Category: Safety & Security

Moving right along, so to speak!

Posted on by Terry Wall in Annual Meeting, Candidate Forum, City Council, Civic Activity, Community Action, Community Beautification, Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Fire Department, Costa Mesa Police Department, Family Fun, Home beautification, Mayor's Race, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership, Newport Mesa Unified School District, Parks & Recreation Commission, Parkway Trees, Safety & Security, School Board

Greetings, Mesa Verde!

To say that we’ve just gone through a year of hell would be an understatement! Which is why I haven’t posted as often as I otherwise would have. But here we are…March 11th marked the 1-year anniversary of the Coronavirus Pandemic. It has NOT been pleasant and many folks that I know – including Laurie and I – were infected. The good news is that nearly all of us made it through that gauntlet and we’re witnessing a huge uptick in vaccines getting into the arms of our citizens. And happily, the ‘powers that be’ have seen fit to move us into the more relaxed “Red” status where we can start returning to “normal.” And THAT is good news, indeed!

From time to time, I and many of our board members are asked, What IS Mesa Verde Community, Inc., and what do you do? These questions have been answered, but with so many moving into the neighborhood recently, and to serve as a refresher for some of our “legacy” residents, I thought I’d share a few of the things we do.

  • Host City Council/Mayor Candidate forums every other year
  • Conduct Annual Meetings featuring presenters of interest to our neighborhood
  • Advocacy
    • One Metro West
    • Bikeway & Walkability Committee’s initiatives (Tanager Drive bike trail, Canary Drive bike ramp to Fairview Park)
    • Tanager Park pool initiative
    • Small Cell tower initiative
    • Various issues with CMPD (speeders through the neighborhoods)
    • Parkway (easement) tree program (under Beautification)
  • Ongoing interaction with CMPD, CMFD and NMUSD
  • Supporter of Mesa Verde Living magazine, distributed monthly to 3,000 households in Mesa Verde
  • Manage, restore and replace Mesa Verde community signs in a timely manner
  • Redesigned community website
  • Created social media presence (Facebook, Nextdoor)
  • Community newsletters, email blasts and surveys
  • Several “Info Nights”
  • Community picnic in 2018 and 2019
  • …and so much more!

As was mentioned earlier, the pandemic created a huge distraction and one of the things that may have “fallen through the cracks” is membership in MVCI. Membership has always been voluntary, and this includes the MVCI Board of Directors. Membership dues are the lifeblood of the organization and without them, none of the activities would be possible. Dues are only $20 a year…less than a few trips to Starbucks, and we need your help so that MVCI can continue its 50+ year record of service to the community. Please join or renew today! The membership app is on this website and PayPal is available. Also, feel free to share your input with us at admin@mesaverdecommunity.org.

MVCI is continually looking for “new blood” to participate, including joining the Board of Directors and we encourage residents to get involved. I will be stepping down at the end of March, as is “President Emeritus” Bob Juneman. We haven’t been able to hold an Annual Meeting for two consecutive years due to the pandemic, but the remaining board members have agreed to remain in place until elections can be conducted. The board has also unanimously selected Robin Leffler as President.

Although I am stepping out of my role as MVCI President, I will be staying on as the organization’s technical advisor. To that end, I want to express my gratitude for all the kind words and graciousness that have been sent my way.

See you around the neighborhood! ~Terry

 

President’s Corner — November/December, 2019

Posted on by Terry Wall in Costa Mesa, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership, Safety & Security, Volunteers

Gratitude.

This Holiday Season, on behalf of the entire board, I would like to share our genuine appreciation with the residents of Mesa Verde. As I have noted in the past, we are a volunteer organization, which includes our membership dues. Without you, we would not be where we are today, and we are sincerely grateful. We hope you have a joyous holiday and we look forward to our ongoing partnership.

The new year will bring some interesting, and challenging opportunities! 2020 will be the first time the Mesa Verde community will elect its own district-specific member to the Costa Mesa City Council. City wide, we continue to deal with a burgeoning homeless situation. Across the 405 from Mesa Verde, developers are planning a HUGE multi-use project: One Metro West, and we can expect some sort of progress to be made in the plans to implement 5G technology throughout our area. It will be important to educate ourselves about these initiatives, along with others that will come, so we can all make informed decisions.

