CALL TO ORDER: Homestead Board President, James Keating, called the meeting to order at 7:09pm Boy Scout Troop 373 performed the opening flag ceremony with recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. The honor guard included Noah and Harrison Kleman, Logan Bowles, Geoff and Graham Brauchler, Brayden Kakel, Connor Knowles and Ellis Foutts. Scoutmaster Jeff Heitz thanked the Association for being Troop 373’s Charter Organization. He reviewed the troop activities and announced that Troop 373 had eight young men preparing to become Eagle Scouts. The Board thanked the Boy Scouts for their service to the community.
BOARD MEMBER INTRODUCTIONS: Mr. Keating welcomed the homeowners present and noted this was his fourth year serving on the Board of Directors. During that time the Association has replaced the Perimeter Fence surrounding the neighborhood, worked on needed capital improvements, and caught up on deferred maintenance items. He noted that after serving four years and talking to other HOA’s, Homestead is a great neighborhood because of the close community and the volunteer Board. He reminded the members that sometimes people find the restrictions of an HOA annoying but it’s because the Board and managers are always working to improve the neighborhood. Mr. Keating then introduced the current Board Members, Michael Garnsey, Ginny Karlsberg, Steve Bell, and Robb Origer.
MANAGER INTRODUCTIONS: Mr. Keating introduced the Managers: Landscape Manager, Nancy Bauer; Tennis Manager. Jill Ellsworth; Pool Managers, Jaylene Jones and Shannon Ricca; ACC Manager, Emily Maxfield, and the office staff, Nancy Parker, Sherelle Horsfield and Katie Kidwell.
PROSPECTIVE BOARD MEMBERS: The Association has two open Board positions. Two candidates had stepped forward but neither was able to attend the meeting that evening. Their biographies are available next to the ballots. Mr. Keating asked that all homeowners complete their ballots and pass them to the center aisle where they were collected by the managers to be tabulated.
APPRECIATION OF OUTGOING BOARD MEMBERs: Secretary, Ginny Karlberg thanked James Keating and Michael Garnsey for their service to the community. She noted that Mr. Keating had been instrumental in leading the fence project. He acted as the HOA rep and problem solver to Split Rail Fence Company and stayed on past his term to see the project through. Since then he has continued to serve as president, instituted performance evaluations for paid managers, and proven to be an excellent leader who is able to drill down to the real issue for the HOA and problem solve in a pragmatic way. Ms. Karlberg thanked Michael Garnsey for helping to educate homeowners about the perimeter fence project, stating he has been invaluable when dealing with the City of Centennial. He secured a variance for a section of fencing, near the fire station. Mr. Garnsey regularly volunteers to listen to homeowner appeals and arranged for extra patrols by the Arapahoe County Sheriff Department during the worst of the vandalism that occurred over the last two years. Mr. Keating added that Mr. Garnsey is a wealth of information and resources for the HOA.
COMMENTS FROM THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Keating summarized the 2025 goals the Board has for the community. The Board wants to continue to catch up on deferred maintenance. The timber retaining wall around the toddler playground has been replaced and the Board is currently replacing the 50-year-old cement decking at the South and West pools with concrete and the North Pool is scheduled for 2026. Additionally, the Board plans to set up the HOA for a strong financial position in future years by fully funding the Reserve Fund and the Perimeter Fence Reserve Fund. They are also reviewing the Covenant Review Task Force and ACC processes to make them more efficient.
COMMITTEE INTRODUCTIONS: Mr. Keating explained that three committees operated under the Board of Directors: The Swim Team, the Architectural Control Committee (ACC) and the Social Committee.
Mr. Keating introduced members of the Social Committee, Evyan Maniatis, Carina Clancy, Jill Smith and Kelly Kane who along with Kathleen Goldy (absent) will be hosting Homesteads 50 Anniversary celebration. The Social committee explained the celebration would be a day of activities which would start with tennis games and drills hosted by Advantage You, followed by a pool party featuring a “float race”. At 4pm a block party will kick off at the North Pool. The co-chairs asked for any original homeowner memorabilia, especially photos, from owners. The block party would also host a variety show and homeowners were encouraged to submit show ideas. In N Out food trucks would be on hand, as would kid activities such as face painting and a balloon artist. The day would end with music from Homesteads own resident band “The Hip Replacements”. Look for more information in the Homestead Herald over the coming months.
