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 5.1 Newsletter of the Mapleton Home Association [MHA] February 2000

GENE LANGLOIS STEPPING DOWN AS VICE PRESIDENT AFTER TWO TERMS...SILVIA GENTILE STATES SHE WILL RUN AGAIN FOR TREASURER


Inside This Issue



Elections
By the editors
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At the Mapleton Home Association's April Quarterly Meeting, association members will elect another Vice President. Long time park resident, Gene Langlois is stepping down. According to the MHA by-laws, "The Executive Board members shall be elected for two year terms by the general membership. Only one (1) member of a household shall serve on the Executive Board at any one time. No Board Members shall serve more than two (2) successive terms." Elections will also be held for the post of Treasurer. Silvia Gentile who has filled that position ably will be running for re-election. Gene Langlois was one of the original Founding Six of the MHA. From the beginning Gene's gentle spirit and vision of ownership have been a driving force behind the MHA. Gene will continue in his position as Co-chair of the Resident Advisory Committee.



Escrow Account Update
by Nan Lederer
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Here's the latest Escrow info for the MHA. As of Feb. 4, we still have 49 members. Deposits for Feb. are still rolling in, but right now we have $21,130 in principal, and an estimated $22,200 including interest.



Exec Speaks Out
by Ben Jensen
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Well the New Year that everyone was so worried about is finally here: Y2K. There was an awful lot of commotion about the possible disasters the New Year would bring. Who would have known that this entire ruckus began with the fear of a slip of a blip on a chip made of sand? There were also a lot of end of the world and disaster theories that human kind may not last until now. I can't say I didn't panic myself.
I kept a little spare water, canned non-perishable food, and other necessities around just in case. I'm just glad I didn't need to use them. It makes me feel better and more assured that the changing of the New Year went so smoothly. I have more confidence in technology and feel that perhaps we're not as out of control with technology as we had once thought. When people, organizations, and citizens pool their resources and knowledge they can overcome any obstacle and even do it smoothly and gracefully. I plan on continuing the rest of this millenium overcoming obstacles smoothly and gracefully, and I hope you do too.

Why Fines?
by Debbie Kranzler

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 Residents of Mapleton Mobile Home Park received a letter from Hast & Co., dated 1/25/00, announcing two changes to the way Mapleton is to be managed. The first is that Julie and Russ Morris (#18??) are now the resident managers. Not only are they long-time mobile home residents, but they have experience managing Branding Iron and in working with Hast & Co.
The second change is the addition of fines for violation of Mapleton Rules and Regulations. At first glance this might seem to be a negative development: now there are fines where there were none before. However, in this case, fines give the management--for now Hast & Co., eventually us, the future resident owners--a way to enforce rules that is well short of eviction. Such a remedy did not exist previously. The only way to pressure a recalcitrant resident was the eviction process--a harsh and antagonistic solution.
In an ideal world no fines would be necessary as no residents would ever violate rules. All residents would respect the privacy of the neighbors and the quietude and beauty of our park. And if, by chance, rules were broken, a gentle reminder to the homeowner would be sufficient to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, even here in Mapleton we do not live in such an ideal world. The Resident Advisory Committee has been meeting with Loretta Milcarek, our property manager at Hast & Co., to discuss enforcement of rules that preserve the safety and beauty of our park. One project that has been underway for a long time, proceeding step-by-step, has been clean-up of homesites that constitute safety hazards to their residents and neighbors, especially children. As most of you will remember, a park-wide clean-up was initiated, dumpsters were provided, assistance was offered. The next step was a letter to all homeowners reminding us of the need to abide by safety regulations and the content of those regulations. That was followed by a letter to the specific homeowners who were still not in compliance.
When some of those homeowners still did not respond, we--the RAC and Loretta--realized that there had to be some consequences imposed. Obviously, gentle reminders, explanations for the rationale behind the rules, and helping hands were not achieving compliance from some residents. The only recourse provided in the lease was eviction. In trying to provide our neighbors with every opportunity to cooperate, we suggested fines as a step prior to eviction proceedings. Loretta followed up with research on the legal aspects and, after consulting with City staff, the rules were changed as you read in the letter. These fines do not go into effect until April 1. Those who have notified that there is a problem have ample time. Moreover, those residents were offered a one-time financial incentive of $50 off one month's rent in one last effort to elicit compliance before the fines are imposed.
We all--residents, Hast & Co. and City staff--hope that fines never need to be imposed. Even more, we all hope that no one is ever evicted from our park. Fines cannot be imposed, nor evictions processed, for arbitrary reasons. Nor will they be exercised without ample notification to the resident(s) involved of what the problem is and how to fix it. However, some people do seem to need extra convincing to pay their rent or abide by rules, even ones established by neighbors and aimed at safety in our park.
If you have any questions about the fines, or about any of the Mapleton Rules and Regulations, feel free to call any of the RAC members, listed below, or Loretta. If you would like to have a new copy of the Rules and Regulations, contact Loretta at 444-7575. RAC members Gene Langlois #30 444-4988
Anne Crone #82 545-5470
Debbie Kranzler #14 444-4140
Ben Jensen #178 545-2672


