July 2020

Meadowglen truly is a pool community and I feel really fortunate that we were able to make it happen this summer among all of the craziness in the world. It has been a joy seeing many of you around the pool over the last month and catching up. Overall, the operation of the pool has been going… swimmingly. The cleaners and check-in staff are providing our required cleaning and reminding people of the COVID rules on entry. I also do not know of a single issue that has arisen not having the lifeguards on site either. Thank you all for taking on some personal responsibility while at the pool and honoring the rules that keep us all safe. I do want to provide some updates and send a reminder of some rules.

First, the Jefferson County Public Health department issued Order 20-008 on 7/24 which requires people to wear masks or face coverings indoors and outdoors when unable to maintain 6 ft social distancing. This is especially important to remember when entering the pool facility through our common gate, when traversing the pool deck, and when inside the bathrooms. Thank you for your compliance.

Second, after analyzing the pool usage since we started allowing guests on 7/11, the Board feels comfortable increasing the guest policy to allow up to 4 guests per home per reservation block during the week. The high demand blocks of time on the weekend (12-2, 2-4 PM) have been at capacity, so we’d prefer to restrict the weekends to just homeowner access for now. During the week however, if you’d like to bring 2 guests per homeowner (our normal guest policy), up to a maximum of 4 guests, that is permitted starting Monday 7/27. You must accompany your guests as they are your responsibility. Any violation of this guest policy may result in losing pool access.

Third, with COVID cases at near peak levels in Colorado we must stay vigilant to keep our community safe. Make sure to wash your hands before and after coming to the pool. While the chlorine will kill everything in the pool, you are still human and touch many things while traveling to and from the pool. We must also prepare for any changes to local policies. Should the Governor take actions that affect our community and pool operations, the Board will follow State guidelines and communicate the plan to you.

Lastly, a reminder of some rules that will keep us all safe and the pool operating smoothly:

• The disinfectant spray bottles are there for you to spray down the furniture you used. We have plenty of disinfectant, so don’t be shy. If your bottle is running low the cleaners will refill it.
• Start packing up with 10 minutes to spare. When you take extra time to leave it prevents the next group of people to enter on time, cutting their time short.
• Don’t book back-to-back blocks in advance. Yes, this is possible in the reservation system, but don’t be selfish. The reason this is possible is to allow you to book the next block if you are there for your time and would like to stay longer. If there is capacity in the next block, feel free to stay longer, but you must reserve the slot and check-in with the staff to let them know. Booking multiple blocks in advance may prevent others from accessing the pool at all. We have limited capacity and people have varying schedules, so lets be civil.
• Cancel your reservation if you can’t make it. Others may want to be there at the time you have booked, especially for a high demand blocks. Please be considerate.
• Throw away all of your trash/recycling on the way out. To limit movement on the pool deck, keep your trash with your stuff and dump everything on your way out.
• Do not share pool toys or food with others. As neighborly as you’d like to be, the CDC discourages sharing anything with anyone outside of your group.

Breaking any of our normal rules, or our COVID rules, exposes you and our HOA to unnecessary risk. The Board stuck their necks out to make our pool season happen, so please respect the rules that are in place to keep people safe and protect our common resources so members of our community can use it as safely as possible.

As always, your feedback is appreciated and carefully considered. Feel free to email me at arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com.

Cheers,

Ari Feldman
President
Meadowglen HOA

You are likely aware that Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), an invasive, high-destructive, non-native insect that threatens the health/lives of ash trees, has been officially detected in Arvada. If left untreated, the bug will kill ash trees within three to four years. The BOD is taking a proactive approach to the inevitable effect EAB will have on Meadowglen HOA ash trees by

1. Taking an inventory of ash trees on HOA property.
2. Establishing the health/viability of each ash tree to determine if it should be chemically treated or removed and replace.
3. Getting bids from tree specialists to treat chemically or remove and replace the ash trees.

Former board president Jason Zack has generously volunteered to spearhead that approach. In addition to getting bids from tree specialists, Jason will be advocating for neighborhood discounts to be offered for residents who wish to have their ash trees treated or removed. Thank you, Jason for volunteering your time to this really important task ahead of us.

If you are interested in being on the list to have your ash tree assessed, treated or removed at a discounted rate, please fill out the form by visiting our EAB Treatment Interest Form.

For information regarding identifying an ash tree, determining its health and deciding on treatment options, visit csfs.colostate.edu/eab or  colorado.gov/emerald-ash-borer.

An important aspect of living in Meadowglen has been our commitment to a strong social fabric by providing a minimum of five neighborhood-wide events per year: The Spring Fling, the 4^th of July picnic, the Doggy Swim and the Halloween and Winter Holiday family parties. In recent years, we have added a 5K run and teen nights to the list. As you all know, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of all events so far this year, and we do not know what the future holds regarding resuming the events as they once were.

