Marinwood CSD has no contingency plans for Coronavirus Response

Eric Dreikosen, Marinwood CSD General Manager is taking a "wait and see" approach to the Corona Virus. Jeff Naylor "Hopes it will be a normal year without disruption" on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 despite dire warnings everywhere, Italy being quarentined, Schools closings, California declared Emergency, and the Marinwood Fire Department in crisis planning every day. The Marinwood CSD even refused to increase their sanitation regime in this meeting. By the end of the week, the President declared a National Emergency. Stupid complacency may kill people in our neighborhood. Be safe.

Marinwood CSD Manager Dreikosen, "No Plan to Fix Fountains"

Residents have asked for timely maintenance of drinking fountains at our parks. Bill McNicholas, longtime Marinwood resident has made requests of both Luke Fretwell Parks Manager(and previously Shane DeMarta) and Eric Dreikosen, CSD General Manager for years. According to them, the drains cannot be fixed because the public clogs them with debris. Occasionally the staff will clear them but the problem always returns. "The REAL problem" according to CSD staff, " is that the public complains about fountains" Fretwell, Dreikosen and three maintenance staff earn combined income of at least $500k. They service a tiny park and 4 fountains. The taxpayers are the problem? This display of arrogance and indifference to the fundamental responsibility to maintain the park should be noted. A simple fountain design used by Muir Woods National Park will completely solve the problem. The staff have been given design info and a community member even has agreed to build it for the district. Dreikosen appears bored and angry with the public.

Why hasn't the Architect submitted a bill since May 2018? (What are they hiding?)

Watch these videos together.  In the first one a Citizen asks why the architect for the Marinwood Maintenance Shed Compound has not submitted a bill since May 2018.  He has attended many meetings since then and it appears that he is "sandbagging" his billing to keep under the $12,000 limit that CSD Manager, Eric Dreikosen estimated in April 2018 in the second video.

We are not getting the full story from the Marinwood CSD.  They have refused to release an estimated budget for the Maintenance Compound.  This is unethical and in violation of the Brown Act and the spirit of open government.  

Can we trust the CSD to represent OUR financial interests?

Marinwood CSD explains actions taken since armed sex attack

Luke Fretwell, Recreation Director and Eric Driekosen, CSD Manager explain what they have done since the April 2019 armed sex attack on a juvenile during a party.  In short, they have done nothing except stop taking reservations.  No improvement in security, no video surveillance, no policies on alcohol, no security deposits,  etc.

How will Landscape Architect be Hired for Marinwood CSD ?

How will Landscape Architect be Hired for Marinwood CSD ?

Resident wants to know how Landscape Architect will be hired and approved and he receives a "non response" from Leah Green Marinwood Board President and Eric Dreikosen, CSD Manager.  The fact is that several local landscape architects are part of the "inner circle" that also hired Bill Hansell, Architect with zero budget constraints.  We expect it will also be a closed process and may require an independent audit of business practices.

Marinwood CSD Q1 Budget 2018-2019 report without a clue

Marinwood CSD manager presents the current quarter budget but compares it to the entire 2018-2019 budget instead of a YTD or comparing quarter by quarter for 2017-2018.  As a result, there is no way to understand the current financial performance of the district. Only outgoing CSD director, Irv Schwartz questions this.  The rest of the board approves the budget without comment.  Also, a new secretary has been hired for Eric Dreikosen, making him the only CSD manager with a full time assistant in the CSD's 55 year history.

Do Taxpayers Owe HansellDesign $42,000 for his drawing?

Do Taxpayers Owe HansellDesign $42,000 for a drawing?

Hansell Design was hired secretly by Eric Dreikosen, Marinwood CSD manager on February 14, 2018 after the board approved the "mystery architect" at the February 13, 2018 Marinwood CSD meeting.  Bill Hansell, former CSD Director HIRED Eric Dreikosen in 2016 as the Marinwood CSD Manager despite lacking any government agency or accounting experience.  

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Here is a clip from the February 13 2018 meeting where Mr Dreikosen presents his choice of architect at an estimated cost of $12,000.  Notice his lack of details about the identity of the architect, how he was chosen and the total amount to be paid by the CSD.

Here is how Eric Dreikosen responded to a question from the public regarding his representation of the architects costs at the February 13, 2018 Marinwood CSD meeting:   

"It appears that comments made at a board meeting regarding architect costs are being taken out of context and are not representative of what was stated. 

