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 9.5 Newsletter of the Mapleton Home Association [MHA] December 2004
Inside this Issue:
120 homes permanently affordable
Monday night, City Council Members unanimously agreed to sell Mapleton Park to Thistle Community Housing, making 120 homes permanently affordable.
TCH will purchase Mapleton for $2.9 million. MHA President Mark Reeder said, “It’s been a long negotiation process, but MHA, TCH and HHS have held true to the four points dear to Mapleton residents: stability, affordability, resident management and grandfathering.”The project started back in 1996 when HHS staffer Cindy Pieropan engineered the deal that had Boulder’s Department of Public Utilities buying the Park from former owner Lu Nuttall in order to make floodplain improvements on Goose Creek. When the flood control project was completed, the Park would become a permanently affordable community using the existing mobile homes as the infrastructure.
“We owe a great debt to Cindy for her vision,” Mark Reeder said.
In 2000, MHA and HHS teamed up to work on the project together, exploring resident options of a Limited Equity Co-op or joining Thistle’s Community Land Trust. In January 2001, residents voted overwhelmingly to join Thistle’s CLT.
Since then, the MHA and TCH have become partners and have worked with HHS staff to transfer ownership.
Thistle will lease Mapleton Park to residents and the residents will manage it. When all the bells and whistles are done, “Mapleton will be a model for mobile-home folks," said John Pollak, co-director of Housing and Human Services.
“We have a lot of people to thank,” Mark Reeder said. “We’d like to thank this City Council and past Councils for their unwavering support of the project. Thanks to HHS staff and Thistle staff for the thousands of hours they put in on this project. And finally many thanks to the residents for the thousands
of volunteer hours they contributed to the success of this project.”
Exec Speaks Out
by Mark Reeder
A new era for Mapleton . . . new responsibilities for residents . . . new opportunities for everyone. With the sale of the Park, Mapleton Mobile Home Park residents will be managing a multi-million dollar piece of property with a $500,000 a year income. Pretty heady stuff, and yet for the last four years with help from Thistle Community Housing’s Jim Harrington, Roger Lewis and Etta Habegger, Hast & Company’s Loretta Milcarek and Housing and Human Services staffer, Jeff Yegian, the MHA’s Management Committee has been preparing for this role. We have some pretty savvy residents working on this committee: Jonathan Machen, chair; Gene Langlois, Alex Wilson, Tammy Lynn and Kabir.
Along the way, Mapleton residents have volunteered time and time again to do jobs to make this project successful. All of you know who you are and the rest of us owe you a deep debt of gratitude for your help. Without you, this project never would have succeeded.
But I’d also like to take this time to thank those residents who participated in this project but aren’t here today to see its completion. Mari Haas, MHA Secretary; and Debbie Kranzler, MHA Community Coordinator and Management Committee Chair. Sadly, neither of them lived to see the fruits of their efforts. Thanks to both of you for your community activism. We hope you’re smiling at this success.
As always, the MHA has been a grassroots organization, reliant on the volunteerism of its members. With the change in ownership and the new era as part of the CLT, we’re going to need more volunteers to work on the management committee, financial planning, oversee the infrastructure upgrades and help with site review for new homes being brought into the Park. Please contact MHA Community Coordinator, Kathryn
Alexander, 720-565-1010, about how you can help be a part of your own future. Or at the next quarterly meeting, talk to one of the Executive Board members. Thanks everyone.
Understanding Improvement Requests
by Jonathan Machen
Residents of our fine mobile home park might be wondering, "Now that the park is finally changing ownership, what is the procedure for making an improvement to my home/lot space"? Can we just do whatever the heck we want, or is there a process for making changes? Here are some simple things to keep in mind. This information is also included in our Rules and Regulations.
Although we individually own our homes, we live in a collective space. Any improvements or additions to our mobile homes or lot spaces must meet the guidelines established by our resident-operated management committee. To be more precise, examples of permanent changes are: Upgrades of home, Removal of home, Adding new homes, Permits for sheds and outbuildings, Fences. Large plantings, Patio/porch enclosures, Driveways, Parking pads.
