Next Board of Directors Meeting - Lucas Valley Homeowners ...

NEW
VALLEY
Inside this Issue
Board Agenda..........................3
Let's Go Green!.......................4
ARC Approvals.......................5
Mt. Muir Block Party..............6
Halloween Party Pics...............7
Lucas Valley Homeowners Association November 2008 No. 425
President's Letter
By Steve Rule, President
I hope everyone has been enjoying our late Indian summer. I want to thank the
organizers of the kid Halloween party held at the Community Center on October
26. It looked like a great time was had by young and old alike.
After several months of negotiation, the Board formally ratified a new agreement
between Lucas Valley Cable (LVC) and LVHA at its Board meeting on
October 15.
The final agreement was the result of several months’ discussion between the
Board, a representative of the CTVIC, LVC and attorneys for both parties. After
reviewing the prior agreement it was determined that there was a real need to clean
up some of the ambiguous language and develop an agreement that clearly spells
out the responsibilities of both parties. I believe this goal has been achieved.
During the process, the Board clarified with our attorney a reasonable interpretation
of the CC&R requirement concerning Basic Cable TV service. The
Homeowner’s Association is obligated to provide basic cable television to each
member in good standing of the Association. Each of you pay for this in your
monthly dues and are entitled to it whether or not you receive services from LVC
or another provider. The Homeowner’s Association makes a monthly payment
to LVC, currently valued at $3.56 per home per month. This payment covers the
cost of basic maintenance of the cable infrastructure and equipment to provide the
programming and any cost associated with the programming. I wanted to take
the time to explain this as I know in the past there was some confusion as to why
LVHA made monthly payments to LVC.
The monthly payment does not include the cost to make major repairs (those
involving significant excavation, etc. or those necessary as a result of damage by a
Next Board of
Directors Meeting
Nov. 19, 2008 • Wed. 7:30PM
continued on page 5
LVHA Needs You!
Lucas Valley Homeowners Association
offers a number of benefits that
our membership enjoys year after year,
making this one of the most attractive
and livable communities anywhere...
the pool, tennis, horses, open space,
community events, etc. These amenities
are only made possible through the dedicated
efforts of community volunteers
in the association.
We would like to encourage everyone
in the association to consider
joining your neighbors as a community
volunteer, and help in our community
efforts to maintain and improve services
in our community.
We have immediate opportunities
for volunteers in the following areas:
• Open Space Committee - needs
members to assist with projects.
• Recreation Committee - needs
members to help with fun activities.
• Welcoming Committee - needs
members to help welcome new families.
These volunteer positions require
very little time and can be rewarding,
fun, enriching and educational. Get
involved in something that interests
you!

