June 2020

Meadowglen has been known for our giant 4th of July day of festivities.  2020 keeps continuing to surprise us as events and celebrations have been canceled all over the country. The 4th of July is no exception for our celebrations this year.  We will not have our party due to COVID -19 conditions and guidelines.  This includes the pool party, parade, and fire truck parade. 

This year we would have celebrated the 40th 4th of July BBQ, but it’s important to note that we’re not celebrating the 40th anniversary of our community. Many of our homes were built between 1978-1980. There were a couple of years that the BBQ didn’t happen (especially in the early years). So we are hoping next year the party will be able to be bigger and better than past years, and we can celebrate the 40th BBQ in style. 

We do encourage each home to decorate their front door, porch, yard or drive way with red white and blue! If each of you want to put up decorations it will still bring joy to the community and remind us of the patriotism that resides here in our community! Feel free to send pictures of your decorated stoop or front yard to arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com and he’ll post them to our community website.

Be safe and enjoy a fun 4th of July!

Based on the pool survey and the desires of the community for the pool to open, the Board is pleased to announce that the pool will officially be opening on July 1. At the June meeting, the Board officially voted to open the pool. We have secured a company to do the cleaning and check-in, and the Board has worked hard to setup the pool to ensure social distancing and cleanliness.

The survey had 85 unique respondents with 84% of those responding that they did want the pool to open. There were lots of great questions and concerns raised that helped the Board make their decision and even change some proposed rules. Please check out our FAQ to find answers to commonly asked questions.

The reservation system is live and can be found at www.meadowglen-hoa.com under the Meadowglen Pool menu. You will need to create an account with our new reservation system and then input your family members. When you make a reservation, you can select which time block and which family members will be attending. You will need to accept our waiver (click here for full text) to use the pool which is accomplished by accepting the Terms of Use during the reservation.

As a reminder, there will be no lifeguards this year, so swim at your own risk. We will have a cleaning company on site that will help check you into your reservation, ensure social distancing is happening, and clean high-touch surfaces hourly. They cleaning company may also close the pool during inclement weather and early on July 4th (6 PM). They will cancel all reservations during those times.

There are additional rules to be followed this summer to keep people safe and pool access equitable:

• If you feel sick or have any COVID-19 related symptoms, please do not come to our common areas.
• No more than 50 individuals in the pool area at one time. Signage/visual cues/social distancing markers will be installed in the pool area. Social distancing is required.
• The pool will be open for Open Swim only when the cleaners are on site. They are permitted to close the pool temporarily or for the rest of the day depending on weather and safety.
• Household adult must make reservations through online process and complete a release for each reservation.
• To check-in for your reservation, you will need to provide proof of identity to the check-in attendant.
• Only 2 families at the wading pool, reservation required.
• To allow fair use of pool time by all interested, reservations will be limited to 1 2-hour block per day, made only up to a week in advance.
• Masks are required when entering/leaving facility, and highly encouraged when sitting pool side. Masks are not needed when in the pool.
• Household groups to remain in chosen areas unless in the pool or restroom.
• No rafts or large flotation devices.
• No pool parties
• Lost and Found items will be disposed of at the end of each session; valuable items (cell phones, keys, etc.) will be bagged and retained for a limited time.
• Spray bottles with disinfectant will be provided at the door, and families will be asked to spray down their areas of use before and after use.
• PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT. To minimize movement on the pool deck, please dump all trash/recycling only when exiting your reservation.

If you have any questions you can direct them to Ari Feldman (arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com) or Lewis Moses (lmoses@msihoa.com). We look forward to seeing you around the pool! Lets have a fun and safe summer!

We had such a great response to our pool survey! Thank you all for taking the time to respond and many of you for the thoughtful comments. There were many ideas that the board hadn’t considered and have changed our mind about too. Overall we had 85 unique respondents with 84% of those responding that they did want the pool to open.

There were a lot of questions that people asked about how the Board came to the decisions we did, the cost of cleaning, the Board’s responsibility, and the guest policies. As I mentioned above, we have changed some of our positions on certain topics (guests and trash). I have written up a FAQ page that we will update as often as needed. As restrictions ease, we may be allowed to change our policies as well. Please find the following link to the Pool FAQ:

2020 Meadowglen Pool FAQ

Thanks again for participating!

