March 2008

Floyd Hill Area Property Owners’ Association Meeting Minutes

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Time: 7:00 pm

Location: Clear Creek High School

Speaker, Ben Pfohl, Colorado State Forester, gave a media show of some of the beetle kill devastation in Grand County, which is coming our direction. Pine beetles reproduce under the bark of lodgepole and ponderosa pines and have a 1-year life cycle. Trees that were attacked in the Fall will start to brown in the Spring. The disease is noted by boring dust seen on the ground around pines, by brown needles, by pitch tubes (look like collections of popcorn-like sap on the bark) and galleries under the bark. Generally, the beetles attack 6” in diameter trees (or larger) from the ground up. Remedies include spraying (35’-40’ of trunk circumference off the ground by mid-June), thinning trees 7”-10’ apart, removing bark or chipping affected wood, or wrapping affected wood in clear plastic and roasting it in the sun. Planting diversified species of trees in stages to replace dying trees with varying aged and types of trees, less susceptible to an epidemic is also helpful. Clear Creek is providing sites where infected slash can be hauled. For more information contact Tim Vogel at tvogel@co.clear-creek.co.us (303-679-2421). Samples of diseased trees can be sent to the State Foresters office to see if they are due to insects, magnesium chloride, funguses, etc. For more information contact Ben at benpfohl@lamar. colostate.edu (303-279-9757) or the Colorado Extension Service cerc@coop.ext.colostate.edu (970-491-2961).

Based on Mr. Pfohl’s talk, the FHAPOA Pine Beetle Committee recommends the following actions by all Floyd Hill property owners:

- Walk your property the 1^st 2 weeks of May and mark all trees, which are dead or dying (as determined by browned needles, pitch tubes, galleries, or boring dust seen on the ground).

- Cut dead/infected trees down by the end of May and stockpile them by the road for the June 7^th and 8^th FHAPOA Chipper Weekend (see below), or wrap them in clear plastic and place them in the sun for at least 3 sunny days.

- Chip the trees the 1^st weekend of June (see Chipper Program below) or no later than June 30th. Beetle-infested slash will be chipped first.

- Spray select healthy trees you’d like to protect by the 2^nd week of June (see FHAPOA web site Directory for vendors).

Business Meeting:

Call to Order:

President, Jim White, called the FHAPOA Business Meeting to order at approximately 8:00 pm.

Minutes from January 31, 2008 meeting: (as posted at www@FloydHill.org)

Paul Berteau motioned to approve the minutes as reported on the Floyd Hill website. Mike Chevarria seconded this motion. Hill residents in attendance approved the minutes as published.

Treasurer’s Report: (See full report attached by Treasurer, Holly Gangell)

Balance 1/31/08 $7,136.41

Deposits (2008 annual dues) + $3,250.00 (123 paid members to date)

Debits* - $ 787.11

Balance 3/20/08 $9,599.30

*expenses from voice shot, meeting room rental, copy fees, dues & ballot mailing, legal filing

Holly has updated the database of Hyland Hills residents’ addresses from County records. A second mailing will be sent to all Floyd Hill area residents who have not yet paid their dues for 2008.

The Treasurer’s Report was approved as read.

Committee Reports:

Road Committee: No report

Playground Committee: report by Brain Kleinwachter

To date, the Committee has received pledges of $35,000 in donations for the playground from businesses and individuals (including Saddleback) plus promises of time and materials. A grant has been submitted to Greater Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) for up to $70,000. The allocation of GOCO funds will be announced in June. The Committee continues to examine various options for low maintenance, safe, playground equipment and urges residents with ideas and preferences to contact Matt Robie at: ccmrd@wispertel.net, (303-567-4822) or Brian Kleinwachter at: brian@skicountryantiques. com 303-674-4666.

Emergency Notification Committee: report by Jim White

Mike Chevarria practiced the area emergency notification system, Voice Shot, when he left each Floyd Hill resident a telephone message reminding of today’s bimonthly FHAPOA business meeting. If you were not contacted for today’s meeting, contact Linda Berteau at 303-679-3025 to update your phone numbers with the Association, to be used in case of needed evacuation.

Development Committee: report by Mike Chevarria

Mike Chevarria continues to represent Floyd Hill at monthly Sub-regional Master Plan Committee meetings. Five Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) were returned. Three of these consultants will meet with the Committee for a more extensive review in April. The Committee intends to incorporate the needs of residents, developers, Clear Creek County, and other stakeholders into a mutually agreeable plan for the future development of our area. For a more complete report of the RFP finalists, or to give your input on how you would like to see development at the base of Floyd Hill to evolve, contact Mike Chevarria at vicepresident@floydhill.org (303-670-6528).

Water Response Committee: No report

Activities Committee: Report by Linda Berteau and Josh Lewis

The annual Floyd Hill area GARAGE SALE is planned for Saturday, June 21^st from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm. Brian Kleinwachter has volunteered to again host the sale at his highly visable clearing west of the parking area (by the stop sign) on the northwest corner of Hyland Drive and Beaver Brook Drive. As you clean out your attic, garage, and sheds this spring, save used items to sell at the garage sale. There is no charge for setting up a booth. If you don’t want to sit at your own booth all day selling a few items, donate them to the FHAPOA booth. Sales proceeds can be donated to the committee/project of your choice. The FHAPOA will also have information to distribute to neighbors about fire mitigation, pest control, living with wild animals, water resources, development issues, and future FHAPOA goals and objectives. The organizers will advertise the event in community newspapers and with road signage the day of the event. At the end of the day, Brian Kleinwachter has volunteered the use of one of Ski Country Antiques’ trucks to haul unwanted items to the Evergreen Senior Center or Goodwill in Evergreen. To reserve a booth or to volunteer to help with this event, contact Linda Seavey at lseavey@quest.net (303-567-4363).

