GRF Board discusses traffic, streets, policies and pianos

MEETING RECAP

by Ruth Osborn

rutho_news@lwsb.com

The GRF Board met July 25 to dispense with a full agenda of business with topics ranging from traffic studies, radar speed signs, street paving, policies and pianos.

Residents are welcome to comment during the allotted time as long as they submit a request in advance. Comment cards are located on a table in the lobby of Clubhouse 4, where the once-a-month board meetings are held.

GRF President Marsha Gerber welcomed new GRF directors Dan Weber representing Mutual 1; Maureen Habel, Mutual 3; Patricia Vienna, Mutual 7; and Marla Hamblin, Mutual 15.

Gerber also praised the new GRF fourcommittee structure, which launched this month. “I’m happy to report that it went very well,” she said, adding that the streamlined approach yielded significant benefit.

According to numbers supplied by GRF Vice President William Thompson, the new structure saved 54 hours of staff time, from 70 hours to cover 11 meetings down to 16 hours in four meetings.

GRF committees were reorganized to align with the recent restructuring of GRF departments into four divisions to broaden resident access to staff expertise and foster teamwork among departments. Senior directors now manage those four divisions, which are Human Resources, Internal Operations, Facilities and Member Services.

The GRF committees are Facilities, Operations, Member Services and Administration.

The four-committee structure will be reconsidered after a 90-day trial period.

During the public comment time, six people spoke for up to three minutes, each on wide ranging issues. Topics included the new committee structure, the transparency of financial documents, golf ball retrieval and Valentine’s dance income figures, policy numbering and ease of accessing GRF policy, the lack of a pharmacy at the HCC, gate access concerns and the acquisition of a grand piano.

In other highlights, the board took the following action.

SCE Easement

The board authorized that an easement be given to Southern California Edison across Trust property for an electrical vehicle (EV) charging system being installed in Mutual 4. SCE’s Charge Ready Program has approved Mutual 4 to provide EV charging stations. SCE will use the right-of-way to install an electric distribution system at El Dorado Drive and Knollwood Road and will restore the street surface to as near as its current condition as possible once construction is complete.

On-Site Sales Office Sign

The board voted to award a contract to MJ Jurado for the installation of a concrete real estate sign visible from both sides of Seal Beach Boulevard at the entrance of Leisure World. The estimated cost is $8,500, plus a contingency of $1,000.

The sign is expected to increase vis

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ibility—and therefore sales—for the On-Site Home Sales office, which is the only real estate office endorsed by the GRF.

“These people contribute greatly to our general income in Leisure World. (It’s) quite a bit of money,” said GRF Treasurer Camille Thompson from Mutual 8.

“It’s in our interest to back On-Site Sales,” agreed GRF Director Carole Damoci, representing 12. “No other real estate (agency) gives us a nickel, and On-Site knows the rules in here and for every Mutual.”

GRF Director Nick Massetti from Mutual 17 pointed out that the minimum rent paid by On-Site Sales is $10,000 a month.

Indeed, every transaction handled by the agency benefits residents as the office annually returns a portion of proceeds to the GRF. In 2022, it gave back about $700,000; last year, the figure was slightly less because of fewer home sales.

EV Station Engineering

Upon the recommendation of the Facilities Committee, the board voted to award a contract to Control Engineering to evaluate potential locations to charge electric vehicles in the Service Maintenance Yard at a cost not to exceed $4,000.

The work is needed to see if adding another meter can be avoided at the Service Maintenance Yard, which already has two meters. The evaluation will determine if there is enough power to supply 35 stations.

Radar Speed Signs

Upon the recommendation of the Facilities Committee, the board authorized the purchase of three radar speed signs. The Security Department will locate the signs, and Service Maintenance will install them. The total cost will not exceed $15,000. It is hoped the signs will calm traffic speeds.

Main Entry Traffic Flow

The board approved a traffic study at the Main Gate by Urban Crossroads at a cost not to exceed $14,400.

The purpose of the study is to assess vehicular traffic movements, provide circulation recommendations and a conceptual alternative at the entry/exit Main Gate at Golden Rain Road, including Del Monte Drive and the intersection of Golden Rain Road at Burning Tree Lane.

News Office HVAC

Upon the recommendation of the Facilities Committee, the board voted to award a contract to Greenwood Heating and Air to replace the news office’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) unit at a cost not to exceed $22,800.

The news office unit is beyond its useful life. The cost will be covered through the GRF HVAC component reserve fund, which includes approximately $42,000. Routine maintenance will be conducted by GRF staff.

2023 Paving Project

Upon the recommendation of the Facilities Committee, the board voted to award a contract to MJ Jurado at a cost not to exceed $580,000 for Phase 6 of the community’s paving project.

GRF Director Janet Isom representing Mutual 16 pointed out that “Jurado’s willingness to honor its 2022 per-unit price is to our benefit because when you consider inflation and all the corresponding increases in material and labor costs, this is actually going to save us money on a huge project.”

The Phase 6 Paving Project entails the grinding and repaving of Interlachen, Glenview, Fairfield South, Mayfield, Twin Hills, and the Main Gate; as well as crack fill and slurry seal on Fresh Meadow Lane, Knollwood, Kenwood and St. Andrews (outside the gate).

Twelve years ago, engineers did a survey of all LW streets, and the current paving schedule was set in place at that time. The GRF is at the end of that schedule, and a new engineering survey is on the near horizon.

CH 4 Digital Piano

At the recommendation of the Member Services Committee, the board voted to approve the purchase of a Roland GP9 5-foot digital piano at a cost not to exceed $11,000. The Clubhouse 4 acoustic grand piano sustained serious damage when it fell off the stage several years ago. It is playable but not at the elevated levels needed by serious musicians.

There is great demand for a piano in LW. Many clubs, groups and churches use a piano, and there are skilled musicians who host free piano concerts in Clubhouse 4 who have found the current piano less than satisfactory.

The Roland GP9 is a digital instrument more adapted to the demands of a piano serving a community like Leisure World. It is not as sensitive to temperature and humidity extremes, is lighter and more portable, and stays in tune without visits from a piano technician. While it is electronic, this Roland model has touch-sensitive keys and mimics the response and sound of a traditional grand piano.

GRF Governing Docs

The board is amending a variety of governing documents, which are under a 28-day notification period, pending resident comment. Up for changes and amendments are policies on the posting of signs on Trust property, authorized signatories, entry pass rules, and temporary visitor and member RV parking.

Optum Lease

Despite the recommendation of the Administration Committee, the board rejected the renewal of Optum’s lease for the Leisure World Health Care facility. The lease terms are $65,000 per month for 60 months, starting Oct. 1. That’s a $3.9 million contract over the course of five years.

“I see (Optum) as a great benefit to the community,” said Janet Isom, and most of the directors agreed, but a majority of them also expressed concern about the delay in getting a new pharmacy on-site.

“I’d really hate to sign this now and find out that I’m not going to get a pharmacy,” said GRF Director Damoci.

Susan Hopewell pointed out that the current Optum contract is good through September and suggested that the board not approve a new one until the pharmacy status was clarified.

To that end, 10 board members voted no on a motion to approve the new lease. The board then went on to pass a motion to put the contract renewal on the August agenda for board review.

It is hoped that there will be more information on the status of the on-site pharmacy by then.

There will be continuing updates on the status of an on-site pharmacy, according to GRF President Gerber: “Optum is hard at work lining up a new pharmacy and the new pharmacy may even be open on weekends!”