Page 2
New Valley Vibration
BILLING POLICY
Home Owners Dues
Lucas Valley Home Owners dues are
$160 per quarter and this amount is due
and payable on the following dates:
January 1, April 1, July 1 and October
1. Invoices will be sent to home owners
on these dates. Please note that the
$160 includes the charge for Basic TV
(Channels 2 through 13).
Non payment of dues will result in the
following actions: If dues are not paid
within 30 days of the due date a late fee
of $10 per month will be added to the
invoiced amount. If not paid within 60
days of the due date TV service to the
residence will be terminated and use
of the pool or tennis courts will not be
permitted. If not paid within 90 days
of the due date the LVHA Board may,
place a lien on the property and file for
foreclosure.
TV Maintenance or
Reception Problems
For general outages or for service
call 259-5856. (Individual service will
be provided on a two-day per week
schedule).
Cable Service Rates
Basic service:
Channels 2 - 13 - Incl in HO dues.
For a full description of all Lucas
Valley Cable analog and digital TV
services, see www.lucasvalley.net or
call 451-7373 for sales, billing and administrative
issues. For system status
see channel 23.
For TV and Broadband Internet support
call 259-5856.
Returned Checks
Checks returned by the bank are
subject to a $10 fee plus the bank
charge.
LVHA Board of Directors
President Steve Rule 721-3218 president@lvha.org
Vice President Gary Scharlach 721-3218 vicepresident@lvha.org
Secretary Keith Dotto 721-3218 secretary@lvha.org
Treasurer Dennis Cole 721-3218 treasurer@lvha.org
Member-at-large Denis Ford 721-3218 memberatlarge@lvha.org
Committee Directory
Architectural - Terry Bremer 492-0342, Graham Bigelow 444-0967
Emergency Response - Kelby Jones 499-0871
Finance - Tom Egan 499-9079
Horseowners - Tad Jacobs 492-0161
Landscape - Leslie Patten 499-3405
Legal - David Bremer 492-0342
Open Space - Kent Morales - 256-2333
Pool - Ken Downs 479-1407
Public Improvements - Ron Marinoff 479-8103
Recreation - Judie Murphy 472-2872
Swim Team - Nancy Applegarth 472-5955
Cable TV and Internet -John Applegarth 472-5955
Tennis - Judy Rodich 472-1246
Watershed - Mike Elgie 472-5947
Welcoming - vacant
Zoning/Planning - Dan Chaffin 479-0208
LVHA Business Office
1201 Idylberry Road, San Rafael, CA 94903
Tel: 415 472-3202 Fax: 415 472-7512 E-mail lvha@lvha.net
Monday, Wednesday & Friday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Janice Cunningham, Business Manager
Teen List
B= Babysitting, T= Tutoring, P= Pet Sitting, H= House Sitting, C= Cleaning, G= Gardening
Jake Vial-Golden 17 GPT 492-9718
Shannon Parkhurst 18 BPTHG 499-8518
Remy Davenport 19 BPGHC 479-6806
Chelsea Davenport 18 BPGHC 479-6806
David Pascoe 17 BHGP 492-1003
James Sitzman 16 GP 572-9869
Maddie Galiani 15 BPT 499-5788
Kitty Pfeil 16 BPT 686-0154
Sammi Weiss 15 BPCG 472-5624
Ellen Cole 14 HP 472-7137
Mari Vial-Golden 14 BHPT 492-9718
Michael Sitzman 14 PG 225-9449
Mason Scherer 13 PG 847-4897
Dominique Gaston 13 BP 507-9333
Maxwell Halpern 12 PG 499-1858
Cora Kingdon 13 BP 499-9301
Jessica Garofalo 14 BPH 492-0673
Tommy Holt 14 GHP 377-9564
Jacquie Bigot 14 BHG 472-1186
Emilie Weiss 13 BPG 472-5624

