November  2000 Newsletter

PHA  HOMEOWNER

PUBLISHED BY THE PINERY HOMEOWNERS' ASSOCIATION

Community Protection Tackled at
September General Meeting

Parker Fire Protection District Wildfire Mitigation spokesperson, Keith Long, gave an informative presentation on the hazards of wild fires, particularly in the Pinery. He stressed the importance of designing defensible zones around homes and allayed the common misconception that creating such a zone is synonymous with cutting down trees. A brochure: “Fire Watch,” which defines defensible zones, includes an annual checklist for homeowners, and provides other related information on the topic. It is available at the Pinery Homeowners’ Office while the supply lasts.

Keith Long indicated that the Parker Fire Protection District will perform a complimentary triage rating on ten homes in the Parker area, i.e. the fire hazard rating based on factors including terrain slope, roofing material, vegetation type and density, siding material, and home accessibility for the fire fighting equipment.

Further information can be found at: www.parkerfire.org, and www.millersafetycenter.org. 

Neighborhood Watch coordinators, Deputy Kim Stuckenschneider and Deputy Cocha Heyden, of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Department, were on hand to enlighten the gathered residents on the merits of this collaborative effort between homeowners, businesses, and law enforcement. For those wishing to form a Neighborhood Watch group, training will be provided by the coordinators, and will include what to be on the alert for, how to make homes ‘unattractive’ to crime, a copy of the sex offenders list resident in the neighborhood, etc. Group startup packets are available at the PHA Office in the lower level of the Fire Station.

In light of the increasing number of calls to the PHA office reporting vandalism and other mischief in the Pinery, this is a great way for concerned residents to be of service to the community. Call Kim or Cocha at the Sheriff’s Dept. 303-660-7505 for more detailed information on how to begin a NW group for your street, or pick up a packet at the PHA office Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM and 3:00 PM.

Annual call for Community-Minded Volunteers

The Pinery Homeowners Association (PHA) Board of Directors is a seven member volunteer board elected for two-year terms at the January General Meeting, (this year on Wednesday, January 17, 2001). These elected officials are your representatives in the community, please have a say in who is elected and attend the meeting.

This year, incumbents Lillie Ben’s, Don Reschke’s, and Fred Slick's terms are complete. While all three are seeking reelection, you are strongly encouraged to announce your intentions to join this organization and seek one of the open seats. Both Lillie and Fred were appointed to fill vacated seats and were selected for their community spirit and their desire to join the PHA board.

We are at a critical time with growth and change fast approaching the boundaries of our community. A strong representation in Douglas County and the surrounding communities is essential in continuing the lifestyle we came to this location to enjoy. Please get active in our community by at least voting for the representatives of your choice, if not stating that you want to be a part of the process and standing for election.

See you on Wednesday, January 17th.

NOTES FROM THE PHA

Volunteers’ Corner

The Few, The Proud, The Cleanup Crew

Saturday October 7th dawned a dreary cold morning. Most of the community chose to snuggle a little longer with their pillow, but six hardy souls and an enthusiastic group of boy scouts spent the morning cleaning up our community. These neighbors deserve our thanks for their dedication to our community.

The residents that worked on the North Entrance, Pinery Parkway North, Lakeview and Lakeshore Drive were: Don Jacobsen; Johanna Jacobsen; Alice Ramsey; Doug Ravenholdt; Fred Slick and Mary Anne Slick.

Cub Scout Pack 649, Den 6, lead by Den Leader Terry Dougherty and several fathers did a fantastic job at Bingham Lake. These boys are mostly from the Pinery, but several are from surrounding communities. The scouts who did the work were: Mike Brunton; Kyle Dougherty; Alex Gerhard; Connor Hartmen; Nathan Hellman; Chase Kroll; Michael Reese; Tyler Turner and Justin Hoyle. Thank you for your community service.

In addition to the Saturday clean up a Pinery resident, Mary Timpany and her young children, volunteered to spend their evenings during the prior week walking and cleaning up Betts Ranch Road. For this level of community spirit we are very thankful. Please take the initiative like Mary and the others mentioned here, and volunteer for your community; we all will benefit from a more involved community.

Pinery Storage Lot Security – Everyone’s Business

Within the past few months, incidents of vandalism at the RV lot have been reported to the office and were recently communicated to lessees with their lease renewals.

To avoid further incidents, please be sure to lock the gate and reset the combination to 0000s when you enter and leave the lot. This includes keeping the gate locked while you are in the lot! Unauthorized entry may occur while you are working at your space. The gates are designed to allow locking/unlocking from either side.

If someone comes to the lot as you are entering or leaving, don’t just let them in -- ask them to tell you the combination; they’ll be glad you’re helping to keep their property secure!

Changing Seasons

We remind you that it is our policy to not plow the storage lots during the winter. Past experience has proven plowing to be very costly and damages the lot surfaces. In many cases, the piled up snow causes additional access problems for our lessees as well.

If you haven’t checked your property in awhile and have a tarp covering it, please verify the condition of the tarp. Many of the tarps in the lot have become tattered over time due to exposure to the elements and are not providing the intended protection. In some cases they are in such poor condition that they are being blown about the lot as debris.

Thank you for your consideration.

Who You Gonna Call?

While the Homeowners’ Association appreciates being kept informed and up-to-date on the activities within the community, it is equally, if not more, important, that the proper authorities are contacted first.

Please note the following telephone numbers and be sure to call the Sheriff’s Department for violations of the law.