We had 16 amazing submissions to our first Chalk Art Festival! Fortunately the rain held out and didn’t wash away any of the art. Let’s hope the sprinkers are just as friendly!

Take a walk through the neighborhood on this lovely Sunday morning (6/14) and submit your vote for the best art. Submissions with the top 3 most votes will receive a Yogurtland Gift Card!

Please head over to this link to vote by 6 pm on 6/14: 2020 Chalk Art Festival Voting

Winners will be announced at 6:30 PM on 6/14

At every board meeting (March, April, May) since the pandemic hit, the Board has been discussing what the governor’s Stay-At-Home, Safer-At-Home and most recently, the “Safer-At Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors�? orders mean to our community.  With the health and safety of our residents and the potential liabilities to the HOA in mind, several things occurred: the Board ceased accepting reservations for clubhouse use, canceled community-wide events, canceled the ARC’s spring walk-thru, began holding its board meetings via Zoom and began discussing what the 2020 pool season might look like in Meadowglen, especially after we learned that lifeguards would not be available this summer.

Recognizing that the pool is the hub of Meadowglen families’ summer activities, board members made a commitment early on to do everything they could to open the pool for use if allowed to do so under the public health organizations guidelines and following the required safety practices in those guidelines. On June 4 those guidelines were finalized and HOAs were given the thumbs up to open UNDER VERY STRICT CONDITIONS. Those conditions include: 

• Limiting pool capacity to 50 people or 50% capacity, whichever is less. 
• Maintaining physical distancing between non-household members. 
• Keeping restrooms open. 
• putting a reservation system in place to limit pool capacity 
• Ensuring hourly sanitization of restroom surfaces and all high touch surfaces around the pool during pool operations (this task requires a licensed, insured and bonded professional (not neighborhood volunteers). 

With guidance from our community manager Lewis Moses at MSI and the HOA’s legal counsel, we are considering the following requirements in order to comply with the state guidelines:

• Signage outlining the pool rules and social distancing guidance will be posted. 
• ONLY Meadowglen residents (and caregivers) will be allowed to use the pool. No guests will be permitted. Considering the capacity limits, this is necessary to enable as many Meadowglen residents as possible to have access to the pool.
• An online reservation system will be put in place, and a corresponding check in system will be employed at the door. Residents who do not have access to the internet may call a board member (numbers listed in the Meadowgram) who will access the system for them. See the Meadowglen community website for the reservation system: www.meadowglen-hoa.com 
  • Reservations will be for 2 hour blocks
  • Reservations can only be made up to 3 days in advance
  • No more than 1 reservation per day per household may be made
  • If you are unable to make your reservation, please cancel so other people can use your spot.
  • When making a reservation, you will need to sign a waiver
• Staff at the pool:
  • There will be NO lifeguards. The pool will be a swim-at your-own risk pool this summer.
  • A cleaning company will be hired to comply with the hourly disinfecting guidelines to sanitize the bathrooms and table/chair surfaces. 
  • A person from the cleaning company will help check in reservation holders
• Social Distancing:
  • Deck sections will be taped off designating areas where families can gather. 6 foot sections in between these sections will be taped off to allow social distancing between families.
  • Swimmers must do their best to maintain 6 feet of distance in the pool between non-household members and the sharing of pool equipment/pool toys is discouraged. There will be markings around the pool for you to use as a visual guide.
  • Masks, when not in the pool, are required. This includes entry and exiting the pool property. 
  • The check-in person will be ensuring that you are following proper social distancing guidelines.
• Cleaning
  • Spray bottles with disinfectant will be provided at the door, and families will be asked to spray down their areas of use before and after use.
  • The cleaners will disinfect the frequently touched surfaces including railings, gate, tables, and the bathroom hourly.
  • PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT. Food or beverages brought into the pool MUST BE PACKED OUT. We will NOT have a system in place for emptying garbage. 
• Pool use is allowed ONLY during the following hours : 
  • 7 AM to 8 AM – Lap swim only
  • 10 AM to 8 PM – 2 hour blocks of open swim, only 1 per household per day
  • 8 PM to 9 PM – Lap swim only

We want to know your opinion on these restrictions! Is it worth the cost and risk to open the pool this season? To fill out our survey please visit our website at www.meadowglen-hoa.com and fill out the 2020 Pool Survey under the Feedback tab.

