& Landowners Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 237 - Idaho Springs, CO 80452
www.boonieliving.com/GCCHLA/
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GCCHLA Board Meeting
November 13, 2001
The regular GCCHLA Board meeting was held November 13 at 7 p.m. at the home of Marci Bowman and Bill Sanders. The following GCCHLA members were present:
| Marci Bowman & Bill Sanders Dave Gallaher Chris Johnson Craig Wandrey Garry & Gail Sams Bob & Carol Doane Wayne & Judy Hays |
Jeff Beckel John Hicks Heidi Nanto Ryan & Karen McHale Brian Oppenheimer & Lisa Martin Larry Kramer |
Business Meeting
The Board Meeting was called to order by GCCHLA President Dave Gallaher.Minutes were presented from the September 15, 2001 Annual Meeting. They were approved as published.
Treasurer, Yvonne Kramer, was not able to attend. Dave gave the treasurer's report:
GCCHLA checking/savings: $1186.27 / $10,161.54
Fire Dept.: $8768.68
Major upcoming expenses consisted of road grading.
Old Business
York Gulch Fire Department
Dave gave the Fire Department Report. He reminded everyone that we desperately need volunteer fire persons. He said Fire chief Kathleen Krebs-Gaubatz stated that at this time we need volunteer help more than money.Dave reminded everyone the Fire Department needs a simple floor plan from every homeowner to have on file at the firehouse. Especially important is the location of the batteries. In addition, show information about any external on/off switch you may have. Fire suppression is based on battery location. We want to have 100% compliance so your cooperation is appreciated. Send the plans to:
York Gulch Fire Department
PO Box 844
Idaho Springs CO 80452
Web Site Update
Bill Sanders gave the report on the Association Web Site. He reminded everyone about the Community Bulletin Board, and outlined some future updates and changes. Marci Bowman reminded everyone to include their email address on the sign-in sheet if they want to receive notices. If you have signed up, and have not received notices, check with Marci to be sure she has your correct email address.County Takeover of Association Roads
Dave reported that the county's bid to take over USFS roads is stalled due to Tim Allen's promotion. We still don't know anything about the driveway permits. We are still concerned about the status of our driveway permits if the county takes over the roads. Dave explained if the roads are controlled by the county, homeowners whose driveways cross USFS land may have to pay their own permit fees.Central City Update
Dave reported the Central City Southern Access Road appears to have been abandoned. Central has no money, and various legal problems have stalled the road, and costs too much money. Dave reported that they appear to be looking for alternative routes. There was a brief discussion about what that affect this would have on their use of Eureka Street/Bald Mountain Cemetery Road/York Gulch Road.The Matavi recall dispute is in the Gilpin County DA's office at least until the November election.
Growth in York Gulch (Which issues/problems will come up?)
Dave pointed out that even with the recent rapid growth, we are only at about 40% of total capacity figuring one house per claim. There was a brief discussion about what, if anything, we could do about future growth in the area.Growth related problems and issues discussed included increased road traffic resulting in need to increase road maintenance, noise pollution, building of houses too close together, and the possibility of organized housing development in the area.
Claim Access
Dave reported that currently Forest Service easements are taking about 2 years. The small tract purchases have been delayed until next year due to Sue Greenlee's transfer to the Boulder office. Future purchases will probably take another two years to start again, since Sue's job is not being filled, and she will have to work on the project from Boulder.There was a brief discussion about the county's role in determining access. The current County Attorney seems much less interested in the historic road perspective than the former Attorney. We don't yet know how this will affect future road disputes.
It was generally felt that the Association's efforts to determine as many legal road accesses as possible would be the best solution. Dave said that his talks with the county gave him the impression that they would like to work with GCCHLA on this. If the Association can act as a mediator in future disputes, we may be able to help resolve some of the problems.
Road Committee Report
Road Committee Chair Larry Kramer reported that Tim Vogel is the new site development manager, replacing Tim Allen who has been promoted to head of Roads and Bridges. Larry said Vogel has worked as Tim Allen's assistant, and is very knowledgeable.Special Use District - Larry said that if the county takes over some of the Forest Service roads, they may try to grade their portion of York Gulch Roads more than once a year. Our biggest road problem now is budgetary. Too few home and land owners pay the optional $100 a year road fees. The Association cannot afford to adequately maintain the roads without co-operation from more of the property owners. The increased construction has exacerbated the situation. Larry suggested a possible solution might be to work with the county.
[SECRETARY'S NOTE: Since our property deeds do not include mention of any association or road fees, GCCHLA cannot legally assess fees against property owners. Payment is voluntary, and has not been adequate to grade the roads more than once a year, or to greatly expand the number of roads than we currently maintain.]
Larry said one option would be to set up a Special Use District for road maintenance. The procedure would be to tax each parcel based on assessed value. The district is known as a PID. The procedures are as follows:
- File a petition signed by 30% of those who would live in the proposed district.
- Signors would need to be registered to vote, and reside in the proposed district or have a spouse who does.
- The district would need very specific boundaries.
- The proposed district would need to include 100 eligible electors or 1 person per five acres.
- An election is then held to entertain establishment of a special taxation district.
A motion was made, seconded and passed to set up an exploratory committee. The committee consists of Larry Kramer, Dave Gallaher and Craig Wandry.
Guard Rail - Larry and Dave reported that a number of years ago there was a guard rail on the curve between Saddle Drive and Chinook Road. The rail was paid for by the association, but no one can find the documentation. (Needless to say, the county can't find theirs.) The guard rail has been nearly destroyed by the county snow plow efforts over the years. Kathleen has expressed concern about the safety of this stretch of road and the expense for the fire department in removing cars that slide off the road. Several cars have gone over the edge at that point, and the curve is particularly dangerous in winter.
Larry is going to discuss our concerns with Tim Allen.
Sand Barrels - The sand barrels at the base of York Gulch are nearly rusted out, and no longer contain usable sand. Larry reported that Tim Allen said if the Association provided the barrels, the county might provide the sand. Larry said he can get large, free plastic barrels, and Ryan McHale said he has access to large, free stainless steel barrels. Anyone wanting a sand barrel on a portion of their road should contact Larry or Ryan, place the barrel securely near the side of the road, and then notify Larry to notify the county as to the location.
New Business
Election of 2001 - 2002 Officers
An election of Officers was held. The new officers are:President - Dave Gallaher
Vice President - Brian Oppenheimer
Secretary - Marci Bowman
Treasurer - Yvonne Kramer
Land in Hamlin Gulch
It has been reported that Real Estate agents have been contacting owners of claims located in the Hamlin Gulch area. This area has been largely undeveloped. The agents have been saying they have a potential buyer, but will not disclose who (or what) the buyer is. There is concern that the buyer may be Central City interests trying to buy access for a northern road or pipeline, or a developer trying to acquire land to build a large housing development in the area.We are watching the situation, as is the Lower Fall River Association.
Removal of Qwest Phone Box from York Gulch Rd
Dave reported on the phone box located in the roadbed on lower York Gulch Road. Dave has tried to discuss the issue with QWEST, but they have done nothing. Presently the newly placed phone box is located in the roadbed, leaving less than the standard road width at that point.Bears in Area
Chris Johnson reported a bear tried to break into his shed a few nights ago. The bears are not yet hibernating folks!Beetle Trees
Bill Sanders reported he had met with a representative of the Forest Service. He said they requested we co-ordinate any removal of beetle trees on Forest Service property with them first.New Members
New members Heidi Nanto and Lisa Martin were introduced.Next Meeting
The next regular meeting will be held Tues., Jan 15, 2002, 7 p.m. at the Firehouse.
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