November 2002 Pinery HOA Newsletter

Charlie Krogh of the Pinery Water and Waste Water District presented an excellent program to the residents who attended the General Meeting on September 18th. Charlie explained the entire process of what water undergoes before it comes out of the taps in our homes, and what we can do to ensure that those taps continue to flow throughout the current drought.
According to Charlie, this life-sustaining resource will continue to serve this community only through in and conservation.
The audience was also privy to, among other tidbits of interesting information, an in depth explanation of what is happening at Bingham Lake vis-à-vis repairing the leak in the dam, where the Pinery Water District stands in the hierarchy of rights to the Cherry Creek Water supply, and how the subterranean aquifers enhance the water supply.
Thank you so much for enlightening us, Charlie!

What: Annual Pinery Board of Directors election. There are four two-year-term seats to fill this year.

Why: To vote for your favorite candidates and show your interest in your community!

Who: All four Board members whose terms are up are running for re-election, but, if you have ever considered serving , now is the time to step up and challenge them!

Process: By December 12th, 2002, all interested candidates must submit a detailed description of their qualifications and why they should be considered for these valuable positions (200 words or less to ThePineryHOA@comcast.net). These summaries will be published in the January Homeowner Newsletter and on the Pinery website (pinery.org) prior to the election.

What’s new: This year we are going to make it easy for you to vote! You can fax or mail in your ballot from the newsletter. You may also email your vote to the Pinery office at pinery votes@comcast.net. How easy is that?

(All electronic votes will be independently verified for authenticity. You must be 21 years old and a member of the PHA Homeowners’ Association to vote. Votes must include your name, address, and a day and night phone number to be valid, and are limited to one vote per Pinery filings 1 through 8A household).

The Pinery expresses its sincere thanks to Sonia Eyre for making the Pinery Pedal and Picnic (PP&P) a huge success again this year. The neighborhood showed its appreciation to Sonia at the General Meeting held on the evening of September 18 at the Pinery Fire Station. The Pinery Homeowners' Association awarded Sonia and the husband of her choice (David Eyre) a dinner for two at a restaurant of Sonia's choosing.

Sonia worked many months prior to the Pinery's "Bash at Bingham Lake" to coordinate the event, which was held Sat. August 17, 2002 at the neighborhood park on Lakeshore Drive. The PP&P has been the largest and best attended event in the community for well over 10 years and this was the best one yet. Kids enjoyed pony rides and a jump-o-leen, while others rode a horse-drawn carriage around the Lake, bike riders and walkers followed the lake trail, the catered barbeque lunch was delicious, the Tropical Coyotes sang and played, and the weather cooperated beautifully. See the September newsletter or click on www.pinery.org for more info on this year's PP&P.

Sonia has given her time to great causes in our neighborhood with very great effects. A couple of examples: as a former PHA president, she and the boards she worked on negotiated with Great Gulf to change their zoning plans from high-density units to the beautiful development that is the Timbers today. Also, the Reatta development on Betts Ranch Road was originally slated to be a Nike factory but now will compete with Castle Pines as the nicest place to live in Douglas County thanks to Sonia’s efforts.

We owe Sonia our thanks and appreciation. Give her your thanks the next time you see her!

We are once again having problems with dirt bikes and ATVs on our greenbelts. Off-road motorized use of any open space within Douglas County is prohibited. The greenbelts in the Pinery are to be used ‘gently’ for walking and enjoying wildlife if the natural environment is to be maintained. Use of motorbikes and ATVs within these areas destroys vegetation and the enjoyment of others.

Please be considerate and make sure you use these vehicles only in areas designated for such use.

The Pinery Homeowners’ Association apologizes to Ron Henkel (and other Board members) for omitting them from the list in the last issue of the Pinery Homeowner. We would like to thank them for supporting the 2002 Pinery Pedal & Picnic as well as their continued work for our community as exemplary volunteers.

The Pinery Five Year Plan (2003 – 2008)
It could include a Pinery community center adjacent to Bingham Lake!

The near term future of the Pinery could include exciting changes if we want them; it’s time to contribute your opinions and ideas for consideration in the five year plan.

Through the end of the year the PHA board will be collecting ideas from all of the Pinery and all of the surrounding “Pinery neighborhoods” within reach of this newsletter. Please submit your ideas for what you would like to see in this neighborhood:

The PHA board members will present and discuss your suggestions for the five year plan at the January 16th PHA neighborhood meeting.

