May  2000 Newsletter

PHA  HOMEOWNER

PUBLISHED BY THE PINERY HOMEOWNERS' ASSOCIATION

Summer Preview: 10th Annual Pinery Pedal & Picnic
Pinery Park on Saturday, August 12, 2000

This year we’ll continue the best of the past and add one significant new diversion! We plan to have a new bike route or two around Pinery Parkway this year, sports massages, the catered barbeque, flush tank, face painting, the Pinery Beach, the fire trucks, and the drawing, which is sponsored by Pinery businesses.

And now for something completely different! Sharon Anderson has reserved the re-Max balloon for us! Our chances for calm enough weather are best in the early morning, so we’re hoping to be able to give tethered (tied-down) balloon rides from 8—10:00 am. If it’s too windy, rides won’t be allowed, so pray for calm weather. The Re-Max balloonist estimates that we’ll have a little better than 50-50 chance for weather calm enough for rides at that time of day.

We’re also asking for Pinery volunteers to help set up (early morning) and take down (10:00 am). The volunteer team will take orders from the Re-Max balloonist and will likely be asked to help Pinery Pedalers and Picnickers into and out of the balloon’s basket.

We’ll be giving away PP & P T-shirts to volunteers registered for the following positions: Course marshals, Pinery Beach volunteers, Registration volunteers, Picnic lunch volunteers, Clean-up crew, Field set-up and take-down volunteers, Face painters, and Field Events (like the flush tank and the balloon team), and other volunteer positions.

Please call Tom or Barb Kimball at 303-841-1846 to contribute your ideas or to reserve a spot for members of your family on the volunteer list.

Last year over 600 people from all Pinery neighborhoods attended. We hope to see you and your family on August 12th!

VOLUNTEER'S CORNER

Mysteries Along Side the Road

While driving down any road but Motsenbocker, have you ever wondered where the single shoe alongside that road came from?

On Saturday, April 22nd, twenty-two neighbors and friends came together to see if we could solve the mystery of the other shoe. For those of you who were not there, this mystery was subtitled: The Annual Spring Clean Up.

Bingham Lake, Betts Ranch Road, Lakeshore Drive, the Entryway and North Pinery Parkway were the locations this group of hardy souls canvassed in search of the answer to the mystery. In addition to not solving the missing shoe mystery, several others were uncovered, equally puzzling. How may empty chewing tobacco tins will fit into a standard trash bag? Where did the rest of the place setting go that matches this silver spoon? And probably the most puzzling of all was; Where are all of our other friends and neighbors on this glorious Saturday morning?

A special thanks to all of the Pinery and Timbers friends and neighbors who volunteered:

For those of you who would like to help solve the above mysteries and discover others, there are two formal meetings scheduled on the subject. If you are interested in attending either meeting, contact the Pinery Homeowners’ Office:

Clean out those closets bursting with no longer used toys, sporting goods or clothing! Organize all those tools, bikes, and other odd items in the garage, and mark them for sale!

Tackle the basement on a cold, rainy day—rare in Colorado– and see what you can come up with! Turn those unneeded items into cash at the Pinery Garage Sale, Friday and Saturday, June 9th and 10th from 9 am to 3 pm.

If you want to have a sale at your house, please complete the following form and drop it into the box marked “Garage Sale” at the PHA office by Tuesday, May 30th, 3 pm, to ensure that you are included. We will plot your address on a map to be distributed to ‘shoppers’ as they enter the Pinery.

You may want to place a garage sale sign on your property or in some other way identify your sale site. PHA will run classified ads in the Douglas County Press, Denver Post, and Rocky Mountain News. This the sixth year that PHA has sponsored the Community Garage Sale and the number of sales and shoppers increases each year, so be prepared for some serious shoppers!

The fishing season is off to a good start and you can enjoy it too. PHA has current Lake use permits for the year 2000 available at the office, which is open Monday through Friday from 8 am until 3 pm. Permit revenue supplements the cost of stocking the lake, a cost which is shared by the PHA and Pinery Water District.

The PHA also funds recreational use of the lake by providing maintenance of the dock, boat ramp, and picnic and parking areas. Because this is a private lake for use by Pinery Water District members and their guests only, no state fishing license is required. The nominal $10 cost of a Lake Use Permit required for use of the lake is well worth the pleasure it returns to the bearer!

Kids Fishing Derby, Saturday, July 15th, 2-5:30 p.m.

The much anticipated Annual Kids Fishing Derby will be held at Bingham Lake in the Pinery on Saturday, July 15th. Registration will begin at 1:45m near the west end parking lot. Every participant wins a prize! Grand Prizes are awarded for the longest fish caught in each species.