New Valley Vibration Page 3
Minutes of the LVHA
Board Meeting
October 17, 2008
Present were: Dennis Cole, Steve
Rule, Denis Ford, Gary Scharlach and
Keith Dotto.
Approval of Agenda: Gary Scharlach
moved to approve the agenda. It was
seconded by Denis Ford and carried
unanimously.
Approval of Minutes: Dennis Cole
moved to approve the minutes of the
September meeting with one correction.
It stated that Steve Rule was at the Cable
TV and Internet meeting, however he
was not present at the meeting. It was
seconded by Denis Ford and carried
unanimously.
Office Manager’s Report: Community
Center: The children’s Halloween
party will be held on Sunday, October
26 at 1 pm. The CC will be the polling
place on November 4 th . Office: Fourth
quarter statements went out the end of
September. Call the office if you did not
receive one. Pool: The lap lane hours
have been refined: One lane will be
open for adult lap swimming from 4:30
pm to 6:45 pm. The Pool Committee
will keep the pool open Saturday and
Sunday from 2 to 5 pm weather permitting.
Miscellaneous: The estimate for
the architects’ drawings for the remodel
is $28,000. To date LVHA has paid
them $9,778.
President’s Report: Given by Steve
Rule. Steve reminded everyone to
attend the Marinwood Plaza meeting
on October 22 nd at the Mary Silveira
School. A refined site plan will be
presented.
Steve urged greater participation
at meetings and would like to encourage
more members to volunteer on
committees in the valley. The Pool,
Welcoming and Recreation Committees
are in dire need of new volunteers. The
Oktoberfest did not occur due to lack of
planners. Please consider volunteering.
Call the office for information.
Treasurer’s Report: Given by Dennis
Cole. Dennis reported that due to some
unexpected expenses LVHA may not be
able to contribute as much to the reserve
fund as planned for the year, however,
LVHA has contributed more than required.
A dead tree had to be removed
from the Senf Park and pool expenses
were higher than expected. Newsletter
revenue and CSA 13 bookkeeping
income were lower than budgeted.
Overall, after three quarters the Association
is in sound fiscal shape. (Unlike
the economy – maybe LVHA should
run the Country). Just a joke – I’ll
take this out.
Committee Reports: Finance Committee:
Given by Dennis Cole. Dennis
reported that the Committee looked
at actual and forecast figures for the
year to come up with the new budget
for 2009. Some expense areas were
increased to cover increasing costs. The
Board of Directors
Meeting
Nov. 19, 2008
AGENDA
1. Call Meeting of Board to Order
2. Approval of Agenda
3. Approval of Minutes
4. Business Manager's Report
5. President’s Report
6. Treasurer’s Report
7. Committee Reports
8. Old Business:
Remodel Update
9. New Business
10. Items From Homeowners
11. Adjournment
monthly contribution to the reserve fund
was adjusted from $11,500 to $10,000,
still well above the required amount.
The total reserve fund projected contribution
will be $120,000 for the 2009
year, down from $138,000 budgeted
for 2008.
Motion: Gary Scharlach moved to approve
the preliminary budget for 2009.
It was seconded by Dennis Cole and
approved unanimously.
Pool Committee: Given by Gary
Scharlach. Gary reported that the Committee
needs volunteers for the coming
year. Anyone interested please contact
the office.
OLD BUSINESS: Remodel: Steve
Rule stated that Patrick Hunter should
receive refined plans for the community
center remodel within a couple weeks.
There will be open meetings for community
feedback. A homeowner asked
if the Public Improvement Committee
had looked into LEED certification or
solar in conjunction with the remodel.
Solar will definitely be considered.
The County paid LVHA an unannounced
visit to assess the handicapped
accessibility of the hall. Because the
County uses the center from time to time
to hold meetings or as a polling place
they need to know its accessibility. The
result of the inspection was that “this
meeting space may continue to be used
for public meetings”. They also determined
that the ramp itself conforms to
code with a few “barriers that we have
identified that you may wish to address
Pool Hours
Open Swim
Sat. & Sun. closed
continued on page 4
Weekdays - a lane will be made
available from 4:30 to 6:45 pm
during Winter Swim Team
practice for adult lap swimming.

