Petition Signing Opportunity this Wednesday!

We will be at the Mailhouse this Wednesday, July 17th between 5 and 7pm with the Petition available for signing.  Join with your neighbors and come over and sign.  We have enjoyed talking to you and meeting our new neighbors.  The conversation has been interesting and not always about chickens.

Petition Signing to allow poultry in Pawnee Hills- Sat, June 29. 8-12.

There will be an opportunity for the community to sign a petition to allow poultry in Pawnee Hills this Saturday, June 29th from 8am to 12pm at the Mail house.

Last year we put this to a vote and had a very positive response.  76 members (actually more but they were not eligible to vote due to past due balances on HOA dues), voted yes to allow chickens in our community. This is a very large percentage.  There are still members of our community that do not vote and from talking to those many are still suffering from misconceptions of the last Chicken Wars.  This community has a history of tattletales which left a fear of participation.  I can attest that participation is difficult but that doesn't mean we should just sit back and let things stay the same.

Many folks like to remain anonymous when voting or signing a petition.  This petition will allow for that. For more information regarding this petition, please stop by on Saturday morning.

Also, if you would like to volunteer some time to get signatures, send me an email at barbstc@gmail.com.

Summer....please be kind.

Have you ever noticed the saying on the home page at the top right?  It states "Be kind whenever possible, it is always possible."  I recently read a posting that requested we get this blog going again.  Here is why I have been a bit laid back.  As stated in the description, this blog was started for the residents of the community to have a place to discuss issues or just talk about things in our community outside of an HOA board meeting.

I want to re-emphasize that is the purpose of this blog.  For our residents to communicate outside of an HOA board meeting. The posting were beginning to have the feel of a board meeting.

Speaking of being kind, I hope the summer will be kind to us.  The heat has come on strong and our small plants have struggled in the garden.  Our dusty roads leave clouds behind those coming and going through the community reminding us of the dryness.  Surely everyone has smelled the fires from the south.  Kindness comes in many forms and although it may seem we have had a rough start, there are many wonderful things that summer brings.  Days at the pool if you so desire, cool evenings as the sun retires.  Gardens will flourish eventually and BBQ's with friends & neighbors celebrate the season naturally.

Our community is a wonderful area to live.  Let's be kind to one another.

Mumbo Jumbo

This months Newsletter (May 2013) is...well, I really don't have any words that can really describe it. Let's begin with the front page with "News from the Board".  April Meeting Held.  Good to know.  I look forward to reading the minutes on the website.  Oh, well I will have to wait a bit seeing how February minutes aren't up yet.  The next news is "Annual HOA Meeting", reminding us of the date and time.  Usually we have a barbecue, but it looks like it has been zapped this year.  And no issues up for vote. Hmmm, seems some homeowners tried to get some items on the agenda at the May Board meeting but it was canceled.  Last year the agenda items were announced in the June Newsletter. Hopefully the June meeting won't be canceled so this can be brought up.

Pool is open, Yay!  Now the entire county can come back to Pawnee Hills like they do every year and swim here.  Yes, we pay our dues so Elbert county can hop on over and enjoy our pool.  You and I know that is what happens every year.  Suggestions have been made to hire security, too expensive.  Security camera?  Too expensive, who will maintain?  How about we charge admission to the public, announce it and use that money to pay for upkeep and security and a lifeguard so we don't get sued when a pool hopper drowns one night.  Yes, officer we know they hop the fence and there was a danger and we called the police, but we stopped calling because we felt you wouldn't do anything.  Could we be held liable?  I would rather be safe than sorry and wait to do something until some teenager loses their life because we didn't want to make it safe.

By-law reminder:  Article X, Amendments 1. & 2.  Read them.  Have no idea what context they are pertaining to.  Is this secret code to something that is going on that not everyone is privy to?  This reminds me of a Supervisor at work that doesn't want to talk to the one person who is not coming in to work on time so they send a reminder to everyone.  Guaranteed that little reminder did nothing for 98% of the residents, how about we become a bit more community geared and explain why we are sending out a reminder?

