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 5.3 Newsletter of the Mapleton Home Association [MHA] August 2000

Housing and Human Services addresses Parks' residents


Inside This Issue



Exec Speaks Out
By Ben Jensen
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The Mapleton Home Association business plan committee has investigated all realistic possibilities of acquiring the Mapleton Mobile Home Park from the City of Boulder once the Goose Creek Improvement plan is completed sometime between 2002-2003. After years of research they have come up with three possible options that will make our dream of park acquisition a reality. The three options are: 1) A Community Land Trust; 2) A Limited Equity Co-op; 3) A Blending of both the Land Trust and Co-op options. Each has its pros and cons for different residents. In the upcoming months the MHA will be educating the residents on the pluses and minuses of each option through flyers and a canvassing committee. Once everyone has a good idea of the differences between each option we will have a vote at a quarterly meeting of the MHA to find out what option the majority of the residents want. Which brings me to the point of this article. For starters, join the MHA, if you're not already a member. Only current members will be allowed to vote. Second, because the vote will be held at one of the quarterly meetings be sure to attend to cast your vote. The vote will occur at either the October Quarterly meeting or the January meeting. The MHA will keep you posted on when the meeting will be so that your option can be known in a democratic fashion. Hope to see you there.



Speed Bumps?
by Debbie Kranzler
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It is sunny and warm and you are walking with your family through Mapleton Park enjoying the afternoon. Suddenly a car roars down the street and just misses you and your child. You become angry, yell and wave a fist. But it is all over in a cloud of dust and there is nothing you can do. Right? Maybe not. The Resident Advisory Committee has received many complaints about speeders roaring through Mapleton and even cutting across Dumpster Park--their path is now easily followed by the twin dirt trails through the grassy expanse. The danger these reckless drivers impose is not limited to adults and children. A few years back, Don Lucas in #34 had his parked car smashed into by one of these speeders. The RAC and Hast & Co. are investigating solutions to this problem. Staffed kiosks or electrical gates at all of the entrances to Mapleton park are too expensive. Speed bumps have been proposed but they have their own drawbacks--drivers speed between them, emergency vehicles are slowed by them, and residents have to live with them 24/7. It is only a matter of time before a driver crashes into a pedestrian or a bicyclist at one of the blind corners in the Park. Or perhaps he/she runs over one of the many children who happily and unthinkingly dash into the street between parked cars from time to time. So, put on your thinking caps and come up with solutions to this hazard. The RAC and Hast are looking for a way to combat this menace. If you have any ideas, give them to a RAC member.



Models for Purchasing the Park
by MIke Figgs
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(Several models could be applied to Mapleton Residents and their future ownership of Mapleton Park. I have edited Mike's article to include only the three most likely ones that would be employed by Mapleton Park residents. Anyone with other models is free to contact the Business Committee: Mike Figgs #77 and Mark Reeder #14. All help is greatly appreciated. Eds. note)

Model # 1: Take no action: In this model, residents would undertake no action themselves but would wait for the City to initiate its own plans. The upside of this model is that the residents do no work for themselves. Since the City has declared its intention that Mapleton continue as a low and moderate income housing development, most likely our lives would not change dramatically in the immediate future. The downside is that we would continue to have little or no input in management of the Park; we would not be able to secure any equity in the land; and our security would rest in the hands of our landlord. The cost would most likely be an increase in rents and continued lack of security in our long term future. Under this model we would have no guarantee of long term stability, ownership, and rental rates.

Model #2: Community Land Trust An outside entity purchases the Park which is then put into and run by a Land Trust with a possible MHA presence. MHA leases the Park from the Trust and negotiates individual leases with homeowners (probably through a management company.) In this model residents increase their chances of landlord compatibility and achieving goals of long term security of ownership; rent is predictable; all non-equity goals are achieved with minimum effort; and all residents benefit equally. The downside of this model is that residents have no ability to secure equity in the land; rents are continuous as they are under any landlord though rental fees are primarily for administration and future infrastructure improvements.

Model #3: Limited Equity Coop: MHA secures the funding for purchase through Escrow Account, grants, and bank loans. Shareholders would own and control the Park (indebted to the financial lending institutions) and could only build limited equity in each share of the Coop. The upside to this model is that resident ownership brings with it control of all administration and management; we do build equity though limited to whatever covenants the

City builds into the purchase agreement. The downside of this model is that it requires substantial organization and effort of residents; we must secure funding for those residents who cannot finance a share mortgage; ongoing administration requires residents remain active and involved.

(Over the next three months, leading up to the October Quarterly Meeting of the MHA, canvassers will be going through Mapleton Park educating residents on the models available for a resident purchase of the Park. Also, the Mapleton Mobile-izer will have a special issue dedicated to describing the different models. Eds. note.)