Adult volunteers are needed to assist at the lake during the derby. Please call Doug Stephenson, 303-841-3524, if you can help.

Large Item Drop Off
Saturday, June 17th, 7 am - 2 pm

It’s that time again, for everyone to get rid of all those things around the house that the garbage service will not take. The PHA is once again providing the facilities and place for your Large Item Drop Off.

WHERE: Across Highway 83 from the North Pinery Entry at our RV Storage Lots.

WHAT WILL BE ACCEPTED: Generally most large items will be accepted. All items must be placed into the dumpsters by the person(s) bringing the item to the drop area. Our volunteers will NOT handle loading or unloading. (Insurance prohibits). Nothing may be dumped onto the ground!

WHAT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED: Hazardous waste, paints, oils, etc., contractor cleanup materials, garden clippings or trash.

COST:
Carload -  PHA Members $ 7.00 Non-members $25.00
Small truck or trailer - PHA Members $10.00 Non-members $25.00
Large truck or trailer - PHA Members $15.00 Non-members $30.00

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED! Please call the PHA (303-841-8572)

The Pinery Bird Sanctuary Gets
Big Boost from Donors And Volunteers

April 15-16 was a major weekend for the Bird Sanctuary! Over 25 volunteers planted nearly 80 bushes at our site! Robert Kelley of A Good Roofer donated the bushes. Robert is in the process of building a home in High Prairie Farms. We certainly appreciate this generosity from our future neighbor!

Many other people, both from the Pinery and elsewhere, made this project possible. We would like to thank Doug Dutton from the Pinery Country Club for digging the holes—what a back saver! Also, many thanks to Quality Landscape for donating over two yards of topsoil. Tom Kinsella, a Boy Scout troop 88 parent, delivered the soil in his vintage truck—thank you, Tom! Thanks also to Rent-X for their continued support through rental discounts.

Special recognition goes to the Pinery Water District - Stan and Dan - for turning on the water on such a cold Saturday morning, and to Dave and Sonia Eyre for arranging it! The district also provided a tap to PHA, which made the whole project possible. Thank You!

It was especially gratifying to see such a varied group at our event. We appreciate all of you who braved the snow! Among our volunteers were homeowners, students from Ponderosa High School’s NHS, Core Knowledge and Douglas County High (the latter visiting from the Ukraine!), and Boy Scouts from Troop 88 and Girl Scouts from Troops 486 and 269. I wish we had space here for all of your names!! You deserve special acknowledgement!

We will have more work days this summer, a 2nd Anniversary event in June, and signups for regular maintenance. Keep an eye on the marquees at the entrances to the Pinery for more information. And, again, many thanks to all of you for your hard work and generosity!! Deb Dieter 303-840-4360

... and Bees?

Dennis Henley, a Pinery resident and Keeper of Bees, is of Bees, is offering his services for free removal of Honeybee swarms from your home or place of business.

He can be contacted from dawn to dusk at:
Home: 303-840-0877 Cell: 303-618-8891 E-mail: BeeAKeeper2@aol.com

If you would like to video tape the capture of a Honeybee Swarm, Dennis promises a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Dennis also offers a limited supply of Pure Maryland Honey, Maryland Wildflower Honey, and Tulip Poplar Honey.

Fourth of July Volunteers Needed!

July 4th is just around the corner and once again your community is looking for volunteers to man the Fireworks Patrol.

Fireworks are especially hazardous in communities such as the Pinery where so may of the structures are built of wood and are surrounded by wooded landscaping as well. Lack of rainfall exacerbates fire concerns and calls for increased vigilance.

Please enjoy the holiday responsibly!

Mountain Pine Beetle Alert
from the CSU Cooperative Extension

The Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) is the most important insect pest of Colorado’s pine forests. MPB often kill large numbers of trees annually during outbreaks.

Trees that are not growing vigorously due to old age, crowding, poor growing conditions, drought, fire, or mechanical damage, root disease and other causes are most likely to be attacked.

For short-term control, spray, cover, burn or peel attacked trees to kill the beetles. Preventive insecticide sprays can protect green, untouched trees.

For a long-term remedy, thin susceptible stands with emphasis on leaving well-spaced, healthy trees.

Additional information is available at the PHA office as well as the CSU Extension office

PHA Membership

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. The PHA maintains Pinery neighborhood parks, greenbelts, and the north entry, and promotes community spirit through the Pinery Pedal & Picnic, the Community Garage Sale, the Kids Fishing Derby, Community Cleanups, etc., and by putting you in touch with developments that may impact you as residents. More than 1,230 have already provided support through participation in the Pinery Trash Program. Thanks for your consideration!

The Pinery as a Neighborhood: Where do we fit in?
Thoughts from the Pinery Architectural Control Committee

What are the characteristics of a desirable neighborhood? How does the Pinery measure up? What is your contribution as a homeowner to the general desirability of the Pinery as a place to live and raise your family?

