Meadowglen Homeowners Association

Our very generous Meadowglen neighborhood was able to raise $700 for Ralston House this spring. And in spite of snow, rain, and lots of wind, the pinwheels have mostly survived and remain spinning! They are tough and resilient just like these kids and teens – a visible sign of hope and healing, something needed by all of us. Well done and thank you very much for your support.
– Ann DeMers

We have officially switched over to Advance HOA! In the mailer that was sent out mid-April were instructions on how to create your login, setup payment information, and setup recurring payments. If you’ve misplaced them, they are attached to this page.

If you’ve already created a login and need a reminder link to our new community website, login here: https://mgho.eunify.net/default.asp

Our new Community Manager is Cheryl Leyba. The Client Services Team and her contact info can be found on our Community Manager page.

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 43 years, Meadowglen Swim Team has called our Meadowglen Pool its home. Hundreds and hundreds of Meadowglen kids have swam and created a community amongst the team, last year and this year have created unprecedented challenges to our normal operations (as it has all our lives).

The Meadowglen Swim Team and the Meadowglen HOA Board have worked together to create a plan for the upcoming swim season that keeps swimmers safe, residents safe and provides a much needed opportunity for our kids to be in the water! Unfortunately, the safety plan does include new limitations on overall team size and swimmer age that we have not had in previous years (and hope to not have again!) 😊

Few changes for THIS YEAR:

• We are only accepting NEW swimmers that are Meadowglen Residents
• Swimmers must be 7 years old or older (usually 5 years old)
• Home meets will be held at Meyers Pool (usually at Meadowglen pool on Saturdays)
• Earlier weekday practice times (to allow for extra cleaning after we practice)
• Registration is open now and will end APRIL 30th

To read the entire plan visit: Meadowglen Swim Team – 2021 COVID Registration & Safety Plan (google.com)
To sign up a Meadowglen Resident child visit: www.meadowglenswimteam.com

Questions? Please email meadowglenswimteam@gmail.com or Melfrance1@gmail.com

Happy swimming everyone!
Melissa France
Meadowglen Mom & Meadowglen Swim Team Board Member

Spring has finally arrived and the Board was excited to resume the Annual Meadowglen Spring Fling on Saturday March 27th. Twenty plus families came and enjoyed a social-distanced party with an Easter egg hunt, a guest appearance from the Easter Bunny, a bubble play area, and photobooth.

Ann DeMers hosted a stall to support the annual Ralston House fundraiser.  Ralston House provides advocacy, support and investigative services for children who have been the victims of abuse. Residents purchased pinwheels, which are now on display in front of the clubhouse, and the social committee donated $100 to this worthwhile organization.

Thank you to Shelley Andreassend for leading this event and filling over 600 Easter eggs with me, Dave Morrison for his furry contribution, and Brittany Heckenberg of the Heckenberg Group for donating the prizes for the 6 lucky golden eggs.

April 17 will be the date for our Annual Meadowglen Clean-Up! It’s a
Saturday and we’ll meet at nine o’clock or so at the clubhouse parking lot.
All are welcome to come and help pick up litter from our subdivision’s
common areas. We also clean along our adopted Little Dry Creek Trail.

We’ve been getting together for this cleaning for many years now, always
around Earth Day. Last year we needed to skip because of COVID
restrictions, so it feels good to be setting this date again. In case of
too much snow or rain, we’ll meet April 24 instead. More information to
follow.

Thanks, Your Beautification Committee

Meadowglenners, spring is almost here so that means it’s also time for our annual Spring Fling. On Saturday March 27th at 10am, kids will be given the chance to hunt for eggs with treats and prizes inside. Although we will all gather at the same time there will be an egg hunt for different age groups: younger children 0- in a roped off area near clubhouse with the older children 5-15, or older if they show, will be hunting around the clubhouse and pool area. Inside their eggs will be age appropriate treats with one special golden egg to trade in for a bigger prize. They will be spaced about one minute apart to give the younger children in this group a bit of a head start. Due to COVID we are asking only Meadowglen residents attend with no extra family coming to watch. This helps keep our community safe. We require everyone to wear a mask. Also, the clubhouse will not be open, so that means no bathrooms. The egg hunt will begin at 10am, remember to bring a basket or something to put the eggs in.

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.

Written by Kathy Gilstrap–longtime Meadowglen resident and close friend of Janie Smith

Our community lost a shining star this past week.

Over 35 years ago, Janie Smith, and her husband, Sid, moved into Meadowglen, and the neighborhood was never the same!  You may remember Sid, who haled from London, by his delightful British accent.  If you didn’t know Janie personally, you may have been warmly greeted by her and her little white Maltese dogs, as you walked past their house along the lake.

For years, Janie and Sid entertained neighbors and friends.  They loved hosting get togethers in their beautiful home, and welcomed the opportunity to share food, drink, great stories, and laughter with everyone in the community.

In turn, Janie got great enjoyment from participating in neighborhood BBQs, wine “tastings” and s’mores around fire pits, attending the holiday events at the clubhouse, and watching the numerous wildlife on the Meadowglen lake outside her window.

They were gracious people, and full of gratitude.  After Sid passed, Janie commented how she felt she couldn’t be too sad because God had blessed her with 35 years with her wonderful husband!

Janie didn’t have children of her own, however, Janie lovingly “adopted” her nieces, nephews, and many, many of the children, and young adults in Meadowglen.  She spent hours chatting with them, really showing interest in their lives, and activities.  She always had a birthday party to attend, a gift to drop off, or a card to write.  She made our young people feel worthwhile.

Janie and Sid met while working for British Airways.  For a while they made their home in gorgeous Tiburon, California.  However, when Janie’s dad asked Sid and Janie to take over the family business, Denver Sanitary, they willingly came to Colorado, and settled in their beloved Meadowglen, not far from Janie’s childhood home in north Denver.

Janie immediately got involved with the community, joining the Architectural Review Committee.   She volunteered hours, and decades, helping to develop, write, and implement concise, and thoughtful design standards for the community, thus ensuring Meadowglen maintained its impeccable beauty, and value, over the years!

Additionally, Janie was a spiritual anchor in the Arvada and Denver community, as a committed member of Spirit of Christ Catholic Church, a personal supporter of the Capuchin Franciscans Friars, and a fan and season ticket holder of the Broncos and Rockies.  She often donated her tickets to organizations for fund raising events.

Janie always had a smile on her face, and a heart full of gratitude.  When you were around her, she made you feel special.  She was a light in this world!

While you may not have known Janie personally, know that she was an integral part of creating (and maintaining) the wonderful, unique neighborhood in which we live.

Godspeed Janie, until we meet again.

You have likely heard that the City of Arvada will begin implementing an organized waste hauling system in July 2021. HOAs who are already under contract with a waste hauler are allowed to remain with that particular hauler. The BOD is opting to stay under contract with Waste Management, because the price break per resident is lower than what is being offered by Republic, the City’s selected trash hauler. Additionally, aside from some occasional slip-ups, Waste Management provides consistently solid services to Meadowglen. It is important to note that resident in HOAs who choose to remain with a hauler other than Republic will be required to pay a “minimum service fee” of 88 cents per month ($1.76 per water bill cycle). So expect to see that additional charge on your water bill beginning in September. This minimum service fee allows you to participate at no additional charge in TWO yard waste drop off events and TWO bulk item drop off events per year.