As a Board, we support the continuation of our strong social fabric of the community both during this pandemic and after. We invite you to help make that happen by brainstorming with us, and with your family and neighbors, the various ways our traditional social events can be reimagined to adhere to the social distancing and other COVID restrictions/health orders issued by the public health agencies. For example: The 5K run, if held this year, will be done so in a way that staggers runners to maintain social distancing. The Halloween event could become a Porch Scarecrow decorating or Halloween decorating exhibit; the winter holiday event might be a snowman, winter wreath or other holiday decorating exhibit, etc.

While such activities can’t replace the interactivity of in-person events, they do invite neighbors to take walks around the neighborhood and chat while social distanced. They do allow us to celebrate without putting anyone’s health at risk. So get creative! Pool your ideas! And share them with the board by visiting: https://www.meadowglen-hoa.com/social-events-reimagined-submission-form/

Recently the City of Arvada notified the organizer of many of the food truck events that it is against municipal code for food truck vendors to conduct business on public property in within 50 feet of a residential zone district (Article 5.4.2). The Board was approached with the request to allow the food trucks to park in the HOA-owned clubhouse parking lot. The BOD consulted with the MSI community management team and have been advised by legal counsel that due to the potential liability with regard to the coronavirus and the uncertainty regarding how coronavirus spreads, that sanctioning such an activity puts the HOA, the Board, and the community at unnecessary risk. We were advised NOT to permit the activity at this time.

We understand that this is a disappointment to many of our residents, especially during this challenging time, but it is important that we err on the side of caution during this global health crisis and do our best to abide by public health orders, municipal code, and follow the advice of our management company and legal counsel.

Now that it is apparent that having food trucks in the neighborhood is a popular feature, once the COVID restrictions subside and there is no longer risk to health or liability risk, the Board will work with the social committee to manage the activity and provide permission for them to park in the pool parking lot. We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your patience.

The pool has officially been open for a week and so far everything is going pretty well! We have received lots of feedback from homeowners on the reservation system, the cleaners, the policies, and general operations. The check-in and cleaning crew has been doing a great job and we’re really pleased on how everyone is taking some personal accountability at the pool. We wanted to touch base now with a few reminders and an update.

The first reminder is about the mask policy. To comply with the State Guidelines, we are continuing to require masks to be worn on entry and exit. While this is a brief period for entry and exit, you have to remember that people are in closer contact when everyone is trying to check in and out. Plus, it helps protect the check-in crew. This is a simple and painless ask, and it helps us keep compliant with the rules. Thank you for your cooperation.

The second reminder is that the pool slot is 2 hours in length. Please start exiting the water and packing up your stuff with a 10 minute margin. This will ensure that you can clean your pool furniture and exit before the next block begins. We cannot have people overstay their 2 hours as it may impinge on our limited capacity at the pool. If you’d like to stay longer, check the reservation system, and if there is availability you may book the next block. Just make sure to let the check-in crew know you were able to do that.

The last reminder is to stay vigilant on your social distancing. Everyone has different comfort levels and while you may feel more comfortable in close contact with some neighbors, others may perceive that social distancing policies are not being followed. Please use the markings on the pool deck to make sure furniture stays out of the taped off zones, and use the markings at the pool edge when you’re in the pool to ensure you are 6 ft apart. Again, thank you for your cooperation.

The update we have is regarding the guest policy. Looking back at the usage over the first week (which includes the July 4th weekend), we only had 2 blocks that were truly at capacity (near 50 reservations) and both of those occurred on the 4th. There was increased usage on the observed holiday 7/3 as well as on Sunday 7/5. For all of the other weekday visits, there was generally plenty of capacity for more people. So, starting 7/10, you may bring up to 2 guests per household Monday through Friday only. No guests on the weekend (for now). Please book these guests by adding them as family members on the reservation system. All guest must be named for the check-in crew as well. Homeowners are responsible for all guest behavior. If you or your guests do not follow either the regular or COVID rules, you may lose pool privileges.

Lastly, if you experience any key card trouble during your lap swim time, please call/text/email Ari Feldman (303-900-2746, arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com). With our new system most of the cards need to be updated, and we only discovered that once people started to key in. One benefit of the new system is that we can remotely unlock the gates if you do have trouble. We’re very sorry for the inconvenience, but bear with us as we get the new system up and running.

Stay safe out there!

In June, the Colorado State Forestry Service confirmed that EAB is present in Arvada. There are 12 ash trees on HOA property (this does NOT include ash trees in our common area on City-owned property). The BOD has begun to identify potential tree services to help us determine which of our ash trees are healthy and the cost of treating them (treatment must be repeated every two years), and which of our ash trees are unhealthy, are best removed and the cost of replacing them.

As we get bids from tree specialists, we will ask if they are willing to provide a discount to residents interested in having their trees assessed and potentially treated or removed. Remember, EAB spreads quickly to nearby locations. Once a tree is infested with EAB, it takes about 3 years for it to die, unless the tree, previously in good health, is chemically treated to protect it against EAB, so it is beneficial to the community for residents to be proactive in responding to this situation. We will keep the community informed regarding our treatment plans and options for potential neighborhood discounts.