Rancho santa fe news 2014 8 22

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THE RANCHO SANTA FE NEWS

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MAKING WAVES IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

VOL. 10, N0. 17

AUG. 22, 2014

The clock is ticking for the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club’s turf removal project. Though, in order to receive its $1.62 million rebate, the project must be completed by Dec. 24. File photo

Golf Club turf removal project gets green light By Christina Macone-Greene hours. Following this, apYoung polo players from around the country and from Canada will hit the Polo Grounds Aug. 30 and Aug. 31 for the National Youth Tournament Series Championship for the U.S. Polo Association. Photo by Elizabeth Hedley

Polo championship comes to San Diego By Christina Macone-Greene

RANCHO SANTA FE — The San Diego Polo Club, rife with excitement and entertainment on Sunday afternoons, welcomes a special group of athletes Aug. 31. Young riders swinging their mallets with crystal clear precision will take place at the National Youth Tournament Series Championship for the U.S. Polo Association. And this is a big day for 16 AllStars. These adept young polo players, who will be coming from all over the nation and Canada, are vying for the Cecil Cup trophy. Achieving this level wasn’t easy — for many it all began back on March 1. The player roster started at 122, and after competing in 27 tournaments, the All-Stars were chosen.

Generally, the players are 19 years of age and younger. The first event was so well received that a second annual event was slated. “We got really enthusiastic feedback from the players themselves and they were more than excited to come back, and try again,” said Chrys Beal, chair of NYTS, Youth Polo. “Everyone who watched last year’s competition was impressed with the quality of the players and the quality of the competition.” For all involved, it met and then pleasantly exceeded their expectations. Last year’s tournament spurred a growth in terms of the number of teams and number of qualifiers competing in 2014, said Amanda L.C. Snow, the USPA Director of Player Development.

Snow described it as quite significant. Beal said before the All-Stars were chosen, tournaments were held at local polo clubs all over the nation. “What we’re doing is trying to make an opportunity for local youth polo to occur at the local club level, and that’s what this whole tournament series has done,” Beal said. All-Star players were chosen by their ability and skill sets out on the polo field. All-Stars could even be chosen from a losing team — the goal was to find the best players. And they did. “The country is divided up into four zones and the All-Stars in these zones are participating at this national championship,” Beal said. This youth tournament also eleTURN TO POLO ON A14

Early RSF Patrol report shows theft remains By Christina Macone-Greene

RANCHO SANTA FE — During the last RSF Association meeting, rather than holding it in the morning hours, it was held promptly at 6 p.m. It was a good turnout, with many attendees. In the course of the meeting, Patrol Chief Matthew Wellhouser presented the 2014 semi-annual RSF Patrol Report. Wellhouser took his seat at the front of the room explaining that the report was an update for the months of January to June, while doing comparisons to the same timeframe in 2013. Its annual report, he explained, will have more extensive information. He called the semi-annual a

snapshot picture. “So far this year, we’ve handled almost 2,300 calls. And we had some crime unfortunately,” he said. To date there have been 18 burglaries which were referred to the RSF Patrol. “The breakdown is 11 residential, three commercial and four vehicles; and, it is pretty steady compared to last year.” Wellhouser said he normally doesn’t like to compare these sorts of numbers too early as a determining factor, as the last six months of the year could change for either the better or worse. “It’s best to wait to the end of the year to see how we are doing in that regard,” he said. Wellhouser continued, “What concerned me though was

about half of our burglaries, the crooks just walked right into the house. I would like to remind everybody to lock your house and turn your alarm system on.” Wellhouser went on to say that the crimes in Rancho Santa Fe are deemed as opportunistic. Time and time again, he said, crooks take the easy way in and the easy way out of a property. Locking up and securing a home is necessary. “We conducted over 17,000 home security checks for members in the 6-month period and will continue to do that,” he said, noting how they are getting more calls and residents are using the service. Board Treasurer Kim Eggleston asked Wellhous-

er whether or not a driveway gate entry would be a deterrent to thieves. Wellhouser responded it would to some degree. “If your property lends itself to it and you can put a gate in front of the house it can be a deterrent,” he said, adding how it needs to be in working condition. A pattern Wellhouser has noticed in criminal activity is drop-offs. He told the board that criminals are dropping their friends off near the home to be burglarized, and after the crime is completed, they’ll text their buddy to come pick them up. “The basic premise of crime prevention is the harder you make it for TURN TO RSF PATROL ON A14

RANCHO SANTA FE — The clock is ticking for the Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club’s turf removal project. Though, in order to receive its $1.62 million rebate, the project must be completed by Dec. 24. The cost of the project sits at $1.185 million, leaving a profit of roughly $400,000 once completed and the rebate is received from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD). Al Castro, RSF Golf Club general manager, gave the RSF Board of Directors an all-inclusive update. And ultimately, the board of directors unanimously approved 18-acres of turf removal at its 112acre golf course. “We are requesting funding to be able to start the Turf Removal Project which includes 18 acres of turf removal,” said Castro, adding how this has been discussed and agreed to by other committees and board members. “The biggest impact of this is the fact that we are going to be able to remove 18 acres from irrigation.” Castro pointed out that their golf course superintendent, Tim Barrier, continues to work with the Santa Fe Irrigation District on this project. Barrier discovered there was a rebate available for commercial projects of this size that pays $2 a square foot for every square foot removed under turf irrigation. Castro told the Directors that the budget included turf removal, planting of native material, removing 84 trees and planting 105 trees at different locations. About 75 days ago, Castro said, the Santa Fe Irrigation District walked the course, photographed, and studied it for several

propriate paperwork was submitted to the MWD and the RSF Golf Course received approval for the rebate. “We received approval via email, indicating on July 18th that we had 160 days to complete the project which means Dec. 24 would be the deadline; and, to submit proof that the project has been completed in the areas indicated to turf being removed,” Castro said. The MWD would also return back to the course for project completion verification. Once officially approved, the rebate is tentatively scheduled 90 days following this. While some of the turf removal is located in some internal areas of the course, Castro said, those areas would not affect players. Castro said majority of the turf removal will be areas including the edge of the golf course, cart path, and trails. “We would like to begin this project in earnest immediately in order for us to make the deadline,” said Castro, reminding the Board that the project was approved on July 18. Temporary funding for this project will be divided into two areas. The first will be $300,000 from the RSF Golf Club free reserves, and the other portion, $800,000 from the Covenant Enhancement Fund. RSF Association acting manager Ivan Holler explained the financials and provided a recommendation the Board approved. “The Golf Club free reserves and Covenant Enhancement funds used for this project shall be replaced within the current fiscal year using the TURN TO TURF REMOVAL ON A14


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