September 2005 Pinery HOA Newsletter

You may have noticed work on the north side of Pinery Parkway just east of Northeast Elementary School. A driveway and sidewalk to the school are being constructed. Once completed, the driveway will be used for student drop-off and pickup, leaving the current entrance for bus traffic only. For those students who walk, the sidewalk will provide an off-street route.

Linda Calhoun, Pinery Pointe resident has been instrumental in planning and implementing the sidewalk. The land being used for the driveway and sidewalk is owned by the Pinery Homeowners’ Association, which has granted easements for this construction and use. The Douglas County School District, Douglas County Community Development, Pinery Water and Wastewater District, The Pinery Country Club, the PHA and the Pinery Pointe HOA are working together in this effort. These new elements should improve safety and traffic flow in the area around the school.

Also, thanks to Douglas County Public Works for the significant repaving job on the front section of North Pinery Parkway. Now that all the bumps are gone, it’s a pleasurable, smooth and attractive ride into the Pinery. Keep in mind that this is a residential area, be sure to obey posted speeds. The Pinery front entry island has also been reconstructed and landscaping will begin soon. This was a joint project with Douglas County Public Works and the Pinery HOA.

Place: Fire Station
Date: October 1, 2005
Time: 9 a.m.
Purpose: To help maintain the beauty of our Pinery neighbourhood.

Please come out and assist us with the all cleanup. Each spring and fall we try to pick up trash along the main corridors – Pinery Parkway and Betts Ranch Road. The spring volunteer did a great job but they could use your assistance in the fall.

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

By the time you read this article, our hope is to have had another successful bulb fundraiser. Many thanks to Christel for planning this event during an incredibly busy time for her family. And advanced thanks, to those of you who supported us. Last year this fundraiser provided us with plenty of funds for our operational needs, and we hope to make it a tradition at the Pinery Picnic.

If you’ve not yet seen the beautiful sign that was the outcome of Andrew Bowling’s Eagle Scout project, I invite you to stop by and take a close look. Along with the bushes donated by the Kahn family, it makes for an impressive announcement of our site! Thanks again to these great volunteers!

And thanks, too, to Carol, Megan and Barb, who have kept things happy during the brief, but harsh drought. Sometimes I can’t believe the incredible transformation that has taken place on this land through entirely volunteer efforts.

Everyone is invited to help us short-term or long-term, including students and scouts who need hours for graduation and rank advancement. Right now we have a job available for those kids who need just a few hours to graduate - especially if you’re a football or wrestling type (I admit this involves some gravel hauling…!) Give me a call, and have a great autumn.

You can receive advertising information by calling 303-841-8572 or visiting www.pinery.org

Back Page Information
If you are interested in advertising on the back page of the Pinery Homeowner in 2006, please notify the PHA office, 303-841-8572, by December 5, 2005 (the deadline for the January 2006 issue). The back page can accommodate only half page ads and the cost is: $225 for Pinery residents and $400 for non-residents (10% discount does not apply). No one advertiser may be on the back page two issues in a row, unless there have been no other requests. After the 2006 back page schedule is complete, notification will be given to each advertiser. Any unfilled dates will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

COVENANT CORNER
The Pinery Architectural Control Committee

Senate Bill 100
Update to Pinery Architectural Standards

As you may be aware, Senate Bill 100, covering operation of homeowners’ associations within Colorado, has become law. Immediately upon implementation, several provisions became effective regarding:

Parking of emergency vehicles
Display of the American Flag
Landscaping – Xeriscape and vegetation removal to create a ‘defensible space’ for fire mitigation
Roofing – inflammable materials must be available
Political signage

At the August 9, 2005 meeting, the Architectural Control Committee adopted revisions to the Architectural Standards which further enhance and clarify policies and procedures to ensure the Pinery is in compliance with these portions of the new law. If you would like to receive an updated copy, call us at 303-841-5305 (be sure to leave your name and address if leaving a message) or, see our website: For a copy go to Download Forms.

Castle Rock Utilities
(New Location)
175 Kellogg Rd. (near the intersection of Hwy 85 & Liggett Rd)
9 a.m.—3 p.m.
Open to residents of Douglas County

As we go to press we are still working hard on the Pinery Picnic and look forward to having pictures and articles in the next Pinery Homeowner. An early thank you to our great sponsors and volunteers. A more formal thank you will be placed in the November newsletter.

This definitely has been a non-typical water year. We have had a wet, early spring and the late arrival of the Monsoonal rains, interspaced with the dry and record hot weather in between. After talking to several residents in regarding water usage and as part of a recent long range planning session with our consultants and staff, we have looked at better ways to accommodate all the needs of our customers. There are no easy answers. We have adequate water resources, now and in the future. As changes to the Cherry Creek Basin occur, we need to work with Douglas County and other local governments to ensure that we are not forced into more expensive ways to provide water, such as an advanced water treatment system for potable water. This may be required if the water quality of the Upper Cherry Creek Basin continues to degrade with the current and planned future development. We will keep our customers appraised of these issues.

