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November
1998
January
1999
P.O.A.
SIGNS LAND USE AGREEMENT
P.O.A. controls
100% of its mineral rights
The P.O.A. has entered
into a Land Use Agreement with Raton West - Baldwin Ltd. A draft of this
agreement appears in the minutes of the Board meeting of April 11, 1998.
A motion to execute this document was passed at the July 11, 1998, Board
meeting. Fifty per cent of the mineral rights are deeded to the P.O.A.
One third of these rights are deeded to a Pettigrew corporation over which
the P.O.A. has irrevocable voting rights. One sixth of the rights are
owned, proportionately, by each property owner.
Conservancy
for Ranch
The five platted
lots (J-6 through J-10) along Gallinas canyon will become a conservancy
in October 1999 that is to be managed by the P.O.A. This is a strip of
land comprising approximately 180 acres traced by Gallinas Parkway. The
land was purchased from Charles Baldwin by a few very generous people
including our very own John and Gina Raye. This land will be held in trust
so all of the members of the Santa Fe Trail Ranch might enjoy it in its
primitive state for generations to come.
Charles Baldwin
owns frontage lots
The five frontage
lots (J-1 through J-5) along I-25 continue to belong to Charles Baldwin.
These lots may be used only for agricultural or wildlife purposes. If
these lots are developed for those uses, a separate entrance other than
P.O.A. owned roads must be created. Should Charles elect to return these
lots to the P.O.A., they must be restored to their present condition.
Charles also has the right to erect up to four billboards on this property
that must conform to state and local laws and can only be used for his
businesses. Another aspect of this agreement indemnifies Baldwin Ltd.
from all claims for obligations of the past made by the Board of the P.O.A.
This indemnification does not apply to individual property owners' rights.RANCH
PHONE SYSTEM DETAILED The phone system consists of a fiber
optic trunk line to the Ranch leading to 9 hubs on the Ranch. Copper lines
employing ISDN and ASDL technologies will lead from the hubs to a pedestal
at each lot following the same path as the water line. U.S. West will
provide approximately 1725 feet of underground phone lines from the pedestal
to a junction box. Three phone lines per lot will be provided by the system.
The phone line system from the junction box to the telephonic device (phone,
modem, fax) is the responsibility of the property owner.
RANCH
WATER SYSTEM DETAILED
The water system consists
of a City of Trinidad water tap connecting to the Ranch line at the Holiday
Inn. The Ranch system then runs to the northeast corner of Ranch property.
Water will be pumped to a dark blue 30 feet in diameter by 18 feet high,
110,000 gallon storage tank. This tank is located on lot C-46 at the north
end of the Ranch. Two identical tanks will be located at the southwest
corner (Lot H-1) and southeast corner (Lot E-1) of the Ranch. These tanks
will be connected by 2 and 3 inch water lines (depending on the elevation)
running down the center of all Ranch roads thereby providing a location
for a water tap for each lot. Individual lot owners have been requested
to identify the location along the water line at which they would like
the water tap for each lot to be located. The system is designed to be
pressurized by gravity to supply water to a cistern on each lot. Since
the elevation of a given cistern relative to the height of the water storage
tanks will vary considerably, a pressure reducing valve will be installed
at each water tap.
It will be the responsibility
of each lot owner to connect a water line from the tap to their own cistern.
In order to connect to the tap, three fees must be paid; a $3,150 tap
fee payable to the City of Trinidad, a $2,000 water rights replacement
fee payable to the City of Trinidad and a water meter fee payable to Municipal
District. The cost of the water meter fee has not yet been established.
The lot owner will then need to supply the underground water line from
the water meter to their cistern and a shutoff mechanism at their cistern
to stop the flow of water that keeps the cistern full.
GROUND
BREAKING FOR PHONE/WATER SYSTEM
Construction of the
water system and installation of the phone system is scheduled to begin
on December 1, 1998, and be completed within 12 months. The contracted
systems construction cost will be approximately $2,600,000. The Municipal
District will provide the extra $1,800,000 beyond the funds that have
already been collected for the establishment of these systems. The estimated
cost to repay this $1,800,000 is $31 per month per lot for 10 years. The
cost of the water on a per gallon basis has not yet been established by
the Municipal District. Phone system usage costs will be billed to the
property owner by U.S. West.
MUCH
OBLIGED!
