Minutes
of the
NEPCO HOA General Membership Meeting
March 10, 2012
The bimonthly NEPCO general membership meeting was held Saturday, 10 March 2012, at the Monument Town Hall from 10:00 am to 11:30 am.
Attendance: The following homeowner association’s representatives from NEPCO members were present:
Arrowwood Improvement Association, LaRoy Tymes
Bent Tree Homeowners Association, John Heiser
Chaparral Hills Residential Area, Sid and Sally Haffley
Donala Club Villa HOA, Rena Rowlands for Joe Gray
Eagle Villas Owners Association, Warren Gerig
Gleneagle Civic Association, Roger Louden
Gleneagle North HOA, Linda Taylor and Bob Swedenburg
Higby Estates HOA, Mike Schroeder
High Meadow at Fox Run HOA, Louise Link
High Pines Owners Association, Joe Berube
Kings Deer Homeowners Association, Allen Alchian and Vern Kuykendall
Paradise Villas HOA, Glenn Scott
Red Oak HOA Management, Janice McLain
Red Rock Ranch HOA, Kelly McGuire
Summer Glen Estates, Ralph Nussbaum
Sun Hills Association, Chris Mendrop
Sun Mesa Townhome Owners Association, Bill Roche, Phil Book and Kay Zaebst
Timberview 1 Property Owners Association, Bob Tilbury
Timberview 2 Property Owners Association, Fred DeGroot and Jim Reynolds
Woodmoor Improvement Assoc, Anne Stevens-Gountanis and Hans Post
NEPCO Rep to the Tri-Lakes Regional Focus Panel, Warren Gerig
Guest HOA: West Oak Ridge HOA, Patrick Daugharty
The following NEPCO member HOAs were absent:
Canterbury Improvement Association, Dave Ellis
Copper Ridge HOA, Anita Brown
Gleneagle Homeowners Association, Gloria Milhoan
Gleneagle 3 Homeowners Association, Connie Hemmer
Heights Property Owners Association, Bill Rauch
Kingswood Property Owners Association, Lewis Farmer
Nichlas HOA, Mike Thompson
Pastimes Owners Association, Gail Drumm
Ridge at Fox Run Homeowners Association, Steve Wilch
Sunrise Townhome Association, Priscilla Eagye
Vista Clara Villas HOA, Ben Borth and Barb Linnenbrink
NEPCO Board members present were Dave Powell (President), Chris Mendrop (Vice President and LUC Chairman), Bob Swedenburg (Secretary), Ralph Nussbaum (Treasurer) and Anne Stevens-Gountanis (Facilitator). Since 20 active HOAs were present and 10 active HOAs were absent, a quorum was present.
Opening: Dave Powell opened the NEPCO meeting at 10:00 am. Dave welcomed all HOA attendees and our guest speaker, Sarah Landry, Community Outreach Coordinator with the Colorado Oil & Gas Association. Dave also welcomed NEPCO’s newest member, the High Pines Owners Association, represented by Joe Berube. Dave then asked all the participants to introduce themselves and state their HOA.
Minutes Approval: Dave then briefly reviewed the minutes from the last general NEPCO meeting of 14 January 2012 and asked for a motion to approve. The motion was made, seconded, and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Treasurer’s Report: Ralph Nussbaum reported that NEPCO has a balance of $2441.80. Dave asked for a motion to approve the Treasurer’s report. The motion was made, seconded, and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Secretary’s Report:
Membership Status: Bob Swedenburg stated that NEPCO currently consists of 30 HOAs which collectively have 6638 homes or lots in northern El Paso County. Also, NEPCO has two business associate members and two Honorary Associate members.
Minutes Secondary Distribution: Bob reminded the attendees that the minutes may be further distributed by NEPCO Reps to individuals and parties as deemed appropriate by the representative. Prior minutes are posted on our website at www.nepco.org.
Minutes Approval: Dave asked for a motion to approve the Secretary’s report. The motion was made, seconded, and the vote of approval was unanimous.
