Minutes of General Meeting
September 28, 2005
 
The meeting, held in the City of Concord’s Permit Center Conference Room, was called to order by Chair Phil Schafer at 7:04 p.m. Copies of the agenda were distributed.

Phil introduced the guests and DENA officers to the assembly. The guests were Lieutenant Gary Novell, Concord Police Department and Jim Forsberg, Director of Planning & Economic Development. Michael Bryant and Bruce McManus were absent. 		 
 
  1. Reading of Minutes
    An overview of the June 2005 general meeting was given by Francie Price. Copies of the minutes were distributed.
  2. Treasurer’s Report
    Ken Weis gave the treasurer’s report. The ending balance as of Wednesday morning was $2,577.87. Phil gave an overview of some of DENA’s recurring expenses, such as:
    • Meeting signs, $16-$20
    • Tent for National Night Out, $80 (versus annual rental of $80)
    • Quarterly newsletter, $85
  3. Crime Update
    Lieutenant Gary Norvell of the Concord Police Department introduced himself, and informed us that Lt. Mike Wells has retired from the Concord Police Department. Lt. Norvell informed us that the Valley Office will be moving from its present location in the shopping center at 5400 Ygnacio Valley Road to Dianda Plaza on Clayton Road, (next to Food Maxx) on October 1. They should be settled in within a month. Lt. Norvell also discussed the crimes committed in the Dana Estates neighborhood and distributed a map that showed where the crimes were committed.

    The three top issues for Valley residents (which Dana Estates is part of) are traffic, drug houses, and problems between neighbors. For Dana Estates, the main issue is traffic. Of the crime statistics given out, most were committed by roommates or friends of the victims, not random acts by strangers. According to Lt. Norvell, the crime in the Dana Estates neighborhood is very low.

    Concern was expressed about kids hanging out at Dana Plaza at night. Lt. Norvell said that having a store (7 Eleven) that is open late at night encourages kids to gather there. However, Dana Plaza is considering putting in parking blocks and speed bumps to deter kids from speeding and doing “doughnuts” in the parking lot.

    It was reported that there are fire hydrants in the Dana Estates neighborhood that do not have the adjacent curbs painted red, and that cars are parking next to the fire hydrants. Lt. Norvell did confirm that all fire hydrants should have the adjacent curbs painted red, and to contact John Templeton, Manager of Transportation for the city of Concord, to correct the situation.
  4. Concord Naval Weapons Station Redevelopment
    Jim Forsberg, Director of Planning and Economic Development for the city of Concord, discussed the city’s plans for developing the land at the Naval Weapons Station. The Tidal Area of the Naval Weapons Station is not open to development. This area, 7,600 acres, will be under the control of the Army, as has been the case for the last 4 or 5 years. The Inland area, 5,100 acres, will be open to development. According to Mr. Forsberg, contrary to popular belief, the city of Concord has not started planning for the open area. Planning will begin sometime between January and March, 2006. The City realizes that houses and businesses in this area will have a tremendous impact on traffic, and will take that into consideration when planning the development. Most likely, it will be five years before any building is actually started on the land. There are many things to be worked out before building can begin, including issues of arsenic in the soil, clean up of munitions dump/burning sites, endangered animals in the area, just to name a few. There will be a Citizen’s Advisory Committee to discuss the land use starting in January. Those interested in discussing this further with city planners were encouraged to provide their name, phone number, and email address to Phil or Francie for referral to Mr. Forsberg.
  5. National Night Out
    Nancy Bolcerek gave a review of the National Night Out, held August 2nd at the Dana Plaza. Over 300 Dana residents attended! (Loard’s Ice Cream gave DENA 300 coupons to hand out for a free ice cream. As all coupons were handed out, we know there were at least 300 to come by the DENA booth.) There was a fire truck on display, as well as a police car, and a jumpy house for the children. Diablo Foods handed out free bottles of water and balloons, Loard’s Ice Cream gave out free ice cream, and the Bead It store gave out free scoops of beads to children. Kudos to Nancy for all of her time coordinating the event! Thank you to all board members for showing up and helping out at the DENA booth.
  6. Clean-Up Days
    Jerry Curtis gave a review of the two clean up days in Dana Estates, held on September 17th and 24th. Ten dumpsters were placed at various Dana Estates locations for the first clean up day and seven were placed for the second one. Some were filled as early as 8:30 a.m., while others were only partially filled when taken away at 1:30 p.m. As each dumpster costs the city $600, having 17 dumpsters is a large investment by the city in Dana Estates. Jerry knows of a company that will take televisions, computer parts and other electronic devices that, due to contaminants in the systems, cannot be placed in landfills. If you need to dispose of something of this nature, please contact Jerry. A survey was handed out at the meeting asking for feedback on how well the Clean Up days went. Thanks to Jerry for organizing the Dumpster Days!
  7. Dana Estates Web Page
    Not discussed to due absence of Michael...
  8. Volunteers Recruitment
    Volunteers were requested to help distribute newsletters. Three signed up, as well as a resident who volunteered to help with the DENA web site. To all who volunteered, our thanks!
  9. Miscellaneous
    • The next board meeting will be October 12th at 7:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church on Willow Pass Road. All residents are invited to attend.
    • The next general meeting will be December 14th. The topic will be Disaster Preparedness.
    • The next newsletter will be distributed the week of December 2nd. All articles should be in to Holly by November 14th.
    • The Treasury Department still has our non profit application.
    • It was suggested that an article be put in the newsletter, informing residents of ongoing DENA expenses, such as the cost of newsletters, meeting signs, etc, so residents understand how important it is that we all contribute our $5 per household to keep the good work going. Also, the DENA post office box address could be indicated as well.
    • The Hidden Grove street appears to be a 2-way street. It was thought that it would be a 1-way street. Mr. Forsberg will look into this, and get back to Phil.
 
  Adjournment – Meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Francie Price
Secretary