Mariposa's original daily updated online newspaper
Midpines Community News
Mariposa's original daily updated online newspaper
Midpines Community News
|
|
AGENDA
Midpines
Community Center Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 7 p. m.
Regular meetings are the third Wednesday of each month.
Public Presentations: the law provides the opportunity for the public to be heard. On agenda items, comments will be allowed, at the time of that items discussion. All other subjects may be heard under comments on non-agenda items. The Chairperson will give permission to speak and may set time limits as appropriate to manage the Agenda.
1) Call to order 2) Introductions & Sign-in 3) Approval of minutes: April 16, 2008 meeting 4) Public comments on non-agenda items 5) Report from the chair a. Report on the May 14, 2008, Public Transportation Coordination Plan Community Workshop (Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates) 6) Announcements a. June 10, 10:00 a.m. Hearing about Unmet Transit Needs in Mariposa County, Board of Supervisors Chambers, Government Building. Are you aware of transit services provided by our County? Do you use those services? If not; why? With the cost of fuel sky rocketing, what are your specific transit needs? 7) Brad Aborn, District One Supervisor, Board of Supervisors report 8) Discussion items: a. Revised draft article about Midpines Planning Advisory Committee role and function b. Process to developing a Midpines Community mailing list c. Community vision-to-action process for the Midpines Specific Plan 9) Next meetings: date & agenda items 10)Adjournment, 9 p.m.
Comments may be made to the committee at: MidpinesPAC@yahoo.com P.O. Box 215 Midpines, CA 95345
Any member unable to attend, please call Don Fox at: 966-5511 If specific accommodations are needed for you to participate, please contact the Planning Office Clerk at 966-5151 or sallen@mariposacounty.org as soon as possible, at least three working days prior to the meeting.
|
|
Midpines Community Planning Advisory Committee
Members Present: Nancy Jones, Carmen Mecleary, John Schroeder, Candy O’Donnel-Brown, Charles Lammers : Ex-Officio Members: Brad Aborn : Guests: Joe Mecleary, Margaret Schroeder, Jim Wilson, Harve Dearing, Silver Brown, Ardeth Huntington, Norma Valle, Jim Valle :
Meeting was called to order by Vice Chairperson John Schroeder, at 7:15pm.
Minutes from March 19, 2008 were approved as submitted.
Guest Speaker: County Fire chief, Jim Wilson Spoke about the need for new fire equipment for the county. He explained the costs of keeping old equipment on the road. What kind of new equipment they would order and the costs. He then talked about what a 218 election was and how it would fund the new equipment. There were handouts on the 218 election and the standards for the new engines.
Non-agenda items: John Schroeder submitted a letter about the Midpines advisory committee, which would be sent to the local paper. It is to inform Midpines residents of the committee’s duties and meeting times. Some changes were made and he will bring it back for final approval at the next meeting.
Updates from the supervisors office: Mr. Aborn told us about the latest Hazelgreen Ranch situation. The park and Yarts were also discussed.
Discussion Item: Items C & D were postponed till the next May meeting
A. Developing a community vision-to-action process for the Midpines Specific Plan and what steps are next. B. Developing a Midpines mailing list
Next Meetings: Workshops meetings have been suspended until further notice.
May 21, Meeting: Subjects listed above in discussion items.
