March 2004 Newsletter

	Homeowner
Published by The Pinery Homeowners’ Association, Inc.  Volume 28; Issue 2

Common Interests, What A Concept!

     At the January Annual Meeting, a vast majority of the attending community members and many others who had voted prior to the meeting, voted in favor of a new structure to the governing body of this community including a complete revision to the by-laws. This single action, along with the election of members to the new Executive Board serves as a foundation for improvement in our community. At that meeting it was affirmed that we are truly a community with a common interest. That interest serves all of us in many ways; from the property the organization owns, to the continuing improvements of the aesthetics of our community, to the activities provided for all. This community has come together to state that "together we stand for the common interest of our community." 

  Over the next 12 to 18 months you will continue to see changes to the way our community is governed, maintained and run. Those of us who have been elected will need the support of all of you in a variety of ways to make the improvements necessary to bring this great community to the next level. We will be asking many of you for time and expertise, as we go forward with your vision of an improved community. Stay tuned!

   As a common interest community, the Pinery Homeowners’ Association will continue to strive for the common good of the community through activities and a proactive approach to governance. We appreciate your support through the tough transition process. Upcoming Pinery General Meetings will include additional information for the community and we invite all of you to join with us in the improvement process.

Thank you for the support and we are all looking forward to a better community.

Help Protect Our Wildlife!!
Be Alert!!

   There has been a poaching problem in the Pinery recently. Please be aware that hunting in the Pinery and in open spaces adjacent to the Pinery is prohibited!

 It is very difficult to catch poachers without the help of the public.

Who you gonna call?

Operation Game Thief hotline: 1-800-332-4155
Callers can remain anonymous and receive rewards for information.
E-mail: game.thief@state.co.us

Non-emergency number for Douglas county Sheriff’s Office Dispatch: 303-660-7500
(This number can also be called to page a Douglas County Park Ranger.)

Community Concerns

From The Timbers – One community member writes, “ To maintain the beauty and appeal of our neighborhood, we would like to remind homeowners that trash cans and bags with grass clippings should not be set out any earlier… before trash pickup.” and, “We at the Pinery and the Timbers enjoy the serenity of the mountains and the beauty of living in a pine forest. We would appreciate homeowners allowing us to enjoy our neighborhood by controlling their barking dogs.”

From Pinery South – Another community member put his trash out the day of trash pick-up and loose dogs tore his trash apart.

So, the issues are LOOSE AND BARKING DOGS AND TRASH CONSIDERATION!

Dogs - Remember, there is a county ordinance requiring dogs to be contained or on a leash. This is at the very least, a safety issue. Dogs are unpredictable and can be dangerous. Controlling barking dogs has been a recurring issue and is a matter of consideration for your neighbors.

Trash - Pinery Covenants state that trash must be stored out of view of the street until the day of pick up. Please be mindful and considerate in putting trash out by 7:00 a.m. on service day.

Trash & Recycling News
...from Elizabeth Philpy,
BFI Representative to the Pinery

Service Information
Put your trash and recycle out by 7 a.m. Your trash and recycle should be picked up between 7
a.m. and 5 p.m. on your regular pickup day. Please make sure your cans do not weigh more than 50 pounds and that branches are bundled not to exceed four feet in length. If you have an unusual or large item to be picked up with the trash please call our customer satisfaction line at (303) 287-8043 to schedule the item. Some items may require a small fee.

Safety Tips for Your Trash
Broken glasses, bowls, plates, razor blades, and other small items that are sharp or broken are easy to handle. Simply take some old newspaper and wrap the broken items in it. A little masking tape wrapped around the paper will keep the package secure. Place the wrapped item in your regular trash bag and make sure it doesn’t end up in your newspaper recycling bin!

Needles
Many households have members who are diabetic, have allergies, or use needles for other medical needs. To dispose of needles, start with a thick plastic bottle and make sure it has a lid that screws on. A laundry detergent, bleach, or fabric softener bottle works great. Milk bottles are too thin. Place all needles in the bottle, screw the lid on tightly and place it in with your regular trash. Please, DO NOT RECYCLE this bottle! If you label the bottle “Old Needles” it will help keep your family members from trying to recycle it. We don’t recommend that you use an old coffee can for your needles since the lids don’t screw on. They can pop off easily, spilling the loose needles into the trash.

Broken mirrors, window glass and other large items
Wrap the broken glass in a thick layer of newspaper. Tape it well with masking tape or packaging tape. If it will fit in a trash bag by itself, put it in one. Use a bold marker to write “Broken Glass” on the newspaper so the driver will know to handle it with caution. If a window or mirror still has glass in the frame, run strips of strong tape across the glass. This will help keep the broken glass from falling out.

Please note:
The small BFI recycle calendars are available in the PHA office. Or, you can find the recycle dates on the calendars found in the back of the newsletter.

Pinery/BFI Customers
BFI observes the following holidays:

New Year’s Day
Memorial Day
July 4th
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
Christmas Day

If any of these holidays fall on Thursday or a weekday before Thursday, your pickup for the week in which this occurs will be on Friday. Holidays that fall on Friday, Saturday or Sunday will not affect your pickup day. If you are moving or no longer require service, please notify our office immediately so that we can stop both service and billing promptly. Please call 303-841-8572.