Various neighborhood characteristics may be of importance to you. For instance, most people would want to live in a safe place, free from crime. Others may want neighborhood schools. Still others may want a sense of community and close personal relationships with their neighbors. This article focuses more on the physical characteristics and features of neighborhoods that may be seen as desirable. As you read along, think how the Pinery would be classified for each of the items discussed.

Developments and neighborhoods throughout the south and east metro area were surveyed in developing the data for this article. These developments included Chenango, Chaparral, Piney Creek, Highlands Ranch, The Preserve, Castle Pines, Castle Pines North and Stonegate. Most of these developments have homes that are priced higher than the average home in the Pinery and thus may be deemed by many as “more desirable” neighborhoods. Other communities could have been used, but these seemed to represent a mix in terms of age, urban to semi-rural settings and amenities.

What are some of the physical characteristics that distinguish these developments? We can start with the entrance and major arterial roads. Most often entrances are landscaped and major roads are parkways, with landscaping, oftentimes highlighted with extensive planting of annuals in the spring for summer blooms. The most exclusive developments have gated entries that restrict non-resident entry. The Pinery has some of these features, perhaps not as elaborate as the Preserve or Castle Pines. The more exclusive developments oftentimes do not have sidewalks adjacent to the asphalt roadways… a feature found in the Pinery. Most all of these developments have some type of community pool and tennis facility. Generally, a golf course adjacent to homes is found in the most desirable locations. Parks, lakes and open space are all additional physical characteristics that impact desirability. The Pinery does well in this comparison.

Desirability even within this hierarchy of developments is typically related to lot size and home size. Bigger is usually better. The most desirable developments usually have a marked variation in the architectural style and exterior finish of individual homes with limitations on the use of less expensive and less desirable materials. You usually don’t find metal siding in these communities. The more desirable houses usually have extensive use of brick or stone. Lately, stucco seems to be the material of choice rather than wood. Apparent lot size in the Pinery probably falls in the middle of this group of communities. Apparent is the keyword here. In most cases the road rights-of-way in the Pinery are 60 feet, however the pavement is usually 20-25 feet in width. This gives the appearance that lots in the Pinery are larger than they really are. Front setbacks that are actually 25-30 feet appear to be 45-55 feet, especially when homeowner landscaping is carried to the edge of the pavement. We get a big break here. Our lots look larger, and thus the Pinery has this more desirable characteristic.

Desirable neighborhoods are ones that have noticeable “pride of ownership” - individual homes and landscaping that are well maintained. You don’t find peeling paint, fading or stains on siding, or uncut lawns in the Preserve or Piney Creek. Nor do you find boats, trailers, RVs and non-working or seldom used vehicles parked on the street or on the property in such a manner that they can be seen from the street. While the Pinery does not allow overnight street side parking, we do fall short of some of these other communities in this general area. In addition, you don’t find pets (generally dogs) noticeable to pedestrians in most of these neighborhoods. Dogs are not chained up, nor are they found in fenced front yards and they certainly don’t roam free.

Another characteristic of desirable developments is one that you might not be aware of because it is the absence rather than the presence of a feature. The more desirable developments do not use much fencing. If it is used, it is low and open… two rail split rail, not six-foot cedar stockade and certainly not chain link. It is this “open space impression”, in addition to lot and house size, that give Chaparral, Chenango and the Preserve a different look and ‘feel’ than Highlands Ranch or Stonegate.

How do you think the Pinery measures up? Is it important to be concerned about these matters? If property values and resale are important to you, then these items probably are too. We now have developments that are adjacent to the ‘main’ Pinery that will do well in comparisons on pride of ownership (maintenance of homes, landscaping) and limitations of use (boats, RVs, non-working cars) issues. Prospective buyers may “like the area” but prefer other developments due to perceived deficiencies within the Pinery. On some of the unchangeable physical characteristics (parkways, streets, sidewalks, country club, golf course, parks, open space) the Pinery fares very well. So, it is within our discretion to remedy conditions associated with characteristics that might tend to rank us lower in neighborhood desirability. Start with your own contributions to the community on these individual items. Make your property one that you and your neighbors can be proud of. If your neighbor needs some help on a project, pitch in if you have a skill to contribute. Let’s all make the Pinery a better place to live!

ACC Election Results

The results are in. At the April 4, 2000 meeting of the Architectural Control Committee, Chris Buckman, Kate Dukes and Jeff Meyers (incumbent) were elected to the board to fill two-year terms.

Mark Scheffel and Rick Bramer have stepped down from the board. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each of them for their contributions and hard work during their tenure on the ACC.