Due to the hard and
dedicated work of a number of our property owners, the water and phone
systems will soon become reality. Thanks from all of us to Will Potter,
David Schroepfer, Jim Davis, David Hulstine, Eddie Gieske, Tom and June
Stephens, and all the others who've helped in a variety of different ways.
WEB
SITE AND NEWSLETTER TO BE ESTABLISHED
One of the many issues
that was discussed at the annual meeting of October 10, 1998, was the
need for better communications between the Board and the membership. The
overwhelming consensus of the group was a newsletter and a web site should
be established. Michael Hughes agreed to pursue this goal and several
members volunteered to help.
Among the actions
taken by the Board was the creation of a Communications Committee co-chaired
by Carol Rawle and Connie Tucker. Membership of the committee includes
Morgan Flygstad, Michael Hughes and Neil Sexton. On October 13, 1998,
the volunteers (Carol Rawle, Connie Tucker, Rachel Rowe, Morgan Flygstad
and Michael Hughes) met to discuss the plans and goals of this committee.
The plan that the committee agreed upon was to create a newsletter as
soon as possible and create a web site as a vehicle to distribute the
newsletter. The general contents of the proposed web site were also discussed.
Rachel Rowe will be contacting the committee chairmen to provide reports
to be included in the web site. Linda Jordan will be typing the official
P.O.A. documents for inclusion in the web site as well.
Michael Hughes and
Carol Rawle decided that the web site will be established as an autonomous
entity to provide factual, unbiased and timely information to the membership.
Michael and Carol will co-edit the web site and the Board, the committees
and the P.O.A. membership will be contributors and users of this information
and communications media. The web site will be known as the Santa Fe Trail
Ranch Information Service. In order to provide this service, the web site
will be financed through a voluntary subscription fee of $5.00 per year
per subscriber. This subscription fee will cover the cost of maintaining
the web site and e-mail capability. The Board has agreed to finance the
$300 to $500 startup costs.
This newsletter called
"The Ranch Review" has been created by Michael Hughes and Carol Rawle
and distributed to all property owners by U.S. mail. This and all future
newsletters will be incorporated into the Santa Fe Trail Ranch Information
Service web site. Future newsletters will be published quarterly to coincide
with the quarterly Board meetings. The publication and mailing cost of
this initial newsletter has been financed by the Board. In order to receive
future newsletters by U.S. mail, members must provide a subscription fee
of $5.00 per year per subscriber to cover the cost of publishing and mailing.
This subscription fee is not necessary for those who wish to access the
newsletter through their web site subscription.
If you would like
to take advantage of the information and communications facilities offered
by the Santa Fe Trail Ranch Information Service web site, please send
your $5.00 subscription fee to the Communications Committee P.O. Box 870
Trinidad CO 81082.
If you would like
to have future issues of The Ranch Review mailed to you on a quarterly
basis, please send your $5.00 subscription fee to the Communications Committee
P.O. Box 870 Trinidad CO 81082.
SANTA
FE TRAIL RANCH INFORMATION SERVICE
The Santa Fe Trail
Ranch Information Service is being designed to serve two purposes. The
web site will contain all information applicable to the P.O.A. and the
Ranch. This includes the official P.O.A. documents, Board mailings, meeting
minutes, committee reports, newsletters, financial information, general
information and notices of upcoming events. The web site is also being
designed as a communications media. Provisions for e-mail to and from
the system will be available.
A forum for the expression
of private opinions will be provided. The Service will also serve as a
conduit for the transfer of information between all members. Should other
purposes be deemed appropriate, these too can be made available.
The Santa Fe Trail
Ranch Information Service web site should be available for use by the
membership on January 1, 1999. The URL is to be announced. The e-mail
address is to be announced.
In order to gain
access to the system, subscribers will need to provide a name and a password.
Your logon name and password will be provided upon receipt of your subscription
fee. The web site may be accessed through the use of your own computer
and phone system as well as through public computer systems. There are
several public computer systems available such as systems located at the
public library and the college.
