Oakmont’s Semimonthly Newspaper
nMarty Thompson
www.oakmontvillage.com/news
Covid Cases Bring Masking in Oakmont
Oakmont reinstated a masking requirement for its facilities after an outbreak in Covid cases following a music event that drew up to 200 people to the Berger Center. The rule that masks be worn inside Oakmont facilities is in effect through April 15. The OVA mandate issued March 17 was described by Dr. Mark Lobato, county health specialist, as “the most prudent thing to do,” according to OVA representatives who met virtually with him and other health officials. Mark Lobato, MD, and the county’s infectious diseases specialist, urged requiring masks in a virtual meeting with three OVA directors and the acting general manager. The health department opened a mobile test site in Oakmont after at least 50 people reported testing
positive following a Feb. 25 Boomers Club concert featuring an Eagles tribute band. Attendees were asked to be vaccinated, but masks were not required. Some 89 people were tested at the first mobile testing site, and 23 of those were positive. The county scheduled further testing at the Berger parking lot on March 23 and 30, from 9:30 a.m. until 11:15 a.m. both days. While state and county rules strongly recommend masking, organizations and businesses are free to make tighter rules. Given Oakmont’s older and therefor higher risk population, it was decided to take a more protective stance. See covid on page 3
March 26, 2022 • Volume 60, Number 6
New Council Member for Oakmont Introduced
nJackie Reinhardt
Dianna MacDonald, the new Santa Rosa City Council member representing Oakmont who was appointed to replace Jack Tibbetts, introduced herself at Sunday Symposium meeting March 14 after 27 days on the job which she likened to “jumping on a horse while running.” During her short tenure she attended three council meetings and one goal setting session where she said she weighed in on the need to address fire resiliency, pursue housing options for residents at all income levels and reduce homelessness and its impacts. From her home on a ridge in Skyhawk during the Glass Fire, MacDonald said she personally understood the panic that accompanies evacuations for residents using Highway 12 and has had conversations with State Senator Mike McGuire about the need to expand exit routes. She said the Council has approved six new remote automated weather stations (RAWS) which will help pinpoint where to locate responders, and has budgeted $1 million for vegetation management in Trione-Annadel and Sugarloaf state parks. She has See macdonald on page 3
Oakmonters line up to register for Covid tests at a county test station March 10. (Photo by Maureen McGettigen)
Troy and Kathy Sowers at the Covid test registration table. (Photo by Maureen McGettigen)
$150K Kitchen Upgrade Part of Berger Refresh
nAl Haggerty
The Oakmont Village Association will continue the Berger Center refresh with a major upgrade of the kitchen equipment, including top-of-the-line appliances, new countertops, flooring and cabinet doors. The board approved the project with funding not to exceed $130,000 at its March 15 meeting. Director Heidi Klyn called the upgrade “way overdue,” noting that the kitchen is heavily used by caterers for member events. She called the kitchen “a great asset.” Iris Harrell, chair of the Building Construction Committee, stressed that the major focus of the work is “cleanliness and safety,” adding that it is not a remodel of the kitchen. One board member commented that the stove looks like something from the “Flintstones.” The project includes an $84,049 bid for the electrical, plumbing and flooring from Nordby Construction Co., Santa Rosa, and a $36,470 bid for the appliances from Castino Restaurant Equipment and Supply, Rohnert Park.
The appliances include a 60”, 6-burner stove with a 24” griddle, $13,694; a 46-cubic-foot refrigerator, $5,138; a 23-cubic-foot freezer, $2,526; a heated holding cabinet, $3,208; a water filtration system for ice machines, $454; a cube-style ice machine, $3,745, and an ice bin, $1,400. The funds will come from the Asset Replacement Fund.
LANDSCAPE CLEANUP
The board approved spending up to $50,000 from the Operations Fund to remove fallen trees, blackberry and other invasive plants from a parcel of land running from Trione-Annadel State Park along Woodley Place. OVA took ownership of the parcel with the purchase of the golf course properties. True North Landscapes, Santa Rosa, won the contract with a bid of $46,000. The resolution noted that the property poses a significant fire hazard after decades of abuse and neglect. See board on page 4 PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANTA ROSA, CA PERMIT NO. 323
OVA Election Deadline Nears
nJim Brewer
A month of voting for four seats on the Oakmont board of directors will formally end on April 4 when results are announced at the annual membership meeting. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. in the Berger Center. Ballots were sent to homes on March 2. When the OVA was founded as a homeowners’ association nearly six decades ago, its bylaws dictated that each house was allowed one vote, regardless of how many owners were registered at that address. “If you share a ballot with a co-owner, approach voting as you do anything else on the long list of decisions you make together (like the color of your house) and collaborate,” OVA President Tom Kendrick said at the March 15 board meeting. The one-house-one-vote system has generated more than a few complaints from among the hundreds of newer residents who are used to the one-person-onevote concept. But efforts to amend the bylaws have gone nowhere over the years because it would require more than half of eligible voters to agree. “Amendments to the OVA bylaws require approval by at least half of all potential votes—that means over 1,600 votes,” Kendrick said, pointing out that this number of “yes” votes exceeds the total number of ballots submitted in nearly every past election (see Kendrick’s president’s report in this issue). This year, three board incumbents and three challengers are competing for the four seats. Board members Jess Marzak, Wayne Van Bockern and Jeff Neuman are facing challenges from Iris Harrell, Marianne Neufeld and Ken Smith. Kendrick is completing his second term and is not eligible to run. Directors whose terms continue are Heidi Klyn, Jeff Young and Mark Randol.