LDPOA 06092012 Meeting
My girlfriend and I arrived at the Hacienda facility (LDPOA office and facilities – 5182 Fuentes De Flores) shortly before the start of the meeting, which was 1000hrs. Ultimately there were 10 audience members present which included two previous directors. As you know from the last blog this morning, the Agenda Item was VII NEW BUSINESS; 1. Community Pipeline Publication-Lou Richards-Discussion/Action/Vote.
We sat patiently and quietly with not even a whisper between us, except for reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, just waiting for the agenda to run its course. Then during Ron Hunt’s presentation of item VI OLD BUSINESS; 3. Purchase of chairs and racks: Ron Hunt – Items necessary and price Discussion/Action/Vote, a comment by President Sherri Flosi did elicit a few comments.
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TASTE FOR PARTICULAR TYPES OF HUMOR
Now I can appreciate how everyone has a different concept of what they believe is funny. You know, what makes them spontaneously laugh out loud, shake their head with a big smile, or chuckle. Particular types of humor will be embraced by some, rejected by others. Some will steadfastly avoid the classics: race, religion and politics. Others may “knee slap” to hard hitting political satire, comical observations regarding human sexual behavior, or even a simple bar joke. Some are even partial to traditional blonde jokes implying stupidity, ignorance, vanity, etc., which now I think about it – could this explain Sherri Flosi’s personalized vehicle license plate? OOPS! I had better drop the blonde joke stuff or my girlfriend might introduce me to a form of her blonde humor which I won’t think so funny. Lol)
Anyway, if you are like me when you hear a good joke you pass it on to others so they might also enjoy the healthy and stress relieving properties of a good laugh. This of course presupposes that we are referring to what most would consider a “clean joke” without vulgarity, profanity, or ugly nasty words directed at a particular group or individual. You know, where the punch line is not contingent upon insult, harm or injury to another. That is an entirely different form of humor and those that create, circulate or condone such, merely speak volumes about their own ethics, morals and behavior.
Below is the transcript of that portion of the meeting. Actually today was the first time I have ever left an LDPOA meeting prior to its formal conclusion out of respect for the board’s preparation and time required for presentation, however, after once again experiencing this group’s all too common derogatory comments, we left after the Discoverer-Community Pipeline discussion.
So for those of you who think implying that a person who honestly served their community on a board of directors had stolen an Association table is funny, here’s the joke Sherri Flosi wanted to share with those in attendance at the meeting.
Ron Hunt: Then also, I didn’t, I don’t want to step on Carolyn on this but the purchase, we need, we need ah, is important we need ah one round table. Lifetime also makes that same thing its matching to these tables but its round, I don’t have an exact price on that but I think It’s a little over $200 and if I was going to make this purchase from them I’d order that in at the same time. So ah…
(cross talk)
Ron Hunt: The total price that we’d be looking at is about $1,450 for the two carts and the ah the, chairs, that’s the chairs for – I’m not sure on the shipping until we find out exactly if we put a round table on there it’s probably I would guess two twenty five or so, so we’d be, we’re going to be pushing by shipping and everything, $2,000 to
Carolyn Bartholomew: Ron do you have any idea what size this round table would be? Don’t tell me round either. (laughter)
Ron Hunt: I believe, I believe its six foot, I believe they’ve got one standard size of that round table that they make. Ah that, I mean they have smaller, like real small ones but ah
Carolyn: We need something we can all sit around
Ron Hunt: Right OK, but ah
Sherri Flosi: We do have the round table meeting (laughter)
Ron Hunt: So ah, we evidently had one of those at one time this is a replacement, its ah
Sherri Flosi: Disappeared
Ron Hunt: Disappeared, so ah
Sherri Flosi: Is it in your yard Lew?
Lew Richardson: I beg your pardon?
Leanne (girlfriend repeats): IS the table in your yard?
Lew Richardson: Oh that’s real funny (not amused at all)
(Laughter by board and audience)
Lew Richardson: Seems like a lot more things have been missing from the past and current present than ever happened during our watch.
(multiple voices, laughter, inaudible)
Ron Hunt: Anyway if we get all those items were looking right in the neighborhood of $2,000.