To our board: A sincere thanks to you for all of your contributions! You give of your time and talents and our community benefits from these efforts tremendously! To our membership: Respectfully consider some form of involvement in MVCI. We can always use volunteers and from time to time, we have openings on the board, for which it is always helpful to have a list of those who may be interested in serving.

MVCI’s board does not meet in December, so please permit me to wish you and your family the happiest of Holidays! Stay healthy and safe and we’ll see you again in January! Finally, don’t forget your MVCI membership! You can join or renew by using the application right here on the website.

Warmly,

~Terry

 

President’s Corner – September/October, 2019

Posted on by Terry Wall in Annual Meeting, Candidate Forum, Civic Activity, Community Action, Community Beautification, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership, Safety & Security

Please forgive me! It’s been a blur since my appointment and September had me very busy with work related projects. But we finalized our arrangement with Mesa Verde Living and you can expect to see your august board on the cover of the November issue! In the meantime, this will serve as my commentary for September and October!

For this post, I want to answer a few questions that often come up related to the organization and the board. The goal is to have an informed constituency and in so doing, validate that joining MVCI is desirable and relevant.

What does the board of directors do? The board runs the organization and ensures that it is financially stable and able to operate within MVCI’s three established pillars, “Inform, Protect, Beautify.”

What does a board director do? MVCI has a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and immediate past-president. There are also “at large” members and the board currently has a total of 11. We work together to set policies, develop budgets and execute plans consistent with our mission.

What makes a good board? A willingness to work together for the good of the community, using Roberts Rules of Order, which provides a guideline for a professional forum, policy making and forward thinking to ensure ALL of the current residents of Mesa Verde are served.

What makes a good board director? First and foremost, common sense. Directors come from varied backgrounds, educationally, culturally and professionally. All have something to contribute to the board and our community. All are volunteers. Only by being engaged can we, collectively, achieve success. Professionalism and common courtesy are vital for a board to work together for the good of the community.

Is being on the board worth it? I think so! There is great satisfaction in serving our fellow residents while helping to preserve the character of the community we all love. It is not just a once-a-month get together! There are lots of activities going on in any given month and the monthly meeting is where we get to see how we’re doing against plan, and deciding “what’s next?”

#       #       #       #       #       #

If you have any thoughts or questions that you’d like addressed, feel to send an email to admin@mesaverdecommunity.org. I promise we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

Until next month…

~Terry

P.S. I would be remiss if I didn’t make the monthly pitch to join MVCI. The application can be found here:

President’s Corner — August, 2019

Posted on by Terry Wall in Annual Meeting, Candidate Forum, City Council, Civic Activity, Community Action, Community Beautification, Home beautification, Mayor's Race, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership, Neighborhood Survey, Newport Mesa Unified School District, NMUSD, Parks & Recreation Commission, Parkway Trees, Safety & Security, School Board, School District, Volunteers

Greetings Mesa Verde! As a result of the board’s unanimous vote, I have been appointed to be MVCI’s president for the next two-year term. The last two years have seen significant progress in the endeavors of the organization and can be seen in Bob Juneman’s final message to the community, the July “PC.” While I’m at it, I want to sincerely thank Bob for his marvelous stewardship, and only hope that I can be as successful in the upcoming term.

Going forward, there will be several things I’d like to see us accomplish as your board. But for the purposes of this first message to the community, I want to focus on one issue: Membership! As has been shared several times by Bob and all the members of the board, membership is our lifeblood. We are not a homeowner association in the sense most people understand. There are no mandatory CC&R-based (covenants, conditions and restrictions) HOA fees for common areas, external building surfaces, roofs, pools, etc.

Think of MVCI instead as more of a civic association. All board members are volunteers and all dues collected are also voluntary. The funds the organization takes in allow us to advocate on behalf of the residents with the City Council and the various city commissions, Police and Fire Departments, School Board, Water and Sanitation Districts, to ensure our collective voices are heard. These dollars also help to defray the costs of our Annual Meeting, the MVCI City Council Candidate Forum, newsletters, surveys, the MVCI website and projects associated with beautification, like the entry signs to the community.