The meeting was adjourned at 9 pm
Respectfully Submitted By:
Carmen Mecleary, Secretary
|
|
Midpines Community Planning Advisory Committee Minutes for March 19, 2008 Members Present: Don fox, Nancy Jones, Carmen Mecleary, John Schroeder, Jen Nersesian, Lee Stetson : Ex-Officio Members: Brad Aborn, Gary Francisco : Guest: Joe Mecleary Meeting was called to order by Chairperson Don Fox, at 7:15pm. Minutes from Feb. 21, 2008 were approved as submitted. Non-agenda items: Lee Stetson was welcomed as a new community member. Joe Mecleary mentioned that the fire dept will come and talk about how the new fire equipment can be funded. Updates from the Supervisor’s office: Mr. Aborn told us about the Hazelgreen Ranch situation. He gave us hand outs about its history. Discussion Item: Developing a community vision-to-action process for the Midpines Specific plan A. An ad-hoc committee was formed to put together a letter for the newspaper, and make flyers to inform the Midpines residents of the committees meetings. Comm. Members are John Schroeder, Lee Stetson, Jen Nersesian, and Nancy Jones. B. Gary Francisco will look into getting license plate frames C. Don Fox will: 1. Acquire a list of residents from the tax assessor office 2. Obtain a digital copy of our proposed planning area map. 3. Ask Sierra Nevada Conservancy about grant money 4. Will sit at the post office to ask residents for their e-mail addresses Next Meetings: Workshops meetings have been suspended until further notice. April 16, Meeting: Joe Mecleary will ask the fire dept. to come and talk about funding of new fire equipment. The committee will continue to work on getting the community involved in developing a vision plan for the Midpines area. The meeting was adjourned at 9 pm Respectfully Submitted By: Carmen Mecleary, Secretary
|
Midpines Community Planning Advisory Committee Minutes, January 17, 2008 Members Present: Candy O’Donel-Browne, Don Fox, John Schroeder, Carmen Mecleary, Doug Chapell, Jen Nersesian, Nancy Brown, Gary Francisco (ex officio) Call to Order: Chair Carmen Mecleary called the meeting to order at 7:15. Those present introduced themselves and a signup sheet was passed. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as submitted. Planning Department. ------ presented the initial concept drawings for the Midpines Bible Church. Public Comments/Non-Agenda Items. Candy O’Donel-Browne gave a status report on the YARTS grant. The granting agency has withdrawn the grant because of the change of location of the Midpines park and ride. The committee will draft a letter of support for the new location to support YARTS in getting the grant reinstated. It will be approved at the next regular meeting. Election of Officers: Officers elected for the upcoming year are Chair: Don Fox; Vice-Chair; John Schroeder; Secretary, Carmen Mecleary. Upcoming Meetings: February 7 Workshop: Terry McLaughlin from the Upper Merced Watershed Council will describe the Council and its program activities. The Committee will share their ideas for elements of a vision statement for Midpines. February 21 Meeting: Dana Hertfelder will present on the county road system in Midpines – deficiencies and plans. The Committee will continue work on the vision statement. Adjournment: Chair Don Fox adjourned the meeting at 9:30PM. Respectfully Submitted, John Schroeder, Secretary |
Midpines Community Planning Advisory Committee Minutes, November 15, 2007 Members Present: Candy O’Donel-Browne, Don Fox, John Schroeder, Charles Lammers, Jen Nersesian, Gary Francisco (ex officio)
Call to Order: Vice-Chair Don Fox called the meeting to order at 7:15PM in the absence of the Chair, Carmen Mecleary.. Those present introduced themselves and a signup sheet was passed. Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as submitted. Public Comments/Non-Agenda Items. Jen Nersesian passed out CDs containing the Groveland Vision Statement. Announcements. Jen Nersesian announced that on November 30th Yosemite National Park will host a Community Briefing Session. Gary Francisco announced that a retirement party will be held for Jim Allen on Sunday, December 3rd, at the Midpines Community Center. Report from the Planning Commission. Commissioner Francisco reported on various items presently before the Commission. Discussion Item: The committee again discussed the problem of recruiting and keeping active, qualified committee members, and to increase community participation more generally. The consensus was that non-attending members should be encouraged to participate or resign from the committee. John Schroeder will pass out the list of prospective candidate members developed in October at the next meeting. Upcoming Meetings: December Workshop: Dave Martin, USFS District Ranger, on Roads and Trails Planning December Meeting: Cancelled January Workshop: Cancelled January Meeting: Dana Hertfelder on Mariposa County Road Capacity Issues February Workshop: Ed Johnson. Adjournment: Vice-Chair Don Fox adjourned the meeting at 9:30PM. Respectfully Submitted, John Schroeder, Secretary
|
Midpines Community Planning Advisory Committee Members Present: Candy O’Donel-Browne, Don Fox, John Schroeder, Carmen Mecleary, Nancy Brown, Jen Nersesian.
Call to Order: Chair Carmen Mecleary called the meeting to order at 7:15PM. Those present introduced themselves and a signup sheet was passed.
Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as submitted.
Report from the Chair: Carmen reported her conversations with those members who have not been attending meetings. In two cases, the member indicated ability to attend in the near future.
Letters to Supervisor: Three letters were submitted to the committee for review and comment. Modifications will be made by the authors and the letters emailed to Carmen for printing and sending.