Page 4
New Valley Vibration
Minutes continued
to improve overall accessibility of your
facility” such as the hand rail clearance,
door threshold and parking space. They
will continue to use the facility for functions.
Cable TV and Internet Contract:
Steve explained that a new TV and Internet
contract was signed with LVC and
a copy would be available in the office
for review. John Applegarth, Patrick
Hunter, Betty Naegele, Steve Rule and
attorneys for both sides worked closely
over the last couple months to finalize
the contract. LVC will have exclusive
use of the LVHA cable system infrastructure.
The attorneys feel that LVHA
is required to provide basic cable channels
to members. The monthly fee to
maintain the system will be increased
to $1900.
The contract calls for LVC to make
annual reports to LVHA. With a new
contract in place LVC will purchase
new receivers to upgrade the system so
that homeowners have more choices in
brands of televisions that work with the
LVHA system. The new equipment will
cost about $150,000 of which LVHA
will pay roughly $12,000 to cover receivers
for the basic channels so that
they can be received in digital format.
Motion: Dennis Cole moved to approve
the Cable TV and Internet contract with
LVC. It was seconded by Denis Ford
and unanimously approved.
Lucas Valley Cable has a new short
survey available that they urge all residents
to complete. Go to their website at
www.lucasvalley.net or a paper version
is available in the LVHA office.
NEW BUSINESS:
Landscape Contract: Gary Scharlach
has obtained a contract from another
company to maintain the LVHA landscaping
and would like to compare it to
the current one with Farias Landscaping.
Steve suggested defining the scope
of the project first and then having volunteers
to help with the comparison.
Motion: Dennis Cole moved to approve
an estimate for $550 from Farias
Landscaping to install two timers at
the lawn at the corner of Mt. Tallac and
Mt. Shasta Drive. This would include
removing two manual valves and replacing
with two electrical valves. The
work and payment to be completed this
year. It was seconded by Denis Ford and
unanimously approved.
Motion: Denis Ford moved to approve
an estimate for $855 from Farias Landscaping
to install a new eight station
battery operated timer to replace the
broken one at the upper courts. This
estimate includes replacing 100 feet
of electrical wiring for station number
six. The work and payment to be completed
in the spring of next year. It was
seconded by Dennis Cole and approved
unanimously.
Pool Covers: The need for new pool
covers was discussed. Patrick Hunter
had sent a message that the LVST and
LVA would each contribute 1/3 of the
cost of new covers.
Motion: Gary Scharlach moved to approve
the purchase of new pool covers
not to exceed the estimate from Knorr
Systems, Inc. for $6,150, conditional
on LVHA receiving a contribution of
1/3 each from LVST and LVA and first
acquiring a second estimate for like
product. It was seconded by Denis Ford
and unanimously approved.
Marinwood Plaza: Steve Rule noted
that he attended a community meeting
at Supervisor Susan Adams request in
early October. He explained that the
project is moving forward and that the
cleanup process of the dry cleaning
chemicals has been approved. The plan
is to have a four story complex with 90
– 100 residential units along with retail
space and restaurants. One of the many
concerns is the number of lower income
units the County is requesting. At a
January 2009 meeting there will be a
more detailed plan presented with standard
planning procedures explained.
Motion: Dennis Cole moved that
Let's Go Green!
This column was suggested as a way
of giving away an item that was still
usable but no longer wanted, without
having to call Goodwill for just one
item or taking it to the dump to be put
into landfill.
If you have a free usable item to
give away call the office at 472-3202 so
that it can be listed in the next issue of
the Valley Vibration.
This month's free items are:
• Health Rider exercise machine
from Sharper Image - like new
Call 472-3235.
• Two antique oak desk drawers, also
available, door to make desk top,
call 472-2459.
Wanted items:
• Basket Wares in San Rafael will
accept used clean polystyrene packing
peanuts to reuse for shipping. Call
Karen at 453-8728.
LVHA purchase two tickets at the
$50 level to Supervisor Susan Adams
fundraiser on October 25, 2008 at the
Marinwood Community Center. It was
seconded by Keith Dotto and approved
unanimously.
Tennis Courts: Gary Scharlach noted
that people are playing on the tennis
courts who are not with owners. They
claim to live in the estates and said they
are on the LVHA team. He suggested
that the association take a look at this
issue. Keith Dotto will look into it.
Items from Homeowners. None.
Adjournment: Keith Dotto moved to
adjourn the meeting. It was seconded by
Dennis Cole and carried unanimously.