S.F.T.R
I.S. CONTENTS: BULLETIN BOARD: Web Site changes
NOTICES: Ranch events
NEWSLETTER: The Ranch
Review
DOCUMENTS: Bylaws
- Covenants
MINUTES: Official
meeting minutes
REPORTS: P.O.A. Committees
INFORMATION: Useful
Ranch information
MEMBERSHIP: Members
- Address & Phone
OPINIONS: Letters
to the Editor
SURVEYS: Opinion
Surveys & Results
GROUP
EFFORT SUCCESS STORY
Many people have
participated in the effort to create this newsletter and a web site. Michael
Hughes and Carol Rawle worked together to assemble this newsletter. Joyce
and Walt Wolfe contributed their experience in newsletter creation. Connie
and Al Tucker have lent their web site experience to the web site creation
process. Carl Putz has been a supporter of improved communications and
provided space on his computer to create graphics for this newsletter.
Peg and Stan Obery loaned a PC to use for electronic media creation and
Dale Swett contributed a printer. Roberto and Linda Jordan have donated
technical assistance and typing of the official P.O.A. documents to the
effort. Jim Davis and Tom Stephens provided factual clarification of the
information that was discussed at the Town meeting. Rachel Rowe attends
the Board meetings as a reporter.
Moral support and
encouragement have come from the Ron Rowe, Will Potter, and Sue Davis
as well. Thanks to all these people for their contributions toward improving
communications among the Members of the Santa Fe Trail Ranch P.O.A.
.LOOKING
INTO BETTER ROAD MAINTENANCE
Carl Putz and Vaugn
Roundy submitted a proposal for an alternative approach to road maintenance
at the annul meeting in October. This proposal suggests the hiring of
a full time equipment operator using equipment owned by the P.O.A. According
to estimates, the total annual road maintenance cost could be reduced
from the budgeted $90,000 to about $55,000! Carl and Vaughn are serving
on a special task force under the road committee to delve further into
this matter. They are continuing their research.
BUDGET
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
Carl Putz and Vaughn
Roundy, who were appointed to a task force which works in conjunction
with the Road Committee, presented an update on their original proposal
at the Budget meeting. Discussion followed as to the timing of executing
the proposal. Suggestions included a possible special vote, waiting for
the annual general election or possibly financing through the Municipal
District. It was decided that at the first quarterly Board meeting in
January an official proposal to the people would be made.
Michael Hughes, member
of the Communications Committee, editor and contributor to The Ranch Review
newsletter submitted to the Budget Committee a request for initial start-up
funds for the newsletter and the corresponding web site. Michael handed
out an impressive draft of what the newsletters first issue will contain
and its format. It was commented that Michael's done an outstanding job
in getting things up and running in such a short period of time. The request
was approved.
There was further
discussion about posting financial information on the web site and the
security issues pertaining to it. The general feeling was that anyone
wanting financial information could have reports e-mailed to them by Bill
Quigley. A decision was made that the newsletter be distributed quarterly
and web site be updated weekly. A subscription fee of a nominal $5.00
yearly for the mailing, and $5.00 yearly for the web site was deemed to
be fair. If you are interested in receiving one or both of these services,
please send the fee payable to:
Communications Committee
P.O. Box 870
Trinidad, CO 81082
WOMANS
GROUP PREPARES FOR Y2K
There has been mounting
concern over the approaching millennium and how it may affect the well-
being of those property owners living on the Ranch. It has been agreed
that two heads are better than one, and even more heads are better than
two in coming up with ideas. To that end the SFTR Women's Group is sponsoring
a Ranch Coordination Meeting on January 10, 1999 at 2:00 p.m. at the Gieskis'
located at 35445 Alpine Meadows Drive on the south end of the Ranch. The
group will discuss potential problems that might be encountered as the
date rolls over to 2000, and what we, as a group of friends and neighbors,
can do to survive worst case scenarios.
ATTENTION
SANTA FE TRAIL RANCH
HOME BUILDERS
There is now a builder's
information book available for prospective builders. This book gives information
of ranch owners who have already built their homes and local contractors
used. It is vital if you plan to build in the near future. This information
book will assist you in your search for local contractors. For further
information contact: Roberto Jordan at (719) 845-0925 (day) or (719) 859-0909
(evenings). If you are already a homeowner and would like to include your
home specifications in this book contact Roberto for arrangements.
