RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Advance communication at its worst and best took center stage at the Rancho Murieta Association Board meeting on March 18.

The most glaring example of miscommunication came from an unnamed contractor conducting a traffic study who, without notifying anyone, attached seven devices to street signs throughout the North, prompting considerable alarm on social media.

In contrast, the best example of clear communication came from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, which informed the association about upcoming soil sampling in preparation for underground cable replacement later this year.

In other business, the board approved several purchases, including a new pontoon boat for Laguna Joaquin, shade covers for the two dog parks and the spray park, a new fiber ground cover for two playgrounds, a computer upgrade, and a fireworks contract. The board also approved two rule changes, one of which significantly increased the fines for egregious interference with compliance officers. A resident also complained about traffic issues on De La Cruz Drive.

Communication

Board President Patrick O’Hern reported that he and General Manager Rod Hart began investigating the appearance of mysterious devices throughout the community around 8:30 that morning. Hart said he had a good idea of what the devices were and reached out to the developers. Tony Velez, chief financial officer for Rancho Murieta Properties, initially told him that a contractor had placed traffic counters on Stonehouse Road but wasn’t aware of any inside the gates. Shortly after, Velez called Hart back to confirm that the devices were indeed placed by their contractor, adding that he hadn’t been notified, either.

When Hart asked how the contractors gained access, Velez told him they went to the gate, explained their purpose and were issued a vendor’s pass. Hart said the equipment would be removed the following day.

“We are as discouraged as everybody else about the fact they were in here without us knowing what they were about.”

Audience member Tom Shewchuk asked whether the incident reflected a communication gap between RMA and the Rancho Murieta Community Services District. Director Scott Adams responded that he didn’t view it as a gap between the two agencies, though there may have been an issue at the gate.

“That’s something we will have to figure out with CSD to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said.

On a more positive note, Hart shared that SMUD told him it will conduct soil sampling in preparation for the “much-needed” replacement of underground cables later this year.

“I just want the community to know that you’ll see some contractors doing small potholes so they can understand the soil conditions at those locations,” he said.

Hart said SMUD has not yet provided a schedule, but he expects the work to begin in late spring or early summer. The project will start on Murieta Parkway, beginning near the RMA administrative building and ending just short of De La Cruz. Additional work is planned for a large section of Puerto Drive and Venado Drives. Hart noted that most of the work will take place along the shoulders of the roads, although some vaults providing access points may be located within the roadway.

Hart and Maintenance Manager Troy Schaffner will inspect the roads once the work is completed.

“SMUD has been really good at communicating with us, and their contractor is Lund Construction, which has done a fantastic job with the finish work at the end,” he said. He added that the SMUD schedule will be posted on the RMA website as soon as it is available.

Purchases

Although the board effectively approved spending $31,000 for new shade structures at the North and South dog parks and the spray park in Riverview Park, the funding isn’t from RMA’s operating budget. Instead, it will come from the Parks Fund, which is supported by developer fees and overseen by the Parks Committee, which is composed of two representatives from RMA, two from the development community and one from CSD. The board voted 6-0 to update the parks matrix to include the shade structures and to authorize the two RMA representatives to vote in favor of the expenditure. At Hart’s request, the CSD board approved the same actions at its meeting the following night.

The board also approved two expenditures for the Maintenance Department. The first was the purchase of a new pontoon boat for $12,599 due to the structural deterioration of the existing boat, which was in such poor condition it couldn’t even be sold for salvage. RMA staff use the pontoon boat on Laguna Joaquin to maintain the pumps and fountains and to apply dye and algaecides to control midge flies.

The board also authorized spending $5,600 on new playground fiber at Stonehouse and Clementia Parks. O’Hern, who chairs the Maintenance Committee, noted that the selected company will provide a truck to “blow the fiber in, which will save maintenance a significant amount of time.”

Funding for both the boat and the playground fiber will come from reserves.

Director John Van Doren, who chairs the Finance Committee, motioned to approve spending reserve funds of up to $20,688 to upgrade all RMA workstations to meet Windows 11 requirements. The upgrade will require replacing some of the older computers. The motion passed unanimously.

Director John Haviland also received unanimous approval for a $22,000 contract with Pyro Spectaculars for the July Fourth fireworks show. The board discussed the situation last summer when a subcontractor for the company failed to show up due to a heat wave.

“Our maintenance guys actually saved us on that one,” Hart said.

Hart explained that he insisted on a partial refund from Pyro Spectaculars, even though the company had requested to apply it as a credit toward this year’s contract.

Rules

The board unanimously approved changes to two rules and referred another to the Governing Documents Committee, chaired by Director Adams.

The primary rule discussed prohibits residents, guests and vendors from interfering with RMA and Rancho Murieta Community Services District employees. While the fines for verbal abuse remained unchanged, the penalties for assaulting or intimidating employees increased to $1,000 for the first offense, $1,500 for the second and $2,000 for subsequent violations. Adams noted that the board received three public comments on the rule during the community review period. Although one resident opposed it, Adams said he didn’t see a need for revisions. The board approved the rule change with a 6-0 vote.

The board also approved a procedural change to the sign standards rule to bring it into compliance with State Department of Real Estate requirements. This change had also gone through a community review.

Additionally, the board approved a request from Director Tom Reimers, who chairs the Compliance Committee, to amend the gate policy. Reimers proposed adding a provision requiring residents to make notifications when they change license plates so the information matches their barcodes. The committee also recommended using different barcode colors for various types of users. The board voted to refer the proposal to the Governing Documents Committee for further review.

Other Business

Director Danny Carrillo reported that the Communications Committee is continuing its efforts to improve the official RMA website. Audience member Tom Shewchuk acknowledged the committee’s good work but noted that its focus is limited to RMA. He suggested adopting a more comprehensive, community-wide approach that includes the broader Rancho Murieta community.

Audience member Darci Jurschak also raised concerns about traffic issues on De La Cruz Drive, particularly at the intersection with La Pena.

“Since we’ve been here since the first of November, we’ve noticed an exorbitant number of golf carts and cars running that stop sign,” she said. “The golf carts actually are going faster than most of the cars.” She also reported problems with the lack of landscape maintenance in the Residences subdivision just down the street.

Although the board typically does not respond to audience comments, O’Hern assured Jurschak that the two staff members responsible for architectural and compliance matters were present and had noted her concerns.

The RMA Board’s next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. April 22.