Duquette Pines Architectural Control Board (dba DPHOA)
Annual Association Meeting
About thirty homeowners attended the 2008 Annual Meeting at the Senior Center. The meeting lasted more than two hours, because of the many areas for discussion. In this reporter’s memory, the meeting ranked with the very best annual meetings he has attended.
These are some of the highlights, in order of the Agenda.
The Financial Report:
The proposed budget is pretty much the same as last year’s: $68, 143, compared to $66, 537 for
2007. (To date, we’ve spent $58,395 of that $66,537. Our fiscal year ends June
30th.)
For the first time, we broke out the water and road maintenance reserves in the budget, for visual clarity. Approximately $50,000 is in our water account, and $68,000 sits in our road and site maintenance account.
There are 172 lots that get billed for road maintenance costs. 172 x $340 = $58,480.
There are 81 lots that currently pay for water hookups, at $240 a pop. (Most of Division Four homeowners had to drill their own well.)
But, every lot should pay for maintenance of the fire suppression water tank, which everyone can avail themselves of, in case of a fire. A $5 annual fee will be charged to take care of problems down the road.
Approximately $20,000 has yet to be collected from homeowners for this past year; partly, that’s because some are paying monthly. Partly, that’s because some are not paying, period. This led to a discussion about the Board sending a collection agency after the scofflaws. This is the first year the Board has done that, and it’s working reasonably well, although everyone understood that the collection agency gets part of the money collected, so the subdivision loses, or only partially wins, depending upon how one cares to look at it.
Wildfire and your Home:
About five years ago, the Board began seeking ways to improve the chances of the Subdivision surviving a wild fire. The BLM has done some thinning on the land they administer, to the west of the subdivision. Frankly, they should be doing a lot more.
Two years ago, Don Ditmer and Max Muffley got the contract, administered by Boise County, to thin lots in Duquette Pines. It’s been a completely voluntary project for homeowners, but about 100 lots will have been thinned when the project expires later this year.
Approximately 25 lots in Division Four are set to be thinned this spring, if homeowners get their signed permission letters to Don and Max.
Both Don and Max think our subdivision has been the model for others to emulate, and they thank everyone for their cooperation. We have spoiled them, Don said.
If you are interested in getting in on the last of this project, Don’s phone number is 866-9135. But time is definitely running out.
Report from our Resident Manager:
Jim White says Slow Down, or someone will get killed on our roads. He’s seriously thinking of re-instating the speed bumps.
He and Ray Eckland also reminded folks to clean up any green slash lying around. The ips engraver beetle breeds in the slash, then flies to the tops of trees, and can kill the treetops. The ips beetle is different from the western pine beetle, which can kill the entire tree.
Water and Well Update:
There was a general discussion about the water available to homeowners via our wells in the meadow. We seem to be in decent shape, but if folks start watering lawns, then we will once again have problems. New regulations require thousands of dollars for ‘engineering’ costs before a new well can be drilled. And then there’s the cost of the actual drilling. Bottom line: while we do have a $50,000 reserve in our Water Account, and while we are in much better shape than most subdivisions in Idaho, it pays to be cautious when it comes to water in the arid West.
Roads:
The Board had Gardners fix the spot with the spring in the road, on Meadow Drive, by the frog pond.
This week or next week North American Dust Control will come up and apply magnesium chloride to the entire subdivision. The company, which also got the contract for the County, uses computer-controlled equipment to apply the dust abatement material. You are advised to drive very, very slowly for a day, until the material soaks into the road. Otherwise, the sticky goo will get under your car and stay there.
Fire House, Adapters, Additional Stand Pipe:
The Board has unanimously decided to postpone building a firehouse in the subdivision. There were a couple of reasons for this decision. It was going to cost close to $75,000, and the Board felt it better to keep that money for water and road maintenance. Another reason: last year the Idaho City Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire quickly, impressing all of us in the subdivision. Another reason: all the lots in Divisions One, Two, and Three already have fire hose hookups and can access all the water that a fire truck can access, which is 30,000 gallons.
A second standpipe will be installed, near the gate, for increased fire safety. This will allow a fire truck to fill up with water. And the Board has decided to purchase adapters for individual fire stands, for quick hook-up by the Idaho City Volunteer Fire Dept. These are brass fittings that speed up the ability of the Fire Dept to hook into a homeowner’s standpipe. The Board realizes that not everyone will want this brass fitting, since some folks already have a fire hose attached to their standpipe.
There was discussion about establishing a taxing district for the Idaho City Volunteer Fire Department, similar to what is done at Wilderness Ranch. This could be a good solution for everyone.
Elections –
Two positions open:
Nominations are now being accepted to fill two positions on the five member Homeowners Board. Roy Doan is seeking re-election to the Board; and Bruce Reichert told folks he’s hoping someone wants to run so he doesn’t have to. Roy was elected last year to fill Elizabeth Nelson’s seat, when she stepped down for health reasons. Bruce has served two three-year terms and figures it’s time to share the joy. In any event he will continue to handle the website duties.
Ballots will go out in June and will need to be received by July 15, 2008. The start of the three-year term starts August 1st.
Property Owner Input:
A discussion about the proposed RV parking area elicited concerns about when and if the Board planned to make this a reality. Several homeowners commented that the developer of Division Four, Brad Stone, had told them an RV parking area was in the works. But he never followed through on it.
Roy Doan, himself a Division Four homeowner, has checked into fencing costs and excavation costs, and informed the group that we could be looking at a $40,000 project. Folks can certainly park their RV on the proposed lot now, which is at the north end of the subdivision, but as one person commented, you’d probably need a tractor to pull it out.
There was also discussion about the Gate, and the fact that it gets broken so often. There were some homeowners at the meeting who thought the gate did enough good to keep it operating; and there were some who doubted that it stopped anyone from getting into the subdivision. A robust discussion ensued about how to strengthen the gate or inflict harm on the cars that break the gate, but several folks commented that insurance companies would make Duquette Pines pay for any damage.