FYI, the ideas offered so far have included possible improvements to the neighborhood:

Please plan the attend the January General Meeting on January 15th to add your voice and thoughts on these important decisions for the Pinery!

Many thanks to the volunteers who helped with the hastily arranged fall work day!!
Birthday greetings to Brett Barber, and many thanks to Christel for donating bulbs and planting them on this busy weekend for her family. Thanks, too, to Barb Westerdale, who continues to donate seedlings from her yard. She has personally replaced just about every bush we’ve ever lost on the site!!
Other homeowners are welcome to share the wealth in their yards - just give me a call if you have native things coming up in places you don’t need them!!
I’m also thrilled with the new look of our sign! We have Carol and Dave Kahn to thank for such a professional touch on our site - makes us look pretty official!
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday. Just a thought - if you’d like to donate a live Christmas tree we’ll find a spot for it. Let me know.

A long hot summer has given way to autumn. In July a sneaky hailstorm hit parts of the Pinery, leaving roofs damaged, paint pockmarked, and homeowners calling their insurance agents. The fishing contest was held; the Pinery Pedal was a great success, and in spite of many days over 90 degrees and forest fires, the stalwart joggers, runners, walkers, and determined cyclist got their daily exercise. Picnics and cookouts took place - an excellent way to touch base with your neighbors.

Perusing old copies of the Pinery Newsletter from 1978 to the 1980's, I found many things had changed, but essentially stayed the same through the years. R.V. storage was a big topic in 1978-1979. The Newsletter described the size of the lots, the cost, and necessary insurance. The first phase of it was open for business by November, 1979.

Fund-raising for parks in the Pinery took place, and the first park was completed by 1979. Bingham Lake had money set aside for renovation and improvement, some earmarked to repair vandalism.
The HOA had set aside a "Trash Bash" day, when residents would pick up paper, plastic, bottles, etc. on their property, vacant lots, and neighbors' lawns to keep the Pinery beautiful. This became a yearly event.
The first fishing derby I came upon in back issues was scheduled for May 17, 1982. A snowstorm postponed it until June 15th.

In 1982, the neighborhood was overrun with untethered dogs, and grasshoppers were expected to show up in force. The Pinery was also involved in a lawsuit with Mobile Premix Cement Plant to be located south of Stroh Road and west of the Pinery. It took over three years and $10,000 to win the court case.
Kudos to all Pinery officers and volunteers, past and present, for multiple jobs well-done!

Ruth Miller is a Pinery resident writer who graciously contributes regularly to this, and other publications in the area.

ANNUAL MEETING: MONDAY, November 18th, 2002, 7 pm at the Fire Station. Agenda to include: voting on annual budget and election of new board members.

Your vote is important! If you cannot attend, please send in a proxy to ensure we have a quorum.
Denny Pressler resigned from the board on July 17th. His position has not been filled. The term of office for both Kay and Carole will end in November.

Please consider serving as a board member! Contact a current board member if you are interested.

As one can imagine, the lack of precipitation this last summer and early fall have been a constant news item and is a topic of discussion at most gatherings of Colorado Water Professionals. With the assistance of every member of the Water District, we were able to fairly well weather what Mother Nature threw at us and we should be able to do the same next year, provided that we all make reasonable use of the water we have. We were one of very few Water Districts that did not have to impose mandatory water restrictions and we hope to be able to say the same thing this time next year with your help.

This is the time of year to set up your landscaping for the next growing season. Through the use of a top dressing material (like the Bio-solids that you can obtain from the District) your lawn and landscaping will be stronger and healthier for the stresses of a Colorado winter. Try to top dress and water in the material before Thanksgiving and you will see a remarkable difference come spring. Also, do not forget to deep root water your trees and shrubs periodically throughout the winter. The cold, dry winds and large temperature variations that Colorado is known for will severely impact most landscaping, if periodic winter watering or snowfall does not occur. Since most District residents will (or should have) winterized their sprinkler systems by now, use of a hose and fish eye sprinkler (or deep root water device), can be used to accomplish this. Please try to avoid just running a hose without a device on the end, since the ground will probably be very dry, most of the water will just run along the surface and either evaporate or not reach the root zone, where it is needed most. When you are finished, also remember to remove the hose from the hose bib at your house, since leaving the hose connected through a cold winter night might produce freezing of the line and a water leak in your outside water lines. Through these methods, we all should have healthier landscaping come spring.

As always, you are cordially invited to attend any of our monthly meetings. These are held monthly, at the District Offices, the second Tuesday of every month, at 7 o’clock in the evenings. If this is not possible, then please stop by the District Office during the week, Monday through Friday, 8-4 daily, or give us a call at 303-841-2797. Someone is always available to meet with you and discuss your concerns.

