Board Update

Author: RSF Post

Date: November 09, 2015

The Rancho Santa Fe Association Board commenced the month of November on a busy note.

The Board is advancing toward a final proposal from third-party developers to establish fiber-optic Internet in the Ranch and plans to send a letter to the County stating that RSF residents support roundabouts.

Other community matters drawing attention from the Board included a partnership renewal with the California Highway Patrol and new developments from both the Covenant Club and Governing Documents Committees.

Board Makes Headway on Fiber; Cell Coverage Likely To Follow

The Association is moving closer toward implementing fiber-optic Internet in the Ranch and is currently narrowing the field of seven proposals down to four. Overton explained that he isn’t sure how quickly the Board will be able to negotiate with the four bidders, but considerable progress is being made with a very capable consultant, he said.

As for cell coverage in the Ranch, this process is more complex.

“It is a very complicated issue to add cell antennas under any circumstance, but especially through the County of San Diego. However, we are making progress and hope to have positive news to report soon,” Overton explained.

RSF Continues Fruitful Partnership with California Highway Patrol (CHP)

The Board voted unanimously to renew its 11-year partnership with the California Highway Patrol for January to December of 2016. CHP Captain Amy Mangan informed the Board that collisions are down 40 percent and collisions with injuries decreased by 50 percent over the past 11 years. 

Mangan also explained that while vehicle collisions have diminished, bicycle accidents and cell phone use has not. Fines for parking tickets recently increased and the CHP has been monitoring violations in the Village closely.

However, Mangan explained that “it is far more important that we save lives and that is our focus.” Speeding and cell phone use violations will remain the CHP’s main area of concern, she added.

Roundabouts v. Signals Debate Comes to an End

After tallying the results of a survey sent to the community, the Board reported that 73 percent of RSF residents supported installing roundabouts. This is the widest vote margin the community has seen in the past couple years.

Furthermore, Overton explained, 58 percent of residents returned their surveys which is higher than the average 32-49 percent return rate over the past nine years.

“The results are strong enough, my recommendation is the Board endorse this option,” Overton added.

Debate did arise among a few community members. Those whose property is heavily affected would like to see customized traffic solutions for each intersection. However, the Board and Manager Bill Overton have described the process as an either/or debate up to this point.

RSF resident Glen Griffin also explained that customized intersections are not possible because roundabouts “are designed to be synchronized.” Therefore, installing a traffic light at one intersection and a roundabout at another would defeat the purpose of installing roundabouts in the first place, he added.  

Thus, the Board voted unanimously to move forward with their recommendation to the County, explaining the community’s decision and their desire for a swift and efficient solution to the traffic problem.

Data on Association Board Efficiency Proves Valuable Tool

Robert Green, RSF Association Building Commissioner, presented data on Board agenda items which the CDRC collected over the past 15 years. This data highlights outcomes on action items the Board decides on: either passing, deferring, or denying projects.

Out of 7,596 items, 175 items ended up in mediation over the past 15 years. Those mediations have dwindled heavily in the past few years. There was one mediation in 2015 and zero in the previous two years.

Data such as this portrays how effective each Association Board has been at passing, deferring, or denying projects. Essentially, this data can show if the community is satisfied with Board decisions and progress on community projects.

Voting Rights Reform Moving Forward

A Governing Documents Committee meeting will be held on November 23 at the RSF Golf Club. This meeting will be open to the public for final input on Association amendment and bylaw updates. The committee will finalize their updated recommendations to send to the Board for approval. The hope is for the final updates to be finalized and posted on the Governing Document’s website by mid-December.

Covenant Club’s Feasibility Phase Winding Down

Once approved by the Board, the next level of design and engineering will commence. By December 15, the Covenant Club Committee would like to have a preliminary cost estimate and more detailed plans which include a soils and sound engineering test.