Issue #1

The Official Newsletter of the Eagle Ranch Property Owners Association

A Covenant Controlled Community

President’s Message:

The purpose of this newsletter, and those to follow (we anticipate every four months), is broadly, to make property owners aware of “happenings, both on and off Eagle Ranch, and to promote dialogue. To this end, we would appreciate any suggestions you may have to improve or augment the form and /or content of the newsletter. (The format of this first issue is pretty basic and will improve as we gain experience, but our emphasis will be on substance, not form.) This issue contains topics of immediate importance now and consideration of in the future.

As I write this, I am looking out at a ranch covered with two or three overnight inches of snow with the sun about to break through the clouds. Migrations of robins, bluebirds, European starlings and other species have been passing through the area. (Some of the robins and bluebirds are still hanging around.) The doves have been gone a month or so. Pronghorns have been about, in greater or lesser numbers, since we moved in. Mule deer have recently been seen in greater numbers, and, as might be expected, the coyotes’ are around and vocalizing.

All this and only ten miles from town. You’ all come.

To help you get to know the Eagle Ranch Board of Directors, we will provide a profile of the Board Members in this and future issues. Hopefully this will make you feel more comfortable in bringing concerns, or compliments, to their attention.

Profile of the ERPOA President:

Kenneth Simpson was elected to the ERPOA Board of Directors at the July 31, 2004 annual meeting. Ken and Debby, his wife of 15 years, moved to Eagle Ranch on April 1st. Ken has five daughters and one son, ranging in age from 33 to 43 and three grandchildren. The kids and grandkids are scattered across the country in New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan and Colorado.

Ken retired from General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) in 1994, after 34 years of service. He started with GMAC in Baltimore, MD, but much of his time was spent working in the corporate office Comptroller’s Staff in New York City and Detroit, Michigan. In 1988 he welcomed a change of pace and the opportunity to travel the “Wild West” as an Audit Manager. In the fall of 1989, after vacationing in Southern Colorado, he realized that retirement in Colorado was much more inviting that retirement on the Eastern Shore. Shortly after that the search for country property began.

Ken has always been an avid hunter and fisherman with a love for the great outdoors. He has enjoyed several successful elk hunts in Colorado and Wyoming. In addition, he hunted brown bear in Alaska and moose in Wyoming. Most especially, he enjoys viewing area wildlife throughout the year. He is a ham radio operator and also dabbles in star gazing. Ken spent a good portion of the last few years researching builders, building materials and designing the new home. Eagle Ranch seems to be a perfect location. Ken and Debby’s house is located on Kaitlyn Drive, just three miles west of I-25. Groceries and other services are still only 10 miles away using the back way on Little Burnt Mill Road, or about 13 miles using I-25. Pueblo and the surrounding areas offer many services and activities that are of interest.

Want to contribute an article to the newsletter? Please email your suggestions to news@erhoa.org

Know your neighbor?

At last count 14 families are residing on the ranch, the remainder being absentee owners. Regardless, we would like to get to know all of you and learn why you love Eagle Ranch. If interested, please provide a biographical portrait of yourself or your family for a future edition of this newsletter.

Roads 101

As might be expected, the biggest single expense for Eagle Ranch property owners is maintenance of the nearly eleven miles of gravel access road. In 2004, such expense will approximate 65% of the annual assessments collected or due, broken down as follows:

Activity % Expense

Grading 32 $5,110

Additional road base 23 $3,640

Weed Control 10 $1,700

Currently our roads are graded twice a year in the spring and fall. It would be better if we could have a third grading in late summer. There are ways property owners can help to reduce unnecessary road maintenance expense, and that is the main point of this article.

I surveyed our roads with the grader who will be doing the work, whose comments are the basis for the following.

1. As is typical with most gravel road construction within developments such as Eagle Ranch, the road base is six inches compacted to four inches. (As opposed to the public Burnt Mill Road which is 18 inches compacted to 12 inches.) So, we have a minimal road base to work with.

2. The primary causes of our current road deterioration, which is primarily on Nolan Drive, Siegel Way and Eagle Ranch Roads, are excess speed, and construction and other sustained truck traffic.

Excess speed, and this is defined as that exceeding 25 mph, unnaturally disperses road

base, both dirt and rock, so that a meaningful amount cannot be recovered in the grading process; hence, the need for additional road base. Noted is that the original ranch gravel road base is of lesser quality than that used on county maintained gravel roads. The latter (Type 6) is slightly more expensive and not always available.

It is also noted that as the road base accumulates on the sides of our roads, drivers are inclined to drive in a single track. This contributes to further deterioration of the road base to the extent that in some areas there is little or no road base remaining in the single tracks. In addition, the practice of taking a “straight” line through curves contributes to road deterioration.

Construction truck traffic is, of course, unavoidable. Other existing sustained truck traffic is a matter currently being addressed.

The above must also be considered from the standpoint that of 107 parcels, currently only 17 have, or have in progress, residences.

These comments suggest some measures that we can take to reduce road deterioration.