New Valley Vibration Page 5
President's Letter continued
homeowner) to the cable system. Those
types of repairs are funded by the Cable
Reserve or the responsible party in the
event of damage. The new agreement
also requires LVC to meet regularly
with the Cable TV and Internet Committee
and to make an annual report to
an executive session of the Board.
Finally, the agreement requires LVC
to maintain competitive pricing for their
services for both Cable Television and
Internet. I wanted to thank everyone
involved in the process and congratulate
you on a job well done. Over the
coming months LVC will be announcing
changes in channel selections and
additional services. They are currently
asking for your opinions through a
brief survey that can be found on their
website as well as in paper form at the
LVHA office.
I also wanted to take this opportunity
to comment on three other items.
First, please, if you are planning any
revision to your home or landscaping,
you must first submit an application to
the Architectural Review Committee
(ARC). LVHA’s architectural guidelines
are in place to ensure a pleasing
and consistent look in our neighborhood.
We all agreed to these guidelines
in the CC&Rs when we purchased our
homes in Lucas Valley. Applications
are available from the office. If you
have any questions about the process
you can contact Terry Bremer at 492-
0342. Although provided for in the
CC&R’s, past Boards have hesitated to
define penalties or fines for violating
the ARC requirements. I believe that
we are all reasonable people and can
resolve issues without threat of financial
penalty, etc. I am reminding you of this
in the hope that it will be unnecessary
to resort to penalties and fines.
Second, I continue to be baffled by
the fact that pet owners are unable to
clean up after their pets. The sidewalks,
the hills, the Community Center, Dixie
School, etc. are all our public areas and
I think common courtesy dictates that
you make the effort to clean up.
Finally, by the time you read this,
the 18 - 20 months of campaigning and
non-stop talking heads will hopefully
be behind us. Regardless of whom you
support, I think it is safe to say that this
general election process has elevated
the level of involvement in the political
process and strengthened the country.
Both candidates included national service
and volunteerism at various times
in their many speeches, debates and
interviews. I mention this because we
need your help. As the saying goes “…
think globally, act locally…” so please
think about volunteering for one of our
LVHA committees or running for the
Board in the spring. At least join us at
our monthly Board meetings. If you
have any questions, don’t hesitate to
contact Janice in the office.
Enjoy the Fall and I look forward
to seeing you in the Valley!
Vial of Life to be kept in the refrigerator
with vital information.
ARC Approvals
50 Mt. Lassen Dr. - paint
244 Mt. Shasta Dr. - roof
1170 Idylberry Rd. - roof
22 Mt. Tallac Ct. - roof
79 Mt. Tallac Ct. - roof
58 Mt. Rainier Dr. - tree removal
Marinwood Fire
Chief Tom Roach
Wants Your Email
Address………Now!!
By Nancy Haugen
On Sunday, Oct. 27 th , Block 7 Disaster
Group (1300’s of Idylberry) had
a meeting to go over disaster preparedness.
As part of it, Chief Joel White,
Engineer Ceaser Correa and Fire Fighter
Esteban Cespeda came with their equipment
to make sure that we all knew (and
practiced on their models) how to turn
off the gas valve and the water and how
to actually put out a real fire with one of
their extinguishers. (See pictures). What
I learned was that there are three new
programs happening at the Marinwood
Fire Department that are of great interest
and critical for all of our well being.
1.) They will come out and help install
one smoke detector in your house and
talk with you about placement of other
ones. Chief Roach wants all of us to
have one smoke detector in every bedroom
and one in the adjoining hall. He
said that one in the kitchen or living
room is not as critical (and the kitchen
one is always going off).
2.) They have “Vial of Life” containers
to give to every household. (See picture
at left). The tube contains a form to fill
out with “Lifesaving Information for
Emergencies”. It is to be placed in the
shelves of your refrigerator since that
is the one place in a home that is most
likely to survive an earthquake, fire,
flood, etc. There are two stickers – one
for your front door and one magnetized
to be placed on your refrigerator door. It
will tell emergency personal that there is
information present and they will know
where to go to look for it. They suggest
that you staple a copy of your driver’s
license to the paper so that they know
who is who.
3.) Chief Roach is putting together an
continued on page 7

Page 6
New Valley Vibration
Mt. Muir Court Block
Party
By Ruth Kalb
On Sunday October 5th, Mt. Muir
Court followed in the footsteps of Oak
Mountain Court and held our own Block
Party. More than sixty people, aged 18
months through eighty plus years turned
out for what was a delightful afternoon.
We had original owners and a family
who moved in less than two months
ago. Baby sitters found babies to sit for,
friends were made, and all of us truly
enjoyed connecting to our neighbors
and beginning to create a community.
We're already looking forward to the
2nd annual event next year.
Thanks to everyone who stepped up
to help with planning, contributions of
tables, chairs, grills, plates, balloons, set
up and clean up: Lynne Apostle, Susan
and Jeff Berlin, Madeline Egan, Mike
and Carol Elgie, Joan and Wayne James,
Elyse Julius (thanks for letting us use
your yard!), Dan Kalb, Tom Pattinson
and Jan Peterson, Mary Plescia, and
Marty Slavin. Thanks to the Moir boys
for their lemonade stand. Everyone who
came contributed fantastic food.
Terry Bremer, from Oak Mountain
Court was so generous with her time
and tips for how to hold a successful
Block Party. It was a pleasure pulling
this together and I highly recommend it
to anyone who'd like their block to feel
more like a neighborhood.
Visit the New LVHA
Website
LVHA has a new website. Be sure
to visit the website at www.LVHA.org
which now has the same announcements
as listed on channel 8. No password is
required.
You can also find Architectural
Review Forms and Design Guidelines
under Committees.
Drainage Reminder
With the rainy season in full swing it
is time to clear those concrete V-shaped
drainage ditches on those properties
abutting the hills. The drainage ditch
at the periphery of the property should
be kept clear of debris. Serious damage
and flooding can occur from accumulated
debris and one could be liable for
damage to a neighbor's property.
Property Tax Bill
You may want to review your property
tax bill. Apparently the senior
exemption for San Rafael City Schools
has been ignored. The exemption had
previously been applied automatically
from year to year, however this year it
was not.
Call the number on your tax bill and
request a corrected bill.