Mr. Keating introduced Swim Team Parent Rep, Nevienne Manning, who announced Parent Information night on April 17 at 7pm. Interested parties should pick up a flyer in the back of the auditorium which has a QR code with meeting information. Tryouts for new swimmers would be held on May 13 and Swim Team still needed two committee chairs. Ms. Manning explained the Hurricane Swim Team is an entirely volunteer run activity and a huge connector for the community. The Hurricanes are still looking for three volunteer parent reps in training for the 2026 season.
Mr. Keating then introduced the Architectural Control Committee (ACC) Manager, Emily Maxfield. Ms. Maxfield explained the purpose of the ACC and reminded the members present that the committee is one required in the Bylaws of the Association. The committee is designed to create cohesiveness throughout the neighborhood and is composed of rotating volunteers. All are neighbors who have the same vested interest in upholding the value of the neighborhood as the audience this evening. Ms. Maxfield remarked that when an application is denied by the ACC, the committee is aware it feels very personal to the homeowner, but the denial is most often because the element applied for does not fit the Traditional Aesthetic followed by the committee. The predominant home style in Homestead is traditional and therefore the latest design trend often doesn’t conform to the aesthetic. The committee receives over 300 applications each year. Under the Governing Documents the committee has 30 days to review and process applications; however, applications using pre-approved paint colors or elements are often processed within a week. Finally, Ms. Maxfield explained that when a possible covenant violation is brought to the attention of the Board and ACC, they are required under the Governing Documents to investigate it. Because they know a Violation letter can be upsetting, they often begin the inquiry with a telephone call or email. Ms. Maxfield read two examples of rude and unwarranted responses from angry homeowners and asked the membership to remember the Board and ACC are simply doing their job. Part of buying a home in an HOA is agreeing to covenants which the Board is duty bound to uphold. Please treat the Board and ACC volunteers with kindness and remember the overall mission: a well maintained community.
FINANCIAL REPORT: Treasurer, Steve Bell reviewed HOA Financials noting 95% of the 2025 Dues Assessments had been paid. The 2025 Budget has been published online in the Homestead Herald and copies are available at the back of the room. He noted one of the biggest expenses of 2024 was water due to the warm summer. Alternatively, thanks to skillful negotiation by President, James Keating, the 2025 Trash renewal contract had been reduced to 50% of the original proposal. Mr. Bell went on to explain the HOA kept two separate bank accounts, one for the regular operating expense of the HOA and one for the Reserve account which is paying for the Perimeter Fence Replacement. That is why the Association has asked that residents write two separate checks for their Dues Assessment and Fence payment. Mr. Bell noted that 300 homeowners had chosen to pay the Perimeter Fence Special Assessment in full saving the HOA a significant amount of interest expense. Every year the operating account surplus is transferred to the Reserve account. Those monies are spent on capital expenses which are detailed in the handout. The largest expense this year is the concrete replacement at the South and West Pools.
HOMEOWNER COMMENTS/QUESTIONS:
- What is the status of the 2023 Audit? I don’t see it online. The HOA had a hard time finding an auditor after the retirement of the one used for years. By the time the material was sent to the new auditor Homestead was low on their list of priorities. The 2024 financial information has already been sent, and we expect the 2024 audit to be completed in a more timely fashion. The audits for 2019 – 2023 are posted on the website. Call the office if you are having any trouble locating them.
- I want to thank the Board for keeping the pools open in the fall for lap swimming. Could the HOA also keep the pools open on weekends in the fall? The Board has discussed doing so but it’s very expensive to keep them open. It costs approximately $7000 per pool in combined utility, chemical and maintenance costs to keep the pools open for an extra month. The rental income received from ACES swim club offsets that expense at the North Pool. No decision has been made regarding the South and West Pools.
