Dear Fellow SVHOA Member:

Contributing to Save Acalanes Ridge: It is Time to do Our Part Again!

We started this effort, and it is time to do our part to help finish it.

In 2003 members of the Secluded Valley Homeowner’s Association rallied, in impressive numbers and energy, to ask the City of Lafayette to save Acalanes Ridge from development. Nearly 100 of our members signed a petition to the City of Lafayette, and many of you passionately wrote and spoke at public meetings. Lafayette responded, and stopped the development.

In 2008, we again asked Lafayette, Walnut Creek, East Bay Regional Park District, and Muir Heritage Land Trust (“MHLT”), to help fund the permanent acquisition of Acalanes Ridge to protect it for posterity … and for us. They have done so again, and generously. Lafayette, Walnut Creek, East Bay Regional Park District have agreed to contribute approximately $1.2 million to acquire the Haji property for permanent open space protection. MHLT, a highly respected organization, has agreed to lead the acquisition and to be responsible for management of the property in perpetuity.

MHLT must do one more thing. It must raise approximately $430,000 to fund the remaining portion of the purchase price and to permanently endow maintenance and protection of the property. The money must be raised prior to the December 22, 2010 close of the purchase, or the deal will die. The bulk of the money MHLT needs to raise must necessarily come from donors outside our Association. But those donors look to local community support in gauging whether that community is committed enough to deserve support.

This is where we come in. We have worked on this project with other Lafayette and Walnut Creek residents and organizations, and we will continue to do so. The Walnut Creek Open Space Foundation (“WCOSF”) has been particularly instrumental and wonderful. We do not need to do all of the MHLT fundraising, but we do need to actively work to support it.

We have started. The Acalanes Ridge Committee, which worked to stop development and helped organize public funding, and which is constituted primarily of members of our Association, has reconstituted itself. All current members of the SVHOA Board and Acalanes Ridge Committee have committed to significant personal contributions.

This can be, and should be, our legacy. No one directly benefits from preservation of Acalanes Ridge more than our Association. It is beautiful. It enhances our home values. It is a source of pride. It can be preserved forever.

And, if Acalanes Ridge is not saved now, it will never be saved, for this opportunity will never arise again.

We ask you ALL to join us. No gift – even $25 or $50 – is too small. Please give more if you can, and as much as you can (the largest SVHOA member gift so far is $5000). This is a time to be selfless, and to be generous of spirit. After all that Lafayette, Walnut Creek, EBRPD, WCOSF and MHLT have done, we cannot let them down.

Donations are tax deductible and can be made to the Acalanes Ridge campaign by following the “How to Help” links to “Donate” at www.muirheritagelandtrust.org, or through any Board member. Please be sure to specify “Acalanes Ridge” for your donation on either the website donation page or check. Also, please be sure to let us know if you give, so that we can tell MHLT how many of us have contributed and it can use that information to support its broader fundraising efforts (we will keep contributions confidential, if you wish). With deep gratitude,

Your Board of Directors, and the Acalanes Ridge Committee.

The Lafayette Homeowners Council (LHC) will hold its annual meeting on April 29 beginning at 7:30pm at the Lafayette Community Center (Sequoia Room). The public is invited to attend. The Mayor, Carol Federighi, will be the guest speaker and several interesting topics are up for discussion: - "Shaping Our Future"/Smart Growth, Preserving neighborhood integrity - Financial health of the city - Veterans Memorial Building and Lafayette Library - Timeliness in Staff noticing of residents - Family Day Care Facilities, peaceful coexistence in neighborhoods Questions: Bryne Mathisen 284-9388 or Lynn Hiden 283-5487

Monday February 3rd, 2003 at Springhill Elem. Library from 7 – 9:00 p.m. The meeting will begin with a short presentation by Lafayette City Manager Steve Falk, who will discuss current issues facing the city and take questions from the audience. All Springhill Valley residents are welcome!

Springhill Valley Homeowners Minutes
November 18, 2002

Attending Board Members Absent Board Members David Van Etten Guy Atwood Bill Bishop Ernie Gabiati Dave Dunbar Kathryn Lopez Scott Fraiser Paul Melmed David Harnish Alida Smit Lori Lane Don Schneider Bruce Westphal

David Van Etten called the meeting to order at 7:07pm.

Items discussed:

ANNUAL MEETING DATE SET - Alida Smit secured the library at Springhill Elementary for the annual homeowners meeting, Monday, February 3, 2003 at pm.

PARKING ON SOUTH BOUND PLEASANT HILL ROAD - location of many vehicles for sale and a very dangerous portion of the road for motorists and pedestrians. David Van Etten reported the City of Lafayette is working on this issue and has recommended/approved the following: o Weekend parking hours to be a maximum of 4 hours, violators subject to fine o The first 40 feet of south bound Pleasant Hill Road will be striped a red zone SVHA to monitor whether or not the above actions improve the situation and follow up with a letter to the City. It was mentioned the City was investigating moving the autos-for-sale site to another Lafayette location, i.e., south side of BART parking lot, however no conclusion made at time of SVHA meeting. An alternative location for selling cars exists at Diablo Valley College on the weekends.