Q
& A
By
Jim Davis There are two topics of discussion that the Communications Committee
has asked me, as President of the P.O.A. to address. These topics were
discussed during the course of our recent Town and Annual meetings, but
some specific clarifications were requested. There has been rumor and
speculation that the budget of the Road Committee was either misused or
misappropriated in 1997. This is simply not true. Until late 1997, the
P.O.A. Board budget meeting was held only once a year to review the current
year's income and expense experience and to plan for the next year so
projects and maintenance of the Ranch could be efficiently managed. The
1997 budget meeting didn't actually take place until the early spring
of 1997 because of our inability to obtain the Ranch financial records
from the developer's office until then. In the weeks prior to, but specifically
at that budget meeting, the Road Committee and Board members received
very impassioned pleas from both resident and visiting property owners
to address specific danger spots on our roads. In answer to these pleas,
the Road Committee promised to develop an emergency plan to improve those
danger spots. In fact, during the budget planning part of the meeting,
Blaine Ferguson, Chairman of the Road Committee, requested that virtually
all of the 1997 budget be committed to roads, abandoning other projects
and expenses. The Board determined that this was not feasible, but did
dedicate normal maintenance money to the emergency plan, with the understanding
that if other unforeseen road problems or situations arose, funds from
the Reserve Account could be used to deal with them. The danger areas
were treated with red ash and it appeared to be a working plan. It was
soon observed, however, that the treatment of red ash was going far beyond
the areas originally understood by the Board. A thorough review of the
funds expended by the Road Committee revealed far more had been spent
than intended and agreed upon. As a result, the Road Committee was restructured
by the Board, their procedure for supervising the word done was improved
and budget meetings began (and continue) to be held monthly to
review income and expenses. Although time consuming, we feel this practice
will prevent any recurrence of over spending in any area in the future.
In summary, this
situation happened during a "learning curve" period for your Board, as
it had just assumed responsibility for total Ranch management from the
developer. The Road Committee Chairman, Mr. Ferguson, was very committed
to safety and made an overzealous effort to improve the roads and protect
those traveling on them without a prudent approach to the use of their
budget. I believe your Board reacted appropriately to the situation.
There continue to
be questions concerning the PVC waterline that was installed some years
ago on the north end of the Ranch and what part it will play in the water
and telephone system about to be installed. The single answer is that
it will not be used. The reasons are two-fold. First, the same material
was installed in the same manner in the Trinidad Lakes Development just
to our northwest. That development does not have nearly as rugged topography
as out Ranch and they have experienced significant and ongoing leaks and
repair expense. We have been advised by many, familiar with that material
and our plan, not to use it as part of our system. Secondly, we have developed
a very good system with the help of many experienced engineers as well
as the contractors who bid on the project. They advised us unanimously
to maintain consistency in our materials and procedures for this system.
To try to blend the two would only invite problems and we do not want
problems that would not be covered by the warranties we will have on the
system. The disposition of the unused PVC currently stored lot C-46 will
be decided by the Board when its best use, if any, is determined. That
leads to the question of whether blame should be assessed and recourse
sought for the costs expended on the abandoned material. That has been
discussed in many committee and Board sessions in 1997. It was determined
that in the long term, as well as short term, interests of the P.O.A.,
it was far more important to, (a) achieve the conservancy plan for the
Gallinas lots (J6 - J10), (b) achieve the Land Use Agreement for the frontage
lots (J1 - J5), (c) obtain ownership of the capped gas well, (d) obtain
total voting control of the mineral rights, and (e) by succeeding those
goals, open the door to create the Metro District and obtain low cost
financing to complete the water and telephone system. If we had chosen
to get into a long and costly legal fight with the developer over the
abandoned work, I am confident we would not have achieved the aforementioned
goals, but also would not have obtained city water. While it is unfortunate
that this situation exists, it is most important that the system we install
works efficiently and it could not happen without the successful achievement
of the agreements we have reached. Being good stewards to the integrity
of the Santa Fe Trail Ranch remains our guide. I hope this information
has addressed these concerns adequately. I sincerely appreciate your "candidness"
and look forward to help improve communications.
THE
LITTLE ENGINE CALLED MICHAEL
by
Carol Rawle
In October at the
annual P.O.A. meeting everyone was lamenting the lack of communication
from the Board to the members. So one man got up and said, "I'll do something."
His name was Michael Hughes, and he did. However, little did Michael realize
at the time that he was being asked to knit a sweater while being given
only a goat. For a man who is singularly building his own house without
using a single nail, I suppose if anyone could do it, Michael could. So
Michael set out to create a newsletter and a web page for the P.O.A. without
even owning a computer and not having a phone either. Oh, he did have
some help, such as it was. I "helped." I don't have a computer or a phone,
and know zero about computers. Walt and Joyce Wolfe offered to let Michael
come over to their house to use their computer, but that turned out to
be impractical due to the long hours Michael needed to spend on the project.