{Presentation continues regarding purchasing tables and chairs- board approved purchases. The next item was installation of a handicap pool lift which Ron Hunt stated was required by state law. The lift runs approximately $3,200 and with accessories would run around $4,027.77. Further research is required regarding engineering for the foundation of the chair lift on the pool deck. $800 just to bolt it to the deck, however, Hunt believes a block of concrete underground will be required to support the chair lift at an estimated cost of $1,500-$2,000. Hunt stated he would like to go ahead and order the chair and while waiting for delivery get more information on how to properly install the equipment. Hunt suggested approving $4,100 to be safe. The board approved the purchase.}
VII NEW BUSINESS: 1. Community Pipeline Publication-Lou Richards-Discussion/Action/Vote
Sherri Flosi: Lew, you’re up.
Lew Richardson: Ah, there was a letter presented and it’s self explanatory.
Sherri Flosi: Ok, ah, question from the board?
Phyllis Cotta: Did everybody get a copy of Lew’s letter?
[NOTE: Prior to the meeting I noticed that the letter from the CSD Public Relations Committee was not furnished with the agenda and other supporting materials so I requested other copies be made for those in the audience who might want to read the request for themselves.]
Sherri Flosi: Uhm, the only question I have Lew is uhm can’t the Foothill Express, the paper itself, insert your publication into their paper so that it doesn’t
Lew Richardson: I would imagine that would be possible also
Sherri Flosi: Have you talked to them about it?
Lew Richardson: Oh yeah, I’ve talked to Lorri a couple of times
Sherri FLosi: And were they open to it or?
Lew Richardson: Sure, yeah, they gave us a ah, an estimate of placing it in per copy. It just seems like land and water go together, our two organizations again it’s all in the letter it’s pretty self explanatory. You guys represent the land issues of the, of the property owners of the Association, CSD represents the water issues, they go hand in hand. The Discoverer reaches 99% of the CSD customers, ah, you’ve already got the mailing availability and everything is already set up for it, it would be a simple insert and we serve both our organizations in the community. And reduce costs.
Sherri Flosi: But if it’s already insert, the Foothill, (inaudible) if the Foothill has already inserted it their publication and it comes to us, I mean, the Pipeline’s inserted, the Discoverer is inserted, then what, I mean, we would, it would be mailed anyway.
Lew Richardson: Right, right
Sherri Flosi: So,
Lew Richardson: It was just, it was just running it by you folks because
Sherri Flosi: Why, why would we need permission
Lew Richardson: yeah, it was just kind of a, you know acknowledgement of you folks supporting it and going forward with the two organizations to reach their customer base. That’s all, because I heard a lot of people saying oh no this should never be done. So you folks have no objections then?
Ron Hunt: Well I have an objection to us being involved in it at all. And the reason I say that is because we have a contract with the, the ah, Lake Don Pedro Community Services District at this time that they totally have ignored.
Lew Richardson: And what is this?
Ron Hunt: That’s for Gregoris Pond.
Lew Richardson: Well that’s a completely separate issue.
Ron Hunt: No, it’s a contract that we have with the water district and they refuse to honor that contract therefore I’m not interested in getting involved with any kind
Lew Richardson: I’m not aware the last year I’ve been on the board anything’s been brought up about that.
Ron Hunt: I’ve, since you’ve been on the board I went in and spoke once to the board about this, I’ve spoken to two general managers that have been there, and we have managed, one of them did manage to get some tulles cleaned up but there is significant damage to the dam and the maintenance of that is supposed to be, by contract, by the community services district.
Lew Richardson: Have you talked with John Turner?
Ron Hunt: Have I talked with John Turner?
Lew Richardson: Yeah, he’s the interim general manager
Ron Hunt: No, like I’ve said, I’ve already spoke to two of them (laughter) I, to me
Lew Richardson: Well you ought to try and talk to John because he is the current IGM
Ron Hunt: Well what needs to happen at this point, it needs
Lew Richardson: Have you sent a letter, have you sent a letter to the office?
Ron Hunt: No I haven’t
Lew Richardson: Well then
Ron Hunt: When I come in and speak to you as a board I expect not to be ignored. And I, like I said I did go in and speak to two general managers that you had and it seems to be of no significance to you. So I’m not, I’m not interested in getting involved in anything with you.
Lew Richardson: Well, as ah Mrs. Flosi just pointed out, I guess it really is not an issue if it goes in the Foothill Express right?
