Come to the Food Trucks tonight by the pool parking lot for a fun Monday! Gyros Express had to cancel but we have another great dinner truck and fabulous dessert by Rebel Cookie Dough and Confections (they have ice cream, homemade cookies, edible cookie dough, etc.
They will be there from 5-7:30. Hope to see you and your family there!
Here are their menus to view in advance.
https://www.rebelcookiedough.com/#menu
https://gotruckster.com/food-truck/el-turkito#menu
As you are likely aware, Covenant 5.11b prohibits pickup trucks from being parked within our neighborhood. Through the winter and spring, mounting tensions on the topic drove a grassroots movement to bring up the topic again. They modified the language from the failed 2018 effort to change this covenant, and the proposal was discussed at the May meeting. After the May Board meeting, the Board solicited comments on the proposed amendment in the state it was provided to us by the grassroots movement. In total, the Board received 28 form submission or emails on the topic. The Board also hosted an Open House Townhall event on June 5 for homeowners to come ask questions and engage with their neighbors. About 20-25 homeowners showed up and the Board fielded questions and listened to opinions. We’d like to thank everyone who sent us feedback both in person and virtually as it helped the Board in their decision making process.
At the June Board of Directors meeting (held on 6/24), after careful consideration on all of the input received, the Meadowglen Board voted unanimously (one abstention) in favor of distributing a “Consent to Change” ballot regarding an amendment of Covenant 5.11 to allow limited parking of pickup trucks.
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:
The Board recognizes that this is an important decision for the community, and we will continue to communicate with you regarding when to expect the ballot in your mailbox, what dates/deadlines to keep in mind and to clarify the ballot process using the following platforms:
If you have any questions regarding the ballot/ballot process/proposed language, etc., please feel free to contact any board member individually or all of us at bod@meadowglen-hoa.com.
PLEASE NOTE: HOAs are governed by State Law, the Colorado Common Interest Ownership Act (CCIOA) and the Declaration of Covenants. Our covenants, in compliance with CCIOA, specifies that an amendment to a declaration of covenants must be accomplished by written consent of 67% of the homeowners to a specific change. The Board has NO discretion to adjust this process.
The City of Arvada Parks Maintenance staff has notified us that beginning tomorrow morning, Thursday, June 24 at approx. 7:30 a.m. through the end of day, tree work will take place around Pomona Lake and along the Little Dry Creek Trail. A number of Russian Olives will be removed as they are considered an invasive species. A number of other trees will also be trimmed due to dead or dying branches and to abide by tree maintenance standards.
It is important to note that if a homeowner’s trees hang over the fence line onto City property, the City is allowed to trim the trees back to the fence line and to raise the tree canopy to a minimum of 8′ feet over sidewalks/trails as needed to clear the surrounding area for mowers, vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, signs, lights, etc.
The Meadowglen community, HOA and BOD have always had a very cooperative partnership with City of Arvada staff. We request that if a resident has a question or concern about this work, please contact a board member or Advance HOA. Please respect those doing the work and do NOT confront them. They are not the decision-makers regarding the work being done.
Thank you in advance.
Ari Feldman, Board President
Cross-post from Nextdoor.com: https://nextdoor.com/p/tjLdZk9gFgNS?utm_source=share&extras=NzAyNTc4
Our house received a notice from the HOA ARC that we need to replace our driveway (completely expected; it is old), and I understand several other houses in the neighborhood are in the same boat. That leads me to two questions: Does anyone have a solid recommendation for a driveway replacement contractor; and does anyone want to go in together to coordinate replacement and hopefully get a better rate from the contractor? Send me a message and I will try to put together a list of contractors and households.
Contact Karl Ohlsen at ohlsenk@hotmail.com
Trash will be collected on Fri 6/4 due to the Memorial Day holiday. On the Waste Management website, this notice is available:
Meadowglenners, it is in our 20 year Reserve plan to update the clubhouse furniture this year. While some items have aged gracefully, we hope to modernize and make the clubhouse space a bit more multifunctional. The board would like to offer the furniture to Meadowglen residents before we donate them. The clubhouse will be open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8-10 am for Meadowglen residents to take what they would like. All unclaimed furniture items will be donated to Family Tree, a non-profit which helps families in need.
The lifeguards don’t officially start until tomorrow, but with such a nice day and the kids out of school, the pool is open for use. Without lifeguards, please swim at your own risk. No reservations necessary today only (again, no lifeguards). Be careful, look out for each other, and have fun!
