more time be given to this issue so that residents have an opportunity to giver their opinions.

7.2 Task Force for the Village Square - The Administrator stated that next Tuesday, March 21, 2000 there will be a Task Force meeting in the San Lorenzo Community Hall at 7:00 p.m. Her understanding was that the meeting would discuss what the residents and committee members do and do not want with respect to the plan. After this meeting there will be a draft of the final report and following the report one last Task Force meeting.

8.0 ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT

8.1 Other informational items - The Administrator stated that there were flyers going around the Village with respect to Life Chiropractic College and its impending move. The flyer was concerned with what would happen to the property once the college moves to Hayward later this year. There was concern that the school district would sell the property. Director Partridge stated that the school Board has decided to hold onto the property and will be putting it out for bid to lease again. Partridge noted that due to the district's current growth it would not be selling the property at this time.

The Administrator announced that her staff requested that the office have a dress down Friday policy. The Administrator stated that she would implement this policy on a trial basis for three months should the Board concur. If within that three month period there are no complaints by homeowners, she will institute the policy as permanent protocol.

The Board had no objections to the dress down Friday policy as presented by the Administrator.

9.0 OTHER BUSINESS -

9.1 San Lorenzo Little League Update - Little League President Rich Renteria reported that this is his first year as Corporation President. He stated that next weekend will be the League's opening day parade and ceremony. He invited the Board members to attend. Renteria stated that the league is instituting additional fund raisers this year to help with the decline in enrollment. Their Christmas Tree Lot was a success and they will be hosting a Spaghetti feed on March 19t. Renteria stated that his Board was successful in getting an 8 foot fence between the Morris Mervyn Park and the Little League Park which will help with vandalism and graffiti.

Renteria thanked the Board for the tax rebate the League received last year, they have purchased a roll-up door for the snack bar with these funds.

9.2 Redevelopment for Residential Properties - The Administrator stated that she had discussed the possibility of another town hall meeting with Eileen Dalton of Alameda County Zoning. An insert with the proposed residential area and survey would be included in the next Association's newsletter which will be mailed out at the end of next week. (See attached) The town hall meeting would be held Monday, April 3 at 7 p.m. in the Community Hall. If the majority of residents wanted to include the proposed residential area, then it would be included. The Administrator encouraged residents to reply to this survey either by mail, phone, fax or e-mail. It is important that the county know whether the Association agrees or disagrees with the proposed redevelopment district for San Lorenzo.

9.3 Association's Governing Handbook - Vision, Mission, Policies and Procedures - Director Partridge announced that the Association Board had a planning session on March 3, 2000. The Board focused on developing a Mission Statement for the Association and getting policies and procedures together. Partridge stated that she and the Administrator had attended a seminar put on be the Community Association Institute which dealt with Mission Statements for Associations. The Board plans to put together a handbook which will include the mission and vision statements as well as the Board's policies and procedures.

Beckman questioned the time limit on this handbook. The Administrator stated that it would hopefully be no later than August of this year. Beckman asked what the handbook would consist of with respect to policies and procedures. The Administrator stated that she would go back through the years to see what procedures and policies the Board has adopted as well as what legal actions have taken place related to the CC&R's. The handbook would include everything the Board has made a decision on, including court decisions related to the CC&RS. Beckman was concerned with a six months it would take to create this handbook. He stated that residents should not have to wait on the adoption of policies for CC&R enforcement. Beckman also suggested that the newsletter have a policy for its content. He was concerned with a survey being included on redevelopment, when many homeowners have no idea what the project is about. He said no decision can be made without knowing what the financial impact will be on the homeowners.

The Administrator stated that she is trying as best she can to get audit information with respect to how the redevelopment process will affect residents. The county will hold a minimum of two (2) more town hall meetings to discuss redevelopment in San Lorenzo, prior to the Board of Supervisors voting on this issue in June 2000.

Ready said she hoped the mission statement and adoption of policies and procedure would make the CC&R's stronger. She was concerned with San Lorenzo's policies as compared with other Home Owner Associations. Ready stated that an Association in Castro Valley has a color committee to approve colors on houses, a landscape committee which tells home owners what they can and cannot do with their properties, as well as other committees making sure that their CC& R's are enforced. Director Partridge stated that it is difficult to compare our Association with others due to the fact that they do not have the number of homes in their respective associations, while charging the yearly fee that our association does. Ready said she would be willing to volunteer to patrol the area for violations, and is sure other residents would be willing as well. She agreed that our Association is different than others, however, the Association should not give up on enforcement.

The consensus of the Board was to develop a handbook for the Association which would contain a Mission Statement as well as outline the Association Board's policies and procedures.

