ECHOES

of DEERVALLEY

______

A Publication of DeerValley Property Owners’ Association February, 2006

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

At the first meeting of the newly elected 5-member Board in October, one of the agenda topics was the Board’s goals and aspirations for the Association for the coming year. The Board felt this was important enough to call a special meeting the following week to focus its attention entirely on establishing goals for the year. Below are the formal minutes from that meeting to capture the goals set by the Board. In addition to listing our goals, the Board also assigned a responsible Board member to each area to ensure that these issues receive attention as necessary throughout the year. Attendees: John Beebe, Debbie Guanci, Larry Phelps, Jon Robison (via phone) & Paul Romere

In accordance with the Bylaws of the Association, a Special Board of Directors meeting was held (October 17) to plan and set goals for the new Board year.

Below are the goals and objectives for this Board for the coming year:

  1. The Bylaws of the Association need to be aligned with the State of Colorado Statutes for Property Owners’ Associations as they relate to Annual Meetings and voting of the membership. The Board felt that the procedures followed for the 2005 Annual Meeting and vote of the members should be reflected in Association Bylaws. This will require Bylaws Amendments. It was also discussed that the voting method for changing the Bylaws should be reviewed. Jon Robison agreed to head this project and bring proposed changes to a vote at the 2006 Annual Meeting.
  1. It was agreed that we would closely monitor winter weather conditions this winter and consider the impact on our roads to ensure that they do not get into the bad conditions that we experienced last winter – Board to monitor.
  1. It was agreed that while some of our Covenants probably need to be reviewed, the Board did not wish to propose formal amendments at the 2006 Annual Meeting. The Board will begin a list of topics that need to be addressed when future amendments are proposed - Romere to maintain the list.
  1. The Board considered whether to seek to revitalize the Gate Committee. It was decided that until we are willing to allocate funding, it was not necessary to appoint a Committee. The following issues were identified as needing attention in the coming year:
  1. Possible move of newspaper boxes near the dumpster – Guanci to pursue.
  2. Resolution of the tree that died after last winter with the nursery – Phelps to pursue.
  3. Possible landscaping with donated funds and in consideration of the new fence on Lot 15 – Romere to pursue.
  4. Possible establishment of formal message board within the dumpster surround to enhance communications with, and among, Owners – Romere to pursue.
  5. Bridge inspection and possible signage on weight limits and driving lanes-Guanci to pursue.
  1. The Board expressed concern about the perimeter fencing that is not located on the property boundaries. It was noted that these boundary errors occur with both the National Forest and private land adjacent to DeerValley. Over the coming year, the Board will devise a plan to correct these errors and present it to the owners at the next Annual Meeting – Beebe and Phelps to pursue.
  1. The Board expressed concerns over the need for additional cleanup and maintenance of the Association road right-of-way. Areas of concern included additional trees needing to be cut that are too close to the roads, brush that needs to removed or thinned, tree stumps and deadfall timber in the right-of-way, vegetation in the roadway and weed control in the right-of-way. It was decided that these items will be addressed as part of the annual spring work days – Phelps to integrate with work days.
  1. The Board agreed that a majority of the Board members would be in agreement with any Covenant enforcement actions taken by the Board - Beebe responsible.
  1. The Board agreed to work with the Architectural Committee to ensure that future culvert installations along the roads will be in compliance with La PlataCounty setback specifications – Beebe responsible. (This item came up because several of our driveway culverts are too close to the roads and not deep enough, causing problems for road maintenance and snow plowing. We intend to ensure future installations are more appropriate.)

WELCOME

We wish to welcome our new property owners who have joined us since the last newsletter was published.

HOMES

Teresa Arney and Andrew Aragon- the Anderson home on Lot 6

Lauren Wolfe- the Graham home on Lot 18

Thomas Ondrako and Carissa Gilson- the Webb home on Lot 27

PROPERTY

Scott and Andie Davidson- Lot 15

Edward and Susan Lovejoy- Lot 58

We also welcome those who have been building and have finally moved in:

