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May 2004 Newsletter |
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Board of
Directors Michelle Nelson
President michelle@weatherstone.us Michael Del Toro
Vice President michael@weatherstone.us Hans Schnettler
Vice President hans@weatherstone.us Kevin McAllister
Treasurer kevin@weatherstone.us David Hubbard
Secretary david@weatherstone.us Board E-mail Address board@weatherstone.us Weatherstone Website
http://weatherstone.us Community Management
Specialists Phone: (720) 377-0100 Fax: (720) 377-0111 E-Mail for CMS:
beth@cmsincorp.net Beth Barker
Association Manager
ext. 304 Dawn Bryant
Accounts Receivable
ext. 307 Page 2 of 3 Upcoming Events Sat., May 22, 12:00 PM Weatherstone Pool Opening Party Wed., May 26, 07:30 PM
Board of Directors
Meeting Fri., June 11
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Pink Flamingo /
Block Parties Wed., June 23, 07:00 PM
Quarterly HOA Meeting
Location TBD Wed., June 30, 07:30 PM
Board of Directors
Meeting Fri., July 9
06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Pink Flamingo /
Block Parties Wed., July 28, 07:30 PM
Board of Directors
Meeting Fri., Aug. 27 06:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Adult Pool Party Please check the Weatherstone Website
at http://weatherstone.us for up-to-date information. Block Captains For contact information go to the
Weatherstone Website. Chairperson Jean Fraser Jill Lamb Karen Zingale Kelly Hess Countrybriar Lane Sheli Riley Page 3 of 3 Block Captains (Cont.) Edgemont Court/Place Judy Smart Meyerwood Circle/Court Maureen Kissinger Katie Lindauer Sandy Virden Open Ridgecrest Circle Jean Fraser Kim White Renee Helten Janet Winterburn Enrique Gutierrez Weathersfield Court Jim Vanderbleek Weathersfield Way Melinda Mueller
Newsletter Editor: Michael Del Toro Contributors: · Michael Del Toro · Jean Fraser · Michelle Nelson · Kevin McAllister · Hans Schnettler WHOA Newsletter is
published in: · February · May · August · November Content Copyright
©2004 All Rights Reserved Weatherstone at
Highlands Ranch Association, Highlands Ranch, CO Send Newsletter
comments to: |
Weatherstone
News Neighborhood Directory – by Michael Del Toro
My “Special Project” for
the past several months has been to create the long-awaited Weatherstone
Neighborhood Directory, which is enclosed with this Newsletter. We are planning to publish this directory
annually. The information for the
directory was compiled from several sources including, Resident Information
Sheets, Block Captains, Community Management Specialists, and Public
Records. Special thanks to: ·
Barbara
Murlowski, John Groom, and Rex Geissler who created and maintained the
original database for the neighborhood. ·
Jeneen
Hartshorne for helping format the information and compile the neighborhood
map. ·
Red Rocks
Federal Credit Union for the design and production of this directory. They covered all the costs! I am maintaining the
database of information used for the directory. If you have any updates or suggestions,
please send them to directory@weatherstone.us
or go to the Weatherstone Website (http://weatherstone.us)
and complete the Resident Information Sheet in the “Documents” area. Please note that all homeowners were given an
opportunity to have their information withheld (other than Name and Address)
from the directory, if desired. Neighborhood Landscaping Update – by
Michelle Nelson Because of problems that we
have had with our landscape maintenance company, and for due diligence
purposes, the Board decided to solicit bids for our landscape maintenance
services for 2004-2005. After
reviewing seven bids, the Board selected The Brickman Group based on cost,
references, and adherence to bid specifications. Additionally, the Board: ·
Elected to
replace the sod outside of the pool fence along the Weathersfield Way
sidewalk. This sod was irreversibly
damaged last summer due to the drought conditions and an early shock caused
by the sprinklers in that zone being errantly shut off. This sod is scheduled to be replaced in
early June. ·
Decided to have
the natural grass removed around the two-table picnic shelter and have new sod
installed (with appropriate irrigation). The enhancement to this area was
done because the majority of families congregate there and this is where the
majority of free play takes place.
