GRF Board Report

JAN. 25 MEETING

Leisure World’s 2021 board and management team delivered a $1.1 million budget surplus, Carolyn Miller, director of Finance, reported to board members during their monthly meeting Jan. 25.

The surplus in GRF’s $17 million annual budget resulted from lowerthan- expected insurance costs and printing fees, as well as COVID-related personnel decisions. Additionally, GRF benefitted from significantly higher newspaper advertising income and other revenue.

After a state-required audit, GRF will determine priorities before distributing the surplus. It is anticipated a portion of the surplus will address compensation issues currently affecting GRF’s employee recruitment and retention efforts.

The Board also approved $74,496 to fund seven electric vehicle charging stations on GRF property outside the St. Andrews gate. The outside-thewall location lets GRF claim a Southern California Edison grant paying for all the electrical infrastructure the stations require. The stations will be available to residents as well as the public, and GRF Facilities Director Mark Weaver anticipates EV vehicle charging fees will pay for the site’s construction cost and then generate ongoing revenue.

In other technological decisions, Board President Susan Hopewell formed an ad hoc committee to explore options for Leisure World’s broadband and cable TV service. The current agreement with Superwire, which expires in June 2022 and has a transition clause through December 2022, offers a group discount to residents who subscribe to Spectrum’s cable TV through Superwire.

The growing number of options to cable make this a more complicated problem. Many of the 90 percent of California households that have home broadband service have “cut the cable.” Instead of a traditional cable provider, some now rely on streaming entertainment services via broadband.

The ad hoc committee, chaired by GRF Director Nick Massetti, a former engineer, will update information from providers. Initial discussions concerning group discounts have assumed all Leisure World’s 6,608 units will subscribe to a single basic cable package.

However, the committee will explore possibilities for individual residents to opt out, or for a free or heavily discounted broadband-only offer that will let each resident access email and the Internet.

Then, residents could choose their own cable TV service, or assemble a streaming package of entertainment and news sources. Before any universal agreement can take effect, all 16 Mutual boards will have to agree with its terms.

In other action, the board took more steps to improve traffic safety.

Directors approved funding for a required traffic study of the Northgate Road/St. Andrews Drive intersection and another study to locate speed cushions on Trust streets. Speed cushions are known as traffic calmers and help slow auto traffic like speed bumps but do not impact emergency vehicle response time.

The GRF Board of Directors next meeting will be Feb. 22.