September 2004 Pinery HOA Newsletter

PHA General Meeting
September 15, 2004
Pinery Fire Station
Meeting Room

At 6:45 p.m. your Association is offering a Newcomers’ Meeting to be held prior to the General Meeting. Anyone who has moved into the Pinery in the last 18 months is invited to attend this brief orientation to the Pinery Community. Of course, this is always open to all longer term residents who want a refresher on the programs and amenities we have in our community.

At 7:30 p.m. following this brief meeting, the main agenda of the General Meeting will begin including information about Bingham Lake, General Reports, update on By-laws and Articles of Incorporation, update on the Pinery Area, and suggestions for tree care.

On Saturday August 14, as the sun peeked over the hills and skimmed across Bingham Lake, Pam Hildebrand led a group of Pinery Homeowners’ Association board members and volunteers in preparations for our biggest social event of the year, the Pinery Picnic.

The Kids’ Fishing Derby was already underway at Bingham Lake under the leadership of Doug Stephenson, Doug Ravnholdt and Marc Hardesty. There was plenty of excitement when T.J. Knapp caught a 27” 10 lb carp (the biggest fish) and Mackenzi Brown caught a 13” perch (the biggest game fish). (See page 13 for more pictures.)

Activities Galore.
The glorious summer day provided the perfect setting to enjoy a host of events sponsored by local individuals and businesses. Our Sponsors and the PHA offered many opportunities for fun and entertainment. Picnicker’s enjoyed Pony Rides, Adult Trikes, the Undersea Bounce, Midway Games, Carriage Rides, and Face Painting. Kids lined up to get into the Under the Sea Bounce. The pony rides were the usual big hit and a superb white carriage carried people off to the lake. The creativity of the face painter was evident on the faces of kids running all around Lakeshore Park. The Parker Fire district was a big hit as they showed off one of their gleaming fire trucks. Even with all of the day’s events in progress, people found their way to the Bonfils booth and signed up to give blood on the 27th of August.

Special Awards Given.
Special awards for Volunteer of the Year” were given to Doug Ravenholdt & Doug Stephenson for their years of service and dedication to Bingham Lake and the PHA.
Also, the new picnic shelter recently completed in Lakeshore Park was dedicated. Past PHA President, Sonia Eyre, who championed this shelter was honored with a plaque dedicating the shelter to her tireless volunteer efforts for the community.

Much Gratitude.
As the DJ played music, Pinery residents enjoyed great food, a warm summer day, plenty of entertaining events, and the friendly companionship of neighbors. It was a fine event and congratulations go out to all of the organizers and participants for making this year’s Pinery Picnic a truly memorable day.

Sponsors.
We thank all of the Sponsors, without their support many of these events would not have been possible.

Volunteers.
A special thank you goes out to all those who volunteered their help and made this Picnic the great success it was. Thanks to Mel & Sam Berry, Cheryl, Wendy, Roby and Amy Brost, Megan Duvall, Bernadine Elidge, Garth & Joann Farrend, Dave Fiack, Sheila Gallup, Will Glaser, Craig & Andrea Haynes, Jeremy Hildebrand, Richard Kelly, Rachael Mack, Mariah Mesereau, Amy & Luke Miller, Maria Miller, Will Narracci, Danny & Bobby Nichols, Lauren, Kathryn and Christopher Ottinger, Janice & Colton Raab, Jessica Rast, Michelle Rink, Maddie & Kaylee Stanforth, Lisa Tokuyama, Dennis Volz, Julie Walter, Tori & Heather Zang.

Board Members and Staff.
This event would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Pam Hildebrand who coordinated this event and the other members of the Pinery Community Services Committee, Fred Slick, Ron Henkel, Marc Hardesty, Don Reschke, Jeff Kroll and Arch Bryant, along with the PHA office staff, Jan Narracci, Denise Smith and Jo Ann Glaser.

Don’t try to pass the truck on your bike, blades, or skateboard while it is moving. And always stay in clear view of the driver.
Always wear a safety helmet when riding your bike.
Always stay clear of the trucks and workers.
The yellow flashing light and beeper means that the truck is backing up.
NEVER climb on or even touch a garbage truck.
Always be very careful passing the truck on your bike, blades, or skateboard….it may begin to move or turn unexpectedly:

- Garbage trucks are very big and the workers can’t always see everything near them, so always stay at least 15 feet away.

- When crossing the street, always obey the stoplight
and only walk or ride across when facing the green light.
- Garbage trucks back up a lot, so stay far away when crossing behind one, and NEVER stand behind a garbage truck.
- Always listen for the beeper - it means the truck is going to back up.
- When walking or riding past the truck, make sure the driver sees you.
- Stay far away from the workers, and the back of the truck when it is picking up garbage.

