PTRIA ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES
August 25, 2018 SPCFPD Station 3
Officers present:
Bernie Mann – President
Mike Bandera – 1st Vice President
Jay Mulholland – 2nd Vice President
Jon Klima – Treasurer
Secretary Laurie Bratten did not attend due to injuries suffered in a horseback riding incident.
Number of landowners attending – 27 (representing 24 properties).
President Bernie Mann called the meeting to order at 11:10 AM and read the minutes of the last meeting. One correction was made by Jon Klima to remove Frank & Bonnie Hole from the “Introduction of New Members” list. J.D. Mayotte made a motion to accept the minutes, seconded by Sally Peterson, motion carried.
Bernie noted that ALL Pike Trails Ranches properties are now included in SPCFPD District 20, and effective 1/1/2019, Park County property taxes will include an assessment for fire protection.
The Treasurers report was presented by Jon Klima as of 8/24/2018, the Summary of which is as follows:
TOTAL INCOME $26,000.26
TOTAL EXPENSES $625.04
UNSPENT FUNDS $25,375.22
A detailed report was handed out. A motion was made by Vonnie Mohr to accept the Treasurers Report, seconded by Joy Oliver, motion carried.
Our by-laws require that we maintain a CD, the balance of which is $12, 761.02 as of 8/24/2018
Jon also reported that 78 landowners out of 140 (52%) have paid their dues as of August 24, 2018. Of these 78, 28 of 54 have Guffey addresses, 35 of 56 have Colorado addresses, 16 of 30 have “out of state” addresses.
Bob Erickson complemented the nice upgrade of the PTRIA website done by Jon Klima and Tim Bratten. If any member wishes to subscribe to the website, they will receive an email when there are new posts added to the website. There is a subscription box located at the bottom of each webpage.
A question was asked re: forming a “Special District” to collect dues along with our County taxes. The answer was that we can’t do this because Pike Trails Ranches dues are voluntary.
NEW BUSINESS
There was a lot of discussion about the fences surrounding Pike Trails Ranches needing regular up-keep to prevent cows from entering. When Pike Trails owners set up PTRIA, they emphatically voted to NOT lease out the “ranch” for cattle grazing. Leslie Thomas passed out a sheet that explains Colorado’s Open Range and Fencing rules and Regulations. The fences surrounding Pike Trails legally belong to the parcel of land that they are located on. But everyone benefits from having these fences that keep cattle from freely roaming the ranch and trampling through our common areas, like our ponds. The surrounding fences are quite old and require frequent maintenance. Presently, about 40% are in need of repair. Some require the removal of trees that have fallen over them. The cattlemen do not necessarily want their cattle running loose on our land because there is nothing to stop the cows from going down CR88 and out onto Hwy 9. So we usually work with them to keep the fences repaired. Presently, we fence out cattle belonging to Dave Wolf, Patrick Frazee, Curtis Stone, and Pat & Lori Long. Patrick Frazee has done a lot of fence repair on the west side of the ranch by himself and wants to charge the adjacent landowner for future costs of repairs. Approximately 62 landowners own land on ranch perimeters. In the past, we have usually enough volunteers from the ranch to work with the cattlemen on these fences, but as these volunteers have aged, we have not been able to keep up. Pike Trails by-laws presently do not include spending dues money on fencing, as this was not even thought of when the by-laws were written. Leslie Thomas wanted to make a motion to change the by-laws to allow paying licensed and bonded people to repair/replace perimeter fences. Of the landowners present, 2 people with fenced properties and 14 others did not care if cattle ran loose over the ranch. Since the vast majority of the 140 landowners were not present, Vicki Santini suggested that a special letter be sent to every landowner to obtain their opinion on this issue and to inform them of their personal liability if they have perimeter property. It was decided to table Leslie Thomas’s motion and that the Board will send out the suggested letter. Leslie Thomas will call Chris Whitney (Brand Inspector ?)to verify the laws. J. D. Mayotte offered to donate barbed wire. Brian Sanford said that cows sometimes break even 3 wire fences.
PTRIA liability insurance with Nationwide is being cancelled because we discovered that we had only D & O (Directors & Officers) liability insurance, not liability insurance for our grader and “common areas” which include our ponds. So far, Liberty Mutual may write our insurance, but the cost would go from the present $600/year to $3300/year. We need D & O liability, as well as liability insurance for our “common areas” and our PTRIA grader. Jay Mulholland and J. D. Mayotte said they would explore finding a better deal somewhere else. (Note: as of 9/20/1019, we have negotiated this coverage with State Farm Insurance for $1325/year).
Bernie would like a list of folks who would be willing to be “on-call” for occasional repairs/upkeep on the ranch. Seven people signed this “volunteer” list
Jon Klima reported on the ponds, which were stocked with new fish this past spring. There are some bigger fish that survived the winter also. Weeds and Algae are a constant problem and are especially bad this year. Jon and Tim Bratten have done cable drags. Bill Jones has purchased and donated a “weed knife” and Seth Taylor and Mike Bandera have also helped. The aerators are working well and are only frozen over for a short time in the winter. J.D. Mayotte suggested using Copper Sulfate against the weeds. Jon Perrier said he would check with State Fish & Game about what can be used against the weeds.
Ranch roads are in fairly good shape, notwithstanding the washboard bumps that seem to thrive in dry conditions. Snowplowing is still done by volunteers. Work Day will be September 8th at 9:00 AM…..meet at Station 3.
12:30 PM – J.D. Mayotte made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Diane Mann. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted by acting Secretary Ann Erickson.