I want to appeal to every homeowner in Mesa Verde to join MVCI! With roughly 3000 homes in our community, there is no reason that we can’t get twenty percent membership. If you’re a member, ask your neighbors. I have seen dozens of new homeowners move into the “Upper Bird” streets just in the last few years…ask them! Membership is only twenty bucks a year…4 or 5 visits to Starbucks!

What’s it gonna take to get you to participate?

As part of this task, I will be producing a video, with the working title, “This is Mesa Verde” to help tell the story. We will create a YouTube channel to help communicate with internet-savvy folks. We just formed a partnership with the new magazine, Mesa Verde Living, which is mailed monthly to the aforementioned 3000 homes. To simplify signing up and renewing memberships, we are looking at online methods and will have a robust solution chosen in the next 60 days.

Are you with me? According to a few of our veteran board members, our membership roster has been as high as 500, so the 20% ask (which would be around 600 members) should be “do-able.”

Let’s do this! To get to the membership application, click here.

See you again next month!

~Terry

Special “Small Cell Technology” Study Session

Posted on by Terry Wall in City Council, Civic Activity, Community Action, Community Beautification, Costa Mesa, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, Safety & Security

Small Cell Facilities Study Session/Open House with the City Council

On Tuesday, August 13, 2019 from 5-7:30 p.m.

To everyone interested in how the City of Costa Mesa is going to manage the small cell technology, both in the present and in the future, this meeting is for You!

Due to the high public interest on this topic, on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 from 5-7:30 p.m. at City Hall, the City Council has scheduled a study session dedicated to discussing small cell facilities and Costa Mesa’s Municipal Code.  Residents are hoping the Council will adopt municipal code changes in the form of a wireless ordinance which will allow the City, and hence the residents, to have some control over how the federally mandated telecommunication system(s) are employed.  This means not just how they are approved and where, but the long range management of this technology and the new technologies yet to come, including 5G and beyond.  

Don’t you want to know what technology is coming into your neighborhood and around your local schools? Will there be dozens or hundreds of these Small Cell Facilities? How will they look?  Will it be an improvement to the look of our city or not? Who is paying for all of this and the maintenance of it? What is the maintenance? Who is responsible? How often is the equipment checked for staying within Federal requirements? And how is it checked, in person or remotely by computer? These are just some of the questions we hope the City’s Municipal Code will clearly state.  We strongly encourage interested residents to come and participate in this Study Session/Open House.

President’s Corner — July, 2019

Posted on by Terry Wall in Candidate Forum, City Council, Civic Activity, Community Action, Community Beautification, Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Fire Department, Costa Mesa Police Department, Family Fun, Home beautification, Mayor's Race, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership, Neighborhood Survey, Newport Mesa Unified School District, NMUSD, Parks & Recreation Commission, Parkway Trees, Retail Shopping, Safety & Security, School Board, School District, Tanager Park

 

Hello Mesa Verde, welcome to the dog days of summer. Every year about this time I wonder why we haven’t installed air conditioning in our home. Then, about the time I get ready to make the call, the beautiful Fall weather arrives, and another year goes by.

On occasion I am asked, “what exactly is Mesa  Verde?”  Our Board of Directors defines Mesa Verde as bounded by the River on the west, the 405 Freeway to the north, Harbor Blvd on the east, and the north edge of Fairview Park and the public golf course on the south, including Mesa Verde Collection, 27 Seventy Five, Longwood Greens, and Azulon. More importantly, it is our home, a wonderful community in which to enjoy our lives in comfort and harmony. A treasure to be protected and cherished. We hope you agree.

As I mentioned last month, Karla Stagman, has joined us as our Beautification Chair. Karla and her husband bought their home on Alabama Circle in 2000, and love life in our beautiful community. “I believe that with neighbors working together, Mesa Verde will continue to be one of the top neighborhoods in our area.”  Karla sees her role as an opportunity to collaborate with all of our members to bring a voice to all of Mesa Verde. As a local realtor, Karla sees the “power of true community to enhance the beauty and value of our properties.“ If we raise consciousness about community appearance, it will keep Mesa Verde economically viable and “Beautification will become a fun project.”