SPRINGHILL ELEMENTARY MONUMENT SIGN - the 10ft x 8ft monument sign with low light illumination to be installed at the corner of Pleasant Hill Road and Springhill Road was well received by all board members. The board commented on the following concerns about the sign: o Cost of construction and installation - board members involved with Springhill Elementary School confirmed the PFC will fund the sign, the landscape and the maintenance

PROPOSED EXTENDED CONCRETE WALKWAY WITH CURB CONNECTING SPRINGHILL ROAD WITH STAGING AREA NEAR BRIONES ENTRANCE ON PLEASANT HILL ROAD (this path will go behind Springhill Elementarys monument sign) -the boards discussion indicated the following: o Proposed path is 8ft seems too wide; a path of 4ft-6ft seems more reasonable o Will there be enough space for cars to continue to park in the area (parallel parking would be too limiting) o SVHA wants to see another, more detailed, drawing o David Van Etten to phone the City of Lafayette regarding the above concerns

DISCUSSION REGARDING AN ANNUAL SPRINGHILL VALLEY NEIGHBORHOOD PARTY - All board members expressed interest in having an annual party held on a Saturday afternoon in June or July of 2003. It was recommended the flyer for the annual meeting include a bullet item to advertise discussing possible neighborhood party. Party location suggestions included: o Girl Scout Camp - David Harnish to contact the girl scout camp to discuss. o Field at Springhill Elementary

Meeting adjourned at approximately 8:20pm.

Question the Candidates for City Council Meet the candidates for school board Sponsored by the Lafayette Homeowners Council

Tuesday, October 8, 2002 7:30 p.m.
Lafayette Community Center
500 St. Marys Road
Sequoia Room

Public Hearing is set for Monday, June 24th, 2002, 7:30 pm (Community Center, Manzanita Room).

Important to attend!!!

The City Council is scheduled to vote on the new hillside ordinance at its June 24th meeting. Passage of this ordinance is critical to preserving our precious ridgelines and open space. Current versions of the ordinances and the draft general plan are available on the City of Lafayette website.

If you cannot attend, make comments directly to the City Council at the following addresses:
Lafayette City Council
PO Box 1968
Lafayette, CA 94549


tel. 925-284-1968
fax. 925-284-3169
email: amerideth@ci.lafayette.ca.us

The City Council meets on 6/3 to discuss the Hillside Ordinance at approximately 8:00pm. This is the second hearing for an ordinance that is a vast improvement over the current one and will significantly restrict further ridgeline development. We are strongly urging the Council to adopt this ordinance as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT - Shaping Our Future Workshop: This workshop will address targeted, sub-regional issues (specifically, Lamorinda issues) as part of a regional growth-planning effort. The workshop will be held on Thursday, May 30th at 7p.m, at the Wagner Ranch Gymnasium, 350 Camino Pablo, Orinda. Please plan to attend.

http://www.shapingourfuture.org/workshops.html

May 1, 2002

To: Springhill Valley Homeowners

From: Springhill Valley Association

RE: Ticks in Springhill Valley

The purpose of this notice is to inform homeowners about ticks in the Springhill Valley. Recently, the Springhill Valley Association was contacted by the Contra Costa Mosquito & Vector Control District (CCMVCD) with following information:

A sample of 23 ticks was collected in the Springhill Valley and tested for Lyme Disease; from the sample, three of the ticks tested positive for Lyme Disease.

The Contra Costa Mosquito & Vector Control District advised the Springhill Valley Association their findings should not cause alarm among homeowners; rather these findings should be used to increase tick awareness and education. We encourage you to visit CCMVCD’s website at: www.ccmvcd.dst.ca.us for more information.

Additional tips from CCMVCD:

· Keep vegetation in your yard down, including leaf litter. Leaf litter provides a good habitat for ticks

· Clip grass regularly; ticks cannot survive in a humid environment

· Stay away from brush when hiking

· Check for ticks during and after hikes, especially when hiking in remote areas (i.e. Briones Park)

· CCMVCD conducts tick and Lyme Disease testing, see attached flyer or visit their website for additional information

Remember the Springhill Valley Association is available for your neighborhood questions and/or concerns; visit our website at www.springhillvalley.com or refer to the Springhill Valley Association Directory for a complete listing of Board Member names and telephone numbers.

SPRINGHILL VALLEY HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION MEETING MINUTES

April 29, 2002

Attending Board Members:
David Van Etten
Alida Smit
Dave Dunbar
Lori Lane
Guy Atwood
Scott Frazier (standing in for Kathryn Lopez)
Kevin Gahagan

Meeting began at 7:15 p.m.

