mgladmin

Yesterday the Colorado Department of Health amended “Safer at Home�? Order which states, “no personal parties over 10 people from two different households�? (link to amended order). The amended order also dictates the capacity for outdoor events. Many counties (Adams and Larimer) have also reverted back to Safer at Home Level 3: High risk, but Jefferson county still has us listed at Level 2: Concern. Under Safer at Home Level 2, we are allowed outdoor parties up to 175 people. Should Jefferson County change to Level 3 today, we will have to keep our numbers at any given time to 75 people. The Board spoke this morning and decided to proceed with the Halloween party following these guidelines. If we do move to Level 3 today, we will be keeping an eye on the numbers at the party and may ask for some people to disperse after partaking in festivities. We look forward to seeing you all tonight and having a great outdoor, socially distanced, masked-up event!

In an effort to keep leaves out of the landfill and off of City streets where they can block storm drains, free residential leaf recycling will be available the first three Saturdays in November (Nov. 7, 14 and 21), from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the following locations:

• Permagreen Organics (5520 Harlan St.)
• Stenger Soccer Complex (5675 Oak St., east entrance)

This event is for leaves only; no branches, woody brush or tree stumps will be accepted. No materials from commercial businesses, please. Due to COVID-19, leaves in plastic bags will need to be emptied by the resident. The City cannot offer assistance this year. For more information, visit arvada.org/leaf-recycling.

This has been a tough year to say the least, and I’ve heard from so many that a walk around the Lake was the highlight of your day. There have also been comments about how the lake isn’t what it used to be and that it is lacking not only the trees, but the fish and wildlife that used to be so commonly found. Well, we are lucky here in Meadowglen because we have a young local activist who took things into his own hands to make a difference and improve the community. Earlier this year, Meadowglen teenager Timothy Marette contacted Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) for ideas to clean up the lake and improve the fishing at Pomona Lake (located in the middle of Meadowglen). After a few passionate and “determined�? emails, a CPW aquatics crew completed a fish survey. It turns out that the carp which had taken over the lake had degraded the water quality by rooting in the lake bottom for food and destroyed the habitat that the fish, waterfowl, and amphibians used to enjoy here in Meadowglen. It was determined that if CPW removed the carp from the lake, the water quality and habitat would eventually improve and more catchable fish along with other desirable animals would return. Over the Summer CPW began the carp removal along the shoreline of Pomona Lake. Besides removing well over 60 carp, they also caught and released two 5+ pound bass, and catchable crappie and bluegill. CPW is also due to come back sometime this Fall to finish the survey in the middle of Pomona Lake. Way to go Timothy! Thank you for making the lake better for all anglers, walkers, and Meadowglen residents.

– Brett Schumer

Fall is upon us and it’s time to have some fun. Meadowglen is planning on having our annual Halloween 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.  A Sign up Genius and more information to follow.

We will have age appropriate treat bags and crafts. There will be hay rides, s’mores, and a costume contest with prizes.  We will have fire pits to help warm us when the sun goes down.
If you would like to help out with the party or other social committee events – contact Linzi King @ linziking@meadowglen-hoa.com

COVID-19 really has complicated our world. Through the summer we have opted to keep the clubhouse closed for a number of reasons. First, the Stay-at-Home Order forced us to close the clubhouse. Then the Safer-at-Home ordered allowed small gatherings up to 10 people. And currently during the “Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors” we can allow up to 25% of the capacity of the facility, or 13 people. But an event with that small of a gathering can happen in someone’s home pretty comfortably.

At every Board meeting through the summer the Board has discussed re-opening the clubhouse for rental. In some sense, it’s a great amenity that we could be missing out on. On the flip side, just the capacity limits alone don’t really justify opening up the clubhouse. Overall, the Board feels that there would have to be so many stipulations (capacity, cleaning, monitoring) on having an event at the clubhouse that it just makes sense to keep it closed for now. As the situation develops we will be sure to communicate when regular reservations can resume, and we will continue to address it at each Board meeting.

Thank you for your understanding!

Hey Everyone!

We’re rounding the bend on the summer and everything is still going great! I have heard of a few people having issues with the reservation system so I put together this FAQ on how to make reservations, add guests, and properly cancel a reservation. Everyone should check it out because you may think you were cancelling appropriately before, but likely weren’t (hint: you have to cancel each member in your party separately).

In other news, at the August Board meeting we discussed allowing guests on the weekends. I looked at the usage log on the weekend and found that while the numbers are pretty consistent through the summer, we are still not entirely at capacity on the weekends which could allow for some flexibility. We are definitely hitting or nearing capacity of reservations during the 2-4 and 4-6 PM blocks on Saturdays and Sundays, but not during the other blocks during the day. With that in mind, effective 8/22 you may bring up to 4 guests during the 10 am, 12 pm, and 6 pm slots on the weekend. Again, your guests are your responsibility. Make sure they follow our normal and COVID rules or you may lose pool privileges.

As always, if you have an issue with the reservation system, or questions about the pool, just let me know.

Lastly, just a reminder to stay vigilant, wear your mask, be courteous, and be safe!

Cheers,
Ari
303-900-2746

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.