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Paving Washington Gulch
On Tuesday, November 17th, the Gunnison Board of County Commissioners
approved the request by the County Roads and Bridges Department
to use improvement funds to pave Washington Gulch Road from its
intersection with Gothic Road to the north end of our sub-division.
By mid-December, the first improvement was installed in the form
of a guard rail along the reservoir and the steep embankment just
south of the dam. Those of us who were driving
in our recent heavy snowfalls really appreciate this improvement.
An additional 1400 feet of guard rail will be installed further
to the south of the dam during this coming summer. Dirt work will
also occur consisting of making Washington Gulch a standard width
road with 12-foot lanes and 3-foot gravel shoulders. Some
of the blind corners will be improved for better visibility while
retaining the current rural character of the road
Current plans call for the County to hard-surface the road using
"Chip & Seal" technology during the summer of 2005.
Chip & Seal looks like asphalt, has painted center line(s),
and drives a little rougher than asphalt. Chip & Seal
is made of alternating layers of oil spray and _" fractured
rock so they bind tightly together. Chip Seal is less than
_ the cost of asphalt paving.
Meridian Lake Park Entrance Sign
The Board of Managers has approved the installation of a sign at the entrance to Meridian Lake Park. The sign is meant to greet our visitors and to complete the signage of the subdivision. It will be installed early this summer.
Roofing with a Heart
Tired of snow on your roof, decks and walkways? Need a new roof? Leaky skylights, stovepipes? Did you know Meridian Lake Park has a roofing contractor who lives in the subdivision? Fully licensed and insured, Tin-Man Construction, Inc. has been in business since 1995. They will offer a 10% discount to all MLPC homeowners. They can set up a winter contract with you or just call them when you need them. For all your roofing and shovelling needs, call 349-0209 or 209-0109 and ask for Mas or Lara.
2004 Capital Improvement Project
In December, you received a letter describing a proposed Capital
Improvement Project for MLPC. The idea for the project was
prompted by the decision of Gunnison County to hard-surface Washington
Gulch Road and previous interest shown in natural gas by members
of the Association
A "town hall" meeting occurred on December 29th where
the Project Team presented further details of the project and
Association members were able to ask questions and provide feedback
on the project.
The Project Team has been busy during the past month putting the
finishing touches on the project proposal and addressing the concerns
of Association members.
The Project Team has spent extensive time with experts from the
following organizations:
Ö Gunnison County Roads and Bridges Department
Ö Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation
Ö ATMOS Energy
Ö Adelphia
Ö Qwest
They have also received competitive bids for utility work from
Lacy Construction and JCI Construction. Finally, significant
time has been spent with Jim Starr representing the Gunnison County
Commissioners.
Uncoupling the Initiatives
The preliminary project definition called for three initiatives:
1. Natural Gas
2. High Speed Internet
3. Hard-surface subdivision roads
Several Association members suggested that the project be unbundled
and become three separate initiatives.
High Speed Internet
Based on recent announcements regarding the introduction of
DSL (High Speed Internet) by Qwest in Gunnison County, the Project
Team has decided to drop this initiative from the capital project.
The Project Team is negotiating directly with Qwest for the introduction
of DSL to Meridian Lake Park. As background, Qwest has fiber-optic
cable installed up to our tennis courts. They have adopted
new technology that enables them to install DSL services in blocks
of 24 circuits at a time. They have requested and the Project
Team has provided them with the names and phone numbers of 24
residents who may sign-up for an initial implementation this year.
They are now meeting to decide when an installation could
be scheduled.
If you are interested in DSL service, please call a board member
and make you interest known. In the mean time, the Team
has gone back to Adelphia and told them that if they want to provide
TV and Internet services to our community, they need to fund the
infrastructure investment and do the installation this summer.
The actions of your Board have significantly improved the timetable
of when DSL service will arrive at Meridian Lake Park.
The Gas & Road Project
Gunnison County is preparing a formal letter of intent between
the County and MLPC. The County will be committing to a
cost sharing project for the hard surfacing of the roads within
the subdivision. Their share of the cost could approach
$350,000. The County engineers wish to minimize future cuts
to the hard-surfaced roads. The contract that will ultimately
be signed with the County will stipulate that road cut permits
will be required.
With the help of Chuck McGinnis, MLPC received a commitment from
Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation to link the reservoir to
our water treatment facility prior to road construction this summer.
The subdivision has water rights in the reservoir as a result
of the development of Filings 3 & 4. This improvement
will allow MLPC to use those water rights in the case of a drought
emergency. The cost of this improvement is funded by a capital
reserve created from a portion of our regular water bills.
Filings 3 and 4 were engineered with all utilities in the easements
alongside the road. Unfortunately, there are numerous instances
in Filings 1 & 2 where water and sewer lines run under the
road.
The Project Team has worked with Mt. Crested Butte Water and Sanitation
to identify all dirt work required for access to their utilities
via easements along the roads in Filings 1 & 2. The
gas line has been similarly engineered for access to all lots
from the easements in all four Filings. This engineering
work has been submitted to the construction companies for competitive
bids.
