2020-11-1 Oakmont Newspaper

Oakmont’s Semimonthly Newspaper

President’s Message nSteve Spanier, OVA Board President

Looking Through the Glass Fire

At the end of the third quarter of the Year That Wouldn’t End, the Glass Fire took six of our homes, damaged property and shook the foundations of our lives. The fire’s assault on Oakmont followed four straight weeks of “Spare the Air” days. Smoke from the Atlas and other fires polluted our air and darkened our skies and moods, worsening the effects of COVID isolation. Oakmont was virtually empty for over a week while various organizations fought to save our homes, extinguish hot spots and repair infrastructure damage. Meanwhile, ash piled up on our landscaping and the food in our refrigerators rotted.

It’s kind of hard to put a positive spin on this. I have no intention of waxing poetic or sugar-coating what we’ve been through. Together, we’ve suffered and are still suffering. I will, however, attempt to frankly address three questions: 1) Where are we now? 2) Where do we go from here? and 3) What can we take from this tragedy?

See president’s message on page 8

COVID-19 Testing in Oakmont

www.oakmontvillage.com/news

November 1, 2020 • Volume 59, Number 21

After the Evacuation

Fire Officials: Evacuation Went as Planned

nMarty Thompson

The 4,700 residents of Oakmont returning to their homes after a week-long evacuation found a coating of ashes, spoiled food and visions of the half-dozen homes lost here to the Glass Fire and some damaged fences and yards. And the grim burned-over areas along Highway 12.

Three Oakmont service clubs, Soroptimist, Kiwanis and Rotary, posted a banner thanking first responders at the Oakmont Drive entrance off Highway 12. (Photo by Julie Kiil)

Concerns now include reducing fire hazards in yards and making any future evacuation easier and faster.

Oakmont did escape a round of Public Safety Power Shutdowns that dry, windy weather prompted PG&E to order the week after the evacuation. The outages affected some 1,700 customers in Sonoma County including near Kenwood, but not Oakmont.

See post-evacuation on page 4

Bylaws Town Hall Coming Up

nStaff Report

Oakmont residents lined up for free drive-through Coronavirus testing offered by the county Health Services Department at the Berger Center parking lot on Oct. 12. Appointments were required, and the 116 available slots quickly filled up.

The county said it expected to schedule further drive-through clinics in Oakmont. (Photos by Kathy Sowers)

An OVA Town Hall Nov. 10 will focus on a vote to reduce the quorum needed to change Oakmont’s bylaws. The proposal would adjust the requirements for future bylaws amendments. The virtual town hall will be Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. Instructions for viewing or taking part are on the OVA website and included in weekly OVA e-blast newsletters.

The board voted in March to put the single amendment to a community vote. No date has been set.

The original proposal was to change the threshold for bylaw amendment to 25% of voters.

OVA Vice President Tom Kendrick said feedback has prompted the board to consider increasing the quorum. A resolution approved Oct. 20 would raise the required vote to a simple majority of a quorum of at least 40% of the members.

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANTA ROSA, CA PERMIT NO. 323

nJackie Ryan and Jim Brewer

Since 2017, firefighters have worried about the threat from the unburned areas of the Tubbs and Nuns fires. And that’s how the fire played out in the early hours of Sept. 28, cresting the Mayacamas and eventually burning into Oakmont.

And despite some grumbling by residents who had to face long backups getting out of Oakmont, the evacuation went “exactly as we envisioned,” said Paul Lowenthal, Santa Rosa’s assistant fire marshal and public information officer.

“We’ve heard from people who didn’t think they should have to sit in traffic. We evacuated people early.

Lowenthal.

We knew they would be sitting in traffic and we were fine with that,” said Lowenthal. “(It) was expected and law enforcement was at every intersection from Oakmont to Hoen Avenue. The success of the evacuation is measured by our ability to freely move around Oakmont once everybody was evacuated and the fire finally got there.”

See fire officials on page 3

Virtual Veterans Day Program Oakmont’s Veterans Day observance will be online in this pandemic year. A story about the program and how you can take part appears on page 6 of this issue.

All Junipers Must Go Says New Firewise Policy nAl Haggerty

The Oakmont Village Association reversed course at its Oct. 20 virtual meeting by changing its Firewise Landscape Policy from encouraging the removal of junipers to requiring the removal of junipers “from the entire property” in less than a year, by Aug. 31, 2021.

While the resolution adopting the change passed 7-0, Noel Lyons said he was opposed because he feels the requirement for a five-foot defensible space around homes takes precedence over juniper removal. He said he voted for it because it still has to be submitted to the membership for the required 28day comment period.

Director Marianne Neufeld, who submitted the resolution, said there are junipers in the yards of more than 500 Oakmont homes. She said a Junk the Junipers program is being organized by the Firewise Safety Committee, which hopes to offer volunteer help to remove the plants. She said she would help residents that are not financially able to achieve the five-foot defensible space.

“This is a crisis,” warned Iris Harrell, chair of the Building Construction Committee, calling junipers “a gasoline plant.” She said that while her own home See board on page 7

2

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

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The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

fire officials

Continued from page 1

Conditions also did not require making both lanes of Highway 12 one way. Channel Drive, designated for emergency egress, was used by just a few residents. Expectations that the greatest threat would have come from Trione-Annadel State Park were eclipsed by fire from the north, and Channel Drive users were gone by the time responders needed it for fire vehicles.

Scott Westrope, Santa Rosa deputy fire chief, described limited resources and first responders who were “doing a lot with very little, hitting it with everything we had.” “There were just so many houses impacted,” he said. “From Melita Road to Pythian Road, it all came across at the same time.”

Westrope.

He credits early evacuations and aggressive fire fighting for the outcomes. “Losing 31 homes in the district is way too many, but it could have been a lot worse. And we are going to continue to work with the communities, because vegetation management was a key factor in Oakmont. When I drive through the fire area and see what happened, I get shivers to see what the firefighters did. It was remarkable they were even able to save what they did.”

Lowenthal said, “At one point we had a van full of fire recruits back in there with hand tools, so we

were doing a lot with very little. We were fortunate to get an LA County strike team that was on its way to Napa that helped us out a lot.” At another point Lowenthal said he found himself giving cell phone updates to Santa Rosa radio station KSRO while he squirted water from a garden hose into a rain gutter that had burst into flame.

The two fire officials also credited the defensible space and vegetation management done by Oakmont homeowners. They underscored the need for home hardening and keeping focused on the zero to fivefoot area around homes as a first priority. They urged residents to follow the Santa Rosa Fire Department’s fire protection plan that calls for limbing-up trees back from rooftops and chimneys, keeping rain gutters screened, clean and clear, and creating a defensible space area. They also said in replacing wood fences, including along highway 12, what’s important is keeping the fence a safe distance from houses. Parts of fences or gates that connect to homes should be fire resistant.

They said communities need plans and strategies.

“If an HOA decided to remove all junipers and other species that they don’t want and if it was to cost, say, half a million dollars, does that truly eliminate the threat to the community?” Lowenthal said.

“What if that $500,000 could be used to help every resident maintain the three- to five-foot combustible space defense area? I would argue that that is more beneficial than removing every juniper, manzanita and Rosemary throughout the entire community.”

JUST LISTED

Westrope said the department uses a holistic approach in fighting fires and readying communities to prepare and respond, noting that small improvements “in Oakmont made the biggest difference.” Going forward the department is developing formal goals that include resident education programs and ways to provide guidance on vegetation management and home hardening, as well as future inspection and enforcement measures.

Lowenthal said unfortunately the 2017 fires have been etched as normal and “it was not normal.” Web camera monitoring systems, better evacuation plans triggered earlier and warning alert systems are now in the arsenal for defending lives and property. He said some residents are beginning to ask had the fire started on Highway 12 instead of coming from the Mayacamas how would Oakmont be evacuated.

“That’s a very different animal,” he said. “A fire that starts on Highway 12 is not going to be a fire front that extends all the way from Pythian road to Skyhawk.

The fire that initiates on Highway 12 is going to be much smaller, and not have the ability to spot a mile and a half ahead of itself, not have the momentum from burning through thousands of acres before it got to that point. It would be what we typically respond to as a routine grass fire. In fact, we did have a grass fire in that general area last summer. It was a roadside fire, and it did get extinguished very quickly.”

For the remainder of the 2020 fire season, residents will see firefighters monitoring the state park areas for several weeks. With Red Flag high wind and temperature warnings, Lowenthal said the departments will be adding staff across Sonoma County.

Voting in Oakmont nStaff Report

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One polling place is open for in-person voting in Oakmont, at the Berger Center, for the 2020 General Election. Voters may also drop off completed ballots they received in the mail.

The polling place is open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31; Sunday and Monday, Nov. 1 and 2. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, hours are from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., according to Deva Marie Proto, the county registrar of voters.

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Solar Project Delay Work installing solar panels and related work at Oakmont’s recreation centers was delayed by the Glass Fire and related evacuation of Oakmont.

David Dearden, vice chair of the Building Construction Committee, said it now is anticipated that permission from PG&E to operate the solar system will occur in mid-February.

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The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

post-evacuation

Oakmont Democratic Club nTom Amato

Election 2020 Looking Forward

As we approach the official Election Day of November 3, Oakmont Democrats recognize that this important day is only a spot in a long journey for America in 2020. Already millions have voted, millions will vote on election day and millions who voted by mail will have mailed their ballots. But it could be weeks before all these votes are counted.

Democrats are concerned that the President might try to end the counting before all votes are counted.

Republicans, Independents and Democrats hopefully will work together to make it a fair election with all votes counted. For updates on what local groups are planning post-election, check the ODC website: oakmontdemclub.com and join us for a special postelection celebration/meeting Thursday, November 12 at 7 p.m.

If you have not voted, here is some info on three of the Propositions that have been endorsed by the Democratic Party. On Prop 15, Democrats are joined in support by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers. The Family Farmers’ website says: “The Schools and Communities First ballot measure rightly exempts agricultural properties and small businesses like our family farms. And Prop 15 will increase local funds for schools where farmers and farmworkers send our children. Not only will residential property taxes remain untouched, but Prop 15 also explicitly does not apply to real property used for commercial agricultural production. Prop 15 applies only to commercial and industrial real property valued at more than $3 million. Prop 15 benefits all businesses by creating a new $500,000 tax exemption on personal property, including business equipment and fixtures. And small businesses of less than 50 full-time employees are totally exempt from taxes on personal property. That’s a significant benefit to all small businesses, including our small and midsized family farms.”