Howard and Tommie Simmons- Lot 85

Bob Pope and Alice Robinson- Lot 3

FIRE PROTECTION GETS A BOOST

During the annual meeting we discussed the Rumore’s (lot 86) offer to give the Association some large tanks for water storage and fire protection. With the help of Mark Hawkinson (lot 79) and air quality testing equipment he had available from BP, we confirmed that the tanks were environmentally suitable for safe water storage. After further investigation, the Board voted to allocate up to $2,000 from the Reserve Fund to bury two 10,000 gallon water tanks on Association property. Thanks to further assistance from BP, contact was made with Flint Energy Construction Company and with the help of John Beebe and Larry Phelps arrangements were made to move the tanks. Karola Hanks, District Fire Marshal, came to DeerValley to help assess the most strategic locations for the tanks. It was determined that one tank should be located on the west side of the road just inside the entrance gate so it could be filled from the creek and the other should be placed along the east side of the road along lot 39 (Anson Jones) near the old cabin. In addition to being central in the Development, this location is in a meadow and so should be somewhat protected in the event of a wild fire. With the help of Larry Phelps and his backhoe, the tanks were moved in mid December and will remain in place until they can be retrofitted for water drafting by fire tanker trucks and buried. We recognize that they are somewhat unsightly, but we will all enjoy the peace of mind they will provide us when sitting full of water! Thanks to the Rumores and all who have helped thus far with this important project – more volunteer opportunities to follow!

FIRE DANGER ON THE RISE

With lower than normal snow accumulation thus far this winter and predictions of continued below normal moisture in the months ahead, we are already beginning to have concerns about wildfire danger in Deer Valley this summer. Some Owners have asked if there is anything the Association can do to encourage Owners who have not completed fire mitigation on their properties to get it done. The Association has no authority to enforce tree thinning and ground fuel abatement on individual properties. However, spring community workdays will focus on cleaning up road right-of-ways owned by all the Owners. If you have not done any fire mitigation on your property, please feel free to contact a Board member for ideas on how to get started. We are all in this together!

When a wildfire is imminent, it is too late to prepare!

PREPARED FOR WINTER

This year the Association has contracted with Alpine Construction for snow removal in DeerValley. If you wish to make individual arrangements for snow plowing on your property, you can call Gabe Candelaria at 970-759-1642. If you have any issues with the snow removal on DeerValley roads, please do not approach Gabe directly. Instead, please contact a member of the Board immediately. Please be sure the culverts on your property are well marked so as to avoid damage from the snow plow. As we learned last year, damaged culverts lead to flooding on the roads and increased potholes. Now that we are prepared for winter, all we need is the snow! It is way behind schedule this year.

DEERVALLEY FAMILY LOSSES

We are sad to report the death of Scott Mullen, youngest son of Hal and Wanda Mullen (Lot 84), in an accident in October in the Philippines where he was serving in the military. Neighbors and friends in DeerValley are accumulating funds to plant a tree in the spring at the Mullen home in his memory. If you wish to contribute to this memorial, please contact Terry Beebe (884-9192) or Cathy Duggan (884-5129).

We also learned that Ellie Anderson passed away in early November. As you may recall, she and Bob retired here in late 2004 and she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer shortly thereafter. She went through surgery and chemotherapy treatments, and they relocated to the Denver area last summer to be closer to medical care. If you would like to send Bob a card, his address is 1631 Emerson, Apt. #119, Denver, CO80218.

NEW ENTRANCE CODES

Owners are reminded that the code for the entrance gate has been changed from #4242 to #5002. Locks on the forest gates disappeared and were replaced with combination locks with only three digits. The code for these locks is 502.

LAPLATACOUNTY WEED CONTROL

A recent article in the Durango Herald addressed the growing need for weed control in LaPlataCounty. Due to the increase in noxious weeds, the County has discussed hiring an enforcement officer to monitor non-compliant properties. This would give us a new resource for education in methods of weed control. Property owners are urged to inspect their lots in the spring and summer and rid them of noxious weeds.Information is available from La Plata County at 970-247-2308 or on line at

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD DOGS

DeerValley has a wonderful road system and when the weather warms up in the spring many of our residents will return to their daily walks. It is a great way to exercise and visit with neighbors. We just want to remind residents with dogs to keep them leashed or under voice control when outdoors. Not all people are comfortable around large animals and it can be quite intimidating to have them run toward you while you are walking when no dog owner is in sight.

NATIONAL FOREST ACCESS

The National Forest Service reminds us that the forest is closed to motorized vehicles from December 1 until June 1 each year. Even though the weather is beautiful and the roads are not snow covered, this policy is still in effect.

MINUTES OF BOARD MEETINGS

We have instituted a policy of emailing the minutes of monthly meetings of the Deer Valley Board of Directors to all those lot ownerswho have provided us with their email addresses. If you are not receiving the minutes and would like to, please contact Sue Ann Gaherty, Secretary, at or 970-884-2054 and we will update our list. This newsletter is also emailed whenever possible. The more email addresses we have, the more we can save on postage!