Whitehawk Community Update

Spring 2013
Volume 10, Issue 2
Whitehawk Community Update
Welcome to the summer publication of the Whitehawk Ranch Community update.
Inside this issue:
Home Owners Assoc
1
Mutual Water
Company
3
Community Services
District
5
Whitehawk Ranch
Town Home Owners
6
Ladies Golf Club
6
This edition includes reports from the Homeowners Association, Mutual Water
Company, Townhome Owners Association presidents and Community Services
District chairman as well as several community recreational groups reporting on
the upcoming summer activities.
All of the community boards are back in full swing working to insure our community and recreational facilities are well maintained and open for all residents and
their guests. Their respective reports will outline future meeting times and dates.
Minutes of all their meetings can be found posted on the
www.whitehawkranch.org web site if you wish to review additional details.
Home Owners Association Update
Submitted by Earl Zeigler
The HOA summer meeting schedule began with our May Meeting held monthly
through October on the first Monday following the second Tuesday at 3:00 PM in
the Community Center Board Meeting Room.
The dates for these meetings are scheduled for July 9, August 12, September 9
and October 7 along with this year’s Annual Meeting, which will be on August 17
at the Community Center.
SAVE THE DATE:
Details for the Annual Meeting will be published as plans and agendas are finalized. Following the TOA, Mutual Water Company update and HOA Meeting the
HOA Board of Directors will once again host a community dinner in the Gazebo.
WHITEHAWK
Current board members are:
RANCH
ANNUAL
MEETING
AUGUST 17th
Earl Zeigler, President
Bill Davis, Vice President
Mike Burke, CFO
Bill Gilbert & Tom Hayes, Directors
Our two committees supporting the HOA are the Road and Open Space Committee, chaired by Steve Ursenbach and the ARC chaired by Rich Dunn. Rich’s ARC
activities have increased this past year with several remodels and one new home
constructed in Phase I, his committee continues to be available for any ARC related questions and/or permits.
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Whitehawk Community Update
Volume 10, Issue 2
Home Owners Association cont.
Just a reminder about trees issues on your personal property; they are under the ARC jurisdiction, questions
should be sent to Rich Dunn and any open space tree issues should be directed to Steve Ursenbach’s Road
& Open Space Committee.
The Road & Open Space committee continues to be busy monitoring the Winter Services Contract, formally
known as “snow removal contract” with the Mutual Water Company staff and managing our infrastructure
maintenance and road restoration activity.
Again, as I noted last year, a special thanks to Steve and his committee members for their continued efforts
managing our most valuable HOA assets. In this forth season of the Road & Open Space Committee’s road
restoration plan, their efforts have resulted in vastly improved roads and drainage throughout the ranch. Look
for his report later in this edition of the community update.
The HOA board election nominating committee (Earl Zeigler and Bill Davis) is seeking community volunteers
to run for the three board openings, each two year terms. Three of our five board members, Tom Hayes, Bill
Gilbert and Mike Burke terms will end August 31, 2012.
We are very interested in attracting new community members to participate on our HOA Board. If you are interest in running for one of the openings or are interested in serving on the ARC or Road & Open Space
please contact any member of the nominating committee listed above.
After heavy rain and snow events during November and December 2012 we settled into a very cold dry winter
here at the ranch until a warm spring came upon us in late April. If you enjoy bright sunny cold days for walking, skiing or snow shoeing this was the winter to take advantage of those activities.
Our summer season is off to a great start everything is in full bloom across the ranch, all hiking trails are open
and the golf course is in its best shape in years. Enjoy all the activities we have to offer here at the ranch and
throughout Plumas County.
Note of Thanks:
The HOA received a thank you note from the family of Ben Keechler, long time employee of the golf course,
for our help in alerting the community of his unfortunate illness while traveling in Southern Nevada. A recent
fund raising dinner in his name netted his family with more than $17,000.00 in medical support funds. Ben’s
recovery is slow but showing signs of improvement as his physical therapy continues in a Las Vegas area
hospital. Again many thanks for all the generous donations to Ben and his family. We all wish him a speedy
recovery.
