By Sam Richards

Staff writer

Monday, November 17 (9:00 a.m.) The RWC Board last week approved spending up to $625,000 for renovations at Creekside Grill and Bar, ahead of deciding which of four applicants the Board will choose to become a long-term partner in whatever expanded culinary options come to Rossmoor.

This is the most recent action stemming from the ongoing Food and Beverage Study, first approved in late 2023. It has been a comprehensive effort to determine what dining and catering offerings Rossmoorians want and would successfully support, and RWC’s capability in accommodating various types and levels of food service. Synergy Restaurant Consultants was enlisted to help RWC throughout this process.

The Creekside restaurant renovations potentially include new bar and kitchen equipment and dining room furniture; the money also would cover related professional design services, as well as contingencies.

The terms governing the use of these funds will be defined and negotiated as part of the lease signed by whichever of the four applicants becomes that partner with RWC.

Stan Gedeon, who has operated Creekside Grill since 2010, submitted one of those four proposals. Rossmoor General Manager Jeff Matheson said Thursday that RWC expects to name the successful applicant in late November (not at the end of October, as he had said at the RWC Finance Committee meeting on Oct. 28).

Mentioned as possibilities – as brought up through surveys and focus groups done as part of the overall study – were a fast-casual restaurant and commissary, off-premises catering service and a portable/kiosk facility, like a coffee cart.

Policy updates

The Board on Thursday approved adjustments to a policy that will treat rule violations at all Rossmoor amenities, including golf, the Fitness Center and others, consistently, and adjustments to a separate policy that lays out how hearings are conducted for violators, when appropriate.

The Board also opted to send a third policy revision, which addresses harassment of, or by, Rossmoor residents, employees, vendors and guests, back to the Policy Committee. Multiple Board members said they seek more clarity and specificity with updates of Policy 104.5 and the related wording.

Policy 100, which addresses rule violations, was approved. The policy changes address that the rules (and penalties) differ slightly among Rossmoor’s various amenities and facilities.

Fee waiver request

Also on Thursday, the Board referred back to the Policy Committee a request by Rossmoor Advocates for Diversity (RAD) for RWC to waive fees connected to a first-time event, Diversity Vision Conference 2026, designed to highlight Rossmoor’s appeal to residents who value and celebrate the community’s diversity. RAD’s waiver would be for costs associated with room reservations, technical support, video services, AV equipment, room setup and cleaning tied to that one-day conference on May 26, not to exceed $750.

While such fee waivers have been done for club events that also involved a Rossmoor department, several Board members asked whether granting such a waiver for an event in which RWC isn’t involved would set a dangerous precedent.

“We start doing this for one club, every club will be coming to us about waiving their fee,” Board member Carol Lehr said.

KPI Task Force

A new task force whose job is to create the means to measure the effectiveness and impact of RWC’s community services, programs and amenities was formally approved by the Board on Thursday.

The Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Task Force will meet once a month for six months unless its work is extended beyond April. Its first meeting is set for Nov. 4. Board member Susan Hildreth will serve as the chair.

Republican Club appeal

During the Members’ Forum portion of the Oct. 30 Board meeting, three leaders of the Republican Club of Rossmoor told the Board that they hope to regain use of the Event Center’s Tahoe Room for the club’s monthly dinners that often feature guest speakers.

Club President Chris Bratton said these meetings have drawn from 175 to 195 attendees recently. Club Program Chair David Minor said 153 guests were at the October event.

“It’s a growing, high-caliber social club,” Bratton said, that has been meeting at the Event Center for 14 years.

The Fireside Room, a more elongated space than the Tahoe Room, is not conducive to video presentations and has audio “dead spots,” Bratton and others said.

Minor suggested the club’s move to a smaller room was “politically motivated discrimination.”

The Board did not respond to the club’s plea, or the allegations, as the matter was not on the Board agenda.