Please note:

The small BFI recycle calendars are available in the PHA office. Or, you can find the recycle dates on the calendars found in the back of the newsletter

Heads Up!

Keep a watch out for people standing near you at retail stores, restaurants, grocery stores, etc., that have a cell phone in hand. With the new camera cell phones, they can take a picture of your credit card, which gives them your name, number and expiration date. Identification theft is one of the fastest growing scams today, and this is just another example of the means that are being used.

NEWS FROM THE WATER BOARD:

    As you come and go you have probably noticed the construction going on at the north entryway. We are completing a new 16-inch water main that connects our water facilities on the west side of Parker Road to the community on the east side. This new water main will replace a main that was first put into service in 1970. We began this project a couple of years ago by boring the new main under Parker Road, this last piece of work will complete the project. We are placing 430 feet of new water main, several valves, and a new fire hydrant. The initial piece of work was to put in a tee and three valves to connect this new main to the existing main. This work occurred at night since Northeast Elementary School and the Pinery Country Club did not have water during this phase of work. We expect to have this project completed in April, and we will be working with the PHA to get the landscaping restored shortly thereafter.

   Please use caution when traveling through our work zones, and feel free to contact our office at (303)-841-2797 if you have any questions about this project.

Robert Chapman
Chairman and Director
Pinery Water and Wastewater

Bird Sanctuary News

Bird Sanctuary Gets Notoriety

Hopefully you noticed the write up in the local paper on February 12! We are very grateful to reporter Susan Gage-Ruby for her excellent article about the bird sanctuary and Ms. Venzara’s kids at Northeast Elementary who have been helping to care for the birds. For those of you who have moved to The Pinery recently, this article may have clarified our mission. In case you missed it, the following describes our history and mission.

I am hoping to make a presentation to our newly created Community Services Committee (CSC) with similar information to reaffirm their support for the project. Please let the CSC know how you feel about our goals; it is your land, and we want to know if our project reflects the current values of the community.

Bird Sanctuary History

The bird sanctuary concept was born in 1998, and became a community volunteer project in June of that year. The idea was to take a piece of land and turn it into an area that would attract birds by virtue of having all of the elements of habitat on it. These elements include food, water, shelter and nesting sites. Since that time, we have planted fruiting bushes, seedlings, ponderosas and mountain ash, wildflowers, and native grasses to compete with unwanted weeds at the site. We’ve also dealt with the weeds using mowing, digging, goats, and currently-weed eating bugs. The idea was not to create a cultivated-looking area, or to plant things that needed a lot of water. It was more to create a healthy field that could survive on its own. With the addition of nesting boxes and bird baths we hope to have completed the habitat to the point that it will be recognized as such by the National Wildlife Federation. We have done this with a handful of volunteers and very little money. Almost everything on the site has been donated. As we’ve progressed with the project we’ve found it serves other purposes as well: volunteer opportunities (including community service requirements for PHS students and Eagle Scout projects); community-building; education (scouts and students have benefited in this regard); and beautification. The latter purpose is probably only obvious to people who have worked the site, which was once occupied only by unattractive, scratchy knapweed. Our group has been willing to be very patient, and to recognize the limits placed on the project by Colorado’s arid climate, and the availability of volunteers.

What’s happening now?

Currently the project is in a phase of establishing itself, and needing maintenance more than anything else. This works because our volunteers have limited amount of time to devote to the project. Any major changes at the site right now would be very difficult, given our personal time constraints.

Thank you so much for your interest. We always like to hear from you.

Deb Dieter
303.840.4360.

Bingham Lake Eagle Returns!

   After being mostly absent last year, a bald eagle is regularly being seen on Bingham Lake this winter. The ducks and geese give him plenty of room as he takes up a position on the ice, typically near the edge so that he can snatch a tasty fish dinner. Keep your eyes peeled as you walk the lake trail; he’s so much bigger than the other birds, he’s hard to miss.

COVENANT CORNER
The Pinery Architectural Control Committee

Home Additions
To ensure home additions are constructed as approved, effective April 1, 2004, a $100 deposit will be required, in addition to plans and other information to be reviewed by the Architectural Committee. The deposit will be held pending completion of construction, at which time a member of the committee will inspect the finished construction. The member will then report at the following committee meeting. If constructed as approved, the deposit will be refunded within two weeks following the meeting.
The deposit will be required of any project where the ‘footprint’ of the home changes and does not include decks, porches or driveway additions.