It was not stated that the architect cost estimate for the entire project was $12,000.  What was stated is that for projects such as the maintenance facility, soft costs are approximated at an additional 20% of construction costs typically.  Of that 20%, architect services typically account for 60% of the 20%.  Based on that formula, I used an example of if construction costs are $100,000, soft costs would be an additional $20,000 with architect fees accounting for $12,000 of the $20,000.  $100,000 is the same construction cost figure provided and used by the other architect who submitted a proposal."

Does that sound like an accurate description of the February 2018 Marinwood CSD meeting to you?

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Immediately after receiving the commission,  Hansell Design billed $11,931.73  by May 2018.  This is $6,000 per month. As of November 2018, we can expect that we owe Hansell Design another $30,000 but we cannot be certain. Since then the board has refused to acknowledge the growing cost of HansellDesign who has worked an additional five months without submitting bills or even timesheets.

HansellDesign is billing at $125/hour plus expenses.  Surely his costs have grown substantially and still the project is in the "drawing phase"  Those of us who are paying close attention are appalled at the lack of rigor, misstatements and questionable bookkeeping.

It is corrupt business practice and collusion.  Multiple government contracting laws are being broken and it could rise to a felony criminal investigation.    Government employees are not allowed to hide costs from the citizens nor can they collude privately with individuals.

As much as it pains me to say so, the project should be halted immediately until a full investigation can happen.

We need a new maintenance facility.  A one similar to size and scale of McInnis Park (1200 sf) will be more than adequate and cause minimal disturbance to Marinwood Park.  It is time to stop wasting money on a White Elephant project that will destroy a large area of our park that is to be used for recreation and nature preservation.

Sign the Petition HERE

How Erik Dreikosen, Marinwood CSD Manager FOOLED me to conceal the Maintenance Shed Environmental Review

Eric Dreikosen, Marinwood CSD manager on June 12, 2018 when he denied the existence of a pending application for Marinwood Maintenance facility on June 15, 2018.  His deliberately misleading statement was continued in this email exchange below.  Even at the June 26, 2018 Parks and Recreation meeting, the application was kept secret.  Finally, it was revealed on Friday, June 30, 2018 at 5 pm before a major holiday. A legal notice was published on Saturday, July 1, 2018.
Clearly the Marinwood CSD will go to great lengths to keep their activities secret.

At the June 12th Marinwood CSD meeting, I asked Eric Dreikosen about the pending application for the Marinwood Maintenance shed. He answered evasively to imply no actions with the permission of the board .  

Several days later on June 15th, he signed and submitted a 109 page "Neg Dec for Environmental Review that will allow the Marinwood CSD to build WITHOUT CUSTOMARY ENVIRONMENTAL OVERSIGHT.

This particularly upsetting since the current Hansell design calls for a massive 4400 square foot compound that is 100% within the stream conservation setback of 120 feet.  However, since Marinwood CSD is their own oversight "lead agency", of course they will approve their own work. 

Here is an email exchange I had several days later :

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Jun 18

Stephen Nestel to Eric Dreikosen, Marinwood CSD Manager


Eric,


What day will you submit your application for the Marinwood Maintenance Facility? Previously, you mentioned that you hoped to have an application to submit in late June 2018.



What day will you submit and meet with the planners? Who is the county planner for this project who is assigned to your project?


Thank you in advance.

Editor's note: Notice that I did not specify which application.  An honest answer would have been that a 109 page NEG DEC EIR document had been submitted three days earlier.


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Jun 19

Eric Dreikosen  to me


Dear Stephen,

The District does not have a set date as to when the Site Plan Review Application will be submitted. As no such application has yet been submitted, there has been no planner assigned on behalf of the County.


Eric

Editor's note: Dreikosen is purposely evasive but changing the subject.  He intentionally is trying to confuse Site Plan Review Application with Neg Dec EIR 
UPDATE 7/7/2018: Eric Dreikosens own May 2018 memo indicates that a Site Plan Review Application will be submitted at the end of June  (see the last paragraph).  Suddenly, Eric Dreikosen is having amnesia and calling the document something else.  This is a deliberate attempt to deceive the public. We deserve to have employees worthy of trust.

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Jun 19

Stephen Nestel to Eric Dreikosen


Approximately, when do you think the submission will occur? Is it still the end of June or has their been a delay? Will you please notify upon submission?


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Jun 20 


Eric Dreikosen  to me


Dear Stephen,



The District continues in its due diligence with the pre-planning process. With that, I do not have an approximate date as to when the Site Plan Review Application will be submitted. All proper notices will go out at the appropriate times as we move forward with this initiative.

