Welcome to the archive of Mapleton Hollow's community newsletter!
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...
Volume 8.6 Newsletter of the Mapleton Home Association [MHA] November 2003
Inside this Issue:
- Exec Speaks Out
- Mapleton Website Changes
- Thistle Appeal
- Thsitle Corner
- HHS Update
- Captial Improvements/Eco Pass Surveys
Mapleton Home Association Quarterly Meeting Minutes
November 2, 2003 5:30p.m Unity Church
by Lori Anderegg
Debbie Feustel, President, called the meeting to order at 5:36pm Rules of Conduct were read.
Report from MHA President
Several times throughout the meeting the recent candidate forum was spoken of, particularly regarding the lack of resident participation. Residents are urged to attend the rezoning planning hearing Thursday, November 6 to show support.
Management Plan
A Management Plan is being created which identifies the various committees within MHA both now and in the future and how they will interact amongst each other as well as with Thistle.
Goose Creek Fence
Mark Reeder reported that a fence will be constructed along the East side of the park at the new bike path to reduce pedestrian traffic. The fence will have two gates, one single gate for residents of the park to access, and one double gate to allow maintenance vehicles into the area. The exact placement of the fence is still being determined.
Drive by Appraisals
Appraisers will be estimating the value of our homes in January. In an effort to maintain resident privacy as well as to lower associated costs, the appraisal of each home will be done in a drive-by fashion. The appraisal of each home will be a ball park estimate used in determining the resale value of the mobile home for those residents who choose the affordable rent tier. The parameters of the appraisal will be printed in the Mobilizer when they have been decided. Residents are encouraged to clean up their homes and lots before hand. The appraisers have yet to be chosen. An appeals process is being established. A question was raised regarding the possibility of using theassessors value of our homes as it is printed on ourtitles but this situation is not desirable as the assessors value does not reflect the market value.
Report from Thistle
Final Contract
Aaron Maripol reported that a contract for the sale of the park has finally been written up. Thistle has signed it. It is in the City's hands. (The Mobileizer has learned that the City actually signed the contract on October 30, prior to the Quarterly Meeting. Eds. note) Tentative closing planned for January 2004 but could be pushed back to February or March.
Site Review
The City has reviewed the master site plan and submitted their comments.
There is concern regarding sewer lines that may not have been installed deep enough. There is a possibility of redigging them or of constructing a lift station. The latter being the least preferable due to cost, upkeep and visibility.
Regarding updating electrical lines- Excel is viewing our mobile home park as a private space, making them not responsible for the cost of replacing the lines extending from the main up to each individual home. We're trying to get our status changed from private to public so that Excel will incur this cost.
Thistle Finances
Thistle is receiving money from grants, the city, MHA and loans to help cover their costs as well as the cost of the purchase price. Thistle has been pre-approved but does not have a loan commitment for the purchase because we don't have a signed contract. Also, financing is not available on the purchase until the mobile home park is "officially" out of the flood plane. A letter was submitted regarding this and a reply is expected back within six weeks.
Recent happenings:
1. A retreat with Thistle and the MHA board in September.
2. Housing Now conference in Vail- Nonprofits throughout the state attend. Kathryn Alexander and Ben Jensen represented MHA there. A lot of people are keeping an eye on the happenings at Mapleton. 3. Upcoming Institute for Community Economics( ICE) convention in Syracuse- Ben Jensen will again be representing MHA.
Aaron expressed his appreciation to all of the residents of Mapleton for allowing Thistle to be a partner in the planning and purchase of the park.
Affordability
Etta recommended that residents who will choose the affordable rent tier(after the sale of the park) keep their paperwork used to file taxes available as it will be necessary to income qualify for that tier.
The issue was raised that many residents are unfamiliar with the process of selling their homes. New homeowners must submit and application to Hast and pass background checks before being allowed to live in the park.
Membership dues
Residents are reminded to pay their annual due of $5.00 if they haven't already. Dues can be left in the mailbox of Tammy Lynn at lot #16.
No one signed up for comments and the meeting adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lori Anderegg
Exec Speaks Out
By Debbie Feustel
SEA BISCUIT
Here they come spinning outta the turn.With the latest release on video I'm reminded of the horse that didn't have a chance and liken the story to Mapleton. Well folks we're in the backstretch, working hard on moving up front to the finish line.
I want to issue my biggest thanks to all the committee members who have been working tirelessly on various projects to help move us into a self-managed, affordable, mobile home park.
As you can see by the insert, we're asking the community for input. Please complete the surveys and get them back to us. There may be more of these in the upcoming weeks. Your participation, through response, is indicative of community interest.