• Reduce speeds to at or about 25 mph for all traffic. If you are in the construction process, request your contractor to respect our roads by adhering to the 25 mph speed target. In this connection, traffic control signs restricting speed to 25 mph will be placed at key locations within the ranch.

• Vary the track you take when driving our roads.

Your comments on this matter would be appreciated. Please direct correspondence to, or call, Ken Simpson, ERPOA – President, at 719-676-2964 or 5871 Kaitlyn Drive, Box A-14, Pueblo, CO 81004.

Light Pollution – by Debby Graham

Many of us have chosen to move to the country in order to enjoy the piece and quiet, the many sights nature affords with some space between homes and the many wonders of the night sky. When we lived in the Denver metropolitan area we were unable to enjoy the many stars and night wonders that we can now enjoy at Eagle Ranch. But this is going to take some cooperation on the part of all of our neighbors to preserve the dark night sky so that we can continue to enjoy the many night wonders as additional homes are built.

Good outdoor lights improve visibility, safety, and a sense of security, while minimizing energy use, operation costs, and ugly, dazzling glare. Some simple and inexpensive things that everyone can do to help preserve the dark night sky include:

• Use only the light needed. Don’t over-light, and don’t spill light off your property.

• Install full-cutoff shielded fixtures. This will direct the light down where it is required. In addition, you may be able to reduce the wattage required because the light is directed more appropriately.

• Turn your outside lights off once they are no longer needed. (The same applies to interior lights that are not necessary.)

• Install motion detector sensors, so that lights will turn on automatically when needed and go off when movement is no longer detected.

• Install timers, so that your lights will go on automatically at a predetermined hour and then shut off automatically when generally no longer needed. Timers can also be useful for interior lights, to make sure that lights are turned off once the household settles for the night.

1. When planning your outdoor lighting, please consider using low wattage and shielded lighting fixtures.

2. You can find “neighbor friendly” lighting fixtures at many local stores.

3. We are adding a link on the Eagle Ranch website to the Sky Publishing article that provides additional information and examples of “neighbor friendly” lighting.

References:

The Light Pollution Awareness Website http://members.aol.com/ctcadman/index.htm, New England Light Pollution Advisory Group (NELPAG)

http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/ps/nelpag.html

and Sky Publishing Corp. http://skyandtelescope.com

Property Owner - Dues Collection

2005 ERPOA Dues will be due by January 31, 2005. Statements will be sent out by the treasurer to each lot owner at the end of December 2004. If your mailing address changes, it is your responsibility to inform the treasurer as soon as possible (see address, below).

As stated in the ERPOA Covenants (Article 8 - Assessments), each lot owner is legally responsible to pay dues each year, and non-payment constitutes a lien on the property.The ERPOA Board has decided to institute a $25.00 late fee per lot, per year, for all dues that are paid more than 30 days after the due date, as set forth in the Covenants, Section 8.9. This second deadline would be March 2, 2005.

A lien on property will be filed not less than 20 days after a notice of default is mailed, if such defaults are not cured by March 23, 2005.Liens will include all delinquent dues, all attorneys' fees, court costs, witness expenses, all related expenses, and late fees and interest.Please refer to Sections 8.9 - 8.12 of the Covenants.

There are only a few lot owners in Eagle Ranch, who haven't kept their dues payments current, but ALL lot owners must stay current, and the Board is going to be diligent in collecting back dues, as well as current dues. If you are one of the lot owners in arrears, we strongly suggest you get paid up NOW to avoid late fees, interest, and court costs.

Please mail payments to:

ERPOA - Treasurer

4723 Burnt Mill Road S., Box A-11

Pueblo, CO 81004

Website – A Source of Information

The Eagle Ranch Property Owners Association

Website is: http://erhoa.org

Items provided on the website include:

• Protective Covenants (Provided at time of property purchase)

• Association Bylaws (Provided at time of property purchase)

• 2004 Secretary and Treasurer Reports

• Members of the Board of Directors

• Annual meeting pictures from both 2003 and 2004.

• An article “Why do the roads look so bad?” and pictures of weed damage on lesser used northern roads taken summer 2004.

• An update on the zoning issue filed with the Pueblo County Commissioners.

• Pictures of Eagle Ranch.

The information provided on the website will not be duplicated in this newsletter in an effort to reduce printing and mailing expense. If you require a printed copy of an item listed above, please let us know and we will provide it.

We thank Cathi Scriven for her efforts toward developing the website and keeping it updated. Suggestions for the website can be emailed to the Webmaster: cathi@erhoa.org

Wishing you all the joys of the holiday season and every good wish for the New Year Board of Directors.

During the July 31, 2004 Eagle Ranch Property Owners Association annual meeting, one returning and four new board members were elected.

Correspondence to board members and annual dues payments should be addressed to:

Eagle Ranch POA

4723 Burnt Mill Road, S., Box A-11

Pueblo, CO 81004

Ken Simpson, President

719-676-2964

pres@erhoa.org

Nicole Swartwood, Vice President

719-676-2583

vp@erhoa.org