The Mapleton Mobilizer invites any association members who have businesses offering services or other products residents may be interested in, such as cooler maintenance or massage, to advertise at no cost.

In Memoriam
by Mark Reeder and Debbie Kranzler

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 This spring, Mapleton Mobile Home Park lost two of its long time residents, Ralph Sporleder, #11, and Sandra Draper, #17. Ralph Sporleder passed away May 29. He was best remembered throughout the Park as a handyman and friendly neighbor. On warm afternoons he could always be seen resting on the porch in front of his home, enjoying the pleasant weather. People passing by were always greeted with a friendly wave and a hearty, How ya doin. His constant grin and affable personality will be sadly missed. Ralph is survived by his wife, Beulah, and her son, Gary, who continue to reside at #11.
A memorial service was held June 18 for Mapleton Resident Sandra Draper at Chautauqua. Over 100 friends and relatives gathered to say good-bye and share their memories of Sandra by telling what they loved about her. The most frequently mentioned qualities were her generosity and genuine caring for all people. White homing doves were released at the end of the ceremony and everyone was invited to release her into her greater good and continued journey.
As we go forward into this exciting 21st Century filled with newness and unexplored possibilities, please take time to visit our senior residents. Greet them warmly with a kind word. And give them a hand whenever possible. With each senior citizen's passing, wisdom and experience passes with them. They have survived depression and war as well as prosperity and good times and have much to offer in these heady times of expectation. MHA Executive Board 1999-2000
President: Ben Jensen #178, 545-2672
V.-President: Alex Wilson #58, 444-4988
Secretary:Pete Caterina #176, 443-0649
Treasurer:Silvia Gentile #142, 447-2246


Neighborhood Watch
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by Neera Hunton
 Recently I had the unfortunate experience of having the rear window of my car smashed while it was parked outside my house. I have since heard of another person who had a similar experience with her vehicle. Many non-Mapleton residents pass through the Park on foot or in cars throughout the day and night. While a majority of the people who come through the Mapleton are pleasant and well meaning, a small minority drive too fast and others vandalize property. As a community, let's all watch over each others property and safety so we can continue to enjoy this wonderful in which we live.

Quarterly Minutes, July 23, 2000
by Pete Caterina
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 The meeting began promptly at 5:30pm. The first order of business was the introduction of the guest speaker John Pollack, Director of Housing for Boulders Division of Housing and Human Services. John attended the meeting to answer residents' concerns about the future of the Park. Cindy Pieropan of Housing and Human Services was also in attendance.
MHA members expressed their concerns with the City's handling of the Park. Of special concern were the 14 homes currently owned by the City which remain empty and the state of the sewer system. Cindy Pieropan answered that three of the homes have been sold and she expect more will be sold in the future. Moreover, she said that City is not buying homes at present. They had purchased homes they thought they would need to relocate Branding Iron people as well as Mapleton residents displaced by Goose Creek Flood Control Project. No promises could be made about the sewer system but John Pollack said it would be looked into.
On the residents' goal to purchase Mapleton Park from the City, both Pieropan and Pollack were pleased with residents' efforts so far. While neither John nor Cindy could promise that the residents would be allowed to purchase the Park, both restated the City's goal to turn Mapleton into a resident owned community. At the conclusion of Pollack's talk, Mark Reeder, editor of the Mapleton Mobile-izer, offered the newsletter as a means to keep residents informed of Housing and Human Services decisions concerning the Park. Mr. Pollack accepted and in the future Housing will write a column when necessary to update the residents.
After Pollack and Pieropan left, Mike Figgs and Mark Reeder of the Business Committee explained to the residents two models for resident ownership of Mapleton Park:
1. Limited Equity Coop (LEC)
2. Community Land Trust (CLT)

An LEC would allow residents to purchase a limited equity position in Mapleton Park through membership in the MHA. The MHA would be the controlling body of the land. Residents would own their own homes and the land would be held as a cooperative by all the members. The amount of equity in the land and the homes would be limited in order to maintain Mapleton Park as a low and moderate income housing development.
A CLT puts the land in a trust held by a third party agency. Residents would continue to own their homes and pay rent for the land as they do now. Equity in the homes would again be limited to maintain Mapleton Park as a low and moderate income housing development.
Pros and cons of each model were discussed. (See article on models p. 2. Eds. note) Eventually, canvassers will go through Mapleton Park explaining to residents the two models and what would be gained and/or lost with either one. Finally, both Mark and Mike reiterated that for resident ownership of Mapleton Park to become a reality, residents must become involved and work together to help the process. The meeting concluded at 7:00pm.

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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.