We’ve got some major challenges before us in the next several months and all homeowners will be called upon to assist in finalizing the project.
By the way, start thinking about elections. Yes, it's been two years for Tammy Lynn, as Treasurer and four years for Alex Wilson our Vice President.
We need to have names for nominations. Speaking of elections, congratulations to those newly elected city council members and Mark Ruzzin who retained his seat.
Mapleton Website Changes Domains
by Jonathan Machen
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For those of you who kept "Mapleton.20m.com" in your internet browser bookmarks folder, please be alerted: the time has come to change that address to Mapletonhomeassoc.org. Several reasons are to account for this shift. One, the old site, while having plenty of information, also inundated the viewer with numerous annoying pop-up ads of a questionable nature. Two, the process of uploading new information to the 20m. site was a time-consuming and somewhat laborious process.
Jonathan Machen, the current webmaster of the Mapleton site, worked with Thistle Community Housing to ensure that all of our valuable files made a smooth transition to an ad-free location. Thistle is donating some of their web server space to the Mapleton Home Association for free, a generous offer, in keeping with the spirit of partnership that already exists between the two groups.
In addition to displaying the MHA's non-profit papers of incorporation, the website also contains past issues of the Mobile-izer, management committee minutes, a general phone/email list, the business and committee structures of the MHA and maps, as well as a few pictures, links to cartoons, and a lively fable. Other important documents such as the Rules and Regulations, (currently being rewritten by the management committee) and documents relating to the purchase of the Mapleton Mobile Home Park can also be found on the website.
Park residents can now find the 'Improvement Request form' on the website, formerly available only through Hast Management Company. This form is a useful starting place if you want to ask permission to put up a shed, a fence, or any other structure on your lot, such as a gigantic diorama of the Housing and Human Services department of the city of Boulder, with whom we are engaged in delicate negotiations. Keep in mind that improvement requests are not automatically granted - the form is the place to start, however.
Thistle Community Housing Advises Residents who Wish to Help with the Infrastructure Work.
by Jim Harrington
Park residents that are interested in working on the project should submit their qualifications and availability in duplicate to Jim Harrington and I will send one copy to Gerry...Gerry can then work with Drexel Burrell and our future general contractor to, "include statements in the contract specifications that certain skills are available in the park and where possible these individuals should be given preference/opportunity."
This is for paid work. Thistle also hopes to look at what is possible for volunteer sweat equity to work on landscaping and home clean up, painting of neighbor homes, etc. If Thistle can come up with a sweat equity plan, including a number for volunteer hours, this will help to open up other grant sources for the infrastructure work.
Dumpsters VS Individual Trash Pick Up
by Jonathan Machen
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During the December 8th Management Committee meeting, the issue of a certain 'problem dumpster area' was discussed. The dumpster area in question: the one at the north end of the park, near Valmont. A solution, offered by Hast & Co. and bantered about by the esteemed members of the management committee, was discussed. This article serves to highlight the issue, not to come to any conclusions.
Many people who rely on the dumpster near Valmont street - the main dumpster for this side of the park - also know that this busy dumpster area is the source of grievous complaints, mainly for residents living nearby. These problems apply to all the dumpsters, of course; this dumpster just happens to receive the most complaints. Specifically, it was stated that the north Valmont dumpster area is a visual nuisance with many unwanted, discarded items left nearby, attracting animals and generating noise. Although the master plan for the park retains this particular dumpster, there is an alternative solution, one that, should we want to try an experiment, might be worth trying. That solution is to offer individual trash pick-up service for the north side of Goose Creek. While not a cost-effective or practical solution for the entire park (it will cost more, and where would we put large items?), this alternative plan could be implemented, allowing those residents 'a new trash experience' as well as the option of using other dumpsters in the park, if needed.
Residents would be limited to one 32-gallon container for trash, and two other containers, one for recyclable bottles and one for paper. There are some catches, though, with individual pick-ups. You (a household) would be limited to a 32-gallon container for trash, unless you wanted to personally pay more., picked up once a week You would have to remember to put the containers out on the street. You would not be able to leave both recyclable bins out at the same time. You would have to figure out where to put the containers on the street on pick-up day, and as we all know, street space is tight. Lastly, this sort of pick-up might actually increase traffic and noise and pollution for all the north end of the Park as the trucks would stop at every home. (Pick-ups would be coordinated together).
What do you think? It's up to us to decide, not some distant absentee landlord. If you have a comment about this issue, please write an email to: mha_2635@hotmail.com.
