Board Members Attending: Paul Petersen, Ron Murphy, Gloria English, Bill Webb, Jack Wedgwood, Gary Willard, Ginny Parkinson, Eric Jung

Opening Remarks: Neth welcomed all. Board members introduced themselves. He said Ron Rossi had been appointed to the Board and Eric Jung had been reinstated after going off for term limits. He said the Board is always looking for new Board candidates and invited anyone interested to contact him or Jack Wedgwood.

He said the Board got a letter complaining about dogs off leash, especially dogs owned by contractors working in the subdivision.

He said Bear Valley Music Festival President Randy Hanvelt was unable to attend but asked Neth to mention the Festival’s appreciation for BVRI’s $1,000 donation. The Festival got a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and is looking for matching funds. The Festival needs donations of housing for the musicians.

He said the Board discussed access to letters and e-mails sent to the Board and decided that all communications to the Board shall be public unless the sender specifies otherwise.

Treasurer’s Report: Wedgwood said BVRI broke even over the last year. We are down about 25-30 memberships. We have over $40,000 in the bank.

Tennis Club: Ann Wolff said the Bear Valley Tennis Club has over $143,000 in donations, and they are planning to start construction on 4 courts this summer at the school-owned location next to the ballfield. There’s a club meeting at Morley Singer’s house. Singer said you can buy a life membership for $600 now; the price will go up next year.

Ski Area Purchase: Chuck Toeniskoetter said Dundee Realty USA is in contract to purchase Bear Valley Mountain Resort. Dundee has developed condos and timeshares in partnership with Vail Associates. Toeniskoetter has visited their projects and says they are of good quality. Dundee also owns Arapahoe Basin, a Colorado ski area with similarities to Bear Valley. Dundee USA does $100 million a year in business. They are a Canadian company.

The purchase has not closed but is progressing. It is expected to close some time in July. The lift from the village will be a high priority for Dundee. Toeniskoetter said the lift has always been a priority for him but lately his company (TBH Partners) has been concerned about the condition of the ski area. He expects Dundee to rejuvenate the ski area and develop condos in the village, in partnership with Toeniskoetter’s company. He noted that he already has a waiting list for condos. He said the purchase will solve the longstanding Bear Valley problem of the separation between the village and the ski area.

Responding to questions from the audience, he said it’s too soon to tell how the water rights situation will come out. Dundee will buy the ski area and then assign an interest to the partnership with TBH. Employee housing is in the plans. The alignment of the village lift is already determined by easements in place through private properties.

Water Meters: Bruce Orvis III said the Lake Alpine Water Company, (new subdivision) Bear Valley’s water provider, is installing meters at the houses. They expect to be done with most of the installations this summer and will start the new billing system in January. There will be a flat base rate for all, plus an added charge based on actual usage. The meters will be read electronically. They will help pinpoint leaks by giving a signal when a meter runs continuously for 24 hours. Metering will address ratepayers’ concerns about inequity in the billing with absent owners paying the same rate as people who spend a lot of time here.

Supervisor’s Report: Alpine County Supervisor Terry Woodrow noted the completion of much of the renovation of the Perry Walther Building, including a new heating system and new cabinets. The children’s programs and summer recreation program will be using the building. They can use donations of outside play equipment and picnic benches. Her Board awarded $29,000 of Family Support Council grant money to the Bear Valley parents’ non-profit group.

She invited all to the Search & Rescue picnic later that day.

She said two dumpsters for large items were placed in "B" parking lot. She asked that people not put items outside the dumpsters.

She said the state rule about clearing around your house has gone from 30 feet to 100 feet. Forester Don Stikkers said the enforcement part of the legislation isn’t finalized yet for the area from 30 to 100 feet, so at this time it would be just a warning. You don’t have to go beyond your property line unless you also own the adjacent vacant lot. The requirements for clearing from 30 to 100 feet will be different from the standards for 0 to 30 feet from your house. In answer to a question, Neth said BVRI can fine owners of vacant lots with dead trees and place unpaid fines as a lien on the property, but cannot have the trees cut and then bill the owner.

Chipper: Woodrow said she got $10,000 from the Resource Advisory Council for a wood chipper program. She has application forms, as does the Sheriff’s office. When we get 30 or 40 applications, the chipper team will come up. She also got $15,000 from the RAC for clearing on county right-of-way. She is helping the Forest Service go after funds for clearing on their land adjacent to Bear Valley.

Burn Pile: Woodrow said there will be no burn pile this year. She is having trouble with the bureaucracy in the Forest Service.

Room Tax: Woodrow said the Board of Supervisors will consider placing a measure on the county ballot to increase room tax from 10% to 12%. The increase would be used to fund fire and emergency response on the east side of the county. Woodrow said she is opposed to the idea, since Bear Valley and Kirkwood already have funding mechanisms in place, including a tax assessment in Bear Valley.

Woodrow said she is applying for grant funds to help prepare a community wildfire protection plan.

Forest Management: Forester Don Stikkers said good forestry management and fire prevention protect owners’ investments. Property values are rising, but property swept by forest fire is greatly devalued. And money spent by owners on thinning can be added to the cost basis of a home for tax purposes. 45 lots signed up for the thinning program last year, but the logger is retiring and only got to 7 or 8 because of early snow. We learned that it takes longer to do each lot, and the average cost for each lot is $1-2,000, mostly for cleanup. Also, Stikkers is finding more hazard trees than he first noticed. When you cut down a red fir that’s part of a group, you leave a rotting stump that may weaken the support of neighboring firs. He reminded everyone to back up a distance from your trees and look up to see problems at the tops. The logger will finish the work on the Black Forest parcel then pull out, probably by August. Logger Dave Finn may be available by August. Homeowners need to be flexible about when their property gets done.

Architectural Review Committee: Ron Murphy said the other members of the ARC are Terry Woodrow, Gary Willard, and Chuck Taylor. Robin Laroy resigned. There is one house under review. In answer to a question about raising the $400 review fee, Murphy said it was not necessary, as fees are covering ARC expenses so far. He talked about building costs, and cautioned owners to keep their home insurance policies current and in step with replacement costs. Murphy said he would check out a report of a shake roof newly installed.

Picnic: Bill Webb said this would be our first catered picnic. Start at 3, eat at 5.

Beach: Gloria English thanked Paul Petersen for getting the beach in shape. She reminded all that dogs are not allowed on the beach. The beach closes at 11pm. She asked that people not leave toys, chairs, or clothes at the beach. There will be an attendant this year. We’re getting new sand this year, along with a new gate. In response to a question about the legality of swimming, Bruce Orvis III said "at your own risk". It will be technically legal to swim in the lake after the Lake Alpine Water Company completes the upgrades to the treatment plant.

Creek Grant: Paul Petersen explained the Creek Stewardship grant project. The hydrogeologist Bob Schultz will be at the picnic with information and will lead a creek walk.

Adjourned at noon

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