9.4 Draft Budget for Fiscal Year 2000-01 - See Attached copy. The Administrator handed out the Draft Budget to the Board and the audience. She went over the reserve study showing that there is an estimate for a .002 % increase due to 76 more homes being added to the Association from the Centex development. The Administrator noted that the auditorium rentals have decreased due to the fact that parties must now end earlier. She stated that the two major changes to the budget are affected by new state laws that are being implemented for the year 2000. Assembly bill 1055 deals with playground facilities and states that equipment must be upgraded by 2001 to meet state codes for health and safety. The Administrator said the Association had a preliminary investigation of its equipment by an inspector and was told that the equipment in the playground nearest the library entrance must be completely removed. The playground may also require an underground pump to provide adequate drainage to prevent flooding, however, the Association will not know the particulars until it is inspected by a certified playground inspector. The fee for this inspection and written report will be approximately $1000 and must be completed by October 2OOO. The conservative estimate for the removal and installation of the new structure is $17,000. This would be split up into a two year period and the Association Board has made a commitment to raise $4,000 towards these funds.

State Bill 1148 requires that the Association remove all discriminatory language from its CC&R's. With the removal of this language, all the 21 sets of CC&R's must be filed with the court. Each CC&R averages approximately 15 pages a piece. The fee to file is $7.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page. In addition to the filing fees there will be mailing fees to each resident, first class mail. The Administrator stated that she is hoping to work with the attorney to make the CC&R's more readable, with a table of contents and headings and footnoting items that have occurred within the past 55 years that have made some CC&R's obsolete or have different legal interpretations.

She stated that the attorney has agreed to do this for an additional $3000.00 if staff does all the work except for the legal analysis. The Board looked at this option and agreed to expend the additional $3000 to get this done.

Ready asked if the Association should wait on the playground renovations until the Task Force Plan has been established. She questioned what would happen if the library expanded with the new bond that was approved. The Administrator stated that the inspection must be done by October of this year and it is still unclear as to when the Specific Plan would be enforced and as to how it would be funded.

Partridge pointed out that the money from the new bond will not happen for at least two years and that the Castro Valley Library will be the first to receive funds for improvements.

Beckman requested that the Association office provide information as to how many fines have been levied as compared with funds received from the issuance of fines. Beckman also stated that although he feels annotating the CC&R's is useful, he is skeptical about one attorney's view versus a broader more worldly analysis. Beckman said he hoped that any changes would be presented to the public prior to approval. Director Partridge stated that the Board would publically present the changes to the homeowners prior to any approval of the changes.

10.0 COMMITTEE REPORTS -

10.1 Youth Resources Committee - Director Partridge - Director Partridge stated that she had no report at this time.

10.2 Airport Committee Reports - Howard Beckman stated there is a Public Advisory Committee that is commenting on the revision of the Hayward Airport Plan. This committee has discontinued meeting and no one is clear as to the reasoning for this. Beckman said the committee began meeting last spring and should have concluded its study by now. He stated that an economic benefit study was completed and was analyzed by the committee and forwarded back to the commission but for reasons he does not understand the process has been delayed. He stated that at some point the master plan will go before the Hayward City Council for approval, however he is not certain as to when this will occur.

Beckman stated that independent from the Airport Master Plan, the City of Hayward has commissioned a feasibility study for passenger service to the Hayward Airport. He will make a copy and leave this information with the Association Office. He pointed out that this does not rule out jet passenger service in the future which he is very concerned about. He reported that just last week Congress passed a multibillion dollar capital fund for airport improvements which must be spent within the next few years.

10.3 Council on the Prevention of Drinking and Driving - Director Spears stated that the council has purchased a canopy so that it would not have to rent a booth for the Zucchini Festival. He stated that the council is looking for volunteers to man its booth in two-hour shifts. Anyone interested should let him know. Spears said that he had a tape produced by Castro Valley High students related to drinking and driving that he would present to the Board in the near future. These students were the winners of the Council's last contest and were awarded a $250.00 scholarship.

11.0 PUBLIC COMMENT - No comments.

12.0 COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS -

Partridge stated that at the last meeting appointments were made to various committee meetings Jim Sherman has been added as a representative to the Unincorporated Services Meeting.

Partridge reported that Supervisor Steele had requested that she speak about the utility which will be on the November ballot. This tax will go to the Sheriff's Department, the Library and a small amount to the Planning Department. The tax has been approved before but comes up for renewal this year. Prior to the approval of this tax, the libraries in the unincorporated area were only open a few hours a day. Supervisor Steele wanted the residents to start thinking about the tax, passing the word to neighbors regarding the importance of approving the continuation of this tax to ensure that we retain the services we currently have. Partridge noted that unfortunately this tax must be voted upon and approved by all the residents in Alameda County, even though it will only be affecting those who reside in the unincorporated areas and will not tax or affect those in the cities.

13.0 ADJOURNMENT - Director Partridge adjourned the meeting at 10:10 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted

Secretary-Treasurer

Recorded & Transcribed By: Kathleen Harrigan, Sr. Admin. Assistant
Reviewed By: Nancy Van Huffel, Administrator