Thanks,

Eric

Editor's Note: Dreikosen continues to mislead me. He knows that I want to engage in productive dialogue but still conceals his actions.
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Jun 20


Stephen Nestel to Eric



Thanks for your prompt reply. There was a promise of a public meeting prior to submitting the application at the last impromptu presentation. Is this part of the due diligence that you are referring too? I know the public wishes to engage with this topic and the best way is to be transparent. I hope to minimize the unnecessary misunderstandings prior to submitting so the district can save time and money on the project.


The current iteration of the Maintenance Shed project has many challenges. The first challeng is establishing a policy of what activities can take place on the site. The current landscaping waste, materials depot and haphazard storage of materials and equipment is a relatively recent phenomena. 1.) Will this be allowed in the future? 2.) Does the structure serve the practical applications envisioned? I don't see how the current large, long narrow building could practically accommodate the practical needs for tools, vehicle and materials storage plus a workshop and office. The workflow access is severely constricted by design. A conventional long garage such as one used in virtually every other government facility in Marin County will overcome this obstacle. The current design is definitely more attractive but due to its inefficient design, it will encourage the use OUTSIDE the building which defeats the purpose of a self contained facility. Of course a budget should be established too.


I believe the first two questions should be answered PRIOR to submitting a plan since changes will significantly alter the site plan and could cause delays.


The environmental issues will still need to be addressed but at least we can get the first important questions answered first.


I have long lobbied for a new maintenance facility and glad it is finally being addressed. Let's do something great.

(Eric Dreikosen does not respond to this email)

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Leah Green, Marinwood CSD Board President approved of the deception of the public at the June 12, 2018 meeting.  Izabella Perry, Bill Shea, Jeff Naylor and Irv Schwartz also were aware of the pending "Neg Dec EIR " document and did nothing to make the public aware of the 109 page document found HERE

Can you TRUST the Marinwood CSD director and CSD Management?

Leah Green CSD Board President

Eric Dreikosen, CSD Manager

The Marinwood CSD has IGNORED community input for a massive maintenance compound that will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.  At 4400 square feet, the sprawling design will replace existing facilities.  It is being designed by former CSD Director Bill Hansell, who coincidentally hired Eric Dreikosen with a huge boost in pay from his previous employment.  Now Eric is working with Bill Hansell to push through his design.

In 2017, the Parks and Recreation Commission held an open forum on the facility and the room filled to capacity. Most residents had objections to the current facility and wanted to submit input.  The PUBLIC HAS BEEN IGNORED.  

In 2018 only 3 residents were given access to a private presentation of Bill Hansels "Taj Mahal" maintenance compound facility.  What happened to the "Public Input"?

We only have 3 full time staff, a truck and several small vehicles and they can be easily be housed in less than 1200 square feet. Virtually EVERY COMMUNITY IN MARIN uses modest prefab structures for their landscaping staff.  Not a single community devotes an full acre of prime real estate for their modest, utilitarian garages. Hansells design is over 150 feet long and spans two housing parcels.  It is roughly 3 times the size of the  average ranch style home that is common on Quietwood and Pinewood.  

The "Taj Mahal" maintenance shed is a comically large project which will be a source of ridicule and shame for decades to come if it is allowed to be built.

At the very least the community needs to see "Story Poles" to see how much space is being sacrificed from Marinwood Park.  The worst part is the long narrow design means that vehicles will constantly need to be moved inside the shed and a wide clear pathway running the length of the structure.  There will be no room for material handling of gravel and dirt and debris and will still take place outside the facility.

The footprint for the building will increase and block pedestrian access
  
Ironically it was Bill Hansell, as Marinwood CSD director who argued for eliminating the maintenance department in 2014 and tearing down all of the facilities.  Hansell will earn handsome fees for his impractical design in 2018.

The Marinwood CSD has issued a notice of a public meeting to discuss the facility as is legally required only hours before comments from the public are due.  It is a cynical attempt to keep public comments to a minimum.  Furthermore, the Marinwood CSD is CANCELLING its July Meeting which I believe is to keep the public in the dark until the last possible moment.

The Marinwood CSD board of the directors and Eric Dreikosen have displayed a contempt for the public process and is trying to dupe the public.  While they are attempting to comply with the minimum legal requirement, they are violating the spirit of open, transparent government.

Here is the notice of the July 26, 2018 meeting at 5:00 PM.  The notice was sent on Friday, June 29th before the holiday and while county workers are on strike. 
 http://www.marinwood.org/sites/default/files/publicnotice_negdechearing.pdf

Could the CSD pick a worse time for the public to attend?  This should tell you about their intent to conceal information from the public.

