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OCN > 2310 > Woodmoor Improvement Association, Sept. 27. Board hears concerns about development next to common area.

Woodmoor Improvement Association, Sept. 27. Board hears concerns about development next to common area.

By Jackie Burhans

At its September meeting, the Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA) board heard from residents concerned about a developer’s impact on drainage near one of its common areas. Board directors provided reports on their areas of responsibility.

  • Residents voice concern about development and drainage.

Residents voice concern about development and drainage

The WIA board heard from residents concerned about a home being built on Four Winds Way next to the common area known as The Point. According to the WIA website at https://woodmoor.org/common-areas/, The Point is one of the smaller common areas and is surrounded by private property, except for the access point on Four Winds Way.

One resident, who had been exchanging emails with WIA, noted that development had been ongoing for 2½ years, and the home was almost complete except for water and sewage lines. He requested three things: an approved drainage plan, vetted width on ingress/egress to the common area, and a list of all concerns, issues, and complaints against the builder. The resident said he felt an obligation to make these issues known. He was concerned about safety, saying that a dump truck and a cement truck had gone off the driveway in good weather. He said he’d had to call the builder about silt fences and dump trucks delivering dirt after midnight without watering down the driveway. The driveway is huge, he said, with a parking lot at the bottom exceeding the approved width of 15 feet and impinging on the common area. He cited the lack of property markers, making pushing the dirt into the right location impossible. If we get a major rain, he said, it will clog up the ditch, soak into the ground, and mess with the water table. He did say that the homeowner was great to work with, and his complaints were with the builder.

Board President Brian Bush said that the WIA board members are volunteers with limited authority. If Pikes Peak Regional Building Department (PPRBD) approves a plan, it will come out and inspect it, he said, suggesting asking a supervisor to come out early to confirm the builder is following the plan. Bush said WIA could provide general information about previous complaints but had no ability to ban builders, though it could let PPRBD know of its concerns.

Bush noted that he had personally approved a one-time off-hours delivery of dirt by the contractor working on the Highway 105 project, given the challenges that the project is facing with traffic. He encouraged the resident to call Woodmoor Public Safety (WPS) if trucks show up from now on during off hours. Bush said that WIA’s common area would not be infringed upon at the end of the day, though he expected things could get chaotic during construction. He noted that Steve Cutler, director of common areas, and Bob Pearsall, common areas administrator, were the contacts for any concerns or suggestions about common area changes.

Another neighboring resident reported that her basement had flooded twice due to the creation of the driveway, with the dirt from the drainage clogging her sump pump. The property owner has been open about what they can do to reconcile that damage, she said, but she would be following up with PPRBD about the drainage issue.

Board reports

  • Bush provided the treasurer report in the absence of Connie Brown, saying that expenses are at 66% of the budget and revenue was down from homeowners’ association (HOA) check fees, but substantially up from interest income after moving money to higher performing instruments. WIA expects administrative fee revenue from the Cloverleaf development, which he recommends go into reserve funds for 2024 on a one-time basis. HOA administrator Denise Cagliaro is developing the 2024 budget, which will be presented in November to the board for approval. He said it was too early to tell if WIA would have a surplus.
  • Covenants Director Per Suhr reminded residents that trash cans must be stowed out of site on the same day as pickup, tall grass and weeds need to be cut, and trailers and RVs cannot be on lots for more than 72 hours without a variance. Residents who are out of compliance may be issued notices. Bush commended Covenants Administrator Justin Gates and Pearsall for achieving a higher degree of compliance than in the past.
  • Public Safety Director Brad Gleason asked residents to be extra careful when driving due to earlier sunsets, school being in session, and extensive construction. Bush shared that residents should be careful not to hit the orange road dividers in construction zones.
  • Architectural Control Director Ed Miller said WIA has had 401 projects submitted year to date, which is down only 11% from last year’s 451 projects. The increase in projects so far this year has primarily been roof work due to recent hailstorms.
  • Gates, who also serves as Forestry administrator, said there is only $30,000 left in the Wildfire Mitigation Grant, which he wants to spend quickly so he can apply for additional funds. He also said that now is a perfect time to look for mountain pine beetles (MPB) and to have them removed. For more information on having your lot evaluated for MPB, see https://woodmoor.org/forestry-firewise/.
  • Common Areas Director Steve Cutler reported that the sprinkler system around The Barn would be shut down by the second week of October, common area fire mitigation is ongoing, and trail and common area maintenance during October would see the removal of grass from the trail base.
  • Pearsall reported working with a prototype computer, loading and testing all the software he uses. Once his computer is working, the new computers can be rolled out to other staff members.

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The WIA Board of Directors usually meets at 7 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month in the Barn at 1691 Woodmoor Drive, Monument. The next meeting will be on Oct. 25.

The WIA calendar can be found at www.woodmoor.org/wia-calendar/. WIA board meeting minutes can be found at www.woodmoor.org/meeting-minutes/ once approved and posted.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

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