July 25, 2023

Sierra los Pinos Board Meeting Minutes
July 25, 2023 (Postponed from July 11)

Board Members Present: Scott DeWitt, Amber Gaston DeWitt, Ann Cooke, Suzanne Star, Keith Rigney, John Hines, Josh Toennis

Board Members absent: Dave Stuedell

Guests: Barbara van Ruyckevelt, Paul Lisko, Mary Moore, Ed Partridge, Daniel Wirth, Farita Tasnim

Meeting was called to order at 6:31 p.m. Ann Cooke presiding.

The agenda was approved. June minutes not yet available.

Vice President report – DeWitt
The ad for a water operator was posted on the New Mexico Rural Water Association site.
The Forest Service acknowledged that they caused the Cerro Pelado fire by letting a burn pile smolder and then ignite. A meeting will take place on August 12 at the Jemez Mountain Baptist Church in LaCueva involving US Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez to discuss possible federal reimbursements for damage that resulted from the fire. The following fire and flood damages were identified within SLP common property: replacement of culverts ($2K) and regrading of road from water damage ($38K). Cooke and DeWitt plan to represent the Board at this meeting.

Treasurer report – Star
Operating accounts: $120,574,95 + $25,007.39 (ICS)
Reserve account: $55,66.18 ($1,989.70 transferred last month)

Delinquent accounts: A total of $18,035.06 is owed the association.
The bulk of this money is owed by 4 members who own vacant lots. One account was turned over to collections, but the owner/heir could not be found. So, the collections agency returned this account to the Board. Water to three of the delinquents was shut off, and their meter was locked out for the first time ever in association history. Liens have been placed on all these properties. In addition, two members are on a payment plan.

Remaining budget:
General water fund: $5000
System 1 water: $20,721
System 2 water: 0 ($2,423 over budget)
Roads: $23,738

An audit was completed; the report is available on the SLPPOA website.

Hot topics:
1) Status of water operator position: Hines’ contract remains operative until August 11. A new association member, Daniel Wirth, has expressed interest in filling the post. But he is inexperienced and will need training. Hines reported he will be able to help in this regard, and that Wirth can operate under his license until Wirth can apply for his own. However, one of the requirements is that Wirth apprentice under a licensed operator’s supervision for 6 months before taking the exam. This seemed agreeable to the Board.
2) Exposed main water line (from spring runoff) – needs repair before the freeze. Hines is acquiring an estimate from Raue.
3) Leak at Aspen Grove well – Hines reported that repairs are underway and will be completed soon. It is estimated that this leak was one of the major problems within System 1. It has been fixed somewhat and has already resulted in a reduction from 50% 40% in that leak rate.
4) Fire hydrant at the corner of FR 10 and Los Griegos. A motion was made and seconded for $509 to pay for parts to raise the level of the hydrant as it is in a flood zone.
5) Storage tank levels in System 1 on July 24-25 dropped due to a chlorination tubing/valve blow out in the Hovenween pump house. Hines fixed this. Levels are now normal.
6) The July newsletter was approved for submission to association members.
7) Status of remaining Board members and influx of new members: The membership terms of Rigney, Toennis, and Cooke are ending. A. DeWitt may be leaving. Donna Smith, Daniel Wirth, and Farita Tasnim have expressed interest in joining the Board. August 15 is the deadline for notice to go out to members for voting on Board positions.

Water report – Hines
Water quality tests were conducted in July on both Systems 1 and 2. This included tests for copper and lead. No problems were identified. A level con pro was replaced. Hines assisted three homeowners in repairing leaks on their property. One property owner requested a water pressure test.
The 5 storage tanks were inspected last month: 4 are fiberglass, 1 is steel. The four fiberglass tanks passed inspection, but the steel tank will need recoating within the next 2-5 years. The cost for this is estimated at $25K.

Road report – Stuedell (not present)
E. Partridge described the problem on Calypso Road and the fact that it had been washed out since the spring. The Board recognized the need to fix this and will get an estimate from Raue to do this. Aztec Road was repaired, but with washed gravel, not base course. Gravel may wash away in the future. Base course needs to be ordered. DeWitt will work with Stuedell to make this happen.

Water management team report
The team presented a draft of their proposal for water billing and asked for comments/feedback/suggestions/approval from the Board. (A copy of the draft is attached.) A vigorous discussion followed. The following feedback was received: make clear that this proposal necessitates a bylaw change; that the proposal was the work of the team, not the Board; and the proposal must clarify the costs of water billing to the average member of the association. DeWitt requested a transition plan outlining what steps would be needed to implement the plan, for example, what needs to be purchased, where the money would come from, and a timeline associated with these steps. Cooke suggested that the provision in the bylaw calling for a cap of ½ cent/year be replaced with a percentage increase instead of the absolute number.
The Board did not endorse the proposal but instead agreed to allow the team to present the proposal for discussion at the annual meeting in September. An actual vote on the proposal by members will occur later.
The team agreed to make the following changes to the proposal: state that the proposal is the work of the WMT, not the Board; state that the team was asked by the Board to initiate the study; state that the team, but not the Board, believes water billing will require an amendment to existing SLP bylaws.

Architecture – Toennis
Request for new home construction at 195 Mimbres – in progress.
Tiny home issue at 196 Trilobite. Email sent. Respondent reported house is not occupied. Owner will submit the required vacation rental paperwork.

Firewise – Cooke
Slash pile smolder caused Sierra Pelado fire. Thermal sensors are now installed and will monitor these piles in the future. Forest Service will continue to perform prescribed burns and clear forest debris in our area.

Parks – Rigney
Parks need mowing. Volunteers failed to respond to a request to do this.

Old Business
Outstanding invoice for $5400 regarding line-locate issue. Hines suggested that the bill be ignored because past requests and resulting services were very inaccurate – sometimes as much as 300 feet in error.

New Business
Nominating Committee for new Board members. Instead of creating a committee, it was agreed to put out a request for new Board members in the July newsletter.
2022 Annual meeting minutes. These are on the website. Members should read them before coming to the 2023 annual meeting this September. They then can be approved at that meeting.
SLPPOA website. Tasnim has agreed to take over the Association website. But a few issues must be addressed; should GoDaddy continue to be the host, how to include email authority for Board members and water data information for members? Bring ideas to the next meeting.

Meeting adjourned at 8:32 p.m.

Next meeting scheduled for August 8, 2023, at fire station.

Draft Water Billing Proposal July 2023.pdf