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 4.5 Newsletter of the Mapleton Home Association [MHA] November 1999

CITY EXPLAINS OPTION TO PURCHASE HOMES/MHA MARKS 4TH BIRTHDAY


Inside This Issue



Goose Creek project update and a few words about the powerline
By Mike Figigs
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Representatives of MHA met with Doug Sullivan, the new Goose Creek project manager, on November 10. What follows is the information that Doug passed on to the MHA.
Work will begin on the Branding Iron phase of the flood control project, just east of us, between mid-December and mid-January. This phase is scheduled to be completed by September of 2000. Design for the Mapleton portion of the project will likely begin in 2001 or 2002, with construction currently estimated to be completed during 2003 and 2004. The current plan for Mapleton is consistent with the narrow option approved by City Council a few years ago, with 7 mobile homes being removed along the Goose Creek channel. The flood channel has been designed to contain the flow produced by a 100 year event, which is also consistent with previous plans.
The City currently has purchased enough mobile homes to accommodate the last of the Branding Iron residents, as well as those Mapleton residents displaced by the Goose Creek project. Any Mapleton residents who are to be displaced by Goose Creek have the option of moving now, if they desire, rather than wait. If you are interested in being relocated at this time, please contact Cindy Pieropan at the Housing and Human Services Department at 303-441-3157. A map of the Goose Creek project has been placed on the community information board in dumpster park. More detailed maps are in the care of Pete Caterina (#176) who may be reached at 303-443-0649. If you have question regarding this project, you are welcome to contact Mike Figgs (#77), the chair of MHA's Goose Creek Committee, at 303-447-1899. Doug Sullivan may be reached at the Public Works Department at 303-441-3244.
As a part of the Woodlands housing project, just east of the Park on Mapleton Avenue, the City agreed to bury the powerline that follows the Goose Creek drainage from 28th Street on the east, to the tower in the center of Mapleton on the west. The powerline is scheduled to be buried sometime during the Branding Iron phase of the Goose Creek project The burial is the responsibility of Public Service Company. The current plans indicate that the buried powerline will generally follow the southern boundary of the Goose Creek flood channel. However, there is no final design for Goose Creek in the Mapleton reach, and we do not know exactly where the line will be in our park. The most likely location is in or adjacent to the east-west street on the south side of Goose Creek. The powerline will come out of the ground at the tower in the center of the park. This tower is currently proposed to be rebuilt, and the exact design of this tower is not known at this time.
The powerline burial through Woodlands into Mapleton should not be confused with the continuing community discussion about the burial of the remainder of the powerline that continues to the west boundary of the city. This has been discussed for years because of various requests by residents of the city. City Council has not yet taken action on this issue, and no one knows what the final plan will be at this time. Three options being discussed are to leave the powerline in place, bury the powerline along its current easement, or bury the powerline along a new easement that, from Mapleton Mobile Home Park, would go south along Folsom Street to Mapleton Street, and head west through the city to the Mapleton Hill area. MHA has taken no position on the final alignment of this powerline. To discuss the burial of the powerline through the Woodlands housing area and through the east side of Mapleton, contact Doug Sullivan at the above number. Regarding the burial of the rest of the powerline through the western portion of Mapleton, the city has a phone hot line at 303-441-4204. More specific information is available from Mike Weil, Director of the Office of Environmental Affairs for the City of Boulder, at 303-441-4191.