1. Don Fox: voice support for permanent park and ride lot at the County Park 2. Carmen Mecleary: request for traffic study by CALTRANS to assess the current speed limit on State Highway 140 through Midpines, and what is perceived by committee members as excessive speed by drivers. 3. Nancy Jones: request the county to hire a full-time enforcement officer to undertake an active inspection program to assure compliance with zoning and other ordinances.
Discussion Item: The committee discussed the problem of recruiting and keeping active, qualified committee members, and to increase community participation more generally. The committee developed a list of Midpines residents who could potentially contribute to the efforts of the committee by attending meetings, or ultimately by becoming members. Current members were assigned to make initial contact with these people and issue a personal invitation to attend meetings.
Discussion Item: The committee continued its discussion of commercial development – likes and dislikes.
Agendas for Upcoming Meetings: Candy O’Donel-Browne suggested that the committee contact Linda Dahl (currently a Planner with NPS), who was instrumental in jumpstarting the effort to formulate a community plan in Groveland. In addition to describing the Groveland effort, Ms. Dahl’s extensive experience in community planning in a rural setting should be of great use to the committee. The committee requested Ms. O’Donel-Browne to contact Ms. Dahl and invite her to the November 1 Workshop.
The committee decided to invite the county Public Works Director, Dana Hertfelder, to attend the next regular meeting (November 15) to present his ideas and opinions regarding the county road system, and how it will affect land development in the future.
Adjournment: Chair Carmen Mecleary adjourned the meeting at 9:30PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
John Schroeder, Secretary |
MIDPINES COMMUNITY PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE DRAFT MINUTES Members Present: Jen Nersesian, Carmen Meclery, John Schroeder, Brad Aborn (ex officio) Gary Francisco (ex officio). Owing to the lack of a quorum, the formal meeting was not called to order. The time was spent discussing Midpines with Kimberly Bullock from the Mariposa County Fire Safe Council. The committee responded to questions from Ms. Bullock to aid her in formulating a community data sheet. Randy Fong, a member of the public, vigorously supported the use of the Midpines Community Park as a YARTs pick-up point. He advocated continuing to have open rest rooms available, and hoped lights would be added to the parking lot, along with a shelter, a phone, and an expansion of the tarmac to the far end to allow for growth in the parking capacity. Respectfully Submitted John Schroeder, Secretary
|
MIDPINES PLANNING ADVISORY COMMITTEE Draft Minutes
Call To Order. Carmen Mecleary called the meeting to order at 7:15. Members present: Carmen Maclery, John Schroeder, Don Fox, Candy O’Donel-Browne, Charles Lammers, Jen Nersesian, Gary Francisco (Ex Officio, Planning Commissioner, District 1)
Introductions and Sign-In. Members and visitors signed in.
Fire Safe Council: Kimberly Bullock, who is Coordinator for the Mariposa County Fire Safe Council, gave a short presentation detailing the Council’s current efforts beginning under grant support to formulate a Community Wildfire Protection/Prevention Plan (CWPPP) for Midpines. She stated that the committee would be an appropriate vehicle to provide community feedback to this effort. A “what is Midpines” discussion ensued, in which members explained the current status of the Midpines boundaries. Ms. Bullock passed out samples of a community asset and resource inventory, and a CWPPP outline, and suggested that our two organizations begin collaboration.
Approval of minutes: July 19, 2007. Several corrections were made to the draft minutes for July 19: 1. Ferguson Rock Slide for Ferguson Slide 2. Viaduct for Aqueduct 3. The agreed-upon agenda for this meeting did not include a talk on vision and high-level objectives. The minutes were approved as modified.
Public Comments and Non-Agenda Items. Gary Francisco reported that the Planning Department is giving highest priority to efforts that generate fee revenue, and therefore has not moved ahead to formulate a recommended county policy on cell towers. Various members of the committee stated that this situation was unacceptable.
