HOMESTEAD IN THE WILLOWS HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION
Regular Board Meeting June 13, 2022 – Unofficial Minutes
CALL TO ORDER: President, Chris Evans, called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m. Present were Vice President, Will Cryer; Secretary, James Keating; and Member at Large, Kristi Leavitt; Business Manager, Katie Kidwell; Tennis Manager, Jill Ellsworth; Landscape Manager, Nancy Bauer; Pool Managers, Jaylene Jones and Breanne Thompson; Social Committee Chair, Kelly Kane; Swim Team Parent Reps Whitney Albro and Krissie Marotto and homeowner Emily Maxfield also attended. Playground Committee Chair Kate Goldstone attended the meeting via Zoom .
MINUTES: The minutes of the May 9 regular meeting were approved as read. Chris moved to ratify the Board’s decision to lend the Homestead North Pool to another club for a swim meet, Will seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
SWIM TEAM: Krissie Marotto announced the Hurricane Swim Team would host their annual swim-a-thon in June to raise money for the Make A Wish Foundation. The Board agreed Swim Team could post flyers about the event to encourage sponsorships for the swimmers. The team had received a noise complaint after a Tuesday night Star meet. They have not raised the levels of the sound system but did acknowledge that since the team is larger than usual this year perhaps the noise is louder. Swim Team registration has closed and the list of swimmers has been provided to the Rocky Mountain Swim League. There had also been a request to turn on the drinking fountains at the pools so there was water during the swim meets. The current drinking fountains need repair after not being used for two years during Covid. The plumber was unable to obtain parts and the Board agreed replacing the fountains with water filling stations was a better, more cost effective choice. Chris moved and James seconded a motion to replace the drinking fountains with water filling stations. The motion passed unanimously.
SOCIAL COMMITTEE: Kelly Kane reported that four of the H2O’s would run the ground games for the July 4 activities. She is working on getting food trucks to the neighborhood to provide food. With the cost of gas so high many trucks are reluctant to travel very far and are requiring dollar minimums that she isn’t sure the neighborhood could meet.
MANAGER REPORTS
- POOL: Manager Jaylene Jones reported Front Range Recreation is seeing an increase in misbehavior at the pools they manage, including Homestead. A primary problem is patrons refusing to obey lifeguard commands issued to keep the pool safe and a pleasant environment for all the patrons. Jaylene asked if the Board would support banning patrons from the pool for the entire season if they are verbally aggressive or fail to obey the lifeguards. The Board agreed wholeheartedly and promised to issue the letter to the community. The Board will also provide a letter to the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office authorizing officers to press charges if called to the pool by the lifeguard staff or by homeowners reporting vandalism, trespass or other mischief. There had been a complaint about the state of the pool furniture at the North Pool. The furniture at the North Pool was inventoried as a result of the complaint and 31 of the 42 lounge chairs are well worn. Fully replacing the pool furniture costs upwards of $60,000. The Association tries to purchase some new furniture every few years after inventorying it at the end of each season. In the meantime, the neighborhood does have to live with some staining on the loungers and chairs.
- LANDSCAPE: Manager Nancy Bauer reported that the neighborhood sustained $7,100 of damage to trees after the storm in May. She has planted ten trees to replace some of those removed last month. The new playground at the top of Tract C has been completed and she is having the retaining wall at the North Courts repaired the week of June 13. Sections of perimeter fence along Holly and Dry Creek were repaired and will be painted later this month. Nancy obtained a second lower cost bid on crack sealing the parking lots that can be completed after the end of the summer season.
- TENNIS: Manager Jill Ellsworth reported that windscreens were ordered for the North Tennis Courts. The South Courts resurfacing is complete and the courts are ready for play. Jill asked if she could implement a ball recycling program through Wilson and the Board agreed. Jill and the Board discussed possible pickleball court locations as the court time at the West Tennis Courts is heavily utilized. One step is determining if the soil is suitable and the Board asked Jill to find out the cost to test the soil at proposed locations.
- ACC/TASK FORCE: A written report was submitted. The Board discussed two covenant violation situations and Chris volunteered to investigate the complaints.
- BUSINESS: Katie reported that the Openpath access system was off to a rougher start than hoped. Many homeowners had failed to sign up and were not included in the group upload. The gate installations were not finished prior to the pool opening date as promised and the office is inundated with homeowners who want to be added to the system one by one. Four properties failed to pay their HOA fees and will be turned over to the collection attorney.
PLAYGROUND REPORT: Kate Goldstone joined the meeting via Zoom to update the Board about the new playground. Finished Memorial Day weekend the playground is being highly used. Kate thanked the Board for making the investment for the neighborhood and thanked Nancy Bauer for her help with landscaping and irrigation concerns. The committee is holding a playground naming event June 23. There will be a voting table at the North Pool during Food Truck night. A ribbon cutting or kickoff event is still to be determined.
FINANCIAL REPORT: Operating expenses totaled $103,445 during the month of April and were comprised of $10,757 in trash & utilities; $14,901 in Administrative expenses; $28,997 in Landscape expenses; $47,633 in Pool expenses and $1,156 in Tennis expenses.
OLD BUSINESS: James Keating and Kelly McCormick interviewed and selected a candidate for the ACC Manager position. James introduced Emily Maxfield to the Board of Directors. Chris moved and Will seconded a motion to hire Emily for the position. She will begin training immediately. ACES had asked if the Board would extend the 2021 rental fee to 2022. The Board discussed the request considering the cost to rent the pool for parties, wear and tear on the pool facilities and the HOA’s increased costs. Chris moved and Will seconded a motion to uphold the 2022 rental fee. The motion passed unanimously.
NEW BUSINESS: Two families had requested Associate Memberships. Associated Memberships are currently granted to residents within the borders of Arapahoe Road, Quebec Street, Dry Creek Road and Holly Street who live in developments such as Mill Creek and Sturbridge. The Board discussed granting memberships to the families of children who attend Homestead Elementary or who had lived in Homestead but moved from the neighborhood. After much discussion and consideration of issues such as the size of the existing neighborhood swim team and tennis programs, and the impact of an increased number of families using the neighborhood amenities, the Board agreed to keep the Associate Membership policy as it is and not open it to students at the elementary school or former homeowners.
ADJOURNMENT AND CALENDARING: The meeting adjourned at 9:10 pm. The next regular Board Meeting will be on Wednesday, July 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Business Office and via Zoom.