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Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council
County Of Sonoma › Administrative Support & Fiscal Services › Board of Supervisors › Boards Commissions Committees & Task Forces › List of Boards, Commissions, Committees & Task Forces › Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council › Approved Minutes September 14 2020
Mark West Area Municipal Advisory Council

Approved Minutes September 14, 2020

  1. Call to Order: Chairman Molsberry called to order, the regular meeting of Mark West Citizens Advisory Council 6:00 pm.
  2. Roll Call: Councilmembers present: Brian Molsberry, Roni Berg, Pete Lescure, Brad Sherwood
  3. Approval of Minutes:
    1. 2.1. A motion was made by Council Vice Chair Berg, second by Council Chairman Molsberry, to approve the minutes of the regular MWCAC meeting, August 10, 2020. Only two council members present at this meeting were also present at the August meeting. Must have three members voting to approve minutes. Minutes of August 10, 2020 were not approved.
    2. 2.2. On a motion by Vice Council Berg, seconded by Council Chair Molsberry, the minutes of the regular MWCAC meeting, July 13, 2020 were approved. (3-0) Council Chair Molsberry did not attend that meeting.
  4. Ex parte communications: None
  5. Standing items:
    1. Update: Utilities: None
    2. Update: Wikiup Commons: None
    3. Update: Sonoma County General Plan for Mark West Area: None
  6. Pending Issues:
    • The sign is going on the corner of Mark West Springs Rd. (MWSR) and Old Redwood Hwy. (ORH). It should be installed on the MW Estates side of the crossroads this October. This is a project born of Tubbs Fire. Eagle Scout, Carl Frazee, worked with the community to produce a Community Awareness sign that indicates current levels of fire danger. This is one of the very few projects that have been completed since the Tubbs fire.
    • There is a similar Cal Fire Community Awareness Sign in Geyserville. The Larkfield sign will be manually updated by the fire district.
    • Cindy Foreman, Sonoma County Fire District is working on grants to make some electronic billboards. One may go on the Larkfield side of the same crossroads.
    • Community member Catherine Dodd suggested that the Counsel send pictures and an article about the community sign to the Press Democrat. Council Vice Chair Berg suggested something like a grand opening/ribbon cutting ceremony.
    • Update: Speed limits on MWSR and ORH: Council Vice Chair Berg:
    • Reported that the temporary electronic “YOUR SPEED” signs that gather data are still being used elsewhere and are still in high demand. Larkfield is on the list for when two come available.
    • Councilmember Lescure will connect with Ms.Sullivan (who initially brought forward the subject of speed on MWSR in the March meeting) to discuss the issue.
    • Update: “Hawk” light in front of Larkfield Shopping Center: Council Vice Chair Berg:
    • Johannes at TPW, is working out right-of-way issues with the shopping center. They plan construction in 2021. It will go from the shopping center, across the street to the fire department. The HAWK is a really bright series of blinking lights.
    • Discussion followed:
    • Community member Rick Hall expressed his frustration with the length of time that the light and speed limit issues are taking. He requested that the Council get Supervisor Gore involved. The conclusion was that Jen Mendoza will bring the issue(s) up with Supervisor Gore.
    • Councilmember Lescure reminded everyone that he had offered alternate criteria to TPW showing why the speed limit should be changed. It was suggested, then, that he talk to the assistant engineer at TPW. Hall and Councilmember Lescure agreed to follow up on that and include Ms. Sullivan.
    • Update: List of unmet needs projects for Larkfield/Mark West/Wikiup: None
  7. Public Comments on Non- Agenada Items: This time is set aside for comments from the public regarding matters of general Interest, not on the agenda, but related to MWCAC business. Pursuant to the Brown Act, however, the MWCAC cannot consider any issues or take action on any requests during this comment period. Each person is usually granted three minutes to speak. Time limitations are at the discretion of the Chair.

    Community member Mike Landon: Looks like the water pump is off. Hoping it gets on. A number of people are interested in talking more with Korman and Jackson family. What are the actual plans for the park?

    Community member Catherine Dodd: Echoed Mike’s concern about pond. She had talked to Wikiup Commons (WC) people. The birds are gone and there are many mosquitos. She also wished to praise county fire inspectors, who left inspection forms with residents and also cleaned up some back yards.