New Valley Vibration Page 7
Halloween Party Fun
By Valerie Charlton and Annette Lowder
Our community Halloween party
was a hit! Troop 237 of the Girl Scouts
helped run games, face painting and
added a few tattoos to the children.
Prizes were given for best pumpkin
painting and coloring of a Halloween
scene.
Doug Charlton did a wonderful job
running burlap sack races and relays on
the lawn. We hope to see more children
attend next year! Happy Halloween.
Marinwood Fire Chief continued
emergency email network of all of the
homes in Lucas Valley. He wants to
be able to email if there is a fire on the
hills or an earthquake just occurred or
any emergency so he can tell it what it
happening and what we should do. He
said to me on the phone that he wants
all our emails so he can effective get
information out to us quickly. Please
send your email to troach@marinwood.
org and indicate that you want to be put
on their emergency network.
The last thing we discussed was the
vital importance of getting safety film
for all the glass in your house that isn’t
tempered. The safety film is completely
clear, blocks UV rays and will prevent
the glass from shattering and sending
shards into the room. Many accidents
occur as people try to start moving
around a house where there is debris and
huge amounts of broken glass all over
the floor. There are companies that do
just safety glass. It is put on the inside
of the windows.
Clearly, the wonderful firemen were
the highlight of the day. They were great
getting all of us to remember to aim before
squeezing the trigger and helping
each of us get into their coat and gloves
before starting the exercise. It was so
helpful to spend the hour listening to them
and having them answer our questions.

Page 8
New Valley Vibration
budget

New Valley Vibration Page 9
LVP

Page 10
New Valley Vibration

New Valley Vibration Page 11
sunshine services
Farmers
MillsSabino
Nail ad
Fessenden
Estuardo's Pool
CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY
EPISCOPAL
Your neighborhood “Church on the Hill”
Please worship with us
8AM or 10AM every Sunday
(Sunday School at 10 AM)
333 Ellen Drive, San Rafael, CA 94903
415-479-7023
For directions and more information, please visit
www.NativityOnTheHill.org

Page 12
New Valley Vibration
Caron Plumbing
Eichlers Only
Boilers
and
Radiant Heat
Repairs
457-2323 state lic # 336068
Bobcat seen at Lucas Valley Rd. and Mt. Shasta in
October. Photo taken by Herman Chin.

New Valley Vibration Page 13
Rainbow Press
Instant Printing
883-8979
Letterheads • Envelopes • Business Cards
Brochures • Fliers • Invoices
31 Cavalla Cay, Novato
Gene Burch
I'm Back!
Notary Public
Services
now available at
the LVHA Office
Call 472-3202
Painting by Michael Harrison
Quality Painting
Interior/Exterior
Friendly • Honest • Reasonable
No job too small.
20 years experience Call 415 420-6538
DAHLGREN DESIGN - BUILD
Additions • Remodels • Maintenance • Repairs
Design Consultation
Steve Dahlgren
Lic. no. 822066
Call for a free estimate (415) 819-0684

Page 14
New Valley Vibration
Novato Toyota
winner of the
Toyota President's Award
for outstanding sales and
customer satisfaction
All Quality Fence
Best Materials, Construction and Price
Lumber directly from mills
Screws NOT nails
I do work myself- no crews, or overhead
High quality and low price
Please visit my website for more details
The more you know
about Bay Area Toyota Dealers
The more you'll buy at
Novato Toyota!
• • • • • • • • • •
Join other selective Toyota buyers
like your neighbors and save!
On my work and my services
I am a Lucas Valley resident and will
Take great care in your project.
www.sanrafael-fencing.com
Scott Norman 902-2141
CA Lic 796461
When you come in, please ask for me
Herb Lakritz
President of Novato Toyota
Novato Toyota
897-3191