2011 Newsletter

We’ve had a really dry 4 months in 2011, but May has brought us some relief, with almost 20 inches of wet snow. Yippee!!! Jon Klima had recorded about 22 inches all season thru April, so this should bring us up close to 40 inches to date. The Guffey Fire Department responded to eight fires in the district the first 4 months this year, one of which was a 2+ acre fire right here in Pike Trails caused by a catalytic converter. The recent moisture will really help this danger, but everyone needs to be aware of the county-wide burn ban presently in effect, and observe the burn ban sign at the top of Chumway Hill on CR88 as the Spring and Summer progresses. We’ve had a Cougar spotted on two different occasions in the Doe Drive area. Be on the lookout for this critter….if it’s a female, she could well be setting up a den in Pike Trails. I haven’t heard any reports of Bear yet this year, which is kinda surprising.

As usual, the landowner address for this Newsletter is based on Park Co. Assessor’s data as of May 18th, so if it is not correct, please notify them.

2010 ANNUAL MEETING – The 2010 Annual Meeting was held August 29th at Fire Station #3 on County Road 88 near Cougar Lane. Forty-six members attended, including officers, representing 36 properties. Minutes from the last meeting were read and approved, as well as the Secretary’s and Treasurer’s reports. Our ponds were discussed, as well as enhancements to our piketrails.org website made by Jon Klima. Several members brought up the subject of speeding on Pike Trails roads, especially as it pertains to people riding horses. Bottom line….please, please don’t speed, and slow down when you see folks walking or riding their horses on our roads.

PTRIA WEBSITE – Have you visited our PIKETRAILS.ORG’ website? It is nothing short of fantastic thanks to Jon Klima! I’ve surfed other websites that are rarely updated and contain “old news”. Jon updates this baby daily! Folks can see Pike Trails weather almost REAL TIME! Jon encourages everyone in Pike Trails to contribute photos, news, temperatures, and especially snowfall amounts to the website, because as strange as it may seem, precipitation varies greatly throughout the “ranch”. Plus, if you don’t check frequently, you’ll miss out on important events, such as when the pond was stocked with trout (more on that later).

TREASURERS REPORT – The summary is shown below–details are available upon request to Mary Maxson, and also at our annual meeting in August.

Balance as of 5/23/11 $5,982.84

We had 97 landowners pay dues during our fiscal year of 6/1/2010 thru 5/31/2011 in the amount of $12,527.00 This is about the same as last year, in spite of the poor economic conditions. Thanks to all of you who have helped make Pike Trails a better place to live.

FISH/PONDS – The upper Pond is pretty low due to the lack of moisture this past winter, but the lower Pond is full. So as soon as the danger of frost is over, Jon & I will hook up the solar pump to transfer water from the lower pond to the upper. Maybe the recent snows will also help. I plan to dig out around the edges with a backhoe within the next few weeks to get rid of some of the sediment and weeds. Last week, Crowther’s Freshwater Trout out of La Jara delivered 230 lbs of 11-16 inch Rainbow Trout, which were split 50/50 between the upper and lower ponds. Take a look on our website for some photos that Jon Klima took as the Trout were being delivered. Someone put a bunch of Crappie/Bluegills in the upper pond last year, which was not a good idea because these species prefer warm water, and most, if not all of them died over the winter. Remember, these PTRIA owned Ponds are open to fishing (without a license) to all dues-paying Pike Trails Ranches landowners and their guests. Please be considerate when catching fish….in other words, “catch & release” is encouraged so that everyone can enjoy this activity, but it’s OK to keep a few for supper! And remember to help keep these pond areas clean by picking up your trash and “packing it out”.

PTRIA ROADS – Our roads stayed in pretty good shape over the winter, mostly due to the lack of moisture. Although we didn’t have to plow very much, we appreciate our volunteer snow plowers (Larry LePage, Barry Anderson, Jon Klima, Peggy Larson, Eric Kellogg, Doug Skellenger, Don Rocksted, Leslie Thomas, Bob Erickson and me). For the benefit of the “newcomers”, winter maintenance is not included in your dues….we simply do not get enough landowners to pay dues to afford winter maintenance! (At our annual meeting in August, let’s talk about reimbursing our volunteer snow-plowers for their fuel, OK?) There are some of us volunteers who may be available to plow private driveways. We will continue to do our best to keep the PTRIA roads cleared on a volunteer basis. Our PTRIA grader (it’s name is “TAZ” for Tasmanian Devil) is in great shape, requiring only preventive maintenance and fuel last season. FYI….grading private driveways is available for dues paying members at a rate of $70/hr…I’m looking for volunteers to operate “TAZ” to grade Pike Trails roads…please give me a call if you’re interested.