Carl Putz got a new computer and Michael used that for a while until it,
too, became impractical for the same reason. Stan and Peg Obery loaned
Michael a ten year old computer to set up in his little basement, and
even though it's sometimes like trying to play a C.D. on an old fashioned
record player, it has allowed Michael to word process and store word files.
We were hoping to make the newsletter attractive with interesting graphics,
but this computer practically goes into anaphylactic shock when fed anything
graphic. So, this is why the newsletter has such a "straight forward"
(i.e. boring) look. When the web page goes on line, I'm afraid it too
will suffer from the same weary appearance, since we don't have the capacity
to dress it up with graphics and photos. That is, unless we get a miracle.
If there are enough of you out there who care enough about this project
to donate towards the purchase of a computer for the P.O.A., then we could
make this newsletter and web page into something we can all be proud of.
The whole intent of the newsletter and web page is to link all of the
property owners together, so that even those of you who don't live on
the Ranch can be every bit as much a part of things as those who do live
here. Isn't it time to chip in with something more than just a goat?
WORK
WITH WHAT YA GOT
By
Michael Hughes
If this newsletter
appears a bit primitive, it's not due to the lack of inspiration or creativity
on the part of the creators - it's due to the capability of the available
equipment. Our donated 386 chokes on anything more graphical than clip
art! Carol wanted the title to be a drawing of the mesa. I wanted to include
a sample web site home page. Insufficient memory - sorry.
In spite of the increased
budget of the P.O.A., asking for $1,500 for a modern computer so we can
create a pretty newsletter and web site seems a bit presumptuous. After
all - My theme for the budget has always been "It's the ROADS guys!!!"
We created this newsletter
for the membership and hope that everyone finds it worth the effort. We
would be happy to improve its appearance should the membership care to
contribute the funds to purchase a modern computer, software, scanner
and printer. If anyone would like to participate in this great adventure,
please contact Carol or myself. Its your newsletter, please let us know
how you like it.
TOP
COMMITTEE
HIGHLIGHTS
Utility Committee
reports trenching for the water/ phone project got underway the first
week of January. The monster trencher was munching away at ten feet per
minute when they suddenly hit rock. This slowed progress down to one foot
per minute, so the contractor will be bringing in a rock saw. Tom Stephens
will be the SFTR liaison to the contractor. John Woods, also a property
resident, will assist Tom. Any property owners with questions or problems
with the project should see Tom. OPEC (Outside Plant Engineering Consultants
from Colorado Springs) signed a 450 day contract, but would like to be
finished by Thanksgiving 1999, with final testing of the completed project
shortly thereafter.
The $31 per month
assessment for each lot could not be done in a ten year amortization schedule,
so we now have approximately an 18 year loan (to be sold as tax exempt
bonds) at approximately 5½ % interest. This provides a slight excess coverage
should some property owners become delinquent on their payments, and if
all goes well, we have the option to pay it off after five years. Community
First Bank will handle getting coupon books out to property owners by
the first part of February. Payments will go into a construction escrow
account.
Emergency Services
Committee reports that six sectors have been formed on the ranch,
each with a property owner as an Area Coordinator. First Aid equipment
has been assembled and is ready to be distributed to strategic locations
on SFTR. Michelle Minon tendered her resignation as co-chair of the committee.
All will feel the loss of a dedicated, hard working individual. The committee
is also looking into Y2K preparedness for SFTR.
Road Committee
reports the cattleguards are scheduled to be installed in spring. All
road grading maintenance is on hold because of the water/phone project
construction. A task force met to look into in-house road maintenance.
John Woods is helping the committee with comparisons of equipment and
operational expenses. Carl Putz and Vaughn Roundy presented their latest
figures on proposed equipment and expenses. The committee will be presenting
the latest figures and comparisons to the budget committee in February.
Covenants Committee
reports that Roberto and Linda Jordan have put the covenants and by-laws
on computer disc. Ed bolding was to have submitted suggested changes which
will be reviewed by the committee at a future meeting.
Communications
Committee reports that progress on establishing a web site is moving
along. It's been decided to use Walt Wolff's account with Active matrix
for logistical and economic reasons for the time being. Thanks to Walt
and Joyce for their huge donation of assistance.
