Waste Management: always a fun topic of discussion. There are two providers in the area, Mountain View Waste (303.838.0560) & Shirley Sceptic & Waste (719.836.1600)

Important Notes:
– Bears are everywhere up here and LOVE to get into garbage cans. Unfortunately, a few times a year we will see them leave our refuse scattered across the street. If this happens, it is still the property owners responsibility to clean up if this occurs, so please try to do so as soon as you are able before the wind redistributes it.
– A simple and effective way to keep the bears from getting into your waste is to minimize how long our garbage cans are full and left outside. Our community members typically roll their cans out in the morning of their pickup day and roll them back in at the end of the day.
– Bear “proof” cans can be requested from both Waste Management providers for an additional monthly fee. You may also purchase heavy duty options online. However, just because you use a bear proof can does not mean you should be be able to take your refuse out the day before, as this will just draw bears in and potentially cause problems for you, your neighbors, and potentially jeopardize the safety of the bear.

This may be daunting at first, but easy once you know how to handle septic systems. These are merely high level item, and by no means “the end all be all” of sceptic knowledge:

• You’ll need to pump on a regular basis. This will depend on how many people live at your residence, how much wastewater you dump, and the size of your tank.
• A good idea is to communicate with the people who lived there prior to hear about the specifics of your system.
• Upon moving in, it is the responsibility of the sellers to ensure the septic tank has been purged.
• Many cleaning products (ex. bleach) are not good for septic systems. Read the fine print to ensure you do not destroy the beneficial bacteria that helps digest (eww) your waste.

Street Snow Removal:

Pinewood Drive has been plowed by our neighbor Gary Secora for the past 20 years. He is not obligated to do this job and basically does this for upkeep expenses for the plow and his vehicle. Contracting a company to plow our road for the season could cost around $15,000 per season and we’d not even have priority. When he’s out on the road plowing, make sure to give him a break and some extra space please. There have been some close calls lately and we just want to keep everyone safe.

Driveway Snow Removal:

In regards to snow removal on your personal property, here are a few notes that might be helpful:

– In most cases a mid to high level snow blower can be very helpful. Big R and Home Depot are good places to look for these.

– If your driveway faces north or is heavily shrouded by trees, then keeping on top of snow removal is a smart move.

– When removing snow from your property, don’t throw your snow onto other people’s driveways or the street.

– You may certainly wish to hire someone to help with snow removal. If an outside contractor does damage to the street, the home owner is responsible for the damage.

– Please check in with Gary on the specifics of how best to keep both the street and your driveway clear of snow.

Icy Street Conditions:

At elevation, with a 7% grade and north facing situations, there will be ice on the road for long periods of time once the ground has frozen. If there is an icy patch, feel free to use the sand bins to lay down some substrate to help with grip. If the bin is low or empty, please contact one of the Road Committee Members to have it refilled. Please use the following map to be able to communicate which bin is which.

Great question and an important one, as it is extremely difficult to ascertain where one property ends and another one begins. For a map containing all of the property lines in our community, please refer to the document titled “EstatesAtBlueCreekII-PropertyPlat-PDF.pdf” in the Documents are of our website. The corners of your property are typically (but certainly not always) marked by silver markers about 3″ in diameter.

Note: Often in our community easements have been previously granted for various reasons including, driveways, sceptic leech fields, well pumps, etc.

For a specific question in regards to these matters, please start with the HOA Bylaws located in the Documents section and if you have questions thereafter, contact the appropriate party from the HOA Board.

Everyone in this community pulls their water from deep in the ground (think 300ft to 800ft) using well pumps. These pull from pool of varied sizes which take time to refill. Depending on your water source productivity, you may need to stagger your usage to not run out. Fully running your well dry can harm the well to the point where it will no longer be a viable water source and you would need to drill another well, which is extremely expensive. Here are some other reasons that your well may not be supplying water to your house.

– A power outage (if your pump relies only on the power company’s electricity.)
– Your breaker has flipped for your HVAC room.
– Your fuse has blown for your well pump in your HVAC room which is typically placed around your water pressure tank. These fuses or fuse sets are about $5-10.
– Your well pump has met it’s life expectancy.