This results in a project executed in two phases:
1. Utility work
a. Run a gas line along Washington Gulch Road.
b. Run a gas line throughout the subdivision providing line access
to each lot.
c. Extend certain sewer and water lines within filings 1 and 2
from the road to the easement alongside of the road.
2. Road work
a. Bring the subdivision road base up to the standard required
for hard surfacing.
b. Hard surface the subdivision roads using Chip and Seal technology.
There are synergies and cost savings to doing the utility work
as one project at one time. This fact, coupled with the
results of a survey of our members, supports a one-project approach
to the Capital Project.
Fairness
Our December letter and the "town hall" presentation
discussed investment and savings aspects of the project. The
benefits accruing from these improvements vary greatly based on
personal circumstances such as:
1. Is the lot developed or vacant?
2. If developed, is the owner a year-round or season resident?
3. If developed, is propane already an integral part of the residence?
Officially, the MLPC Board considers this to be a capital improvement
project, not a savings project. The MLPC Board makes no
commitment to member savings. However, the following conclusions
are based on recent history and member feedback:
1. For approximately 100 Association members who own undeveloped
lots, access to natural gas at the time they build on their lots
will provide an alternative energy source with potentially significant
financial benefits based on current rates.
2. For home owners using propane, savings provided by switching
to natural gas would be almost immediate and may justify conversion.
3. For members whose homes are all electric, there may be no benefit
until it comes time to remodel and/or replace their present heating
systems and appliances.
4. For full time residents of MLPC, the benefits of road paving
will be greater than for part time residents, or owners of undeveloped
lots.
5. For all members, area realtors indicate that property values
increase with the addition of paved roads and natural gas - each
item contributing about 50% of the increase.
From a cost perspective, not all Sites or Units are of the same
size. The linear footage (and therefore cost) is greater
in Filing 3 for example, than in Filings 1 & 2. At the
same time, more utility work (and therefore cost) is required
in Filings 1 & 2. These cost drivers to a significant
degree offset each other. However, the most important point
regarding the "fairness" issue is found in the Covenants
of the Association which states "ä assessments shall
be set equally upon all Sites or Units ä"
Project Timing
Ö Phase 1 will be completed during the summer of 2004.
Ö Phase 2a will occur progressively during 2004 and 2005.
Ö Phase 2b will occur in 2006, the timing subject to final
approval by Gunnison County.
Project Cost Estimate: $648,000
Assessment per lot: $3600 due January 2005 or
$90 per quarter for 15 years beginning January 2005 (to be funded
by a bank loan to MLPC)
The Approval Process
The Covenants of the Association requires a "special meeting"
to approve the imposition of a special assessment.
Article 6.6 states:
"The Board of Managers may, from time to time, impose
special assessments for the purpose of substantial repairs, improvements,
or additions to Common Areas and Facilities. Any such special
assessment shall be imposed equally upon the owners of all Sites
or Units. Such special assessment may not be imposed unless
fifty-five (55%) of the owners of the Sites or Units approve such
special assessment at a meeting of the membership of the Association."
The Board will likely send you a notification for a Special Meeting
by mid-February with the meeting scheduled for mid-March. A
ballot/proxy will accompany the notification for those members
who cannot attend the special meeting in person but who still
want to register their vote.
Conclusion
For a subdivision platted 30 years ago, Meridian Lake Park has required remarkably little updating. Our quarterly assessment is a fraction of neighboring communities, even after including the assessment for this project. The improvements made to our water and sewer system have stood the test of time as has our decision to turn over the roads to the County. Natural gas and road surfacing are similarly significant capital improvements that will add more value to each lot than they cost. For as little as a dollar a day per lot, these improvements can be a reality for our community. Please join the Boards of Meridian Lake Park, Meridian Lake Meadows and Pristine Point in support of the Capital Improvement Project. Please feel free to contact any Board member with questions concerning this initiative.
Meadows & Pristine Point Boards
On the Meadows Board are President Bill Ronai, Vice Pres Curt
Wilker, and Sec/Treasurer Chuck Tutor plus Peter Kennel and Sam
Ganz.
On the Pristine Point Board are President Chuck McGinnis, Treasurer
Parry Mothershead and Secretary Kurt Giesselman.
Your MLPC Board Information
MLPC Phone & Fax: 349-2002
Web Site: www.MeridianLake.com
Angela & Gordon Reeves, Managers
E-mail: MLPC@WildernessWays.com
Ron Baker, President, ACC member,
Filing 2-27, 349-0211
Joe Buckle, Secretary/Treasurer, ACC member,
Filing 1-21, 349-5986
Lara Moscatelli,
Filing 1-14, 349-0209
Lash Hansborough, Vice-President, ACC Chairman, Filing 2-65, 349-1227
Curt Wilker,
Filing 3-40, 349-1345
Bill Ronai,
Filing 3-43, 349-2183
Chuck McGinnis,
Filing 4-1, 349-1503
The Board meets the third Thursday of every month.