In the past few months the Investigations Division of the Douglas County Sheriff s Office has been able to solve multiple cases involving thefts from vehicles, houses and yards. We are holding property that has not been claimed by victims. The thefts have primarily occurred in the southwest comer of the Pinery near Bingham Lake. If you have been a victim of a theft (no matter how slight or insignificant it may seem) please call.

The following items still need to be identified:
a portable/miniature T.V., a folding knife and sheath, a pocket tool, a leatherman type tool, pens , lighters,
sunglasses, bullets , a lawn ornament/figurine, a bottle of wine.

I have information that one homeowner may have had bottles of wine and or beer taken from their kitchen in the middle of the night. If you have noticed alcohol missing from your home, please call me.

Residents near Sunshine Meadow and Shade Tree Lane may have had BB gun damage to their vehicles in July 2002. Please check your vehicles.
Thank you for your help!

The following Architectural Control Committee meetings are rescheduled due to holidays and the General Election:

As any resident who has had to replace their roof is undoubtedly aware, the period beginning with the July 10th hailstorm has been extremely busy for the ACC office. We would like to say thanks to Anne Mallard, Ponderosa student, who volunteered to help in our office recently to get out the huge number of roof replacement approval letters.

“I picked a roof off of the ACC ‘Approved Materials’ list, why should I submit my information?” After the hailstorm, some insurance companies assessed existing roofs at less than actual value (e.g., assumed a 30-year warranted roof where it had been a 40-year roof.) In some cases, the ACC office was able to assist homeowners by providing information from our files documenting the past installation.

A database is now in place for all submittals received by the ACC. In the future, should a similar situation occur, any change submitted will be easily retrieved so that documentation may be provided. As outlined above, this might save you or a purchaser of your home money. Also, we will document color selections so that if repairs are needed, the product can be matched.

The ACC has received very few submittals from roofing contractors. If you think your contractor submitted your roof replacement, you may want to call our office 303-841-5305 or E-mail us at ThePineryACC@comcast.net so that we can verify this to be the case.

In addition to reviewing submittals, the Architectural Control Committee is charged with acting on covenant violations which occur in the Pinery. In a recent issue of the Pinery Homeowner, the ACC ran an updated ‘Policy Statement’ relative to Notices of Covenant Violation. You might wonder how enforcement action for a violation occurs.

Typically, the ACC is contacted by a resident, concerned about unapproved changes or activity (for example RV parking) they have observed. An ACC board member is assigned to review the situation. The board member is not given the name of the complainant and it is ACC policy not to reveal the person who made the inquiry.

The board member reports the results of their inspection at the subsequent meeting of the ACC. If confirmed, a letter is sent to the residence, pointing out that the change or activity is a covenant violation and requesting appropriate correction. In many cases, this results in resolution of the problem.

If the problem persists, the Notice of Violation process is initiated. The board member inspects the property prior to each meeting. After each confirmed inspection, a letter, for a total of three letters, are sent, each of which outlines the violation, invites the resident to discuss the situation at an ACC meeting and outlines the ACC policy relative to violations. In the great majority of cases, the issue is resolved during the course of these letters.

At any time during this process, the resident is welcome to come to a meeting of the Architectural Control Committee to discuss the situation.

The Third Notice letter indicates that the board will vote at the upcoming meeting (day, time and location are given) relative to filing a Notice of Covenant Violation with the Douglas County Clerk and Recorder relative to the issue. The resident is invited to attend the meeting. The board member inspects one final time and makes a recommendation at the meeting. If the board acts to file the notice, the resident receives a letter which includes a copy of the notice and outlines steps needed to resolve the violation so that the ACC is able to file a Notice of Compliance to cancel the previously filed Notice of Violation.
It is always the hope of the ACC that problems can be resolved with minimal action for enforcement.

   Parker, CO (November 1, 2002) – To share in the holiday spirit, the Parker Chamber of Commerce and Colorado Driving Society are proud to present the 2002 Parker Country Carriage Parade, Saturday, November 30, in Parker.
   With dozens of horse-drawn carriages, wagons and stagecoaches coming from throughout Colorado, this year’s parade will kick off the holiday season in style. The Parker Country Carriage Parade will begin at 11:00 a.m. and travel west down Mainstreet.
   Santa Claus will visit with children from noon until 1:30 p.m. in the O’Brien Park Gazebo. Throughout the day, local businesses will provide thousands of unique gift ideas for holiday shoppers.

