RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Stonehouse Park will gain a new shaded picnic area through a $3,575 donation from Carl and Jude Gaither, one of several community improvement and planning matters considered by the Rancho Murieta Association Board of Directors at its Aug. 18 meeting.

The board unanimously accepted the donation for five picnic tables to be installed in the tree-mitigation area immediately north of the pickleball courts, providing seating for people using the park for youth sports, pickleball and community events.

Maintenance Supervisor Troy Schaffner said the proposal reflects the community spirit that has long distinguished Rancho Murieta.

“One of the great things I think about this community is that everybody kind of comes together, and that’s what creates this place,” Schaffner said. “We have different groups of people, organizations, clubs and just individuals that work to improve this place.”

Schaffner said Carl Gaither approached the association with the idea of creating additional seating in an area that receives abundant shade but has little practical use despite its location near some of Stonehouse Park’s busiest attractions.

“Every weekend when we go there, we have baseball and soccer and all these things,” Schaffner said. “We see hundreds of people there, if not 1,000 people there. There’s a lot of different uses for an area like that, for seating like that.”

Board President Patrick O’Hern praised the proposal, recalling a recent food truck gathering at the park where visitors struggled to find places to sit.

“I want to thank you very much,” O’Hern told the Gaithers. “The idea is wonderful. ... It’s very generous.”

Gaither said the proposal grew out of his observation that while several Rancho Murieta parks have picnic areas, Stonehouse Park – the community’s largest park – offered no comparable gathering place.

“Our biggest park that we have here at Rancho Murieta, there was nothing,” Gaither said.

He said he first presented the idea about seven months ago after preparing a conceptual drawing showing five picnic tables beneath the trees behind the pickleball courts.

The tables will sit on a decomposed granite surface rather than concrete, allowing the surface to be removed and replaced more easily if access to underground utilities is needed.

Gaither’s proposal also includes a permanent plaque recognizing the Carl Gaither Family Fund for donating the picnic area for community use.

“I’m happy to do this,” he told the board.

O’Hern said the donation reflects the generosity found throughout Rancho Murieta.

“That’s exactly why people come to Rancho Murieta,” O’Hern said. “What a great place to live. People out here are giving, and they have an open heart.”

Directors unanimously approved accepting the donation and authorizing installation of the picnic area.

The RMA Security Ad Hoc Committee is preparing to take its research directly to residents as it continues examining the future of security services within the gates.

Committee Chairman Chris Childs announced tentative plans for community security town halls Sept. 30 and Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Murieta Room at the Rancho Murieta Country Club.

Childs said the committee still has issues to work through before it is ready to make recommendations to the board and community.

The town halls are intended to share what the committee has learned, discuss potential proposals and gather feedback about such issues as security personnel, duties and hours of service.

“We really want to know what the people that live here want,” Childs said. “I think it’s important we hear their voices.”

Childs also publicly thanked the Rancho Murieta Community Services District, its board and staff for assisting with the committee’s research.

“In an age where there are rumblings about the three entities that don’t get along here in this community, while I can’t speak for other places and ways that we may or may not get along, I can tell you that when it comes to security, they have been outstanding and super helpful to the RMA, and we are working very closely with them,” Childs said.

He also thanked General Manager Vicky Lentz and members of the committee for their work researching the laws, procedures and operational issues involved in providing security.

O’Hern thanked Childs for investing “hundreds of hours” in the effort.

Resident Tom Shewchuk used the members’ open forum to encourage the association to address campaign sign vandalism before the upcoming Rancho Murieta Community Services District election.

Noting the unusually large field of candidates seeking four board seats, Shewchuk said previous elections have included incidents in which campaign signs were removed and discarded in drainage ditches and lakes.

He suggested the RMA take a proactive approach before similar problems occur during this year’s election.

Shewchuk also praised the association’s 2021 Strategic Plan, which was intended to run through November 2026, and encouraged directors to evaluate what has and has not been accomplished before developing another five-year plan.

“I thought that was great work,” Shewchuk said. “I wondered if this board has reviewed that strategic plan in the last five years and graded itself on those plans.”

He said he hoped a new plan would address unfinished goals from the current plan as well as new priorities for the next five years.

General Manager Vicky Lentz reminded residents that the RMA annual meeting and election of directors is scheduled for Nov. 19. Candidate forms were due at 5 p.m. Aug. 26.

At the time of the Aug. 18 meeting, two candidates had filed for three available board seats. Lentz said candidates must be RMA members for at least one year, be current on assessments and meet other eligibility requirements contained in the association’s election rules.

Directors also unanimously approved renewal of the association’s insurance package at $176,636, excluding workers’ compensation, an increase of approximately 9.5% from the previous year.

Because the final crime insurance premium had not yet been received, the board authorized a cap of $2,500 for that portion of the coverage so the policies could be bound without a lapse.

Workers’ compensation insurance will decrease by about 15% after the association switched carriers. Officials said the closing of an older claim also improved the association’s experience modification rating and contributed to the savings.