Rancho Santa Fe Association board vacancy

By Jack Queen

Rancho Santa Fe Association president

Regrettably, last week director Jack Dorsee stepped down from the RSF Association board. Due to unforeseen future commitments, Jack realized that he would have to miss a number of upcoming board meetings and felt it would be in the best interest of the community if he allowed someone else to serve. In Jack’s letter of resignation he stated that he thought it would be unfair to the residents of Rancho Santa Fe if he continued on the board. I think his comments reflect his dedication and commitment to our community and I will miss his participation on the board. I would personally like to thank Jack for the time he spent on the board and his service on the Osuna Committee.

Under the provisions of our bylaws, the vacancy is filled by an appointment by the remaining members of the board no sooner than 30 days after the vacancy is created. The board has set a date of Sept. 15 as part of our regularly scheduled meeting, for the board to select Jack’s replacement. It is important to fill the vacancy as soon as possible as we have a full slate of priorities to accomplish this year. It is also important to our members to have a full seven-person board as some of our approvals require a set number of board votes, up to six in the case of an Art Jury appeal, regardless of the number of board members present. If anyone has a desire to be considered as a candidate for the board, please contact Pete Smith at the Association or any board member. We will be accepting applicants up until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6.

At the board’s May 19 meeting, we authorized an appraisal to begin a feasibility review for the potential purchase of 48 acres of land for open space. The property we were considering is located on the southeast corner of El Acebo and Rambla de las Flores and appeared to be a good fit for our open space program. After careful consideration, including a cost benefit discussion, the board decided at our recent retreat to cancel our negotiations with the seller. The board felt that the price offered by the seller and the terms of the sale were very favorable to the Association and reflected the seller’s desire to see the property held in perpetuity as open space. However, given the current economic conditions and the fact that half of the property is already held in an open space reserve with the county, it was hard to justify the expenditure for overall benefit. The board will continue to look for potential open space purchases and now is the time to be a buyer especially when the intent is to enhance and protect the rural character of our community.

On a lighter note, I had the opportunity last week to escort two of my grandchildren during their effort to complete the RSF Library “Passport” treasurer hunt. Each child explains which books they are reading to a variety of establishments around the Village and receives a stamped confirmation of the visit and a gift. When the passport is completed they return to the library and receive a book. A great way to encourage reading and have parents (or grandparents) get to know some of the Village merchants. Congratulations to everyone involved, a great program.