Los Trancos Woods Community Association

Minutes of the Meeting of the Board

November 7, 2001, 7:00 p.m.

 

 

Attendees:    Nelson Dake, Julie Duncan, Michael Glenn, Dave Lowin, Peri Nielsen, Rebecca Reynolds, Gale Smith, Armin Staprans, Marguerite Thayer, Tom Thayer, and Carol Wagner. Rebecca Reynolds led the meeting in the absence of an elected President.

 

LTW Newsletter:    The Board discussed the publication of the LTW Newsletter. Linda Drey-Nightingale has offered to draft the Newsletter. Thanks, Linda! The Board agreed that it would be okay to publish the Newsletter once every two months, with the flexibility to publish it more or less often, if circumstances warranted. All information to be published in the LTW Newsletter should be forwarded directly to Linda or to District Representatives.

 

LTWCA Dues:          Julie Duncan, the LTWCA Treasurer, then gave the Treasurer’s Report. The Board discussed the payment and collection of LTWCA dues for 2002. The Board agreed that the LTWCA would seek $20 from each household this year, $5 of which would be for the LTWCA dues (to pay for, among other things, publication of a new LTW Directory) and $15 of which would be for the Emergency Fund (to pay for, among other things, the acquisition and maintenance of emergency equipment).

 

LTW Directory:      The Board briefly discussed the publication of the LTW Directory next year. Michael Glenn offered to provide copying services for the Directory. Thanks, Michael! The Board also agreed to continue to advise people that the Directory should not be used for commercial purposes.

 

Emergency Preparedness:          Carol Wagner, the LTWCA Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, then gave a report. Carol advised the Board of her continuing concern that LTW would not be adequately prepared for emergency situations, especially natural disasters such as including fires, earthquakes and floods. The Board discussed the general availability of emergency services to LTW. The Board expressed concern that, since only three firetrucks (staffed by three firemen each) service an entire area covering LTW, Portola Valley, Woodside, Skylonda and Emerald Hills, etc., LTW might not receive emergency assistance quickly. Moreover, if a natural disaster were to also strike more densely populated areas, such as Palo Alto and San Francisco, these trucks could be called away, and LTW may not receive emergency relief for one week or more. Carol stressed that it was imperative that members of our community learn skills such as first aid and CPR, so they could help not only their neighbors but also their own family members and themselves in the event of such disasters.

 

The Board agreed that all members of the LTWCA Board would commit, absent extenuating circumstances, to take at least one emergency course offered by the Woodside Fire Department, 3111 Woodside Road (contact: gmann@woodsidefire.org) bv the end of March 2002. The courses offered are:

 

·      First Aid – March 16

·      CPR – Jan. 19 and Feb. 16

·      Disaster Rescue – TBA

 

Michael Glenn and Dave Lowin also offered to purchase a “first response bag” to be kept at their respective homes (115 Lake Road and 115 Foxwood) and made available to the community in the event of an emergency. Thanks, Dave and Michael! The Board acknowledged and thanked Carol for all the time, effort and expense she has devoted and continues to devote towards this cause.

 

Rezoning:     Armin Staprans then gave a report of the first meeting of the LTW Zoning Committee, on October 9, 2001 at Armin’s house, 159 Ramona. Armin reported that approximately 8 to 10 people were at the meeting and that everyone agreed it was important to keep LTW apprised of what was going on at the meetings. Towards that end, Armin suggested that the Newsletter continue to provide notice that the Zoning Committee would be meeting, unless otherwise noted, every second Tuesday of the month at 159 Ramona and all were welcome to attend. Armin also explained that the Zoning Committee was considering distributing an informational pamphlet/petition describing the status of matters such as sewer and water availability, as well as particular zoning tools available to the community. Armin reported that the Zoning Committee’s goal would be to reach a unified voice with respect to zoning and then present suggestions to the community.

 

Armin also raised the question of the Board’s response to a zoning proposal distributed by Jean Rasch. Armin suggested that, in lieu of responding to it directly, it would be more appropriate and productive to continue to conduct Zoning Committee meetings and attempt to reach a consensus within the community on this issue. The Board agreed.

 

Presidency:  The Board discussed the manner in which the Presidency would be handled in 2002. It was decided that the District Representatives would take turns chairing the Presidency every three months, with District I taking chairing from January to March; District II, from April to June; District III, from July to September; and District IV, from October to December. Among the responsibilities of the President are: setting the agenda, providing notice of and chairing the LTWCA Board meetings, following up to make sure that projects are going forward, and siphoning information to be included in the LTW Newsletter.

 

The next LTWCA meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on January 2, 2002 at 21 Old Spanish Trail. The agenda will include publication of the LTW Directory.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

 

Respectfully submitted, Peri Nielsen, LTWCA Secretary