Mapleton Mobile-izers

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The Mapleton Mobile-izer is issued quarterly, following the MHA membership meetings. Special editions are issued as needed, for example before a quarterly meeting where MHA members will be voting for executives or making an important decision...


MHA BLOG Volume 4.3 Newsletter of the Mapleton Home Association [MHA] May 1999

BEN JENSEN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF MHA
Pete Caterina re-elected secretary


Inside This Issue



MINUTES for the QUARTERLY MEETING April 18, 1999
 by Pete Caterina
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The Quarterly Meeting of the Mapleton Home Association was held Sunday, April 18, 1999 at Unity Church in Boulder, Colorado. President Mark Reeder called the meeting to order at 5:12 PM.
OLD BUSINESS

Mark Reeder, this being his last day as President, began by thanking everyone for all their help, time, and participation in the workings of the Mapleton Home Association.
He went on to say no matter who follows him (either Alex Wilson or Ben Jensen) he is convinced they will make a fine President. And, he hopes they will have the continued support of the officers, Executive Council, Steering Committee, Resident Advisory Committee, and the entire membership.
Next, Pete Caterina reported that the 1999-2000 membership drive is under way. (By the end of the meeting 20 homeowners had paid their $5 dues.) The MHA Escrow account membership now stands at 31 % of the possible homeowners in the Park.
Also, the City held a public meeting on the burial of the power lines going through Mapleton Park. The City has commitments to bury the lines from the power station on 28th Street heading west and then coming back above ground at either our existing pole in the center of the Park, or west of Folsom Ave. by the Unity Church. The consensus of the 40 plus people in attendance was: the entire route should be buried, the City needs to have a comprehensive plan for the entire route before piecemeal burial, and alternative routes (like straight down Mapleton Ave.) should be investigated. The City will get back to us.
Mark then announced that the Financial and Business Plans for running the Park (once we buy it) are being drawn up and could be ready to present to the City (as further proof of our seriousness to purchase the Park) by June. The next step will be to get the City Council to pass a resolution to the effect that the City wants to, and will sell Mapleton park to the MHA.
In a recent meeting with the City Staff, to find out more about their overall plan for relocation of the Branding Iron people by the end of 1999 and our own displaced by the Goose Creek Flood Project, we were informed the City now owns 9 homes. They did not purchase any in March, indicating that they feel confident they have enough for now--including room for double-wides that may need to be moved.
It was also learned that there is a real possibility the Goose Creek Project's starting date could be delayed until as late as 2004, thus giving us even more time to prepare for ownership.
After some discussion of the worst case scenario, in which the City reneges and/or sells the Park to someone else before we are ready, it was pointed out that Lu Nuttall's contract with the City precludes the City from selling to anybody but a non-profit organization. And, it gives us even more incentive to be ready sooner (rather than later.)
NEW BUSINESS ELECTIONS OF PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY.

Nominations for both offices were reopened (per by-laws.) No new nominations were entered.
Alex Wilson then withdrew his nomination for President and asked that everyone who may have intended to vote for him instead support and vote for Ben Jensen. Ben was unanimously elected President for the next two years.
Pete Caterina was also unanimously reelected Secretary for the 1999-2001 term.
At this time the MHA presented Mark Reeder with an engraved gavel as a token of appreciation for his outstanding leadership from the beginning. Mark then donated it to the MHA Archives to be used by future Presidents to run meetings. Also, as a personal gift from those who have worked closely with Mark, past president Reeder was awarded a $75 gift certificate for he and Debbie to go out to dinner.
Finally, Ben Jensen took the podium, told us a little about himself, said he would do his best, and asked that we all support him as we have Mark. And, in his first official act adjourned the meeting.