If you have a project that includes any of the above, the first step is getting an Improvement Request Form from either Hast Management Company, (303) 444-7575, or downloading it from our website at www.mapletonhomeassoc.org. Submit this form to any individual on the management committee, and include with it a copy of your building permit from the City of Boulder (if one is necessary) and a detailed site drawing of what you would like to do. While it will streamline the process to submit all documents at once, remember that even if the City of Boulder grants a building permit, your project might be denied by the management committee. Why is that?
Your beloved management committee has the final say on projects because, according to the constraints of the Site Plan established by the residents for our park, no more than 50% of the remaining space on your lot may be built on. You can find out what space is left for you to build on by requesting a picture of your individual lot from Thistle. (Jim Harrington can provide this information: 303-443-0007, ext. 117) The management committee
will also be looking to see if your project impedes your neighbor's access, emergency or otherwise, to his or her home, or if it encroaches on any other easements, such as the Community Ditch. We all need to be able to have access to our homes, even on our neighbor's side, so the general rule of thumb is that a parallel space needs to be clear extending alongside your house and your neighbor's lot space, at a width of four feet. Some homes have emergency exits on the side of their neighbor's lawn, and access to this may not be blocked.
To complete the process, the management committee will review all the documents mentioned above - the improvement request, the building permit, and the site drawing. Finally, the park's management company will notify you of final approval of your project. Good luck, and don't try to put any fences in without talking to anybody, like I did, about 5 years ago! (I learned that lesson the hard way).
Letter two: Resident-Owned Reality Check
by Jonathan Machen
We residents of Mapleton Mobile Home Park are lucky! Unlike residents of other mobile home parks in town, who might live out their days in the distant shadow of absentee landlords, we live an empowering reality, one based ultimately on our partnership with Thistle Community Housing. Thistle's goal, as we all know, is to provide affordable housing in a region where prices for homes generally exclude folks like you and me. Our vision of resident management in an affordable community is fast becoming a reality.
Thistle will very shortly own the land that our homes sit on. They will be leasing the land, in 99-year chunks, to THE RESIDENTS - US - as represented by our very own non-profit association, the MHA. But Thistle will not be making all the decisions! In a few short months we residents will manage the park as a business - a BIG business - and be responsible for making regular (and large) debt payments, thus ensuring that Thistle can continue to administer the affordability agreements that will govern lot rents, the resale of our homes, and who can live here. We residents truly have a great opportunity - in addition to deciding what rules and regulations we live by, we will also decide which management company to hire (who will be carrying out day-to-day management functions) and who to evict, if they don't pay their rent.
If that sounds challenging and empowering at the same time, it is. Those of us residents volunteering tomake this project get off the ground are scrutinizing things like BUDGETS at this very moment; looking at line-items such as: income from rent, utility bills, and paying off the debt of the land..AARGH! What does that exactly mean? Well, we are paying for this park with our lot rents - the City will not be holding our hand anymore, or looking the other direction when it is politically necessary.
Every one of us contributes to the livelihood of our surroundings. The Mapleton Home Association, along with Thistle Community Housing, has been working to find a balance between keeping the lot rents affordable and paying our bills. This is a great opportunity for resident ownership to flourish, but only if we are wise in our financial management, and just in our decision-making. Running a successful business means making some tough choices, and we will be resolute in making sure this community survives into the future.
Minutes of the Fall Quarterly Meeting of the MHA
by Lori Anderegg
MHA Secretary
Mapleton Home Association Quarterly Meeting, October 24, 2004 5:30-7:00 p.m., Unity Church Folsom & Valmont
Meeting began at 5:44
Mark Reeder opened the meeting by announcing that the agenda for the meeting is for residents to be able to ask questions to the City of Boulder, Thistle and MHA regarding the status of the sale of the park and future changes. There will be no MHA business today.
