Since the Ventura County Board of Supervisors rejected its application for Well #7–a year ago–the Crestview board has not considered refiling the application or moving to a different site. Frustrated shareholders have tried to fill the vacuum by forming two ad hoc groups.
President Sol Chooljian told the shareholders’ annual meeting in June that refiling the Well #7 application with the County is possible, but that has never been on a board agenda and all information about Well #7 has been removed from Crestview’s website. Chooljian announced August 11 reactivation of a committee to compare Well #7 with alternative sites, but there will be no work plan or time line approved until October 27 at the earliest.
Not waiting for the board, a shareholder group has filed a petition with the Las Posas Hills Owners Association to amend the CC&Rs to make clear that drilling Well #7 would not violate the CC&Rs. This could affect how the Association’s board and architectural committee treat any resubmission of the Well #7 plan. However, it may not affect whether the County will issue a permit because the County does not enforce private contracts like CC&Rs.
A different group of shareholders has been meeting to develop a mutually-acceptable solution to the problem of septic systems within 600 feet of Well #7 and Well #8. They are also trying to get Crestview to give open and thorough consideration to alternative sites for Well #7; there is another site that would cost less and produce cleaner water.
Crestview Watch supports reviewing the options before deciding whether to reapply for Well #7, but our do-nothing board is doing neither. They are not even having regular meetings. Frustrated shareholder volunteers are filling in because our president and board have checked out.
Plea to senior board members: Being unpaid volunteers does not entitle you to neglect urgent situations or to fail to exercise due diligence and good judgment. These are not honorary or rubber-stamp positions. If the demands of office exceed what you are willing and able to do, resignation is the only responsible option. Please appoint to board seats some of the energetic and diligent volunteers who have been doing the work you should have been doing.
Another way forward for a very badly managed company: The board can remove president Chooljian at any time by a simple majority vote, and he has challenged them to do that.
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