Road & Open Space Update, submitted by Steve Ursenbach
As reported in the last community update, the road committee’s objective was to define the road maintenance
work for the coming year, complete a competitive bid process, and have the major maintenance work finished
prior to the busy summer season. This objective was met in early May with the complete repaving and new
shoulder installations on Black Bear Trail and the Boulder extension road, also known as Water Plant Road.
Additionally, major crack repairs were made on Bob Cat Trail and Red Tail Loop. This represents the majority
of the worked scheduled for the 2013 season.
The final work later in the season will be to do the annual roadway crack filling maintenance work on the remaining roads throughout the ranch. This annual is key to preventing winter storm water from penetrating
through the asphalt surface and eroding the gravel road base that supports the roadway. The final cost to
complete all of this work will be under the budget forecast of $100,000.
Looking towards next year, the highest priority will be to do slurry sealing maintenance work on many of the
roads throughout the ranch, with the highest priority being Boulder Drive and South Meadow Drive.
The weed abatement-spraying contractor also completed his annual work last month so roadside weeds will
Whitehawk Community Update
Volume 10, Issue 2
Page 3
not be of concern this season.
With regards to our open space trees, thus far only a few dead or dying trees have appeared and have been
or are scheduled to be removed.
Steve Dick, who is the committees “forest and fire safe” expert has noted at least a half dozen custom home
vacant lots are becoming over-run with pine saplings to the point these have become significant “hazardous
fuels” situations and a fire risk to the community. Given the WHR HOA fully endorses Cal-Fire and County
Fire Safe Guidelines with regards to removal of these safety risks, he is and will be working with the homeowners to have these saplings removed this season.
ARC Committee Update, submitted by Rich Dunn, Chairman
Now that warmer weather is here and we are all spending more time outside, the Whitehawk Ranch Architectural Review Committee would like to remind all homeowners to inspect their reflective address signs. Over
time, many of these signs have begun to deteriorate with numbers no longer being readable. Much of this
deterioration appears to be due to snow piling up around the numbers during the winter months causing them
to start to peel off.
In some instances address posts are leaning, possibly pushed out of line during snow removal of your driveway, and they may need some attention to get them vertical again. Or possibly, a complete new post is required due to the old one having rotted off in the ground.
Plumas County requires us all to have these address markers and WHR has a minimum design standard for
number size and height off the ground that
meets these county standards. A copy of
the WHR address number design is posted
on the WHR website.
If you need new numbers or a new post, or
if you are unable to do this work yourself,
contact Tom Vannoy at the WHR Mutual
Water Company for assistance. The cost is
minimal and the work can be scheduled before winter weather is upon us once again.
Remember: Clearly readable address
markers may be a lifesaver should an emergency arise that requires fire and rescue
personnel to be called out to try and locate
your home.
Whitehawk Ranch Mutual Water Company
Submitted by Steve Ursenbach
The water and wastewater treatment plants and the summer time effluent disposal system are functioning
well. With the early summer weather we are enjoying, we are operating as if it were July versus early June.
In spite of the second year of below normal precipitation, water flows from our raw water sources remains
normal and we are currently only using half of our allocated diversion amount from one the sources.
The Mutual Water Company’s (MWC) Annual Report has been posted to the community website and distributed via regular mail to shareholders who have not opted for e-distributions. The annual Consumer Confidence Report on our water quality should be completed and distributed in the early July time frame.
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Whitehawk Community Update
Volume 10, Issue 2
Mutual Water Company cont.
The water company personnel successfully wrapped up their work for the HOA Snow Removal Services contract and completed the seasonal start up work and an on-time pool opening for the CSD Landscape and Facilities Service contract.