Several speakers are in attendance: Jeff Yegian from the City of Boulder, HHS, Aaron Mirapol and Jim Harrington from Thistle Community Housing, Kathryn Alexander the Mapleton Community Coordinator, Mark Reeder the MHA President, and Ben Jensen from the MHA’s Business Committee.
The floor was opened up to residents for questions.
*Where are we in terms of the affordability tiers? Progress has been made to come up with a budget for the park which in turn determines the rent tiers and the number of slots in each tier. 95% of residents got their first pick of rent tiers. More information should be distributed to residents in the next few weeks.
*What about people who haven't responded by choosing a rent tier? Those people will be placed in the Market Rate Tier. It is the only action we can take since we can't restrict the sale of their homes without them signing an agreement to do so in exchange for lower rent. There are 11 residents who have not responded- some of those people are not able to be contacted. We are making every effort to contact them.
*Where do we stand with the infrastructure? It is critical to upgrade the electric and sewer systems as well as to get the fire hydrants to working order. Who we get our financing with in part determines how much we will have available in funds. There is an agreement with the City of Boulder, Thistle and MHA that the things all of the things that MUST be done be completed within four years of the sale of the park. We are looking at Spring 2005 as a good time to begin the work. We are also looking at ways to cut the costs of the infrastructure work (i.e.- taking the electric upgrade of 200 amps to the meter boards instead of to each individual home). More in-depth information will be available in the future and will be presented to the residents. Decisions won't be made without input from residents.
*Residents who have brought in new homes in the past have had to pay a lot of money out-of-pocket for utility upgrades. Would residents who are planning on replacing their homes be better off to wait four years until all of the infrastructure work is complete? We don't want to discourage residents who need to replace their homes not to. We should have a better idea of how long the infrastructure will take in the near future.
*Are you looking at individual water meters? We aren't looking at metering water individually but we are looking at the ability to do so in the future.
*Is there any way to ask Xcel to tighten up our electrical lines that are drooping too much? This person was directed to take their question to Jonathon Machen in the management committee.
*What efforts are being made regarding the situation of our aging cottonwood forest? Mapleton is known for its trees. We want to keep the trees as long as possible and plan to plant new trees so that in 10-20 years when the cottonwoods have to be removed the remaining trees are big. A tree survey has been done to locate the trees that will be impacted by the infrastructure work, whether to remove them or to protect them. Approximately $15,000 is budgeted annually for tree care. Hopefully, by maintaining the trees annually we wont have problems with them and will be able to enjoy them for many years. Four years after the sale of the park roughly $100,000 will be available in reserves to take care of anything that comes up.
*Do you have a website where updates are posted? We do have a website where minutes from the Management Meetings are posted. They are also posted at the kiosks. This would be good information to have on the website.
*The MHA will be looking for a Community Liaison person who would be available for residents to contact with concerns regarding the infrastructure work that is happening and whom would also be in communication with the construction company. We are hoping the infrastructure work will only take a year or even 6 months, but there are too many unforeseen difficulties that could interfere with that time estimate making it longer.
*Is there a possibility of Julie serving as the Liaison? Julie will be staying on as an employee of Hast & Co. Her duties will remain the same as they are now. All questions and concerns regarding the infrastructure work should be directed to the Liaison.
*Where should we send our rent checks next month? Residents should continue to make their checks out to Hast & Company and send them there. After the sale of the park the checks can be made out to the MHA.
Resident Don Lucas announced that A Neighborhood Watch Representative will be present at the next Quarterly Meeting to give a brief overview of their program. The meeting adjourned at 6:45pm.
MHA Secretary Steps Down
MHA secretary, Lori Anderegg will be stepping down in order to spend more time with her family. Lori has served the MHA well for the last year and a half. She has a little one at home and also watches over other children and can no longer fulfill her duties as secretary. “Lori’s done a great job,” MHA president Mark Reeder said. “We’re sad to see her go.” Anyone interested in filling in for the rest of Lori’s term please contact Kathryn Alexander 720-565-1010.
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The Winter Quarterly meeting of the Mapleton Home Association will be held at The Unity Church, fellowship hall, January 23, 2005 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
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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.