April 2018 Update

Dear Member:

April Weather

April was quite nice, as it most always is in Fresno. The month came with a cool ending reminding us of which we will pine for in July and August.  Both the average low and high temperatures were over two degrees higher than normal.  The first seven months of the rain season year is averaging three degrees above normal. It could be a long hot summer.

Director Resignation

Mike Gerosa resigned from the board of directors this last month.  Mike served on the board for over seven years and as president for the past two plus years.  Mike has also acted as the water operator for both Belmont Water Corporation and Belmont Country Club.  Mike will continue on with management of the water for Belmont Water Corporation.  Thank you, Mike, and best of luck with your new business.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/golf/article133241264.html#storylink=cpy

Annual Assessments

The annual assessment invoices were due on April 30, 2018.  Be sure and include your certification with your payment.  To certify on line, click here.  To print the certification form and mail with your check, click here.  Remember, there is a $100 credit coming with the certification.

Annual Cinco de Mayo Party

Nic and Katie Pope cordially invite all Belmont Country Estates neighbors to attend a Cinco de Mayo party at their home this coming weekend.  There will be music, activities for the kids and a taco truck.

Watering Rules

Please water only three days per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Change your sprinkler controller seasonal setting to 70-80%.  If you have a Rachio controller, the seasonal shift was made for you this morning automatically.

Water Conservation

Water usage for the month was up from March to nearly 39,000 gallons per household. It was 35% worse than the target and 30% worse than last year.  Year to date, we are 34% worse than the target and 72% worse than last year. Click here for a larger view.  

1,2,3-TCP Mitigation Settlement

The Belmont Water Corporation settlement committee made a presentation to the Belmont Country Club board of directors at their April board meeting.  The presentation included a suggested solution to the handling of the mitigation fairly. Unfortunately, there was not a quorum of the board present.  We will make the presentation again in May.  

We have agreed to work closely together to make an agreement that works for all.  We are in this together and most of our neighbors are also members of the country club.  We want to see an agreement that works for the betterment of both.  If you have any questions, please call Nic Pope or Mike Emigh.

Belmont Country Club Take-out Dinners

In addition to the takeout menu, you are invited to try out the restaurant and bar.  Prices are very competitive and the fare is excellent.  Hours are 10:00AM to 2:00PM Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30AM to 4:00PM Friday, and 6:30 to 4:00PM Saturday and Sunday.  We look forward to seeing you there.
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March 2018 Update

Dear Member:

March Weather

The rain finally came in March, almost 4.2 inches.  We are now almost two thirds of normal. Local reservoirs are all near capacity and our local farmers should have enough irrigation water for the summer. Temperatures were right at normal for the month.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/golf/article133241264.html#storylink=cpy

Annual Assessments

The annual assessment invoices have been mailed and are due on April 30, 2018.  Be sure and include your certification with your payment.  To certify on line, click here.  To print the certification form and mail with your check, click here.

Annual Membership Meeting

The Belmont Water Corporation Annual Membership Meeting was very successful with a few new neighbors attending.  Thank you all for joining us.  

New board members elected at the meeting are:

• Belina Breckenridge
• Mike Emigh
• Mike Gerosa
• John Paige
• Nic Pope

John Paige later resigned his position and Trevor Barbeau volunteered to fill in.  Thank you John for you service to the neighborhood, especially through the litigation process.  We will still seek your counsel on occasion.

1,2,3-TCP Mitigation Litigation Settlement

The lawsuit against Dow Agrosciences and Shell Oil has been settled without a trial.  The settlement should make a significant contribution to the cost of removing this chemical from our water.  The regulation requiring clean up was effective January 1, 2018.  We will receive notification from the SWRCB of non-compliance to the regulation within the next few weeks.  We will then file a plan of mitigation and will be given some time to complete construction of a treatment facility or connect with a clean water supply.  

The settlement has been complicated because we joined with Belmont Country Club to come to a settlement sooner.  Belmont Country Club is now demanding a share of the settlement even though they have not shown damage.  We may need the assistance of all neighbors who are members of Belmont Country Club, whom I believe number about 25.  We will keep you posted.

Watering Rules

Please water only three days per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Change your sprinkler controller seasonal setting to 60%.