Regarding wastewater , we have successfully completed the current phase of the plant expansion to meet the more stringent requirements of our discharge permits. The regulatory community is very happy that the contractor, engineer and staff team have completed the project on schedule and on budget. This will allow us to continue to ensure that we are doing our part to protect the water quality of the Cherry Creek Basin. To come into compliance with our future discharge permit requirements, we will be starting the next phase in the spring of 2006. Please stay tuned for more.

As always, you are cordially invited to attend our monthly meetings, which are scheduled for the second Wednesday of each month, at 6 p.m. at the District Offices. Please feel free to contact our office at 303-841-2797 if you have any questions.

David C. Eyre
Civil Engineer, P.E., Director
Pinery Water and Wastewater District

With the exception of Sheriff Acree, the most familiar sheriff's office faces to county residents are probably those of the deputies assigned to the Community Resources and Crime Prevention Unit. The unit consists of a lieutenant who also serves as our Public Information Officer, a sergeant supervisor and two very talented crime prevention specialists. Their goal is to build a partnership between citizens and law enforcement and to make our community safer through education and crime prevention. They do this by trying to reach as many residents and businesses as their busy schedules will allow. Two or the most requested programs are Neighborhood Watch and Child Stranger Awareness.

Neighborhood Watch is a national crime prevention program that unites neighbors and builds partnerships between law enforcement and citizens. It has been effective in helping to keep our crime rate well below the national average. Since 9/11 the unit has increased the number of Neighborhood Watch programs in the county by almost 50 per cent. To learn more about Neighborhood Watch or to get one started, please call The Crime Prevention unit at (303) 660-7544.

Child Stranger Awareness is the second most often requested program offered by the sheriff's office. The program is presented to children of all ages and provides realistic, honest information to kids and their parents. Our Crime Prevention Unit receives calls daily from schools, scout groups, churches, day care facilities and concerned parents requesting information about child safety and stranger danger.

Over 150 residents have responded to Covenant Survey #1, and over 90 have responded to Covenant Survey #2. Each survey asks if the covenants should be revised. Thus far, over 70% respondents to both surveys have said yes. Other topics covered by survey are:

All surveys will remain available for completion on the website as we go through this process. Below is the third of a planned series of surveys for you to use to help The Pinery HOA get as broad a consensus as possible of ideas and opinions to provide a basis for covenant revision.
We are again asking if covenants should be revised. Based on the positive response received, we will continue with the process, but as we do so, we want to again ensure that the position has not changed. The rest of this survey deals with exterior maintenance and number of garage doors.

Future surveys will deal with items such as, exterior materials, landscaping issues such as water features and other items not common when we were initially established in the 70s.

Please take time to complete and return the survey. You may drop off or fax the completed survey from the September Newsletter at the Pinery HOA office in the lower level of the fire station, fax 303-841-5444 or use the on-line form below.

Thank you for taking the time to give us your input. Look for subsequent surveys in future newsletters. Be sure to validate your survey by including your name and address – we cannot include anonymous responses:

Trash & Recycling News

...from Lisa Cox,
BFI Representative to the Pinery

PLEASE bag all trash in a closed container due to weather, insects and animals. By doing this it helps keep the trash securely bagged and you community neat and clean on those windy days.
Please have trash out at the curb by 7 am to guarantee your pickup.
Each resident is allowed up to 10 trashcans or bags of normal house hold waste per week with the addition of 6 bags or bundles of yard waste. If you exceed these limits please call 303-287-8043 for a special pickup.
Please limit the weight of your containers to 50 lbs due to the driver health and safety. If a container weighs more then 50 lbs the driver may leave it.
Yard branches and bushes need to be no more then 4-feet in length by 18-inches in diameter and securely tied. You are allowed up to 6 bags or bundles per week.
All moving boxes need to be broken down and bundled. (no more then 15 a week).
If you have large items that need to be removed such as furniture or a large amount of extra bags please call the office a day in advance for scheduling. Some items may require a small fee.
All unused water-based paint will be accepted if the can is completely dried out. Before putting the containers in the trash you can use clean kitty litter to dry up any unused paint. Once the kitty litter has dried you may discard it as normal trash along with the empty paint can.
Construction material and other bulky debris may be collected weekly in small amounts. All items collected must be contained or bundled. You are allowed one container or bundle of construction material per week.
Broken glass or mirrors need to be wrapped in newspaper and labeled for the drivers’ safety and yours.
ALL hazardous materials are UNACCEPTABLE for pickup. Items such as oil, gas, wet paint, insecticide, fertilizer, vehicle batteries, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, ammunition, fireworks need to be disposed of properly by calling 303-846-6249.
Make sure that all your children’s toys and bikes are not placed near outside trash.

Please report any service issues to our customer service center with 24 hours of your pickup day.
Our Customer care line is 303-287-8043

New Recycle Items Accepted!

The following items are now accepted for recycle: magazines, junk mail, computer printouts, white and colored paper, glossy paper, photocopy and typing paper, brochures and pamphlets, direct mail, posters, envelopes, post-it notes, adding machine tape, coated paper, manila folders, phonebooks, cereal boxes, Place in bin with newspapers.

Call Allied Waste (BFI) Customer Service directly for information regarding special pickups: 303-287-8043

	Homeowner
Published by The Pinery Homeowners’ Association, Inc. Volume 29; Issue 5