Minutes of Agua Dulce Town Council Meeting

APPROVED: 3/24/99

AGUA DULCE TOWN COUNCIL

MINUTES

February 24, 1999

Regular Meeting

CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at approximately 7:45 p.m. by Jim Duzick, President. The Pledge of Allegiance followed. Jim Duzick, George Dyer, Doc Ellis, Dave McCord, Darrell Readmond, and Mike Terito were present. Diane Terito was absent due to business commitments.

MEETING PROTOCOL: Jim asked that members of the Council wait until a report has been completed by a speaker before asking questions. He also requested that members not talk over one another, as this makes it very difficult for the Secretary to write the Minutes. In the interest of brevity, Jim also asked members not to repeat what has already been said.

AGENDA: An agenda was presented by Jim. It was accepted by consensus.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Dave moved to accept the Minutes of February 10th with a change in spelling of the word "Pratty". VOTE: Aye – 5; No – 0; Abstain – 1; Absent – 1.

REPORT BY COUNCIL MEMBERS:

George reported that he had not drafted a letter to the Department of Public Works regarding better signage for the curve on Agua Dulce Canyon Road. He spoke with David Penley of that County department – (626) 458-5909 – who stated that he would personally inspect that area of Agua Dulce Canyon Road to see what could be done. He stated that the major issue in taking action would be the liability factor. If no action is taken by the Department of Public Works before the Council meeting on 3/10/99, George will draft a formal letter for the Council’s approval.

Jim spoke with Carolyn Casavan President of West Coast Environmental regarding the Transit Mix EIR, and asked her for an additional copy. Carolyn is interested in scheduling a meeting with the Council, which has been set for March 10th, and hopes that the Civic Association members will also attend. She will cover the past history, as well as bringing the community up to date. Jim has asked Carolyn to bring the aerial maps and the visuals in order to give community members a better understanding of the project and its impacts on our community. He also asked her to look into, and address, both the market effect and traffic issues. The public hearing will be held on April 22nd with written comments due by April 14th.

Mike proposed that the Community Standards District Revisions Committee (CSD) include a limit on the hours within which a movie company can stage explosions (6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.).

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

PARKS & TRAILS (P&T) – Darrell Readmond, Chair: The next meeting with the L.A. County Parks & Recreation (LACP&R) Department on Proposition A Funds has been postponed to the Council meeting of 3/24/99. The LACP&R is pursuing the 155 acre parcel, which came up for a tax sale, with money other than Prop. A Funds. Because it is a tax sale, there are ways for the County to do this. This may mean that more of the Prop. A Funds may be available for other uses. The P&T Committee is currently reviewing the various land parcels listed by the LACP&R representatives as potential acquisitions. They hope to have their analysis prepared, approved and published to the community before the meeting on 3/24/99. The next committee meeting will be held on Friday, 2/26/99, at the Agua Dulce Chamber of Commerce office, or Maria Bonita’s Restaurant.

WATER COMMITTEE (WSC) – Lillian Smith, Chair: The second round of well testing will be conducted on 2/25/99, with over 50 wells volunteered. Several teams of volunteers will be doing the testing. There are certain pockets of high nitrates, according to the first round of testing, including the downtown area, Boiling Point, Vasquez Rocks and the fire station. PatChem has been replaced as the laboratory because they failed to live up to their original agreement and has, therefore, been replaced by another laboratory. John Cromwell will be invited to a Council meeting to provide a report after the current round of testing is completed. So far, no notice has been received for a March meeting of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (CRWQCB.)

The North Trails Water Company (NTWC) President, Tim Mullen, reported to Jim that two of their wells tested above 45mg per liter. The NTWC has shut these wells down, and is now pumping from their other wells. If necessary, the NTWC will begin trucking water in.

The WSC’s consultant, Ken Schmidt, prepares a quarterly report to the CRWQCB (copies provided to the ADTC).

LAND-USE: An increasing number of property owners are moving mobile homes onto their property. There is a concern that this de facto method of increasing residential density levels will adversely affect our Community Standards District (CSD). Jim contacted Building & Safety and was told that their enforcement efforts are complaint driven. They do not have sufficient manpower to seek out violations of the zoning codes. Therefore, neighbors need to complain before any action will be taken.

A complaint was filed regarding alleged sewage dumping and whether the appropriate process had been followed to build a housing tract on Jack William’s property at the end of Darling Road.

Jim stated that the Town Council is not a regulatory or enforcement body, but a forum for the community. If residents have a land-use complaint, they should put it in writing and submit it to the appropriate County department.

Lillian explained to the Council that the County has an organization called Code Watch. A group is formed to watch for zoning code violations within their community, but not in their own neighborhoods.

A discussion was held regarding the current CSD, and the progress of the CSD Revisions Committee. The committee, according to Lillian, will probably have a draft document ready to submit to the Council in approximately one month.

OPEN FORUM:

George asked Darrell whether the P&T Committee will have an informational piece in The Country Journal regarding Prop. A Funds and the meeting with L.A. County Parks & Recreation Department on 3/24/99. Darrell stated that he would be contacting the LACP&R to get an agenda for the meeting, and will work with Lillian to get something into The Country Journal.

COMMITTEE TYPES & PURPOSES: The intention is to review the Council’s committees, determine whether they should be Action or Investigative Committees, and provide each with a focus or mission, with the exception of the Election Committee.

Jim stated that he sees the Council’s committees as Investigative, with the exception of the Water Stewardship Committee. The WSC has been empowered by the Council to act on its behalf with regards to the water issue. The other committees have the Council’s permission to write letters of inquiry, but not to act on behalf of the Council in their areas of focus without appearing before the Council to ask its permission. The Investigative committees may not open a separate bank account, or communicat their views as those of the Town Council, either in writing or orally, without the Council’s permission. Mike moved to accept the Council’s consensus regarding committee types and communication protocol as stated. VOTE: Aye – 5; No - 0; Abstain – 1; Absent – 1.

NEW BUSINESS:

COMMUNITY SURVEY: Discussion was held regarding the advisability of revising the old community survey and re-running it. The Council will review the previous survey.

HOME BASED BUSINESS ORDINANCE: Members of the Council are aware of and following this ordinance which will come before the Board of Supervisors in April.

ASSOCIATION OF RURAL TOWN COUNCILS: Darrell suggested that someone from the Council attend these meetings. Mike stated that he and Diane have been attending. Darrell and Jim will now be the Council’s representatives to this organization.

FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS:

3/10/99 Transit Mixed Concrete presentation regarding their EIR

3/24/99 L.A. County Parks & Recreation Department representatives will meet with the

Council and community regarding Prop. A Funds.

ADJOURNED: Time of adjournment was not stated on the audio tape.

Respectfully submitted,

DIANE TERITO

Secretary

Agendas and minutes index
Agua Dulce Town Council page
Vanguard News Home page