Pending your opinion, we would like to shoot for a target opening date of July 1, but there 2 make-or-break conditions to remain open. We are in the process of securing a company to provide the cleanings, but if we are unable to get a contract in place or they are unable to continue through the summer, then we will close. Secondly, as uncomfortable as it may be, we are asking the assistance of all Meadowglen residents to support compliance from all pool users. If you see these rules being abused, suggest compliance, and please report abuse to either Lewis Moses, the MSI community manager, or a board member. If the state’s guidelines and pool rules are not complied with, the pool will be closed. In order for this pool season to be successful, everyone must take personal responsibility for and comply with these requirements. 

If you have any questions or comments about these measures, please email Lewis Moses (lmoses@msihoa.com) at MSI or Ari Feldman (arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com). Stay safe and healthy out there!

This spring we updated our access control system to the pool and clubhouse areas which comes with a bunch of new features and reduced monthly fees. The new features include the ability to more quickly enable cards for access with the clubhouse, remotely unlock the doors, and use your smartphone as a key. Furthermore, it will also be backwards compatible with the existing cards, so no need for new cards. If you do have trouble with your keycard, please let Ari Feldman know ASAP (303-900-2746).

All key requests are handled by our website key request form. If you need a pool and/or tennis, or if you are interested in getting a mobile pass, please submit a key request.

Meadowglen Key Request link

What: Meadowglen driveway chalk art festival

When: weekend of June 13/14^th

Contest for all ages! Decorate your driveway with your chalk art.  Write your house number on the driveway so people can use your house number to vote for their favorite.  Have your driveway chalk art completed by 5pm on Saturday June 13th.

If you’d like to register for the compe

tition, email your address and a picture of your art to arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com by 6 pm on 6/13. Then take a stroll through the neighborhood on Saturday evening to Sunday morning and check out the beautiful art pieces from your neighbors.  Take note of your favorites and head to Meadowglen’s Website (www.meadowglen-hoa.com) to vote for your 3 favorites. Voting will go live at 9 am on Sunday morning and every person can vote for their top 3!

On May 16TH the fishing clinic put on by Meadowglen’s finest, Brandon Marrette from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, was a great success.  The Department of Fish and Wildlilfe stocked our lake with 153 rainbow trout and about 1000 small bluegill, and later this summer it will be stocked again with bass.  The clinic had a total of 127 people made up of 58 kids and 69 adults, most of them had little or no fishing experience.  While maintaining social distancing, the presentations were staggered and Brandon probably repeated his education about 15 times, but it was very informative!  Overall it was a beautiful day to get out around our lake and learn something new!

The Department of Fish and Wildlife gave out 100 rods to the crew, so that was exciting for the kids to be able to take home their own poles.  The board donated some funds for bait, hooks and bobbers.  The only bummer was that only 4 fish were caught during the day (2 bass, 1 trout and 1 carp). Attached is a photo of a bass that was caught by this 1st grader who casted and reeled it in all by himself!

A big thank you to Brandon for volunteering his time and family to h

elp educate our community about fishing and wildlife.

If you would be interested in other clinics like this you can check out the link below:

https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/OutreachClinics.aspx

Being cooped up in and around the house has everyone looking for creative ways to recreate. Everyone understands that; however, that fact does not mean that safety or City ordinances can be overlooked. It has been reported that people are taking to the lake for boating, paddleboarding and, yes, even swimming.

First it is important to remember that boating on Pomona Lake is prohibited by City ordinance (this includes paddleboards). Putting boats in Pomona Lake (and any lake/pond in Arvada) can potentially introduce organisms into the lake and into the waterways via Little Dry Creek. There are only two lakes in Arvada that allow boating: Arvada Reservoir and Lake Arbor, and both require boat inspections for use.

Second, swimming in Pomona Lake is not only prohibited, it IS NOT SAFE. Signs along the lake saying No Swimming are posted because, in addition to E.coli, blue-green algae is common in shallow or slow-moving water, such as in lakes and ponds, and hot weather can create perfect conditions for algae to grow quickly and form a bloom. Certain types of blue-green algae can produce toxins that can be harmful to humans and other animals that come into contact with the water. Please stay out of the water and keep your pets out of the water too. For more information, go to www.arvada.org/harmful-algae or www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/harmful-algae-blooms.