Newsletter #8 March 2002
Meridian Lake Park Web Site
Gordon Reeves, one-half of our new management team, will be building the association web site this spring. The idea is to create a site that is not only informative but also useful to the residents of the park and their guests.
Each month the site will try to feature a profile of one of our members full or part time in this beautiful valley that we all call home. If you would like to be featured at some stage please e-mail Gordon at MLPC@wildernessways.com. He can then get back to you and gather the necessary info to put on the site.
We will also try to keep an updated page on construction and a list of the homes & lots for sale. Other points will be to eventually put the Newsletter on the site and to e-mail the newsletter to all members. To make this easier it would be wonderful if each of you could e-mail Gordon with your current e-mail address. Please include your lot number and which filing you are residing in or own a lot in. A calendar of events and even a "for sale" page will be updated monthly for local interest.
Gordon Reeves
Annual Meeting July 6th 2002
The annual MLPC meeting is set for July 6th. 10am and will be held at the Queen of all Saints meeting room, opposite the church. We will have a barbecue after the meeting at 4 o'clock at the MLPC tennis courts, opposite the dam. So any volunteers for cooking duties and pot luck are very welcome.
The annual Meridian Lake Meadows meeting will also be held at the Queen of all Saints meeting room on July 13th at 10am.
If you could turn in your postcard proxy for the meetings it would help to establish a quorum and make the task of decision making very much easier for the boards.
Roger Cram
Annual Barbecue in 2002
At the Annual Meeting the members indicated they would like to have a Barbecue for everyone, probably around the Annual Meeting date in early July.
MLPC treasury has budgeted funds in 2002 to contribute to the cost. Last year's dinner was fun for everyone. It proved we have enough women interested in the organization and publicity.
The Barbecue will be held at our tennis courts where plenty of parking is available. We will need volunteers in many areas including side dish and desert planning, tables & chairs, cooking, and cooking equipment. Send us an E-mail at MeridianLakePark@AOL.com or call our managers at 349-2002.
Roger
Treasurer's Report
As we reach the end of the MLPC fiscal year, I am pleased to report that our expenditures for the year are in line with our dues income. We did have unusual costs this year due to our change of managers. MLPC now owns a complete computer system and our manager now does our bookkeeping with the assistance of our accountant. This has been a year of 'growing up' for our association.
Angela Reeves has made great progress in getting all our members up to date on their dues. THANK YOU all for your co-operation.
Sherron Green
Dues for 2002-2003
Due to greater efficiency in our operations, there is no need for a dues increase for lot owners. Dues for lot owner's remains at $30 per quarter ($120 per year). We are spending more for trash collection every year. The dues from homeowners need to cover this cost. This trash collection part of the homeowner's dues has increased to $46/quarter. Therefore, the dues for homeowners will increase to $76 per quarter ($304 per year).
All members of MLPC are being offered a $10 discount on their annual dues. There are 2 ways to qualify:
1. Pay the annual dues by May 1, 2002, or
2. Set up automatic payments with your bank.
Sherron
Interested in Serving on a Board?
If you are interested in serving on any of our three Association Boards send an E-mail to MeridianLakePark@AOL.com. Or call our managers at 349-2002. Please ask any questions you have about serving on a Board.
Aside from interest and background, having a PC based computer with Internet capabilities is very important, because much of the communication is done over the Internet.
Roger
Pristine Point Board Message
The new Pristine Point Owners Association Board has met twice since the last newsletter. Key issues were to get set up and start functioning like a real board. Chuck McGinnis was appointed President, Alan Wolff Treasurer and Kurt Giesselman Secretary. Chuck is the first full time resident and his e-mail address is mcginnis@crestedbutte.net. The current Board will also act as the Architectural Control Committee. We reviewed incorporation status (we are incorporated), utility and insurance issues (we now have insurance for all our common area open space) and our financial status (we will keep the existing budget until we have more data on costs). We are also wrestling with the issue of unauthorized parking and access to the Forest Service road to Long Lake by Lot #2. Future issues include improved street signs, road maintenance, and parking control. The Pristine Point Board of Managers will have our initial Annual Meeting of Owners some time this summer.
Chuck McGinnis
Construction Way, Way Down
Things have settled way, way down. From a peak of 28 projects last year, there will be only 9 projects under way this summer. We know of only one new home starting for sure in 2002.
Meadows: Guzzetta Lot 3-52 will be the only start. Five homes should be completed: Mitchell 3-7, Jenkins 3-13, Schwab 3-20, Wilker 3-40, & Ronai 3-43.
Park: Moscatelli 2-67 and remodels Arnold 2-35, Prentice 2-62 & McMahon 2-61 should be completed.
Pristine Point: No activity expected at this time.
We wish to congratulate the following twelve (12) completions since last summer: Desmarais 1-2, Mortel 1-4, Matyk 1-29, Gross 2-70.4, White 2-70.5, Reeves 3-1, Ganz 3-50, Rainwater 3-55, Jones 3-47, McGinnis 4-1, Giesselman 4-2, and Olson 4-17A.
Roger
Volunteers for Work Day in July
Every year in early July we schedule a workday. The primary focus is on mending our cattle fence around the entire development. This is a chance for the men to contribute by working together, and having a good time.
In the past most of the volunteers have come from the "Park" residents. We need to get more participation, especially from the Meadows residents who have the longest fence line.
Other things we will do are help our Manager put up the tennis nets and backdrops up in June, and repairing any street signs knocked down in the snow season.
If you are interested in volunteering call our phone 349-2002 and leave a message for Gordon Reeves, talk to any Board member, or use our E-mail address MeridianLakePark@AOL.com.
