Lakehurst West Homeowners Association (LWHOA) 

P.O. Box 271032, Littleton, CO  80127

  HOA Hotline:  720-94LWHOA  (720-945-9462)

Web site: www.lakehurstwest.org 

Email: contact@lakehurstwest.info

 

Lakehurst West Homeowners’ Association

‘Special’ General Meeting #2 Minutes

May 25, 2010 7-9pm

Peiffer Elementary School

 

Meeting was called to order at 7:10pm by President, Dan Muldoon.

  • Meeting invitation was hand-delivered to all LWH residents during the week of 5/19, along with a letter describing the results of the covenants survey and the topics identified by neighbors as issues to be discussed.  This meeting was scheduled expressly for the purpose of allowing homeowners to have their opinions heard.  Typically the HOA General meetings are held quarterly, and the next meeting is scheduled for 7/20/10.  Turnout to this meeting was very good (number??).
  •  Meeting purpose & goals are to educate homeowners on LW covenants and encourage homeowners to abide by zoning regulations.  Issues such as illegal parking, junk vehicles, fences, unkempt yards have caused home values to decrease beyond what the poor economy has caused.  It is in all of our best interests to take pride in the neighborhood because eventually we’ll all need to sell our houses someday, and it’s only natural we want to get as much for our homes as possible.
  •  Rules for participation were reviewed:

o   Listen

o   No interruptions

o   Respect others’ rights to disagree

o   5 minute time limit per person during public comment

  • Handouts available were:

o   HOA maps

o   Covenants for all 5 filings

o   Jeffco Parking regulations

o   Zoning regulations summary

o   Help List

o   Foothills brochures

o   “Meet the Neighbors” article from the Sunday Parade Magazine 5/2/10

o   Parade-Picnic information/registration form

  • Dan introduced our guest, Deputy Pat Sandoval, who graciously attended to provide information on Jeffco vehicle/parking regulations.  Lily Griego, JeffCo Zoning, was invited but was unable to attend.
  •  Refreshments were available in the rear of the room.

 

Announcements

  • The next regularly-scheduled General meeting will be held at 7pm on Tuesday, 7/20 at Hosanna Lutheran Church.  Address is 10304 W. Belleview Avenue, at the intersection of Belleview and Miller.  Peiffer is not available to us during the summer months.
  • Lisa Hofmeister provided a brief update on the 1st Annual Lakehurst Parade & Picnic, which is scheduled for Sunday, 6/27.  She welcomed interested parties to pick up a flyer/registration form.
  • Lisa Hofmeister stated that the study to consolidate trash haulers in the neighborhood is still underway and progressing well.  Major criteria being considered so far are price, availability of single-stream recycling, and day of week for pickup.
  •  Dan Muldoon introduced Katie Lister, a resident real estate agent who will be coordinating this year’s Community Garage Sale, July 23 & 24.  A signup sheet was passed around.  Betty Steinke took an informal poll to determine whether the sale should be advertised in the Columbine Courier or the Denver Post “Your Hub”, and concluded she would post the ad to the Denver Post.

 

