A Publication of the Emerald Hills Homeowners Association
P.O. Box 620449 Woodside, CA 94062

17 March 2008

Notice of EHHA Annual Meeting

The 2008 Annual General Member Meeting will be held on Thursday, March 27th, 7:00–9:00pm in the main meeting room of the Elks Lodge (938 Wilmington Way, cross-street Jefferson).

The agenda will include:
- Welcome and overview of the past year
- A message about Traffic Safety and our Sewer Rates by James C. Porter, Director, County Public Works Department
- What's new in Planning and Building by Steve Monowitz, County Long Range Planning Services Manager
- Introduction of candidates for 7 EHHA director positions, followed by elections (candidate statements follow)
- Open Discussion, where members may raise items of general interest.

Where are the DIRTY DOZEN? A Reprise

The number one complaint the Emerald Hills Homeowners Association Board hears about is traffic danger. In 2005 we asked homeowners this question: Where are the most dangerous places on our Emerald Hills roads? We reported our results to San Mateo Public Works, and now we think it is time to review and report again. Please respond to the questions inside the newsletter and return to the annual meeting or by March 31 to: publicworks@emeraldhills.org. Mail returns should be sent to: EHHA, PO Box 620449, Woodside, CA 94062.

List up to three of the most dangerous locations on Emerald Hills roads. Be specific. Give street addresses where possible, for example: "on the curve in front of 312 Speeding Way." For each location describe the problem and suggest what might be done to solve it. Once we get your feedback, we'll make a priority list of the dirty dozen and try again to work with the County Public Works Department to take some action.

EHHA Board Candidate Statements

Tom Brouchoud

I live in Emerald Hills with my wife, son, daughter and cat. We moved here in 2004 and love the rural area, the beautiful views, and the strong sense of community. In addition to my family, I am the Manager of Staffing for a large Consumer Electronics company in the valley. On a day to day basis, I manage people, programs and budgets. If elected to the Board of the EHHA, I will work with and for the property owners of Emerald Hills to make the actions of the board transparent, and to bring any suggestions for change to the community.

Tim Farrar

I would like to join the EHHA board to help bring the community together and put the divisiveness of recent years behind us. I hope that we will be able to build on non-controversial EHHA activities to undertake more community-building social activities that will help us all to meet and engage with our neighbors. I have lived in Emerald Hills with my wife and three children since 2001 and work as a consultant. I also run a national non-profit organization, and I believe the experience I have gained in leading that organization would be of great benefit to the EHHA.

Joe Foraker

My wife Phyllis and I have lived in Emerald Hills for 15 years. It's a wonderful place with wonderful neighbors. I am currently retired having spent time in the securities industry. I currently do some investment advising. I have time to devote to the board and any committees that may need an extra body. I will use my communication skills to involve more residents in the programs of the EHHA particularly in the area of dispute resolution. If elected I would like to help establish better lines of communication in our community.

Frank Fraone

A 30-year resident of Emerald Hills, I am Division Chief in charge of Operations for the Menlo Fire District and the Program Manager of California Task Force Three, the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Team. My primary goal as a Board member is to represent the residents of Emerald Hills and not special interest groups. I will work toward blending the past homeowners with the present and future. I bring knowledge and experience in disaster preparedness, fire protection and prevention, emergency services and organizational skills. I have strong family values and I believe in community involvement.

Steve Harper (incumbent)

I have been a Board member for 16 years. During those years, I have run our annual tree give-away and have found homes for over 2000 trees. Most recently I've been on one of our subcommittees working on the entrance markers into our area. One of these days I would like to see all of our overhead utilities underground to show the true beauty of the hills.

Steve Hill (incumbent)

I have been on the board for the last two years, the most recent year as its president. My term has been both exciting and disappointing: Exciting from the standpoint of the dramatic increase in community participation; disappointing from the standpoint of the negative atmosphere that has been created. As a board member and president, I have done my best to look for reasonable solutions to the polarizing issues that have been threatening to further divide our community. To that end, I would work to find the best resolutions to our divisions and to bring this organization back to its proper position of benefiting all in our community.

Lee Lukehart (incumbent)

I've been a board member for six years and have served as secretary, newsletter editor, and currently, as treasurer and webmaster. I created the emeraldhills.org web site and online forums to provide information resources and a communications hub, as I believe a connected community is a stronger community. Increased professional workload is impacting my volunteer availability, but I wish to stay involved and continue my efforts to improve communications within Emerald Hills.

Mike Sherman

My artist wife and I have lived in Emerald Hills for 10 years. I've worked in high technology for the last 30 years. We grow wine grapes, and we've been making our own wine from our Emerald Hills grapes since 2001. I would encourage community participation as a board member. There are many tools available to create communities on the internet where people can participate and be heard. I would also try to talk to as many people in the community as I can. I've met some wonderful neighbors in Emerald Hills and I would reach out to as many people as possible.

Carla Rayacich

I've lived in Emerald Hills since 1999 and I've wanted to live here since 1984. I just love this place! I'm married and the mother of 5 yr old twins. I'm also the owner of Stanford Mortgage, I have an MBA from Stanford, and I teach at Foothill and DeAnza Colleges. I'd like to work on issues that increase our enjoyment of our community and our wonderful neighbors: Social activities, more information on the website about the hidden treasures and interesting people here, and the possibility of an Emerald Hills park/ playground.