There is a new order of things in Costa Mesa. Last November brought a “sea change” to   how our city is governed. Our City Council increased from five to seven members. We changed from an “at large” to a six-district voting system, with an “at large” Mayor. We are finding that the costs of running a growing city are increasing faster that the revenue to pay for it, exacerbated  by the exploding unfunded pension liability, now close to $300,000,000. To quote from the 2019-2020 budget message, “The past six years have marked unparalleled prosperity for Costa Mesa and the recovery from the Great Recession has continued, becoming the longest period of economic growth in history. During that time, the City has also been faced with challenges such as addressing homeless issues and defending itself in lawsuits filed by sober living facilities.”  What this all means is that we need to be prepared for tougher times ahead and be patient.

5G technology is coming, and with it some new concerns. Our Board member and Treasurer, Carri Lang, has been “Bird dogging” this issue for us…click here to see her update and to see the actual letter sent to the City Council under my signature, click here.

Finally, as my term as President expires soon, this is my final President’s Corner. At our August Board meeting we will elect a new leader. Looking back over the past several years, the first thing that comes to mind is how fast time flies! What has our Board of Directors accomplished and how has our association grown? Let’s take a look:

~ We increased our Board from 9 to 11 members.
~ Established the position of Data Manager
~ Initiated videotaping of our annual meetings, viewable on our website HERE
~ Sponsored our traditional Candidate Forum in 2018
~ Initiated our Annual Neighborhood Picnic in 2018, continued in 2019
~ Held first public information meeting jointly with the Newport Mesa School Board and local school principals.
~ Replaced or reconditioned our Mesa Verde gateway signs
~ Advocated in support of the Tanager Drive neighbors to help arrive at an equitable solution to the proposed bike trail
~ Established a Mesa Verde Bulletin Board on our website for the use of our residents
~ Established a close working relationship with our police department to reduce speeding and traffic violations in Mesa Verde.
~ Completed several neighborhood surveys and reported results
~ Enhanced our website and broadened our social media coverage to include Facebook (check here) and Nextdoor (go here).
~ Published four newsletters, mailed to over 3000 Mesa Verde residents
~ Established our “Lifetime Membership.”
~ Initiated our Mesa Verde Volunteer Group (If you have a little extra time to devote, please consider volunteering)
~ Created our first self-guided “Water Wise Garden Tour”

Alas, my biggest disappointment is that we have not significantly increased our membership. We’ve added several new members, including seven lifetimes, but quite a few old members have not renewed. Why not? That’s a question we need to address. And, we will!

As I trust you can know, most of this costs money, and your membership dues and donations are our only source of revenue. Can you guess what I’m asking you to do? Click here and go directly to the membership app.

My thanks to our Board of Directors for  granting me the honor and privilege of serving as your President these two years, and to all of you for your support and encouraging words. A special “well done” to the tremendous help from our volunteer group.

I know that you will accord our new President your continued support.

Respectfully,
Bob

President’s Corner — October, 2018

Posted on by Terry Wall in Candidate Forum, City Council, Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Fire Department, Costa Mesa Police Department, Mayor's Race, Mesa Verde, MVCI membership, Safety & Security, Volunteers

Hello neighbors,

Halloween approaches, but with this warm weather I wonder about the frost on the pumpkin. Maybe it will be a nice evening for the trick or treaters. Got your costume ready?

Our recent candidates forum was very successful. All ten candidates for City Council and Mayor participated, and all performed well. I believe our audience gained a better perspective on the issues facing our community. You may view the entire forum by clicking here.

Our work with the CMPD on traffic issues continues to bring results. Citations for speeding and other violations have increased since the beginning of greater vigilance. Thank you Lt. Bakkila and the traffic division. We will continue to pursue this effort and report to you periodically on the results. Please keep us informed of particular hot spots. Be specific as to time, location and type of violation. To give you an idea of the magnitude of this effort, here are some stats on citations so far this year:

Mesa Verde Drive            20
Adams                             452
Baker                                182
Oriole                                   7
Tanager                              71
Gisler                                 26

The recent grand opening of Fire Station One was a huge success. The facility is a beauty and fully operational. Just another example of “keeping Mesa Verde Safe”. Hats off to our City staff, Chief Stefano, and the CMFD for pulling off the building of this great new asset.

The “Shops at Mesa Verde” are progressing nicely if not quickly. Descanso is scheduled to open the first week of November, and Stylists will open soon with a grand opening set for late November. We will soon see a whole new look for this area.

