Sunday, April 22, 2012

Present:  Cory Buckner, Charles Goodwin (recording), Cece Karz, Ara Kermankian, Kyle Kozloff,  Kathy Leader, Alex MacDowell, Robert Plotkowski, Eric Reid

Absent:

I. Welcome

The meeting was called to order at 6:39 pm by Kyle Kozloff. Board members were introduced. Several residents who have lived in the community for over 50 years were present. The community welcomed many new residents.

II. Treasurer’s Report. Robert Plotkowski reported that  our situation is approximately the same as last year. The association now has about 121-125 paid members.

III. Year in Review
a. Digital Initiative. Ara Kermanikian used a projector to guide the community through our new web site. We now have about 200 email addresses which allows us to start sending the Views electronically and to alert the community about rapidly emerging events such as power outages and fires. The association has a Twitter account. All tweets also show up on the front page of the our website,

b. Community Garden. Building from the Farmscape presentation last year we investigating the implementation of a  garden on association land between Tigertail and Canna. We have consulted with horticultural experts and are now doing a feasibility study. Beth Allred has taken the lead on this project.

c. Crestwood Hills Nursery School. We are fortunate to have had an excellent relationship with the nursery school for many years. The board is now trying to work with the school to establish a long term lease.

d. Tree Committee. Many tree disputes were resolved without legal action this year.

e. Crestwood Hills Architectural Committee. The board thanks the architectural committees for their important work.

d. Greater Brentwood. Sunset is still under construction. Green Hollow Square at the site of the old Dutton’s Bookstore on San Vicente has issued its environmental statement. There will be a meeting on May 14th. People who are interested are welcome to attend this meeting.

e. Kyle thanked a number of people who been invaluable to the community. Kathy Leader has been a valuable member of our board for 16 years. Phillis Dudick, Charles Harris and Vicky Rockney were thanked for their long work at the park, Christopher Wargin for his extensive work on our website,  and Roy Glidden for providing food for tonight’s meeting.

IV. Election of Board Members. Seven slots are up for election this year. Our Bylaws do not permit the election of more than 6 members a year. Current boards were re-elected by acclamation: Cece Karz, Chuck Goodwin, Alex MacDowell, Cory Buckner.

Some of the different kinds of work that the Board does were briefly discussed: Archives, emergency preparedness, welcome committee, etc.

John Haley. Kate Robin Greg Schultz, and Barbara Levin agreed to be nominated for our three slots.. Each candidate talked about themselves to the community. Kate offered to withdraw so that there would not be conflict. The community voted for the other three members by acclamation — John Haley, Greg Schultz and Barbara Levin– and asked Kate to participate as a non-voting alternate.

V. Public Comment. Vicky Rockney talked about this year’s lack of buses for the Hollywood bowl. It is possible to take the buses from the Federal Building at Wilshire for $8. There will be 4 concerts open to the community this year. Vicky asked people who were interested to sign up with her so that she can notify them.

Phillis Dudick thanked Vicky Rockney for serving the community and helping with the park for over 50 years. She noted that Sunnylands, Annenberg home in Rancho Mirage,which was designed by A Quincy Jones has now been declared a public monument. The visitor’s center was designed by Frederick Fisher, a Crestwood Hills resident, has just been opened.

Bob Kaminsky asked that the proliferation of wires and noisy electrical boxes be put on the agenda of the board.

Martin Gelber, a member of the upper architectural committee and former board member noted that many people do not stop at the stop signs creating a dangerous situation. The lights people put in front of their houses are creating unsightly glare on the street.

Kathy Aronstam described the horrible pavement on Rochedale and asked that people mobilize to get the city to pave it..

VI. Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 8:12.

VII. The next meeting will be on May 23rd at Kyle Kozloff’s 711 Hanley.

CRESTWOOD HILLS ASSOCIATION
986 Hanley Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90049

Re:  Tree Committee Procedure

Dear Neighbors:

The Crestwood Hills Association Tree Committee was recently contacted by a member of the Crestwood Hills Association identified as the “view” party above regarding trees on the property of the owner identified as the “trees” party above.  Views of the Los Angeles basin, coastline, hills and canyons, and sky are an important part of what makes Crestwood Hills a special place to live.  This is why the Tree Committee exists.  This letter is a summary of the Tree Committee process.

Background

The Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for the Crestwood Hills Association provide that no trees or shrubs may be maintained in excess of six (6) feet in height without the prior written consent and approval of the Association.  The Crestwood Hills Association Tree Committee is an instrument of the Board of the Association.