Sherri Flosi: Well,
Lew Richardson: OK, then there’s no problem.
Sherri Flosi: I mean if the Foothill Express says yes, you know we’ll put your publication as an insert and, I mean that’s not increasing our postage or anything right?
(Unknown): No
Lew Richardson: No
Sherri Flosi: And it’s not affiliating
Lew Richardson: Right, right and there would be a disclaimer in it that it’s not affiliated with the LDPOA or anything like that.
Ron Hunt: And it’s not going in our Discoverer, you’re not asking for it to go in the Discoverer
Lew Richardson: Well, see that would be the best, when somebody gets the Foothill Express, an absentee owner, and they open it up and get the Discoverer they know that has to do with their land, and if they opened up the Discoverer there was another insert they know that has to do with their water.
Sherri Flosi: Right but that has nothing to do with
Lew Richardson: but it would be nice if it was in the Discoverer so that both the land and water issues came in one package.
Phyllis Cotta: The way I understand it would be two separate, one would be a Pipeline, one would be the Discoverer.
Lew Richardson: Right
Phyllis Cotta: So it’s not really together they’re to separate publications
Lew Richardson: Right, but since they do the inserting right? Foothill?
[Multiple “no” answers from board – male and female voices]
Phyllis Cotta: Oh, oh, yes they do, I’m sorry
Lew Richardson: Yeah, because I think it was 8 cents a copy to insert something, so rather than just insert it into the Foothill, it could be inserted into the Discoverer, that way both land and water issues are contained in one little packet.
Heidi Russell: I, I, I’m a little confused on it because I look at the water as a business, they’re selling water we’re paying for I don’t look at it any different than I look at an AT&T or PG&E or anything else whose putting out information about what they’re doing or what they’re going to be doing or what they’re improving, so I’m looking at a business.
Lew Richardson: Ah-hum, a nonprofit enterprise.
Heidi Russell: It might be but it’s still and you’re going to be telling the people who are purchasing that water what you have been doing to improving in that
Lew Richardson: And what we need to do
Heidi Russell: Pa, yes,
Lew Richardson: WE have a lot of CIPs
Heidi Russell: there’s a lot of things all of us should be doing, but so that that’s the only thing I have to say on that is how I’m personally looking at it. So Foothill to me looks like it’s the best way to go as far as putting that information in there.
Lew Richardson: So then you would object to having it inserted in the Discoverer?
Ron Hunt: I would.
Lew Richardson: OK. So you would object?
Heidi Russell: I personally would, I cannot
Lew Richardson: Phyllis?
Phyllis Cotta: I have a question and ah excuse me if I’m a little ignorant on it but what exactly would be in this pipeline I mean, like your Treasurer’s Report your opinion on what your board should do?
Lew Richardson: Oh no, no, no, no, no, no – mostly it would be written by the IGM and it would have things like you know, how to check for leaks, repair leaks, facts about, recently John came out with this chart that was really interesting talking about converting a leak drips per minute into actual cash, what it costs you a lot of people. We have a lot of leaks out there, not just in our district but on the customer side and things like that because the water publications all over the state of California have a lot of information and we can draw from those and put this in the publication and tune it so affects our area which is the foothills, drought prone, and our water issues. It’s not going to be a political thing it’s more, this is where we are, these are the CIPs we need to get to so we don’t run into what we’ve had recently of running out of cash to continue to supply water.
Phyllis Cotta: So this would be the same thing that you, as a ah director of the wa, you would present to the board to try and get an opinion on, I mean you wouldn’t use the publication to get your, what you want from the water board?
Lew Richardson: No, no, no, no. This is an information thing to the customers so they are aware of what’s going on. In light of, you know, the Prop 218, the Prop 26 all the things that have gone are going on …. On how to rate rates and how it affects you financially and our water company I think the customers need to be aware of it.
Heidi Russell: So why would you want to do just a little flyer that’s going in, cuz the Foothill Express, the Discoverer goes into the Foothill Express and it is shipped out to everybody, why go that way creating more work than just put it in the Foothill Express?
