12/8 Oakmont Forum’s Inaugural Meeting: Focus on OVA Bylaws
Saturday, December 8, 10:30 to Noon – OVA Offices, Suite B – Park in the OVA/bank parking lot
On November 6, the OVA Board of Directors held an important workshop to begin to answer the questions: What should Oakmont Be? Who should decide? Jan Young, chairman of the Long Range Planning Committee, voiced the desire to arrive at a vision of Oakmont that the entire community can embrace.
These critical questions will be answered by all of us, through our participation or lack of participation in the governance process. Those who stay outside of the process are deciding, by their non-participation, to allow others to make all the decisions for them, and should not be overly surprised if some of those decisions don’t please them. It is my hope that, through education and respectful interaction among OVA members, the Oakmont Forum can help to increase community participation, and thus reduce dissension and ensure that the vision arrived at will, indeed, be embraced by the entire community.
OVA BYLAWS
Our first open meeting, on this coming Saturday morning, will start with a presentation by Hugh Helm of the OVA Ad Hoc Bylaws Revision Committee (BRC), followed by questions and answers, and discussion. This part will focus on amendments that are being proposed by the BRC. Among the issues being discussed by the BRC are possible changes to affect:
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the way that dues and assessments are computed,
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who is an OVA member and who gets to vote (2 votes per 2-member household?),
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effectiveness of special meetings of the OVA members,
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number of OVA directors (7 or 9?), 2-year terms or 3-year terms, and
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requirements for prudent procurement practices, to reduce waste
All of these issues are critical to the questions addressed at November’s workshop: What should Oakmont Be? Who should decide?
Following the Bylaws discussion, we will have a short introduction to the mission of the Oakmont Forum, and an open discussion about how best the Oakmont Forum might help the community to answer these questions. We also hope to address more mundane issues, such as when we should have meetings and what topics are of interest to attendees, within the scope of the Oakmont Forum mission.
I realize we are all busy, with events and preparations for the holidays, but I hope to get a good turnout – these issues are critically important to the future of Oakmont. For those who cannot attend, we plan to record audio which will be available on our website, at https://oakmontforum.com/. The website is mostly skeletal right now, but will evolve over time, with the intent of becoming a tool for education and civil discussion.
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I’m new here and have had constant struggles dealing with Hugh Helm. I’ve also found that the rules regarding landscaping are not adhered too such as 6’ hedge height. I’ve tried talking to Victoria and numerous Landsdesign staff to cut down certain bushes, remove parts of dead plants and trim sidewalk areas but no one speaks English. Already thinking of moving out of this area as my monthly dues are for not.
Dana — I don’t know what issues you have had with Hugh Helm, but I can confidently say two things: (1) I have observed Hugh’s work on the Bylaws Revision Committee, and he has always been fair, supporting presentation of proposals even if he didn’t necessarily agree with them and (2) your gripe, which seems to be unrelated to either Bylaws revision or the Oakmont Forum, does not belong here on the Oakmont Observer. I would add that Hugh has a long history of involvement with OVA governance, from being a Board secretary to being the current chair of the Oakmont Community Development Committee, to his work on the BRC — he has spent a great deal of his own time supporting this community.
Dear Dana –
Disappointment colors your message to the Observer. My sympathy is with you; all of us experience at times annoyance and frustration. And you are new to Oakmont. It can be difficult to settle into a new environment, meeting people who might feel and think differently from us. I have lived here since 2002 and have written about Oakmont and its residents for many years. I can assure you that the daily joy and rewards far outweigh occasional distress. Please give us all another chance and do not move away. I know that you would come to regret that decision. As I once wrote a long time ago:
For all of us lucky enough to live in Oakmont there is no more beautiful spot on earth than the fabled Valley of the Moon, cradled in peaceful woods and towered over by majestic mountains. Far from noise and industrial pollution, the community is surrounded by vineyards and golden meadows, punctuated by ageless oaks. A short drive brings you to the shore of the Pacific Ocean; Lake Tahoe and the Sierras are within easy reach, and a visit to San Francisco can be accomplished in less than two hours.