June 2018

Sierra los Pinos
Property Owners’ Association
950 Forest Road 10
Jemez Springs, NM 87025
www.slppoa.org

Need to contact us? Send us an e-mail at board1@slppoa.org or the individual e-mail below.

President
President1@slppoa.org
Judy Kilburg, 829-3544

Vice President
Vicepresident1@slppoa.org
Harold Corn, 829-3636

Treasurer
treasurer@slppoa.org
Lorraine Otero, 829-3474

Secretary
secretary@slppoa.org
Lorraine Otero, 829-3474

Water System
water1@slppoa.org
Peter Veverka, 829-3754

Water Compliance
water1@slppoa.org
Harold Corn, 829-3636

Roads
roads@slppoa.org

Architectural Control / Parks
architectural1@slppoa.org
Max Otero, 829-3474

FireWise
firewise1@slppoa.org
Tamara Weary

Legal
legal1@slppoa.org

Address Change?
treasurer@slppoa.org
June 2018
Newsletter

The intent of this newsletter is to highlight major accomplishments and issues. New developments are posted regularly on the website at www.slppoa.org. If you would like to be on our immediate notification email list, send an email message to board1@slppoa.org.

PLEASE CONSERVE WATER!
With the heat and drought upon us, members are reminded and encouraged to please conserve water and limit outdoor watering. We are in the peak of fire season and need to keep the tanks as full as possible. If we don’t have water available for firefighters they’ll need to go elsewhere to obtain water, which is precious time taken away from saving our homes. More than one resident has been observed watering their yard in the heat of the day with oscillating sprinklers. Not only is mid-day the most inefficient time of day to water, oscillating sprinklers are known for being extremely inefficient losing an average of 60% or more of the water to evaporation.

Maybe you’re new to the community and don’t realize we have a limited amount of water rights available to us. This is another reason to conserve water. We have a maximum of 59.3 acre-feet of water allowed by the state. That is 19.3 million gallons per year for ALL of us. Subtracting our current leak rate of 13 gallons/minute (6,517,440 gal per year or 34% as reported for May 2018). For the 155 lots, that leaves us with about 82,000 gallons per household per YEAR! Some individuals are using anywhere between 11,000 and 90,000+ gallons per month! Abusive water use by a few threatens our ability to conform with our agreement with the state and threatens our ability to have water available in case of a fire emergency, not to mention they are using other members’ allotment of water. This seriously threatens all of us in Sierra los Pinos with loss of all water for part of the year and being subjected to punitive action from the state. This could also lead to loss of control of our water system.

The Board has worked very hard to replace sections of water lines that had known leaks over the last few years, which has resulted in a reduced leak rate. Keep in mind, your water system is run by volunteers! Yes!! VOLUNTEERS!! With the exception of a paid water operator who takes care of chlorination and sampling requirements, and a paid contractor to assist with water line replacement, your water is flowing because of the hard work of volunteers. So, if you say fix the remaining leaks before you reduce your usage, remember, you could volunteer to help or we can hire out more services and increase the annual assessment to cover the cost.

If you have a leak, fix it! We have some residents who have known leaks for many months and haven’t yet repaired their leak. All leaks, no matter the size, causes a strain on our water system and is a waste of our precious resource! Everyone has a unique identifier on their meter referred to as an “end point serial number.” Monthly meter readings are posted on the slppoa.org website, which will show how much water you are using It creates awareness of where you stand compared to average use in the community. Look up your number monthly. If you have a leak, there is a column on the report that will indicate “LEAK.” Questions? Contact us at board1@slppoa.org.

Recent water storage tank site (both systems) and well house electrical upgrades have been completed. This was a significant effort (manpower and money). We also were forced to rebuild the Hovenweep well service line pole and panel due to the massive wind event damage (still in progress). Attached is a sample photo of System 2 storage tank manifold reconfiguration and leaky valve replacements. Below is a sample photo.

EXCESS WATER USAGE SURCHARGE COMMITTEE

A committee was formed and a proposal submitted to the Board of Directors for discouraging excessive use of the SLPPOA water supply. The proposal will require a bylaw change. A notice will go out to members announcing a meeting to discuss this proposed bylaw change and other changes that are being considered.

