At the November HRB meeting, residents presented a proposal to establish a University Hills ISL summer swim team. The HRB presented this proposal to the community for feedback, posting the details at www.uhills.org/swimteam, and asking residents to fill out a short survey. At the December HRB meeting, survey results were reviewed, and the pros and cons were discussed.
The HRB decision represents a formal recommendation to ICHA based on what we believe to be in the best interests of the the community as a whole.
The recommendation communicated to ICHA is as follows:
Andrew,
To summarize our discussion at the HRB meeting: having reviewed the proposal, as well as the subsequent survey responses and comments, and having considered the issue carefully, the HRB is supportive of the proposal to establish an ISL swim team in University Hills. For reference, the proposal, the associated FAQ, and the results of our community survey, which informed our discussion, are attached. There are clear and valid concerns about the impact of hosting such a team, but we believe the positives outweigh the negatives.
We do wish to emphasize that the negatives should be mitigated as much as practically possible while supporting such a program.
In particular, we recommend that the agreement between the Team and ICHA incorporate the following (in addition to the terms listed in the proposal itself):
(1) there should be a designated Team representative present throughout all practices and meets to whom residents can bring any immediate concerns about violations of the terms under which permission is granted. This representative must be a member of the Team's Board of Directors, and also a University Hills resident.
(2) The team should pay a reasonable annual fee to ICHA to cover added maintenance expenses (such as additional cleanings after meets and practices, beyond those normally scheduled).
(3) The team should provide a damage deposit, held by ICHA to cover damage to equipment, pool deck furniture, landscaping, etc. If funds are deducted from the deposit to pay for repairs, then the team shall be required to replenish the deposit within 14 days of the incurred expense.
(4) The team shall fund the acquisition and installation of one additional lane line at Gabrielino pool, for use during periods when the team is practicing at Coltrane.
(5) "No Meet Parking" signs shall be positioned, by the Team, at the entrances to nearby residential cul-de-sacs and at the entrance to Alturas during swim meets. Meet parking will be restricted to specific portions of Howser, Coltrane, Pauling, and Gabrielino, as specified by ICHA, and such parking restrictions shall be clearly communicated by the Team to all meet participants. Illegally parked cars shall be subject to ticketing and/or towing. Parking guidelines shall be subject to modification as deemed appropriate by ICHA.
(6) No meets shall be allowed with more than two teams participating. (No "tri-meets".)
(7) No amplified sound shall be permitted before 8:30am on meet days.
(8) Shade structures shall not be placed where they block sidewalks, damage the landscaping, or block ingress/egress.
(9) In addition to the alternating 2 to 3 regular meets per season, we understand that there will be one "time trials" practice meet each year with only the resident team, and no visiting opponent. All meet rules shall apply to such "time trials".
(10) We recommend that the initial contract be a two-year contract, because regular meets will not be held at the pool during the first year, and that the agreement be reviewed and updated annually thereafter.
(11) Team membership shall be limited exclusively to University Hills residents. Any exceptions shall require specific written approval by ICHA and the HRB prior to enrollment.
(12) The contract may be immediately terminated, at ICHA's discretion, if the Team fails to uphold its obligations under the agreement.
We recommend that ICHA, in collaboration with the Team organizers, develop a mutually acceptable agreement using the Orcas' 2015 agreement from the proposal (attached) as a template, and incorporating these additional elements. The HRB would be happy to provide additional feedback on the completed agreement.
Steve Cauffman
on behalf of the HRB