NOTICE of Board of Directors meeting
May 1st, 2009 — Website News
The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for May 13th at 7:00 pm and will be held in 3554 Round Barn Blvd., Suite 206, Santa Rosa.
Welcome to the FRMA website
April 2nd, 2009 — Website News
Fountaingrove Ranch, one of California’s most dynamic and beautiful communities, meanders across the northeastern foothills of the Mayacamas Range within the city limits of Santa Rosa. More than 800 distinctive homes and condominiums populate thousands of acres of oak, fir and redwood-studded hillsides, ridges and canyons surrounding a championship 18-hole private golf course, lake and open space. Read the rest of this entry »
Street Signs
April 1st, 2009 — Website News
By Skip Epperly
The Association replaced 5 signs stolen last year. Those signs were on Woodbourne Place, Wyndemere Circle, Turnberry Court, Turnberry Circle and Sawgrass Place. The signs are made of metal that has recycle value, albeit only about $4 per pound. Each sign weighs 40-60 pounds each.
This year several other signs were stolen including the corner sign at Fir Ridge Drive. Several months ago, the Association hired a sign company, Signs of All Kinds, to remove and store all but a few of the signs in the Ranch. The sign company has developed a new method to re-install the existing signs making them very secure and very difficult to remove. The original sign attachments were rusting and not secured well from the beginning.
Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Threat and Mitigation Report
February 1st, 2008 — Fire and Safety
Adopted by Fountaingrove Ranch Master Association Board of Directors
November 14, 2007
This report is intended as both a plan and guide for the annual mitigation of wildland fire fuels in both the open space areas within the FRMA and adjacent properties.
Because of the proximity of the FRMA to vast areas of wildland, as well as areas of FRMA open space which contain significant amounts of vegetation and are adjacent to homes, it is incumbent upon the FRMA to remain vigilant as to the condition of these areas and take appropriate steps to ensure that they are maintained in a fashion which meets fire safety requirements. Failure to do so could result in individual and/or collective liability, for FRMA board members, the association and the property manager, which could be either criminal and/or civil in nature.
Therefore, the attached report should be reviewed at least annually and updated as necessary to comply with changing conditions, regulations and laws. The Property Manager should be instructed to take the necessary steps to ensure that all FRMA opens space areas and properties adjacent to the FRMA comply with current regulations, including consulting with the Santa Rosa Fire Department, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, County Fire Services and contractors, as needed. This report provides all of the information necessary to accomplish the above tasks.
Fir Ridge School Site (Santa Rosa School District)
November 14th, 2007 — Website News
By Skip Epperly
On September 12, 2007, the Santa Rosa City School Board approved an 86-page proposal (memorandum) from Hugh Futrell Corporation and Stephen Burke commencing the development of the “Fir Ridge Workforce Housing Project”. This memorandum outlines the developer selection, process, marketing, pricing, initial sales and re-sales, occupancy, income restrictions and recapture of District costs, financing and project oversight. In brief, the project is comprised of 36 homes on a 6.2 acre site in Fountaingrove. The purpose of the project is to provide affordable housing to District employees who meet program guidelines and who do not currently own a home. A marketing consultant will be hired for the project.
The project will be built in two phases. Phase I consists of building 26 homes to login by July 2008. Marketing will be on-going until all units are developed and sold and will commence in March 2008 when a “Notice of Opportunity to purchase below market rate units” will be issued to all District employees.
Phase II will consist of the completion of the remaining nine units, landscaping and common area improvements. Although District employees are targeted for this program, units may be sold to the public if no eligible employees can be found. The District anticipates buyer occupancy to be complete for all 36 units by June 2009. The Master Association and individual members have been successful in having the project’s units reduced from 40 to 36 and have only five units face onto Fir Ridge Drive. Many members from the Association worked with the school district for several years in an attempt to mitigate the impact on the Fir Ridge area. However, the City approved the project allowing up to 16’ foot high ancillary structure to be built in the back yards without further approval. The District remains silent on what these structures are. Also, the City Traffic Engineer, Jason Nutt, is prepared to allow on street parking from Lyon Court to the Park fronting the development. The District will also allow each owner to have one room in each unit rented to non-owner.
Joint Fountaingrove Parkway Safety Committee Report
November 14th, 2007 — Website News
By Jim Johnson
The joint committee of the two Fountaingrove homeowners associations—Fountaingrove Ranch Master Association and Fountaingrove II Association—met on Thursday, Nov. 1st to review and discuss the city’s recommendations for traffic changes on Fountaingrove Parkway. The committee and our guests viewed the results of their study earlier this year and discussed the findings with traffic engineers Jason Nutt and Walt Laabs. The committee received status updates on other safety improvement projects for Fountaingrove Parkway, which will be included in the Fountaingrove Community Meeting on November 27, along with available traffic counts and speed data.
Traffic enforcement:
Fountaingrove Parkway, only 4½ miles long, handles more than 70,000 vehicles each day. Up until two years ago, it was the most dangerous city roadway with hundreds of accidents and many fatalities. Since Santa Rosa funded major improvements in 2005, the number of accidents has been cut in half, with no parkway traffic deaths in more than a year. Increased enforcement of traffic laws and speed limits by the Santa Rosa Police Department and the California Highway Patrol has been the most immediately effective solution to Parkway traffic fatalities and accidents with almost 2000 traffic citations issued so far this year—more than double those issued in 2006.
Water Conservation
November 14th, 2007 — Website News
By Skip Epperly
The Association has been looking at ways to reduce our water costs. The City is offering limited incentives to encourage this. The turf removal at Fir Ridge under the trees may qualify for a $2,500 rebate. Other rebates include up to $3,500 for lawn irrigation hardware upgrades.
Residential customers are eligible for up to $250 for turf and $350 for irrigation hardware upgrades. You may visit the City website at www.srcity.org/rp for more information.
Legal
November 14th, 2007 — Website News
By Ed Margason
Several years ago the Fountaingrove Ranch Master Association was brought into this malicious suit on a third amended complaint when two developers decided to go to war over their subdivision project. The Association was forced to spend about $150,000 of member’s money to defend itself against alleged breach of contract and the suit was finally settled around us with no judgments against FRMA. Because it was such a waste of our money the legal advice to our board was to counter sue for malicious prosecution using a contingency agreement for legal services which would NOT COST the Association. After a year of favorable hearings by an understanding local judge, she went on vacation. An unknown judge from another county suddenly substituted in, heard our complaint and dismissed our suit despite our lengthy briefs. The board is now waiting for legal advice and will have to decide soon if it wants to appeal. If not the Sunset Vista actions are over, with NO COSTS to members.
Architectural Control Committee reminders…
November 14th, 2007 — Website News, Architecture
The design guidelines and rules offered in the design review manual have been developed in an effort to maintain and compliment the natural physical character of Fountaingrove and to achieve a consistent level of review by the Architectural Control Committee (ACC). New construction, exterior modifications and major landscape projects must be submitted for preliminary review and must be received ten (10) workdays prior to the next scheduled meeting. The ACC meetings are held on the third Tuesday every month. If you have any questions, please call Gigi LaFontaine at 575.5171.
DUMPING is Not Permitted
July 16th, 2007 — Security
AS A REMINDER….PLEASE DO NOT dump yard waste or anything else at FRMA open spaces or elsewhere especially as we enter the fire season. Dumping is also illegal and could result in a stiff fine.
Anyone witnessing dumping is encouraged to get vehicle descriptions and license plate numbers. This information should be reported to the police.