Philosophical February
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by Pete Caterina
Well, I hope everyone has survived the brutal, fast-paced excitement of Groundhog Day in the Mountain Time Zone or as I like to call it: "the time zone that TV forgot." (i.e. tonight at 8:00 pm Eastern, 7:00 Central, 6:00 Pacific time .... ) However, I'm having a little difficulty relating to the eastern woodchuck when we're- having such a problem here with prairie dogs AND since, to have 6 more weeks of Winter you first have to have had some Winter to begin with! Perhaps, in the distant future, when mankind harnesses the weather this holiday may become less important!
So, why does February, the shortest month (even during a leap year) have the most holidays--and all of them with a conceptual and abstract nature? (Groundhog Day to forecast the farmer's fortunes; Valentine's Day to promote love; and President's Day to promote nationalism, the 3-day weekend and dedicated to the 2 Presidents who most deserve to have their own separate days of homage
Actually, the hardest part of this month is deciding what to do with the extra "leap day." Since it only comes once every 4 years, the pressure is really on to use it the most efficiently. Right now I'm leaning toward spending the day sleeping!
And why is it called "leap?" Aren't we actually dragging our feet, lingering one day longer? Shouldn't it be "lag" day/year?
In my opinion, I think the overall, underlying reason for most of the confusion is that holidays and observances are set up and legislated by politicians instead of philosophers! In ancient Greece, where the philosopher was highly regarded for instance, they stopped wars to hold Olympic games; believed in the growth of both mind and body; and celebrated a number of hypothetical rituals like Summer Solstice, Saturnalia and weeklong festivals to honor Dionysus the god of wine, merriment and fertility (probably in that order.) For example, the bureaucrat's dying Columbus Day (which is really not about, Italian heritage or European colonization) would have been named Discovery Day, to celebrate mankind's curiosity and the courage of all exploration, by the philosopher!
So, perhaps once every 4 years we should spend "Lag Day" in pursuit of philosophical conversation and thought, seeking wisdom and merriment while contemplating our place in the Universe .... (it's just a thought.) As Shakespeare wrote in Act III of The Merry Wives of Windsor: "He capers, he dances, he has eyes of youth, he writes verses, he speaks holiday, he smells April and May.")

Mapleton HOME Association QUARTERLY Meeting MINUTES January 23, 2000
by Pete Caterina, Secretary
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 The first MHA Quarterly Meeting of 2000 was called to order by President Ben Jensen at 5:47 pm at Unity Church in Boulder, Colorado. He started by asking for brief reports/updates by some of the active committees. The following are their reports-.

ESCROW ACCOUNT (Nan Lederer, Acct. Mgr.) At the closing of 1999 the MHA Escrow Account was Growing nicely. It had 49 members, with total deposits of 1,343. And in the first 23 days of 2000 it is already up to $21,800. With the present base of homeowners, that represents 40% participation by Park residents. (The business/banking community probably require at least 50% and the City Staff has suggested 75% to qualify). Someone starting today will need to pay $24/mo. to have their $1,000 share paid in full before the buy-out.

