Board considers garden plots and service vehicles
GRF BOARD HIGHLIGHTS
by Ruth Osborn
communications director
The GRF Board met March 26 to consider everything from golf course regulations and RV parking limits to replacing service maintenance vehicles in a meeting that was kicked off by five residents who expressed concern during public comment time about a variety of issues. They included the expense of constructing community gardens, a perceived lack of transparency, GRF staff, the order that GRF directors are seated on the dais and RFID procedures. On a more positive note, Jayna Kling of the Optum Health Care Center reported that the Medcare Pharmacy and Mini Mart is now open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Expanded hours on Sunday are in the works. There are two registered pharmacists on duty with two more expected to be hired soon.
There is currently a twoweek delay on getting transfers from CVS to Medcare, but pharmacists are working to minimize that. To transfer prescriptions to Medcare, call 714-557-2982. Be prepared to provide insurance information.
Prescriptions aside, the pharmacy will be expanding the hot bar and adding a lounge area so people can sit and eat lunch. The refrigeration area will be expanded and already has milk, eggs, seafood and fresh vegetables, including potatoes, cilantro, lettuce, all fresh daily.
Highlights of the meeting are as follows.
Gate RFID Purchase
Upon the recommendation of the Facilities Committee, the board approved an additional RFID reader, a mobile workstation, printer and scanner for the Main Gate entrance to improve traffic flow. The cost will not exceed $19,905 in capital funding.
This is the first step in what could be a bigger change. The committee is considering eliminating cross traffic at the Main Gate to increase efficiency and safety.
As it stands now, an RFID reader will be installed on the right entry lane and a portable, battery-powered scanner/ printer/computer station will be added to the left entry lane.
Those improvements will allow both lanes of traffic to accommodate all traffic. That means drivers with RFID readers and all others may enter in either lane at the Main Gate once the work is completed.
The Facilities Committee is still considering a proposal to modify traffic flow at the Main Gate to reduce conflicts.
Urban Crossroads, a Newport Beach traffic, air and noise consultant, conducted the study, which concluded that southbound vehicles on Del Monte should only turn right onto westbound Golden Rain. Northbound vehicles on Del Monte opposite On-Site Sales should only turn left onto Golden Rain.
In this scenario, vehicles entering through the Main Gate to the right of the lane island may not turn left, and vehicles entering through the Main Gate to the left of the lane island may not turn right. The traffic flow and parking spaces in front of On-Site Sales would remain as is. Phone System Cost Decrease
Upon the recommendation of the Operations Committee, the board voted to approve a one-time cost of $359.25 and a monthly baseline cost of $948.80 from operational funding to reduce the monthly bill for the GRF telephone system.
Phones were hosted by FTS Broadband for several years at a cost of $5,265 a month, or $63,180 annually. The board approved a new SIP provider, Edge Communication, which will provide similar service at a baseline cost of $948.80 a month, or $11,385.60 a year, which amounts to a savings of up to $51,794 annually.
SIP, which means Session Initiation Protocol, allows people to digitally make and receive phone calls over the internet. The GRF IT Department recently installed a new company-wide phone system to replace a malfunctioning, decade-old system. This is the last step in that project. Service Maintenance Utility Vehicle Replacement Upon the recommendation of the Facilities Committee, the board approved the purchase of 10 electric Big-Foot utility vehicles with utility boxes and ladder racks from Pape Material Handling at a total cost not to exceed $345,500, reserve funding.
GRF owns 36 Cushman utility vehicles between 24 and 42 years old. As the vehicles have aged, repair parts have become more expensive and harder to find. Some parts are now obsolete, which requires the fleet department to find ways to refurbish them or find vendors who can.
Per a management agreement between GRF and Mutuals, Service Maintenance workers use the carts for all calls—plumbing, electrical, carpentry, appliance delivery, roofing repairs and service calls directly to shareholders, said GRF Director Carole Damoci from Mutual 12. She calculated that there are 20,414 calls a year answered by workers in carts.
“The 10 vehicles we are being asked for today are one-third of the fleet,” she said, adding that Transportation Manager Grant Winford does not have enough duct tape to hold them together and reducing the fleet by that much could seriously impact the time it takes to answer service calls.
GRF Director Janet Isom from Mutual 16 noted that “the oldest cart in the system was bought when I was a senior in high school. The parts aren’t being made any more,” she said, adding “this is a need we reserved for; it’s in the reserve study. The money is sitting there. Everyone wants us not to spend money, but it’s our fiduciary duty as directors to make sure the place is kept up.”
GRF Director Maureen Habel agreed that the purchase was “a need, not a want.”
Senior Director of Facilities Mark Weaver echoed board sentiments, calling the need urgent. “It will help speed up the time to complete work orders,” he said, adding that it will take six to seven months to get the new carts and by then, the electric infrastructure will be in place to charge them.
The GRF reserve study proposes replacing 10 carts a year over three or more years beginning in 2024. Network Switch Replacement
Upon the recommendation of the Operations Committee, the board approved the replacement of the network switches at a cost not to exceed $8,113, reserve funding, to Hummingbird Networks.
During the recent replacement of the GRF phone system, the IT Department uncovered 10 out-of-sight network switches installed inside drop ceilings and walls.
These switches, which are outdated and household-grade, cannot support connecting multiple networks and are made for much smaller networks than those used by the GRF.
The board voted to replace them with managed switches to support multiple network connections and power devices. They will also increase security, as the ports can be monitored and controlled.
Game Room Open to Guests of Any Age Upon the recommendation of the Operations Committee, the board amended the policy called Limitations on Use of Trust Property to allow guests of all ages in the game room in Clubhouse 2. Guests must be 18 years of age at all other amenities that allow non-resident use.
Parking Rules for Recreational Vehicles Upon the recommendation of the Operations Committee, the board voted to amend parking rules for recreational vehicles, pending a 28-day notification to members with a final decision of the GRF Board on April 23.
The biggest change is to clarify that RVs cannot park on Trust streets—except for loading and unloading—for more than 24 hours with an approved Security pass.
Moving the RV every 24 hours within Leisure World will no longer be allowed.
After 24 hours, RVs must be parked in the GRF RV lot if space permits, or it must be removed from the community.
Community Garden Fees
Upon the recommendation of the Administration Committee, the board established fees for a variety of services, including lots within the community garden, pending a 28-day notification to members with a final decision of the GRF Board on April 23.
The distribution of gardens will commence once policies governing the gardens are finalized.
The committee recommended leasing individual gardens for $150 a year with a one-time $15 application fee.
The lease would run from May 1-April 30.
The fees are to recover gardens’ operating expenses, including maintenance, utilities and water, and repair and replacement expenses.
