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June 2014

The intent of this newsletter is to highlight major issues. New developments areposted 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 board@slppoa.org.

BOARD MEMBER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Want to be more actively involved in your community? Well, now’s your chance! The election of Board members this year will fill three positions for three-year terms, one two-year term and one one-year term. Two Board members whose terms are ending this year are Joe Brophy and Eleni Fredlund. They do have the option to run for another term and we sure hope they will. Other vacancies are from resignations and one position was never filled due to the lack of volunteers. The Board would like to thank them for all their hard work and dedication to the Board and the Association. If you’re interested in volunteering for a position on the Board, please contact any board member as soon as possible or email us at board@slppoa.org. 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 out by the end of July, so please let us know as soon as possible so we can get your name on the ballot.

2014 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 13, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. at the Fire Station in Sierra los Piños. There will also 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 of last year’s general meeting minutes, officer and committee reports from the treasurer, roads, water, architectural control, legal, parks, etc. The meeting will also include the election of new Board members.

Eligibility to vote 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 5 votes if you own one lot and 10 votes if you own two lots since there are five vacancies. Your votes can be distributed among the candidates as you desire (i.e. you can give all your votes to one candidate, one vote to each candidate, or any combination). Assuming we get more candidates to run for the Board, the three candidates with the largest number of votes will assume the three-year positions, then the two and one-year positions. Any remaining nominees will serve as an alternate if for any reason a Board member must resign.

Ballots for the election will be mailed out by August 1st. 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.

FIREWISE INFORMATION
We are getting into the "Critical Fire Weather" days of this fire season. Fire Danger is posted at Extreme. Level 1 fire restrictions are in effect in the Santa Fe Nat'l Forest and Valles Caldera Preserve. Open Burning is prohibited on private land by the County.

Please have a plan for possible evacuation during fire
Evacuate with your 6 P's:

  • People and pets
  • Papers, phone numbers and important documents, driver's license, passport
  • Prescriptions, vitamins, medications and eyeglasses and/or contacts
  • Pictures and irreplaceable memorabilia
  • Personal computers (information on hard drive and discs)
  • Plastic (credit cards, ATM cards) and cash

When leaving, close doors, windows, shutters and any attic and basement vents if possible. This will eliminate the possibility of sparks blowing inside. Turn OFF natural
gas or propane (close tank valve located under the metal hood). Leave the electrical service to your home ON and leave a light on inside and out so that firefighters can locate
your house at night and in the smoke. Also, most rural home water systems require electricity. Close all interior doors to block the circulation of air and fire from room to
room. Close garage door, but leave it unlocked. Disconnect the automatic garage door opener. Bring as many vehicles inside garage as possible and then close. Do not lock doors so that firefighters can gain access. Do not block roads, close or lock gates as this will impede firefighter mobility that is essential for property protection.

Avoid doing any type of work outdoors that could make a spark; this is essential during the Red Flag times. Always have a hose handy and a fire extinguisher or two. Call 911 if you see a smoke plume - give them your location and the direction you are looking; be prepared to describe what you see, for example: thin, white column; heavy, brown column; rising, narrow column; broad-based column, reaching straight up; drifting to the east... etc..

The USFS has extra crews available and they are patrolling the Jemez ranger District from morning to evening. You may have seen them on FR 10, or in your neighborhood. Some trucks are from other parts of the country and may look different from what we are used to, but they have come to help us here during this critical fire time. Give them a wave or a thumbs-up to show your appreciation as many of the workers are away from their homes for long periods.

Thanks for your cooperation. LCVFD

METER CAN INSTALLATION
Your special assessment money is hard at work! The meter assembly installation project is moving quite nicely. Peter Veverka, Harold Corn have spent numerous hours overseeing the installation project with the assistance from other volunteers. Dave Raue, the contractor, is doing an excellent season. If TIME IS SHORT, quickly gather-up and job with installation: 50 meter cans were installed in 30 days during the period of 4/23/14 through 5/21/2014!

Primary Goal Achieved

  • System 1 100% Complete (excluding opt outs)
  • Expect the First Sys 1 Water Audit next month

Three Frost Free Hydrants Installed. Three PRV (pressure reducer valve) Cans Installed. Problems encountered:

  • Unknown Homeowner Service Line Locations > 10-15%
    • No extra contractor charges incurred!
  • Utilities in proximity of water service lines
    • One intentional power outage
    • One non powered secondary power line cut
  • Main water line near residence
  • Broken Fire Stand Shutoff at bottom of Los Griegos
  • Insufficient Quantity of Main Line Isolation Valves
  • Drain Hoses Frozen
  • Caution Cones Removed
  • Listserv Notifications
  • Easements
    • Ashley Lane (solved)
    • Outliers (unsolved)

