The Lakeside Grove Grove complex got a new look at the front entrance, left, Friday when several trees and plants were removed as part of the Special Refurbishment Project.
Villa Park Landscape removed four large pine trees and two large Bird of Paradise plants on the north side and three large pines on the south side of the complex during the day Friday, Nov. 15, 2013. The company also removed two additional trees that were causing damage to the waterfall and ponds located at the entry.

Because of the tree-removal, right, Lakeside Garden Grove homeowners and renters found the front entrance impassable during parts of the day. Villa Park worked on one side of the entrance at a time, but at times, both entrances were blocked as large pines were felled. Vehicles entering or leaving the complex were restricted to either the north of south loop of Lakeside Drive because of where Villa Park’s equipment deployment.
Most of the pine trees were removed from the top down, which is a process of removing manageable sections of a tree in increments from the uppermost part of the tree downward. One large pine was felled from the south side of the entrance toward the north side, missing the central landscape island by a few feet. The process took up most of the day. Traffic returned to normal later in the day once work was completed.
Villa Park, the company that provides gardening services for the Lakeside Garden Grove community, had been contracted to remove these trees and plants as part of the Special Refurbishment Project. The removal of the trees was the first step toward replacing the leaning wall that has made inoperable the north side gate.
Now that the trees are gone, several of the large boulders that make up part of the front entrance landscape will temporarily be relocated until the gate wall and part of the wall facing Nutwood Street, which also had been impinged by the growth of the pines, is replaced. Once the wall is constructed, a new gate will be installed.
According to Casitas Security, the company contracted to provide security and parking services inside Lakeside, the always-open status of the north gate has been the primary cause for an uptick in criminal activity within the complex. The new wall and gate is expected to greatly reduce such activity.

The election for the Lakeside Board of Directors, which failed to reach the state-mandated quorum level of 143 ballots cast in October, finally met the lowered level of 72 ballots cast on Monday, Nov.18, hours before the final regular session of the Lakeside Garden Grove HOA Board meeting at Room 21 of the United Methodist Church at 12741 Main Street, Garden Grove.
Optimum Professional Property Management, Inc. had received 69 ballots, which was three short of quorum, by last Tuesday, Nov. 12. Five additional ballots were received by Monday, bringing the total to 74, two more than needed, according to Shannon Thornhill, who is serving as temporary Lakeside Garden Grove property manager until a permanent replacement for David Fisher can be hired.
Now that quorum has been met, the results of the election will be made known at the Monday night, Nov. 18 meeting, and the new Board for 2014 will be installed during the Election Results Session at 8 p.m., which follow the general session of the HOA Board meeting.

Advanced Aquatic Technology, the company that provides stream cleaning, upkeep and repair within the Lakeside Garden Grove community, discovered several areas in need of repair in the stream that runs parallel to building 10560.
The company, which is in the process of cleaning streams of sludge and built-up debris within the complex, uncovered breaks in the liner, which causes leaks in the system, when that stream was drained. The floor of the stream in some areas also was cracked and needed to be replaced.
In that area, the bottom also will be lowered to allow for more gravel to be placed to make the biofilter system more effective.
There also are a few trees that are right up to the edge of the stream that will be removed. Villa Park, which is contracted to do the tree removal at the front entrance, also is expected to remove those trees on Friday, Nov. 15.

The October election for the Lakeside Board of Directors failed to reach the state-mandated quorum of 143 ballots cast. As a result, the new board of directors that would have been installed at the Oct. 21 general HOA meeting could not be seated. The current Board will continue to serve until the next quorum level can be reached. That level, which is set at 72 ballots, must be reached by the next Board meeting on Nov. 18 in order for the new Board to be installed.

Homeowners who have not cast ballots are urged to vote so that the lower quorum level can be met. As of the Oct. 21 meeting, 56 ballots had been mailed in and three ballots were handed in at the meeting. Three owners at the meeting received and filled out ballots, bringing the total to 62. Ten more ballots need to be received by Optimum in order to reach the quorum level of 72 ballots. If you haven’t cast a ballot please do so. If you need a ballot, call Shannon Thornhill at (714) 508-9070 x228 or email her at sthornhill@optimumpm.com.

