REAL TIME<\/em><\/strong>! 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 \u201cranch\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0Plus, if you don\u2019t check frequently, you\u2019ll miss out on important events, such as when the pond was stocked with trout.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
FISH\/PONDS<\/u><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On June 10th<\/sup>\u00a02017, we put the new Trout Lane upper pond solar aeration system into operation. We\u2019ve placed two air stones in the pond, one near the middle, and the other about 50 feet from the NW corner. When the sun is shining on the solar panel, you will see the two air columns bubbling up to the pond\u2019s surface.\u00a0\u00a0This air will oxygenate the water which, in turn, will help to keep the water clear, the weeds down, and provide the much needed oxygen for the fish during the winter when the ponds are frozen over.<\/span><\/p>\nBoth ponds are full and overflowing\u2026.hope they stay that way all summer! We stocked them with approximately 80 fish each on 4\/23\/18, plus both ponds have lots of fish that survived the winter. We\u2019ve also noticed some minnows, which means that some of the fish we\u2019ve stocked are not hybrids (which can\u2019t reproduce).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nRemember, these PTRIA owned ponds are open to fishing (without a license) to all dues-paying Pike Trails landowners and their guests. Please be considerate when catching fish\u2026.in other words, \u201ccatch & release\u201d is encouraged so that everyone can enjoy this activity, but it\u2019s OK to keep a few for supper!\u00a0\u00a0And you can help keep these pond areas clean by picking up your trash and \u201cpacking it out\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
PTRIA ROADS<\/u><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/u><\/strong>\u2013\u00a0Our roads stayed in pretty good shape over the winter, mostly due to our moderate snowfall accumulation of 34.5 inches, and the prompt action of our volunteer snow plowers. We appreciate these volunteers – Jon Klima, Eric Kellogg, Leslie Thomas, Bob Erickson and me\u2026..(please holler if I missed anyone).\u00a0\u00a0For the benefit of the \u201cnewcomers\u201d, winter maintenance is not included in your dues\u2026.we simply do not get enough dues-paying landowners to afford to sub-contract winter maintenance!\u00a0\u00a0There 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. FYI, last year we spread 33 loads of gravel (approximately 15 tons per load) on our roads @ $280\/load ($9240). Please let me know if there are spots that need attention.\u00a0\u00a0Just a call to give me a heads up and we\u2019ll do our best to take care of it.\u00a0\u00a0And if you see a pot hole near you on \u201cranch\u201d roads, there\u2019s a pile of gravel on Stream Drive, about 100 yards from Antelope Lane for that purpose\u2026.help yourself!<\/span><\/p>\nI\u2019d like to remind everyone that PTRIA owns the private roads within Pike Trails Ranches.\u00a0\u00a0These 17 miles of deeded roads include 30 feet on each side of the center of the roads. So if you\u2019re putting up a new fence, please keep it back 30 feet from the center of the road.\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0Also, we have several driveways that really should have culverts under them as they enter Pike Trails roads.\u00a0\u00a0Without them, erosion occurs across our roads.\u00a0\u00a0These culverts are your responsibility. At least a 12 inch diameter culvert is required, and depending on the run-off, maybe even a 16 inch.<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cTAZ\u201d, our PTRIA grader is running good\u2026. I graded most of the roads in early May, and then again a couple of weeks later after it had rained and the roads had some moisture in them. On the second pass, the \u201cdrag link\u201d broke and left me stranded just north of the Deer\/Antelope \u201cY\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0FYI, the drag link is a 6 ft. piece of solid steel, about 3 inches in diameter, which extends from the knuckle on one front tire to the other front tire.\u00a0\u00a0When it came loose from the left front, the left front tire went one way, and the right front tire when the other!\u00a0\u00a0Bummer!!!\u00a0\u00a0I managed to steer it into the ditch, and with the help of Jon Klima and Mike Chew, put a temporary fix on it to get it home.\u00a0\u00a0Tim Bratten and I took off the drag link, and I took it to a machine shop in Florence to have it fixed.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s back on now, and ready to go.\u00a0\u00a0I know that the \u201cwashboard bumps\u201d are a problem, and I\u2019ll do my best to keep them from getting too bad. You can help by not driving too fast and\/or spinning your tires.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