Democrats also support Prop 21 which gives more authority to local communities on the issue of rent control. According to Michael Weinstein of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation: “Among the 17 million renters in California, the suffering is unabated. Not only do we see increased homelessness, but the affordability crisis has reached epic proportions with many people paying 50% or more of their income to keep a roof over their head.”

Democrats oppose Prop 22 and urge a No vote.

According to Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs: “Prop 22 embodies the opposite of racial equity as it would leave Black and brown drivers with no sick pay, no workers’ compensation and no unemployment insurance because the app companies wrote the Mayor Tubbs and initiative to take these Senator Harris. benefits away.”

Regardless of your political viewpoint, please vote and after the election let’s all find a way to work together for our community.

45^fifl¢∞§

Continued from page 1

Some residents left before the evacuation mandate late on Sunday night, Sept. 27. That order led to traffic backups of up to two hours on the only two Oakmont exits, Oakmont Drive and Pythian Road. And those exits feed onto the two lanes of Highway 12.

A third possible exit via White Oak Village and Channel Drive was available early in the evacuation, but very few people reportedly used it, and it was later closed to allow fire fighters’ vehicle access to Trione-Annadel State Park.

The evacuation spurred discussion of possible evacuation route alternatives, a difficult issue because of the community’s layout and the narrowness of Highway 12. It also heightened focus on ways homeowners can better protect their property. The OVA board in September approved a Firewise Landscape Policy encouraging homeowners to remove junipers and other flammable landscaping by Aug. 31, 2022.

The wildfire pointed up the shortage of volunteers for the Oakmont Emergency Planning Committee, or OEPC which uses radios to spread emergency alerts and instructions. “We only have enough neighborhood communications staff to cover about half of Oakmont and most of that coverage is a single individual, said the head of OEPC, Pat Barclay.

“We need more residents to take this seriously and get involved. It’s not rocket science and takes very little of their time.” To volunteer, send an e-mail to OakmontERT@gmail.com.

Two other efforts include volunteers who help keep track of their neighbors during an emergency. The two, COPE and MYN, also need volunteers.

After returning home, many people filed insurance claims to pay for removal of the sooty fire residue and the smell of smoke inside their homes.

Many also are eyeing large bushes that have grown over the decades and are now too close to homes and fences. The Firewise zone around a house is five feet, and any trees should not reach onto a home’s roof.

Other recommendations include a gravel strip next to a home’s foundation and ventilation screens with 1/8-inch openings, not the more common 1/4-inch.

Fitness Club

nTom Kelley

What is a Street Strider?

If you enjoy the elliptical machine in the gym, you really are going to like a Street Strider, which is basically an elliptical machine on wheels. Just ask Oakmont resident Jane Gyorgy, who has ridden one for about four years. You have probably seen her on her strider with a big smile and waving to everyone.

In fact, due to her enthusiasm and example, nine other people in Oakmont now ride these machines.

Initially it took her about 20 minutes to feel comfortable using the brakes and gear shifters and she has never fallen due to its stability of having three wheels. Now she rides about three times a week, only within Oakmont, and averages about seven miles per trip. Her longest ride was 23 miles.

Jane became interested in this equipment after seeing someone else riding one in Oakmont. She noticed the person was having fun and liked that it could be ridden outdoors and was total body exercise. With an additional stability stand, the Street Strider can be ridden indoors, but she rides outdoors all year long. Both the arms and legs are used, unlike a bicycle which only exercises the legs.

Because of old sport injuries, Jane finds riding a bike painful, while the Strider is extremely comfortable because you ride standing with greater stability. No uncomfortable bike seat here and it is easy to get on and off. She has found Oakmont ideal because of the many miles of flat streets with slight hills. The disadvantage is that steep hills are very challenging on a Strider, just like walking or biking. The steeper hills in Oakmont could be ridden with serious training, but she gets enough exercise and enjoyment without the steep hills.

The Street Strider is only available for purchase online, but can be maintained by the local bike shops.

Be sure to wave back to Jane when you see her riding in the neighborhood.

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The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Exercising After the Repopulation of Oakmont nJohn Phillips, Oakmont Fitness Center trainer

It is the first half of October at the writing of this article and Oakmont once again has survived an evacuation— hopefully the last for the season. Now, it’s time to get back to our regular routine which means getting back to our exercise program.

I know that during this time you are probably cleaning out the refrigerator and wiping everything down from the dust, ash and grime that comes from a fire. Once all that is done you should have started back to your regular routine. If you haven’t, let me stress how important it is to get back to that normalcy.

One of the toughest things to get back to normal is your exercise program, yet this is one of those things that will help cope with all the stress and anxiety that comes with what you have gone through. The important thing to think about is how well you were doing before this happened and slowly build back up to where you were. You need to start slow, see how much of a setback you may have had and then slowly push yourself as you began to regain your strength and endurance.

Begin by trying to do two days a week building up to a third. If you want to do something every day then make sure you perform different routines each day.

This primarily is for weightlifting; cardiovascular exercise can be performed every day.

Remember the three movements that need to be performed, a push, a pull and a squat. You may want to start by not using any weight and limiting the number of reps and sets that you do and slowly building from there. Remember to always do a warmup and a cool down and stretch. Stretching is very important for mature adults to keep them flexible and mobile.

Another reason it is very important to get back into your routine is how late it is in the year. We have Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays coming up in the next two months and both wreak havoc on exercise and diet programs. Our eating habits have already been interrupted with social distancing and then the evacuation and finally the holidays. If you are not already eating poorly then you certainly will be soon and need to get a handle on it before it becomes too much to reel back in.

Of course, this year may be a little different with everything going on. You may not be going out to parties as in previous years, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

So start watching your food intake and monitor you alcohol intake, One of our worst enemies is sugar and most people eat more sugar when they are stressed—it provides comfort with a pseudo high and then we drop to a ultimate low, so the best thing to do is get your high out of your workouts and leave the sugar alone.

I wish the best to everyone and would like to remind everyone that I am available for personal training through Zoom and can give advice to you via email, text and calls. I’m still holding Push Your Potential class on Zoom Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11 a.m. If interested just let me know and I can give you all the details needed. My cell phone number is 4949086, email is wkuout2@aol.com.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Fitness Center when we can once get back to it.

SRJC Older Adult Program

nMary Hastings

The fall semester classes on Zoom began Monday, Aug. 17. These no-fee classes will continue until Christmas.

Please join Mary and fellow Oakmont residents for an early morning exercise class or two.

Zoom classes are as follows: OAP 507 Section 2971, Fitness and Strength: MWF 7:30 a.m.

OAP 507 Section 2691, Stretch and Strength: T/Th 7:30 a.m.

OAP 507 Section 2039: Balance and Strength: F 9:30 a.m.

First, download the Zoom ap on your computer or device you will be using for class.

Second, enroll in the JC online if you have not taken a JC class since last summer.

Third, register online for the class you want using the section numbers above.

Fourth, email me at mhastings@santarosa.edu.

I will send you the Zoom meeting numbers for the specific class you are interested in.

If you have trouble with the online registration for a class, email me at mhastings@santarosa.edu.

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ALREADY VOTED?

The months leading up to the 2020 election have been filled with reasons to vote, in general, and which candidates to elect, in particular. We vote the party and the people we think would best benefit our lives, our country and our world.

Here I must add: vote for exercise! After all, research points out the positives of aerobic, strength training, and flexibility work-outs each week. Studies prove that a healthy body is one of the keys to a good life, a better life.

I wish we had a political party that rewards exercising. Think of it, instead of a tax break for charitable contributions, we’d get tax breaks for aerobic sessions. Bicycling, running, swimming would count. Probably not yoga, although yoga is good for physical flexibility, strength, balance and mental concentration. And the meditative music is good for the soul.

I might even consider campaigning for a person running on an all-round fitness platform. Let’s face it, the fires of 2017, the years of power outages and evacuations, or threatened evacuations, and the fire of 2020 have all taken their toll. Not to mention staying home, away from coronavirus contacts.

According to the publication Healthline, CDC (Center for Disease Control) reports that over 8% of American adults had depression in any given woweek period between 2013 and 2016. What CDC didn’t measure and report is the depression of adults in Oakmont between 2017 and 2020. After what we’ve experienced, we need to pay attention to not only our physical heath but also our mental and emotional well-being.

So, let’s declare November as the Self-Affirmation month. Vote for your personal emotional, mental and physical well-being. Be your own activist.

In November: • Set boundaries that say “no, thank you” to activities or challenges that seem overwhelming at this time; • Make sure you get enough rest and sleep… but not too much; • Eat food for nourishment. Get nurturing from other sources such as music, soaking baths, personal pampering, friends and family, pets, creative art, meditating. Go easy on alcohol, chocolate and sugary desserts; • Take time for yourself, give time to a friend; both are positive mood enhancers; • Exercise 30 minutes 3 to 5 days a week. This habit can increase your body’s production of endorphins, improving your mood and spirit.

I invite you to Zoom into Oakmont Health Initiative free aerobic classes each Monday and Wednesday mornings, 9 a.m. (see number above).

6

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Veterans Appreciation Event

nCapt. Bob Cortelyou, U.S. Navy, Retired, Chair, Oakmont Veterans Appreciation Event Committee

Joan and Andy Andrew, Oakmont residents and World War II Navy veterans, met and married during the war and will share their memories and experience in the war at the online Oakmont Veterans Appreciation Event November 11.

(Photo by Julie Kiil)

to view the program in the comfort of your home on your smart TV, computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone. The link to this program is at the end of this article.

I’m sure you will be interested to see the following, only some of which is in the program: • World War II Veterans and Oakmont residents are interviewed and talk of their experiences during the war.

• Videos of Bob Hope shows performed during the war.

• Letter from Capt. Jim Knapp’s dad written to him at war’s end, after being deployed in the European theater for two years.

• Video of the Japanese unconditional surrender aboard the USS Missouri along with Oakmont resident

Brooks Marler who was there.

• Videos of the VJ-day, and war’s end, celebration across the country.

• Music video of all of the armed services, in which we ask you to stand during the playing of your service anthem.

• Patriotic music videos including Kate Smith singing the popular WWII Irving Berlin song “God Bless America.”

I think you will enjoy this program very much, and you may want to refer other veterans to the program.

The program will be available starting at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 and be available online for several days.

To view the program online, click on Oakmontvillage.com/events and follow the path for Oakmont Veterans Event.

Wednesday, November 11 at 11 am

Please join us this coming Veterans Day for Oakmont’s exclusive 16th annual Veterans Appreciation Event.