A CHIPPER WEEKEND is being proposed for the weekend of June 7^th and 8^th. An 84- horsepower diesel chipper will be rented to shred slash for any homeowner in the area. The proposed cost is $20 per FHAPOA member and $40 for non-members. Slash is to be dragged and collected at designated spots along area roads, easily accessible by the chipper on a trailer. Tree trunks up to 12” in diameter can be chipped. The Association has applied for some grant moneys to defray the cost of renting the chipper and gas. We’re expecting a lot of slash from pine beetle kill this spring so we will need plenty of volunteers to help with picking up the slash at each stop. Property owners are expected to help chip the slash they stockpile. Piles of beetle-infested slash will be chipped first. Contact Josh Lewis at lewisj@patenergy. com (303-898-6991) if you want to participate in this helpful program. We hope to designate some public mulch piles that any neighbor can load up and use for fill or for mulching plantings. Josh is also looking for a team of volunteers to help down trees on properties where equipment, expertise, or physical agility is not available. A lot of work is ahead of us to fight the pine beetle and fire danger. Contact Josh now!

Old Business:

Idaho Springs Annexation: Report by Jim White

The annexation of the base of Floyd Hill (Kleinwachter Annexation) to Idaho Springs will be voted on by Idaho Springs Residents on April 8^th. The pros and cons of annexation have been discussed on local Radio programs, presented in The Currant editorials, and voiced at meetings, through brochure mailings, and yard signs in Idaho Springs.

The FHAPOA’s official position of the Idaho Springs annexation is that it is a bad deal for the residents on Floyd Hill, as it splits the community. Annexation by Idaho Springs will preempt any future input by Hill residents into how development at the base of Floyd Hill progresses, since Hill residents are represented by Clear Creek County, not Idaho Springs. Having a voice in the area land and water use and types of development are important to maintaining our property values, rural life style, and ongoing safety.

Talk to your friends in Idaho Springs about your views before the April 8^th election. If you would like to participate in the campaign (attend public meetings, go door-to-door, help with mailings, make phone calls, etc.) contact Jack Russlesi at jrussalisi@msm.com (303-519-8100). If you would like to donate money (for informative brochures, yard signs, newspaper announcements, etc.) send checks to ISCFRG Treasurer Randy McIlvaine at P.O. Box 1233 Idaho Springs, CO 80452. It’s not too late to submit an editorial to The Courant (www.clearcreekcourant.com or P.O. Box 2020 Idaho Springs, CO 80452). You can also share your opinions about responsible development with Mike Cheverria at vicepresident@floydhill.org (303-670-6528).

Brian Kleinwachter announced that the land developers will continue to pursue their development ideas for the bottom of Floyd Hill in other ways if the annexation to Idaho Springs fails.

Diversify Tree Species by Planting Seedlings: Report by Linda Berteau

Fourteen Floyd Hill homeowners have purchased 950 seedling trees from the Golden 4-H! These trees (mostly potted) will help us diversify the species and size of trees on our hillsides and minimize the visual impact of beetle kill on our properties. The trees (Blue Spruce, Douglas Fir, Englemann Spruce, Ponderosa Pine, Aspen) will be delivered with planting instructions on April 19^th. The plants can be kept in their pots in a cool area and watered until the ground thaws enough for planting. We are excited about the amount of interest in this reforestation program, and support for sustaining the natural beauty of the Floyd Hill area for generations to come!

Floyd Hill Litter Clean-up Project: Report by Linda Berteau

Residents are urged to pick-up trash on their property from turned over garbage cans and refuse the winds carried over the winter. In addition, seven households have volunteered to pick up litter on or along side the roads of Floyd Hill in April and May. Each volunteer will pick up litter on or along their assigned road after the snows melt. This can be at any convenient time as you’re out stretching your legs or walking your pets. We currently need more volunteers for Meadowview, Hy Vu, Hyland Drive, and Saddleback Drive. Clear Creek High School Student Council and Honor Society will be contacted to again pick-up litter on Highway Route 40 and Beaver Brook Drive. Contact Linda Berteau at musicats420@ecentral.com (303-679-3025) to express your interest in this project. Help us keep our area as pristine as we found it by keeping your trash secured in sturdy, sealed trash containers.

New Business:

Election of Officers

Twenty-three ballots for FHAPOA officers have been received to date for the 2008 slate of candidates. Ballots will be collected through April 7^th for:

President: Josh Lewis

Vice President: Mike Chevarria (2^nd term)

Treasurer: Holly Gangell

Secretary: Linda Berteau (2^nd term)

If you are interested in receiving a free tree sapling to plant, contact local resident and Realtor, Whitney Thatcher at Whitney.Thatcher@yahoo.com (303-513-9922). 120 trees will be distributed, on a first come, first serve basis!

The Clear Creek Fire Authority will open the new fire station on U.S. 40 in May. A ladder truck will be located at this station. FHAPOA members will be alerted of the proposed open house date.

Siegfreid Manke reported a safety issue across from 453 Ponderosa Drive where County snowplows are clearing only one lane. Pat Aiello (Road Committee) will report this situation to the County and see if there is difficulty with clearing a wider area due to the location of mailboxes. Leon LaClair indicated that the County has been doing a better job of sanding paved roads this winter.