Oakmont’s Semimonthly Newspaper
Oakmont Survey Results Unveiled at Public Forum Results of a survey to learn what residents see as the priorities for community’s future will be presented to the public and the Oakmont Village Association board on Thursday, April 2 at 2 p.m. in the Berger Center. The survey, a project of the Long-Range Planning Committee, sought to determine peoples’ project and spending priorities for the next five and 10 years. The confidential survey was conducted by E-mail and on paper. Assistance was offered through in-home visits and by telephone. The LRPC is providing the survey results for the board’s use in developing future plans for Oakmont.
Community Gardens Water to be Restored
nMarty Thompson
Irrigation water should be restored to the Oakmont Community Garden plots in time for spring planting. The Oakmont Village Association has awarded a contract to Ground Hog Construction of Sebastopol to bring a line beneath Stone Bridge Road to serve the garden plots. The firm’s bid for the work was $9,900. The OVA also had to obtain a utilities permit from the city for $5,589, OVA Manager Cassie Turner said. President John Felton got the permit March 9. Those costs and water bills are paid by OVA. “Everyone is delighted at the support we have received from the board,” said Pat Olive, president of the Community Garden Board. The gardens’ water supply was cut off late last year when the city said a line running via a neighbor to supply the plots violated city policy, and ordered it shut down. “The gardens have been on hold, especially with no rain, with people not putting in winter vegetables,” Olive said. There are presently 43 plots in the community garden. Some may be subdivided for the new growing season. The Garden Club has about 60 members, some of whom work plots together. Each member pays club dues, which cover some garden expenses.
Oakmont Village Association 6575 Oakmont Drive, Suite 7 Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5906
www.oakmontvillage.com/oakmont-news
April 1, 2015 • Volume 53, Number 7
Follow the Berger Exterior Work at West Rec. Future of Berger Center: Committee’s Work So Far
nJim Brewer
Should the Berger Center auditorium be painted and spruced up a bit? Or do you want it torn down and replaced with new modern building? These are two of the six possible options identified so far by the Ad Hoc Berger Improvement Committee for updating the Berger. The other four possibilities lie somewhere in between.
“The improvement committee has a good start in exploring all possibilities as it works toward providing the OVA Board with its recommended approach to making the Berger look better, function better and better do its part in making Oakmont a sought-after destination for active senior adults going forward,” said Bob Giddings, chairman and one of three OVA Board members on the nine-member committee.
USER GROUP INPUT
Giddings said that thanks to Berger user groups that completed the committee’s own survey of wants and needs, the previously obtained forensic reports on the center and comments from residents to the committee’s E-mail address (improveberger@gmail. com), some 20 elements of the Berger Center that need serious attention have been identified. See berger center on page 3
OVA Offices Will Return To Former Location
nAl Haggerty
The Oakmont Village Association will move its office back to its former location in the building behind Umpqua Bank on Oakmont Drive. President John Felton made the announcement at the OVA Board meeting March 17 at Berger Center. The board approved leasing space in the Laurel Leaf Place building, which housed the OVA before it moved to its current location on Oakmont Drive. “We were able to almost double our square footage in office space and only pay $500 a month more,” Manager Cassie Turner told the Oakmont News. While the five-year lease begins July 1 with a fiveyear option, OVA is getting three free months of rent starting April 1 to begin renovations plus a tenant improvement allowance of $10,000. The rent will be approximately $4,000 a month. See ova offices on page 11
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SANTA ROSA, CA PERMIT NO. 323
Workman is seen here applying decorative stone to the lower portions of the West Recreation Center exterior walls. When stucco above the stonework finished curing, it was to be painted. The West Rec. is expected to reopen May 1 after remodeling and other work on the building, pool, cabana and pool deck is completed. (Photo by Keith Sauer)
OVA Election Points To Annual Meeting Finish
nMarty Thompson
The election contest for four openings on the Oakmont Village Association board is focused on the annual OVA meeting April 6, when balloting closes. Six candidates are seeking two-year board terms. Two incumbents are on the ballot: OVA President John Felton and Frank Batchelor. Also seeking board seats are Lisa Berman, Jane Gyorgy, Herm Hermann and Elke Strunka. Candidates were featured in a public forum Feb. 26, and their photos and biographies have been published in the Oakmont News. The candidates also answered questions posed by the OVA Communications Committee, and their responses were published in the newspaper and can be viewed in its online edition, at www.oakmontvillage.com/oakmont-news. The forum can be viewed online at the Oakmont Videos website. Ballots can be delivered to the OVA Office prior to or at the association annual meeting, at 3 p.m. Monday, April 6 in the Berger Center. The annual meeting also will be live-streamed on the Internet, at www.oakmontvideos.com. Ballots will be counted starting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 7 at the East Recreation Center. The ballotcounting is open to the public. Election results will be announced at 2 p.m. April 7 when the OVA Board meets at the East Recreation Center for its annual organization session where members of the new board choose a chairman and fill other board positions. Election results will be reported on the newspaper’s website.
Inside the Oakmont News Golf Club News...............................5–6
OVA-Sponsored Events....................18