Executive Officers of the Mapleton Home Association
President Ben Jensen #178 545-2672
V. President Gene Langlois #30 444-4988
Treasurer Silvia Gentile #142 447-2246
Secretary Pete Caterina#l 76 443-0649



EXEC SPEAKS OUT
by Ben Jensen
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Greetings, fellow Mapleton residents. this is the first time I have written for the Mobile-izer, so it may be slightly crude, but I'll give it my best shot.
Let me first say thank you to everyone for their support and encouragement in helping me tackle the great endeavor of being the new President of the Mapleton Home Association. I've got such big shoes to fill. Your compliments, advice and creative criticism are greatly appreciated; they truly make this job more rewarding.
I've thought a lot about the future of this mobile home park. One of the things I'd like to do is provide concrete answers to question regarding the buy out of the Park. Answers such as how much will it cost, how long will it take, and how will the mobile home park operate. But before once can answer these questions, one must first have a plan. More critically, a business plan. It will have all the answers and show all the pluses and minuses of becoming a member of the escrow account. After some brief number crunching, I've come to conclude that with a practical business plan it is entirely possible for us to be the future owners of our mobile home park. Yet I have difficulty convincing people of the benefits of future home ownership. I'm not a good persuader, I guess. Yet I think once the business plan is finished, and all of our questions are answered, most will see that they are better off by joining the escrow account and becoming a future owner than if they continue to simply remain a renter. So for now, that is the task I's like to see accomplished, that is to complete a realistic business plan. I'll keep you posted on its progress.



EVOLUTION
editorial by Pete Caterina
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Evolution is the natural process by which organisms (or organizations) adapt and mutate to traumatic changes. Revolution is the manmade equivalent.
While the factors that make evolution triumphant are mystical, in every successful revolution there are always certain basic elements present.
First, of course, there must be a consensus that something needs to be done and then joint inspiration to set the necessary actions in motion. After that, in order for ideas to become actions, the right mix and interplay of differing and essential personalities must be present.
In the American Revolution, for example, only one-third of the colonists originally wanted to break away, while another one-third were loyal to the English King. It was the ability of the "founding fathers" to convince and recruit the undecided middle one-third that really turned the tide.
In 1776 they had great communicators like Patrick Henry, historic writers like Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine, and courageous publishers like Ben Franklin to get the message out. Also, they had men of careful and conservative thought like John Adams, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton as well as radical men of great action like Paul Revere, Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty.
And finally, they had the one ingredient absolutely necessary for any real hope of winning independence from the mighty British Empire: a person who not only had the vision to both direct and stay the course, but who knew how to inspire and correctly use the great wealth of talent and potential at hand. This ingredient is called leadership and his name was George Washington. He lead the Minutemen from Valley Forge to Yorktown and was the new nation's first President.
In the last 5 years the homeowners in Mapleton Park have gone through a quiet evolution-revolution of their own. And, while events are not of the magnitude and consequence as they were in 1776, the same principles for success still apply.
We have adapted to the traumatic change in Park ownership from private to governmental. We have formed a consensus and put it into action by creating the Mapleton Home Association, a non-profit corporation to protect and defend our interests. We have established and published the Mapleton Mobilizer to get our message out. We have been thoughtful and conservative in lease negotiations with our new landlord, while showing great courage of action and resourcefulness in limiting the impact of the Goose Creek Flood Project on our lives. In essence we have started the march to our own "Declaration Of Independence" with the MHA Escrow Account, the Financial and Business Plan committees, and a coordinated effort to buy the Park and run it ourselves. And, while there may still be a cold winter at Valley Forge to come, the outlook for an eventual buy-back has never been better. (All we need is for the one-third who are already Escrow Account members to convince and inspire the rest to join our glorious cause!)
And, during it all, we have had that one important ingredient of vision, inspiration, and direction. It's still called leadership and his name is Mark Reeder. He has brought us from a philosophical consensus to a full-fledged player in the community and was our first President--even without wooden teeth!
Therefore, to all my fellow mobile homeowning, evolving, revolutionary "Mapleton Minutemen and women" who believe in the dream of independence: congratulations. And to Past President Mark Reeder a very special, heart-felt: THANK YOU ON A JOB WELL DONE!

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The Mapleton Mobile-izer is published quarterly by the Mapleton Home Association and is distributed free to all residents of Mapleton Mobile Home Park.