That about covers page one.  Page two has a Covenant reminder and lets just suffice to say a little note along with the mumbo jumbo would be appreciated.

Skip to page 3 to the Website:  Meeting minutes.  Still waiting for February, March......

I am just a bit disgruntled and apologize for my seemingly negative attitude even if it is justified.  You see I really want positive communication from the HOA board.  I don't want this feeling of us against them.  It is our money that they are managing and I take offense to any attitude that doesn't acknowledge that.  I do appreciate encouraging comments from the Vice President to continue homeowner involvement

I get the feeling that perhaps our HOA board has lost sight of the fact the homeowners have contributed monies that with interest now add up to $110,378.79.  That is a lot of money in this or any economy.  Every one of the homeowners should be treated with the utmost respect and courtesy.  Let us help you, let us become involved.  Throwing mumbo jumbo at us doesn't foster a healthy relationship it confuses most and annoys many.

May Board Meeting Canceled

Some neighbors had agenda items for the May board meeting to be held on the 9th at 6pm. To be on time arrangements were made, work schedules were changed to be sure all were there on time for the meeting.  At the very last minute a sign was hung on the door of the community building indicating the meeting had been canceled.  The facility manager came to us and explained that the decision had been made due to not enough board members attending do make a quorum.

A few days later I sent an email to the board members asking if there was a forum to which we could send Agenda items ahead of time to avoid this in the future. I  received a timely response indicating a discussion on a more effective way of handling schedule changes is in the works.  I appreciated this and am glad to see the board is open to discussion.

The response I received also indicated the the Board of Directors (BOD) are volunteers.  I have to assume this was brought up as a possible reason not all members could make the meeting??? That is understandable, our lives are busy this time of year. That being said as members of the board, they accept the responsibility that goes with the position.  I was also directed to the By-laws and Covenants if I had any issues or problems with policies or actions of the board. I can only assume that this refers to the By-laws that indicate the board can cancel a meeting if a quorum is not met without further notice. However I think that when the board posts a statement at the mail-building stating "Homeowners Welcome" to the meetings, then they should stand behind that statement. If there had been 100 neighbors waiting for the doors to open would things have changed?

Calling all Gardeners!

Just want to give a shout out to our residents out there who are Gardeners.  Some might wonder if we are crazy trying to garden in this climate, with this wind. That is not the case at all.  Typically we garden for the sheer love of it.  Watching something you plant grow successfully, whether it be eaten at your table or providing nectar for the bees, it is a beautiful thing.  I have met a few in our community that have the same passion for gardening as I do.  We must deal with the same challenges such as wind, pocket gophers, deer, rabbits and to me the most challenging of all, Grasshoppers. 

If you could share some tips for successful gardening that would be greatly appreciated!   Our local http://elbert.colostate.edu/ office is a wonderful resource, but usually I find the best tips from the gardeners themselves. 

In our garden we only use drip watering due to the high winds here.  In the past I have used "soaker" hoses however this year I will be going with emitter hoses.  They are smaller, easier to get directly to the plants.  

My favorite thing to grow every year is pumpkins for my grown daughters living in the city.  They enjoy picking their pumpkins to take home and carve with their children.

How about you?  What are your gardening tips?  Favorite things to grow?  How you keep the pests out of the garden?  

Board of Director's Meeting tonight, April 11, 2013 6:00 pm.

The HOA board of directors meeting is tonight.  Homeowners are welcome to attend.  One of our homeowners told us a story of their experience with an HOA they were a part of where homeowners looked forward to the meetings!  They gathered in neighborly friendship at each meeting and these meeting were highly attended.  As in the MAJORITY of all the homeowners came to every meeting.  That is a wonderful story.

How can we get there from here?  Well, may be it starts with just a few people.