April 18, 2023

Sierra los Pinos Board Meeting: April 18, 2023
Present: Scott DeWitt, Suzanne Star, John Hines, David Stuedell, Ann Cooke, Josh Toennis, Keith
Rigney, Amber Gaston.
Absent: Mana Babicz
Guests, Paul Lisko, Barbara van Ruyckevelt, Mary Moore
Meeting held in person and called to order at 6:38 p.m. at the Firehouse.
The agenda was approved.
The minutes of March 14 meeting were not ready, so were not approved.
Officers Reports
Vice President- Dewitt
Discussion occurred on the state of the roads and possible funding for last year’s flooding and
this year’s snow runoff. Since the Association is a private entity, it is not eligible for funding from
Sandoval County Emergency funds. However, there still is hope of federal funding to repair
damage from last year’s Cerro Pelado fire. Rigney has invited Jill Mumford to visit. She will be
onsite on May 9 to inspect damage, take pictures, andmeet with homeowners who sustained
damage from the fire and consequent flooding. She will also attend the Board meetingto assist
in filling out forms (individual and entity) to apply for the funding. Notification of the Mumford
visit will be posted on Facebook.
More discussion followed concerning the problem with the road washout at the junction of
Aspen Grove and Calipso. Rigney and Toennis volunteered to install a culvert there. Discussion
followed about the number, size, and cost of culverts. This issue was discussed more during
Stuedell’s report on roads.
Other projects were mentioned but not yet funded including building a cover for cinders, buying
a few truckloads of gravel, completing the tie-in, adding more culverts, and repairing the
washout surrounding the mainline that runs from thewell to the booster station.
Treasurer- Star
Star reported: As of March 31, the operating account was $176,014. The reserve account was
$49,667.83. $1,989.70 was transferred to the reserves last month.
Remaining budget:
Water System 1: $23,665.77
Water System 2: $12,856.24
Water General: $5,000
1Roads: $25,000
Delinquencies: 16 totaling $30,272. Of the 16, 5 are carryovers from last year. One of these
owes over $6K. The Board agreed to turn this owner over to a collection agency. This activity
will not cost the Association anything and has the promise of collecting 66% of the debt. The
agency keeps 33%.
One delinquent property recently sold; a debt of $2,690.53was collected.
On April 11, the treasurer sent a certified letter to delinquent homeowners warning them to
pay up by July 1. If they fail to do this, the bylaws give the Board authority toturnoff their water,
file a lien on their property, or turn their case over to a collection agency.
A discussion ensued about water turnoff. Even though the bylaws give this power to the Board,
it has not been a regular response to delinquent homeowners. After some back and forth on
the wisdom of turning off water, the Board agreed to do this. Hines agreed he’d be willing to
turn off their meters.
One new member moved into our community: Justin Owen at 148 Hovenweep Loop.
Standing Committee Reports
Water: J. Hines reported that water quality tests were run; no problems were detected, no
ecoli, no radionuclides.
Meters were read, but Hines reported that the software that reads the meters needs to be
upgraded because it is now 10 years old and difficult to use.
Two new level cons were ordered.
System 1: Still 54% leak, Aspen well has a big leak; Raue will be working on this problem soon. 9
households have leaks, but this is down from 12 last month.
System 2: 9 leaks, 7 are repeats. A huge leak this winter at 34 Cerro Pelado drained the tanks.
Other data are hard to calculate because of the big leak.
Homes at the end of cul de sacs are susceptible to freezes. These homeowners should be
notified to keep a water faucet dripping during the winter, especially if they are away from
home for an extended period.
Roads: Stuedell reported: a new contract is needed with Morris for snow removal.Also need to
order cinders.
2Discussion returned to the washout at the junction of Aspen Grove and Calypso. The Board
approved the purchase of one 3-ft diameter, 20-foot-long culvert for this repair. Toennis
estimated the cost at $1500. The $2K grant from the Jemez Mountain Firewise Assoc. can be
used to cover this expense. Toennis will pick up the culvert, and he and Rigney will install it.
Discussed getting a quote for a few truckloads of gravel from Meskimen to be dumped at
Firestation.
Firewise: Cooke reported that a temporary ranger has or will soon replace Riley in our district.