More information on the Parker Country Carriage Parade is available at the Parker Chamber of Commerce at 20118 E.Mainstreet, or by calling the Chamber office at (303) 841-4268.

If you are not in the Pinery Trash Program, please consider contributing to the health and vitality of the community by supporting the Pinery Homeowners’ Association through direct enrollment. The PHA maintains the RV Lot, Pinery neighborhood parks, greenbelts, and north entry, and promotes community spirit through the Pinery Pedal & Picnic, the Community Garage Sale, the Kids Fishing Derby, Large Item Drop-Off, Community Cleanups, etc., and by putting you in touch with developments that may impact you as residents. Only 1,407 of the more than 2,400 eligible homeowners have already signed on their support through participation in the Pinery/BFI Trash Program.

Answer: Today, about 60% of Pinery households subscribe to the Pinery Homeowners’ Association (PHA) trash program.

The 60% percentage ought to be much higher, don’t you think? I believe that some residents don’t know about the PHA’s trash program or have misunderstandings about it. For example, the PHA’s program uses BFI Waste Services (blue trucks, Thursday pickup), not Waste Management (green trucks on Thursdays). Have a look:

Trash & Recycling Service	Pickup day	PHA Membership included?	Percentage of Pinery households using the program	Current Prices quoted 10/14/02
PHA Trash Program (bulk contract BFI Waste Services)	Thursday (blue BFI trucks)	YES	60%	$ 7.85/mo trash (paid to BFI) 1.50/mo recycling (paid to BFI) 2.50/mo PHA dues 2.15/mo PHA phone support/billing $ 14.00/month or $ 42.00/quarter
Refuse Management, Inc.	Wednesday	NO	40%	$ 20.00 trash and recycling --.-- PHA dues are not included $ 20.00/month or $ 60.00/quarter
Waste Management	Thursday (green WM trucks)	NO		No longer available to new residents, although existing WM customers continue to be serviced. Rates vary by customer.
Other	?	NO		No comment

The PHA Trash program combines low price, dependable and courteous trash and recycling services from BFI, PHA office support and billing, and access to other PHA services such as the RV Storage Lot, Pinery Pedal and Picnic (held in August), and the Large Item Drop-off (held annually in June) in the low quarterly bill. It’s far the most popular way to maintain membership in the PHA.

Aside from the benefits noted above, subscribing to the BFI will help the community by minimizing the number of other large trucks on area street which translates into less noise pollution and limiting the number of days when trash cans line the streets as well.

If you’re a member of the trash program, thank you very much for contributing to the PHA! If you’re not a member, please complete the form on the previous page or call the PHA office at 303-841-8572 for additional information on joining the PHA trash program.

And please call me, Tom Kimball at 303-841-1846, if you have any questions about the information in this article.

A word from Elizabeth Philpy
Our representative from BFI assigned to the Pinery:

It’s hard to believe it is already November but the holidays are coming soon. Please keep in mind that Thanksgiving is on November 28th and your BFI will not be open that day, therefore your trash pickup will be one day delayed and you will have service on Friday. Whenever your pickup day for trash falls on or after the holidays your pickup will be one day behind.

If you don’t already know all your neighbors it’s time to meet them. Let’s say you want to clean out your garage and you know your neighbor needs to cut down a tree. You and your neighbors can get together and split the cost for a large temporary container. It’s a win-win situation. You meet your neighbor and you pay half price for a roll-off.

A roll-off will allow you to throw away larger items that you cannot usually put out with your regular pickup, such as furniture, large branches or construction material.

Please remember that the PHA has changed billing companies. All payments for either the Trash Program or the RV Storage Lot Program should be directed to:

If you have your bank make payments automatically for you, please ensure that they have this information to avoid paying late fee penalties. A number of payments are still being directed to our old billing company, Mile High Billing. Please ensure that your financial institution has the correct information.

Also, please send your payments directly to A&A, rather than dropping them off at the PHA office. Again, this ensures that your payments are received on time with no late fees assessed for the time it takes for the PHA to redirect them.

Perhaps you would like to take advantage of the new service offered by Antonopulos & Associates—just complete the appropriate form included with your next invoice to have your payment automatically deducted from your bank account.

The Pinery Homeowners’ Association is looking for a cartoonist who would be willing to provide gratis cartoons to this Newsletter. These submissions would appeal to the residents who read this publication. They would not necessarily be relevant to the Pinery although that would be a plus. Just some comic relief would be wonderful!