Water Conservation

Water usage for the month was down slightly from February to about 27,000 gallons per household. It was 7% worse than the target and 11% worse than last year.  Year to date, we are 33% worse than the target and 102% worse than last year. Click here for a larger view.  

Belmont Country Club Take-out Dinners

In addition to the takeout menu, you are invited to try out the restaurant and bar.  Prices are very competitive and the fare is excellent.  Hours are 10:00AM to 2:00PM Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30AM to 4:00PM Friday, and 6:30 to 4:00PM Saturday and Sunday.  We look forward to seeing you there.
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February 2018 Update

Dear Member:

February Weather

February started out very nice with temperatures running about 10 degrees above normal, but it cooled down mid-month.  Overall, we were about 4 degrees above normal on the high side with normal low temperatures.  Rain total for the month was .26"  We're now almost 6" behind normal.

Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/sports/golf/article133241264.html#storylink=cpy

Annual Membership Meeting

The Belmont Water Corporation Annual Membership Meeting will be held for all members at 6:00 PM on March 14, 2018 at Belmont Country Club, 8253 East Belmont Ave, Fresno, California 93737. Appetizers and a no-host bar will be provided with the meeting beginning immediately following. Please plan on attending this important neighborhood event. An agenda will be mailed prior to the meeting. If you have yet to RSVP, click here.

Watering Rules

Please water only three days per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Change your sprinkler controller seasonal setting to 40%

Please check your sprinklers and timers.

Water Conservation

Water usage for the month was up slightly from January to about 28,500 gallons per

household. It was 46% worse than the target and 285% worse than last year.  For the first two months of the year, we are 51% worse than the target and 235% worse than last year. Click here for a larger view.  
This is now the 6th month in a row we have used more water than the prior year and the eighth month in a row we have been over the target.  If we don't reduce our usage, we may face penalties from the SWRCB and possibly an accelerated installation of water meters.  Let's work together on reducing usage and waste.  

Belmont Country Club Take-out Dinners

In addition to the takeout menu, you are invited to try out the restaurant and bar.  Prices are very competitive and the fare is excellent.  Hours are 10:00AM to 2:00PM Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30AM to 4:00PM Friday, and 6:30 to 4:00PM Saturday and Sunday.  We look forward to seeing you there.
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January 2018 Update

Dear Member:

Belmont Water Corporation Annual Membership Meeting

The Belmont Water Corporation Annual Membership Meeting will be held at 6:00 PM on March 14, 2018 at Belmont Country Club, 8253 East Belmont Ave, Fresno, California 93737. Appetizers and a no-host bar will be provided with the meeting beginning immediately following. Please plan on attending this important neighborhood event. Topics for the meeting are annual assessments, contamination remediation and penalties for watering rules violations.  The full meeting agenda will be mailed prior to the meeting.

January Weather

January was six degrees warmer than normal following the five degrees higher than normal temperatures in December.  We did receive 1.23" of rain in January, but this was about half the normal rainfall for the month.  We are now over 4" or 71% behind normal rainfall at this point in the rain year.  There are no rain clouds on the horizon.

Watering Rules

There seems to be many in the neighborhood who have forgotten that we have watering rules.  There is water running in the street on a daily basis.  This waste is showing up in our usage and in the cost of pumping our water.  Please water only three days per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Change your sprinkler controller seasonal setting to 20% unless you received a new free Rachio Smart Controller from Fresno County.  It will make all the necessary adjustments for you.  My total watering cycle for the month of February is 40 minutes, an increase of 12 minutes from January.  I receive an email from Rachio on the first day of the month with details of adjustments made.  The Rachio also turns the sprinkler system off when it rains.  Check your sprinklers and timers.

Water Conservation

Water usage for the month was down from December to about 28,000 gallons per household. It was 56% worse than the target and 195% worse than last year.  Click here for a larger view.  
This is the fifth month in a row we have used more water than the prior year and the seventh month in a row we have been over the target.  If we don't reduce our usage, we may face penalties from the SWRCB and possibly an accelerated installation of water meters.  Let's work together on reducing usage and waste.  Check your sprinklers and timers.