Marline Underwood

I am a ten-year resident/homeowner in Emerald Hills. I have worked as a contract and financial manager for several large aerospace corporations and have served on the Board of Directors of two other homeowners associations. I am running for a position on the EHHA Board because I want the organization to be open to the members for review and open discussion, to actively encourage member participation at Board meetings, and to participate in San Mateo County's unincorporated area issues on a timely and active basis to work on the behalf of all residents in Emerald Hills.

Fire Protection in the Urban Wild-land

"The brushy hillsides and fields of our community present the potential for a major wildfire. The mix of wild-land fuels and homes create a tremendous fire problem" http://www.woodsidefire.org/

Here are some rules of thumb from our local fire protection district:
- Landscaping: Maintain a 100' defensible open zone around structures. Shrubs and trees should be no closer than 10 feet from structures at maturity. Use fire retardant and native plants for landscaping. Use irrigated ground cover in areas within close proximity to structures.
- Maintain tree separation of 30 feet on steep slopes (greater than 41%) and 10 feet on slopes 0-20%.
- Use non-combustible roof materials, e.g. slate, composition, tile, synthetic and concrete. Use ignition-resistant siding such as Hardy Board, stucco, brick and rock.
- For decks, choose non-combustible material such as composite deck material or light-weight concrete.
- Driveways: Minimum width is 12' for use by emergency vehicles. Consider all turnarounds at end of driveways.

To rate your home's fire hazard level, please go to: http://www.woodsidefire.org/pdfs/Hazard%20Estimation.pdf

Sharing the Road

A number of motorists have expressed concern about the number of bicyclists using Jefferson, especially in the Woodside portion. The recent tragedy in rural Santa Clara County brings home the need to drive extra cautiously along Jefferson. Remember our roads all have a maximum speed limit of 25 mph, and this goes for both cars and bicycles, which share the same vehicle code.

Here are some tips for bicyclists:

- Keep right in the same lane as the traffic
- Ride in a straight line; no riding abreast
- Wear a helmet, bright clothing and reflectors

Motorists: Drive cautiously!

- Do not blast your horn or tailgate
- When passing, allow four feet between vehicles
- Give bicyclists space to adjust for road hazards

Let's all be safe on our rural roads!

Dirty Dozen Questionnaire

You may submit up to three locations. Please cut out, duplicate, and bring to the annual meeting, or return by e-mail to publicworks@emeraldhills.org or by mail to: EHHA, PO Box 620449, Woodside, CA 94062. Deadline is March 31, 2008

Location (Be specific and give address if possible): ________________________________________________
The problem at this location is: (Erase or cross out those that don't apply).
a. excessive speeding
b. street too narrow
c. steep drop-off/no berm or guard rail
d. blind curve
e. cars parked on street
f. other: describe:

"My recommended solution(s) for this location is/are:" (Some possibilities are: speed bumps or dips, signage, raised dots in center of road, widen roadway, install curb or guard rail, one way streets, install traffic circle or partial barrier in roadway, etc.).

Who is a member of the Emerald Hills Homeowners Association?

According to the association bylaws, which can be viewed on our website, a member is any person who resides in the house they own in the area and who abides by the bylaws. This means two things: 1) membership is voluntary, and 2) you must own and live in your Emerald Hills home to qualify. Only members are entitled to vote or hold an office in the association. We hope you take a moment toread the newsletter, visit our website, and decide that being an association member is worthwhile—and deserves your investment of time and/or money. Since this is a voluntary membership, the association is totally reliant upon the voluntary contributions of its members. We ask for your donations to help continue paying for the newsletters, notices, tree repopulation, and various expenses of your homeowners association. Thanks for your support!!

Updating Your Information

To revise or update your member information (how your name appears on the newsletter mailing label, for example) please contact our database manager, Lee Lukehart, at lee.lukehart(at)emeraldhills.org.

The best way to stay informed: get on our email list!

If you aren't already one of the 650+ homeowners "in-the-know," please send us your email address. Just drop a message to Lee.Lukehart@emeraldhills.org. Unless you request to not receive notices, you'll be alerted to late-breaking community news and issues. You'll also save the association money, since we'll send you email instead of a printed newsletter. (If you want to receive both the print newsletter and the email—just ask!). To revise or update your member information please contact database manager Lee Lukehart.

Current Board of Directors

Adriana Botto 368-5678 Secretary
Carolyn Chaney 364-5547 Newsletter Ed
Steve Harper 368-4254
Steve Hill 361-1567 President
Lee Lukehart 366-5335 Treasurer
Michael Mangini 365-4449 Vice President
Cheryl McGovern 862-8288
Milo Medin 363-8404

The EHHA Board holds its monthly meetings in the conference room (lower level) of the new Woodside Fire Station at Jefferson and Wilmington. Meetings are open to the community, and residents are invited to speak for 2 minutes on issues of interest. The meeting schedule is available on our web site. Thanks to Fire Chief Muela and the fire station staff for their support and use of their facility.