August 10, 2002

Board of Directors, TSRA

P.O. Box 16

The Sea Ranch, CA 95497

Ref.: Letter Tom Warnock to TSRA Board of Directors, January 27, 2000

Subject: Posh Squash Garden Site Selection

Dear Members of the Board

The purpose of this letter is to bring you up to date with the on going

evaluation performed by the Posh Squash comparing potential garden sites

on The Sea Ranch. Over the past four years the Posh Squash, a Sea Ranch

garden group, has conducted a search for a suitable garden site within

the boundaries of The Sea Ranch. This search was prompted by potential

problems with continued usage of the present Posh Squash site, potential

future growth beyond the present site capacity and a desire among the

garden membership to create a truly "Sea Ranch Vegetable Garden". The

site requirements that were established are straightforward:

· The area required is approximately two to three contiguous acres.

· The terrain must be level enough to create growing beds without

extensive terracing and construction.

· The soil must be workable so that it can be developed into a good

growing media.

· The site must have a suitable water source available.

· The microclimate of the site must be compatible with growing crops

that are consistent with the present garden.

· It is desirable that the site be accessible by a service road and that

parking be available for the members.

· It is desirable that the site not adversely impact potential or

existing living areas.

Originally nine sites were investigated and then reduced to two that

appeared to meet the above requirements. The first site (Longmeadow) is

an open area adjacent to the Sag Pond trail above the intersection of

Longmeadow and Timber Ridge roads as shown on Map 1. The second site

(Chapel Trail) is the open area adjacent to the Chapel trail above and

to the east of Highway One and power lines approximately at the

intersection of Leeward Spur and Highway One as shown in Map 2.

In early 2001 the Posh Squash Garden Group requested and received

permission from TSRA to erect two small weather stations on the two

potential garden sites to better quantify the micro climates of the

these locations. A third weather station was placed at the present

garden to provide a known base line. Data was gathered from these

stations for the entire 2001-growing season. The weather data is

included as Attachment A. Another important aspect of the weather

stations was that members of Posh Squash made numerous trips into the

proposed areas and became very familiar with their subtle differences.

Both new sites will require significant investments in labor and

material to get them to the level of development we enjoy in the present

garden. These include:

· Site preparation, access and parking.

· Deer fencing of the growing area.

· Site water.

· Equipment storage facilities.

· Bed preparation and irrigation installation.

· Greenhouse facilities.

We estimate that the above effort will require two years of continuous

work to complete.

A zero base budget to develop the two Sea Ranch sites has been created.

However these figures are subject to a number of variables that cannot

be quantified at this time, they include; member labor contribution,

donated services, donated materials and potential TSRA involvement. As

of this writing the Chapel Trail site is approximately $5,000 more

expensive than the Longmeadow site due to the differences in bringing

water to the site.

An analysis of all the weather data related to each of the two new sites

and a comparison to the present Posh Squash garden reveals that they are

very much alike; each have specific advantages and disadvantages. The

soil in both sites is superior to the original Posh Squash site.

Longmeadow Site: The Longmeadow site is in a secluded location and is

protected from the direct marine wind by the surrounding hills and

trees. It is similar in this respect to the present Posh Squash

garden. The site has good exposure and is not impacted by shade from

adjacent trees. Access and parking would be along the existing service

road that runs behind the ridge at the intersection of Timber Ridge and

Longmeadow roads. Construction would be required to extend the road to

the garden site and create a parking area.

Chapel Trail: The Chapel Trail site is very open with a gentle slope.

It has the best exposure of the three sites. It is somewhat protected

from the marine winds by a large stand of Eucalyptus trees along its

western border but is still subject to the direct afternoon marine

breeze. The site can be accessed from Highway 1, but will require Cal

Trans approval and a permit. Grading will be required to improve the

existing road and create a parking area. Due to the influence of the

marine climate it has the warmest of the recorded low temperatures. The

closest water source is approximately one mile away and adversely

impacts startup costs.

Conclusion: The Longmeadow site has a more desirable climate, however,

it is our conclusion that both sites will support a garden similar to

the Posh Squash.

The members of the Posh Squash strongly believe that having a community

garden as part of TSR is a positive feature both from a quality of life

issue and a financial benefit to real property values. We believe that

you, the Board of Directors, are in general agreement with us on this

point. The primary question still remains: how to best accomplish this

goal. Considering the long history of the present garden our priority

remains to acquire this land through sale and failing that a long-term

lease. If the land were purchased it would be our intent to develop an

agreement with TSRA to incorporate it into TSR commons. This can be

accomplished through a "Lot line adjustment" without a change to the

county General Plan, which is a lengthy and costly process that does not

guarantee a successful conclusion. If we enter into a long-term lease

with the present owners The Posh Squash would continue to exist as it

has for the last twenty-five years. However, at some point in time, if

membership continues to grow and we want to service this demand, we will

require a new site. If we are unable to buy or lease the present garden

and are asked to leave our continued existence will depend on a new

site. We believe that this new site should be on TSR and that the

mechanism for approval be in place so that it can be implemented quickly

if necessary

For a number of reasons, not associated with the garden, it may be

desirable for TSRA to establish a water source into the Chapel Trail

area. Any joint effort of this type would certainly be beneficial to

establishing a Sea Ranch Vegetable garden.

The question of assistance raises another issue we wish to address: Are

we a private or public organization or perhaps something in between? We

offer membership to all members of TSRA. We charge a membership fee to

cover operating expenses. We require work for the right to harvest our

product; non-members of The Posh Squash are not allowed to harvest from

the garden. We suggest that The Posh Squash is a quasi-public

organization that has many private attributes and that these

distinctions are taken into consideration when dealing with commons and

support issues. The Posh Squash has been an active part of TSR for

twenty-eight years.

The Posh Squash requests that the TSRA Board of Directors in their

instructions to the Planning Committee and in their own deliberations

consider the following:

· That the TSRA Board of Directors makes it an official TSRA goal that a

community garden is a desirable addition to TSR.

· That the two named sites, which are currently "Starred", be identified

as potential garden choices.

· That the above request be given some priority with the Planning

Committee so that if there is a dramatic change in the circumstances of

The Posh Squash the Board of Directors can respond quickly.

· That the Public / Private status of The Posh Squash be considered and

reviewed to reflect the true nature of the organization.

Thank you for you consideration

Sincerely.

Mary Austin & Tom Warnock, Coordinators:

The Posh Squash Steering Committee.