Your Board of Directors authorized a letter to be mailed to each Timber Lakes property owner. You should  receive it during the first second week (the County wheels turn at a pace unaffected by Timber Lakes) of September, 2008. The letter requests your approval of a proposal to transfer title of approximately one acre of Common Area to Wasatch County for the purpose of building a fire station in Timber Lakes. We are requesting you return the approval form to the Office as soon as possible. Click here to see copies of what was mailed to each owner, an artist’s rendition of the building and any additional information we may receive regarding the fire station proposal.

Dear Property Owners,

I have two items I would like to share with you this weekend regarding our maintenance building. One is the progress of the construction, the other is its appearance and what we are doing about it.

First – the building is moving along right on schedule. The shell is almost complete, with only the front side (where all the bay doors are located) and some odds and ends left to go. As soon as that part is complete we will install the bay doors and the man doors, and the building will be totally enclosed. Then we will continue with the other areas of construction including the exterior grading, road materials bins, and interior items such as the mechanical and plumbing, and interior build-out including offices, restrooms and storage rooms. We expect all to be complete by late October…ready for the winter.

Second – the appearance of the building. Many of you have contacted us to ask if we can change the color to something that blends into the environment. As you are likely aware the origins of this building started with the previous Board. They purchased the building about a year ago but were not able to get the building permit and other approvals in time to start construction before winter. During the winter the majority of your current Board was asked to start our service and we took over the permit and approval process. We made some changes and improvements to the interior build-out, mechanical and electrical systems, etc. We also looked at ways to improve the outside of the building but remember…it had already been purchased and delivered. The color, likewise, had already been selected and siding delivered with the rest of the building. We thought about adding siding but learned it would be impossible because pre-engineered buildings (like the one that was purchased) come designed for exactly the weight loads of the building, nothing else. We checked with the manufacturer but were told we could add absolutely nothing as far as siding. Re-painting it turns out to be a bad idea also. Not only would the cost be high, but the industry informs us that they have learned through sad experience that when factory pre-painted steel is repainted, within a few months or years it nearly always starts to peel and flake making it an unfixable, unsightly and on-going maintenance problem forever. So our only recourse is to work with what we have….and here’s our best plan.

The rear of the building (that part seen from across Jones Lake) will have multiple evergreen trees planted across its length. These trees will, with time, grow and cover a large part of the building. Remember, however, that although we will put in trees as large as possible, it will take a few years for the trees to be too large enough to cover the bulk of the building. Landscape professionals know that when trees are transplanted they cannot be too large or they die from transplant shock. For that reason we will work with a landscape pro to help us plant trees which are large enough make a difference but that will minimize the risk of dying. The front and sides of the building will use existing plants, shrubs, trees and hills to limit visibility, plus we are constructing a “free-standing” log or timber façade on the front side, which will soften the metal appearance.

We continue to appreciate your on-going comments and suggestions and want you to know that we are doing everything possible to make this building a great addition to our mountain community.

Keep checking every seven days or so for new photos showing the week-to-week progress.

Ole Smith
Administrative Vice President TLPOA

The Water Company’s contractor, Sunroc Construction, is delivering materials to the mountain and will begin construction on the water distribution system next week. The work is commencing at the top of the subdivision, above Raccoon.

Many have asked about our winter snowplowing schedule. Timber Lakes has a full-time crew of two people who maintain the roads year-round. In the winter, the snowplow process is not dictated by an exact schedule. The first road to be plowed is the paved section referred to as the Dugway. This is paved portion of Lake Pines Drive. Generally, the second road to be plowed is Blue Spruce and the third is Ridgeline.

This schedule is always subject to change based on the amount and location on the mountain of snowfall.

As time permits and the main roads are cleared, the crew then plows side roads that feed into the above-mentioned roads. If the west side get more snow than the east side then we will work on that area first or if the east side (upper part of the mountain) gets more snow we will spend more time in that area at first.

Our crews are on a 40-hour week and we try to manage their time so they are available to work on the roads when Mother Nature decides to let it snow. We generally do not start plowing until there is at least 6 inches of new snow.

If you have additional questions about plowing, please check our website for updates during the winter months.

Please remember that snow removal depends on several things, including the amount of snowfall, where the snow falls, availability of equipment, availability of our 2-man crew and availability of funds.

The Water Company has mailed an important piece of paper to every lot owner discussing combining lots for purposes of minimizing the amount you will need to pay for the upcoming water distribution system improvements. We are not the Water Company. If you own multiple lots you should go to their website and read this document carefully. Their deadline is September 30, 2008. This is NOT THE SAME THING AS COMBINING YOUR LOTS WITH WASATCH COUNTY.

If you have any questions about lot combinations for water, you must contact the Water Company NOW. If you have questions about combining your lots with Wasatch County, you must contact the County.

We, the Property Owners Association have nothing to due with lot combinations. It is not possible to combine your lots for the purpose of eliminating our annual assessments.

If you have noticed the increasing frequency of 3-5 second power outages, or if you have to reset your clocks every time you come to your cabin, please contact John Blickenstaff.

On behalf of your Board of Directors, thank you for contacting us with your concerns, questions and suggestions. Thanks to you who are volunteering to help us do things. Thanks to you who are coming to our meetings each month. We are listening and we value your input. The reason we are not moving quicker to address issues is that there are only nine of us. Nine people cannot possibly run the business affairs of the Association. If you are willing to help, please contact us; your assistance always makes things happen quicker.

I want to especially thank those of you quietly giving service: those who pick up the trash after the weekend crowd tosses it on the ground at the dumpsters, those who clean up the floor of the mail house, those who look out for their neighbors, those who comply with our CC&Rs, those helping us straighten out our address database, those who made the Annual Meeting happen, those who are volunteering to be on call with the First Responders. Thanks to everyone who contributes to the quality of life on the mountain.

If you have questions about your water being shut off, your water bill, combining your lots with the Water Company, watering outside, watering inside, or any other item having to do with water, please contact the Water Company. The Timber Lakes Property Owners Association is not the Water Company. Still.