The program will highlight the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, those Oakmont veterans who served our country during this crisis, and videos of events taken during this period.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this program will be presented online since large gatherings in the Berger are no longer permitted. You will be able

nStaff Report

Jerry Foster

Jacob Joseph “Jerry” Foster, an Oakmont Sunday Symposium founder in 1991 and regular each Sunday ever since, has passed away. He was 96.

You couldn’t miss Jerry sitting in the front row seat that was reserved for him nearest to the speaker. It was a long-standing tradition that he would ask the first question at the end of each Symposium presentation.

Foster also was a familiar face in the front row at Oakmont board meetings, Lifelong Learning classes and other events in the Berger Center.

A native of Rhode Island, Foster was an Army veteran who achieved the rank of captain and retired physician.

“He was a great contributor to all of Oakmont,” said Symposium President George McKinney. “He will be missed.”

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The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

board

Board At-a-Glance

nHarriet Palk

Summary of Oct. 20 OVA Board Actions

Building Construction: The ADA path into the dog park was damaged by fire equipment, requiring repairs. It is hoped that the park can open in early November.

• Installation of screening and vegetation around the generator in the Berger parking lot is underway.

• It will be February before OVA can get final approval to start using the solar canopy at Berger.

Veterans Day: A video for viewing at home via Zoom Nov. 11 will honor our veterans.

Oakmont Community Development: The means of evacuation will continue to be Oakmont Drive and Pythian Road. Needs of firefighters mean Channel Drive will not be available as hoped.

Elnoka: Development is being actively pursued with an EIR expected soon. An agreement is being developed with Oakmont Senior Living to provide egress through Elnoka in an emergency, but this option may be years away.

New Website: There were two goals with the redo of the Oakmont website. First is that it is easy and fun to navigate. Second is that the website be a destination for finding events and activities. This will require clubs to post their information on the website. Much of the website is open to the public with a small membership tab password protected.

OVA Bylaws Revisions Phase 1: Approved withdrawal of earlier proposal, replaced with requirement for a vote of OVA members to read “bylaws may be amended by approval of the Board and the affirmative vote of a majority of a quorum of at least 35% of OVA voters and 55% majority affirmation” as well as changes to the “Duration of Restrictions.” This failed 5-2. An amendment was offered to increase the quorum to 40% with a simple majority affirmation that passed 6-1.

Firewise Landscape Policy: Approved the policy (in concept) but added that junipers must be removed by Aug. 31, 2021. Marianne Neufeld is looking into organizations such as the Boy Scouts to help with removal for those incapable of doing it on their own.

AC Landscape Policy (Revised): Approved the policies (in concept) as recommended by the Firewise Safety Committee to be posted on the Berger bulletin board and included in the Oakmont News as soon as practicable to allow a 28-day review by OVA members.

Dues Relief: Established a policy that OVA members who lose their homes due to fire shall not be required to pay dues from the time the homes are lost for a period either three years or whenever the rebuilt home is ready for occupancy, whichever comes first. If the rebuilt home is not ready for occupancy within three years or the owner has no plans for a rebuild, dues for a single person will become due in the 37th month following the loss.

Sonoma Clean Power: Approved the changeover from purchasing OVA power from PG&E to the cleaner Sonoma Clean Power at more competitive rates, effective immediately.

Fire Resistant Perimeter Fence: Approved forming an Oakmont Perimeter Fence Committee to investigate developing a fire-resistant perimeter fence policy that will consult with homeowners whose property was impacted by the recent fire and consult with community members interested in reducing wildfire threats to Oakmont. David Dearden will chair the committee.

Temporary Fence Along Highway 12 between Oakmont Drive and Pythian: Approved spending not to exceed $15,000 for 4,000 linear feet of temporary fencing while OVA investigates the best solution for the long term.

Kiwanis Club of Oakmont nBev Singer

Jim Stewart, President

Jim Stewart joined the Kiwanis Club of Hacienda Heights, CA in October 1992, where he served as President 1997–1998 and Treasurer 1998–1999. During that tenure he cooked lots of pancakes and hot dogs for 22 years of 4th of July parades and worked on watershed projects planning trees after forest fires with Wilson HS and Los Altos HS Key Clubs.

Jim remained active until he moved to Oakmont in August 2014.

Since joining the Kiwanis Club of Oakmont in 2016, he served as President 2018–2019 and continues as Advisor to Maria Carrillo HS Key Club. Jim has graciously agreed to serve a second term

as President, for which our club members are grateful.

Jim was born in Philadelphia, PA. He moved to Los Angeles in 1946. He graduated from CA State University Northridge with a BA in Political Science.

He earned a teaching degree and a Master’s Degree in Art from Cal State Los Angeles. Jim taught upper elementary classes at Hacienda La Puente Unified School District for 15 years. He decided to change careers and became a Certified Financial Planner, helping people plan for retirement.

Jim is married to Jean. They have two adult children: Megan, who lives in Highland Ranch, CO with her husband Andy; and Andrew, who lives in San Francisco with his wife Karla and the Stewarts’ two grandsons, Declan and Emmett

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Continued from page 1

has been made fire safe, an inspector told her she’s still vulnerable because her neighbors on either side have junipers.

OVA Vice President Tom Kendrick asked how confident the board is that “we can do this.” “Pretty confident,” responded President Steven Spanier, adding that OVA’s attorneys have said it would stand up to legal challenges. Although he voted for the resolution, Kendrick said he favors encouraging, rather than requiring, the removal of junipers. “We can do both,” Spanier said, referring to the juniper removal and defensible space program.

PERIMETER FENCING

Tackling the issue of thousands of feet of fencing behind Oakmont homes backing up on Highway 12 destroyed by the Glass fire, the board unanimously approved spending up to $15,000 for 4,000 feet of temporary fencing for three months between Oakmont Drive and Pythian Road.

Meanwhile, OVA asked homeowners whose fences burned not to replace them by erecting new wooden fences.

Addressing the overall issue of fencing on Oakmont’s entire perimeter, the board approved the formation of an Oakmont Perimeter Fence Committee to investigate the feasibility of developing a fireresistant fence policy. The committee will consult with homeowners whose property was impacted by the Glass Fire and other community members interested in reducing wildfire threats to Oakmont and with firefighting, insurance and building professionals involved in managing risks in the wildland urban interface (WUI).

Noting that the Glass Fire destroyed a significant portion of Oakmont’s perimeter fence, the resolution said that before lost fences are replaced with flammable wood fences, “we have an opportunity to build a perimeter fence with long-lasting fire-resistant materials.” Among the benefits of fire resistance perimeter fencing, it said, are eliminating wooden fencing which acts “as a wick” carrying the fire into home siding, reducing the risk of the domino house fire effect, enhanced security and privacy and creating a uniform appearance with perimeter fencing.

The board approved a resolution requiring a membership vote of a majority of a quorum of at least 40% of OVA voters to amend OVA bylaws and protective restrictions (CC&Rs). The vote was 6-1. Spanier opposed the move because he favored requiring a membership vote of 55% (a super majority) of a quorum of at least 40%.

The resolution reflects a long-held belief that the current thresholds requiring more than 1,600 affirmative votes for making bylaw changes and more than 2,400 yes votes for CC&R amendments are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.

The vote followed withdrawal of a previous resolution requiring a majority of a quorum of at least 25% of the membership. The change followed “some community interest in establishing a higher quorum,” according to background provided by the board.

OVA directors unanimously approved a resolution providing dues relief for the owners of two Oakmont homes destroyed in the 2017 fire and six destroyed in this year’s Glass fire. The new policy states that Oakmont members who lose their homes due to fire shall not be required to pay dues from the time their home is lost for either three years or whenever the rebuilt home is ready for occupancy, whichever comes first.

Also approved without opposition was changing OVA’s purchase of power from PG&E “to the cleaner, more competitive rates of Sonoma Clean Power, effective immediately.” The major benefit to OVA, the resolution states, “is to ensure that nearly all of the electricity we buy comes from non-fossil fuel sources.

SCP electricity comes from a mix of wind, photo voltaic and geothermal sources and is regarded as some of the cleanest power available in the nation.”

8

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

president’s message

Continued from page 1

Where Are We Now?

I imagine most of us have finished cleaning up around our homes. Our gas is back on. Our refrigerators have been emptied, cleaned and restocked. The air has cleared and the most recent red flag warning has passed without notable incident.

With any luck, the 2020 fire season will soon end and rain is not too far off.

OVA reached out to all six parties who lost homes.

The city provided buckets—available through the OVA—that contain PPE and instructions should homeowners care to sift through the remains of their homes looking for cherished items. Our staff is doing whatever they can to ease resident concerns. At our October 20 meeting, the board will vote on dues relief for those who lost their homes.

PG&E is continuing infrastructure repair. Poles and other equipment were lost or heavily damaged, so the army of PG&E personnel staged at the Los Guilicos facility will continue installing more fire-resistant equipment.

As a recent OVA news alert stated, the Santa Rosa Fire Department (SRFD) was very pleased with Oakmont’s evacuation. SRFD’s evacuation success criterion is whether Oakmont was evacuated safely and in time for first responders to conduct community defense activities without having to worry about saving lives. This was achieved.

Many of us experienced significant delays while evacuating, raising concerns that a more aggressive fire would have caused a mass casualty event. SRFD states that, had the fire approached more rapidly or with less warning, they would have evacuated residents using both lanes of Highway 12 in one direction. Apparently, for the Glass Fire, this was not necessary. SRFD states traffic enforcement personnel were present at important points along Highway 12 and performed their job appropriately. The new emergency evacuation route along Channel Drive was used for a short period of time until the fire’s approach toward Annadel forced its closure to citizen traffic.

You’ve no doubt read in the paper that SRFD lauded our fire prevention efforts. We’re off to a good start, but there is much more to be done.

Where Do We Go From Here?

OVA will continue to refine its fire safety policies and requirements, but the basic framework is already in place. Homeowners have responded remarkably well, in many cases going beyond Phase I requirements to reduce fuels and create defensible space. By the time the plan we’ve put in place concludes its final phase, Oakmont will be a model of fire safety.

Fires bring bad air and power outages. Many have purchased HEPA filters for their homes and we encourage their use. By next Spring, OVA’s solar arrays will be fully operational. In time, Oakmont will achieve micro-grid status, allowing homes, OVA facilities and local businesses to continue to function during power outages. In the meantime, generators using multiple fuels are installed and available to power our common facilities during power outages.

