Village Association August Meeting Minutes

MINUTES POINT REYES STATION VILLAGE ASSOCIATION

AUGUST 8, 2019

6:35 Call to order
Approval of June & July minutes  — without objection
Treasurer report

Ken: Welcome to first time visitors & self-introductions invited. Please keep coming back. 

1.  UPDATE ON COAST GUARD PROPERTY & ANNOUNCEMENT FROM COUNTY  - Mark Switzer 
    Last week the county made an exciting announcement that the Coast Guard and the County have agreed on terms that will lead to purchase before deadline of February 2020. The county is prepared to pay 4.3 million dollars for the former Coast Guard base property. Mark represents the Village Assn. to the Board of Supervisors on matters associated with the Coast Guard property. The process going forward will involve key moments when input from this community is important. Terms of the contract will be read on August 13 at the Board of Supervisors meeting. Following that, on Sept. 17th, the second reading will occur and there will be an opportunity for public input (Mark your calendar.). Each person will have a 3-minute opportunity to speak to the sups at that meeting and input can be made by email or in writing. To email all sups, address:  BOS@marincounty.org. PRSVA has a design review committee which historically funneled input to the county. 
The county formed a Working Group before creating the Request for Proposal (RFP) including representatives of the Dance Palace, No. Marin Water District, West Marin Fund, Building Supply, West Marin School, WM Community Services, etc. They help the county identify parameters for the RFP. There may be more than one applicant to acquire and manage the property. This Working Group will review the final RFP document before the county opens the RFP process. 
After the second reading there will be an escrow period, formalities, title transfer, etc. If community input is needed then, Mark will let the VA know. A CEQA investigation may be required. If not, the RFP will go out and will likely be 45 to 90 days. 
There will be a lot more steps and it will likely be a matter of years before people will be housed there. PRSVA will be the critical avenue for input to the county. 
Ken: PRSVA is best organization to represent the local coastal town plan and we are predisposed to favor a local organization to run the CG housing property.
Question: Who will live there? 
Response: Much of the financing determines the criteria for occupancy. The proposal for financing will indicate what possibilities are. All affordable housing involves some source of subsidy. Those pots of money come with different restrictions. The proposals will propose funding and rehab. And there should be strong indications about what sort of housing it will be and what the possibilities are. 
Kim Thompson has been Director CLAM for 7 years. The Coast Guard property is 32 acres, 26 town homes, with path up to school. Was going to be sold so that anybody could buy it. When the Coast Guard was active, 10 percent of PRS lived there. Built in early 70’s. 
Four years ago, when we discovered that this was going to be sold on a website, community’s actions lead to Huffman passing legislation that allowed the county to buy it. The sale process between the USCG and the county has taken 4 years. The goal was that ultimately an affordable housing provider would take over management. 
Talking points: CLAM is a community land trust with locally governed board of directors and a membership that votes on board representation. CLAM is already a provider of affordable homes in the community. 
Local decision-making power is key for this community, and for CLAM. CLAM’s goal is to own the property and steward it for the community’s benefit in perpetuity as a local organization. 
We are going to be asking county to expedite this housing so people won’t have to wait another 4 years. We are operating all affordable housing projects under National Fair housing law. Under the national scheme, it prevents anyone from discriminating who will live there. 
As local community land trust, we are doing a lot of homework about needs in rural WM. We know how many local people have unstable housing and how many people have had to leave. We want to help bring displaced people back. CLAM works under that fair housing law but we are investigating funding sources that support local people to live in the housing. For example,  housing for people who work in various facets in local agriculture – whether on ranches, oyster farms, driving or selling agricultural products, etc. 
Question: Were buildings inspected? Yes. County won’t allow visitors until they own property. 
Comment: It matters if you’re in the chambers. BOS@marncounty.org is how to email every board member.

2. PATH IMPROVEMENTS - NORTH SIDE OF HYWY 1 @ WMES- Peggy Day    
The brush was cleared back to reveal the path but the ditch is a major problem, especially when it rains. 
Comment: CalTrans – has not been maintaining path. Caltrans has its own way of doing things that have not always benefited our community; but, since McGuire & Rodoni focused on West Marin, CalTrans has been more responsive. If that ditch had been maintained, it wouldn’t have become a bog. We’ll be asking folks to support communication with Caltrans to ask them to get back on maintenance level. 
If you see a problem where brush encroaches in an unsafe way on HWY, you could report it yourself @ https://csr.dot.ca.gov/ Choose “Submit a Customer Service Request.” 
Comment: CalTrans –supposed to be mowing from Bolinas to county line after Donna Sheehan’s no spray program Mow & Sow (they sprayed with round up). 

3.  BIKERIDE ROUTES: Ken Levin
Neighbors were upset about diversion onto Cypress & Mesa Rds last week. Sheriff and CHP were notified in advance but only in the departments that had to close the roads in the morning, 
Comment: Where does the money for the ride go?
Notification was mentioned at July Assn meeting. Does a bicycle event have the right to go through a residential neighborhood. Why don’t we have a liaison to Marin Cyclist. As a village Assn, we’d like to advocate for people up on the Mesa.
4. TREE STUMP ON MAIN STREET AT BANK. 
There was a request from a member that the PRSVA write a letter to bank to replace stump. - No motion. 

3. FINAL DISTRICT MEETING - KEN LEVIN
There was a series of 6 or 8 meetings about forming a special district in the area that Rodoni initiated, prompted mainly by pressures of tourism. County’s repeated answer is they don’t have any money. Ideas were: pool, public toilets, parking solution, community kitchen. 4 committees formed to continue on with public bathroom, trash,  expanding, community kitchen, pool, waste water and deal with whether we should have a waste treatment plant here.  Dennis was trying to find a way to approach some of the issues that arise around town. SD not off table, meetings will continue but without Dennis leading them.
Good news is that we don’t have to become SD but for example, there may be other money to accomplish same goals. Costs $250,000 to pump out our present bathrooms. Will come to meeting on September12 to present info about ramp and ask for public comments. Build a ramp to get to bathrooms that we have now. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Water survey still open. 

PG&E hosting webinar 2-2:30 on Aug. 14th. 

Green Bridge will be closing tomorrow. Why? 

ADJOURN: 7:54 pm