Contact and Investigation

If contacted by a member of the Association, the Tree Committee will issue a “Findings Letter” on the following conditions: (i) the view party is a member in good standing of the Association (ie. the view party owns a home within the boundaries of the Association properties and has paid dues in the current year); (ii) the trees party owns property located in Crestwood Hills; (iii) the view party signs an agreement in the form required by the Association and pays a non-refundable processing fee of $75; and (iv) the view party has contacted the trees party and attempted, in good faith, to resolve the matter by mutual agreement.  The Tree Committee
encourages neighbors to work together to preserve views and to resolve issues consensually.  If the matter cannot be resolved the Tree Committee will thereupon contact both parties and will view the trees from the view party’s home.

Findings Letter

After conducting its investigation the Tree Committee will issue its Findings Letter.  The Findings Letter will describe the trees in question, will state whether they comply with the CC&R’s, and if they are not in compliance it will state what trimming or removal will be required to bring them into compliance with the CC&R’s with respect to the view party’s property.  Typically the Findings Letter will also include a photograph that includes a depiction of the level at which the trees should be maintained.

Enforcement

Neither the Tree Committee nor the Association will bring legal action to enforce the CC&R’s with respect to tree issues.  However, the view party may do so and the Findings Letter may provide the basis for a claim.

The Tree Committee has found that tree and view-related issues tend to be similar throughout the community.  See Exhibit A for commonly asked questions.

Crestwood Hills Association
Tree Committee

Exhibit A

COMMON ISSUES

Trees Party

1.“The trees have been on this property for a long time and no one complained.”

Answer:  Because the Association does not police the height of trees or the obstruction of views, it is up to the view party to contact the Association and the failure to do so, even for a period of many years, is not a waiver of the view party’s right to a view.  Noncompliant trees do not become compliant because no one notices or no one complains, or just due to the passage of time.

2.“My neighbor has lots of tall trees on his/her property – why should I have to trim mine?”

Answer: Your neighbor is entitled to a view free of obstruction by your trees regardless of whether there are trees on his/her property.  Those trees may not obstruct anyone’s view.  Or another neighbor (or you) may ask that your neighbor trim them and your neighbor will be obligated to do so.

3.“There are tall trees all over the neighborhood – does that mean that the CC&R restrictions on tree height no longer apply?”

Answer: The restrictions still apply.  Some of the trees you see are not within the Association boundaries.  Some do not obstruct views.  But views are an important part of what makes Crestwood Hills special and if we allow them to be blocked we all suffer.

4.“Trimming my trees will injure or kill them – I have a letter from an arborist to this effect.”

Answer:  Trees are remarkably resilient.  We have seen many such letters, yet we have never seen a tree die when trimmed, even when the trimming is extensive.  Additionally, if trimming is not feasible the trees can be replaced with more appropriate trees or shrubs.

5.“I need my trees for privacy reasons.”

Answer:  Plant hedges!  Hedges are dense and provide excellent screening and also reduce noise.  The trunk of a tall tree provides very little privacy and the bushy part of the tree at the top, which blocks your neighbor’s view, provides none.

6.“I just trimmed my trees two years ago.”

Answer: As indicated above, trees can grow very quickly.  If annual trimming is an inconvenience, removing the trees is an option.  However, if you like the amenity of trees on your property you need to keep them trimmed to a level that does not interfere with your neighbors’ views.

View Party

1.“Can you call my neighbor and tell them to trim their trees?”

Answer: The Tree Committee will issue a Findings Letter, but we are not your spokesperson or advocate.  Before we become involved we expect you to contact your neighbor, communicate what you are requesting, and work in good faith to come to a neighborly resolution.

2.“My neighbors are bad people and we have many disputes over various issues.”

Answer: The Tree Committee only addresses view issues.  We make our determination based on the view, not the personalities of the individuals involved or other issues between them.

3.“I have a petition signed by several neighbors, all of whom have a problem with the trees.”

Answer:  The Tree Committee only addresses issues between two properties at a time.  We cannot, and do not purport to, view trees from every conceivable angle and make a global determination as to whether every view from every vantage point is affected.

4.“My neighbor trimmed the trees but not to the level specified in your report.”

Answer:  If you request, the Tree Committee will do a follow up report to determine whether trimming was conducted in conformity with the Findings Letter.

5.“My neighbor received your report but still refuses to do anything.”