MISC.<\/u><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013We\u2019re starting to have a problem with cows getting into Pike Trails Ranches.\u00a0\u00a0Colorado State law states that it is the landowner\u2019s responsibility to keep cattle out, NOT the rancher to keep them in.\u00a0\u00a0There are several sections on the west and north side of Pike Trails Ranches that need re-fencing to accomplish this.\u00a0\u00a0I have some fencing and T-Posts, and I will be contacting many of you to help locate and repair these fences within the next few months.\u00a0\u00a0Please let me know if you can help<\/span><\/p>\nOn a sad note, we lost Bill Harper last fall to lung disease.\u00a0\u00a0Bill spent 2 terms as President of PTRIA and served as Chaplain for the Guffey Fire Dept.\u00a0\u00a0He was always \u201cthere\u201d when any neighbor needed a helping hand.\u00a0\u00a0I can\u2019t count the times I called on him for help.\u00a0\u00a0He was a kind and gentle man that will be sorely missed\u2026.<\/span><\/p>\nAlso, long time resident Vince McGinn passed away last fall.\u00a0\u00a0Vince was one of the original landowners when Pike Trails was developed.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
WORK DAY-\u00a0<\/u><\/em><\/strong>A work day was held in early September. Thanks to all who helped mend existing snow fences.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
ANNUAL DUES<\/u><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 We\u2019ve managed to keep our Dues as shown below since 2009.\u00a0\u00a0If everyone chips in, we can maintain these rates for the foreseeable future.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Single lot with driveway on PTRIA road\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0$125.00<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Single lot with driveway off of CR 88 or Hwy 9\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0$50.00<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Second (or more) unimproved lot (each)\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0$50.00<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Second lot with home on PTRIA road\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0$125.00<\/span><\/p>\nIf you can\u2019t afford to pay the dues, please let me know\u2026at least I\u2019ll know you care.\u00a0\u00a0As in the past, we have provided a return envelope.\u00a0\u00a0Many thanks to all of you who have paid extra\u2026.it helps make up for those that don\u2019t pay.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
2018\u00a0ANNUAL MEETING\u00a0<\/u><\/em><\/strong>– Remember\u2026\u2026this is\u00a0your<\/u><\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0meeting!!!\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s your chance to put in your 2 cents about things you would like to see done (or done differently) where you live.\u00a0\u00a0Even if you haven\u2019t paid your dues, you can still be heard!\u00a0\u00a0Mark your calendars\u2026.Saturday, August 25th<\/sup><\/strong>\u00a0(the weekend before Labor Day).\u00a0\u00a0Meeting at\u00a011:00 AM, chow to follow!!!\u00a0\u00a0Fire Station on Co Rd 88 near Cougar Lane (SPCFPD Station#3).\u00a0\u00a0As usual, I\u2019ll put up reminder notices near all the mailboxes in Pike Trails.\u00a0\u00a0I especially encourage new residents to come and meet their neighbors.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSee you in August,<\/span><\/p>\nBernie Mann – President<\/span><\/p>\nPike Trails Ranches Improvement Assoc.<\/span><\/p>\n(719) 479-2253<\/span><\/p>\nemail \u2013\u00a0bernmann001@gmail.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PIKE TRAILS RANCHES IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/piketrails.org\/sandbox2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/380"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/piketrails.org\/sandbox2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/piketrails.org\/sandbox2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/piketrails.org\/sandbox2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/piketrails.org\/sandbox2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=380"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/piketrails.org\/sandbox2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":545,"href":"http:\/\/piketrails.org\/sandbox2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/380\/revisions\/545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/piketrails.org\/sandbox2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}