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Manager Hubred Tasked with Expediting Berger Seismic Retrofit
nMichael Connolly
At the January 16 board meeting the Board of Directors voted 5-2 to turn over management of the Berger Center seismic upgrade to General Manager Kevin Hubred. This and other actions by the board did not sit well with two members of the Berger Action Committee, who resigned shortly thereafter. Chair Claudette Brero-Gow and member Bob Jackson, who moments before appeared ready to act with the board and manager to secure the permit for the
seismic retrofit work, used their time at Open Forum to chastise board members and then resign from the committee. The issues that brought about these actions were almost a year in the making. At a board meeting on Feb. 21, 2017 original BAC Chair Ruthie Snyder provided an update on the committee’s progress but made no mention of seismic issues. Candidates Night for the 2017 board election was the very next night. At that forum candidate Ken Heyman raised the issue of Berger Center seismic safety. He also mentioned that in 2015 the Berger Improvement Committee (BIC) recommended that the board spend $5000 on a seismic evaluation, which was never performed. “Life safety” issues were again raised in the 2016 Central Projects Committee (CPC) report as well as by OVA’s consultant engineer Kevin Zucco at an August 2016 Board Workshop. See retrofit on page 5
OVA Board Approaches Decision Point On Berger Center nDon McPherson
Years of work by OVA committee volunteers, OVA directors and outside paid consultants will inform a decision on renewal project options for the 54-yearold Berger Center by the Board of Directors (BOD) at its February 6 meeting. The Berger Action Committee (BAC) established the goal to “deliver to the OVA Board on or before January 1, 2018 three options for the Board’s consideration and determination” containing “documentation of cost analyses, benefits, challenges and temporary impacts to the community at large, including but not limited to schematics, design, engineering, drawings, and outline specifications sufficient to generate good cost estimates for each option.” The three designated options are: “1) Remodel/expand existing Berger, 2) Build a new building and demolish Berger, 3) Build a new building and re-purpose Berger.” During a report at the Board’s December 6, 2017 meeting, BAC representatives indicated they would provide a comprehensive progress update on remodeling options for the Berger Center at the January 16, 2018 BOD meeting. But the matter did not appear on the January 16 meeting agenda. In the Open Forum following a board decision at that meeting to go forward immediately with permitting for the seismic retrofit of the Berger Center buttresses, a project approved by the BOD in July 2017, BAC
chair Claudette Brero-Gow and member Bob Jackson read resignation statements. Brero-Gow and Jackson cited conflicts with some directors over whether BAC’s presentation would be a final report and the committee would be disbanded. Brero-Gow stated that a board member’s communication to that effect and limiting the presentation to 20 minutes was “rude and unacceptable.” Jackson cited “dysfunction of the new board” in May, June and July following the April 2017 election and the October fires as factors delaying cost estimating that “stopped us cold.” He said that the BAC’s work pursuant to its charter is not yet completed and stated that the committee has a well-developed concept design, but the next step is schematic design, a process requiring an additional four months. The BAC charter states that the committee is “responsible for defining required budgets, timeline, schematics, renditions, and other project resource needs to allow for a final decision by the Board of Directors on project options for the Berger.” As an ad hoc committee “created for the purpose of evaluating, developing, and recommending to the OVA Board See berger on page 9
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANTA ROSA, CA PERMIT NO. 323
February 1, 2018 • Volume 56, Number 3
Director Ken Heyman Resigns Director Ken Heyman resigned from his position on the Board of Directors effective January 26. He released the following statement: Those who won the BOD election last year represented a new generation of OVA governance. We had in-depth knowledge of the issues before us and were excited and joyful to be of service to the community. I expected challenging times but the circumstances after the election were unprecedented. Nonetheless, this Board persevered and delivered. • We hired a strong General Manager with relevant experience, skills, and education. • We have taken major steps toward resolving the Pickleball issue that divided our community. • We will seismically retrofit the Berger Center and recently received the permit to do so. • We rectified many Reserve Study inadequacies, so our dues only modestly increased. • We re-engaged legal counsel with over 25 years experience serving Oakmont. After serious deliberation I am resigning from my position as Director of the OVA Board. This is not a decision I make lightly. I look back with pride at my time serving Oakmont, and owe so much to the generous support of so many. My hope is that our future focuses on positivity, truth, and goodwill.
Trione Family Offers $25k for Oakmont Dog Park nJim Golway
Oakmont dog owners got a jolt of good news at the January 16 OVA board meeting when Paula Lewis told the board that the son of the late Henry Trione is willing to provide $25,000 for the construction of an Oakmont dog park, if a suitable location is found.
Honey the Dog checks out a possible site for a dog park. Some think the location across from the community garden is too hilly. (Photo by Jim Golway)
Local Realtor and resident, Lewis has been a faithful guardian of the polo field, making sure dogs and dog owners behave themselves. But the carefree days of unleashed dogs playing with joyous abandon came to an end Jan. 13 after the Triones announced that after 8 a.m. no one except equestrians can use their field— including dogs. See dog park on page 10