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Thistle Corner
By Jim Harrington
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Thistle has a signed sales contract with the City of Boulder for the purchase of Mapleton! The contract brings us closer to closing. The contract enables Thistle to more closely examine the park as part of our due diligence in the acquisition process. As part of our due diligence, Thistle is currently reviewing financial files with the City and Hast while also looking more closely at the existing condition of the park infrastructure. The contract provides us with a plan to get to closing and to get a better look at the overall condition of the park. This is important because once purchased, the park will be placed in Thistle’s Community Land Trust and leased back to the Mapleton Homeowners Association which will govern / manage the park on behalf of the residents.
Thistle has already put in over $320,000 in staff time and planning into working on the Mapleton acquisition and planned infrastructure replacement. To help cover a portion of Thistle’s ongoing costs between now and closing, the City of Boulder Technical Review Group has recommended funding Thistle $70,000. This is in addition to the previous years City of Boulder award to Thistle for $625,000 in grants and $600,000 in pending loans to purchase the Park. The Colorado State Division of Housing has awarded $360,000 in grants.
Three key challenges need to be met before Thistle can close on the Park.
The first key challenge is the approval and adoption of the Master Site Plan, which provides guidelines for homes and any out buildings on individual lots as well as for the future replacement of homes. Approval of this plan is essential for the future success of the park. You may not want to replace your home but other owners and future buyers will!
Thistle and the City of Boulder are co applicants in Administrative Site Review with the Planning Department. We have the first round of comments back from City staff and anticipate a new submittal that addresses City comments at the first of the year.
The second key challenge for us is how to maintain affordability (i.e. affordable lot rents and home prices) in the park while upgrading deteriorated infrastructure. We are working to decide how to deal with existing sewer lines that are too flat for the gravity system to work well. Thistle, the City and MHA have a commitment both to sustainable health and safety of the Park as well as permanent affordability. These shared commitments provide a creative tension when we face the reality of conditions in the Park. Having identified the problem with the sewers, we are working together in the spirit of cooperation and our common commitments to meet this challenge of upgrading the Park infrastructure while keeping rents in the Park affordable.
The third key challenge is a stipulation from Thistle’s funding sources requiring that 80% of Mapleton residents agree to resale restrictions in exchange for a below market lot rent. This 80% requirement came from MHA and guides Thistle and MHA in securing permanent funding. A number of trainings will be offered soon to explain the resale provisions, to start processing participating residents income and asset information and get residents signed agreements in place. Remember that you can choose to be in the highest affordable rent tier without turning in income and asset information if you sign off on the resale provisions.
If you are planning to submit your income and asset information to Thistle, please begin gathering your documents now. You'll need items such as tax returns, latest asset statements, and a letter from your job.
There is still a lot of work still to be done on the acquisition process, due diligence, and site work. Working together MHA, Thistle and the City are taking steps toward the vision of an affordable resident controlled mobile home park in the heart of Boulder.
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City of Boulder: Department of Housing & Human Services Corner
by Jeff Yegian
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We wish you and your families all the best of the season!
John Pollak, Jeff Yegian, Cindy Pieropan, Linda Hill-Blakley, Jann Oldham, Janet Fulton Division of Housing.
Many of the best things in life can also be the most challenging. While our work together has not always been easy,We should all remember how much has been accomplished. Your desire to create something new and special with Mapleton Mobile Home Park deserves applause. We look forward to continuing our work together and rounding the corner on what we are confident will be a strong success.
Captial Improvements/Eco Pass Surveys - Project Approvals Moving Ahead
As you would expect, a project like this requires a number of approvals to be completed. All of the approvals are on track; here’s a rundown of where they are:
1. FEMA Flood Map – Now that the flood control construction is done, the City has requested that the flood map be revised to reflect the improvements. Once that revision is approved, which should be in January or February, all of the home sites in the Park will be out of the 100-year flood zone. Besides the safety considerations, this will also allow for new and replacement homes to be installed anywhere in the Park.
2. Rezoning – As part of the City’s plan to preserve mobile homes as a homeownership option, the City is rezoning the Park to ensure it can’t be redeveloped for other uses. The rezoning will be part of a package of ordinances to be approved by City Council in February.
3. Legal Description – The Park’s legal boundaries are being redrawn to include a piece of the old Branding Iron Park and exclude the Goose Creek channel, which will be owned and maintained by the City. This should happen in February as well.
4. Master Plan – The Master Plan created by MHA and Thistle should be approved with very few modifications shortly after the rezoning and legal description are finalized. The most important part of the plan describes what replacement homes are allowed in each of the sites in the Park.