Belmont Country Club Take-out Dinners

In addition to the takeout menu, you are invited to try out the restaurant and bar.  Prices are very competitive and the fare is excellent.  Hours are 10:00AM to 2:00PM Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30AM to 4:00PM Friday, and 6:30 to 4:00PM Saturday and Sunday.  We look forward to seeing you there.
A crab dinner dinner is scheduled for April 23.  Call Shannon Hashimoto at 559.251.5078 ext. 15 if you are interested.

December 2017 Update

Dear Member:

December Weather

With the arctic cold gripping the East Coast and Midwest, I feel somewhat guilty wearing shorts to play golf.  December was five full degrees higher than normal and January is starting out the same way.  The amount of rain we received in December could almost qualify as a day of high humidity, 04".  We are now over 3" behind normal rainfall.  The Old Farmers Almanac is predicting drier than normal weather for the next two months.

Congratulations

These past couple of weeks found a uniting of our friends and neighbors. Jack and Annie Engle and John and Tammy Paige moved from couples status to wedded bliss.  Congratulations and best wishes for a long and happy life together.

Watering Rules

Please water only three days per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Change your sprinkler controller seasonal setting to 10% unless you received a new free Rachio Smart Controller from Fresno County.  It will make all the necessary adjustments for you.  My total watering cycle for the month of January is 28 minutes.  The Rachio also turns the sprinkler system off when it rains.

Neighborhood Disturbances

On December 20, I reported suspicious people in the neighborhood early in the morning.  I received a response from Linda Kinchen that someone had taken a gift she had left for the waste removal people.  No one else reported anything missing or damaged. The Belmont Country Club grounds crew saw a man carrying an object jump over the fence on the fourth fairway and speed away in a waiting car. 

I have received comments about the possibility of installation of a gate on Sanders Court to prevent unwanted people from gaining access to the neighborhood.  We looked into this several years ago and found that Sanders Court is a county road.  The neighborhood would need to petition the county supervisors to abandon and deed it to an HOA.  We would then be responsible for the upkeep of the road along with the gate.  Abandonment of a public thoroughfare requires a unanimous vote of property owners of adjacent properties. This hurdle was impossible to overcome.

My suggestions are:

1. We need to be vigilant and pay attention to unknown persons in the neighborhood.
2. We need to keep watch on our neighbors and their homes. If you are going to be away for a period of time, let your neighbors know, ask them to pick up newspapers, mail, and deliveries.
3. Install and turn on lights, street lights, yard lights, lights on timers in your home, motion sensor lights.  The more light, the fewer places for people to hide and cause harm.
4. Invest in an alarm system.  There are many alarms for sale or rent at reasonable prices.
5. Again, be vigilant and pay attention.

Water Conservation

Water usage for the month was down from November to about 36,000 gallons per household. It was 84% worse than the target and 117% worse than last year. Year to date, we are now 8% worse than the target and 5% worse than last year.  Click here for a larger view.  
Annual usage was 24,400,000 gallons.  This volume is 1,000,000 gallons more than last year and 2,000,000 gallons more than the target.  With the low rainfall experienced to date, it is likely that we will be required to reduce our usage again this coming year.  Let's work together on reducing usage and waste.

Belmont Country Club Take-out Dinners

In addition to the takeout menu, you are invited to try out the restaurant and bar.  Prices are very competitive and the fare is excellent.  Hours are 10:00AM to 2:00PM Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30AM to 4:00PM Friday, and 6:30 to 4:00PM Saturday and Sunday.  We look forward to seeing you there.

November 2017 Update

Dear Member:

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year

November Weather

It's fog season once again.  We can start looking forward to days with minimal sun and chilling cold.  November, on the other hand, was very warm with high's three degrees higher than normal.  Lows were four degrees higher.  There was only one small storm delivering rain in November which accumulated to only .28".  For the season, we are now 1.33" behind normal.  It appears that last year's bountiful rain was just a brief respite from the drought.

Air in Lines and Low Water Pressure

We experienced low water pressure and air in the lines during November.  Depending on the location of your home, the severity varied, with some having no problems.  It was determined that the storage tank air relief valve was plugged.  This valve allows a certain amount of air to escape from the storage tank as it is filled from the well pump.  Air accumulated in the storage tank and was pushed out with the water as the tank emptied. The valve is now operating properly, but it may take several days for all the trapped air to be purged from the lines.  The air in the pipes may also dislodge rust and sediment.  Check to see if your faucet filters need cleaning.