Oakmont residents will continue to benefit from more advance notice of emergencies. The Nixle and SoCoAlert early warning systems help ensure we can all get out in time so first responders can focus on saving property rather than people. Both are must haves. Sign up for Nixle at nixle.com. Sign up for SoCoAlert at socoemergency.org.

Oakmont evacuation is a difficult problem to solve.

Long delays will result if all homes are evacuated at once. If neighborhoods are evacuated one by one, total evacuation will take many hours. Short of widening Highway 12 (a subject we’ll continue to discuss with the powers that be, but in no case is this a quick or easy solution), there is simply no way to rapidly empty the community. We therefore recommend that as many people as possible leave with the first evacuation warning or even earlier if you believe a

dangerous situation may be building. Don’t wait for the evacuation order. You can always return if the community is open.

First responders and other service providers such as PG&E have made significant progress since the 2017 fires. Advance notice of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPSs) is much improved. PSPS events themselves are shorter and cover fewer homes. Notices come promptly after power has been restored. PG&E is also taking steps to reduce the risk of trees, limbs and branches coming into contact with power lines in high fire-threat areas.

CalFire has produced a number of resources for individual homeowners, including Ready, Set, Go: Your Personal Wildland Fire Action Guide. Their website also points to a number of other resources, including a FireSAFE Sonoma website, a Living With Fire in Sonoma County homeowner guide and a very useful Low-Cost Retrofit List.

Closer to home, COPE, Map Your Neighborhood (MYN) and OEPC organizations are key to getting residents out safely and keeping them informed.

We will soon debrief with our local emergency organizations to understand what worked, what didn’t work and how they can improve their responses to crises.

OVA has looked into bulk insurance options for our residents and we will continue to pursue any opportunities we can think of to help our homeowners procure home insurance. However, as you might imagine, carriers are limiting, not increasing their exposure in fire-prone areas. We don’t foresee any breakthroughs but will keep at it.

OVA is scheduling a town hall with PG&E, CalFire and SRFD. This town hall will feature presentations from each of these organizations, a debrief on recent Glass Fire activities and a chance for residents to ask questions about future fire prevention plans. The town hall will be held as soon as possible which, from a practical perspective, will happen as soon as these organizations are finished coping with fires and cleanup.

A resolution presented at our October 20 board meeting will establish a committee to evaluate the complex problem of perimeter fencing along Highway 12. Because many landowners are involved, a comprehensive solution will take some consideration. We will involve representatives from our fire safety committee, our architectural committee and possibly others in this effort. Already, however, fire safety committee members have evaluated fencing materials, including one made out of stainless steel and concrete that was used for Coffey Park rebuilds.

What Can We Take From This Tragedy?

The exceptional performance of first responders coupled with the fire prevention work of OVA and its residents minimized Glass Fire damage in Oakmont.

Twice in the last four years, Oakmont has emerged largely intact from major fires. Clearly, first responders take their jobs protecting Grandma and Grandpa’s homes very seriously. We hope and believe this will continue.

Particularly during emergencies, we all need accurate, timely information. These days, OVA’s most timely information comes electronically. We cannot recommend more strongly that all residents and members join the OVA email list. OVA news alerts keep you informed about what’s happening in our community and point you to reliable information from other sources. Email askova@oakmontvillage. com or call the OVA office to be added to our list.

Smartphones are no longer a luxury, but rather a necessity in any location where emergencies occur regularly. Using a smartphone from any location, you can read email from OVA, friends and relatives, read the Press Democrat, listen to the KSRO radio station for the latest emergency news and receive alerts from Nixle and SoCoAlert. Smartphones also allow you to download applications that turn the phone into a flashlight (very useful in power outages), keep

track of the location of friends and family (the Life 360 application and others), see the weather forecast and perform many other useful functions. Plain and simple, today’s smartphone is a critically important safety tool and we plan to provide tutorials on their use for emergencies.

Conclusion

OVA, CalFire, SRFD and PG&E are all learning organizations. Since 2017, each has significantly improved operations before, during and after emergencies. Each will continuously improve to cope with the new normal facing not just Oakmont, but the entire western portion of the United States and many other parts of the world.

Our community offers great amenities, activities and friendship opportunities. Like many other places, we are being forced to rapidly adapt to changing circumstances. OVA will continue to pursue every opportunity, learn from every situation, consider every suggestion and initiate any action to make Oakmont the best it can be.

SIR Branch #92 nBern Lefson

What’s Happening in Sonoma Valley?

Please mark your calendar for Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. to hear a super presentation on “What’s Happening in Sonoma Valley.” Our speaker is Keith Woods, CEO of the North Coast Builders Exchange.

A native of the Bay Area, Keith majored in Journalism at Fresno State. His professional experience includes 45 years of organizational management work, including staff and executive positions at the San Francisco, San Jose and San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. He served as President of the Santa Rosa Chamber from 1987–2000.

Keith has spoken to 900+ audiences in 48 states and Canada. In 1999, the U.S. State Department and U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked him to travel to Moscow to conduct management training for 40 former military generals who were becoming business owners and Chamber executives.

This will be a presentation you will not want to miss! You may invite non-members to our meeting. A guest needs to send me a name and email address so I may send the link to him or her.

9

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Hikers nTony Lachowicz

Please keep checking website for updates: www. oakmonthikingclub.com.

NOVEMBER 5 SHORT HIKE SONOMA DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER

We’ll explore the history and horticultural plantings of the SDC near Glen Ellen, on this 2-3 mile mostly-level partially shaded walk. We’ll learn about the beautiful and unique trees of the main campus, stop at several historical buildings and also discuss the Sonoma Mountain Preservation efforts and the ongoing planning process envisioning SDC’s future.

Bring water and a snack; we will wear face coverings and stay at least 6’ apart. Depart Berger 9 a.m. Hike leader is Carolyn Greene, (805) 443-7289.

NOVEMBER 5 LONG HIKE DIAS RIDGE MARIN

We will hike in Marin. Our hike will take us to the Dias ridge in Mill Valley. Fantastic views of the ocean!

We will lunch at Muir Beach, then a gentle uphill after lunch to our cars. About 8 miles and 1,500’ elevation gain. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Berger. Hike leader is Lynn Pelletier, Yvelinepelletier@gmail.com.

NOVEMBER 19 LONG HIKE HENRY’S KNOB

The long hikers will continue exploring the southern reaches of Annadel on this 10-mile, 1,100’ elevation gain, historic hike. We’ll follow a former ranch road as we ascend to Henry’s Knob where

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Mendocino Short Hike. (Photo by Donna McCulloch)

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Online Games at Oakmont nGeorge McKinney

There are still a lot of opportunities for you to play games with your neighbors and friends. We have game groups for contract bridge, duplicate bridge, scrabble, Mah Jongg, and other games.

Online can be a lot of fun and a chance to stay in touch.

Email us at gamesatoakmont@gmail.com.

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10

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Pétanque Club

nNorma Doyle

nDon McPherson

CURRENT RULES FOR PLAY

Pétanque play via player-arranged pickup games continues on the Oakmont courts between Berger and the OVA offices/Umpqua Bank. Using the two side courts and leaving the middle court vacant to promote social distancing, the maximum number of players currently permitted is 12.

Those using the courts are reminded to keep a minimum of 6 feet social distance at all times and to bring and use their own equipment, face covering and hand sanitizer. Masks covering mouth and nose should be worn at all times.

Scoreboards, throwing circles, extra boules, chairs, and benches may not be used. Gatherings before and after games are prohibited. No one feeling ill may come to the courts and individuals play at their own risk. During play, no one may touch anyone else’s boules. Each team must use one designated player to throw out and pick up her or his own cochonnet.

The club will announce when it will officially resume sponsorship of open, random team selection Club Play on Wednesday and Saturday mornings in the regularly scheduled 9:45 a.m.–noon time slot.

REPORT FROM FRANCE

Oakmont Pétanque Club member Jean-michel Poulnot has returned from his annual holiday in France including family visits in his hometown near Dijon.

Jean-michel Poulnot, right, with Arc-les-Gray Club champion Regis Merle.

On November 2 and 9 Playreaders will stage a Zoom reading of the play Murder at the Howard Johnson’s by Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick. Readers will be John Dolan, Charley Ensley, Anne Gero and Dennis Hall.

All Playreaders should check both their e-mails and their “spam” (“junk mail”) accounts daily.

The Play: It’s the mid-1970s and Arlene and her lover, Mitchell, are meeting in a Howard Johnson’s hotel to profess their undying love, and their desire to be together forever. The only obstacle... is her husband, Paul. Since he probably won’t agree to a divorce, clearly the only solution is murder. This bizarre leap of logic drives the frenetic and hilarious action in Murder at the Howard Johnson’s.

Mitchell is a self-absorbed lothario and dentist.

He preens with absolute conviction, certain that he is absolutely, irresistible to women. Arlene brings her own quirks including the intellectual depth and emotional constancy of a weather-vane.

The wronged husband, Paul, genuinely loves his wife, and for a few moments we think he may be the one to point out the absurdity of the murder plot.

Instead, he quickly accepts the bizarre logic of the situation. A large man who towers over Mitchell, he has the physical capacity to resist. Instead, he blusters and threatens that this murder attempt is surely going

Current Events Discussion Group nTina Lewis

Pétanque Boulodrome, Arc-les-Gray, France.

Arc-les-Gray Club Trophy Room and Bar.

Jean-michel played regularly at the Arc-les-Gray Pétanque Club, about 30 miles east of Dijon. Arc-lèsGray is a commune centered on the river Saône in eastern France with a population of about 3,000. The club has a membership of 130. Its facilities include 61 outdoor courts surrounding a large indoor heated Boulodrome housing additional, lighted courts as well as a café, bar, and the club’s meeting and trophy room.

Jean-michel reports the majority of surfaces are small white pebbles, so play is very challenging with most of the pointing plombée or semi-plombée (full or half lob) and most of the shooting, which he describes as “very good,” au fer (direct hit).

Playreaders

The Current Events group consists of lively discussions of current events, from local to international, every Friday from 1–2:30 p.m. Informed comments are welcomed from across the political spectrum, from liberals to conservatives. We try very hard to limit the discussion of politics. There are many other issues to discuss.

Because we cannot meet in person, our meetings are now on Zoom. We hope you will join us. If you are interested, send an email to me at tinalewis31@ comcast.net, and your request will be forwarded to Jim Duport, who hosts the meetings. If you have any questions, call 539-5546.

to end their relationship as dentist and patient.

