THE SEA RANCH ASSOCIATION P.O. BOX 16 PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID THE SEA RANCH, CA 95497-0016 MEDFORD, OR PERMIT NO. 125 Address Service Requested A QUARTERLY NEWSPAPER WRITTEN BY AND FOR THE SEA RANCH ASSOCIATION MEMBERS NUMBER 129 SUMMER 2016 IN THIS ISSUE: Skibbins, Blair-Johns Elected to 2016-17 Board RCMS SPECIAL REPORT Story and photos by Claire McCarthy Announcement of this year’s Board of Di- AGING IN PLACE rectors Election results capped the annual Members Meeting on Saturday, May 28 at Del Mar Center Hall. The gathering also CYBER SAFTEY featured reports from the Board Chair and Treasurer and the presentation of several special recognition awards to members and SUMMER EVENTS staff. Election Results The 2016-17 Board of Directors. L to R, Jackie Baas, David Skibbins, Michele Chaboudy, Jim Nybakken, Connecting Your Home Marti Campbell, Nigel Blair-Johns, Jackie Gardener. With a voter turnout of 49.67% (up from retary, David Skibbins. to Sea Ranch Connect last year’s 45.8%) and 1,111 lots participat- By Peter Youtz ing, members returned Nigel Blair-Johns Liaisons to the Board’s Policy Committees (725 votes) to the BOD and elected new- are: Finance Committee, Treasurer Marti So you’ve signed up for the Sea Ranch comer David Skibbins (859 votes). James Campbell; Planning Committee, Jacqueline Connect. What happens next, and what Flessner (who had served once before, on Baas; Utilities Committee, Jackie Gardener. do you need to do? the 2002-03 Board) received 603 votes. Board Chair’s Report Connecting your home to our new SRC This is Blair-Johns’ first term as an elected network is not a complicated process. Board member; he was appointed last Au- In his report, Chair Jim Nybakken high- There are a number of steps and some op- gust to replace Robert Scarola, who was un- lighted the positive real estate situation at tions to consider. This article walks you able to complete his term. Top vote-getter The Sea Ranch, citing an uptick in both Robert & Nancy Scarola received a Special Rec- through the different steps involved and Skibbins is the son of longtime Sea Ranch- sales of existing homes and new starts. ognition Award, presented at the meeting by Drew McCalley. explains your options. ers Jer and Sally Skibbins, both of whom “During calendar year 2015 a total of 154 93 in the previous calendar year,” he said. served on Sea Ranch Boards in the 1970’s properties changed hands, compared to just In 2015 the Design committee conducted If you have filed your subscription con- and 80’s. tract, SRC will be doing the following 25 Preliminary Site Visits with owners and basic tasks in coming months. (Sidebar: Other members of the 2016-17 Board are architects (compared to just six in 2014), If you haven’t already subscribed, time Jackie Gardner, Jacqueline Baas, Marti and there have already been eight so far this is growing short to take advantage of the Campbell, Michele Chaboudy, and Jim Ny- year. “Thirty-three new projects are cur- “free” connection offer that comes with bakken. rently in the early stages of design review a two year subscription. Sign up today at and will progress through the process to- www.searanchconnect.org/signup The new Board met the next day to elect of- wards completion of construction over the ficers and committee liaisons. Officers are: next few years,” he said. Step 1: Conduit Placement. Chair, Jim Nybakken; Vice Chair, Jackie Gardener; Treasurer, Marti Campbell; Sec- Treasurer’s Report SRC will lay conduit in a small trench from the hand-hole at your curb to your DCEM Administrative Assistant Kim Park earned Treasurer Drew McCalley reviewed some home, and install an external plastic box a Staff Recognition Award from CM Frank Bell. of the detailed information he presented at on the outside of your home. The box is the February Members Meeting (see www. called an ONT, for Optical Network Ter- tsra.org/mod/secfile/viewed.php?file_ minal. You will not need to be home for id=3365, page 3), and presented a graph this step. that showed a way of looking at assessment growth over the years. There are several choices for locating the ONT box on your house. If you’ve sub- “Assessment grew substantially in the late scribed you may already have approved ‘70’s and early ‘80’s,” he says, “the years one of the following options: of the long dispute with the Coastal Com- mission and the moratorium on building. It SRC will run the conduit either to your grew less in the late ‘80’s, spiked up again external utility cabinet (where PG&E and Jackie Gardener (L) presented a Community Ser- in the early to mid ‘90’s (Oceanic lawsuit, vice Award to Kay Martin. John Forenti (R) received a