Watering Rules

Please water only three days per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Change your sprinkler controller seasonal setting to 10% unless you received a new free Rachio Smart Controller from Fresno County.  It will make all the necessary adjustments for you.

Click here to view a short video.

There still may be time to apply for your free Rachio controller.  They expected the funding to be available to mid-December.  The flyer that explains the program can be found here.  Call Dahris Felden, Customer Coordinator, Valley Soil, Inc. at 951-775-5532 instead of using the website.  Do not delay, call today.

Water Conservation

Water usage for the month was down from October to 42,000 gallons per household. It was 28% worse than the target and 19% worse than last year. Year to date, we are now 5% worse than the target and 2% worse than last year.  Click here for a larger view.

Belmont Country Club Take-out Dinners

In addition to the takeout menu, you are invited to try out the restaurant and bar.  Prices are very competitive and the fare is excellent.  Hours are 10:00AM to 2:00PM Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30AM to 4:00PM Friday, and 6:30 to 4:00PM Saturday and Sunday.  We look forward to seeing you there.

October 2017 Update

Dear Member:

October Weather

October weather was as nice as can be in Fresno.  Both highs and lows were right at the average for the month, 80 high and 52 the average low.  Rainfall was .09", about 1/2" below normal.  Sunsets enhanced by the northern fires were beautiful. 
And, the best part about October, we have our golf course and greens back in operation.

Fresno County Rachio Smart WiFi Controller Program

Fresno County is offering a free program to reduce water use for county residents.  Sponsored by WE CAN — San Joaquin Valley, Water-Energy Community Action Network, this program is funded with conservation grant money and rebates and includes an evaluation of your irrigation system, up to two Rachio controllers to replace your sprinkler timers that are not WiFi driven and includes free installation. ALL FREE...

To schedule an installation, you will need to know how many sprinkler timers you have, how many stations or zones on each, where they are located on your property, and your address. Here is a video on how the controller works, click here. 
The flyer that explains the program can be found here. The program has limited funding and it's best to call Dahris Felden, Customer Coordinator, Valley Soil, Inc. at 951-775-5532 instead of using the website.  She can speed up the process  There is a wait list for people who want to install the controllers themselves but at this time, funding is available for the portion of the program which includes free installation. Do not delay, call today.

New Neighbors

We have new neighbors again with more children (future golfers). Mark and Lisa Fowler have purchased the home of Gay Linenbach-Cantwell. They are in the process of settling in with their four young children. Chris and Belina Breckenridge and their two young children have purchased the Montag home, but have yet to move in.  We welcome both new families to Belmont Country Club Estates.
With all the young children in the neighborhood, please watch out for all.  Please let your vendors and landscapers know to also keep an eye open for the little ones.

Watering Rules

Please water only three days per week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Change your sprinkler controller seasonal setting to 20% unless you receive a new free Rachio Smart Controller.  It will make all the necessary adjustments for you.

Water Conservation

Water usage for the month was down from September to 63,000 gallons per household. It was 23% worse than the target and 29% worse than last year. Year to date, we are now 4% worse than the target and even with last year.  Click here for a larger view.

Belmont Country Club Memberships

There are membership openings now at Belmont Country Club.  It's a shame to live on such a beautiful golf course and not take advantage of it.  
For those who find golf too time consuming, boring or just down right difficult, social memberships are also available at reasonable price.  There are many non-golfing activities scheduled each month.  You just missed bingo night.  The banquet room is also available to members for special functions.
Please contact Joe Millar, general manager, at 559.251.5078 or via email at Joe@bccemail.net.

Belmont Country Club Take-out Dinners

Belmont Country Club added Chicken Enchiladas in August as an option for the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night take-out dinners.  
You are invited to try out the restaurant and bar.  Prices are very competitive and the fare is excellent.  Hours are 10:00AM to 2:00PM Tuesday through Thursday, 7:30AM to 4:00PM Friday, and 6:30 to 4:00PM Saturday and Sunday.  We look forward to seeing you there.