This year the “honor” trash dumpsters were switched over, out of necessity, to bear proof dumpsters and
they appear to be working well. We have seen no evidence of bear problems in the past month and homeowners have been closing properly and fully latching the dumpsters when they use them. As a reminder to
periodic visitors to the ranch, these dumpsters require the closing of a coverlid and the closure of a latch to
secure the lid. Water company personnel will be more than happy to demonstrate their operation if you come
to the area during normal business hours of 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
As usual, it will be a busy summer season for Tom Vannoy, Operations Manager, and his crew as they continue to run the water company, do various roadway and drainage projects for the HOA, manage the pool operations for the CSD and provide landscape services for the CSD and HOA.
As noted in a separate article, two directors will be leaving the board this summer after many years of service
to the MWC and the ranch. As President of the Board of the MWC, I’d like to publicly thank Bob Wood and
Tom Hayes for their many contributions and dedication to the work of this board. Bob also served as a director for the HOA for most of the past decade and thus contributed to both boards as they completed the transition from a “developer managed” to a solely “homeowner-managed” community. This work included completing a major upgrade to the MWC’s water and wastewater treatment plants, the development of three developer subdivision phases, and technical support for the water rights acquisition.
As mentioned in the last community update, Tom who also has served on the HOA board during these years
took the lead role for close to four years to acquire the ranch’s water rights and negotiate a favorable operating agreement between the Water Company and Highlands Golf. As many of you know, he did this while providing the primary leadership to the greater Plumas County Community as CEO of the Eastern Plumas
Healthcare Hospital and continues to do so, as they face State budget crisis and the transition to the new
healthcare programs for the nation.
MWC Board of Director Elections
At the upcoming annual meeting of the Mutual Water Company shareholders will have the responsibility and
opportunity of electing several board positions. Tom Hayes’s position is up for re-election and after serving
three consecutive two-year terms with the board has declined to seek re-election. Steve Ursenbach’s and
Earl Zeigler’s two-year term positions are also up for re-election. Additionally, after more than a decade of
service as a director and CFO for the MWC, Bob Wood is moving from the area and has resigned his position
from the board. Bob’s remaining one-year term position also needs to be filled.
Since August of 2008, when Bill Gilbert was first elected to the water board, no members of the community
have expressed an interest to seek even one of these annually available positions on this board.
The current board sincerely requests members of the community to consider running for one of these open
positions. Please contact Bill Gilbert, who heads the nominating committee to communicate your interest or
to seek additional information regarding the work of the board. Bill can be contacted by email at
[email protected] or (530) 836-1162 or (831) 335-3598.
The board currently meets ten of twelve months out of the year on a summer and winter meeting schedule.
Board members have the opportunity to “call-in” if necessary and can’t personally physically attend all the
meetings.
Whitehawk Community Update
Volume 10, Issue 2
Page 5
Whitehawk Ranch Community Services District
Submitted by Terri Skutt
Summer is just around the corner and I’m sure many are cleaning up the pine needles (an endless job)
watching the pine pollen flying in the air and soon to follow the pine worms. Like myself I’m sure many are
planting flowers to enjoy for the summer. Our yard debris at the burn pile is once again building and the ability to burn coming to a close for the summer season.
The swimming pool is now open and just an added measure of CAUTION, the CSD has installed a SECURITY ALARM SYSTEM. Seems our security fence just couldn’t do the job. Late night pool crashers continued to manage to take part in moonlight swimming and hot tub use!! Not only dangerous but leaving the area
with debris and much needed attention for Tom Vannoy and his crew to clean up for the day. We hope all
respect our pool and the hours of use.
Tennis courts are still closed at this time as they are in desperate need of attention. Ivan Randall has been
looking into what we can do for this season. Do we patch for the season play or do we undertake a major repair job? This is a continuing problem that the Board needs to address along with other projects. At our
Planning/Strategy meeting we discussed the need for replacing some of our tables in the gazebo, the swimming pool, staining of our buildings and of course the tennis courts. We hope to prioritize at the June meeting.
I’m sure crews will soon be meeting to clean up the hiking trails so interested trail workers be on the lookout
for our Trail Leaders David McNamara and Terry McKenzie sending out the recruiting hawk. After all their
hard work we invite you to take time to walk the trails, they are such a nice change from our asphalt trails!
