EL RANCHO FLORIDA HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
REGULAR MEETING – February 20, 2013
The El Rancho Florida Homeowners Association held their regular quarterly meeting on February 20, 2013, at 6:00 PM at 280 Sundance Circle, Durango, CO. Present for the meeting were:
Jack Wasserbach – President
Rex Emenegger – Vice President
Pete Diethrich – Treasurer
Teri Roberts – Director
Also present for the meeting was Marsha Moreland – Executive Secretary to the Board. The meeting was called to order at 6:10 PM.
PRESIDENT’S REPORT: (Jack)
Overview of 2012: Real estate in the subdivision is selling; there has been a great deal of activity with regard to the water system; the loan for compliance with the state with regard to the water system is being paid back in the full amount borrowed.
HOA BOARD ACTIVITIES (Rex):
Board met 4 times last year: approved 1 barn; notices were sent out regarding noxious weeds; pond improvements were completed.
Potential irrigation water issues: The subdivision may have little or no irrigation water this year, due to priority calls by farmers; Is it worth employing a ditch walker this year? Bill Westendorf – former ditch walker – is not interested in providing the service this year; Adjudicated water is available to everyone in the subdivision, Project water (from the reservoir) is only available to designated lots; the ditch walker is the ONLY individual authorized to operate the head gates; stealing Project water is illegal and will result in fines; homeowners along the irrigation ditch are charged fees for water.
The covenants prohibit rental of out buildings on lots in the subdivision; Realtors are failing to inform new buyers of this restriction; Covenants also limit number of livestock on properties; 24 homes currently have livestock (~20%).
(Jack) Six homes are currently on the market for sale, some under priced, some overpriced, relative to the real estate market.
ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION – 2013:
Pond Improvements: The improvements over the last year have been sporadic, based on available monies; Pete and Teri have obtained a bid to install roof structures over the existing picnic tables ($6,900); When the beach was expanded, the ground under the sand was not graded and now rocks are coming to the surface, so the area will need to be graded and re-sanded; Teri proposed installing horse shoe pits and a volleyball court; Kate indicated that the issues related to the roof structures, horse shoe pits and volleyball court were discussed at the 2012 annual meeting, and the majority of the members present were not interested in having these amenities at the pond; proposal to put these issues up to a vote to the homeowners, as well as a survey for interest, also require design specifications for any proposed structures by the pond; attendees showed interest in having trees planted in the pond area; proposal to designate parking area, for safety – only seems to be a problem if there is a party; Plan to continue landscape maintenance around the pond, possibly extending the path all the way around the pond; mosquito control was discussed.
No dumpster clean up is proposed this year.
NOMINATIONS FOR BOARD MEMBERS (Jack):
Jack and Pete’s terms are up; both are willing to continue; nominations proposed by Gary Skiba and Karlene Stange; re-voted in to continue terms.
2013 BUDGET REVIEW (Jack):
HOA fees are ~$120 per year; ~$10 per month; Largest expense is for administration; Last year it was agreed that the annual fee would be reduced to $120 per year, but the bills erroneously indicated the fee was $128; This will be rectified next year.
METRO DISTRICT REPORT:
Water system (Jack): There is a new filtration system and pump house (located outside of the flood plain); The Infiltration gallery is west of the river; pumping rate has been dropping over the past 2 years – to about 41 gallons per minute (gpm); With the current improvements, the current pumping rate is around 100 gpm; equipment in the new pump house continuously monitors water clarity; The amount of chlorine necessary to adhere to state standards has yet to be determined by the state, but it will probably be decreased, relative to amounts used in the past; the need for installing a new infiltration gallery was unexpected, but it has probably improved the subdivision’s water supply; the backup water storage tank is now only used for emergencies; new system allows isolation of various parts of the water system, which is helpful in the event of a leak; the fence and barbed wire, installed around the infiltration gallery, was a requirement of the state; Phase II of the water system improvement project is scheduled to start in 2013, but upgrades will need to be prioritized, due to a limited budget; there is a plan to upgrade and install more fire hydrants, flushing of hydrants will commence this summer; the hydrants were successfully used for a fire on River Front this past summer; the water system typically pumps 35 gpm in the winter and 70 gpm in the summer and a third pump is available if a higher pumping rate is needed;
ROADS (Rex):
Overall are in pretty good shape; the water truck has been repaired, so there will be more road maintenance this year.
(Jack) the Metro District is still applying for grants for the water system, but they are less available than in the past; our average household income disqualify us for many of the grants; may apply for grants for specific sections of the subdivision, so they qualify.
(Jack) No plan to increase fees (for water and roads), but there will be a tax increase, relative to the bond that was used for water system improvements; this increase will appear in homeowners’ mortgage payments, or in a separate bill, if the home is paid off; the average taxes in the subdivision will go up ~$100 per month, or $1,200 per year, based on the value of the home; The advantage to having this loan in the form of a bond is that the payments are tax deductible for home owners.
OPEN FORUM:
Comments regarding barking dogs in the neighborhoods: Barking dogs are not an enforceable issue by the HOA; recommend approaching the dog owner about the problem, or calling Animal Control.