Public Comment began at approximately 7:30pm

  • Don Hinson stated that his daughter handles foreclosures, and he wanted the homeowners to know that just because a property has been foreclosed, doesn’t mean that it won’t be maintained.  HUD has a requirement that it be maintained, and homeowners can request that either Jeffco or the real estate agent listing the property can contact HUD and ask them to take action.
  • Dan Muldoon reminded the group that we are planning to form a Community Assistance team to assist homeowners who are struggling to maintain their properties, and we are looking for volunteers.  A signup sheet was passed around and several people signed up.
  • Julie Scott-Blair asked about the “all commercial vehicles are prohibited” regulation and some discussion ensued.  ‘Major motor vehicles’ measure 8’ or more including truck bed and cannot exceed 25’ in length.  They must be licensed and operable and cannot sit stationary on the streets for more than 2 weeks.  However, 2 households must witness this and file a complaint.
  • One homeowner indicated that he has a trailer which exceeds these dimensions but is not used commercially (it is used to haul his tractors for tractor pulls).  It is not stored in the street. The Deputy was unsure whether this would constitute a violation but said he would research it.
  • What about vehicles stored on private property, and unlicensed for multiple years?  THIS IS A ZONING VIOLATION.
  • It seemed clear that there is still some confusion, even on the part of the board and the Sheriff’s Department, about the exact nature of some of these zoning regulations.
  • One homeowner wanted to make the important distinction between the different types of violations.  Zoning (enforced by Jeffco Planning & Zoning) and Parking (enforced by Jeffco Sheriff’s Dept) violations are criminal in nature.  Covenant violations would be civil in nature.
  • There was considerable discussion about the importance of communication among neighbors, and attempting to talk issues over within the neighborhood before calling the county out.  In many cases it may be a simple matter of homeowners not being educated or aware of the zoning or covenant restrictions.  Deputy Sandoval did indicate that if called out they would typically not issue tickets immediately.  The HOA is in agreement with this “educate first” approach, however, the point was made that individual homeowners always have a right to call and this cannot be controlled by the HOA.
  • One resident was wondering whether his snowmobiles, parked in the driveway and not on a trailer, were a zoning violation.  This needs to be researched.  His concern was that his yard is immaculately maintained and it would be unfortunate if he received a ticket despite all the hard work he puts into his yard.
  • There was considerable discussion about the survey, and the fact that the letter failed to mention that only about 10% (60-some) of the homeowners actually responded.  Some people stated they did not receive the survey, which had been hand-delivered in April to each home in the neighborhood.  Noel Silva stated she felt the HOA needed to be more diligent about conducting valid research.  Several people suggested making more information available on the website, and using multiple channels to get the information out to homeowners.
  • Someone asked whether the meeting minutes will be made available on the website.  The answer was that although they have not previously been posted, they certainly can be.
  • One homeowner stated that LW used to have Block Captains in place, and that we should consider reinstating these.  Dan Muldoon stated that the board had been discussing this very thing.  A signup sheet was passed around at that time and by the close of the meeting, 17 people had volunteered.  The Board will discuss next-steps for implementing Block Captains at the June meeting.
  • Alan Blair stated that he sensed animosity from the group, and that he felt this animosity was misplaced.  He stated that the HOA was merely looking for input at this stage.
  • Barb Kroupa wished to make a positive comment, that she had noticed considerable improvement in the look of the neighborhood recently.
  • Another resident’s comment that he hasn’t noticed any issues in the neighborhood was met with a low murmur from the audience.
  • Someone asked what it means to “make the covenants more relevant”.  Dan Muldoon stated it’s his opinion that the covenants need to reflect the zoning laws.  When asked “isn’t that redundant?”, and he responded that the more issues we can handle ourselves, the better, so that we do not inundate the County.
  • There seemed to be ongoing confusion about just how restrictive our covenants might get as a result of this initiative, so Lisa Hofmeister reiterated statements from previous meetings that no one is looking to make our covenants as restrictive as, for example, Highlands Ranch or Ken Caryl.  Choices such as paint color, mailboxes, and planting of trees (just a few examples) are NOT within the scope of any of these discussions.
  • Dan Muldoon clarified, for the benefit of first-time attendees, that the covenants are in place and go with the land, regardless of whether the homeowners were informed about them by the title company or real estate agent.
  • Another discussion point, repeated from previous meetings, clarified why the zoning and covenants are under discussion at all.  We have had reports that real estate agents are steering people away from Lakehurst because it’s “going downhill”, “not a good area”.  Our main goal is really to protect the value of our homes.
  • Resident Ken Krukar stated that covenants are “an expression of what you value”, “a pact with all of your neighbors”, and there can be differences in perception.  This was followed with the idea that potentially each of the 5 Filings could make their own decisions about retaining, striking, or amending their respective covenants.

 Dan Muldoon closed the discussion by stating that Lakehurst used to be “the talk of the town”.  Our amenities include our proximity to Red Rocks and the foothills, Harriman Lake Park, open spaces, bike lanes, mature trees, etc.  But over the years, it has degraded due to regulations that were not consistently enforced.  We hope to become “neighbors working with neighbors” to restore Lakehurst West to a desirable and valuable community.

 

Meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:00pm.

 

Meeting minutes respectfully submitted by Lisa Hofmeister, LHWHOA Interim Secretary.