Conservancy Committee
reports no activity. Carol Rawle will be coordinating with Kevin Meyer
who is interfacing for Land Properties and SFTR.
Water &
Communications System Update for January 1999
by Tom Stephens
This issue we will
concentrate on a list of contract people and functions as well as a quick
status update.
Our water system project
professional engineer is Laverne Jaschke of High Plains Engineering, Raton,
NM. Vern has developed our engineering drawings and specifications and
is now in the field keeping an eye on the contractors.
Our primary construction
contractor is OPEC Corp (Outside Plant Engineering Consultants), Colorado
Springs, CO. OPEC's on-site foreman is Mike Northern. Mike and his crew
began digging on 01/5/99. They started on Little Bear in the NE corner
of SFTR and are moving west toward tank #1 on lot C46. Phase I of OPEC's
work is the ranch portion of the primary water supply line from Trinidad
to water tanks #1 and #2. Along the way they are installing pump control
wiring and communications lines in the same trench.
Phase II will be to
connect the ranch water supply lines and communications lines with the
city of Trinidad. The city connections will be located near the Trinidad
Holiday Inn at I-25, exit 11. The pipe and communications line will extend
up county and state right-of-ways along the west side of I-25. The line
will cross lots J1 and J2 on the NE corner of the ranch and then pass
under the BN&SF Railroad to the north end of Fishers Peak Parkway.
Phase III will be
to complete the ranch part of the water and communications system. Mike
Northern hopes to have the pipes and wires in the ground and tested by
Thanksgiving 1999. OPEC anticipates that most of the ditches will be dug
with a Vermeer trencher (a very large track mounted chain saw). They are
also using a track hoe, back hoe, and bulldozer. The OPEC crew works 10
days on and 4 days off.
We have a separate
contractor responsible for the pumps, lift stations and pump controls
used to move the water from the Holiday Inn at 6,320' elevation up to
tank #3 which is at 8,000' elevation.
Jim Hughs of JH Excavating
has constructed the three water tank pads, including underground pipe
stubouts in accordance with A.O. Smith Co. specifications.
Our water storage
tank assembly contractor, Ron Ludens of Heartland Tanks, Inc. is in the
process of completing the assembly of our three A.O. Smith Aqua Store
110,000 gallon water storage tanks. These tanks are glass coated steel,
cobalt blue with white tops, and they are 31' in diameter and 26' high.
When you are on SFTR
please beware of open ditches, heavy equipment, and stacks of pipe and
other material along our roadways. We are doing our best to keep the roads
open whenever we can. Road closures and construction activities are being
posted on the white board at the entrance building near the bridge.
Tom Stephens is the
SFTR contact person if property owners have requests, questions, or information
that needs to be directed to one of the contractors. Tom can be reached
by telephone at (719)859-3218 or in writing to 8111 Cedar Way, SFTR, Trinidad,
CO 81082-9020.
Your POA, Water &
Communications committees, and SFTR Metropolitan District volunteers have
put in many hours of hard work to bring us to this point.
The water and communications
system should be operational by early 2,000. We have more work to do,
in our spare time, on the individual lot hookups. We can address that
and other topics in a future article.
Adventures
of a Neoteric Metro District
by David J. Schroepfer
A True Story:
It isn't often that a person takes the opportunity to purchase raw land
in a rural environment and makes a sincere effort to construct a home
and establish a new life style. Being involved with the SFTR has made
this a common denominator for hundreds of people. I wish to share with
you some of my thoughts concerning my journey.
The Hook:
Absolutely awesome Colorado...35 heavily wooded mountain acres...need
I go on? My wife Shari answered the ad, and to our surprise, found a world
class view with modestly priced terms. The hook was set. The following
two years were nothing less than a very focused effort to design, construct,
and move to this place. Peace at last.
Caught: Along
comes the very energetic Will Potter, recruiting help for the monumental
task of installing a water and phone system. Call me naive, but I was
hoping that this was being handled by the developer. I did not know that
the developer's involvement was actually as a property owner and a board
member. This is the point where I can begin to explain the efforts of
a handful of people who have genuinely made a difference.
The Crew:
Once the POA had formally decided to "take on" the task of completing
the utility project, there was burden for some (committee), and fear of
the unknown for many. The POA board created a water committee to attack
this monster deed and the meetings began. Some of the unlucky members
were already veterans of similar meetings that took place for many years
prior to my involvement. Young, old, retired, working, blue collar, white
collar, we had plenty of diversity but lacked a pipeline contractor and
a communications expert. We did however, proceed with both barrels blazing
and carried our engineer along at our side. Always a good plan.
