Todd Greisen
One of our hot topics, continues to be bear break ins. If you visit our website, you will find a map with updated incidents reported to us. If you are a victim, or even see a bear, or bears, on your property please report details to Patrol. For immediate response, please call them at 661-556-1685. Simple observations, such as on your doorbell camera, can be reported to patrol@pmcpoa.com. Incidents should also be reported to California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
In spite of all the media attention we’re getting, efforts from California Department of Fish and Wildlife have been inadequate to mitigate the problems residents face. In case you haven’t seen it already, please complete the online petition to state officials requesting they step up their efforts to help solve the problem coming from the national forest surrounding Pine Mountain Club. Our state government needs to hear from its voters. Because the problem has become generational, as in mama bears teaching their cubs, temporary solutions are clearly ineffective.
We are also taking action in PMC common areas for which we are responsible. A key area within our responsibility is the transfer site, where food waste is among the resident-disposed trash. Although additional fencing has been suggested, it’s proven that bears will not be deterred by it, any more than they are deterred by other means of property protection. Electrified deterrents are under consideration and we hope to have solutions in place soon.
Along with the bear season, we have also dealt with a lot of heat this summer. Please remember that the clubhouse is air conditioned, and is open 8 to 5 daily, with free WiFi available to keep you cool and connected. The pool has also been a very popular amenity this summer. Staff reports to me that they’ve had to turn away visitors because we’ve reached capacity for safe swimming. I’m thankful to past board of directors who had the foresight to replace the smaller pool a few years ago, which would have been at capacity even more with the increased population of PMC in recent years. In addition, recent evenings at the lounge and restaurant have been among our busiest in recorded history, where food and entertainment can be included with your effort to remain cool. The kitchen and staff have also been pushed to their limits to support the needs of the community.
Of note regarding capacity, it’s now evident that our post office is also running beyond its limits. In addition to PMC’s population growth in recent years, the growth of online purchasing and changes in delivery methods has stretched our ability to service our customers. We continue to be just as busy as the peak holiday season on a a daily basis. Amazon Prime is the dominant product provider who’s impacted delivery by sending most items to your post office instead of to your door, pushing our small-town post office to its limits almost daily. Package pick up from Frazier Park post office often requires several trips per day by staff, who then must temporarily store and sort packages, followed by placing notices in your mailbox. It is at that point that they have officially been delivered, contrary to what your phone app may tell you. It’s an overwhelming task, and your patience is appreciated as we do our best to continue service at this amenity.
We continue efforts to maximize the space available in the post office. As you peak through the front window, you can get a glimpse of the limitations we face. Floor space is a premium, where boxes can be temporarily stacked until resident pick up. Like many of you, staff is dealing with the hot weather. Our portable floor AC unit has recently been replaced with central air, keeping staff cool while adding just a bit more space where packages can be stored. More to come. Other infrastructure moves are underway to add more space for the package volume we process daily.
We continue to maximize space in the clubhouse, too. Facilities maintenance has moved their office out to the old pool pump house, where modifications have been made to accommodate staff and equipment storage. This has opened up more dining space in the Condor room, to allow for the greater demand of the lounge and restaurant.
Maintenance staff is also working on clearing an area we refer to as the ‘contractor yard’, putting us in a position to open additional RV storage facilities, increasing the capacity of that amenity and source of revenue. Other projects in the works by maintenance staff include annual slurry of some of our roads. For those of you who may be new to PMC, there is an ongoing schedule of road slurry each year, followed by restriping. This year, we’re also adding roadway speed and ‘stop ahead’ warnings, to encourage safer driving. If your street was not impacted by this year’s improvements, please know that you’re on the schedule for the future.
Other, less critical, improvements to the golf course and Lampkin Park amenities are also in the works. Tee boxes are being leveled and we’re adding foliage barriers to the north side of the lake where many golf balls are lost due to its proximity to the driving range. We’re adding shading to the park and ball field grandstands to help with the summer heat. Lighting and fencing improvements to the tennis and pickleball courts continue as staff time allows. Fern’s Lake has been restocked this summer, and we’ve made some other minor improvements to that amenity. The Equestrian Center continues to expand its services to improve revenue and support the boarding community.
By purchasing the Askin (a.k.a. post office) building, we’ve become new members of the commercial properties’ owners association. This has opened the door to work closer with them on events and other ways to invigorate our small-town economy and maintain property values. As always, I continue to look for ways to keep amenity costs low, while improving the opportunity for revenue increases to minimize subsidies. Both approaches are essential to keeping annual assessments as low as possible, during tough economic times that we all face.
Thank you all for your support, as I do all I can with the support of the board of directors, to make Pine Mountain Club the best mountain community to live and visit in southern California.
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