The entire thing has a wonderfully cartoon-like air of unreality, aided by the characters’ remarkable capacity to be distracted. No matter that one is trying to kill another, there’s still plenty of time to stop for a quick dental examination, a lament about the quality of the takeout food, or a side conversation about what to get for dinner.

Laughter during the play comes in part from the delight at these characters and their complete immersion in the weird internal logic of their wacky universe.

The Playwrights: Ron Clark is a Canadian playwright and screenwriter.

He co-wrote screenplays for the films Silent Movie, High Anxiety, and Life Stinks with Mel Brooks.

Clark’s writing for TV during the ‘60s, included such shows as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Danny Kaye Show and ‘70s–’80s with That Girl (1970), Silver Spoons (1985–1987), and Moonlighting (1989).

Sam Bobrick (1932–2019) Readers for was a playwright, director and Murder at the screenwriter for such shows as Howard Johnson’s The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched, are Dennis Hall, Charley Ensley, The Flintstones, Get Smart, and The John Dolan and Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Anne Gero. winning three Writers Guild of America Awards for his television work and was nominated for an Emmy. He also wrote several movies and later quit writing for film and television in 1990.

Bobrick wrote over 40 plays, co-writing with Clark on four plays. The first was Norman, Is That You?, which ran for five years in Paris and played in over 30 countries around the world.

11

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Passages Eldon Modisette, 35-year Oakmont resident, passed away September 29.

Please contact OVA resident Bev Schilpp by phone, 538-4293 or E-mail wallyschilpp1@peoplepc.com, to publish the name and date of death of your loved one in the Oakmont News.

Oakmont Square Dancing Club nSusan McLean

We’re still here and looking forward to seeing you on the other side of this pandemic. We’ll keep in touch regarding any new developments and we will be posting square dance news, lore and dancer interviews in future editions. Stay healthy and safe.

For information about our club call Jenny at 3672102; Susan at 367-0417 or Phil at 843-3053.

Lifelong Learning nMarlena Cannon

January Classes Coming Soon!

We apologize for having to cancel our Fall semester classes due to the Glass Fire. We are working on rescheduling a variety of interesting courses starting in January. Watch this space for more news.

Lawn Bowling nMary Blake

This time last year, we thought 2019 had been a strange year! The Novice Singles tournament had been interrupted with illness and three power outages. The Women’s Pairs was interrupted with a serious illness, a bad fall, a trip to Iceland, a move to Florida and three power outages. We even had to delay Halloween until November 8. I think we were all looking forward to 2020 and a return to normal.

Board elections

Marilyn and Jeana have held their positions as president and vice president, respectively, for two years and our bylaws require them to step down.

When it’s time to vote, I’ll send an email that people can respond to. For those who don’t use email, or want to vote anonymously, I’ll leave a polling box and blank ballots in the equipment shed.

Candidates: President, Bob Stevens; Vice President, Steve Pickell; Treasurer, Tony Lachowicz (incumbent); Secretary, Mary Blake (incumbent); Directors, Bonnie Johnston and Jim Krause (incumbents).

Holiday party and gifts for children in need

We’ll also have to forego our awards banquet/ holiday party. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still children in need. Every year, thanks to Jeana, we’ve given Christmas presents to children who probably wouldn’t get any without us. Jeana is putting together a list of children in need. At this point, she’s assuming that we probably will do a smaller number than usual and, of course, no wrapping party.

Family is at the heart of everything we do!

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Let me hear from you!

R

S’ C

H OI C

1

8•

DE

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REA

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FD #209/CR #92

E 2017 •

20

Family owned since 1875

Wes, Carol and Will Daniels with Patricia Daniels, Oakmont Resident

Right now, I’m writing into an empty void. I don’t know how many read this and what they think of it.

I’d really like to hear back from you. What would you like to see in these articles? Is something happening that you’d like to share? Would you like to help Jeana with the gift-giving for foster kids?

Send an email to oakmontlawnbowling@gmail. com. Contact us at www.oakmontlawnbowling.com or oakmontlawnbowling@gmail.com.

12

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Bocce Club

nLinda and Don McPherson

OBSERVE POSTED RULES

Organized Bocce play is slowly returning around the country and the Bay Area under Covid-19 restrictions, but remains stifled in Oakmont and Sonoma County. As of mid-October, Sonoma was the only county in the Bay Area that remained “purple” (widespread virus) on the state’s county risk level map. Nevertheless, determined players continue to compete on the Oakmont Courts under the club’s reopening restrictions.

All players are reminded that they are required to observe the posted Rules of Play. Masks covering both nose and mouth and social distancing of six feet minimum are required on the court and in the court area. A maximum of 8 persons may play, a maximum of 4 persons on each side court with the center court left vacant at all times.

No club equipment may be used. Except within two-person family units, personal equipment may not be shared. Players must identify and touch only their individual balls marked via tape, stickers, etc. and pallinos can only be touched by one person from each side during play.

Players are expected to bring hand sanitizer and/or sanitizing wipes. One person shall be designated to score and that person will wipe down the scoreboard and pegs with sanitizer or wipes at the end of play.

Individuals may not come to the courts if they have any illness symptoms; individuals play at their own risk. Persons wishing seating should bring their own chairs.

BOCCE BOARD ACTIONS

The Bocce Club Board has conducted business by email as necessary and current officers have agreed to continue to serve in 2021. The board voted to waive dues for 2021 for all members who have paid in 2020.

INNOVATIONS EXPAND BOCCE PLAY

Although the pandemic has severely reduced bocce play around the country, it also has spurred innovations to make the game easily accessible to more players. Based in Chicago, the American Bocce Co., an entrepreneurial start-up of social sport entrepreneurs, introduced bocce on 18 ships across Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet in 2016. From there they expanded to Special Olympics and to corporate events

of all kinds. Most recently the company is organizing both social and competitive leagues across the U.S. The company’s latest innovation is to team with Packaworld International, a New Zealand company that manufactures highly portable bocce courts in a variety of lengths and widths with inflatable side and end walls and a roll-out artificial surface if needed.

The portable courts can be used both indoor and outdoor in venues as varied as parks, parking lots, restaurants, meeting facilities, schools, senior communities and centers, and assisted living facilities. Conceding that the number of players and leagues has fallen in 2020 due to the virus, company president Alex Gara expects bocce play not only to bounce back but to boom in the future.

Packaworld portable bocce courts.

(Photo by Packaworld International)

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Bocce 2020—in masks at The Villages, Florida.

(Photo by The Villages Newsbreak)

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13

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Low-Cost Fire Retrofit

Low-Cost Retrofit List

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a wildfire resiliency bill in October 2019. Drafted by Assembly member Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa), the legislation is a five-year pilot program that includes several measures to respond to the wildfire crisis in California. The bill contains the first statewide fire retrofit program to help communities and homeowners harden homes.

The Low Cost Retrofit List to the right was developed by the state fire marshal and other agencies and identifies specific retrofit and structure hardening measures.

nRosemary Waller

A FALL GREETING

We have reached that time of year when, if these were normal times, we would joyfully be welcoming you to Music at Oakmont’s 2020–21 season, celebrating 30 years of great chamber music, live at Berger Center.

Instead, we find ourselves mostly confined within the walls of our homes, defending ourselves against a horrific pandemic, power outages, and unimaginably destructive wildfires.

While we have been obliged to shutter our 2020–21 season, we want to bring you a cautiously optimistic update. We have now been able to secure commitments from the performers of five of our six planned concerts, moving them into the 2021–22 season. This rescheduling is conditional upon the reopening of Berger Center by October 2021, which of course cannot be guaranteed right now. However, we are proceeding based on the hope that we can make a definitive announcement of the 2021–22 season by next spring. (If the lone remaining uncommitted artists, the fabulous Carion Wind Ensemble from Denmark, are unable to reschedule, we have several excellent backups in mind.)

A PLAN FOR THE HIATUS

Judy Walker and I have been working on some ideas to stay in touch with you, during this time when we are all starved for live music. Each month from now through March we plan to send you an email which will include Music at Oakmont updates, plus a link to a musical surprise that we will pick out especially for you, along with sharing our thoughts as to why we made that particular choice. While we know this will not replace actual live performances, we think it will be a fun project, for us as well as for you!

If you have been receiving our monthly e-blast with concert reminders, you will automatically be sent these new messages. If you would like to be added to our list, please email Judy Walker (judywales@ sbcglobal.net) or call her at 537-9266. If you don’t have access to a computer, let Judy know and we will be happy to send you hard copies of the messages by snail mail.

2020 DONOR DRIVE

We are immensely grateful to those of you who have already contributed so generously to Music at Oakmont’s 2020 Donor Drive. If you haven’t yet done so, and would like to take part, you may mail checks, made out to Oakmont Community Foundation, with “Music at Oakmont” on the memo line, to Oakmont Community Foundation, 6637 Oakmont Dr., Suite A, Santa Rosa CA 95409. We are most grateful to OCF for partnering with us in our Donor Drive. We rely on these funds to be able to present our distinguished lineup of artists, as well as to keep our admission prices reasonable and welcoming to all.

Please stay safe and healthy, and know that we look forward ever so much to seeing you in person once again.

nMarty Thompson

Oakmont’s Bus—It’s a Deal!

That blue and white CitiBus you see roaming Oakmont is all yours. It travels an Oakmont route every weekday and also visits nearby shopping centers. The driver will even stop in front of your house. And it’s free.

It’s the only CitiBus service designed for what the city calls a deviated fixed route. And it’s the only Santa Rosa bus that’s always free, Yuri Koslen, transit planner for the city said in a telephone interview. Deviated means you can summon the bus by phone, and ask the driver to drop you off at home on your return trip.

Oakmont Route 16 is a rare partnership for the city, with the cost shared by Santa Rosa and Oakmont under an agreement going back to 1999. Carlos Giron is the driver, a popular guy with his regular riders.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all public transit, but Route 16 less than many. Koslen says it has seen about a 50% drop and is averaging 183 trips per month in the pandemic. The rest of the city’s system is running at 32%.

With lots of space aboard Oakmont’s bus, social

distancing is easy. Signs at bus stops around Oakmont list the schedule, and one is printed in this edition of the Oakmont News.

The trips out of Oakmont for shopping take riders to the Bennett Valley Center on Mondays, Montgomery Village on Tuesdays, St. Francis Center (Safeway, etc.) and Oliver’s on Montecito on Wednesdays, Farmers Lane CVS and 4th Street Safeway on Thursday, and St. Francis Center on Fridays. Those trips area all listed in the schedule.

The regular bus has been out of service because of a problem with equipment for its kneeling feature.