When the landscaping around the pool was installed, there were a few cut-backs
due to budget constraints and this area was affected. This sod will be
replaced in early June. At
our June homeowner’s meeting, we will discuss other potential future
improvements – bring your ideas! Macall Schleining Information –
by Michael Del Toro One
of our Weatherstone residents, Macall Schleining (Shadowstone Drive), was severely
injured in a ski accident on March 29, 2004. She is the 10 year old
daughter of Scott and Vicki. We are
happy to report that on May 10, 2004, Macall returned home. For more details about the injury and updated
information please go to http://weatherstone.us/macall.htm.
Park Update – by Hans Schnettler
Board members Hans
Schnettler and Kevin McAllister, as well as resident Shawn Windle, have
attended a series of meetings with key players in the community to further
our cause of having the park built in Weatherstone. We have engaged in discussions with Tom
Hoby, Highlands Ranch Metro District (HRMD) Parks Director; Terry Nolan, HRMD
Manager; Scott Ormiston, Shea Community Development; and members of the HRMD District #3 Board. In addition, a letter was drafted and sent
to Tom Hoby, Terry Nolan, and the HRMD District #3 Board members outlining
our community’s desires concerning the park, the pool parking lot, and the
Spring Gulch Trail. Here is a summary of
what we know: 1.
The park will NOT
be constructed in 2004. The planning
and development cycle take six months from the time the HRMD District #3 Board
approves construction. 2.
The HRMD Board
will decide on next year’s (2005) capital projects in November 2004, so we,
the Weatherstone community, have until then to influence their decision. 3.
The park is
still a long shot at any point prior to the execution of the Shea development
to the East of Weatherstone! This
means there are no guarantees in 2005, 2006, etc. until something happens in
that area next to us. Our best chance
is to positively influence and convince the District #3 Board to make an
exception in our case. 4.
The typical
park installation serves between 3000 and 5000 households (per Tom/Terry,
although 2000-3000 seems more appropriate based on my calculation of
households/parks) without crossing a major thoroughfare. The proposed park in Weatherstone only
serves 292 homes right now, and the Shea development may only add 1000 to
that, so we will ultimately get a highly focused usage but limited
scope. This is the key reason the park
has not been developed and may continue to be delayed. 5.
The HRMD
District #3 Board makes the final decision though they are strongly
influenced by what the HRMD (Terry) recommends to them. Given these conditions, we
are implementing this Plan of Action: 1.
Parking Lot
Easement Agreement: We must close on this ASAP to demonstrate a cooperative
spirit. This will be a key opportunity
to engage the new HRMD District #3 Board. Our attorney is currently reviewing a draft
agreement that represents a win-win solution we have negotiated with the
HRMD. In order to handle landscape
issues, HRMD will give us a "Landscape Easement" on the landscaping
around the parking lot. The easement
will make the Weatherstone Home Owners Association (WHOA) responsible for
maintaining the landscaping, while HRMD is responsible for the parking lot
maintenance and liability. In return,
HRMD will pay us half the cost of developing the parking lot, which is approximately
$30,000. 2.
Letter Writing
Campaign: Rather than petitions and turnout at the HRMD meetings, Tom and
Terry suggested a grass roots letter writing campaign would demonstrate a
powerful commitment from the residents. To this end, the Block Captains are spearheading
this effort. They have already passed
out information sheets on the campaign.
You can talk to your Block Captain for more details. 3.
Fund Raising
Campaign for Civic Green Park: This is
a major drive for HRMD as there is $717,000 available in matching developer
funds to complete financing of this project.
A Weatherstone-sponsored fundraising event would show our community
support and reflect favorably on our HOA.
Please contact me if you are interested in helping with this activity.
4.
WHOA Donation
to Civic Green Park: The Board is
considering making a donation to the Civic Green Park campaign to demonstrate
our support as well. We are seeking resident feedback on this
activity. 5.