Go Guys: For
anyone who is curious, a project this size usually takes a small office
full of degreed white shirts, a very strong relationship with proven contractors
skilled at the specific tasks of burying pipe and installing communication
systems, and a small army of legal and logistic personnel. We had none
of the above.
What Now:
Up to this point, I am optimistic as heck, but still cannot envision installing
these systems without a source. Where are we going to get water? How are
we going to get dial tone? Where is the money going to come from? The
original $300 per lot will not provide POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service),
not now, not ever! Many years of torn negotiations between SFTR and US
West (the only major hard wired provider) needed to be mended. The city
of Trinidad had to come to the realization that they indeed had a good
idea in providing SFTR with water. They also had good cause to revamp
their water rate pricing, which has been on the back burner for years.
Moving away from our wells and marching forward with the city was a bold
move for us.
Thank God for
Jim: Being the wise committee that we are, we put Jim Davis in charge
of forming a Metropolitan District. To his credit, he has worked on financing
similar projects, but never blindfolded with both hands tied behind his
back, and wearing tights. Amazing! The paint wasn't even dry on this forecast
victory when we found ourselves waist deep in negotiations with Trinidad.
This was very protracted and several people put on a herculean display
of effort to make it work. On the down side we were not successful in
arranging to get a gas line installed. An oversight that turned out to
be a near impossibility from the start.
The Law: We
were achieving some pretty big milestones and had to wait for the attorneys
to finish with their processing. Like taking a vacation and waiting for
the film to be developed. Some of the committee members got bored and
filled their days with interesting projects like interviewing many suppliers
and contractors, obtaining permits from cities, counties, railroads, helping
the engineer finish the drawings, and on and on.
Choose Your Poison:
To get to this point and not be able to share it with someone would be
a crime. Trust me, we did start looking locally and work our way up to
the Big City. Every wonderful contractor from Montana to Arizona could
have had this project if they wanted it. Did I mention that there was
not much profit in it and that there was to be a complete communication
package thrown in for good measure? We were playing poker with a bad hand.
Here's the funny part-SFTR is going to have an approved US West reverse
LDA (Land Development Agreement), contractor installed T2 capable phone
system and, oh yeah, an installed water system for less than our lowest
local bidder, including branches to every lot (no need to tear up the
road for every new home). Contracts have been written, signed and we're
off!
Ownership:
The entire project is starting 9 months late and is scheduled to last
about 5 months longer than we originally hoped, but not to worry, our
diligent contractor has been working hard on figuring ways to shorten
his lovely stay down here. The rumor is that anyone with a barking dog
will not get service. (Hint, teach your dog to bite and they might reconsider).
Along with ownership comes the burden to maintain the system and above
all, pay for it. Much work will be required to read the meters, maintain
the line settings, and carry out the billing. Pray that things don't break.
I don't think Tom Stephens has wrenches big enough.
Future: Providing
we accomplish our mission, let's look forward to tackling the next sore
spot, our roads. Those zany committee members are already looking for
ways to make our Metro District pay for itself, e.g. grants, matching
funds, etc., and the fun never stops.
Thanks: I
would personally like to thank everyone who has been to a meeting, shared
an idea, pulled the pieces together on a complex puzzle, and of course,
voted on behalf of the formation of this Metro District. It's a good thing.
POA Dues
Increase Jolts Membership
by Carol Rawle
When I opened my
annual POA dues notice a few weeks ago, I suffered a brief interruption
of my pulmonary functions. It was still a shock, even though I knew what
to expect. It's undoubtedly one of the most irritating facts of life in
our society to be assessed for the privilege of ownership. However, it's
easier to accept this obligation if we know that the assessments are fair
and that our money won't be wasted.
In large part, the
dues had to increase because many of the costs formerly covered by the
developer, who had set the annual dues originally, were underestimated.
In the short time since the property owners have had sole charge of the
POA, we've awakened to the fact that the budget just wasn't big enough
to meet expenses. And we did have some unforeseen expenses last year that
required using some of the reserve money.