    Current fires, again, raised the issue of egress out of the neighborhood. More housing is frightening
    1. Council Vice Chair Berg read a letter from the Wikiup Commons (WC) team to the Council and the Friends of Wikiup, citing corrections that should be made to the Friends of Wikiup website www.FriendsofWikiup.com. To request a copy from the secretary: MarkWestCAC@gmail.com. WC web address: www.WikiupCommons.com

      Tony Korman, developer and spokesperson for the WC project, responded to the pond questions. Rain fall considerably less than years past. Believed that most of the water was coming off the top of the hill to the east. The pump has never been utilized since they owned the property. Peterson Drilling and Pump determined that the well was not functioning. They are fixing/replacing the well, pump, and circuitry. Having another assessment of pond. They were instructed to mow the grass and remove all trimmings. Having someone to do so on the 26th. The pump functions and will be re-engaged. DU/AC is nomenclature for dwelling units per acre.
  8. Council member announcements and disclosures: Information only.
  9. Presentations, other tran referals from Permit Sonoma: To proceed as follows:
    • 1. Presentation
    • 2. Questions by Councilmembers
    • 3. Questions and comments from the public
      1. Katrina Braehmer, Planner II, County of Sonoma Planning Division, Project Review: An explanation of the permit process, from “filed application” to “project approval.”
      She shared a visual/written presentation.
      Anyone can request a copy from the secretary. mwcac@gmail.org

      County of Sonoma, Permit & Resource Management Department (Permit Sonoma) is: "Sonoma County's consolidated land use planning and development permitting agency. Virtually any land development or construction that takes place in the unincorporated area of Sonoma County (outside the nine incorporated cities) is reviewed, permitted, and inspected by Permit Sonoma."

      The process is not always linear or timely. Large projects such as WC can take up to a year or more. No updates are provided for WC yet because there has been no critical movement.

      Public notification will take place at critical junctures in the review process. Instructions on how to get these notifications are at the end of the presentation along with several questions and answers.
  10. Referrals from Permit Sonoma w/out presentations required: None
  11. Referrals from Permit Sonoma with presentations: Action Item. Consideration of proposed projects will proceed as follows:
    1. Presentation by project applicant
    2. Questions by Councilmembers
    3. Questions and comments from the public
    4. Response by applicant, if required
    5. Comments by Council members
    6. Resolution (Action) if indicated None
  12. Subcommittee reports and discussions: Action if indicated
    1. Neighborhood Improvement Funding Program (NIFP) Subcommittee: None
    2. Rebuild Subcommittee: Councilmember Sherwood.
      The Larkfield Sewer project is done a month ahead of schedule. Over 69 residents have signed up and getting more inquiries. Thank you to Supervisor Gore and his team. New sign ups will have to do their own public right-of-way permit and requires them to do their own digging. Do it now before end of year. After that, the streets will be paved. It would be good to avoid lateral cuts into brand new streets. About 70 homeowners did not opt in.

      Jenny Chamberlain, District Director, Representing Supervisor James Gore, will be sending out an email to the block captains announcing a meeting on 9/21. Jenny will send a notice to the council secretary and she will send it out to everybody. Encourage everyone to participate. PGE settlement dollars. The Board of Supervisors (BOS) will give us their rational for spending roughly thirty million dollars on non-fire programs and what are the next steps for that fire money; how and why it will be spent. It is very important to attend and to communicate to the (BOS) as to how you want that money to be spent.
    3. Community Services District (CSD) Subcommittee: None
  13. Other reports: Discussion may follow: Action if indicated 1. Council Vice Chair Berg announced the Mark West Community Faire ONLINE, 9/13 to 9/17
  14. Discussions: ACTION ITEMS Action if indicated None
  15. Future agenda items: Potential future projects and suggestions for the next meeting.
    1. Presentation of Special Assessments Zones
    2. Presentation of examples of proposed logo for the MWCAC, created by MWUSD students
    3. Facebook Possibilities (after Website), Ciara Frowick
    4. Council Vice Chair Berg announced there were 13 attendees at the meeting, besides the panelists.
  16. Adjournment: action item There being no other Council business to discuss, on a motion by Council Vice Chair Berg, seconded by Councilmember Lescure, the meeting was adjourned at 6:58pm.