David Fisher, who has served as the liaison between the Lakeside Garden Grove Community and Optimum Property Management, left the firm on Oct. 18, 2013.  Mr. Fisher, who served as the community association manager since June 2012, accepted a similar position with a smaller property management firm, Optimum said.
Fisher will be replaced on a temporary basis by Shannon Thornhill, currently Optimum’s Director of Association Management.  Ms. Thornhill said she will be the community’s point person until a permanent replacement can be hired.  She has been with Optimum since 2002.  She can be reached at (714) 508-9070 x228 or at sthornhill@optimumpm.com.

The 2013 election for the Lakeside-Garden Grove HOA Board of Directors will kick off this month with six candidates seeking the five open seats.

Secret ballots will be mailed to homeowners no later than 30 days before the Oct. 21 election meeting. If completed and mailed, the ballots must be received at Optimum Property Management offices at 17731 Irvine Blvd., Ste 212, Tustin, CA 92780, by 12:00 p.m. on Oct. 21, 2013. The sealed secret ballots also can be hand delivered the night of the meeting.

The general HOA meeting and election session will be held in Room 21 at the United Methodist Church at 12741 Main Street, Garden Grove, CA 92840. The HOA Board executive session will start at 6 p.m. followed by the general session at 7 p.m. and the election session at 8 p.m.

The six candidates for the five Board seats are Patrick Turner (incumbent), Jeannie Alliss (incumbent), Martin Evans (incumbent), Richard Covert (incumbent), past Board member Darcee Golden and newcomer Jill Hamblin.

Homeowners are each entitled to five votes per unit. Cumulative voting is permitted whereby each member may cast all five (5) votes for one candidate or votes may be split among the candidates as long as the total number of votes cast is not greater than five (5) per unit, otherwise the secret ballot may be deemed invalid and may be used for quorum purposes only.

Nominations for candidates can be made from the floor and will be accepted the night of the meeting. Secret ballots will be available at the meeting with space for those candidates nominated from the floor, however once you mail in the enclosed irrevocable secret ballot, you may not replace it at the annual meeting.

Although as a homeowner it is not required that you vote, it still is recommended that you exercise this right. Representation of 50 percent (50%) of the voting power, which is equal to 143 votes, is required to conduct the election. If 50% of the recorded homeowners (which constitutes a quorum) is not represented, the election session of the Oct. 21 meeting will not be held and will be adjourned to a later date. This will cause the association to incur additional expenses. If the meeting must be adjourned because of lack of quorum, all secret ballots cast by mail will carry over until quorum is attained, however the requirement is reduced to 25 percent or 72 ballots in order to attain the quorum goal.

You will be voting to elect five members of the Board of Directors. The Board comprises homeowners elected by the members (homeowners) of the association. The Board acts as a governing body to operate the business of the association, which is a corporation. The Board has a fiduciary duty to protect, maintain, and enhance the value of the property/common area; and, to act in the best interest of the corporation. The Board has authority over the maintenance, administration, and financial condition of the corporation.

Homeowners who have not received a ballot by the first week of October should call David Fisher at Optimum Property Management at 714 508-9070 x308 or email dfisher@optimumpm.com and request a ballot.

So what’s the big deal about dumpster diving? Shouldn’t Lakeside residents be allowed to collect recyclables from our dumpster? What’s the harm?

It might seem reasonable to allow residents to collect cans and bottles for recycling because it helps provide additional income in these cash-strapped times, plus it helps the environment.

However, there are several drawbacks to such activity. The two biggest are that dumpster diving brings in a criminal element and can cause messes around the dumpsters. In the past, drug addicts have rifled through our trash bins in search of recyclables to help pay for their habits, and homeless people search the bins for food and clothing. Drug addicts and homeless people could care less about keeping our trash enclosures clean. They dig to suit their purposes, and if trash is tossed outside of the bins while they are searching, so be it.

OK, you say, just limit the dumpster diving to residents only. But how will you know who is or isn’t a resident? Some non-residents caught dumpster diving in the past have simply said they live here, when they don’t. There is no good way to determine who is or isn’t a resident. Besides, there have been residents who have been known to dumpster dive who are just as messy as the interlopers.

The best policy is to curtail dumpster diving altogether. That is what the Board has chosen. The Rules and Regulations are in the process of being revised, and when they are adopted, they will help prevent dumpster diving. If you see dumpster divers, please advise them that it is not permissible and if they choose not to stop their activity, please call:

Garden Grove police at 714-741-5704 or
Casitas Security at 714-512-4140

to report them. But be cautious and polite when approaching dumpster divers and avoid confrontations. Let the police and Casitas deal with them.