30 Meter Cans Remaining for Year 3

  • Labor contract increase expected - Est. $650-$670/can
  • Solve Outliers service problem
    • New 2 in poly line off main, Est. $10/ft.(material & labor)
    • Homeowner service line connection
    • Consider Easement Option similar to Ashley Solution

118 Meters Read on 6/2/2014, with 16 Potential Leak Flags (7 Leak Flags noted on 5/1/2014). The Trimble Meter Reader was sent to Badger for mother board upgrade. If you need a key to shut off your water at the stand-pipe, please notify the board, as some are available for loan. We request that you do not open or try to initiate any modifications in the assembly, as the meter assembly is the property of SLP and not the personal property of the homeowner. Repairs and maintenance will be the responsibility of our water maintenance crew. If you believe there are problems with the assembly, or if you desire information on how the assembly works, or how to use the shutoff in the event of an emergency, please contact the SLP board at board@slppoa.org.

WATER PRESSURE STUDY OF WATER SUPPLY SYSTEMS 1 AND 2
We found in 2013-2014 that knowledge of water pressure relationships with elevation was very useful in the installation of our new water meter cans. We determined the elevation of all the external water hydrants in 140homes using Goggle Earth and measured water pressure at these hydrants. We found that as we went from an elevation of 8263 ft. to 7988 ft. in System 1, water pressure increased from 11 to 108 psi, making water pressure management in our homes a must at lower elevations. Several of these homes had pressure regulators buried in the ground next to the old curb stop shutoff valves. So, if these pressure regulators, which were only designed for indoors use, were thrown away during the installation of the new curb stop/meter can system and the home was not equipped with a pressure regulator inside the home, the new water pressure was dangerously high in the home. Our homes are supposed to have internal water pressure in the range of 60-70 psi, and one owner was shocked to find out that the water pressure in her home was greatly increased in her old single-wide trailer. This situation was fixed by equipping the new meter can assembly with a pressure regulator assembly right in the can for homes like this.

WEBSITE UPDATE
Our website is now password protected. The login name is “member” and password is “4u2c.” This is only temporary as our webpage will be getting a facelift. We will continue to post minutes, water and fire information on the current website. For those who have had their meters installed, water usage is also posted. If you don’t know your meter number, please send us an e-mail and we’ll will give you the information. Stay tuned for the new webpage.

PARKS
Are you a current user of our parks or want to be? We’re looking for ideas on what improvements, additions, etc., members would like to see. Please contact Peter Veverka or any board member with your wish list.

HOA DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
The 2013 New Mexico Legislature passed the state’s first Homeowner Association (HOA) Act. Among other things, the law established new disclosure requirements for owners who have put their homes up for sale. This being one of the primary objective of the HOA Act, with the goal that buyers would receive the information they need to make wise purchase decisions and have a full understanding of their obligations as a homeowner in covenant-restricted communities.

A significant requirement for all owners is that they must provide a “Disclosure Statement” to a prospective buyer prior to closing, and the buyer has the right to cancel the contract within seven days of receiving the Disclosure Statement. This provides prospective buyers with important information regarding current status of the association which includes:

  • Status of capital reserves
  • Current balance sheet and income statement
  • Current budget
  • Outstanding material lawsuits and/or judgments
  • Insurance coverage; and
  • Contact information for the association.

Additional information is also furnished as required by the HOA law:

  • Articles of Incorporation;
  • Bylaws:
  • Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for particular unit;
  • Statement disclosing existence and terms of any right of first refusal or other restraint on the free alienability of the lot;
  • Statement setting forth the annual assessment including special assessment, and any unpaid amount currently due;
  • Statement of any capital expenditures anticipated by the association and approved by the board for the current fiscal year and the two next succeeding fiscal years.

Thus far, the realtor selling the home has been coordinating the requests for the Disclosure Statements, but it is the legal obligation of the property owner, not the realtor, to ensure the prospective buyer receives the information. If your realtor will not initiate the process, please contact the board secretary/treasurer for the required form.

One of the provisions of the HOA Act allows us to charge a reasonable fee for preparation of the disclosure documents. In keeping in line with other associations in the area, the board voted to charge a preparation fee of $150.00. This fee will cover any costs that may arise, such as legal consultation and to defray expenses associated with preparation of the certificate. Payment for the disclosure certificate is collected at closing.

WATER LEAKS AND USAGE
In mid-November we had American Leak Detection (ALD) help us with finding water system leaks in System 1. This company has successfully performed water system checks for Jemez Springs and LANL. They identify hidden leaks on our water supply system using technology and experience: amplified listening devices that listen to valves, curb stops, and water flow, and inert test gases (helium) and hand-held helium survey detectors for leak location. So we surveyed about 5 miles of the System 1 main 4" PVC pipe ranging from 3-12 feet in depth. American Leak Detection (ALD) found problems with three isolation valves in the main system as well as problems with nine property meters. ALD then conducted pressure tests on various sections of the main, the first section was from the tanks to valve #2; this section lost pressure due to valve #1 leaking (catastrophic failure occurred later in 2013 leading to the replacement of this valve). All of the other sections of pipe held pressure except one on Bonito Way where ALD found a leak next to valve 9 using helium and the helium detector. The final section spanning two valves was tested and held at 130 PSI for forty (40) minutes with no loss.