Better Representation
at HRMD Meetings: We need to have a
few people attend every HRMD Board meeting to help build our relationship
with them. We may also setup a meeting
between the HRMD District #3 Board and our community. We do not want to flood the HRMD meetings
with an angry demanding mob, however, as this will get us nowhere! It is important to note
that a positive, constructive relationship needs to be built between
Weatherstone and the HRMD if we want the park to be completed. Please allow the Board to spearhead this
effort and do not undermine our progress by hounding the HRMD on an
individual basis. We welcome your participation,
but it must be coordinated through the Board. Thanks to Shawn Windle for
his helpful participation and to Jean Fraser and the Block Captains for
getting the letter writing campaign in action. The main point-of-contact for any park
questions and feedback is Hans Schnettler at hans@weatherstone.us. Door-to-Door
Solicitation – by Kevin
McAllister I’m sure that we have all
had that pesky door-to-door salesperson that just would not go away. It is probably why we all look out the
peephole and make that split second decision of whether or not to open the
door. Well, I’ve done some research on
behalf of a resident’s request and found the following. It turns out that the Board of County
Commissioners in Douglas County has already put in place an ordinance
(O-996-002) for our safety. This
ordinance requires every person or business entity that engages in
door-to-door selling and delivery of merchandise goods, within the unincorporated
area of the county, to register with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office
(DCSO). However, there is one
exception to this rule. Any person who
is selling door-to-door on behalf of a school or a non-profit organization is
exempt from registering with the DCSO.
Once the individual person or business entity has successfully
registered, the DCSO will then issue a solicitor registration card for which
they are required to display conspicuously.
The penalty for violating this ordinance is a class 2 petty offense
and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $600 for
each separate violation. So the next
time someone is at your door and they do not represent a school or non-profit
organization, ask to see their solicitor registration card. If they do not present one, you can let
them know that you will be calling the sheriff’s department to file a
complaint. Hopefully they will be
smart enough to leave the community and not return. For more information on this ordinance go to: http://www.douglas.co.us/Ordinances/O-996-002.pdf Events Update – by Jean Fraser The
following lists some of the upcoming events for the neighborhood. Please check the Weatherstone Website (http://weatherstone.us) for complete up-to-date
information.
Pink Flamingo/Block
Parties
Pink
Flamingo/Block Parties will be held the 2nd Friday of every month
from May – July from 06:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
The dates are May 14th, June 11th, and July 9th. BYOB and a dish to pass. All families are welcome. Look for the Pink Flamingo in your neighbor’s
yard and have a great time. The
neighborhood has been divided into the following groups for these parties: Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Family Pool Party/Opening Day The pool will open for the season on Saturday, May 22nd
at 12:00PM (rain date will be Sunday, May 23rd). Come and join your neighbors and kick off
the Summer Season. Lunch will be
served from 12:00PM – 03:00PM. Please let your Block Captain know if your
family will be joining us for lunch. We need at least two
volunteers per street between 11:00AM – 04:00PM in one-hour shifts. Pool keys will be distributed to new
residents and to those who have lost their keys. You must call your Block Captain to request
a new key. There is a $25.00 fee for lost
keys and only one key per family. The
Block Captain’s would like to make a donation to the Schleining family on
behalf of all Weatherstone residents for Macall Schleining (see article on
Page 1). A donation box will be at the pool and Block Captains can collect
donations as well. Other Events and Notes ·
An Adult Pool Party will be held on
Friday, August 27th from 06:00PM – 10:00PM at the Weatherstone Pool. Entertainment will be provided by a DJ. Neighbors are asked to bring an appetizer
or dessert and BYOB to this Hawaiian themed party. There will be games and prizes and a prize
for best dressed male and female. The
party is for Adults only and the pool will be closed during the party. ·
The Annual Golf Tournament for men and
women will be held at the end of September, location to be announced. If you are interested in participating, E-mail
Jeff Schuster at Jeff.Schuster@energyexpertise.com. ·
The Annual Weatherstone Fall Carnival
will be held on Saturday, October 2nd. Each street is asked to provide a
game. We will need four volunteers per
street to run the games and check-in table for one-hour time slots. There will be a clown, Dino-Jump and some
new surprises. Anyone wishing to
donate a special item for this event please contact Jill Lamb. ·
We are still in
need of a Block Captain for Meyerwood Lane. |