If you have checked off the above items and it’s left you on that last option, we recommend calling a specialist. Here are some local options:

Sky Country Pump
(ask for Russ)
303.883.3572‬

Every property within our community relies on private wells and groundwater resources for general household use and drinking water. Knowing this we should act accordingly by what chemicals we choose to use and distribute on our properties. Depending on the chemicals and products used, contamination can potentially impact drinking water quality, aquatic ecosystems, pets, wildlife, and overall public health. Groundwater contamination may affect not only the property where waste and chemicals have been dumped or applied but also neighboring wells and shared groundwater resources. Here is a list of general guidelines and resources that may be helpful.

• Residents should not intentionally use, discharge, dump, or dispose of hazardous chemicals in a manner that could create an environmental hazard. The HOA encourages all homeowners to use environmentally responsible products and practices and to properly store and dispose of chemicals through approved disposal programs. Here are some local resources for chemical and waste disposal:
  • O’Reilly – Conifer: Used motor oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, hydraulic fluid, gear oil, and compressor oil.
  • Rooney Road Recycling – Golden: Paints, cleaners, oils, and pesticides contain hazardous ingredients. Also accepts batteries, electronics, propane and other fuel canisters, etc. Here is a comprehensive list: https://www.rooneyroadrecycling.org/accepted-items/
• Residents are expected to use all chemicals responsibly, follow manufacturer instructions, comply with local, state, and federal regulations, and never intentionally apply or dispose of substances in a manner that could harm other residents, pets, wildlife, or groundwater resources.
• While pesticides and herbicides can be effective tools for controlling weeds, insects, and other pests, using these chemicals will inevitably migrate through soil and enter groundwater supplies and are thus discouraged.
• If some chemicals are being used, Residents are encouraged to carefully follow all manufacturer instructions, avoid applying chemicals before heavy rainfall, use the minimum effective amount necessary, and consider environmentally friendly alternatives whenever practical.

Protecting our community’s groundwater is a shared responsibility to help preserve safe general home use and drinking water and maintain a healthy environment.

Unfortunately, living up in the mountains while beautiful has it’s occasional drawbacks and power outages is one of them. This is a short list of what a power outage will effect:

– Water Supply
– Heating and Cooling
– Lighting
– Internet (cell phone connectivity is typically unaffected)
– Cooking (completely with electricity and just the ignition for natural gas)
– Garage Door Usage (unless you have an integrated backup battery)

Steps to fix the problem:

1. Check to see if you are an isolated case by reaching out to a neighbor.
2. Perhaps you have some tripped circuits in your breaker box.
3. Report the outage to Xcel via a phone call 800.895.4999 or on their app.

Our community is located in a natural mountain environment that is home to wildlife such as deer, elk, bears, mountain lions, foxes, and other native species. Residents should never feed wildlife, intentionally or unintentionally. Secure trash containers, pet food, bird seed, and other attractants, and maintain a safe distance from all wildlife. If you observe aggressive or dangerous wildlife behavior, contact the appropriate wildlife authorities.

Jefferson County Animal Control: 303.271.5070 (Mon–Fri, 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM) for non-emergencies or to report dead animals on roads. After-Hours Dispatch: Call 303.980.7300 for evening, weekend, or holiday emergencies involving sick, injured, or dangerous wildlife.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife: 303.291.7227 for management of healthy, large wild animals (elk, bears, mountain lions) or complex wildlife conflicts.

The HOA does not specifically require mitigation and defensible space, but typically your home insurance company will require some level of mitigation for you to keep your policy in good standing. Generally speaking though, mountain communities face an increased risk of wildfires. Creating defensible space by removing dead vegetation, trimming trees, maintaining roof and gutter areas, and reducing combustible materials near structures helps protect homes, residents, and emergency responders. Homeowners can hire mitigation specialists and or arborists to help them see what items may need to be addressed or check in with the local fire department for recommendations regarding wildfire mitigation.