While property owners
who live on SFTR grudgingly accept the need for higher dues to pay for
road maintenance, snow removal, security, and trash disposal, it's really
hard for owners of unimproved lots to see why they should shoulder so
much of this burden, if any at all. Shouldn't the owners of improved lots
and even more so, the actual Ranch residents, bear the lion's share since
they are using these services the most? Actually, they are. Improved lots
still have higher annual dues, but why should the unimproved lots pay
anything toward these services?
It's not readily
apparent how keeping the roads in good condition benefits all of the property
owners, not just the residents. Driving on our dirt roads does account
for a certain amount of wear and tear, but weather and run-off ravage
the roads even more. The spring run-off, and spring and summer rains,
carry off huge amounts of surface material. When snow is left to melt
on roads, deep rutting occurs when they are driven on. Regular grading
restores surface material and prevents severe deterioration. It's much
cheaper, in the long run, to maintain the roads on a regular basis, rather
than pay for major reconstruction later. What would any property be worth
if it were inaccessible?
And why should a
nonresident care about security? It's fairly obvious that property owners
with improvements on their land would want to protect these in- vestments.
But that's what homeowner's insurance is for. Ranch security concerns
itself with a far larger interest-the integrity of the resource itself.
In my career as a
park ranger one of my most important duties was patrol. On many occasions
I encountered outright attacks by selfish, insensitive people on the natural
features of public lands. I've encountered illegal timber removal, poaching
of wildlife, the ruin of springs and ponds from illegal mining, hazardous
waste dumping, and worst of all, wildfires caused by illegal camping.
All of these depredations are potential threats to the SFTR. What would
anyone's property be worth if these things were allowed to occur?
But how could property
owners who do not live on the Ranch or even visit their property possibly
benefit from having to pay for the trash dumpsters? Has anyone ever encountered
the ugliness of illegal trash dumping? Better to have a convenient place
to dump it rather than end up with it on your land!
In the end, the Ranch
belongs to us all; each individual property owner is part owner of the
whole. If we think with that mind set, maybe it'll be a little easier
to see why we need to share the burden of expenses to care for the Ranch.
It's really far greater than mere ownership of land. We're the stewards
of this beautiful piece of the earth and all that springs forth from it.
And it costs money to safeguard it.
Communications
Committee Loses Two Members
Michael Hughes and
Connie Tucker have resigned for personal reasons shortly after helping
to get the newsletter launched. We regret losing two very capable people,
and we extend our sincere gratitude to both of them for all they've done.
We wouldn't have come this far without them.
Morgan Chai (Kai)
will be doing the SFTR Information Service web site design, and along
with Dagney Gahlu will be helping to publish the newsletter. We are a
bit behind schedule going on-line, but hope to be ready with our web page
before too much longer.
Since we won't be
using the web server we originally chose, our web site address will change
to: To be announced
Our email address
will be: to be announced
We'd like to thank
all of you who have responded with kind letters of encouragement, generous
donations for computer equipment, and subscriptions to both the newsletter
and web site. The overwhelming financial support has enabled the communications
committee to be self-sustaining thus relieving the POA general budget
of this additional burden. As we continue to move forward with this undertaking,
we appreciate your patience and support.
As you read on you
will also discover a new section entitled "Profiles in Ranch History"
wherein we will endeavor to tell the stories of those people who have
selflessly devoted their time and energies to the making of this very
special place we call the Santa Fe Trail Ranch. In doing so, it's only
natural to begin this series with the story of a charter board member
and former POA president. We hope you enjoy these articles.
P.S.'s
Thank you Carol Rawle,
for the artwork on the newsletter banner. Don't think you're getting off
too easy, since you will be called upon for more artsy input for the web
site design.
And thank you Rachel
Rowe (our roving reporter) for attending miscellaneous SFTR meetings.
I don't know how you do it, juggling your schedule between, motherhood,
being a wife, and holding down a regular job as well. We hope you continue
providing this important service.
And again, thank
you Michael Hughes and Connie Tucker. You got the ball rolling on what
initially started out as an overwhelming task of orchestrating, creating,
and publishing this newsletter, The Ranch Review, not to mention
all your hard work and coordination efforts for the upcoming web site.
Lastly, it is the
hope of the Communications Committee that this newsletter (and eventually
the web site) serve two purposes; first, to relay information to you,
the property owner, about the many things going on at SFTR; and secondly,
that you all feel you can send in your comments and/or suggestions and
we will ensure they get to the proper committee or board. After all communication
is a two way street.
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