arifeldman

This morning at 8:30 a.m. a group of three Board members, two homeowners, and our community manager, met to count and verify the ballots received for the proposed limited amendment. All ballots were rigorously verified for the date received, address, and signatures. Additionally, the committee ensured that only one ballot per home was received. Both the Board and the community members who participated in the ballot count were satisfied with the verification and audit process.

The Board wishes thank everybody who voted, regardless of the direction of your vote, so that we could better understand how the community truly feels. We also respect the decision not to vote, as that is your right.

Ballot results
A total of 215 ballots were received by the 5 p.m. deadline on 10/11. There were 26 NO votes, 38 non-votes (which count as NO votes) and 182 YES votes. Additionally, there were 7 ballots that were rejected (5 yes, 2 no) due to lack of address, date stamp, or illegible address. Passage of the proposed covenant required 167 consents to change; therefore, the proposed changes have passed, and the new covenant language will be written into our declarations.

Following the ballot count, Board President (Ari Feldman) and Secretary (Cindy Javelet) signed the limited amendment in front of a notary, and it was hand delivered to our lawyers to file with the County Clerk and Recorder. We expect recording to officially happen on 10/14, at which time the limited amendment will go into effect.

As a reminder of how a consent to change works: The Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act (CCIOA) sets the limit for a consent to change between 51% and 67%. Per our Covenant 8.4, a minimum of 66% (167 votes) of all homeowners must consent to change a covenant.

The new language for Covenant 5.11
The Board is committed to enforcing the language in the revised covenant; therefore, it is important that residents understand and follow the restrictions. The restrictions on truck parking are:

1. Only 1 truck is allowed to be parked on the driveway only (no street parking). Garage parking of pickup trucks has always been allowed.
2. Truck size not to exceed 84 inches in height or 240 inches in length, and may not have any more than 2 axels or 4 tires.
3. Trucks may not store items that extend above the height of the bed. Low profile truck boxes are allowed, up to the height of the bed.
4. Roof or bed racks intended for transporting ladders or construction equipment are prohibited.
5. Truck toppers must match in color and be equal in height with the cab.

In addition to the limited allowance of trucks, a new definition of abandoned or inoperable vehicles was adopted that ensures all vehicles must have current license plate tags and may not be in any obvious state of disrepair (flat tires, damaged paneling, etc).

Going forward
The Board recognizes that for some residents this change will be disappointing: there are those who did not want ANY change, and on the flip side, there were also residents who wanted a larger change—one without any truck restrictions. However, we are encouraged that, with 182 consents to the change (72%), a strong majority of our community members have expressed their willingness to accept a compromise and ease the division among our community members on a topic that has been contentious for more than a decade. We urge our residents to continue to treat each other with kindness and respect, and to comply with the new covenant language.

If you have any questions about the revised covenant, the voting process, or the audit process, please feel free to email me at arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com.

On behalf of the Meadowglen Board,

Ari Feldman, Meadowglen Board President

Dear Meadowglen residents,

You may have already read that the City of Arvada will be implementing water restrictions beginning Oct. 1, but for those who don’t want to sift through all the details, these are the important points for our community to know:

First, all HOAs are required to cease watering common areas beginning today, Oct. 1. Due to our unseasonably warm weather, our common areas will likely brown up rather quickly. There is nothing the board or Keesen can do about this, as it is a requirement from the City of Arvada.

Second, between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15, all residents are being asked to restrict watering to 3 days per week using a schedule based on house #.

• If your property address ends in an odd number, please water on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday.
• If your property address ends in an even number, please water on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday.

On Oct. 15, all watering must end aside from the exceptions listed in the press release. Read here: https://arvada.org/city-of-arvada-implements-watering-restrictions-in-advance-of-scheduled-maintenance-on-ralston-reservoir.

Thank you,

Meadowglen Board of Directors

 

These events will take place:

• Saturday, July 24, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Stenger Sports Complex (11200 W 58th Ave)
• Saturday, Aug., 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Area Athletic Complex (19500 W 64th Pkwy)

For both events:

• You must provide proof of residency at the event either with a water utility bill or a driver’s license with your current address.
• There is a five (5) item limit. 
• Learn what items are acceptable and not acceptable here: http://arvada.org/links/fetch/36425. Learn more at arvada.org/bulky-item-drop-off-events.