Items discussed:
• On May 11th, a workshop regarding “Shaping Our Future” will be held at Los Lomas High School in Walnut Creek. It begins at 9:00 a.m. and will last approx. 2-3 hours. The main thrust of the meeting is to discuss local control versus regional control in development of housing and businesses next to travel corridors such as BART stations and major freeways. People who are interested should attend this meeting. The city of Lafayette has taken a position in this proposal and that is to listen as participants.

• David will write a letter to Springhill Elementary School regarding a permanent plaque to be put in a visible area amongst the trees that our valley residents so generously donated. We have donated $5000.00 toward the landscaping fund for beautification of our elementary school and the trees aligned to our road is part of that contribution. He will also ask for an update on the proposed sign that might be placed on the corner of Springhill Road and Pleasant Hill Road. Also discussed was a memorial bench to be donated in remembrance of John Tully, a longtime resident who was also a crossing guard for the school on the same corner as the proposed sign.

• Update on the Hillside Ordinance:
It will be pushed before the General Plan is approved; possible approval by June by the City Council.
Meeting date to be set soon regarding the ridges in Springhill Valley. We would like the ridges to be put in a Class II for protection.
Lafayette City Council to be looking at the “taking” clause. They are still favoring the 1 to 10 acres in building sites.
The General Plan possibly could be approved by the fall.

• Ticks
ALERT TO ALL SPRINGHILL VALLEY RESIDENTS!!!

Ann Donohue from the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District has alerted David Van Etten about Lyme Disease that resides in ticks in our valley. She has noted a 13 increase which is ‘alarming’. We must carefully pick out ticks from our pets as well as our children after a walk/hike and report them either to her office or your families’ doctor. A board member is seeking out more information and will report back to our residents on this website as quickly as she gets the information.

• Traffic
Scott Frazier commented on the speediness of the residents as they zip down past Goyak on Springhill Road. We have all been concerned about this issue and discussed ways to assist travelers in slowing down.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:55 p.m.

Springhill Valley Homeowner Association Meeting Minutes
December 4, 2001

Attending Board Members:
David Van Etten
Kevin Gahagen
Guy Atwood
Paul Melmed
Ernie Gabiati
Lori Lane
Alida Smit

Absent Board Members:
Joan Beerline, Bill Bishop, Bruce Westphal, Nancy Wolff, Don Schneider, Bill Hansen, Dave Dunbar, and Dave Harnish

Meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Dave VanEtten.

Our Association is looking into scheduling our annual meeting at Springhill Elementary School on either February 4th or 5th. Alida will contact Cathy Sturnam, the schools secretary, for a date and to secure the library.

Several members expressed concern regarding the old blue gum tree at the beginning of Springhill Road. Another large piece of the tree fell over toward the side of the creek. Other branches have fallen and have caused power outages. The association has expressed interest in collaborating with the school in getting an arborist to look at the tree to see if the tree needs trimming and if the city can therefore trim back the tree to a safe shape. Alida will contact Bruce Wodhams regarding this issue.

An old Porsche still resides near the first bridge on Springhill Road and Guy is actively seeking the removal of the vehicle.

Our website is not getting as much use as we would like it to. David will put in on the agenda for the annual meeting to have someone show our neighbors how to access it.

Informational Updates:
Lafayette Library: Guy reported that the city is going to choose between two sites for the new library. The two being considered are: the Lincoln Property and the Veterans Hall. The city is getting appraisals for both and will decide soon on which site to begin work.

Senior Citizens Housing: Guy also reported that the Senior Citizens Housing Project on Deer Hill Road is on hold. The couple who own the property are threatening to pull their application and give the property to an Indian tribe. The land sits across from the Lafayette BART station.

Open Space: An issue will be posed to the voters to float a bond which will be used to buy more open space. Be on the lookout for this. A private enterprise is using the term "smart growth" which promotes high density building while perserving the open space. They will pull agencies together and the county will pay for the program. It comes down to county control versus local control.

Design Review: Guy shared that the Design Review Committee is proposing to set up new triggers for homes being build similiar to Orindas guidelines. For a home to be remodeled more that 50 and/or tear downs, a new set of guidelines will have to be followed. This committee is looking to avoid the very large homes currently being built in Lafayette.

Hillside Ordinance: A joint meeting is scheduled for January 7th in the Sequoia Room for the City Council, the General Plan Committee, the Planning Commission and the Design Review Committee. The topic is discuss changes in the Hillside Ordinance before the General Plan goes into effect. The Planning Commission will also meet in January.

Roughing It Day Camp: Bob Taylor has asked to check the Roughing It Day Camps application with the City of Lafayette for their use of the Brown Ranch. Technically, an application is reviewed after 5 years of current use, however, the camp has asked for an application for a permit after one year of use for their equastrian center. Bob Taylor has asked the association to look into this permit since a year is not enough time for an evaluation.

Hynek Application: After 4 hearings, the Hynek application was approved. Carol Federica and Earlene Horn consistently side with developers according to the Lafayette Homeowners Council. The Alameda whipsnake has been sited a few times on their property. The city issued a condition that no grading be done until Federal and State governments (the Wildlife Federation and Fish and Game) approve the building permit.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.