Dog Considerations

Whether you’re home or away, do you take measures to ensure that your dog is entertained and not constantly barking? If not, you may be guilty of a Douglas County ordinance violation. A Class 2 petty offence is committed if:

The dog owner fails to prevent his or her dog, regardless of whether the dog is on or off the owner’s premises, from disturbing the peace of any person by loud, habitual or persistent barking, howling, yelping, or whining.

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (303-660-7529) provides animal control services and enforcement for Douglas County. Please be considerate of your pet and neighbors.

Bird Sanctuary Ready for New Projects

Now that our donated bushes are in the ground and on their way to being established, the sanctuary project can turn to some other agenda items!! If you did not receive a Fall 2000 Newsletter, and you've ever signed up as a volunteer, please call me!! Even if you haven't signed up, the newsletter is an excellent overview of our project .

This fall we will have a workday on Saturday morning, November 4th. Please watch the Pinery Homeowner's Association Community Information signs for details. We need to “put the sanctuary to bed” for the winter. We will have a winter meeting to discuss our project's future, and get the details finalized before the next newsletter. Next spring we will install birdhouses (along with all the usual spring activities). We are very thankful to the Young family on Cheyenne Ct. and to Dennis Gold for offering to make these for us.

And thanks, too, to all the volunteers who have been so helpful and supportive on this project. Remember, if you as a student or scout need community service hours, I always have something you can do at our site. Give me a call!! Deb Dieter, 303-840-4360.

Bingham Lake Trail Project

June 2, 2001 has been declared National Trails Day and The Pinery has a very special project planned to celebrate! As noted in the last issue of this publication, please be sure to set aside this date to help with the new Bingham Lake Trail.

At least 100 volunteers are needed to spread surface material on the new trail that will be built around the lake. Help with tree planting; fence building and signs will also be needed.

Coffee and donuts will be provided at 8:00 AM for all those who volunteer their services, and an appreciation barbeque will be served at 4:00 PM in conjunction with a dedication ceremony.

Please be the first to volunteer! Call the PHA office at 303-841-8572 to sign up today!

Community Pride?

Do you take pride in your community? Doubtless, if this question were put to any Pinery resident, an affirmative response would follow – or would it? Are we really proud of the way the community looks today, with discarded fast food packaging, beverage bottles, smoking paraphernalia, candy wrappers, and who-knows-what else littering the roads and pathways around the Pinery?

Notwithstanding the efforts of the few who volunteered at the recent Fall Cleanup, it is appalling to have our beautiful neighborhood violated by all this trash. Please do your part in making this a community to truly take pride in.

Let’s all “put litter in its place!”

NEWS FROM THE WATER BOARD

As November wanes and the holiday season approaches, I would like to take some time to reflect upon the many activities that the District has been involved with this past year.

Replacement of aging systems and construction of some much needed new ones have been the focus of the last couple of years and, with the assistance of all members of the District and the District Staff, we have weathered these challenges very well. While we do not have control over the development that occurs within the boundaries of the District (a County responsibility) we on the Board have tried to ensure that new growth pays for itself and that our operating revenues are adequate to cover current expenses, as well as the repair and future upkeep of the total system. The District has ample resources to meet current and future needs. We are continuing to work diligently to ensure that these resources are used wisely, and are developed or updated as necessary to ensure that continuous means to meet the present and upcoming needs of all residents in the District. It is a challenge that your current board accepted over four years ago, and I am proud to say that we can now look to a better future than we envisioned in 1996.

In the last newsletter I mentioned that we were the recent recipients of the annual Rocky Mountain Region Plant Performance Award. Well, that is not the only award that the District has received this year. At the Colorado Special District Association 2000 Conference the District was honored as the recipient of the best “Small District Print Media” award for our “Water Line” newsletter as well as other community outreach programs. We are honored that our efforts to keep all members of the District informed and involved through these programs have been recognized for the year 2000, as the best in the State of Colorado. Special thanks to our District Manager, Mr. Charlie Krogh; the Water System Manager, Mr. Paul Makowski; the Wastewater System Manager, Mr. Kevin Clark, and all the members of their staffs who helped make these programs a success. Without their dedication to the District, our jobs as Board members would be much more difficult.

If you or any other member of the District have questions or concerns regarding any water or sanitary sewer issues, please feel free to contact us at (303) 841-2797.

If you would like to meet with us in person, we encourage you to attend the regularly scheduled board meetings held at the District Offices, the second Tuesday of every month, at 7:00 PM. If this is not possible, then please stop by the District Office Monday through Friday, between 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Someone is always available to meet with you and discuss your concerns.

David C. Eyre, Civil Engineer, P.E.
Director

COVENANT CORNER
The Pinery Architectural Control Committee

From the “Architectural Standards”…

Pinery Protective Covenants require that any change to the exterior of your home be submitted for approval to the Architectural Control Committee for approval prior to commencement of work. Covenants direct the ACC to develop standards for reviewing plans submitted by homeowners for approval. A complete copy of these standards is available at the ACC office, please call 303-841-5305, and we’ll be happy to mail you the package.

Following is the second in a series of excerpts from the Pinery Architectural Standards.

Decks

Installation of or modifications (including coverings) to any deck must be approved by the Pinery Architectural Control Committee (PACC) prior to commencement of any construction or modifications. Additionally, a Douglas County Building Permit is required if the deck is greater than 30” in height above grade (measured 5’ away) or if it supports a hot tub or has a solid roof cover. The County requires railings spaced so that a 4” sphere cannot pass through. For ground level decks, stairs with over 4 risers require railings.

Submittal for architectural review should include:

Signatures of affected neighbors to indicate that they are aware of the proposed change or addition, the meeting date, and time the plan will be presented to the ACC.

Happy Thanksgiving
from the Pinery Homeowners’ Association!