Also, the Forest Service has begun clearing their two lots at the entrance to our subdivision.
Community members can pick up the downfall.
Architecture: Toennis reported three activities: a request for building a home from a potential
buyer of a lot on Mimbres was approved; a request for constructing a fence is pending; a
request for constructing an enclosed chicken run is also pending.
Old Business
USDA federal funding for water infrastructure: Star reported that $5K is needed for a lawyer to
inquire into needed changes to SLP bylaws or policies to be eligible for this funding. It was
agreed not to pursue this.
Recruitment of water operator: Gaston reported that no progress has been made on this task.
New Business
Financial research report: Moore (pg 5) presented three reports: the first showed the history of
the reserve account from 2009 to the present. Last year it was drawn down from $128K to
$43K.
The second showed the use of the reserve account over time. It was used once in 2017 for
water, 2018 for roads, and 2019 also for roads. But in 2022, it was used four times, three times
for water, once for roads. This came to $92,521. This amount is unprecedented in our history.
The last report showed details of 2022 finances: the Board spent $129,936 on water, $77,771 on
roads, and $51,149 on other items, totaling $258,856. This amount overran the budget of $154K
by over $100K. This is also unprecedented. She urged caution this year as our financial situation
is precarious.
Recommendations on Salazar project and reserve account: Van Ruyckevelt recommended
having a written contract when using contractors and the importance of getting at least two
estimates before agreeing to proceed on projects. She warned that the outstanding invoice
3from the Salazar firm could lead to a lawsuit. She pleaded with the Board to be more
businesslike in its decisions and policies.
Water Management Team Update: Moore updated the Board on the latest work of the WMT.
She asked for and was given approval of the new charter which reads: the team will identify
impediments to adopting a water billing system and attempt to resolve the issues. These
include
 Infrastructure, technical, and personnel issues associated with the reliability of SLP water
meters
 financial issues associated with setting monthly rates
 administrative issues associated with implementing the system
 legal issues associated with changing the bylaws
 community resistance to change
Moore also presented and asked for approval to send out a newsletter which explains the
necessity of raising funds for our many projects. Water billing would be one way to do this. The
Board approved sending out the newsletter.
Star presented bids for two projects: 1) inspecting and recalibrating the well meters and 2)
inspecting the storage tanks. The well meter recalibration project will cost ~$2.5K and the tank
inspection will cost ~$5K. The Board approved both projects. Both projects can be covered in
this year’s budget.
Action Items
Star will send out an email to affected homeowners to inform them that Ms. Mumford will be
onsite on May 9 to look over damages to their property caused by the Cerro Pelado fire. Hines
will provide a list of these homeowners.
Gaston will continue to work on the ad for a new water operator.
Toennis will buy and transport culvert. He and Rigney will install it.
Stuedell will work on new snow removal contract with Morris, will check on price of cinders,
and will get a quote for truckloads of gravel.
Star and Moore will send out the WMT newsletter.
Meeting Adjourned
42022 Financials
These data are from the December Year-End 2022 report. Cash on hand in Operating: $101,688, reserves $43,681.
Water Expenses Op (Pg 5 of Yr-End HOAMCO Statement)
ConservationFee
$60.23
Line Location
$124.00
General
$7,907.46
System 1
$25,799.99
System 2
$5,967.61
Water Op
$21,274.92
Water Sampling
$4649.26
Electricity
$7,498.19
Total
$73,281Water Expenses Reserves (Pg 10)
$56,655.20
Road Expenses Operating (Pg 5)
$41,906Road Expenses Reserves (Pg 10)
$35,865.94
Other Operating Expenses (Pgs 5, 4)
Snow Removal $22,742.25
Administrative $24,779.51
Parks
$2,682.81
Taxes
$943.95
Total Other Op $51,148.52Total Reserve Expenses (Pg10)
$56,655.20
$35,865.94
$92,521.14
Total Operating Expenses
$73,281
$41,906
$51,148.52
$166,335
.Total 2022 Expenses
Operating
$166,335
Reserves
$92,521
Total
$258,856
In 2022, SLPPOA spent$258,856.
Our budget was$154,380.We overspent our budget by more than $100K.
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