While lowering our leakage rate is good news economically and for regulatory compliance, we continue to have a small number of households who are abusing the fact that we do not charge for individual usage. As mentioned previously, just a handful of households use an exorbitant amount of water - well beyond what is needed for cooking, cleaning, washing, and even watering a few plants. While most households use 2 to 6 thousand gallons a month, these users routinely use over 10,000 gallons per month. The committee has proposed a two-tiered billings plan for excessive usage where members will be charged for usage above a certain amount. The exact details are still under consideration and further discussions between the Board and the committee members is planned. Stay tuned for further information. A meeting with the general membership will be announced and a vote by the membership is required for this Bylaw change.

WATER METER USE

Reminder! If you need to shut off your water, please use a shut-off valve on your property. The meter can assemblies and related shut-off valves are for SLPPOA use only and not to be used by property owners.

URGENT NEED FOR BOARD MEMBERS!

Everyone has busy lives with work, family, and taking care of our homes. Living in Sierra los Pinos comes with responsibilities and challenges. This community is run by volunteers, as are other homeowners’ associations; but one major difference is our water is provided to you by volunteers. Oversight of road maintenance and snow removal is managed by volunteers. The majority of the volunteers making sure you have water on demand have been on the Board of Directors for several years and are in need of a break or permanent retirement from Board duties. There should be nine Board members, but over the last few years we haven’t been able to get enough volunteers to run for Board positions. We are currently running the Board with three vacant positions. This puts an undue burden on the remaining Board members. This also means fewer people available to operate the community and respond to unexpected water outages and issues. We need you to step up and play a more active role in the operation of the community – YOUR community. If lack of volunteerism continues, we will have no other option but to hire out more services. This can’t be accomplished with the current income level, so that means your annual dues will have to increase to the maximum level of 10% increase per year and/or a special assessment to cover the increased operating costs. The choice is yours!

The election of Board members this year will fill five positions: three for three-year terms, one for a two-year term, and quite possibly one for a one-year term. The Board member whose three-year term is ending, Peter Veverka, has the option to run for another term, but has chosen not to. The other two three-year terms ending are vacant because one Board member, Brian Nelson, is resigning due to relocation and the other position was not filled. The Board would like to thank them for all the hours put forth to keep things running smoothly and fulfill our compliance obligations.

Please seriously consider volunteering for a position on the Board. Maintaining the quality of your community is at risk. Contact any Board member as soon as possible or email us at board1@slppoa.org. Remember – this community is NOT going to run without volunteers! The continued lack of volunteers may necessitate having an HOA management company assume more duties.

The election committee will also be making contacts. Nominations can also be taken from the floor at the annual meeting, although you must be present to accept the nomination. This is your chance to put some of your expertise to good use within the community. Ballots must be mailed to members by the end of July, so please let us know as soon as possible to allow time to get your name on the ballot. We also ask that you provide a brief write-up as to why you would serve on the Board of Directors.

2018 general Meeting and board elections

The general meeting of SLPPOA will be held the second Saturday in September. This year, the meeting will be held on September 8, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. at the Fire Station in Sierra los Pinos. There will be a potluck lunch beginning at 1:00 p.m. Please bring a dish to share and a folding chair. SLPPOA will provide the drinks and table service.

The agenda for the meeting will include the reading and approval of last year’s general meeting minutes, officer and committee reports, and old and new business topics. The meeting will also include the election of new Board members.

Eligibility to vote for Board members requires that the member be in good standing (i.e., assessments are paid in full). Each lot owner is allowed one vote for each Board vacancy per lot owned. This year you will have a TOTAL of 5 votes if you own one lot, and the few members who own two lots will have 10 total votes. Your votes can be distributed among the candidates as you desire (i.e. you can give all your votes to one candidate, one vote for each candidate as long as you don’t exceed required maximum number, or any combination).

Assuming we get more candidates to run for the Board, the four candidates with the largest number of votes will assume the three-year positions and one-year position, and others will serve as alternates in the event a Board member isn’t able to complete their term.

Please note that ballots will be counted in a manner that allows for secrecy.

To ensure we have a successful election, it is essential that we have a quorum of eligible ballots returned by ballot counting time at the meeting. Please do your part by voting, attending the general meeting, and running for a Board position.

Get PREPARED get INVOLVED and stay INFORMED!

Sign up for CODE RED (REVERSE 911) - go to www.sandovalcounty.com – system used to telephone residents about emergencies such as evacuation notices, road closures and neighborhood emergencies.