2004 ACC Election

   The election announced in the January 2004 Pinery Homeowner will be held Tuesday, April 6, 2004 beginning at 6:30 p.m. as part of the monthly Architectural Control Committee meeting held in the lower level of the Pinery Fire Station. You, the community, are encouraged to respond by participating in the election process. The election is being held to fill three expiring terms on the seven-member committee in addition to one term added as part of the revision of By-Laws approved by the community at the January 2004 annual meeting. All property owners in Pinery filings 1-8A, filing 21 and Pinery Estates are eligible to vote (one vote per household). Property owners who are unable to attend the meeting may also vote by mail using the ballot and during Pinery office hours (8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday) in the lower level of the Pinery Fire Station. Please note that submittal of your name and address is critical so that we may verify voter eligibility. This information will be removed prior to ballots being cast. In the event additional candidates are received after press time, their information will be available at the Pinery office and on the website at www.pinery.org .
We wish to sincerely thank Dwight Berry and Dale Sherman, who will be unable to continue to serve at this time, for their contribution to the community through service on the committee. Effective with this election, the terms of three board members expire.

   The following residents have placed their names in consideration as candidates for the four open positions.

Kevin Beck: is very excited about the opportunity to run for a seat on the Pinery Architectural Control Committee. Kevin and his wife have lived in the Pinery since May of 1998. He feels this would be a great opportunity to give something back to the community they are so fond of. Kevin’s education and work experience also align well with the requirements of this position. He graduated from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. His work experience has been focused on the construction industry, where he has worked for a general contractor and he is currently a Director of Design and Construction in the Corporate Real Estate department of Qwest Communications. Kevin is confident that he will add value to Architectural Control Committee and the Pinery and thanks the community for the opportunity.

Doug Hunt: has been involved with the Pinery virtually since its inception. Doug is a builder and engineer and began building houses in the Pinery in 1977. Doug and his wife have lived in the Pinery since 1996. He is interested in maintaining the quality of life and property values in the Pinery and feels that it is time to contribute his expertise and energy in that effort.

Joe Narracci – Incumbent/President: retired three years ago from Littleton Public Schools after having spent 19 years there as an English teacher. He is married with four children, the youngest a Junior at Ponderosa and three grandchildren and has lived in the Pinery 14 years. Aside from his family, his interests include camping, traveling, reading and doing volunteer work. Joe realizes that as wonderful as the Pinery is, there’s always room for improvement. He hopes to continue his contribution to benefit all residents through making our home the best it can be.

John Nevshemal: has a special respect for the Pinery as a place to live. This feeling goes back to the creation of the Pinery. At that time he ran in the road races that were held in the Pinery. In the mid-1980's he left the Denver area, to return at the beginning of 1991 and was privileged to be able to purchase a home in the Pinery. His goal now would be to preserve the quality, as well as maintain the Pinery's uniqueness via covenants and the respect for each homeowner. This is the driving force behind John's interest, which also includes the goal of the Pinery original founders. John is now a Senior Private Consultant with complete control over his schedule, which means being 100% available to address the needs of the ACC. John is a former member of the Pinery ACC as Vice-Chairman and therefore understands the Pinery covenants in detail.

Janice Raab: would like your support for a position on the Pinery Architectural Control Committee. She is a lifelong resident of Colorado and has lived in the Pinery for 15 years. Janice and her husband David are homebuilders. Over the years, they have built several homes in the Pinery and the Timbers. She has a deep appreciation for the beauty of this community and understands how important it is to maintain the unique character of our neighborhood. Janice believes that we need an ACC that is active yet one that takes a reasonable and responsible approach to its duties.

Herb Warp: has been a Pinery resident for just shy of two years and enjoys the numerous benefits of living here. It has taken a lot of careful planning and dedicated perseverance to establish and maintain the aesthetic qualities of this residential community.
It is Herb’s intention to maintain, preserve and enhance the quality of life we share here in the Pinery, something that is becoming quite rare as subdivision after subdivision of cookie cutter houses on postage stamp lots are slapped up sooner than one can take notice of. Herb’s background as a Civil / Environmental/Geological Engineering Consultant should come in handy in lending perspective to future ACC board decisions and he is eager to be of service to the Pinery for what he deems a worthy cause.

The Pinery Architectural Control Committee in 2003

   We are happy to report that your Pinery Architectural Control Committee is alive and well and working to maintain the standard of quality and beauty we all appreciate here in the Pinery.

   The Pinery ACC is comprised of seven members who are elected for alternate two-year terms. Election for three or four committee positions is held each April. The ACC meets the first Tuesday of every month (unless otherwise announced via this newsletter) at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the Pinery Fire Station. The Pinery ACC has covenant enforcement responsibility for Pinery Filings 1 through 8A, Fairway Ridge and Pinery Estates, almost 2000 properties.

   The board serves without compensation, but does employ a part-time administrative assistant. Office hours are Tuesday through Thursday 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

   In an effort to address homeowner issues as expeditiously as possible at meetings, homeowner submittals are reviewed from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. with builder submittals beginning at 7:30 p.m. Submittals received by noon on the Friday before receive priority handling at the meeting.

Following is a summary of 2003 activity by the Architectural Control Committee:

   As we approach the busy, warmer months of 2004, we want to thank Pinery residents for the pride they express in their community through compliance with Covenants intended to maintain the unique qualities that led us all to select the Pinery for our home. Please call the ACC office at 303-841-5305 if you have questions, or feel free to attend any of our open meetings. We welcome your interest.