In the following article we stated that “No action is required on your part”, however the original intent on that statement was that no action is required to transfer your information or records to Advance HOA. Homeowners will however need to setup an online account and setup your payment information with Advance HOA, per their mailing.

New Management Company – Starting 5/1/21

As you may have heard, after 41 years the Meadowglen Board has chosen to leave Management Specialists Inc.  Starting May 1, Meadowglen will be managed by Advanced HOA. MSI and Advanced HOA have already been working hard to transfer your information, records, prepaid assessments, etc. No action is required on your part. You should soon start seeing communications from Advanced HOA regarding the change. Around mid-April you will receive a welcome letter, payment instructions, and contact info sheets. We think you will be impressed with Advanced HOA and look forward to your feedback. If you have any questions about the change in management or the change process, please feel free to contact Ari Feldman (arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com or 303-900-2746) or any Board member.

For 41 years, the Meadowglen HOA has been managed by one company, Management Specialists Incorporated (MSI). Management Specialists was actually started in a home office right here in Meadowglen by then-resident Bill Biesendorf, and Meadowglen was its first client. We have shared a long history with MSI, and for decades, they serviced our community well. Unfortunately, over the last six years, that service began to fail. During that time we have had three different community managers that all started with a high quality of service, but over time, the service levels, including customer service levels, dropped. Each time this happened, the board documented the failings, attempted to resolve the issues with the respective community managers, and requested support from Management Specialist leadership. Unfortunately, MSI leadership did not demonstrate a course of action that gave us the confidence that we could continue to move forward with them as our community management company. Over the course of the last six years, we found that we were losing faith in MSI’s commitment to the Meadowglen community. This fact encouraged the BOD to research and reach out to other management companies as potential prospects for Meadowglen.

In the past when the MSI contract renewed, the Board would do our due diligence by soliciting bids from other companies. On paper, it’s easy compare management companies’ services and fees; but this time the board chose to interview prospective companies to understand their management philosophies to make sure they would be a good fit for Meadowglen. We solicited bids from several management companies and interviewed three. We learned that other management companies have updated their business models to more team-oriented approaches and use technology to more efficiently communicate between the manager, Board, and homeowners.

The company that most impressed us through a combination of the management philosophy, technology, and personal interactions was Advanced HOA Management. Judy and Sky Smeltzer started Advanced HOA in 2012. Since then they have grown to manage over 300 properties in the Denver Metro area with a large range of sizes and types. In addition to being extremely responsive via email both before and after we met with him via Zoom, during our Zoom meeting we found Sky to be a straight shooter and a realist (aka he didn’t try to oversell us on their capabilities), but also passionate about his company and the communities it serves. He explained their management philosophy as very team oriented with a dedicated community manager who works directly with the Board (but is also available to homeowners), a client-services team that works directly with homeowners, and an inspection team (one dedicated specifically to each community). This is in contrast to MSI’s approach, where the community manager is responsible for all of these functions (an approach we believe has set our community managers up to fail). Additionally, the Advanced HOA website has much more functionality allowing for ARC request submission and tracking, easier access to documents, and even an app for the inspection team. The Board also reached out to current Advance HOA clients including community board members and community residents, and received high praise from all.

Finally, during these interviews with other companies, we learned that MSI is undertaking a “partnership” (read acquisition) with Associa, the nation’s largest HOA management company. MSI leadership did not disclose this to the Board even with our recent conversations regarding service failures. We were disappointed in MSI’s lack of transparency regarding an action that could greatly impact our community.

After its February meeting, the Board voted via email to end our contract with MSI and sign on with Advanced HOA. Both our newer and more experienced Board members recognized that MSI is no longer fulfilling their end of the contract and that it is time for a change. While this change may feel uncomfortable to some, especially our long-time residents, we hope that you can trust your Board’s rigorous process in making this decision and know that we did not enter into it lightly or impulsively. There may be some mild disruptions during the transition, but the new management company has a very thorough and well-tested transition plan to get us through it. We believe Meadowglen will quickly become comfortable with Advanced HOA’s style, services, responsiveness and technology portal. Our community has an opportunity to forge a new management relationship, get a new and stronger level of commitment from the management company, and receive the high quality of service that Meadowglen residents deserve.