Late last summer, we had a couple of real “gully-washers” (for you foreigners, this means a period of heavy rains in a short period of time) that took out the better part of Doe Drive near Doug Mayotte’s place. This is at least the third time this has happened since I’ve lived here. For those of you who don’t live here, there’s a big drainage that starts in the northwest part of the ranch, and heads pretty much east, crossing Doe Drive about a half mile north of Antelope Lane. There has been an 18 inch culvert under Doe Drive, which handles the water in this drainage most of the time. But when we get a “gully-washer” the culvert is not able to handle the deluge, and last year, it washed out part of the road. So on Sept. 15 th , I hired Paul King (Mesa Excavating) to purchase and install an additional 24 inch culvert, 38 feet long, and I helped him install it alongside the existing culvert. Hopefully, this will take care of future heavy run-offs. Thanks also to Gerry Johnson, Jon Klima, and Doug Mayotte for helping with this project.

Every year in our Newsletter, I write the same thing…. “I’d like to remind everyone, especially the “newcomers” to Pike Trails, that PTRIA owns the private roads within Pike Trails Ranches. These 17 miles of deeded roads include 30 feet on each side of the center of the roads. So if you’re putting up a new fence, please keep it back 30 feet from the center of the road. Also, we have several driveways that really should have culverts under them as they enter Pike Trails roads. Without them, erosion occurs across our roads. These culverts are your responsibility, but I can help with the installing after you buy the culverts. At least a 12 inch diameter culvert is required, and depending on the run-off, maybe even a 16 inch. As for grading and graveling, please let me know if there are spots that need attention. Just a call to give me a heads up and if we’ve got the money in the Treasury, we’ll do our best to take care of it. During June thru September last year, we had 52 loads of gravel spread (780 tons) at $150/load for a total cost of $8,026.20 (incl. tax). That was a really good price we got from Seifert Enterprises which we probably won’t get this year due to the cost of fuel. The good news is, we probably won’t need that many loads this year.

ANNUAL DUES – Dues will remain the same as last year, and are assessed as follows:

Single lot with driveway on PTRIA road $125.00

Single lot with driveway off of CR 88 or Hwy 9 $50.00

Second (or more) unimproved lot (each) $50.00

Second lot with home on PTRIA road $125.00

If you can’t afford to pay the dues, please let me know…at least I’ll know you care. As in the past, we have provided a return envelope. Many thanks to all of you who have paid extra….it helps make up for those that don’t pay.

MISC. – As most of you know, there were TWO Hawk Lanes in Pike Trails….one on the west side off of Elk Lane, and another off of Doe Drive. Well, NO MORE!!! I have no idea who/how this happened, but both “Hawks” appear on the earliest of filings recorded. Two roads with the same name caused many problems with deliveries, and more importantly, to emergency personnel (fire & medical). So last November, I began working with Park County Planning (John Deagan) and after contacting residents on “east Hawk” (off of Doe Drive), it was decided to rename that road SKYHAWK LANE. So shortly after 2011 began, it was official! And to celebrate, I made up a new sign which Bill Harper and I put up in April.

Several “raw land” properties have changed hands in the past year. Realtors tell me that Pike Trails Ranches is a very desirable place to buy, which is reflected in the price of homes here as well as raw land. Seems the economy has not affected us, which is reflected in our property taxes. While most of Park County properties decreased in value, Pike Trails went up!

WORK DAY– We didn’t have a work day last year, but we will probably have one this year. We’ll discuss this at our Annual Meeting, but there are some snow fences to be mended and it has been suggested that we re-letter all our Pike Trails road signs. This is probably a good idea, and there may be other issues that could be brought up at the meeting. Holler if you have any suggestions. Weather permitting, the following Saturday might be a good time…..

2011 ANNUAL MEETING – This year is an election year, so we need a good turnout. Anyone who would like to throw their name in the hat for a position on the very prestigious and highly paid (that’s a joke, folks) PTRIA Board of Directors is encouraged to do so, especially those who feel our Association should function differently! Remember……this is your meeting!!! Mark your calendars….Sunday, August 28 th (the weekend before Labor Day) at 2:00 PM in the Fire Station on Co Rd 88 near Cougar Lane (SPCFPD Station#3). As usual, I’ll put up reminder notices near all the mailboxes in Pike Trails. And I’m sure some folks will bring coffee, pop, and munchies. I especially encourage new residents to come and meet their neighbors.

See you in August,

Bernie Mann – President

Pike Trails Ranches Improvement Assoc.

(719) 479-2253

berndmann1@peoplepc.com