Santa Fe Trail Ranch POA
Regular Board Meeting
August 20, 2005, 9:00 AM
FPFPD Station 3 on SFTR

Directors: Present Absent
  Bill Wenstrom, President  
  John Albert  
  Bob Dye  
  George Gonzalez  
  Diana Novacek  
  Diane Rader  
  Don Ruward  
  John Sanders  
  Robert Scott  

Guests:  Ann Scott, Tom Stephens, June Stephens, R.C. Ghormley, M.J. Shelton, Mike Shelton, Betty Withington, Kristen Spinning, Tom Winchell, Bob Scott, Donna Scott, Tony Riley, Dave Skogberg, Michelle Minion.

  1. CALL TO ORDER – Bill Wenstrom called this meeting of the Board to order at 9:00 AM.
     
  2. PROOF OF NOTICE – Bill Wenstrom gave proof that proper notice of the meeting had been given.
     
  3. ROLL CALL & DETERMINATION OF QUORUM - Eight (8) of the board members were present, which made a quorum and all business official.
     
  4. PRESENTATION BY LEVI MONTOYA OF NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVANCY SERVICES – Mr. Montoya, District Conservationist for the Trinidad NRCS service center gave a presentation on various funded programs available through NRCS that may apply to land/wildlife habitat management on the SFTR. For more information, contact him at 846-3681 ext. 3 or visit their web site at www.nrcs.usda.gov.
     
  5. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – Bob Scott moved that the minutes from the board meeting on May 21, 2005 be approved. The motion passed.
     
  6. OLD BUSINESS
     
    1. COMMITTEE REPORTS
       
      1. Common Area – Bob Scott reported that the wooden signs near the ranch entrance have been taken down to be repaired and will be replaced as soon as the work is finished. Also, the Trinidad/Raton directional sign was removed by the paving contractor working on I-25 and will be replaced after the surplus asphalt pile is removed. (This was accomplished before the draft minutes were published.) Bob also reported that two additional dumpsters were added to handle heavy summer usage and continued dumping of construction trash.
         
      2. Road Committee – John Albert reported that there is approximately $84,000 left in the 2005 road repair budget, and approximately half of the 2005 allocation of road base has already been applied. The next roads to be road based are Trail Ridge and Cougar Court. After that, the priorities are the roads near water tank 3 and Owen Baldwin Parkway. Time, weather, and funding will determine when road base operations will cease for the year. John also reported that the recent heavy rains exposed some culvert problems which will be corrected, but the majority of them performed well. Owners are asked to report any known blocked culverts, and check their driveway culverts for blockages and repair them as necessary. Bill Wenstrom reported that the owner of Morley has rescinded permission to use red ash.
         
      3. Communications – George Gonzalez reported that there is a plan to reinstitute USPS mailings to property owners. Diane Rader and George have volunteered to perform the task jointly, and will be reimbursed for the cost of materials. Also, Diane Rader reported that the database unification effort is still underway. John Sanders reported that there will probably always be a financial database maintained by our accountant and a web-based database maintained by our webmaster and the property owners, and these two databases will have to be synchronized periodically.
         
      4. Covenant Changes – Bill Wenstrom reported that a petition to the court will be filed soon and at that time, notices will be mailed to all property owners.
         
      5. Covenant Violations – Bill Wenstrom reported that the recent covenant violations regarding trailers and vehicles parked on POA right-of-way reported at the last meeting have not been resolved. Diane Rader moved to take legal action to resolve these complaints. The motion passed.
         
      6. Emergency Services – Bob Dye reported that the gate was manned for the entire Fourth of July holiday. Property owner stickers and fire prevention information was distributed. Open issues for the committee include scheduling of future meetings, determining if there are future plans to update the ESC info for printed or web site publication, and completion of the video surveillance system improvements.
         
      7. Forest Health – Diana Novacek reported that the committee had introduced its new web site, received written approval of the 2005 grant, and was in the process of preparing their 2006 grant application. In order to gather valuable data regarding our ranch and to make our 2006 grant application competitive with others, Diana moved that the budget be modified to allow a $10,500 expenditure to professionally produce a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. After the $10,500 expenditure this year, the committee expects $5,250 to be reimbursed by our approved 2005 grant. After considerable discussion, the motion passed.
         
      8. Finance – Diane Rader reviewed the budget and balance sheets, and requested feedback to determine if the board felt that a CPI-based increase was necessary this year. There was no motion for a dues increase. Diane also reported that 31 new liens were being filed for non-payment of dues, bringing the total to 43. John Albert moved to suspend the voting rights of all property owners who are in default (defined as those who have liens filed against them). The motion passed.
         
      9. Ranching (Grazing and Fencing) – Bill Wenstrom reported that the perimeter fence with Vermejo Park Ranch is finally complete. Of the $7528 spent, $3764 will be billed to VPR. The north perimeter fence is still intact and in good condition. The next board will consider the expense of completing the northern portion of our western border. There was discussion regarding the legality and ethics of a reported “cattle drive” by property owners, and of the water access problems due to recent issues regarding the windmill and fiberglass tanks. Although the POA does not have a legal responsibility to do so, in the interest of taking proper ethical actions and maintaining our good business relationship with Mr. Walters, John Albert moved that the POA purchase replacement tanks (not to exceed $1000) to provide water along Cottonwood Canyon for the cattle.
         
      10. Weed Control – Bill Wenstrom reported that there was less participation in this year’s annual weed spraying event than in previous years. The cost of supplies was approximately $1600. If there is not improved participation in the future, professional contractors may be needed at an expected expense approaching $10,000. Bill will try a volunteer effort again in 2006.
         
    2. Phelan Lawsuit – Bill Wenstrom updated the board on the status of the Phelan lawsuit.
       
    3. Metro Settlement – Mike Shelton reported that the legal costs are still unknown, and the necessary future operating expenses are difficult to predict due to the unknown number of leaks that will be discovered. The status of any rebate resulting from the settlement has not been determined. See the Metro Board meeting minutes for more details.
       
    4. Records Storage – Bill Wenstrom reported that the POA needs a central location to store records, and the Fishers Peak Fire Protection District has offered to allow the POA to store a filing cabinet in Station 3 on SFTR. As compensation, the POA will purchase and donate a second filing cabinet for their use. Diana Novacek moved that Bill Wenstrom be authorized to purchase these items at an expected cost of approximately $375. The motion passed.
       
  7. NEW BUSINESS
     
    1. BOD nominations – Bill Wenstrom reported that there were 3 nominations for directors on the website. John Sanders reported that 2 additional nominations were initiated via e-mail, but were still incomplete at this time.
       
    2. 2005 Annual Members’ Meeting Information Packet – After discussion and amendments to the draft version of the packet, Diane Rader moved to accept the amendments and mail the packet to the owners of all 454 lots.
       
    3. Request for Temporary Residence Permit – Bill Wenstrom reported that a request had been made to place a trailer on a lot temporarily while a permanent residence is constructed. Diane Rader will provide the application form for the appropriate POA permit.
       
  8. FROM THE FLOOR – None
     
  9. IX. DATE OF NEXT MEETING – The next scheduled meeting of the Board is set for October 22, 2005 in the Sullivan Room in the Student Center Building on the campus of Trinidad State Junior College immediately following the Membership Meeting.
     
  10. ADJOURNMENT – John Albert moved that the meeting be adjourned. The motion passed and the meeting was adjourned at 1:55 PM.
     

Recorded and posted in draft form by John Sanders, Secretary, on August 27, 2005.
Approved by the Board of Directors on January 14, 2006.