Explanation of the City's purchase option
by Mark Reeder
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There has been some confusion in the last few months over the City's "Option to Purchase" specified in our Lease when residents wish to sell their homes. This article from the Mapleton Home Association is intended to help clear up some of the confusion.
In the lease between Mapleton Park mobile home owners and the City of Boulder, the City has the option to purchase any home that is offered for sale. The City needs to buy a number of homes in order to relocate residents affected by the Goose Creek Flood Channel Project. No resident can be forced to sell their home. Moreover, according to Staff at the Division of Housing, no homeowner will be coerced into selling his or her home to the City. However, if you do decide that you want to sell, you must follow the steps laid out in the lease. 1. You, the homeowner, must notify the City in writing of your intent to sell your mobile home, and include the date you wish to leave.
2. The City has seven (7) days to decide whether they want to purchase your home. This may include inspecting your home. If the City decides not to purchase your home, you may seek a buyer on the open market. Any buyer must qualify to be a resident of Mapleton. This means they must meet affordable income standards-- their income cannot exceed 120% of the Boulder Median Income, approximately $62,000/year; plan to own and occupy the home; be able to abide by the current lease and the Mapleton Park Rules and Regulations; and not be a criminal or public annoyance as defined by County, State and Federal Laws.
3. If the City decides to purchase your mobile home, they will send to you a "Mobile Home Purchase Agreement." Signing this agreement does not obligate you to sell your home to the City of Boulder (see Step #5) but it does establish the process, as outlined in the lease, for the City to purchase your home. The City has thirty days to set a meeting with you, a City representative and a mobile home appraiser. The City will arrange for the appraisal at their expense. You may choose not to be present at this meeting, as long as you tell the City either verbally or in writing. The MHA recommends that you attend this appraisal and document how professional and thorough a job was done. Ask plenty of questions of the appraiser so that you are informed of what he is doing and why.
The appraiser must follow the guidelines in the lease to determine market value of your home in location. "Market Value in Location" means the value of your home on the open market, taking into account extras, additions and or any aesthetic value of the surrounding grounds as well as its location within the City of Boulder and within Mapleton Park. The City will offer to purchase your home for the appraised value.
4. Then you have seven (7) days either to accept the City's offer or hire your own appraiser, at your own expense, approximately $125. You must submit your own appraisal to the City within fourteen (14) days of the first appraisal.
5. If the appraisals differ, you have two choices. According to the Mobile Home Purchase Agreement, you may decline the City's offer and the Mobile Home Purchase Agreement shall be null and void. If you decide to continue with the Mobile Home Purchase Agreement, the sale price will be set halfway between the City's appraisal and your appraisal. The sale date will be set within thirty (30) days of the first appraisal unless you prefer to leave later. The spirit of the lease agreement with City Staff was that no one could be forced to sell his/her home to the City. However, City staff does have need for a few strategically placed homes within Mapleton Park. If you find that your home is one of these, please talk with the MHA so that we can help you obtain the best deal for your home. MHA contact numbers are in this issue.



