Some of the grandest mistakes made by past Boards and management were funny (maybe not at the time, but in hindsight), and some were almost tragic.
A former manager made a deal to sell a quantity of decomposed granite from what was a small quarry behind the Maintenance Yard (past where the transfer station (trash) is now). The contractor re-engineering, re-aligning, and paving the section of Mil Potrero Highway from Cedarwood Drive west to the intersection of Cerro Noroeste (Mt. Abel) Road needed the decomposed granite (DG) as a suitable base for the roadway. PMCPOA was paid a reasonable sum for the material, but no one in management seemed to realize HOW MUCH DG they (the road contractors) really needed. The result was the huge pit behind the Maintenance Yard (past the #4 green on the golf course). Many homes on the south slope of PMC have a spectacular view of that pit (scar). PMCPOA has spent thousands and thousands of dollars (much more than they were paid for the DG) to try to get something to grow in that steep slope, even Hydro-seeding it at least twice, but to no avail. It's just dirt.
Over the years, the Clubhouse has been "remodeled" and expanded several times. (The original structure was just the Condor Room space, plus about 40% of the Lounge space; downstairs was just a small snack bar and a storage room). During one of the more extensive expansions, it was decided to use "in-house talent" instead of licensed tradesmen to do the plumbing and electrical work (ostensibly to save money). Consequently, one night the Clubhouse caught fire, and only because it was discovered soon enough, it didn't burn to the ground. Luckily, insurance paid for the damages, and no one was hurt. Faulty electrical work was the reported cause.
I got a call one New Year's Eve afternoon from the then-GM, Mike Duffy. He said the electrical outlets behind the bar in the Lounge had stopped working, all the maintenance guys had gone home (holiday) and they needed the bar working 100% for the New Year's Eve party that night. (Note: I am neither an electrician nor a plumber). Under the bar, I found the sink drain was cobbled together with a piece of radiator hose and a coat-hanger, and it was leaking into an open electrical junction box. I asked where the electrical panel was to shut off the power, went to it (down stairs), and shut off all the breakers. A couple of circuits behind the bar were still on. I found another panel a couple of rooms away, and shut all those breakers off, too. Now, all the circuits were dead. I went back to the first panel to turn it back on, so the rest of the building would have power back, and the circuits were live again (!!) The bar outlets and lights were being powered by two sources. A real electrician was called, and as far as I know, that mess was fixed. Don't even ask about the plumbing problems in that building!
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Anyone who has been to the Transfer Site (trash dump) can see that it's neat, well-kept, and rarely smells bad. That hasn't always been the case. That same area used to have 15 or 20 regular "dumpsters" -- the dirty, smelly, banged-up boxes with the metal lids that banged--that would smash your fingers if you weren't careful. Each business in the Village had its own dumpster or two, as well. Southside Disposal Company would come once (or twice) a week, and dump each bin individually. The PMC Board of Directors at that time decided that Southside was charging too much for their services, and also decided that PMC could collect and haul its own trash for "much less". (file under "Best-Laid Plans). A used trash-hauling truck was purchased (thousands $$$), and two or three "roll-off" bins (big huge bins) were also purchased (more thousands $$$). Southside was notified by PMC management that their services were no longer needed. Southside promptly came up and hauled all their dumpsters away---including the dozen or so that were being used by the Pine Mountain General Store, 3 restaurants, and a few other businesses. Immediately, the Kern County Health Department notified the General Store and the restaurants that they were in violation of their Health Permits which required those types of business to have a dumpster (trash bin) immediately adjacent to their business (food waste, which couldn't be stored inside the business, also couldn't be placed in small cans or bags--it had to be in a proper trash bin -- on the premises.) Southside was contacted, asking why they removed ALL the dumpsters, not just those being used by Pine Mountain Club. Their reply was that the remaining number was too few to make a trip with the big truck that had the equipment necessary to dump the bins into itself. They WOULD bring up two of the BIG roll-off bins and put them at two locations in the Village. One was placed in the alley behind what is now La Lena Mexican Restaurant, and on was placed in the open area across from what is now Pine Mountain Realty. (where the cut-out figures are). The Health Department was persuaded to consider those locations as "on premises" for the General Store and the other restaurants. BUT (BIG BUT), the roll-offs cost $120 each to dump (they had to be loaded, hauled to the Lebec dump, emptied, and hauled back to PMC). Southside had only charged $7.00 a month (each) to empty the dumpsters. Because they were so big and obvious (and ugly), many people decided to skip the trip to the PMC dump, and dumped their household trash (and construction waste) in the Village bins. Then, warm weather brought the flies---and the smell...
The situation seemed to be getting worse (and exceedingly more expen$ive) by the week, but an ultimate solution soon appeared seemingly out of nowhere. In their rush to "save the Association money", the Board (and management) had neglected to check the county regulations regarding franchises. In Kern County, and most other counties in California, certian businesses (like utilities) are granted franchises for certain areas, and they are the only ones allowed to conduct that business in a particular area. In Kern County, examples of this are cable companies, ambulance service, and trash hauling. Southside had an exclusive franchise to haul the trash ("garbage") in this part of Kern County. Pine Mountain Club didn't, and was violating the franchise rule, and so Southside sued. After lenghthy negotiations (lawyer$$), a plan was hammered out whereby PMC would provide a "Transfer Site", where the trash would be collected, and a portion of it recycled. Trash compactors were installed to compact the trash into special bins which Southside --now becoming "Mountainside Disposal"-- would haul to the Lebec dump to be emptied. Recycling of cardboard, glass, and plastic was required. Kern County Health Department would allow the restaurants in the Village to take their trash to the Transfer Site, as long as it was not allowed to accumulate at the business, and they would be in compliance with the Health regulations. The PMCPOA trash truck and roll-off bins were sold (at a loss). I'm proud to admit that I helped to bring this particular happy ending to yet another "big, bad idea".