What to Expect Going Forward
The new management company will officially take over management of Meadowglen May 1, 2021. Between now and then, MSI and Advanced HOA will work together to transfer our accounts and legal information. The Board will also provide the community with ample information regarding what to expect with regard to the transition to new management. The first communication you will receive from Advanced HOA will come in early April (3 weeks before the start date). At any time, if you have questions about the Board’s decision or feedback on the new management company, feel free to call or email me (Ari Feldman, arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com 303-900-2746) or any board member.

The water level of Pomona Lake, which is primarily a storm water retention facility, was recently filled with runoff from Little Dry Creek to its maximum one-time annual fill level (for the November 1 through October 31 water year). What that means is that the valve allowing water from Little Dry Creek into Pomona Lake will only be opened again this year if precipitation and run off are so abundant that “free river” conditions exist (meaning there is no unsatisfied senior call on water downstream on Little Dry Creek or the South Platte) and additional diversions are allowed. It’s possible (remember September 2013), but considering that we may actually be facing a drought year, we can’t count on it. In past years, the water level was not monitored to make sure it was in compliance with the State’s water rights laws. Going forward, due to increased administrative scrutiny and tightening water budgets on the South Platte, it will be. We understand that low lake levels alarm our residents, but this is not something the BOD, nor the City of Arvada can dispute. Some HOA members have inquired about a method to augment the evaporative loss from the lake in the summer, which is allowed under state water law, but doing so would require both filing a water court case seeking authorization to do so and the ability to locate and purchase a fully-consumable water supply for the replacement. This process would cost tens of thousands of dollars; an amount not in the HOA budget.  

Until recently, short-term rentals (defined as anything less than 30 days) were not permitted in the City of Arvada. In August, Arvada City Council adopted a new ordinance that will make short-term rentals legal in the city (with certain restrictions, link to Arvada Press coverage). The ordinance will go into effect on October 31 2020.

That being said, it is important to remember that HOA covenants and rules can be more restrictive and supersede City code. Meadowglen Declarations Section 5.5 details the rental and leasing policies for our Association. Please be aware that Section 5.5a prohibits rentals of less than 6 months and Section 5.5e prohibits leasing the lot for hotel or transient purposes. Therefore, regardless of the City’s position on short-term rentals, Meadowglen covenants do not allow them. For more information, please contact Lewis at MSI or any board member.

Halloween is upon us and it’s time to have some fun! Meadowglen is having our annual event on October 24th. Like everything so far in 2020, there will be some changes to our annual event. We will be having a socially distanced, staggered gathering near the clubhouse parking lot . We will start at 4:00 pm for the younger kids (aged 0-5) and then welcome older kids beginning at 5:00 pm.

We will have treat and crafts bags for the age groups 0-5 and 6-18. There will be s’mores, a hallo-weeny roast for dinner, photo backdrop, flashlight tag and a costume contest with prizes. We will have fire pits to help warm us when the sun goes down. We do ask those coming to bring their own seating, face masks, and roasting sticks. We will have some sticks on hand, however, no shared seating will be provided.

Please use the sign-up genius to let us know if you plan on attending so we can more accurately prepare for this event. You can also use the sign-up genius to volunteer to help setup/cleanup and monitor the fire pits. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0545afad22a4fa7-meadowglen2

If you would like to help out with the party, want to share your ideas or join other social committee events – contact Linzi King @ linziking@meadowglen-hoa.com

The Bicycle Recycle Program is a partnership between the City and the Golden/Arvada Lake Arbor Optimists. Bikes that are no longer used are collected, refurbished and then distributed to community members who cannot afford to buy one.

The 2020 Bike Recycle event will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19, 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the City of Arvada Streets Maintenance Facility (6161 Olde Wadsworth Blvd.). For more information, visit arvada.org/bicycle-recycle-program.

In June, the Arvada City Council approved an ordinance and agreements to institute a single-hauler trash system for Arvada (Republic Services).

How will the system affect Meadowglen?

Since we already contract with a single-hauler (Waste Management), we can elect to continue with that hauler (it’s possible we may see prices affected; time will tell).

Another option would be for the HOA to contract with Republic, but many questions still need to be answered, and the Board will provide ample engagement opportunities with Meadowglen residents  in advance of any decisions. We will keep you informed.

The City intends to implement the system in July of 2021.

Where can you find out more information?

Visit arvada.org/waste-hauling to learn more about the organized waste hauling program or contact board member Cindy Javelet at 303-456-1023.