MAPLETON HOME ASSOCIATION QUARTERLY MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 7, 1999
by Pete Caterina, Secretary
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The final Quarterly Meeting of 1999 was called to order by President Ben Jensen at 5:07 pm at Unity Church in Boulder, Colorado.
RIGHTS WHEN SELLING: Ben started the meeting by asking if anybody had questions about selling their homes. It seems there have been a number of reports of procedures by Hast & Company that are not in line with the spirit and principles agreed to during our lease negotiations with Hast and the City. (It had been agreed that while the City may have special interests in obtaining certain lots and the legal right to purchase them, no one would ever be coerced.) Being on top of this issue, the MHA has already asked City Staff to make sure that the management company (Hast & Co.) and its employees are "on the same page" with us when dealing with homeowners selling in Mapleton Park.
Also, the selling procedure (which is in everyone's lease) would be published again in the next Mobilizer (this page) and owners are highly recommended to contact Ben or any MHA Officer about their rights and obligations before selling their home. Experience shows that homeowners who have worked with the MHA have gotten higher prices than those trying to go it alone.
TRANSMISSION LINES: There has been no change in our information. Public Utilities is committed to the burial of the lines west through the Woodlands Apartments (to our east) to our present pole location in the center of Mapleton Park. Work is scheduled to begin as soon as January 2000. Then, during the construction of the Goose Creek Greenway Improvement Project , PSC may (or may not) bury the rest of it to Folsom. There is much controversy about this project especially from other citizen groups further west down the line. (One such group is circulating a flyer about a letter writing campaign.) A Comprehensive Plan is in the works with suggestions including having the whole line go down Mapleton Ave. (The odds are very slim for that.)
Also, since the City Council has yet to decide on this or allocate the funds necessary, any rumors about removal of homes is completely premature. Mike Figgs volunteered to look for more details and keep us informed.
RESIDENT MANAGER: After missing a Steering Committee Meeting held expressly to talk informally to Tim Wynn about exactly what his duties and responsibilities are--and when we should call him versus Hast--he was invited to this meeting. He was a no show again.
Also, complaints were voiced by homeowners that Hast has not been responding to resident's concerns about pot hole repair, notification when water is being turned off and in particular the seemingly random enforcement of the Rules & Regulations concerning unlicensed cars and unsightly yards. MHA informed the residents that the Resident Advisory Committee (RAC) is already working on a set of protocols to be merged and/or appended to the Park's Rules & Regulations to standardize the responses to and the enforcement of penalties. We believe this will help to minimize confusion and ensure that the Rules are fairly and evenly administered to everyone. The MHA has been working with Hast and seeking the City's input on this. (See related article following minutes. Ed's note.) It was suggested that any of the residents who are truly concerned about the unregulated car repairs on the Park's streets should circulate a petition among their neighbors, and present it to Hast & Co.
ESCROW ACCOUNT UPDATE: There are now 47 homeowners participating with over $18,100 in deposits invested and collecting interest. Also, EA member are now receiving quarterly statements on their individual accounts! Anyone wanting the full Piper Jaffray statements about the entire account should contact Nan Lederer, the EA Manager.
BUSINESS PLAN UPDATE: Mark Reeder, the Committee Chairman, reported that while times and dates must be assumed, the first draft is just about ready thanks to help from our consultant David Drake. We are currently talking to banks and pursuing all other options that would keep mortgage payments for residents in the future to around $300/month. And while $150,000-300,000 will be needed for the down payment he is optimistic about finding ways to buy the Park.
RENT RAISES: The City had originally planned to raise our lot rents in August but has waited until January 1st. (While some residents thought that increases were promised to be tied to infrastructure repairs in meetings years ago, their was no such agreement.) The amount each person's rent goes up is proportional to their income tier. While the City will eventually do a park-wide re-evaluation of each homeowner's income level, if you have had to big change in your personal income you should call Jackie Morales-Ferrand at the City offices. Remember you will have to prove your case through documentation before they can make any changes.
OTHER BUSINESS: Members were informed the Secretary has created and is maintaining all MHA documents in our MHA Archives, which contain both computer and hard copies.
Members who wish to see certain improvements in the Park are welcome to form an Improvement Committee. The purpose of the committee would be to make suggestions updating rules and regulations and general management of the Park. (See related article, p.3. Ed's note.)

GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR VEHICLES IN VIOLATION OF THE LEASE
by the editors

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 In Mapleton Park recently there has been some confusion over the removal of vehicles without licenses or current tags. The MHA has worked with the City and Hast &Co. to set general guidelines in the event that a resident's vehicle is in violation of Park rules. MHA VP, Gene Langlois, talked with Loretta Milcarek and the following are the protocols Loretta suggested.
1. Talk to the owner about the problem. If unable to contact in person, then leave a telephone message or a note on his or her door.
2. Tag the vehicle with a first warning. Put the tag in an obvious place, i.e. windshield or door handle. If the vehicle owner does not contact the management company or the resident manager within 15 days, then issue a second warning notice.
3. Second notice shall be a large tag in an obvious place. If, after the second notice, the vehicle owner has not contacted the management company or the resident manager, the car can be towed.

