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OCN > 2305 > Woodmoor Improvement Association, April 26 – Board considers common area concerns

Woodmoor Improvement Association, April 26 – Board considers common area concerns

By Jackie Burhans

At its April meeting, the Woodmoor Improvement Association (WIA) board considered parking and rodent concerns at its newest common area as well as a request to purchase a portion of one of its common areas. The board heard about leveraging a county portal to report on roadwork needs and other operational reports.

Concerns at The Preserve

President Brian Bush noted that a resident had brought up a concern about people parking on the roads near the newest common area known as The Preserve in South Woodmoor to access its trails. Bush noted that all roads in Woodmoor are under the authority of El Paso County rather than WIA. He also reiterated that WIA, as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization, has no authority to restrict public access to the common areas in Woodmoor. Finally, he noted that WIA had just taken ownership of The Preserve land recently and would keep an eye on the parking situation but felt it was too early to decide on any course of action.

Similarly, he brought up a concern about prairie dog activity in The Preserve area, some of which may be caused by the increased construction in the Clover Leaf, Monument Junction, and Home Place Ranch developments. He felt it was too early to address this issue as well.

Bush asked for and received the board’s unanimous consent and ratification of this position.

Request to purchase part of common area

Bush said a resident had approached WIA with a request to purchase a portion of one of its common areas adjacent to their lot to combine it and offer the entire parcel for sale. He explained that WIA’s covenants do not allow it to sell or transfer any common area to any individual. He noted that it would take a vote with two-thirds of property owners agreeing to even allow an easement to a public utility. The only way to get around the restriction would be to change the covenants, and he believes the board would not recommend an election to change the covenants to sell a part of a common area.

He said he believes that the vast majority of residents wouldn’t want the board to sell a portion of any common area. Bush said he did not want to open that Pandora’s box for any reason and feels that the original developers made it difficult to sell the common areas for a reason. While the resident accepted that response, Bush asked the board for its consent and ratification of that position, which it unanimously provided.

Note: The WIA covenants and other governing documents can be seen at https://woodmoor.org/governance/.

County portal used to report road issues

Director of Woodmoor Public Safety (WPS) Brad Gleason noted that WPS customarily provided a semi-annual road assessment to El Paso County but had not found that to be very effective in getting roads repaired. WPS now uses the county’s Citizen Connect portal to provide information and hopes that will be more responsive. Board Vice President Peter Bille said that the portal works and WPS Chief Kevin Nielsen confirmed that it gives you an email trail of your request. Bush asked Nielsen to contact the county to see if he could get a list of planned road work over the summer so WIA could provide that information to its residents.

You can learn more about and sign up for the El Paso County Citizen Connect portal at https://www.elpasoco.com/county-launches-citizen-connect/ or via the EPC Citizen Connect app, which is available for both iOS and Android devices from their respective app stores.

Board highlights

  • A resident who noted she had not received promised communication via mail or email was provided a paper version of the mail sent and told that her email domain was blacklisted so the association was unable to email her and that her area was known for difficulty with mail and package deliveries.
  • Homeowner Association Administrator Denise Cagliaro noted that there were 114 properties with outstanding dues and that WIA would be filing 65 additional liens for unpaid dues.
  • Director of Covenants Per Suhr noted that there were 25 reports in March with no covenant violations. There were two unfounded complaints, and 12 issues were resolved with friendly letters or phone calls. There was no covenant hearing needed in April, and he thought there would not be one needed in May.
  • Director of Architectural Control Ed Miller reported that there were 39 projects submitted in March of which 29 were approved by the office, nine were approved by the Architectural Control Committee and one was disapproved. The total number of projects to date this year is 92, which is down 21.4% from 2022, with an approval rate of 98.9%.
  • Director of Forestry Cindy Thrush reported that WIA is working with the state forestry office on additional funding opportunities for wildfire mitigation. The chipping dates are set for June 10 and 11 and for July 29 and 30 at Lewis-Palmer High School. This service is free to Woodmoor residents to dispose of slash from their property.
  • Director of Common Areas Steve Cutler reported that common area mitigation has been scheduled along with spraying for noxious weeds in May. Information will go out to residents near The Preserve in South Woodmoor about the noxious weed program to get their buy-in and participation on their own properties to benefit themselves as well as the common area.

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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 May 24.

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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