Answer:  We find that most tree/view issues are resolved amicably.  It is in your neighbor’s interest to be cooperative since their own view is likely important to them and they live in the same community.  However, in the rare instance where your neighbor refuses to cooperate you may need to retain the services of an attorney to enforce the CC&R’s.

ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES JANUARY THRU MARCH 2012:

841 Hanley Avenue
Addition and remodel
Preliminary approval (story poles approved)

827 N. Tigertail Road
Addition and remodel
Preliminary approval

803 Bramble Way
Exterior improvements and interior remodel
Final approval

727 Hanley Avenue
New front yard fence
Final approval

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SUMMARY, CHA BOARD MEETINGS can be found here; http://crestwoodla.com/category/minutes/

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

On behalf of the Crestwood Hills Board I bid you Happy New Year!   2012 is off to a great start in Crestwood Hills. We are working on a number of projects to better serve the community, and I wanted to take a moment to highlight some of our new initiatives.

Digital Views Have Arrived
After a multi-year campaign, we have finally gathered enough email addresses and approvals to make the transition to electronic distribution of The Views.  Publishing The Views digitally allows us to provide many things, including more frequent communication, more vibrant stories (with photos!), and an easier opportunity for reader feedback, all at a lower cost to the community than the paper version.  We look forward to your input for future issues.  We are looking for junior editors, photographers, and columnists, so if you (or your kids) would like to participate, please get in touch with us by emailing crestwoodla@gmail.com.

CHA is on Twitter
Listen carefully; birds aren’t the only things tweeting in Crestwood Hills.  We have launched our own Twitter account and will be using it to broadcast information to the neighborhood.  Follow us, and help the community stay connected.  @CrestwoodLA

Keeping our Streets Safe
Thanks in part to a successful petition by CHA residents, the City of Los Angeles repaired and repaved a large section of North Kenter Avenue, eliminating dangerous potholes and other cracks that have made driving conditions hazardous in our community.  The CHA Board is focusing its attention on another dangerous area: the three consecutive blind curves on the 600 block of Hanley Avenue that lead to the entrance to CHA.  We are in contact with members of Councilman Rosendahl’s office and will be updating the community on our efforts.  Send us an email if you would like to get involved with this initiative or are concerned about other street and safety issues.

Planting Seeds for CHA
The CHA Board will be hosted a meeting on 2/11/12 @ 11:00 AM at the Crestwood Hills Park Clubhouse about the potential for a community garden on Crestwood Hills property.  Read below for more details, and make plans to attend!

As always, the Board welcomes your input and involvement.  Crestwood Hills can be as vibrant as its members choose.  Let your voice be heard.   And while you are getting involved, remember to support the CHA by paying your annual dues, which are due by the end of February.  For more information, see below.

Regards,

Kyle Kozloff

CALENDAR (TBA, check back for updates)

Feb 11 : 11am Community Garden Meeting @ Clubhouse

Local Crestwood Hills resident Architects to speak at “Conserving Modernism: Celebrating Sunnylands and A. Quincy Jones”, Saturday, February 25. 2012
Annenberg Theater, Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 Museum Drive, Palm Springs, Ca

10:10 am Cory Buckner, architect and author of A. Quincy Jones by Phaidon Press,  to give a presentation on the life and work of A. Quincy Jones.
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NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS

The Crestwood Hills Community Garden Project!

Get your GREEN thumbs ready! There is growing interest in the neighborhood regarding the creation of a community garden on Crestwood Hills Association land. At our annual meeting in May there was an interesting presentation from Farmscape Gardens where the logistics of installing, maintaining and farming a neighborhood garden were discussed. Water, sunlight, pests, location and accessibility are all major topics that need to be addressed before we can move forward.

Continue Reading

LOVING THE HIGHLIFE
Cooperative housing pioneer to landmark honors –
Crestwood Hills savors its affection for modernism

From the pages of CA-Modern magazine
By Dave Weinstein

Few neighborhoods have gotten underway with grander plans than Crestwood Hills. Imagine a place where hardworking musicians, teachers, and writers can live together, close to the city yet surrounded by nature, with cooperatively owned schools, stores, medical services — and even a bus to take them to their jobs in Los Angeles.

Such was the dream. And some of it came true.

“It was very exciting, I have to say,” says Nora Weckler, who joined the Mutual Housing Association, which in the late 1940s developed the site in the then-remote Santa Monica Mountains high above Sunset Boulevard.

continue at: http://www.eichlernetwork.com/article/loving-highlife-crestwood-hills-los-angeles