Koslen says Santa Rosa has secured funding to replace the bus and is determining what kind of new bus. An electric vehicle is a possibility, he said.

Residents with suggestions or concerns about Route 16 can contact Koslen at YKoslen@srcitylorg.

Sonoma County Transit also serves Oakmont. Its Route 30 runs through the community as it travels between Sonoma and the downtown Santa Rosa Transit Center, where other connections are available.

County Transit is not free.

14

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Pickleball Corner

nDoc Savarese

Evacuation Orders

It is understandable that the frequent evacuations we have experienced during the past three years have resulted in a myriad of emotional reactions. One thing for certain is that nobody behaves normally after an emergency evacuation. The constant barrage of environmental circumstances has caused us to feel like victims due to the surrounding damage or loss. In investigating the emotional reactions to emergency evacuation, I came across the presentation, “Stages of Evacuation,” published by the Museum of Natural History: Stage 1 (Warning stage): This stage tells us it’s time to take notice and prepare for the eventuality of an evacuation. I know this may be difficult for some pickleball players who want to finish a game, however, this stage means curtailing play especially when dark clouds, increasing wind or distant flames are evident. Selecting a prior pro-active location is a desirable strategy to avoid chaos.

Stage 2 (Impact Stage): This is the stage when the catastrophe hits. For most of us, this sets us up into a flight or fight response. Typically, emotions are suppressed as we go into an action mode. With the recent Glass Fire, this necessitated a flight response, although the truth be told, I have heard of some pickleball players who stayed to fight the fire. This is definitely not recommended since human safety is always more important than structure safety for First Responders.

Stage 3 (Inventory Stage): Upon returning home from the evacuation, the initial reaction is to acknowledge the efforts of the first responders. Then reality begins to set in where we assess the damage and or loss. The

Cartoons by Peter Copen.

emotional ordeal sinks in as we realize that living in Oakmont is a high-risk endeavor and also realize our vulnerability to the ravages of wildfires.

State 4 (Recovery Stage): While most of us who were exposed to the Glass wildfire rebound quickly, there is an appreciable number who experience distress reactions. While returning to pickleball can be an emotional uplift by promoting behavior which was prevalent before the emergency evacuation, another reaction considered by many who I talked

with is moving to a safer location (i.e. Bend, OR, Palm Springs, out of state, and even international). Some are thinking about an evacuation by getting out of the area during fire season.

The important thing to note is that emergency evacuations can place an enormous strain upon our relationships. Red Skelton shared the following humor on relationships: We sleep in separate beds. Mine is in California and hers is in Texas.

I asked my wife where she wanted to go for our anniversary. She said, “Somewhere where I haven’t been in a long time.” I suggested the kitchen.

I take my wife everywhere but she keeps finding her way back.

My wife told me the car wasn’t running well because there was water in the carburetor. I asked her where the car was. She told me, “In the lake.”

Remember, marriage is the number one cause of divorce.

I married Miss Right. I didn’t know that her first name was “always.”

I haven’t spoken to my wife in 18 months. I don’t like to interrupt her.

Yesterday my husband saw a cockroach in the kitchen.

He cleaned and sprayed everything thoroughly. Today I am placing the cockroach in the bathroom.

Welcome home!

New Player Orientation: Arrangements can be made by contacting Pauly Uhr at 984-4186 or Nancy Lande at 978-2998 to schedule a session which are conducted on Tuesday mornings.

Oakmont Sunday Symposium www.oakmontsundaysymposium.org

nMarilyn Pahr

Oakmont Sunday Symposium Broadcast Series

Due to the ongoing Coronavirus safety protocols, we’ve engaged speakers to present either pre-recorded sessions or to appear in LIVE sessions. You won’t want to miss any talks so please check our Upcoming Talks page weekly for the latest instructions: http:// oakmontsundaysymposium.org.

Join us each Sunday at 11 a.m. on the date of the talk to engage with the speaker.

November 8: Kate O’Hare-Palmer Healing the Soldier

Imagine you are a 22-yearold who just graduated from nursing school and joined the Army. After a few months of training, you are stationed in the middle of the fighting in

an army hospital in Vietnam. It was no M*A*S*H TV show! They had acute shortages of essential supplies and equipment. That war brought out the worst in people—and the best. She was there. She saw it all.

Kate O’Hare-Palmer served in Vietnam 50 years ago at Army evacuation hospitals in Lai Khe and Chu Lai, where she was a surgical nurse in 1968 and 1969.

She spent more than 30 years in nursing; became an advocate for women veterans and serves as chair of the Women Veterans Committee of the Vietnam Veterans of America fighting for the rights of women who served in the military.

November 15: Sam Cena Black Holes—The Ultimate Abyss

Black Holes. We’ve all heard about them. Many have theorized about them. You can’t actually “see” a black hole. We only know about them from their effects on their environments. Inside them, our standard laws

of physics go all wonky. Sam Cena will give us the skivvy on these strange phenomena that populate our universe. Come join the singularity!

Sam is passionate about physics, astronomy and science. His fascination with astronomy led to him being a Docent at the Robert Ferguson Observatory, sharing his information with the people who like to know about stars, planets, galaxies and how the universe works as a whole.

Coming up

November 22: R. Latefa Mineo, Your Dreams— Would Your Life Change If You Could Remember Them?

November 29: Gobble! Gobble—no presentation Stay tuned via our website, the OVA E-blast and Nextdoor postings or join our email list for current info: http://oakmontsundaysymposium.org/ contact-us.html.

Oakmont Garden Club

nPatty McHugh

“A garden isn’t meant to be useful. It’s for joy.”— Rumer Godden

MEMBERSHIP

Please be advised that members who paid for the 2020 year will have their dues applied toward their 2021 dues. Your dues cover the cost of speakers and technical support, as well as miscellaneous small expenses. As we did not have those expenses this year, our treasury remains intact. We can hardly wait to welcome you all back!

WHAT’S IMPORTANT

Our hearts go out to those residents who lost homes in the Glass fire. We are so very sorry. Our thanks and appreciation go out to the firefighters and first responders who made a valiant effort to save our community.

October’s fire that required the evacuation of our

community once again should be the wake-up call we desperately need to concentrate on making our homes fire-safe. It cannot be said enough times. One of the homes lost could have been yours!

Please follow the OVA’s guidelines and remove those junipers and other highly flammable shrubs near your structures, as well as trees, limbs or shrubs in your yard that threaten the neighboring structures.

This gives both you and your neighborhood a fighting chance! We must all do our part. We applaud the OVA’s continuing effort to make our community fire-safe.

THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN

You are probably still doing some garden clean-up that includes debris and ash from the fire and it is the single most important garden task that faces us this month. We know you’re busy so we won’t make any suggestions that add to your workload, but will

repeat from last year some of the other important tasks this month: • It is time to turn off the irrigation and flush and drain the system. Reminder: Water you use over the winter (November–March) determines your sewer base for the year, and water left in the lines could freeze and cause damage. If the rain is scarce this month, you may have to do some hand-watering to ward off frost damage.

• Young, newly planted trees may be vulnerable to freeze and will benefit from wrapping the trunks with paper or burlap; this also helps to keep winter scavengers from gnawing on the tender bark.

• Keep an eye out for frost warnings and be prepared to cover your non-hardy plants and shrubs.

Continue planting cool-season veggies and annuals.

• Clean, oil and store your garden tools.

Above all, stay safe!

15

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

nJoanne Phillips

Tennis Club DOUBLES ANYONE?

Monday and Wednesday mornings are popular times to play tennis but did you know that there are doubles groups that need participants? Barbara Kelleher (formerly Kanowick) organizes just such a tennis group at the West Recreation Center and would love to hear from you if you are interested in playing. Please give her a call at 539-2733.

SALUTE TO OTC VETERANS

Since 2015, the OTC has held a fun but very competitive Army vs. Navy tennis match on or around Veterans Day. This event consists of two teams made up of both men and women led by a General and an Admiral. Though the Covid pandemic has prevented a 2020 Army vs. Navy tournament, we would like to

salute the many veterans who have been members of the OTC over the years. Perhaps most notably, Mel Ruiz, whose memory the tournament honors. Thank you for your service!

General Doug Smith and Admiral Bill Wrightson at the first Army vs.

Navy Tournament November 2015

16

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Oakmont Progressives Club

nChris Thompson

Vote to Reform CA Justice— Then Celebrate!

Several Ballot Measures in the current election will have a major impact on our state’s criminal justice system. Generally, Progressives organizations oppose Prop 20. This is what some are saying: Maureen Washburn, a policy analyst for the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice: “When we’re considering ... a proposal that would increase penalties for low-level offenses, in a system that’s already profoundly biased against Black, indigenous and Latino Californians, I think it’s clear that it would only extend the harm of our criminal justice system.”

Former Gov. Jerry Brown (D): “Prop. 20 wants to basically eliminate all hope in the prison. Men who have given decades will have no chance to earn their way back to society. And that’s fundamental to any kind of criminal justice system that while you impose punishment, you make room for redemption and rehabilitation in Gov Jerry Brown. the prison.”

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen: “We had prisons that were bursting at the seams, unconstitutionally overcrowded that we had to send our prisoners to different states. We had 14 new prisons built over a period of time but one public university. We had high crime rates. Do we want to turn back the clock or do we want to move forward as we have been over the last few years in this state?”

On Prop 25, a “yes” vote is to uphold the contested legislation, Senate Bill 10 (SB 10), which would replace cash bail with risk assessments for detained suspects awaiting trials. According to Sen. Robert Hertzberg (D-18), the lead legislative sponsor of SB 10: “Voter referendums are supposed to be about direct democracy—now wealthy people can simply write big checks. The reality is that California is the biggest bail market and has the highest bail rates in the country. If these companies can delay it for a year, they can make money for a year.”

Measure P is a local measure which strengthens the Independent Office of Law Enforcement Review (IOLERO) and is supported by the local Democratic Party. The Pro Statement in the Voter Pamphlet

states: “Both our communities and deputies deserve the most effective and responsive Sheriff’s Office possible. Modern law enforcement best practices emphasize collaboration with communities and with independent, effective civilian oversight. Independent, effective civilian oversight supports the democratic principles of accountability and transparency, and thereby increases trust between law enforcement and all communities. Measure P will bring IOLERO into alignment with the Principles of Effective Oversight established by the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.”

We hope you will vote and also that you will join us on Thursday, November 12 at 7 p.m. for a joint meeting with the Oakmont Democratic Club and others to analyze the election, to plan next steps and hopefully to celebrate. For more information visit oakmontdemclub.com or watch for the next Progressive Club eblast.