Lew Richardson: You get charged, you get charged the 8 cents regardless
Heidi Russell: The flyer has to be put in to the Discoverer, and which, which well we’re, we’re having to label all the Foothill Expresses right now so
Lew Richardson: Oh, I did that for a year or so, I know
Heidi Russell: You know about that, and then this is going to have to be inserted into that also
Lew Richardson: That would be done on the Foothill end. You, when you received your papers when you get your stack and you start your labeling, it will already be in there.
Phyllis Cotta: I’m still confused, there would be three separate things
Lew Richardson: Three separate publications wrapped
(Multiple voices – inaudible)
Phyllis Cotta: There would be another one similar to this that that would say Pipeline and it wouldn’t be part of the Discoverer in anyway
Lew Richardson: No, no, it would be a separate thing.
Phyllis Cotta: Totally.
Heidi Russell: Then, then my question to you, if it’s, if it’s already in the Foothill and we receive it for labeling, why are you asking for our permission?
Lew Richardson: I just wanted to know if there’s any objections because I heard there were objections from the board of anything to do with the water company in in close proximity to the Discoverer and I thought it was peculiar, so I was just here to kind of poll the board, is there a problem and what….Ruth has a question.
Ruth Smith: You know, when I was at the meeting that day when you brought this letter up, and you know, and ah, you was asking the board to approve this letter, uhm I asked a question and I, I it was brand new then, and it was just getting started
Lew Richardson: Right
Ruth Smith: and I asked the question of who was going to stuff this
Lew Richardson: right
Ruth Smith: in the Discoverer, uhm, and uhm, Lori said that she had offered you an article section in the Foothill Express
Lew Richardson: right
Ruth Smith: that would go out at the same time and it wouldn’t have to be a flyer stuffed in the paper.
Lew Richardson: Right
Ruth Smith: So why
Lew Richardson: That was space available. That was space available.
Ruth Smith: Well she told me she offered you space
Lew Richardson: Yes, she did, she’s been very generous about articles and stuff, but it wouldn’t be a regular publication that the customer could count on, it would be sporadic whenever space was available in their paper. So
Sherri Flosi: So, so here’s what, here’s what I envision, I envision we got, we got the Foothill Express, we have the Discoverer insert in the Foothill Express then we’ll have the Community Services District insert.
Lew Richardson: Right
Sherri Flosi: So ahm, I don’t see
Lew Richardson: It doesn’t
Sherri Flosi: I don’t see that we have any control
Lew Richardson: OK, great, great, then there’s no problem
(Multiple voices)
Sherri Flosi: It’s up to the Foothill Express I mean that’s up to the Foothill Express what they put in their paper
(Multiple voices)
Phyllis Cotta: Like putting in a grocery ad
(Multiple voices)
Lew Richardson: yeah right
(Multiple voices)
Sherri Flosi: (inaudible) we have our Discoverer portion
Lew Richardson: Good, good that clears it up, then
Heidi Russell: Then my question is why have you gone to all this problem in creating this when we had no idea, all you want to know is if we give a damn whether it’s in there
Lew Richardson: No
Heidi Russell: if you give a damn
Lew Richardson: if you folks were going to stop it
(Unknown) we don’t have any control over it
Sherri Flosi: How could we stop it?
Lew Richardson: I was told that you didn’t want it, that’s all. There’s no problem, if there’s no problem, we’ll continue on then
Multiple voices-cross talk
(Unknown audience member): There’s a lot of animosity here
Lew Richardson: Well, I think the animosity, yeah, you could see that when you made the enuendo that I was a thief of your table I mean you started that right off
Sherri Flosi: I, I, I apologize
Lew Richardson: I mean that was really uncalled for
Sherri Flosi: OK Lew, I apologize for that
Lew Richardson: But that’s alright
Heidi Russell: I’m sorry Lew and I do apologize
Sherri Flosi: Excuse me Heidi, I, I know you did not steal anything from here I was just joking
Lew Richardson: Then why would you say such a thing?
Sherri Flosi: It would be like saying Bob, do you have our round table?
Lew Richardson: No it wouldn’t be the same. In the same way that an official letter from the CSD which does not even contain my name, is put on your agenda with somebody else’s name.
Unknown: What?
Phyllis Cotta: Well I did that, I thought that was you. I just assumed that.
Lew Richardson: Well, you know what they say about assuming.
Carolyn Bartholomew: Yes, but you presented it to the board Lew. You presented it to our board.
