Carmel Mountain Ranch Community Council

Meeting Minutes 9/14/05

Meeting held at CMR Library

September 2005
Draft Submitted by Deva Edelman

The regular meeting of the CMRCC was held at the Carmel Mountain Ranch Branch Library on September 14th, 2005. Joetta Mihalovich, chair, called the meeting to order at 6:35 pm. Official business was conducted as reported below.

Members Present Members Absent Members Excused
Joetta MihalovichRay LishVern SnyderPhil BellCyndie BradleyJim HaugheyDeva EdelmanKelly Rudiger BinghamMichelle KeplerLaurie MarcusJohn PedroarenaDiane DeBerry

Guests: Officer Paul Lennon, SDPD; Courtney Smith, Councilman Brian Maienschein’s Office; Jennifer Cordeau, San Diego Planning Department; Jean Cameron, San Diego Planning Department; John Nabors, Shea Homes; Charles Sirois, Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club

Call to Order
Introductions: All members introduced themselves with their affiliation.

Approval of Minutes
Minutes from 08-0-05 meeting were approved.

CMRCC Business
San Diego Police Department: Officer Paul Lennon reported:
· Sexual registrants are listed on the Megan’s Law website at www.megaslaw.ca.gov. Pictures and home addresses are included. When someone is convicted of a molestation or sex crime, a judge deems them a sexual registrant. These people can live wherever they want, but are required to check in with police yearly, and to notify police if they move. It is illegal to disseminate against sexual registrants.

· The USA Federal Credit Union on Black Mountain Road was robbed at gunpoint by four masked males with automatic weapons. No one was hurt. This is one of several in a series of similar crimes. The suspects have not yet been apprehended.

· A man approached a homeowner in Twin Trails Drive in Rancho Penasquitos, claiming to be a police officer. He displayed a badge and gun, and said he needed $20 to buy gas to pursue a suspect. The homeowner went inside and called police, and the man was apprehended. Officer Lennon stated that if an unmarked car tries to pull someone over, they should go to an occupied area and call 911, or call 911 from a cell phone.

Councilman Brian Maienschein’s Office: Courtney Smith reported:
· Councilman Maienschein is working to secure funding for a Shoal Creek pedestrian bridge. Maienschein’s office gave $25,000 to do a feasibility study, and $1.2 million has just been received from the city. The total cost of the bridge will be between $2-4 million, and Councilman Maienschein’s office is working on raising the remaining funds. The city has begun design for the bridge.

· On Thursday, September 22 at 3pm, Councilman Maienschein will attend a ribbon cutting for the new comfort station at the recreation center.

· A sign advertising the Il Palio condominiums has been removed due to homeowner complaints.

· Bob and Judy Merry of Carmel Mountain Ranch received a special commendation for their dedication to the community.

San Diego Planning Department: Jennifer Cordeau reported:
· Jean Cameron from the San Diego Planning Department is present to discuss updates to the city’s general plan.

Chair’s Report: Joetta Mihalovich reported:
· On September 15 at the Scripps Ranch Library, Senator Dennis Hollingsworth will offer workshop to educate about sex offenders.

· The Carmel Mountain Ranch Fall Festival will be held on October 23 from 10am-5pm on Carmel Mountain Road.

· The Carmel Mountain Ranch community website is located at http://www.neighborhoodlink.com. Neighborhood phone numbers, library hours, etc., will be posted, as well as agendas for upcoming CMRCC meetings and minutes from previous meetings.

· On September 15, Councilman Maienschein will speak at the San Diego North Chamber of Commerce Business Success Luncheon held at the Olive Garden in Carmel Mountain Ranch.

Presentations
San Diego Planning Department: Jean Cameron reported:
· A consultant has recently been hired to help with the format of the City’s General Plan.

· The planning department received lots of community input on the last draft of the General Plan. It is currently being rewritten to incorporate these comments. The plan is being reformatted to make it easier to review projects, and for ease of use of developing and updating community plans.

· The Economic Prosperity Element is being rewritten and will include areas designated as prime industrial lands, where the planning department would not accept applications for conversion of parcels to other uses.

Shea Homes: John Nabors reported:
· Development of the driving range has been delayed partially due to turnover in the city’s project manager position. The application has gone through four cycles of review by each of the city’s departments (landscape, water, sewer, streets, etc), and has been revised several times. Most recent changes to the plan are two buildings being moved slightly, and the wall behind the Collage complex has been redesigned. It appears that all issues have now been resolved. Plans are available on the cmrrca website, and are currently in a final plan check by the city.

· When a date for a public hearing has been decided, the Chairman of the CMRCC will be notified, and notices will be sent out to residents in the area.

· Shea homes is targeting next spring for groundbreaking. The first thing to be done will be construction of the wall along the slope. No pile driving will be done, and drilling will be minimal to reduce noise. After construction of the wall, utilities will be built, and then the homes.

· Mr. Nabors stated that he would approach Shea about irrigating the grass on the driving range so that it will be green before the groundbreaking occurs.

Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club: Charles Sirois reported:
· Mr. Sirois wanted to apologize for misunderstandings at the last meeting, and to clarify a few points. He stated that the entire golf course would never disappear, and that had never been the intention of the owners. The golf course is CMR’s largest land mass, and will continue to be maintained with great care. Maintenance and customer service are top priority. The current owners have done more to care for the golf course than past owner, including acquiring more help and purchasing more equipment. Expenses continue to rise, especially water. This golf course is one of two in the city that has continuous fairways, which increases maintenance by 75%. The golf course has no secrets with respect to operation and will provide information upon request.

· The development of the golf course that had been proposed would enhance Carmel Mountain Ranch because the value of the new homes would probably exceed $1 million, and would be the most expensive in the community.

· Each of the previous owners of the golf course had a shorter transaction than the last one, and the property has not been profitable. The problem will not be resolved by selling the property. The golf course industry in general is experiencing challenges, not just Carmel Mountain Ranch.

· The golf course plans to partner with the community to come up with a solution that will make the course a profitable enterprise. They plan to invite representatives from homeowner’s associations and from the community council to meetings to discuss possible solutions.

· The golf course will be offering promotions to members of the community. A deal is being worked out where flyers will be distributed via the monthly Gazette.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:56 pm.