1.Flag Salute &Roll Call – The meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm by President Tom Costan. Present at the meeting – Dylan Lunde, Angela Toghia, Jacki Ayer, Tom Costan and Kelly Teno. Absent – Larry Layton, Pam Wolter, and John Farrar.
2. Community Comments – An Acton resident asked about the possibility of a sound wall on the 14 freeway. He lives on Escondido Canyon Road and he says helicopters fly very close stirring up dust and making noise. The freeway noise frightens animals. Jacki suggested to him to take pictures of the helicopters and keep a log of date and time because they may be violating FAA laws and if he calls then he has a record. The 14 freeway is slated for a sound wall near the high school but don’t know how far down the freeway they are going. Deputy Short stated that Sheriff helicopters don’t go below 500 ft, but Fire Department will go lower during a water drop.
3. Minutes of Last Meeting – Tabled until next meeting
4. Treasurer’s Report – No Report
5. Sheriff’s Report – Deputy Short reported that there were 34 incidents that resulted in reports. This in down from the last 3 months. We are ahead of last year in incidents but that is mainly due to he break-ins. Looks like there are lots of leads in the burglaries.
6. Library Report – The librarian reported that the library is a designated cooling area this summer. He talked about all the June events at the library which are available on the website.
7. Announcements and Correspondences – Tom Costan announced Council changes. Larry Layton has resigned. He is stepping down due to time restraints. His resignation is effective today. John Farrar has also resigned due to the same reasons. They will both had valuable input and will be missed. RPC hearing tomorrow , The Laslovich map is extended. The application filed for the Paintball has been recommended for denial due to inactivity.
8. Motion to Seat New Applicants to the Acton Town Council – Acton residents Ruth Brock and Russ Fawkes have put in their desire to join the council. They both will bring great things to the table. Jacki Ayer made a motion that we seat both Ruth Brock and Russ Fawkes today June 5, 2017. Angela Toghia 2nd the motion. The motion carried.
9. Film Permits and Film LA – Resident Chris Croisdale addressed the concerns with filming in the Acton area and with Film LA. He explained some of his experiences and filming off Bootlegger Canyon and Soledad Canyon Road. He would like to work with the County and Film LA to set some general standards for our area. The question was raised Who does Film LA report to at the County?, maybe he should start there. Jacki Ayer made a motion to establish Chris Croisdale as the point person regarding commercial filming in Acton and put together standards for filming. Ruth Brock 2nd the motion. After discussion we want the line of communication open to the ATC and Chris will report at Planning Meetings. Tom Costan made an amendment to the original motion to add Chris will give an official report at the first meeting of every month. The motion carried.
10. SCE – Modification to Vincent Hill Station – Liz Seelman had 3 people with her to help with the presentation and answer questions. The new security modifications are a Federal and State mandate due to a terrorist type incident that almost took out all of the electricity in the Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. They spoke about the proposed changes to secure the Vincent Hill Station which is considered an at risk or critical station. There is a proposed 10 ft high block wall. It was brought up that due to our terrain that anyone could see over the wall and shoot out anything. They felt that was not a problem. It was brought up about landscaping and that it was still not finished from the original project. They said they have to get rid of tall trees because they can be climbed. It was suggested to put a chain link fence 10 ft out from the block wall and landscape around that. Questions that were raised included: Concern about whether they will give proper notification to residents and how they will take care of noise. Is the project subject to environmental review? The answer was no they have internal review and they will mitigate with extra cameras and motion lights. Are our rates going up because of this, how is it being paid for? There are some Federal Funds but no talk about where the rest will come from. The red lights on the towers are not required by the FAA and they are only on private property not in the forest. Are the new lights going to be pointing out? The ones in the parking lot are pointing out and are blinding, one resident spoke about how they can not see in their yard and have to have black out curtains which don’t completely work. They said the new lights should be shielded and pointed down on the fence. What kind of protection does the SCE have against drones? There is no mitigation for drones at this time. Liz Seelman said she will take all these questions and the landscaping issues back to the SCE. She was asked if she would send any communication with the PUC regarded landscaping to us, she said yes.
11. SEA Ordinance – Comments due June 9, 2017. There are many issues that need to be addressed including 1/3 of Acton is in the SEA so the number of people with the unpermitted barns may be an issue. They will potentially have to go through the SEA process and there is only one accessory structure allowed per property. Other concerns included, If you want a fence to cover r protect livestock it has to be 20ft from your house., It requires a bridge for anywhere water might flow and bridges will be incorporated, so to build a house you may have to build a bridge. We need comments. Angela Toghia made a motion to write a letter addressing the concerns about the SEA Ordinance. Jacki Ayer 2nd the motion. After discussion an amendment was made that- this may have multiple letters or just one. The motion passed. Jacki said she would write one on behalf of SORT and she would review letters from other Council members.
12. CSD Revision Topics – Storage Containers – Equestrian Right of Way – Home Base Businesses – Meeting set with Parks & Rec for June 15, 2017 at 10am at the Library. Agua Dulce Town Council has been invited.
13. Committee Reports – Planning, Coordination, Trails & Open Space – None High Speed Rail – None Publicity & Assoc. of Rural Town Councils – Jacki Ayer made a motion to support the letter from the ARTC about Measure H. Angela Toghia 2nd the motion. The motion carried. Finance Ways & Means – Ideas were brought up about doing another fundraiser. Ideas included, A Community raffle, another Don Chato night, Casino Night (decided this was too large a project), maybe sell choclate because everyone is a potential buyer. Ruth Brock will talk to Don Chatos and get back to us. By-Laws, Community Standards & Decorum – We are still waiting on IRS decision before moving forward. Public Works & Utilities – None Emergency Response & Disaster Planning – Tom would like to get a local Eagle Scout to help take this over. It was brought up that James Lammon is an EMT & going for Firefighter and he may be someone good to contact to help man this. Beautification, Illegal Dumping and Perspective – None
14. Unfinished Business – None
15. New Business – It was brought up about a traffic study on Santiago and Soledad Canyon Road and possibly a 4 way stop. _______ wrote an email to DPW about the necessity of a 4 way stop there. Got a call back within the hour and they will conduct a 6 week traffic study. This will be put on the agenda for a Planning Meeting.
16. Meeting Adjourned at 10:45 pm