Roger
Guests & Trash Disposal
There have been quite a few instances of trash left at the roadside by guests of owners this season. If the trash is left in a large trash can, then there is not too much of a problem. The issue starts when the trash is left in ordinary plastic trash bags. These make for lots of fun for our local population of dogs, coyotes, crows, and magpies that savage the bags for food scraps and scatter the contents far and wide. This creates an unsightly mess and the sharp edges of can lids can give cause for concern if a young person was to find the trash an inviting plaything.
Another trash problem has been that some guests have realized that leaving trash in plastic bags could create a problem and have thought about disposing of the trash in another way. Trouble is that they are dumping it into contractor's dumpsters. Great idea but. Dumpsters are paid for by the contractor or ultimately by the new homeowner and cost a considerable amount to empty each time. A 10 cubic yd dumpster, in other words a 10 ft long one, costs $300 each time it is emptied and of course a rental charge each month on top of that. So you see disposing of trash should not be a throw away thought! If you or your guests would like to utilize a dumpster near the property please ask the contractor first and maybe make a contribution to them. It might just be a six-pack or if you have lots of trash a monetary contribution.
On the subject of dumpsters! Please try to keep construction trash out of the community dumpster which is located at the trail head parking lot opposite the dam and next to the tennis courts in the summer season. This dumpster is intended for owners or their guests to leave their garage before the Wednesday trash pick up.
On a more positive note, thank you to all of the members to whom this note is not applicable and keep up the good work of keeping the park litter free.
Angela & Gordon
Stocking our Reservoir With Rainbows
The Board has voted to spend $800 estimated cost for the fish and the signs is a worthwhile investment for the homeowners to share.
Remember that the Division of Wildlife stocks Long Lake every year.
Natural Gas Coming to the Park?
The Meadows Board has asked their members if they are interested in running a natural gas line to their subdivision from Hwy 135. The costs would be considerable and would have to be paid up front by an Association. At a minimum $250M would be required just to provide gas service to all 181 lots. The costs to provide gas service to the 56 sites in the Meadows would be less. Any homes converting to gas would get a $400 refund. For 181 lots the costs per lot might be between $100 to 130/year for a 30-year loan. There are several advantages of natural gas over LPG. Some of them are reduced annual fuel costs; small increase in lot value based on gas availability, and increased safety by eliminating fuel storage tanks (known to some as "backyard bombs") on the lots. In order top fund such a project in MLPC over 50% of the homeowners would have to approve the cost expenditure. A considerable effort by committed homeowners would have to be made to get such a vote approved. If you are interested in participating in this effort, please contact Chuck Tutor, President of the Meadows.
Roger
High Speed Internet Access Soon?
In a recent phone conversation with the Adelphia's Gunnison Manager, it was learned that cable TV service and high-speed cable modems might be available within a year. He indicated they would be contacting the home and lot owners to see if there is significant interest. If so, they will be spending the money to install fiber-optic cable from Washington Gulch to all the Meridian Lake Park lot sites. This may be the only reasonable source of high-speed Internet access. It appears that Quest is trying to sell off our small phone market and is not supporting any of their advertised options like DSL or phone answering service.
Roger
Back Drops for Tennis Courts
We have found tennis court backdrops in our storage locker and plan on installing them this June. See the volunteer workday article if you are interested in helping install them.
Roger
New Design & Construction Guidelines
A newly developed Design & Construction Guide for all of Meridian Lake Park is in the final stages of approval and publishing.
It was developed using the same format as the Meadows. It comes complete with a Table of Contents for easy reference. It is not as restrictive as the Meadows guidelines, but does contain more up-to-date information as well as a listing of "Building Contractor Rules" to be signed by the owner and contractor before a County approval letter is signed. If you are contemplating new or remodel construction in the next few years, please let us know by E-mailing us at MeridianLakePark@AOL.com. We will be sure to get you a finished copy as soon as it is available.Roger
More Delineators for Washington Gulch
The big snow storm of March 8 & 9th drew attention to the need for more of delineators along Washington Gulch Road. If you had any experiences you'd like to pass along to the County, please send an E-mail to the Board. We will include your responses in a letter to the County.
Roger
In the Next Newsletter
1) More on the Annual Meeting and Barbecue
2) MLPC Web Site Update
3) Satellite Radio
4) Fire District's Wild Land Evaluation summary
5) Answers to your E-mail questions
6) Meadows Board Report
Meadows & Pristine Point Boards
On the Meadows Board are President Chuck Tutor, Peter Kennel, and Sam Ganz.
On the Pristine Point Board are President Chuck McGinnis, Treasurer Alan Wolff, and Secretary Kurt Giesselman.
Your MLPC Board Information
MLPC Phone & Fax: 349-2002
Board E-mail: MeridianLakePark@AOL.com
Web Site: www.meridianlake.com
Angela & Gordon Reeves, Managers
E-mail: MLPC@wildernessways.com
Telephone and fax: (970) 349 2002Roger Cram, Pres., 349-6464; (415) 924-2839
Sherron Green, VP/Treas., 349-6577
Doug Wiley (& ACC) 349-1128
Chuck Tutor 349-5493 or 209-5965
David Gross (& ACC) 349-6293
Joe Buckel (& ACC) 349-5986
Chuck McGinnis 349-1503
Meadows & Pristine Point Boards
On the Meadows Board are President Chuck Tutor, Peter Kennel, and Sam Ganz.
On the Pristine Point Board are President Chuck McGinnis, Treasurer Alan Wolff, and Secretary Kurt Giesselman.
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