On July 9, 2004, the Pinery had a bit of excitement when a black bear was spotted in the neighborhood. Without harm to residents or the bear, he made his way to the Northeast Elementary / Pinery North Entrance area during the morning. The bear spent the majority of the day in the fork of a large cottonwood tree taking it easy. Numerous residents were able to view and photograph the bear from the sidewalk across Pinery Parkway. Douglas County Sheriff’s department deputies and park rangers along with Colorado Division of Wildlife personnel made sure there was a good margin of safety, both for the bear and its observers. For the safety of the students, Northeast Principal Kathy DeZengremel kept the students indoors during daily recess and had extra staff outside as students boarded buses.
It is our understanding that after darkness led to the dispersal of its audience, the bear made his way down from the tree and, using the Cherry Creek trail connector tunnel under Highway 83 beside the Pinery Country Club made his way to the creek.

Visits such as these remind us not to put trash out overnight and to keep other things that might attract wildlife inside. Each year, many bears that are drawn to and interact with people ultimately must be killed. We are hopeful that any future visits by bears will end as positively as this.

Off-leash area. Douglas County now offers a fenced-in off-leash area at Bayou Gulch Regional Park for your canine companions (see information below).
Follow the rules. Dog park users must adhere to all posted rules and regulations. Pet waste removal bags are provided at each location. Please help keep these areas open by cleaning up after your dog. Remember dogs are allowed off-leash ONLY in the designated areas.
More information.
For more information or questions regarding Douglas County dog parks call 303-660-7495.

Bayou Gulch Regional Park provides 2 + acres of off-leash fun for man’s best friend on the east side of the park. The dog park area is adjacent to 2.5 miles of soft surface trails that require dogs to be on leash as a courtesy to other trail users. Take Hwy 83 south of Parker to Bayou Gulch Road, travel east one mile and turn north on Fox Sparrow Road. The dog park is located on the right (east) side of the park.

Bird Sanctuary Looks Great After Return of Normal Rains
It has been gratifying to see that our careful plant selection years ago is paying off!! Our plants are definitely able to thrive with normal rainfall, and our site has been relatively self-sufficient this summer. Within our chosen boundaries I’m confident we can say we’ve converted this acre from a bunch of noxious weeds to a healthy field! I hope to apply for habitat status before fall, and we will let you know the results! We also have abundant evidence that the bugs are impacting the knapweed population on the fringes of our site. Berries are appearing on many of our plants, and wildflowers are going to seed – hopefully we’ll see more next year!
All of this is thanks to the volunteer efforts of students, scouts, residents, PHA board members, and even people outside our community. All of you deserve a pat on the aback for a major accomplishment! Our site is very close to being what we originally envisioned, and our job now is to fine-tune it, and to nurture what we have in place. If you want to be part of this on-going project, just give me a call!! Deb Deiter 303-840-4360

During the 4th of July LetFreedom Sing celebration at the Equestrian Center, a special award was Presented by State Senator John Evans. PHA Treasurer, Ron Henkel was named 2004 Douglas County Veteran of the Year.

   At the May General meeting, the election for amending the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws was postponed. The proposed documents had not been available for review for the specified time and there was not a sufficient quorum of members.
   Based on discussion and concerns expressed at the meeting, the PHA board plans to obtain further community input prior to putting the documents to a vote. This will be in the form of discussion groups and, ultimately, a community survey.
   We invite you to participate in this critical process. Please contact the PHA office if you are interested and look for announcements in the future regarding times and places.

The Annual Large Item Drop Off, held June 19, 2004, was a success. The event is held for the benefit of the Pinery Homeowners’ Association members and is staffed by volunteers. Once again, we had a great group there from 7 a.m. until 2 p.m. Those volunteering their precious Saturday were: Andrew Samborski, Will Narracci, Mike Pinkerton, Arch Bryant, Joe & Jan Narracci, Ron Henkel, Marc Hardesty, Denise Smith, and Fred Slick. Will Narracci and Andrew Samborski are local youth working as a community service and their assistance was greatly appreciated.
Special thanks also go to our good friends at the Water District who provided the area for this event.

Place: Fire Station
Time: 9:00 A.M.
Date: October 2, 2004
Purpose: To help maintain the beauty of the subdivision

Please come out and assist us with the fall cleanup. Each spring and fall we try to pick up trash along the main corridors – Pinery Parkway and Betts Ranch Road. During the spring, we did not have the opportunity to pick up trash along Betts Ranch due the shortage of volunteers. We hope that many of you will come out and assist us this time.

If you need community service, this is a great opportunity to obtain some hours!

Treatment Plant Upgrade. As noted in previous articles, we still continue to make good progress on the Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade and improvements, in spite of the wet late summer that we are experiencing. The foundations have been poured and we are working on the vertical portions of the facilities, so you should be able to see the new facilities as they are going up.

Water Usage. Because of the wet summer and conservation on the part of our customers, we have done fairly well this year in regard to water usage. While other districts and water providers are still under drought restrictions, we are not. This does not mean that we cannot improve and get better, or that there is not a need to expand the system for future projected needs. It means that we are one of the best water districts along the Front Range in regards to water conservation and usage. We could not do this without your help and understanding. Thank you.