Dear Meadowglen residents,
As most of you know, the topic of trucks parking in Meadowglen has been hotly debated in the community for more than a decade. In 2018 HOA legal counsel advised the board that a 2007 policy we had written to provide flexibility to the truck covenant actually violated our covenants and had to be removed. This fact, in addition to crimes against trucks parked outside the community and conflict between neighbors within the community, caused the board to consider a change to the covenant. The BOD conducted a community survey, employed a mediator to identify a middle ground, and provided plenty of communication/engagement opportunities for community members, resulting in the Board initiating a consent to change ballot to permit trucks to park in the community with restrictions. Our covenants require 66 percent of the homeownership to consent to the change. The vote failed by 8 votes. The Board determined that the issue would not be revisited for at least 2 years and that a grassroots movement within the community would need to initiate future action. While the vote’s failure to pass temporarily settled the issue, it did not resolve it.
During the last several months, the Board has become aware through social media platforms, emails, phone calls, and conversations in the neighborhood that tensions regarding the truck issue are growing and continuing to divide the community. Residents who park their trucks outside the community experience truck theft and break-ins, causing safety and quality of life issues to be raised. Newcomers to the community are perplexed by a rule that allows a large SUVs or vans to be parked in the driveway but requires an expensive truck to park outside the community. The changing neighborhood demographics along with the transformation of trucks and their growing popularity calls the current value of the covenant into question.
In April, the Board was also made aware of a grassroots movement willing to go door-to-door to collect signatures on a proposed covenant. Their intent was to utilize the prepared covenant from the 2018 ballot with a modification of the height from 80” to 84”. To better understand the legal situation if they did deliver enough ballots, the Board met with our legal counsel before the May Board meeting. Our lawyer advised us that, based on the 2018 ballot results indicating 63 percent of the community is in favor of the change, the board has duty and good cause to bring it back up for vote.
At the May meeting, as noted in the May 12 and May 17 emails of the agenda, the Board and community members discussed the topic. Based on resident feedback received during the meeting, the Board decided to provide additional feedback opportunities to residents on both sides of the issue in person and digitally. An open house style town hall has been scheduled for Saturday, June 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. outside of the Meadowglen clubhouse to answer questions you may have or make comments to the Board. If you would prefer to record your feedback digitally, you may email the Board at bod@meadowglen-hoa.com or fill out a form on our community website located here: https://www.meadowglen-hoa.com/proposed-truck-covenant-feedback-form/.
The Board will consider all feedback before proceeding with a vote.
It is important to remember, that while our governing documents include covenants that the Board of Directors are required to enforce, the documents also include language to amend a covenant when it no longer serves the community. The question being raised is whether the covenant prohibiting trucks from parking in the community still serves the community, and if it does not, what is the community’s path forward.
Lastly, the date of the June board meeting, originally scheduled for June 17, has been rescheduled for June 24 at 6 pm.
On behalf of your board of directors, sincerely,
Ari Feldman
Board President
Last summer the City of Arvada advised us that it’s against residential code to have a food truck operate within 50 ft of a residential property line. The City did advise that the food trucks could park in the clubhouse parking lot if the Board was amenable. At the time the Board was very cautious on how to proceed with the pool, so we felt that we had assumed enough liability and didn’t want to invite more liability.
Obviously this summer is slightly different, with COVID in recession and people more familiar with COVID safety. In order for us to assume the liability, the Board discussed that we would require food trucks to apply for a permit. Here are the items required to be granted a permit:
This should also give homeowners some confidence that the food trucks are safe and authorized by the Board to be there. If you are interested in coordinating a food truck, please give them this guidance and have them email the Board at bod@meadowglen-hoa.com.
Longtime resident and member of Meadowglen’ Beautification Committee, Dave Hendricks, has passed away.
Much loved by fellow committee members and neighbors, Dave is best known for spearheading a project with the City of Arvada to plant a forest of evergreens along 80th Avenue. In 2009, Hendricks approached the board with the idea to plant a row of trees planted as a sound/light/noise barrier for Meadowglen residents, whose homes border the heavily trafficked W. 80th Avenue. The board, while skeptical he could convince the City, gave him the thumbs up, and with help from Meadowglen’s ARC Chairperson, David Sands, the two presented the idea (along with Hendricks very elaborate plans) to the Arvada Parks Advisory Committee. The committee recognized the wisdom in the idea and moved it forward resulting in the beautiful of forest of evergreens that line W. 80th Avenue along the periphery of Meadowglen.
In 2017, the Meadowglen Board proposed that the area be officially named “The Forest of the Daves” to recognize Hendricks and Sands for their commitment to the project. City Council voted unanimously in favor, and a sign dedicating the area as such was erected. In October of that year, City officials, the Daves and their families, along with Meadowglen residents held a dedication ceremony at the site (pictured below in the back row 5th from the left.).
Dave’s kind spirit and commitment to the Meadowglen Community will be greatly missed, but his memory will live on and on and on in the “The Forest of the Daves.”
THANK YOU, DAVE!