Land Use Committee Report: Chris Mendrop reported the following items.
a. Willow Springs Ranch. El Paso County Parks has been exploring the possibility of conserving a portion or all of Willow Springs Ranch for open space, park and recreation, and community opportunities. The 260 acre ranch is located south of the Town of Monument and west of Interstate 25. The county reports that community interest has been expressed in the site to preserve riparian corridor habitat, provide visual relief for the Interstate 25 corridor, provide connections to the New Santa Fe and Pike National Forest trail systems, serve as an open space buffer for Monument area, protect water resources as the confluence of Monument and Teachout creeks are located on the site, and provide opportunities for community recreation and other public facilities. A community meeting will be conducted on Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at the Monument Town Hall, 645 Beacon Lite Road, Monument. Interested residents are encouraged to attend to provide input. For further information, please contact Tim Wolken, Director, Community Services Department, at or 719-520-6981.
b. Highway 105 Corridor. El Paso County has been soliciting input from citizens as part of the Highway 105 Corridor Study which was started in the summer of 2011. At an open house that took place Feb. 28 at Monument Academy, the county came up with some proposed alternatives to Highway 105 and provided exhibits of the preliminary finding. The county looked at all intersections on Colorado 105 and found that Fairplay Drive and Roller Coaster Road are not problems now but will be by 2040. On a grading system the county has put in place, those two intersections currently have an “A” grading; however, if improvements are not made, they will have an “F” come 2040. The intersections of Furrow Road and Gold Canyon Road and Colorado 105 currently has an “F” as well. An “A” means there is 10- to 20-second average vehicle delay, where an “F” is an 80-second average vehicle delay. At the intersection of Fairplay Road and Colorado 105, the County is proposing either a signalized four-lane or a stop-controlled four-lane. Roller Coaster Road, Furrow Road and Gold Canyon Road intersections could potentially be signalized four-lanes or rural roundabouts. The county does not have the funding to start these projects, but will look into federal funding as well as from the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments. Exhibits from the Feb. 28 open house will be available at the website: 105corridor.com. Citizens can also leave comments. The study is scheduled to be complete this spring.
c. Big R at Chaparral Hills. At their Feb. 28 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) unanimously approved rezoning a 10.23-acre parcel for Big R from a planned development district to a commercial community zone district. The site was initially zoned for a multi-family residential area. The site is located at the northeast section of Struthers Road and Spanish Bit Drive and adjacent to the existing Chaparral Hills Subdivision. The conditions of approval required that the property owners must be responsible for any off-site improvements, such as construction of a northbound right-turn lane and modification of the southbound turn lanes on Struthers Road and Spanish Bit Drive. It is also the responsibility of the owner to pave Spanish Bit Drive from Struthers Road to the entrance of Big R. The next steps for the applicant are to submit an application for a site development plan, and if that’s approved they can apply for building permits. Residents in the Chaparral Hills Subdivision have voiced concerns about the appearance of Big R stores as metal buildings and traffic. They were also concerned about lighting, screening, trash, drainage, water and signage. In response in December of last year, Big R sent a letter to residents stating that in lieu of metal wall panels, the east and west walls would have a stucco finish. The letter also said concrete fencing would be installed on the east side of the property, with wrought-iron fencing on remaining sides; trees would be planted; and lighting would be turned off by 10 p.m.
d. The Big One, although speculative: It was recently publicized that the owners of Bass Pro Shops have signed a letter of intent to build a 117,000-square-foot store in the proposed 200-acre Copper Ridge development near North Gate Boulevard and Interstate 25.
Dave asked for a motion to approve the Land Use Committee report. The motion was made, seconded, and the vote of approval was unanimous.
2012 Program Planning: The current plan for the speaker’s program for NEPCO meetings in 2012 is the following:
· 14 January: Sheriff’s Office on crime prevention
· 10 March: Sarah Landry, Colorado Oil & Gas Association, on drilling myths
· 12 May: Representative Amy Stephens on Colorado state issues
· 14 July: Attorney Lenard Rioth on HOA legal issues
· 8 September: Representative from the Pikes Peak Water Authority on water issues
· 10 November: County Commissioner Darryl Glenn on county issues
Old Business:
Next Meeting: Dave reminded the attendees that our 12 May meeting speaker is scheduled to be Representative Amy Stephens speaking on Colorado state issues affecting homeowners and HOAs. He was concerned that since she is in an election race with another at this time, whether or not it would it be a conflict of interest to invite her and not invite her opponent. Discussion resulted in a consensus that since she is being invited in her current capacity as our representative to speak on state issues there would be no conflict. Dave stated he will invite her.
Meeting Reminders:
· All member HOAs please review your entry on the NEPCO web site for completeness and accuracy. Please notify our webmaster, our secretary, or any Board member of changes needed. The site is www.NEPCO.org.