- I see the South and West Pools are getting Automated External Defibrillators (AED). Who is trained to use them and will they be accessible when no lifeguards are present? Pool Manager Jaylene Jones of Front Range Recreation (FRR) answered that AED training is part of Lifeguard Training. AED’s are not required by law to be at every pool but the HOA installed them at the North pool a few years ago because of Swim Team and Swim Meets. Now the Association is adding them to the South and West Pools. FRR will work with Katie on availability if the pools are open when no lifeguard is present.
- Is there any possibility of adding a splash pad or slide to one of the pools? Splash pads are very expensive to add because they need their own filtration system which would be difficult to add to Homestead. Slides are less expensive and could be considered but probably not at the North Pool because of the impact on Swim Team practices and meets.
- The projected 2025 Reserve Expenses total $390,000. What did we start the year at? Treasurer Steve Bell replied that prior to the Fence replacement the HOA had $200,000 in the General Reserve Fund and $300,000 in the Perimeter Fence Reserve Fund. At the end of the Fence replacement project, he hopes to still have $200,000 in the general fund. One of the largest expenses this year is concrete deck replacement. If you take that out of the equation the reserve expenses this year are about $160,000.
- Will homeowners get a refund of any excess fence assessment money? If the HOA doesn’t need all the money, it will refund the unused amount. Currently all signs are pointing to the fact that there will be some kind of refund. We should know more by the middle of the year.
- Is there an accounting for the Fence Project? When the project is complete, we will put that information in the Homestead Herald. While the fence itself is paid for there are extra expenses for landscape and irrigation repairs, as well as traffic control. There was some cost saving from the proposal because the HOA didn’t need as much hydro drilling of posts as projected.
- The rules about replacing driveways are incomplete and unfair because they are based on the number of squares of cement. The ACC is currently talking about how to revise the driveway protocol however it’s complicated. Homeowners who are cited for driveway replacement do have three years to do so however because the Association is aware it’s a big expense.
- What about recoating driveways instead of requiring their replacement? The ACC has been researching a company who does recoating and plans to discuss it at their next meeting.
- The seal on the sidewalks where Ting installed fiber is already coming off. What can be done? The sidewalks belong to the City of Centennial and are their responsibility so concerned homeowners should call the city directly. They have a dedicated person for Ting installation problems.
- Are raised beds for vegetable gardens allowed? A new Xeriscaping law recently passed that allows homeowners to have a vegetable garden on their property but HOA’s can impose regulations about size and location. The ACC has set guidelines around vegetable gardens in front yards because they don’t want the entire front yard turned into a vegetable garden.
- Does the ACC have plans for Xeriscaped gardens? The ACC has five different Xeriscape designs developed by the CSU extension. The ACC does require some grass, and you must have an irrigation plan as well.
- If you sell your house who is responsible for the remainder of the Perimeter Fence payments? It depends on the real estate contract. Some sellers pay off the fence prior to selling and sometimes the buyer just assumes the remaining payments.
- Will the reserve Fund increase with the rate of inflation? The Perimeter Fence reserve fund will keep pace with inflation. The general reserve fund will be dependent upon the reserve study and capital expenses.
- Has the retaining wall near the fire station been addressed? Currently the City of Centennial insists the HOA owns it and is therefore responsible for its maintenance. The HOA Board thinks otherwise and has asked the HOA attorney to research the chain of title for that tract. The Boards current position is that if the City wants an easement from the HOA granting it will be conditional upon the City assuming ownership and maintenance of the retaining wall.
RAFFLE RESULTS: Homeowner Otto Jose won the drawing for a 50% rebate on his 2025 HOA dues.
ELECTION RESULTS: 84 Homeowners were in attendance. Neither Board candidate could be elected because the HOA did not have enough ballots and proxies to achieve the necessary quorum of 90. Both candidates will be appointed to the Board at the regular Board meeting in April.
CLOSING REMARKS: Mr. Keating thanked everyone for attending and adjourned the meeting at 8:16pm