Fire Potential/weather/restrictions
Southwest area 7 day Significant Fire Potential: http://psgeodata.fs.fed.us/7day/action/forecast/6
Accurate fire and restriction information for whole state: www.nmfireinfo.com
Southwest Fire Restriction Stages: www.firerestrictions.us
Smoke density health effects: https://nmtracking.org/en/environ_exposure/fire-and-smoke/
Santa Fe National Forest Fire Restrictions and Closures: www.firerestrictions.us/nm
National Weather Service, Albuquerque Office: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abq/

Fire Permits

Please stay aware of fire restrictions for Sandoval County. When fires are allowed, a fire is 3'x3'x3' or less (basically a campfire) no permit is needed. Common sense needs to be employed such as having a water source nearby, clearing fuels from the fire area (around and above), winds less than 5-7 mph, fire in a fire ring, and putting the fire dead out- cold to the touch. 

If larger than that, call Chief Lee Taylor’s cell phone (505) 269-6435 for a permit. He will visit the site where the burning will take place to make an assessment. 
Community Resources and information:
Jemez District Forest Service (575) 829-3535
Community log splitter - call Howard Fegan (575) 829-3031
Thompson Ridge slash pit – Currently closed due to extreme fire conditions. Directions: Hwy 4 and mm 27, north on 105 for 1/10 of mile, north on 106 for 4 ½ miles to slash pit.
Curbside Chipping - contact Howard Fegan (575) 829-3031, ($40.00/hour) for Spring Chipping
Property Owners Associations - Sierra Los Pinos: http://www.slppoa.org

La Cueva Volunteer Fire Department - meetings first Wed of each month at 7:30 pm at LCVFD Station 1. Lee Taylor, Chief at lacuevafire@windstream.net. Office (575) 829-3355 or cell (505) 269-6435.

Defensible space - go to www.firewise.org, find "homeowners" icon for info on how to reduce ignition hazards and how simple changes in landscape and home improvements can reduce wildfire threat.

Ready Set Go – Wildfire action planning. Prepare your home, your family and leave early.
Go to www.readysetgooc.org
Next look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=feMlaars9kc#!

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WILD FIRES

Want to know where a wildfire is located and its status? Go to https://wildfiresnearme.wfmrda.com. You can create an account using Google, Facebook, or Yahoo. The three dots in a circle on the right side of the screen offers several options, including entering your address (my location link) to place your location on the map. Click on your address and the map will zoom in and give you information about surrounding emerging, active, and controlled fires. You can also set notifications via phone or email.

ARCHITECTURAL CONTROL

Just a reminder to all residents that, in accordance with the SLPPOA Restrictive Covenants, no building or structures shall be erected, placed or altered on any lot until it has been approved by the Architectural Control Committee. You can find the Architectural Control Policy and Home Improvement Approval form on the SLPPOA website under Menu/Residents/Documents.  If you have any questions, please contact Max Otero, 829-3474. 

STATUS OF LAWSUIT

As you are all probably aware, the SLP Board of Directors was sued by, initially four, but later three members after one removed herself from the suit. Plaintiffs claim the SLPPOA Board of Directors have failed to enforce and comply with certain provisions of the Association Bylaws in which they have been denied certain financial and operational information.  Essentially, they believe they should have full access to member financial/payment information and other financial records not specifically called out in the Association Bylaws and/or the New Mexico HOA Act. They also claim that the SLPPOA Board of Directors has failed to substantiate their statutory authority to convene executive session to discuss members delinquent account information.

The plaintiffs pleaded their case on February 3, 2016. The Board defended their case on July 12, 2016, and the judge ruled in favor of the Board of Directors. Plaintiffs filed a Request for Reconsideration on August 4, 2016, followed by SLP filing a Motion to Strike on September 7, 2016. A hearing was held on all matters on December 12, 2016. The judge ruled again in favor of the Defendants, the Board of Directors. We then filed for Judgement for Costs, which was objected to by the plaintiffs. Ms. Suzanne Star then filed a Notice of Appeal of the original ruling. Because of their Request for Reconsideration, this made them open to be charged for costs, which was approved by Judge Davis. The plaintiffs disagreed with this ruling, and a hearing was held on May 23, 2017. Because the lead plaintiff, Ms. Star, filed an appeal on December 30, 2016, the judge would not make a ruling on costs, so a hearing on the matter will be held after the appeals court ruling. The appeal is pending a judgement by the panel of judges. Total cost of the lawsuit as of June, 2018, is over $51,000.00!