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CLASSIFIEDS BAY GRAB BAR

Certified Aging in Place Specialist.

Safety and independence w/grab bars, handrails, ramps. Call Bill, 509-8222. Lic. #1062187. www.BayGrabBar.com.

HERITAGE ROOFING CO.

Specializing in residential re-roofing.

Top quality workmanship. Honest and reliable. Oakmont references. Free estimates. Lic. #673839. 539-4498.

PAINTING AND FAUX FINISHES Reasonable rates, free estimates, Oakmont references. Lic. #573530.

Gary Luurs, 528-8489.

BABE’S TRANSPORTATION

A personal transportation service for airports, cruises and vacations. Call for reservations. Plus Babe is on the road again for local doctor visits, shopping, etc.

Call Stephany at 545-2850.

B&J CONSTRUCTION BRUCE JOHNSON, GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Remodeling, kitchens and baths.

Reasonable rates. Small jobs OK. Free estimates. Lic. #428073.

Call 996-1454.

BODEN PLUMBING, HEATING AND AIR

For all your plumbing and heating needs. Local plumbers in business since the late 20th century, licensed, bonded and insured. Same day service is often available. Money-saving coupons!

CA Lic. #659920. Please call (707) 996-8683 or go to www.BodenPlumbing.com.

GOLF CARTS

Huge selection of value-priced, new, used and re-conditioned golf carts for sale. Professional repairs, service. Many years servicing our friends in Oakmont.

584-5488.

MARTHA L PROFESSIONAL HOUSE CLEANING

GARAGE DOOR SERVICES

Locally owned and operated Dependable Doors offers full servicing, repair, and replacement of garage doors and motors.

Call Casey at (707) 775-8009 for all of your garage door needs. Lic. #1016951.

HANDYPERSON

Home, office, move-outs. Window, bed linens and much more. 19+ years of experience. References upon request.

548-9482 or marthal1041@att.net.

Little fix-its and knotty problems. All trades repairs. Electrical and plumbing fixtures, carpentry, assemblies, labor. 30 years helping Oakmont. Lic. #560098.

Jay Williamson, 539-5217.

THERAPEUTIC & RELAXING MASSAGE

DECKS, FENCES, KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS

30+ years of experience doing and teaching massage. Sessions are structured to meet each client’s needs. Introductory rate $65. Call or text Charlotte for appt. CA Lic. #34755. (831) 238-6473.

GARDEN TRIMMING

Trees, hedges, shrubs done with an emphasis upon a natural look. Since 2007.

Richard, 833-1806. Oakmont.

REPAIRS PILING UP? CALL RAY

Finish carpentry and general construction.

Licensed, bonded and insured. CA Lic. #1044479. Call Rodrigo at (707) 975-6576, (707) 393-9748, or 843-9469.

NOSE TO NOSE PET SITTING

The best care for your best friends. Cat and dog care. Daily visits. Overnight companionship. Insured and bonded.

Profile and referrals at petsit.com.

Alix Moline, 637-6267.

No job too big or too small. Heating, water heaters, plumbing, electrical, drywall, patching, painting, appliance repairs, honey do’s, etc. Quality and affordable. Ray, (707) 280-2699.

RESIDENTIAL WINDOW AND PRESSURE CLEANING SERVICES SERVICO WINDOW CLEANING CO.

ERIC WILSON, GENERAL CONTRACTOR

FIREPLACE CLEANING AND SERVICE

Remodeling specialists. Kitchens, baths, roofing, plumbing and electrical. Fire and water damage repair. Quality service, reasonable rates. Proudly serving locally for over 25 years. Free estimates. Lic. #669482. Call today (707) 328-3555.

Decks, stucco, pavements, gutters. Free estimates. Call Dennis at (707) 249-3343.

Warming Trends has been cleaning, servicing and installing fireplaces, stoves and inserts for 30 years. Call 578-9276 for any fireplace needs.

ONE WAY PLUMBING, INC.

Dependable, experts serving you and your neighbors with excellence and integrity for over 20 years. Licensed, bonded and insured. Senior discounts available. CA Lic. #854537. Find us on the web at www. onewayplumb.net or call us at 537-1308 for all your plumbing needs.

COMPUTER OOPS??

Oakmont Onsite Personal Computer Services. Call Chuck for all things computer. VOM Rotary member, computer instructor. References available, many satisfied Oakmont customers. $50/hr. 293-8011.

ENTRY DOORS

Local professional installation. Wood and Fiberglass Doors. Free estimates. Call Brad Chiaravalle, 539-3196. View photos at www.doorbeautiful.com. Lic #527924.

GARAGE DOOR & OPENER SERVICE OVERHEAD DOOR CO. OF SANTA ROSA, INC. Locally owned and operated for over 50 years. Does your garage door opener have a battery backup? Call us for all your garage door needs. Annual service, broken springs, repair/replace your garage door or opener. Call us at 5424949. Lic. #281347.

WC’S LOCKS AND KEYS

Professional, experienced locksmith for all your security needs. Senior discount. Call today! 539-6268. Wayne Carrington, LCO #2411.

PAINTER/HANDYMAN

Interior/Exterior. 30 yrs. experience.

Single rooms or full interiors. Friendly and honest. Morse Painting, Lic. #656306. Call Dan, (707) 799-5823.

FOR ALL YOUR PAINTING NEEDS

Quality affordable work at reasonable rates. Interior painting including rooms, cabinets, railings, decks, fencing. Pressure washing and more. Call Michelle, (707) 378-3600.

YOUR PERSONAL CAREGIVER AND ADVOCATE QUALIFIED TO CARE FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS

Available 24/7 (w/backup, if needed).

20+ yrs. of honest, reliable, competent experience. Native Californian, bonded, fingerprinted and DMV clear. Specialize in Alzheimer’s. A flat rate for 24-hr or overnight care. Starla, (925) 698-6312.

To place an ad, contact: CJM Productions 2105 Longhorn Circle Santa Rosa, CA 95401 (707) 206-1957 cjmprod567@gmail.com

17

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Oakmont Village Association oakmont village association

maintenance Office

Hours: M–F 9 AM–5 PM—Open during lunch Tel 539-1611 6637 Oakmont Dr., Ste. A OVA E-mail: askova@oakmontvillage.com Website: www.oakmontvillage.com Go to the members only page to view the monthly calendar, Board Meeting Minutes, criminal activity information and more.

Gas Shut-off Wrench.....................................$9 Tennis COurt Key.............................................$2 Vials for Life...............................................FREE resident access card..............................$25 EA replacements......................................$25 ea Guest access card..................................$25 ea Emergency Contacts for Residents This form is confidential and used only in case of an emergency to notify your named contacts.

Bulletin Boards

There are three OVA bulletin boards, one at each recreation center, where OVA events can be posted.

Please bring in notices to the Events Coordinator at the OVA Office. Size is limited to 8.5"x5.5".

Items “For Sale”, “For Rent” or “Want to Buy” can be put on a 3"x5" card and left at the OVA Office.

locker rentals

Annual Locker Fee $30 (January 1–December 31). If you wish to rent a locker, come to the OVA office and give us a check, your information and the number of the locker you want to rent. You provide the lock. We can prorate the annual fee. Daily use lockers are free.

NOTICE: Weekly locker inspections are done by OVA Maintenance. Locks could be sawed off with no prior notice and locker contents removed on all unpaid lockers. Items will be held in OVA Maintenance office for 30 days.

If you have any questions, please contact the OVA Office M-F 539-1611

GUEST PASSES

The following are OVA Guest Pass types and duration: 1) Guest from outside Sonoma County— up to 90 days; 2) House sitters—up to 90 days (OVA host must present written request to OVA Office for approval prior to visit); 3) Guests living in Sonoma County—2 days per card, and no more than 3 cards per month. Guest cards are available during regular hours in the OVA Office for a $25 non-refundable fee. Guests accompanied by their Oakmont host are not required to have a Guest Pass.

STORAGE UNITS AND PARKING

Call Oak Creek RV & Storage, P.O. Box 2246, Santa Rosa, CA 95405. 707-538-3230

FITNESS CENTER

Central Activity Center, 310 White Oak Dr. Daily 5 AM–9 PM. Closed at 7 PM on Tues. for cleaning. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas day.

Condominium Financial management (cfM)

Hours: M– Th 9 AM–Noon, 1–5 PM Tel 539-0701 6637 Oakmont Dr., Ste. A E-mail: christel@oakmontvillage.com

architectural office

Need a ride? give a ride! oakmont volunteer helpers Coordinator Rides to Medical Appointments Rides Within Oakmont Call 9AM–5PM

We provide the following services to Oakmont Residents: n Transportation to medical/ dental appointments in Santa Rosa only n Grocery shopping to Safeway (at Calistoga Center only) n

Due to the pandemic, Oakmont Volunteer Helpers is currently not providing rides for medical appointments or activities within Oakmont.

We are sorry for this inconvenience.

Meals on Wheels, 525-0383

If you would like to be a volunteer, please call 539-8996. Donations to Oakmont Volunteer Helpers are appreciated and tax deductible.

Mail your check payable to Oakmont Volunteer Helpers, 6637 Oakmont Dr., Ste. A, Santa Rosa, CA 95409.

Thank you.

Mon.–Fri. medical rides before 9 AM or after 4 PM are subject to limited volunteer driver availability.

No service on weekends or holidays. Please call at least three full working days prior to appointment.

We regret that we are unable to provide either wheelchair or emergency service.

Hours: M–F 9 AM–Noon, and 1–4 PM Tel 539-5810 6572 Oakmont Dr., Ste. A (for Association Maintained Homes)

2019–2020 OVA board of Directors E-mail: askova@oakmontvillage.com Steve Spanier, President bod.steve.spanier@gmail.com Tom Kendrick, Vice President bod.tom.kendrick@gmail.com Heidi Klyn, Secretary bod.heidi.klyn@gmail.com Elke Strunka, Treasurer (Non-voting officer)

elke@oakmontvillage.com Carolyn Bettencourt, Director bod.carolyn.bettencourt@gmail.com Noel Lyons, Director bod.noel.lyons@gmail.com Jess Marzak, Director jmarzak@oakmontvillage.com Marianne Neufeld, Director bod.marianne.neufeld@gmail.com

POOLS & JACUZZIS

Access to OVA pools is by magnetic card.

Call OVA Office, 539-1611 if you need a permanent new member pool access card or to register for a temporary guest pool access card.

