Meadowglen Homeowners Association

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.

Meadowglen has been known for our giant 4th of July day of festivities.  2020 keeps continuing to surprise us as events and celebrations have been canceled all over the country. The 4th of July is no exception for our celebrations this year.  We will not have our party due to COVID -19 conditions and guidelines.  This includes the pool party, parade, and fire truck parade. 

This year we would have celebrated the 40th 4th of July BBQ, but it’s important to note that we’re not celebrating the 40th anniversary of our community. Many of our homes were built between 1978-1980. There were a couple of years that the BBQ didn’t happen (especially in the early years). So we are hoping next year the party will be able to be bigger and better than past years, and we can celebrate the 40th BBQ in style. 

We do encourage each home to decorate their front door, porch, yard or drive way with red white and blue! If each of you want to put up decorations it will still bring joy to the community and remind us of the patriotism that resides here in our community! Feel free to send pictures of your decorated stoop or front yard to arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com and he’ll post them to our community website.

Be safe and enjoy a fun 4th of July!

Based on the pool survey and the desires of the community for the pool to open, the Board is pleased to announce that the pool will officially be opening on July 1. At the June meeting, the Board officially voted to open the pool. We have secured a company to do the cleaning and check-in, and the Board has worked hard to setup the pool to ensure social distancing and cleanliness.

The survey had 85 unique respondents with 84% of those responding that they did want the pool to open. There were lots of great questions and concerns raised that helped the Board make their decision and even change some proposed rules. Please check out our FAQ to find answers to commonly asked questions.

The reservation system is live and can be found at www.meadowglen-hoa.com under the Meadowglen Pool menu. You will need to create an account with our new reservation system and then input your family members. When you make a reservation, you can select which time block and which family members will be attending. You will need to accept our waiver (click here for full text) to use the pool which is accomplished by accepting the Terms of Use during the reservation.

As a reminder, there will be no lifeguards this year, so swim at your own risk. We will have a cleaning company on site that will help check you into your reservation, ensure social distancing is happening, and clean high-touch surfaces hourly. They cleaning company may also close the pool during inclement weather and early on July 4th (6 PM). They will cancel all reservations during those times.

There are additional rules to be followed this summer to keep people safe and pool access equitable:

• If you feel sick or have any COVID-19 related symptoms, please do not come to our common areas.
• No more than 50 individuals in the pool area at one time. Signage/visual cues/social distancing markers will be installed in the pool area. Social distancing is required.
• The pool will be open for Open Swim only when the cleaners are on site. They are permitted to close the pool temporarily or for the rest of the day depending on weather and safety.
• Household adult must make reservations through online process and complete a release for each reservation.
• To check-in for your reservation, you will need to provide proof of identity to the check-in attendant.
• Only 2 families at the wading pool, reservation required.
• To allow fair use of pool time by all interested, reservations will be limited to 1 2-hour block per day, made only up to a week in advance.
• Masks are required when entering/leaving facility, and highly encouraged when sitting pool side. Masks are not needed when in the pool.
• Household groups to remain in chosen areas unless in the pool or restroom.
• No rafts or large flotation devices.
• No pool parties
• Lost and Found items will be disposed of at the end of each session; valuable items (cell phones, keys, etc.) will be bagged and retained for a limited time.
• Spray bottles with disinfectant will be provided at the door, and families will be asked to spray down their areas of use before and after use.
• PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT. To minimize movement on the pool deck, please dump all trash/recycling only when exiting your reservation.

If you have any questions you can direct them to Ari Feldman (arifeldman@meadowglen-hoa.com) or Lewis Moses (lmoses@msihoa.com). We look forward to seeing you around the pool! Lets have a fun and safe summer!

We had such a great response to our pool survey! Thank you all for taking the time to respond and many of you for the thoughtful comments. There were many ideas that the board hadn’t considered and have changed our mind about too. Overall we had 85 unique respondents with 84% of those responding that they did want the pool to open.

There were a lot of questions that people asked about how the Board came to the decisions we did, the cost of cleaning, the Board’s responsibility, and the guest policies. As I mentioned above, we have changed some of our positions on certain topics (guests and trash). I have written up a FAQ page that we will update as often as needed. As restrictions ease, we may be allowed to change our policies as well. Please find the following link to the Pool FAQ:

2020 Meadowglen Pool FAQ

Thanks again for participating!

We had 16 amazing submissions to our first Chalk Art Festival! Fortunately the rain held out and didn’t wash away any of the art. Let’s hope the sprinkers are just as friendly!

Take a walk through the neighborhood on this lovely Sunday morning (6/14) and submit your vote for the best art. Submissions with the top 3 most votes will receive a Yogurtland Gift Card!

Please head over to this link to vote by 6 pm on 6/14: 2020 Chalk Art Festival Voting

Winners will be announced at 6:30 PM on 6/14