Most of you long-time residents already know, but as a reminder and for those new members, you should know that we do not have unlimited usage of our water. We are required to report our water usage to the Office of the State Engineer every month. Then twice a year we pay taxes on our usage; therefore, our water usage is being monitored very closely. Exceeding our water rights will result in a financial penalty. Please -- everyone -- do NOT use sprinklers as most is lost to evaporation, leave hoses running, wash your car(s) or other activities that use excessive amounts of water. This not only increases our taxes, but also increases our electricity bills, and last year we came very close to using our total yearly allotted water rights. When we see an unexpected increase in water usage, our volunteers (the few we have) spent numerous hours analyzing the data and searching for leaks. When nothing surfaces, we don’t know if it’s an undetected leak or someone watering. Please be considerate with water usage.

DRINKING WATER CONSUMER CONFIDENCE REPORT FOR 2013 COMMUNITY RELATIONS
DrinkingWaterWatch (https://eidea.nmenv.state.nm.us/DWW/) provides information on all of New Mexico's Public Water Systems, including water quality sampling data, sample schedules, drinking water regulation violations, and information on water system facilities. SLPPOA uses this site to insure we are compliant with the New Mexico Drinking Water Bureau sampling requirements for our own two water systems. A visit to this site will show you that while monthly samples are collected for Total Coliforms, the distribution system and our three wells are sampled for lead, copper, asbestos, and heavy metals every three years. Many other specific sampling schedules are shown here to evaluate our drinking water quality.

Last year we failed to provide you with the 2012 annual report (CCR report) on time that informs you about the quality of our drinking water and characterizes the risks from exposure to contaminants detected in our drinking water. We were supposed to provide you the report no later than July 1, 2013 and we failed to do so. This year the report was finished a couple of months ahead of time and is currently posted on our Web page.. In 2014 our Water Operator quit without notice leaving us with the problem of trying to find one for a pretty remote part of New Mexico. This personal was replaced with a much more experienced professional with his own state-accredited drinking water lab, both of which are requirements to keeping our drinking water system running and in compliance.

In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of contaminants in water provided by public water systems. The Water Quality Data Table shown on our Web page lists all of the drinking water contaminants that we detected during the calendar year of this report. Although many more contaminants were tested, only those substances listed below were found in your water.

All sources of drinking water contain some naturally occurring contaminants. At low levels, these substances are generally not harmful in our drinking water. Removing all contaminants would be extremely expensive, and in most cases, would not provide increased protection of public health. A few naturally occurring minerals may actually improve the taste of drinking water and have nutritional value at low levels. Unless otherwise noted, the data presented in this table is from testing done in the calendar year of the report. The EPA or the State requires us to monitor for certain contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not vary significantly from year to year, or the system is not considered vulnerable to this type of contamination. As such, some of our data, though representative, may be more than one year old. In this table on the Web you will find terms and abbreviations that might not be familiar to you: to help you better understand these terms, we have provided the definitions after the table.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS
We have totally changed the dynamic of interacting with our neighbors in the Board that started in 2013. There was a lot of hesitancy to go past the easement and talk to homeowners in the past- we start at the front door now and communicate, communicate and communicate. We felt that our neighbors were entitled to privacy of financial dealings with bills owed to SLPPOA, but did listen to the opposite opinions at length. We’re helping each other out with everything from passing on information on how to access the Web Page, finding a good plumber or electrician, goat walking and horse riding, dog problems, and car problems. I’m really proud to have all of you as neighbors!

We try very hard to represent the homeowners’ views of how to solve problems now. For example, we were able to solve a problem with homeowners’ help where the water supply crossed one lot on Ashley Lane to supply water to a second lot. This was done by talking to neighbors and deriving the solution rather than using the SLPPOA lawyer, who of course costs us all.

We are working with Thompson Ridge POA to seek answers to problems we have in common, such as the solution we came up with for snow removal. We were able to barter a deal with the County for helping us improve our practically impassable roads for allowing them to keep one of their big pieces of equipment over by the fire barn. The latter action actually fixed a situation near the System 1 water tanks where the electrical trunk supply line was exposed at the surface of the road.

We have also worked very hard to improve relations with the New Mexico Drinking Water Bureau. We are in contact with them on a biweekly basis to make sure we are taking every precaution to guard all of our neighbors’ health.