West: 7 AM–9 PM

(Closes 7 PM Wednesdays for cleaning) East: 6:30 AM–9 PM

(Closes 7 PM Mondays for cleaning) Central: 5:45 AM–9 PM (Closes 7 PM Tuesdays for cleaning) JACUZZI HOURS: Same as facility. No one under 18 years in West and East pools and Jacuzzis.

Central Pool Children’s Hours: 11 AM–2 PM (Exception: 12 Noon –4 PM Memorial Day Weekend thru Labor Day.) Children must be accompanied by an OVA member/resident or adult with a valid guest pool access card. NO LIFEGUARD ON DUTY AT ANY OVA POOL. ALL FACILITIES CLOSED CHRISTMAS DAY.

Passages

Please contact OVA resident Bev Schilpp by phone 538-4293 or by E-mail wallyschilpp1@ peoplepc.com if you would like to have published in the Oakmont News the name and date of death of your loved one.

oakmont community garden on stonebridge

For more info on signing up contact OVA at 539-1611 or email Oakmontcommunitygarden@ gmail.com. Spaces are available.

Tel 707-206-1957 E-mail: cjmprod567@gmail.com

OVA Accounting Tel 800-585-4297

Available in OVA Office

PAS Management Company

oakmont News

Hours: Daily 6 AM–10 PM Tel 539-6720 Maintenance Building (next to Central Auditorium)

Blood Pressure clinic

Wed 10:30 AM–12 PM, Berger Center, Room D. Contact: Del Baker 539-1657.

Letters to the Editor Writer Guidelines

The Oakmont News welcomes residents’ letters to the editor about Oakmont life. Email letters of no more than 250 words to news@oakmontvillage.com.

Writer’s name, address and phone number must be included. Writers will be limited to one letter published every 90 days. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

Street Cleaning

City streets in Oakmont are cleaned by the city early on the fourth Friday of each month.

Residents who want their streets swept should avoid street parking overnight on those days.

Library

Central Activity Center, 310 White Oak Dr. Hours: Daily 6 AM–9 PM. Closed Christmas Day. It is run by volunteers. All donations are gladly accepted. Materials we cannot use will be passed on to others.

Public Transportation Available in Oakmont CityBus #16 bus takes residents to n Sonoma County Transit #30 bus goes to 5 different shopping centers weekday Memorial and Kaiser Hospitals and downtown mornings and around Oakmont afternoons. Santa Rosa. Returns via Oakmont to Sonoma. n

n

Schedules available at OVA office.

GENERAL Manager Kevin D. Hubred kevin@oakmontvillage.com

OVA Board Meetings 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month 1 pm in the Berger Center All residents of Oakmont are welcome.

The Board of Directors of Oakmont Village Association reserves the right to select those articles submitted for publication that seem appropriate to the purpose of this association.

E-mail List Do you want to stay updated on what is going on in Oakmont?

Join the OVA E-mail list. You will receive Board Meeting Agendas and Minutes, Oakmont Notices, Meeting Announcements and the weekly Manager's Newsletter.

To join, go to the OVA office and fill out a sign-up form, or visit www. oakmontvillage.com/oakmont-residents/.

To receive E-Blast by E-mail, click the "join our E-Blast email list" link. If you would like a hardcopy, please come to​the OVA Activities​office. They are located on the front counter.

18

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

Oakmont Rainbow Women

Fruit/veggies harvest.

(Photo by Anita Eastland)

Candace English, violinist— Music on the Patio. (Photo

by Claudine Simpson)

Lucy on a walk with owner Jean Mills. (Photo by Jean Mills)

St. Francis Flooring Inc. Free In-Home Flooring Design Consultation Within Sonoma County • Excellent Customer Service • Competitive Pricing • In-House Licensed Installers • All Work Done In a Timely Manner • Check Out Flooring Samples From Our Large Showroom • Serving Sonoma County For Over 30 Years

Café Mortel

nChristopher Sork

Oakmonters are Dying to join us!

Are you scared of dying? Of course, we all are! But since none of us gets a pass, let’s plan the best death we can. Live each day to the fullest.

Cafe Mortel is a group of mortals who love to share hopes, dreams, laughter and information. We de-stigmatize the process and make sure we have planned for the inevitable.

Is your Advance Directive up to date? Have you completed your Directive in case of dementia? When was the last time you had a face-to-face, heart-toheart conversation with your loved ones about your wishes? Have you considered donating your body to a medical school, i.e. UCSF Medical Center? How do you want to be memorialized?

Please join us on the first Wednesday of each month 3 p.m. via Zoom (for now). For information on how to join, please email me at csork@sonic.net

Patio garden. (Photo by Lea Hopkinson)

Owners & Operators Cheryl & Kerry Brown with Holly

• Hardwood • Carpet • Vinyl • Laminate • Cork Floors • Duraceramic

707-539-4790 FREE ESTIMATES

Discounts to Oakmont Residents Mon–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat by appointment only www.stfrancisflooring.com 116 Calistoga Road, Santa Rosa

Calistoga Road Tire Store

Safeway

g

We created a slide show out of photos people submitted to illustrate their stories. We had beautiful garden shots along with the delicious harvest, socially distanced “bowling games” played in a cul-de-sac, complete with zucchini bowling pins and little sugar pumpkins for the bowling balls!

We saw magnificent photos of backyard birds, views of camping trips, cats, dogs, and many walks hither and yon, around Oakmont and on wooded trails. We even were treated to buckets-full of wayward golf balls (750 of them) found under vegetation removed from an HOA on the golf course for the purpose of fire remediation!

Missing a ball? We probably found it! That is when we could stroll the golf course paths during the day.

Speaking of the golf course, we were reminded that early in our lockdown, Oakmonters were treated to “music on the patio” of an ORW member who is an accomplished violinists and lives on the golf course.

What a treat that was.

We “celebrated” a couple 80-year-old birthdays through pictures submitted. Our members loved hearing one another’s stories and learned something new about those who told the stories throughout the evening. We may even try the same thing with a different theme. It was so much fun… and enlightening.

Quail on fence. (Photo by Anita Eastland)

Par kin

Picture This!

How ORW members found JOY during the pandemic lockdown

Thank you to all who participated through sharing pictures and stories, and just listening to the stories. It warmed our hearts and “touched” many at a time when there is not enough touch to go around… Darn virus!

St Sho . Fran Cen ppin cis ter g

Members of ORW have been sharing their stories over the past couple of months. In August, we shared stories of past Red Flag Warning days and how and when to best evacuate should the need arise. Then, in early October when we returned from the Glass Fire evacuation, we gathered on zoom to share more stories: how and where we evacuated and lessons learned, a good follow-up to our August conversation. Just this past week, in mid-October, again we shared our stories.

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19

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

nPhillip Herzog

Just for Fun Games Club

During COVID-19

During this time of shelter in place we are not meeting in person. However, it is still possible to play games. People can play games at home with those who are there, or you can play games online with other real people as we do, or against the computer.

We use Zoom to communicate with the gamers and play on the website “Board Game Arena.” We will be playing the games they offer at our usual time of Saturdays at 1 p.m. They currently offer over 200 games. Let’s play!

For more information contact me at 843-3053 or send an email to goldguyphil@gmail.com.

Join us for our Nov. 7 BINGO Game

On Saturday, November 7 the Just for Fun Games Club will host a Zoom Bingo game at our usual game time of 1 p.m. Plan to log onto Zoom 10–15 minutes early to get the bugs worked out and get ready to play.

Register to play by sending an email to: Just4FunGamesClub@earthlink.net. Include your name, email address, and telephone number. If you don’t use email, you may call or text Jeri Phillips at (714) 883-3126 to register. Once you register, we will send you a link to get and print out your Bingo cards, and then the Zoom link to play.

Until then, put it on your calendar so you can play some BINGO!

Valley of the Moon Rotary Club nJack Monahan

Just Walk Away

Our club members were very fortunate recently to hear a talk that soothed many of their nerves in these tumultuous times. It was about the simple act of walking. In a recent club bulletin our editor, Star Power, wrote a fascinating account of Coastwalk California Coastal Trail Association, the only statewide nonprofit to promote, preserve and complete the California Coastal Trail. It is excerpted here.

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We recently heard a talk by Cea Higgins, Executive Director of Coastwalk California Coastal Trail Association.

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In her account Star described how our guest speaker, Cea Higgins, with BS and MS degrees as well as a Juris Doctorate, the Executive Director of the organization, is an avid surfer, hiker and is trained in marine mammal and seabird rescue. In her talk to us Cea described her work as the Policy and Volunteer Coordinator for the Sonoma coast Surfrider Foundation. For 20 years she has coordinated beach cleanups and conducted youth and community marine debris education programs.

She is also the coastal representative for the Sonoma County Water Coalition and was selected by NOAA to serve on the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council.

Cea explained that the goal of Coastwalk, for the last 17 years, has been to promote stewardship and ensure completion of the California Coastal Trail while advocating for coast protection and reasonable public access. The trail stretches 1200 miles from Oregon to Mexico, through 15 coastal counties and is 63% complete. In 1972 Proposition 20 provided that a continuous coastal trail be established along our sea coast. Then, in 2001, Senate Bill 908 officially recognized it as a State Trail.

The purpose of the Coastal Trail is to encourage all types of people to get outside and enjoy our coast— hikers, bikers, skaters, walkers, equestrians young, old and in between—people from every community and all walks of life.

The five guiding principles of Coastwalk are: • Proximity—sight, sound and scent of the sea.

• Connectivity—link to destination.

• Integrity—continuous trails.

• Respect—natural resources, private property and agriculture.

• Feasible—Interim and on term alignments.

For many reasons the Coastal Trail is visionary. For example, its popularity: walking and hiking is the fastest growing and most popular form of outdoor recreation. California has a $92 Billion outdoor recreation economy which employs over 691,000 people. And outdoor recreation recently contributed $373.7 Billion to GDP. In addition, the trail is a destination and generates significant tourist dollars.

Our speaker, Cea, advocates that we all get out there and walk the trails. Coastwalk offers guided hikes and stewardship programs. On California Coastal Cleanup Day, over 30,000 lbs. of garbage is collected from the coast and inland waterways by over 700 volunteers. Sadly, due to the Covid Pandemic there will be no coast walks in 2020.

Coastwalk is funded through members and donors who are trying to create the next generation of coastal stewards. For more information: www.coastwalk.org.

And, for more information about VOM Rotary, or join us in a Zoom meeting, contact Judie Coleman at judie@tdl.com.

20

The Oakmont News / November 1, 2020

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