Now that summer is upon us I remind all to keep an eye out while driving for our walkers, golfers, big and little
people on their bikes, horseback riders and an occasional skate boarder.
Enjoy the pool, hiking trails, gazebo, bocce ball court, golf course and a cool drink at the Lodge taking in the
view and beauty we all have available to us in our community.
Once again I invite all to join us at our Board meetings. Not just the CSD but the HOA and Water Board.
Your Boards work hard in keeping our community a desirable place to live. We also extend an invitation to all
who may be interested in being on one of the Boards. Interested parties can contact me, Terri Skutt, Earl
Ziegler or Steve Ursenbach.
Trail Committee Update, submitted by Dave McNamara, Chairman
The three trails on the CSD property (White, Yellow, and Red) are now in pretty good shape as a result of a
rather light winter. Please look at the community website, and under the CSD section, you will find a description of the trails and approximate distances. If you have any questions regarding the trails, please contact
Dave McNamara at 836-1488.
We have recently walked all three trails and there
is just some minor work to be done this year. For
those interested, we will schedule a short work
party in late July to complete some weed whacking, trail cleanup, and the relocation of the Red
Trail picnic bench, now located in a rather shady,
damp area. If you are interested in helping with this
effort, please let Dave know; a date will then be set
that works best for all.
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Whitehawk Community Update
Volume 10, Issue 2
Whitehawk Ranch Town Home Owners Association
Submitted by Ross Barker
Spring 2013 at Whitehawk Ranch has been beautiful; the golf course is looking great; we’re all looking forward to a wonderful summer season; AND your Townhome Owners Association has several projects on the
drawing board.
LANDSCAPING ENHANCEMENTS: The first phase of our townhome area landscape enhancement project has begun. A landscape committee chaired by Bill Gilbert has been formed. Their first project is to evaluate our current TOA drip system to determine if it has sufficient capacity for prospective enhancements. This
evaluation will also determine where repairs are required and where additional capacity must be brought
online. No new planting will be done until we receive their report and make the necessary upgrades.
Meanwhile, the board has employed a local landscape contractor to provide designs for landscaping the entrances to Bridle Path, One Horse Way, and the upper Deer Creek Crossing at McKenzie Trail.
TOWNHOME STAINING: This year, staining will be performed on Phase 4 DECKS ONLY, or all townhomes along Deer Creek Crossing. Since past complaints were received protesting the staining interrupting
the high summer season, the deck staining this year will occur after the Labor Day Holiday weekend in September.
The actual staining schedule will be provided once it has been determined. Just a
reminder to owners - remove all furniture,
BBQ’s, etc. from the decks prior to staining
or you will be charged for their removal.
RISK MANAGEMENT/FIRE PREVENTION: Due to more stringent insurance liability requirements, and in the interest of
mitigating fire danger, the TOA will include
the common areas and side/rear areas of
the townhomes in future spring clean up and
pine needle clean up.
WHITEHAWK TOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Terms for two members of the TOA Board are expiring this
summer: Ross Barker and Nancy Fowler-Johnson. Both Ross and Nancy have indicated they will stand for re
-election to another 2-year term. In addition, townhome owner Rob Cook has requested his name be placed
in nomination. If any other townhome owners would like to run for the TOA Board, please contact Carol
Yeater. All are welcome . Again, there will be two 2-year open board positions to fill at our August Annual
Meeting. A brief Whitehawk bio of all candidates will be included in your Annual Meeting packet along with
your ballots.
Ladies Golf Winter Update
Submitted by Patty McNamara
The Whitehawk Ranch Lady Golfers are happy to welcome yet some more new members into our ladies
group this season!
We have added a total of seven new members: Tammy Ursenbach is back as well as Sharon Russell; Marcia
White joined for the first time early this spring; and our other brand new members this season include: Barbara Competello, Cynthia Thomas, Ann Verutti and JoAnn West.
We are gathering quite an international membership this season... one of our new members most recently
lived in Spain and another still lives in Paris, France! Oh La La.