I had asked Eric Dreikosen, CSD Manager specifically about the submission of plans on June 12, 2018 for review. I specifically asked him if he was still planning submission by the end of June  He was evasive and said no plans will be submitted prior to a public meeting.

Two days later on June 15, 2018 he submits an 108 page document for environmental review.

http://www.marinwood.org/sites/default/files/marinwoodcsd_draftnegdecinitialstudy_6-15-18.pdf

Is Marinwood Park for the people or is it for oversize buildings, construction materials, landscaping debris?

We deserve GOOD HONEST GOVERNMENT that is open and transparent with the people.  It is time for change.

Marinwood Park And Rec Meeting "Full Speed Ahead on the Maintenance Park Shed" despite illegal site next to Miller Creek.

New commissioner installed.  44:40 Update on Maintenance Shed proposal. CSD Manager Eric Dreikosen plans to hire architect to create a large building next to Miller Creek despite violation of the Stream Conservation setback requirements, neighborhood objections and the availability of an alternative site.  It appears that an insider with connections to the district is being hired and the contract broken up to allow the manager to evade Government Contract Law.

If you are interested in an outdoor preschool in Marinwood Park, send an email to sdemarta@marinwood.org and savemarinwood@gmail.org

Eric Dreikosen, Marinwood CSD tepid response to Illegal Tree Removal on the Nature Trail.

Eric Dreikosen, Marinwood CSD manager

Email sent to me by Eric Dreikosen, Marinwood CSD manager on 12/7/2017:

Considering what we have learned of the resident, an elderly widow who recently lost her husband and have owned their property for over 40 years, I seriously doubt she had any malicious intent in her actions.  We are attempting to make contact and speak with the resident, upon which time District personnel will decide the most appropriate course of action.  Ideally, this will be done in a neighborly fashion with and in the cooperation and understanding of the resident. Thank you for your concern and bringing this to the attention of the District. Eric

Here is how the Marin Board of Supervisors responded to a similar situation in 2010.

Marin will throw the book at San Rafael tree vandal suspect

By Nels Johnson

POSTED: 10/05/10, 12:01 AM PDT |

0 COMMENTS

Marin County will throw the book at a San Francisco dentist accused of vandalizing McNears Beach Park by cutting eucalyptus trees.

Marin County supervisors emerged from a closed session Tuesday to report the county will sue Dr. Rebecca P. Castaneda in civil court for damages after the tree cutting in which one eucalyptus was chainsawed and others stripped of branches this summer in an apparent bid to open up a backyard bay vista.

Castaneda was charged with one count of felony vandalism and two misdemeanor counts of illegal tree cutting in a complaint filed by District Attorney Edward Berberian in Marin County Superior Court on Monday.

But the county board agreed that in addition to the felony case pursued by Berberian, the county will press a civil action.

"The board has authorized county counsel to file a civil action against Rebecca Castaneda and any other parties county counsel determines are responsible, in connection with cutting of trees on or about Aug. 3, 2010 on county property in McNears Park," the board said in a written statement distributed by president Judy Arnold.

Arnold did not elaborate but Supervisor Susan Adams said all agreed that "there should be a clear message sent that destruction of public property should not be allowed to happen."

Adams added it was unfortunate Castenada "did not call me" to discuss the tree issue in her San Rafael-area district.

Officials have said the county might recover "treble damages" in civil court, and one county estimate put the damage at $80,000.

Castaneda's attorney, Marc Stolman of Larkspur, has called the vandalism charge filed by Berberian ridiculous, saying "the real issue ? is the county's failure to maintain the trees."

Stolman was not immediately available for comment on the county's civil suit.

The towering trees are just below Castaneda's home at 64 Marin Bay Park Court in a gated subdivision off Point San Pedro Road, north of the entrance to the county park.

Stolman has called for a settlement, saying that "although my client does not admit anything, she has offered to take all action necessary to replace any dead or damaged trees, preferably with safe, native trees, and she will help make McNears Beach Park nicer than eve

Editor's Note:  Mr Dreikosen's response is glaringly inconsistent.  Several months ago, Alan Miller, 50+ year resident of Marinwood and Marin IJ writer asked the Marinwood CSD to help pay for landslide repairs after a landslide from Marinwood open space destroyed his backyard.  Dreikosen stonewalled the Millers and the last reports were the issue may have to be resolved in court.  Dreikosen has refused to mediate against the advice of many residents.