Update on Bingham Lake. As of the writing of this article, discussions are taking place with Douglas County regarding the lease of Bingham Lake. It is in the hands of the “lawyers”, but we hope to have all the issues resolved before the next newsletter. We will keep you informed of any problems or further delays on this issue.

Look for new billing format. You should also start to see a new format for your water and sewer bills. These bills will allow more privacy, the option of inserting additional information/flyers with the bills, and will now be forwarded by the Post Office. These are options that we have not had in the past. So far the feedback has been good and we hope you will find this change favorable.

You are invited. As always, you are cordially invited to attend our monthly meetings, which are currently scheduled for the second Wednesday of each month, at 6 p.m. at the District Offices.

Contact Information. Please feel free to contact our office at 303-841-2797 if you have any questions about District operations and questions about the information presented here.

   One if by land, two if by tree. IPS Beetle, urban fact or urban legend. What is all the buzz about? Are my spruce and/or pine trees in imminent danger of attack? All my neighbors and friends trees look ok, are there things I can do to keep my trees beetle free? Are the chemicals dangerous? How many more years will I need to spray for this particular insect? All good questions.
   The concern is authentic. There have been several valuable trees lost to this pest recently. Unfortunately we can not predict the duration or severity of this problem. Through sufficient watering, well timed spraying and the absence of fresh pruning cuts, the chances of your spruce and pines being attacked by IPS or other bark beetles will be greatly reduced.
   The 11 types of IPS Beetles as a family are similar in appearance and habits. They all complete their life cycles in approximately 25 days depending on species and temperature, usually starting in early spring and ending in late summer. Once the beetles successfully attack trees and construct egg galleries, usually introducing Blue Stain Fungus, the fungus invades the vascular system causing the trees demise.

Arborist Consultants
Angle Tree and Lawn Company
4450 S Windermere St
Englewood, CO 80110
303-761-3052

The 4th Annual Pinery Art Show again demonstrated the creativity and skill of our residents. Attendance was doubled this year and many people commented on what a wonderful community event this is for the Pinery.
We sincerely thank the following volunteers who made the art show possible. Betty Arndt, Barb and Ed Bishop, Wade and Carmen Gardner, Theresa Lugo, Justin Moore, Greg Sweatt, Margot Terry, Cheryl Uhrmacher, the PHA Staff: JoAnn, Jan, Denise, and committee members Jeff Kroll and Marc Hardestry. Thanks also to The Great Frame Up for giving gift certificates to the award winners.

Best Oil Painting
Artist: Theresa Lugo
Title: Filly
Judges Remarks: “This painting has an air of mystery, yet we feel that the subject is looking directly at us”.

Best Acrylic Painting
Artist: Randy Hírata
Title: OPUS 358
Judges Remarks: “This acrylic piece is full of life and action.”

Best Watercolour Painting
Artist: Mark Behrmann
Title: Woman in Striped Cloth
Judges Remarks: “This painting has subtle colors and power of line and movement.”

Best Pastel Drawing
Artist: Kris Iltis
Title: Flowers Marked
Judges Remarks: “It captured the spirit of impressionism and is timeless in it's appeal.”

Best Charcoal/
Pencil Drawing
Artist: Andrew Chiacchieri
Title: The Missing Piece
Judges Remarks: “The exuberance of the hockey player and the diagonal lines used by the artist brings pencil to life.”

Best Pottery
Artist: Joanne LaPorta
Title: Horsehair Raku
Judges Remarks: “The shape is evocative of Greek and Japanese pottery and horsehair adds a contemporary feel to a traditional shape.”

Best Mixed Media
Artist: Justin Moore
Title: Untitled
Judges Remarks: “Fun and funky birdhouse worthy of a birdhouse competition.”

Best Photograph
Artist: Ron Beller
Title: Alpine Delight
“Captured the right moment in the right place.”

Best Young Artist
(12 and Under)
Artist: Caitlin Vassalo
Title: Pottery
Judges Remarks: “Great emerging style with a sophisticated glaze.”

Best Young Adult Artist
(13-18)
Artist: Erinn Malinowski
Title: Midnight Ocean
Judges Remarks: “The artist chose a difficult subject, but managed to capture the mood of the light.”

Best Pinery
Representative Art
Artist: Carmen Gardner
Title: Untitled
Judges Remarks: “Represents the typical sky that we see in the evening, the size captures the grandeur of the sky.”

Best Landscape
Artist: Roxanne Waechter
Title: Nature's Beauty & Power
Judges Remarks: “The startling bright waterfall in an otherwise dark landscape brings power to a small piece.”

Best Sculpture
Artist: Carmen Gardner
Title: Untitled
Judges Remarks: “The artist allowed the natural form of the stone to influence the wave action. Used inherent shape to best advantage.”

If you were not able to attend the show, photos of all of the artwork from the 2004 Pinery Art Show can be viewed at www.pinery.org.

	Homeowner
Published by The Pinery Homeowners’ Association, Inc. Volume 28; Issue 5