BUSINESS PLAN COMMITTEE (Mark Reeder, Chair.) The first draft of the MHA Business Plan has been presented to City Staff for their review. As of yet, they have not commented on it. It is based on receiving a bankloan of approximately $3,000,000 with 71/2 to 8% interest. (Since we do not have the exact figures from the City these numbers could vary more or less, by closing time.) It consists of three plans- (1) MHA buys the Park with a loan from a bank and pays the mortgage with rent revenues. (2) MHA partners with a organization like Thistle House who would, in effect, pay the remaining tnlount and buy all of the non-share holding lots' shares. This would also give them a say in the daily operations and management of the Park-. And, (3) MHA could approach a foundation for the entire amount and offer to donate our rent revenues to a charity of their choice in exchange for their grant. (This is a new idea that still needs to be checked out, but it seems to be a promising win-win scenario.)
When Lu Nuttall operated Mapleton Park, his operating income was approximately $280,000 per year with little of it spent in infrastructure maintenance Since the sale of Mapleton to the City of Boulder the operating income has risen to $450,000 per year with $110,000 in maintenance costs. Maintenance is so large because it reflects items such as the class 3 tree trim and a number of other major repairs that were long overdue! After the purchase (and the remaining infrastructure repairs are completed) MHA's operating cost, including debt service, should level out at around $350,000 per year.
Also, right now the average lot rent is $315. With yjr addition of $15 a year for the next three, it will rise to $360/mo. before the buy-back. However, this will pay off a substantial part of the note to LU. So, when we eventually own and operate Mapleton Park the Escrow Account shareholders could see their rents go down to an average of $250-280 per month, depending upon the amount of the loan and the interest rate. (It will be up to the "managing board of the shareholders" to set the lot rents of the mon-share holding renters--.just as Lu used to do and the City does now.)
In answer to a question about why the City Staff doesn't seem to communicate very well with the individual homeowners, Mark said that staff has its own problems but that Susan Purdy (Housing and Human Services boss) has stated that she wants Mapleton Park to be a resident owned mobile home park and a model for future permanent, affordable housing.

RESIDENT Advisory committee (Gene Langlois, VP and RAC member) Because a number of residents were not satisfied with Hast & Company's responses to their complaints a very cordial meeting was held with Loretta Milcarek our account manager. It was learned that all questions complaints and requests about the operating and maintenance of Mapleton Park be directed to Loretta at (303) 444-7575. (Tim Lynn, Lot #148, is a maintenance man only, doing special projects around the Park for Hast.) Also, Ben announced that Russ and Julie Morris (Lot # 181) who just moved from Branding Iron will be the new Resident Managers for Hast & Company.
Since themeeting, -it should be noted, potholes have been filled and illegally parked and unlicensed cars have been given warnings and some have been removed.
Also, the tree trimming is complete. Any resident who thinks a tree still needs to be cut must contact Loretta at 444-7575. (Remember the decision will be based on only what tree engineers/ experts consider to be a problem.)

GOOSE CREEK/POWER LINE COMMITTEE (Pete Caterina & Ben Jensen) In mid-February the City should be addressing the transmission lines issue. As of now, they are still planning to bury them through Branding Iron to our present pole, which will be replaced with newer and taller ones in a fenced area, Anyone interested in the future burial and comprehensive city plan should contact Ben.
The flood project remains the same as last reported with the narrow option removing 6 lots. Lots 34, 78, 79, 167 are now the only ones remaining since 80 and 154 have been vacated. Also, #64 may have to be moved to Lot 63 because of the new power poles. Their is a copy of the City's design in the MHA Bulletin Board at Dumpster Park. (Pete has detailed drawings of the project east of Mapleton in the MHA Archives if anyone is interested.)

NEW BUSINESS


The new position of Spanish Translator has been created by President Jensen to give the Spanish speak-in,, homeowners in our community a single person/place to go for information, etc. Jorce Arias (Lot #1411) has accepted the appointment. There will be an announcement in the next Mobilizer--in Spanish!

Nominations were opened for VICE PRESIDENT and TREASURER. It was rioted that Gene has served 2 terms and therefore can not run again. Sylvia Gentile, the present Treasurer was nominated for a second term as Treasurer at the meeting. The nominations will stay open until the election at the next Quarterly Meeting in April. Contact either Ben or Gene to nominate someone before then. [Remember, the MHA is a non-profit, -all volunteer organization with an Executive Board (the 4 officers), Steering Committee, RAC and many other committees all working together. New officers (andi'or committee members) are not expected to be "superstars" with all the answers, but rather only need to believe in what we are doing and willing to add their support, wisdom and idea.]

Everyone was reminded that: (1) Anyone can write an article for the Mobilizer. While it continues to be the informational organ of the MHA, it is also for communicating the common interests, hobbles, hopes, wishes, fears, philosophies, and thoughts of all mobile home dwelling Mapletonians. (2) Paving your $5 membership dues is still very important even during the "quiet times" to accumulate for the future, since legal and financial fees, etc, will be needed during the buy-out.
Finally, it was learned that Sylvia Anctil, who was a great supporter of the MHA and who moved from the Park after selling her Goose Creek condemned home to the city a few years ago, has died.
Meeting adjourned.
Respectfully submitted, Pete Caterina, Secretary

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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.