If this describes something you could do, please call the PHA office at 303-841-8572 for additional information.

Pinery Sales Statistics
	Sept. 2002	Sept. 2001	Apr.-Oct. 2002	Apr.-Oct. 2001
#Homes Active	88
#Homes Sold	9	13	68	79
Average Sold Price	$330,338	$313,631	$340,411	$313,530
List to Sold Price	-3.4%	-4.1%	-3.4%	-3.2%
Average Days on Market	89	55	60	56

Timbers Sales Statistics*
	Sept. 2002	Sept. 2001	Apr.-Oct. 2002	Apr.-Oct. 2001
#Homes Active	30
#Homes Sold	2	3	25	21
Average Sold Price	$603,882	$635,000	$631,222	$642,587
List to Sold Price	-4.8%	-5.7%	-5.0%	-2.1%
Average Days on Market	46	773	220	444
*New construction listed is included in numbers, skewing days on market

High Prairie Farms / Misty Pines Sales Statistics
	Sept. 2002	Sept. 2001	Apr.-Oct. 2002	Apr.-Oct. 2001
#Homes Active	11
#Homes Sold	1	0	6	2
Average Sold Price	$579,000	0	$639,133	$667,500
List to Sold Price	-9.4%	0	-7.0%	-4.3%
Average Days on Market	166	0	186	206

City of Parker Sales Statistics
	Sept. 2002	Sept. 2001	Apr.-Oct. 2002	Apr.-Oct. 2001
#Homes Active	785
#Homes Sold	137	113	870	896
Average Sold Price	$275,855	$280,142	$292,468	$276,128
List to Sold Price	-3.5%	-3.8%	-24.8%**	-2.5%
Average Days on Market	75	62	67	48
**This is not a typo. Some sellers just started too high!

Trends: It generally takes longer to sell a house than it used to. There are still more sellers than buyers in the market, and buyers have more choices. The Pinery area continues to attract buyers that want large homes with large lots, trees, and views. Also, price appreciation in the last 6 months has been minimal in most areas. Interest rates continue to hold at historic lows.

Fun Facts: There are 17 homes listed over $1 million with a Parker address. Homes sold in the last 6 months is 2. Months of supply is 51!

Miscellaneous: Remember that in The Pinery it is against our Covenants to put up any kind of “directional sign” on any street pointing to your home (temporary Open House signs and yard signs are O.K. of course).

*Pinery Data includes all neighborhoods in the Pinery, including the South Pinery and Pinery Point, and excludes Pinery Glen. Data provided is from Metrolist Inc., and is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

The Parker Branch of The American Association of University Women is an active group of women and men in the Parker area organized to promote education for women. Anyone who has graduated from an accredited 4-year college or university is eligible for membership. All AAUW meetings are open to the public and guests are cordially invited.

For additional information please call:
Mary Wiedemann 303-841-7836 or Connie Stephenson 303-841-3524

The Castle Rock/Parker chapter of Mothers & More is part of the national nonprofit group for at-home mothers, which advocates wider options for women balancing work and family.
Mothers & More features a variety of activities for you and your family. Our meetings offer child safety tips, women’s health issues, guest speakers, charity events or just someone to talk to. The chapter offers mom’s night out and weekend retreats, couple events, playgroups for the kids, book clubs, dinner club and more.
Meetings are held the second and fourth Thursday of the month in either Castle Rock or Parker. Castle Rock meetings are held at the First United Methodist Church from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. and at Parker they are held at the Stonegate Community Center, 10300 Stonegate Parkway, from 7 p.m.-9 p.m.
For more information on the Castle Rock/Parker Chapter of Mothers & More call 1-800-454-1906 extension 1040.

Playgroup for children under age six. For information call Laura at 303-840-6324 or Patsy at 720-851-6274. If you’d like to be included on our list of neighborhood babysitters, please call.

Month	Date (6:30 p.m.)	Noon Friday Deadline for Submittals
November	Nov. 12	Nov. 8
December	Dec. 10	Dec. 6
January	Jan.14	Jan.14

7:00 am	Pancake Breakfast at the Parker Senior Center, 10675 S. Longs Way
10:00 am – 1:00 pm	Petting Zoo & Pony Rides
11:00 am	Parker Country Carriage Parade on Mainstreet
12:00-1:30 pm	Santa Claus Visits With Children in O’Brien Park Gazebo

	Homeowner
	Published by The Pinery Homeowners’ Association, Inc. Volume 26; Issue 6