Lifetime Service phone typically attach to your home), or Award, presented by Jim Nybakken. purchase of CTPZ, purchase of Water to a position on your home closest to the Company), settled back down in the late hand-hole at the street. SRC has a map ‘90’s, grew faster again in the decade of the showing the default location for each lot It must be assumed that all owners of property 2000’s, and has been quite moderate during (UBL) on the SRC website under “Con- the current decade.” nection Authorization”, see www.sear within The Sea Ranch by virtue of their pur- anchconnect.org/subscribe. chase of such property are motivated by the He noted an uptick at the end of the graph character of the natural environment in which and warned of upward pressures the Board If you have existing empty conduit al- their property is located, and accept, for and among themselves, the and community would be facing in the ready running from the street to your principle that the development and use of The Sea Ranch must pre- coming years, due mostly to vegetation is- home that you would like to use, SRC can sues. He also noted that, contrary to popu- probably use it. You should contact SRC serve that character for its present and future enjoyment by other lar belief, the assessment does not “always Customer Service to have them inspect owners. go up” -- in fact, the assessment has been and verify your conduit. either flat or declining in 21 of the 51 years From The Sea Ranch Declaration of of our existence. Page 12 Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions Page 13 PAGE 2 THE SEA RANCH SOUNDINGS SUMMER 2016 Mendonomans Explore Aging in Place By Michele Marshall and 4) home maintenance. Transporta- are the Meals on Wheels program that Developing a digital newsletter to keep tion is the number one issue across the delivers daily meals to homebound se- interested parties up-to-date on our de- We are certainly blessed to be living here country in urban, suburban and especial- niors; senior lunches that provide an op- velopment plus other topics of interest to on the magnificent Mendonoma Coast ly rural settings like ours. portunity to meet and socialize; Friendly the community. where beauty, nature and wonderful peo- Visitors program that pairs volunteers ple are all in abundant supply. As a more AIPM then met with existing local or- with seniors who are in need of interac- Creating other fun and useful events. mature community many of us have ganizations to share findings and work tion and many more with new ones being worked long and hard to reach this point with them to determine which issues they developed to provide fun socializing op- Currently in development is the recently where we can enjoy life, explore new could best address. The good news, we portunities. approved Art of Aging show at the Guala- things and perhaps even reinvent our- do have a number of services available in la Arts Center in September 2017 where selves. Most of us never want to leave. our area, more than many communities. Community Resource Connection – local artisans will be encouraged to ex- The bad news, many are unknown to the CRC provides transportation to medical press their thoughts and feelings about Living here in this rural paradise howev- community at large or may not be scal- and dental appointments locally and out- aging in their favorite media. Lectures, er, has its challenges. As we age, the sup- able to support the growing numbers as side the area. Expansion of services to workshops and hopefully a fun movie or port and services needed for our quality the baby-boomers continue to enter and include errands, social events and light two will round out the event. of life change. Medical issues may con- travel through their senior years. home maintenance is being considered. front some of us. Transportation can be- Working with Coastal Seniors, local fire come an issue overnight with the loss of Currently, the organizations in collabora- AIPM is currently focused on the follow- departments, The Sea Ranch Security one driver’s license or the primary fam- tion are: ing: and volunteers on a Make A Difference ily driver. As mobility is compromised, Day this October 2016 changing smoke in-home assistance may be needed on a Redwood Coast Medical Services – Working with a local organization to de- and CO2 alarm batteries in the homes of short- or long-term basis. RCMS provides primary medical care, velop a single point of contact (SPOC) seniors and disabled adults. urgent care (including weekend on call), the community can contact to find re- In efforts to address these issues, a lo- dentistry, chronic disease management, sources when they need them.