Report and Comments from the Chair. 1. The chair officially announced the appointment of Jen Nersesian to the committee. 2. Given the new YARTs posture on the use of the County Park, there needs to be a letter written from the committee to the Board of Supervisors supporting this use, to conform to the many, many discussions the committee has held over the past year. Don Fox will draft the letter. 3. Carmen reminded the committee of rules of order covering recognition to speak, interrupting a speaker, etc. She appointed Don Fox as the keeper of the speaker queue. The committee agreed not to be so unruly. 4. Carmen cited a problem in maintaining our position papers as they are developed and added to over time – the one on Commercial Development being the first case in point. Moreover, continuous access to this material should be given to the public. It was decided that
1) John Schroeder, as secretary, would maintain the material as modifications are made to it. To start with, he will annotate and distribute the rather cryptic Commercial Likes/Dislikes list to make it more understandable to the public 2) Jen Nersesian will investigate ways and means to make the material more accessible.
Discussion Items:
1) Hwy 140 Safety. Several members voiced safety concerns about the nominal speed limit on 140 through Midpines, and the apparent lack of enforcement. Lowering the speed limit to 45 MPH, and installation of turn lanes at Oak Road, Colorado Road, and elsewhere were cited as possible mitigations. The committee decided that a letter should be written to CALTRANS requesting a traffic study. Carmen will write the letter requesting same.
2) Commercial development: Attributes, Pro & Con. Owing to the late hour, it was moved and seconded to table this item until the next meeting.
Next Meetings. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 20th, at 7PM. Agenda items will be
1) Beginning work on a CWPPP, with Kimberly Bullock 2) Commercial Development: Attributes Pro and Con.
Owing to the closeness of the Labor Day weekend, there will be no interim workshop, usually held on the first Thursday.
Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 9:25PM.
Respectfully Submitted
John Schroeder, Secretary
|
Midpines Community Planning Advisory Committee
Members Present: Carmen Mecleary, Don Fox, Jen Nersesian, Nancy Jones, Charles Lammers, John Schroeder, Candy O’Donel-Browne. Ex Officio: Brad Aborn and Gary Francisco .
Call to Order: Carmen Mecleary called the meeting to order at 7:15PM.
Approval of Minutes: The minutes for the June 21 meeting were approved as submitted.
Public Comments/Non-Agenda Items: Don Fox reported that he had a discussion with the county Fire Chief to assess the kinds of GIS data that could be available to the committee. Don will write a letter formally requesting assistance from the Fire Department. Carmen Mecleary and Candy O’Donel-Browne both commented that the Fire Safe Council is doing assessment work in Midpines, and needs feedback from the community. The committee will take steps to learn how our two groups can collaborate.
Updates from the Supervisor’s Office: Brad noted the appointment of Gary Francisco, former committee member as our new Planning Commissioners. He reported the current status of the Ferguson Slide project, and noted that an aqueduct is the most likely alternative to be chosen.
Letters to the Supervisor: It was moved, seconded, and approved to have the Chair send a corrected version of her draft letter re: Cell Towers to the supervisor immediately. It was decided to table any communication regarding highway speed limits until we have studied the matter further.
Discussion Item: “Likes/Dislikes for Commercial Development in Midpines. Using a list submitted by John Schroeder as a basis for discussion, the committee formulated a modified list of likes and dislikes relating to Rural Economic development in Midpines. This list will be further modified as a result of more discussion and public input, and will eventually be used as a guide in writing the section on Commercial Development in the Midpines Community Plan.
Next Meeting: Thursday, August 16, at 7PM. Agenda items: 1. Kim Bullock, Coordinator, FireSafe Council – “Areas for Collaboration” 2. Jen Nersesian – “Use of a Vision and High Level Objectives to Drive the Planning Process in Midpines”
Adjournment: Carmen Mecleary adjourned the meeting at 10:30PM.
Respectfully Submitted, John Schroeder, Secretary
Attachment: Likes and Dislikes Relating to Commercial Development in Midpines
|
| During the Mariposa County Planning Commission meeting of August 3, 2007, a Time Extension Application was
approved by the Planning Commission for Richard Racina to extend time to record parcel map for Land Division No. 2003-266 . The Land Division was conditionally approved by the Planning Commission on June 18, 2004 and consists of the division of a 34.67 acre site into 4 parcels and a remainder. Location: 5670 West Whitlock in Midpines, APN 008-270-050.
|
Other News |
YARTS has withdrawn it's appeal to the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors for the rejection by the
Mariposa County Planning Commission of the proposed Midpines Park and Ride parking lot project next to the Midpines Post Office. Reliable sources have been told by YARTS that they are now considering moving their project money to the Midpines County Park location if agreed by the County. This could be a win, win, win for YARTS, the County and Midpines.
|