Phyllis Cotta: But didn’t you bring it in?
Lew Richardson: Have you read the letter?
Carolyn Bartholomew: Yes I have, I was at that meeting (NOTE: LDPCSD MEETING) and you presented it to the board.
Lew Richardson: And how is it signed?
(Cross talk)
Lew Richardson: How is it signed?
Sherri Flosi: It’s from the Public Relations Committee.
Lew Richardson: Thank you. How did Lou Richards end up on your agenda?
Phyllis Cotta: Well I, I – guilty (humorously) I didn’t know. I was just ass..
Lew Richardson: That’s what’s making this personal, this isn’t personal, like I said the letter speaks for itself. I was told that there were members of your board that would see to it that any publication of the CSD was never in the paper with your Discoverer.
Phyllis Cotta: Now I’m curious, and you don’t want to say, but
(Multiple voices-cross talk)
Phyllis Cotta: we all got a copy of the letter, we’re all now discussing it
Lew Richardson: right
Phyllis Cotta: how would this get out that that, we, our opinion. Do we know our opinion?
Lew Richardson: That’s why I was asking. You’re against it
Phyllis Cotta: I’m not against it – some are against it
Lew Richardson: Ron is against it
Ron Hunt: Whoa, whoa, whoa, no. Ron is against any shape or form of it being inserted inside of this paper.
Lew Richardson: OK, but no objections to it being in the Foothill? OK, great, any objections?
Sherri Flosi: No, no, no
Lew Richardson: Good, then we’re done
Sherri Flosi: That’s what, I think what happened was when we got this letter it was a publication to be part of the Discoverer that’s how we interpreted it. So, uhm and of course as you know our policy is is the Discoverer is just owners’ association business period and nothing else.
Lew Richardson: That’s right, that’s right
Sherri FLosi: and so, I mean, we have no control over the Foothill
Lew Richardson: Great, so there would be no boycott or threatened or anything, good, good, good, well that’s good
Ron Hunt: but like I said we will have a problem if they insert it in our paper then that’s
Lew Richardson: OK
Phyllis Cotta: Could I go a little further?
Lew Richardson: Sure
Phyllis Cotta: You offered to pay, why would you offer, I mean it doesn’t cost you anything right?
Lew Richardson: What do you mean cost me anything?
Phyllis Cotta: Well you offered to pay postage our share of the postage costs
Lew Richardson: Yeah, if, if you, if that was an objection cuz that was one of the things I heard – it’s going to cost us more money, I don’t, I talked to Lori and it’s not going to cost any more money all it costs is for the insert and we would pay for that.
Phyllis Cotta: So you’ll come every month and help us insert (laughter)
Lew Richardson: You know, I, I would have been doing it still except for the recall, so you know, you guys did that.
Sherri Flosi: But there is no insertion its – that’s all done
Phyllis Cotta: I was kidding
Lew Richardson: Yeah about the labels – great. Then we have no problems at all, fantastic thank you for your time.
Phyllis Cotta: And I don’t know why I put your name on that, I just assumed
Lew Richardson: Well that’s not my name but that’s OK
[There was no action by the board because they have no control over how things are inserted in the Foothill Express, although, some directors obviously do not want an LDPCSD insert in their LDPOA Discoverer.]
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There will be much more on this later but for now, I find it curious Mr. Hunt, a former Deerwood Corporation golf course employee, states his complaint about Gregoris pond (which is used to furnish water to the golf course) was ignored yet simultaneously admits work was indeed performed by the CSD, but just not to his satisfaction. You would think the existence of substantial damage to anything would generate a formal letter of record by the injured or affected party (Association or the Deerwood Corporation?) along with a conscientious follow-up for resolution.
Heck, I’ve had a number of written items for discussion/action by the board forgotten, lost, ignored, whatever, and not placed on the agenda at the CSD. I didn’t throw my hands up, quit, and refuse to co-operate in other matters of community importance. You persevere while creating a paper trail. I stand by my suggestion of contacting the IGM through written correspondence.
My best to you and yours, Lew
PS: While on the subject of humor…… some might even believe Mr. Hunt’s pond matter is a bit humorous since the golf course has been closed for some time; is not receiving water from the district; and currently presents a wild fire potential with any iron approach shot to a green.