EXEC SPEAKS OUT
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by Ben Jensen
I've been doing a lot of yard work outside recently, and it gave me a lot of time to think. One issue I always wondered is "What do I like about where I live? Why do I like where I live?"
After thinking about it, my answer came to me sometime later and I narrowed the reasons down to three things. I like Boulder's weather. It seems it is sunny most of the time. Even in the dead of winter, when temperatures get as cold as the low teens, it is not uncommon to see the temperature rise to above 40 or even 50 degrees within a week. I like our location.
Boulder is seated at the base of the foothills, which makes enjoying the mountains an experience that is as convenient as simply taking a bike ride. I like the people. The majority of the people are good hearted people that are a joy to talk to. And there's such a variety of people. It seems as though you could actually say that there is at least one of every kind of person in Boulder. There is such a large range of ages, careers, religions, ethnicities, interests and ambitions of the population of Boulder. It is almost impossible not to fit in if you live in Boulder. What am I trying to say? I enjoy living in Boulder and I'm happy I live here Mapleton Park. Hopefully you share the same appreciations I do.

MHA EXECUTIVE BOARD CALLS FOR MAPLETON PARK IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE
by the editors
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 The MHA has issued an open invitation to Mapleton Park residents to join a new committee to investigate Park improvements. MHA President, Ben Jensen told the Mapleton Mobilizer, "We need self motivated people to join our cause and work to improve the overall living conditions within Mapleton." Some of the areas to be tackled are Rules and Regulations and maintaining the Park's aesthetic appeal. All those who are interested, please contact Ben Jensen, 303 545-2672.

MHA BIRTHDAY
by the editors
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 The Mapleton Home Association got its start on December 2, 1995 when a group of residents met at Unity Church to talk with City Staff about a resident buyout of Mapleton Park. The following article is from the MHA archives and minutes of that meeting.
On December 2, 1995, in response to news that Mapleton Park owner, Lu Nuttall was selling the mobile home park to the City of Boulder, over fifty residents met to form a residents' association with two main goals: (1) To become a legal united bargaining cooperative to effect a resident buyout of Mapleton Park from the City. (2) To achieve Park unity and a sense of community thereby increasing safety and security.
At the December 2 meeting Cindy Pieropan from the Division of Housing and Human Services, City of Boulder,, introduced herself by telling us that she 'works on funding for low income housing' for the City. She said that if Boulder did buy the Park, their goal would be to sell it back to the residents already in the Park. She explained that Boulder had never converted a park to resident owned, but she was aware that it was a 'very time consuming and complicated process.' She told the residents gathered at this meeting that the City of Boulder has a strong commitment to seeing that our park remain a mobile home park. She also told us that grants from the City and State are available to help with the down payment, but residents must be able to act as a legal body in order to take advantage of these funds. After Ms. Pieropan's talk, Mapleton Park residents then voted to form a homeowners' association.
The process to form the MHA took another 4 months. Thanks to the far seeing vision of residents Don Lucas, Ron Marcus, Nan Lederer, Gene Langlois, Alex "Tink" Wilson, and Mark Reeder, the MHA was incorporated in May 1996, and received its Federal 501(c)3 standing in September 1999, making it officially eligible to purchase the Park from the current owner, the City of Boulder.

MHA EXECUTIVE BOARD CALLS FOR MAPLETON PARK IMPROVEMENT COMMITTEE
by the editors
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 The MHA has issued an open invitation to Mapleton Park residents to join a new committee to investigate Park improvements. MHA President, Ben Jensen told the Mapleton Mobilizer, "We need self motivated people to join our cause and work to improve the overall living conditions within Mapleton." Some of the areas to be tackled are Rules and Regulations and maintaining the Park's aesthetic appeal. All those who are interested, please contact Ben Jensen, 303 545-2672.

ELECTIONS FOR VICE PRESIDENT AND TREASURER HELD IN APRIL 2000
by the editors
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 Residents who wish to run for the MHA Executive Board, please contact Vice President Gene Langlois, 303 444-4988. The current Vice President and current Treasurer, Silvia Gentile, have served two terms in these positions and cannot be reelected according to MHA by-laws. We need new members to take their places. No pay and very little honor, but members of the Executive Board set policy for the Mapleton Home Association and lead the way for a resident buyout of Mapleton park from the City of Boulder. Persons wishing to run for office must be residents of Mapleton Mobile Home Park.

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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.