We are looking for a volunteer “Data Manager” and possible Board member to manage the data base for our growing membership. If interested, please send an email to info@mesaverdecommunity.org, and put “Data Manager” in the subject line.

Finally, thank you and congratulations to Leah Ersoylu, our newest Lifetime member. If you have not renewed your membership for this year (Apr 1 – Mar 31), this is a great time to do so. Click here  to access the application form (PDF).

‘Til next month,
Happy Halloween!

Bob

President’s Corner — September, 2018

Posted on by Terry Wall in Candidate Forum, City Council, Civic Activity, Community Action, Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Police Department, Mayor's Race, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership, Safety & Security

It’s that time again – beginning of Fall, kids back in school, and the silly season (elections) is upon us. So, I should begin this month’s President’s Corner by reminding you of our MVCI Candidate Forum, October 4th. It’s a new ball game for Costa Mesa; election of Council members by district, and an independently elected mayor by the electorate at large. All candidates have accepted our invitation to participate, and all residents of Costa Mesa are invited to attend. Please see the detailed notice posted on this website under Neighborhood News.

By now you have received our semi-annual newsletter. Many hours of work by our Board of Directors have gone into this production, and we hope you enjoy it. As always, we appreciate feedback on what you want to see in this publication. A special thank you to our MVCI Volunteers, Gayle Rindge, Cindy Veach, Christine Williamson, Karen Jovanovic, and Ginger Juneman for their help in getting this edition labeled and stickered.

In my August President’s Corner I mentioned our work with the CMPD in identifying and curbing speeding in our neighborhoods. We are already seeing some early results, thanks to Lt. Bakkila and the traffic division. Covert cameras have been placed in strategic locations throughout Mesa Verde. Just a word to the wise: Yes, Costa Mesa can always use some extra revenue, but let’s not donate it through traffic fines!

We are working on a “Town Hall” style forum with our new school board, hopefully in January. We expect that families with school age children will be especially interested in the philosophy and policies of the folks that set the agenda for our teachers. Stay tuned for date and time.

Finally, if you have not yet renewed your membership in MVCI, please do so. A membership form can be downloaded from this website.

‘Til next month, be happy in your work.🤠

Bob

Community Survey

Posted on by Terry Wall in Civic Activity, Community Action, Costa Mesa, Mesa Verde, Neighborhood Survey, Safety & Security

As many of you know, in June, MVCI conducted its first survey of the community, the purpose of which was to sample the insights of our residents as to those things they feel are relevant and important. We were very pleased with how responsive the neighborhood has been, and wanted to share some of those results, We received 167 responses, to our email database of about 500 names, for a response rate of 33.4%. For the statisticians out there, this is an OUTSTANDING response rate, and we sincerely appreciate those who took the time to participate.

Following are the bar graphs representing your responses, to the “non-essay” questions. We will start out with the first four questions and continue with the others in the days to come. If we can find a concise way to report the essay question findings, we’ll do that as well. In the meantime, here are the first four:

 

 

 

 

More to come!

“MyCostaMesa” mobile app replaces “Costa Mesa Connect”

Posted on by Terry Wall in Community Action, Costa Mesa, Mesa Verde, Safety & Security

The City of Costa Mesa recently launched MyCostaMesa, a new mobile app that is replacing the city’s first mobile app, Costa Mesa Connect.  MyCostaMesa is now available for free download on the Apple App Store and Google Play, and will have all the same citizen request/reporting features of Costa Mesa Connect. Citizens will no longer be able to submit requests using the old Costa Mesa Connect app beginning Friday, Aug. 24.  The new and improved benefits and features of the new app include:

  • Improved service request tracking system to ensure open cases are resolved in a timely fashion.
  • Better and more thorough reporting system for staff to track requests for service.
  • Platform that uses new and more stable software.
  • MyCostaMesa allows citizens to report issues using their phone’s GPS and camera capabilities, review existing requests, send updates, and receive phone and email notifications of status changes on their issues.
  • Residents can also submit a service request via the city website and review their submission history and knowledge base articles online.
  • Requests can be submitted for graffiti removal, pothole repairs, dumped items, coyote sightings, etc.
  • The app also provides access to Costa Mesa news, calendar listings, public meeting agendas and much more.