· Member HOAs are encouraged to invite interested HOA members to NEPCO meetings
· Please share what you learn here with your Board and residents, as appropriate
New Business:
Board Meetings Open: The Board has a standing invitation for any HOA representative or member to attend and observe the NEPCO Board meetings if interested. These are open meetings for any NEPCO constituent HOA member to attend. All Board meetings are held in the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center building just south of the Village Inn restaurant on Hwy 105. The meetings are usually the second Wednesday of alternating months starting at 7:00 pm. The NEPCO Board meeting dates for 2012 are scheduled to be the following:
o 8 February
o 11 April
o 13 June
o 8 August
o 10 October
o 12 December
Program – Moving Beyond Misinformation: Current Oil & Gas Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing Practices:
Chris Mendrop introduced the Colorado Oil & Gas Association (COGA) and our guest speaker, Sarah Landry, Community Outreach Coordinator for COGA. Chris’ introductory remarks follow:
“Founded in 1984, the Colorado Oil & Gas Association’s (COGA) mission is to foster and promote the beneficial, efficient, responsible and environmentally sound development, production and use of Colorado oil and natural gas. COGA is a nationally recognized trade association that aggressively promotes the expansion of Rocky Mountain natural gas markets, supply, and transportation infrastructure through its growing and diverse membership.
COGA is emphasizing:
· A positive, proactive voice for the oil and gas industry in Colorado
· Public outreach to all stakeholders regarding the positive impacts of the industry
· The provision of industry education and networking, while increasing grassroots industry participation in political and regulatory developments and community engagement
Given the high demand for factual information on this timely topic, NEPCO is fortunate to have COGA's representative Sarah Landry as our presenter today.
Sarah Landry serves as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Colorado Oil & Gas Association. This position was created in 2012 to foster open dialogue and positive relationships between Colorado's local communities and the oil and gas industry. Born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she previously handled communications and outreach in Governor Bobby Jindal's Office, including assisting with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response efforts. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
I'll also note that Sarah's associate from COGA and Tri-Lakes resident Julia Melendez is also here and available for questions after the meeting.”
Shown below are some of the points made and items discussed during Sarah Landry’s presentation. The notes below are not a summary of her complete presentation, but rather a few selected points written down by the secretary during her presentation. The complete presentation of Sarah’s power point charts is available on the NEPCO web site at www.nepco.org.
Sarah’s presentation was entitled “Moving Beyond Misinformation: Education and Engagement”. She addressed the following nine items:
· Misinformation: Hydraulic Fracturing is Injecting Fluids into Groundwater
· Misinformation: Hydraulic Fracturing is Not Engineered
· Misinformation: Drilling is getting Riskier
· Misinformation: Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing Uses Too Much Water
· Misinformation: Hydraulic Fracturing Causes Earthquakes
· Misinformation: There is No Data Showing Groundwater is Protected
· Misinformation: Drilling Activity Decreases Property Values and Population
· Misinformation: Drilling Activity Will Happen on Your Front Door Step
· Misinformation: Drilling is Not Regulated
Details on these nine items can be found in her presentation available on the NEPCO web site. Further data can be found at the COGA web site www.coga.org which has numerous fact sheets available for the public, and by googling the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, COGCC, which is the state regulatory agency for oil and gas.
Sarah fielded numerous questions during and after her presentation. Question topics included the composition of chemicals in typical fracturing operations, the amount of water used in hydraulic fracturing (compared to water used to grow turf), and studies on the effects of groundwater. A video on the hydraulic fracturing process was shown.
Dave thanked our guest for her time today with NEPCO and a grateful round of applause came from the attendees.
Closing: Dave thanked the HOA representatives for their attendance and participation. He again thanked Sarah Landry for her time and her highly informative presentation. Dave then called for a motion to adjourn. The motion was made, a second was provided, and a vote to adjourn was received at 11:30 am.
Next NEPCO Meeting: The next NEPCO General Membership meeting will be the 2nd Saturday in May 2012 which is May 12, 2012, from 10:00 am to noon, at the Monument Town Hall on Beacon Lite Road. A meeting announcement will be sent to all HOA Reps by the NEPCO Secretary.
//approved//
Bob Swedenburg Dave Powell
Secretary, NEPCO President, NEPCO