I would like to make one additional invitation for property owners to step up and become candidates for election to the Timber Lakes Board of Directors. We have our annual election in July. We have openings on our board and it will be a better entity if the directors are elected by the owners than if the Board appoints directors. Please consider giving something back to our mountain community and run for the Board. If you are willing to become a candidate, please complete the Board Candidate Application Form and return it to the office ASAP. Thank you.

We are holding our next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors of the Timber Lakes Property Owners Association on Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at the Wasatch County Sr. Citizens Center in Heber City at 7:00 p.m. We appreciate input from our property owners and invite your attendance and participation.

With regret, we announce the resignation of Rob Roueche’ from our Board of Directors. His situation at work has changed, which necessitated his departure from the Board. Rob has done an outstanding job with building plan reviews and keeping us straight on the CC&Rs. He put in many hours working with owners on their building plans and we appreciate his contribution to the Timber Lakes community.

Accordingly, we now have an opening on our Board. Inasmuch as we are getting close to our annual meeting, we would like to give the property owners the opportunity to elect someone to complete Rob’s term on the Board. We encourage you to consider filing an application to become a candidate. We have four positions open and welcome your participation in the process. We need owners to get involved on the Board and help us continue our efforts to improve life on the mountain.

Please complete the Board Candidate Application Form and send to the office by Friday, May 15, 2009.

We are holding our next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 (no, this is not an April Fools joke) at the East Millcreek Library in Salt Lake City at 7:00 p.m. We appreciate input from our property owners and invite your attendance and participation.

We have printed the latest edition of our newsletter and are in the process of mailing one to each of our property owners. It should arrive in your mailbox next week. If you do not receive a newsletter by the end of March, will you please contact the office and make sure we have your correct address and telephone number. We have recently had to rebuild our address database. In the process we discovered that many address changes made in the last few months are not valid addresses (according to the Post Office).

We are holding our next regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors on Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at the Wasatch County Sr. Citizens Center in Heber City at 7:00 p.m. We appreciate input from our property owners and invite your attendance and participation.

We are pleased to announce that after working with the Association members since September 2008, we have received sufficient approval forms from our owners to authorize the Association to deed land to Wasatch County upon which a fire station can be built. We reported to the Wasatch County Fire Board last week that we have the approval of our members to move the project forward. The next step is for the Fire Chief to ascertain the cost to build the fire station. The Fire Board has stated their intention to comply with the Timber Lakes CC&Rs in the external appearance of the building. Our Board would like to thank each of the more than 1,000 property owners that responded with an approval form for the fire station. We also express appreciation to the County Fire Board for their support in working to have a fire station in Timber Lakes. We will keep you informed of our progress.

One of our board members, Charlie Richards, is in the process of selling his cabin and is going to resign from the board. Charlie has been serving as our Treasurer and we appreciate his service to the property owners in Timber Lakes. We wish him well. We are now accepting applications from property owners to fill the vacancy on the board. Obviously, we need a Treasurer. We outsource the Association’s accounting functions; the Treasurer oversees the accounting outsourcing and helps us with our budgeting and finance issues. The ideal candidate for this board position will have a finance, accounting or bookkeeping background. We invite and encourage you to get involved with our board. The primary requirement is that you be a Timber Lakes lot owner. If you are interested in talking to us about this board opening, please contact Connie in the office and obtain our very short candidate application form. Please feel free to contact any member of the board if you have questions.

Our neighbors at Heber Valley Camp opened the snowmobile gate today. Please stay between the trail markers when you ride through their property. They allow us to access the National Forest through their property, conditional on our not trespassing outside the trail markers. Also, you must have a current year Timber Lakes snowmobile sticker for each machine you are using. The office will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s Day so get your stickers now. We have approximately 15 inches of snow on the ground up on top and our road crew is doing an outstanding job of plowing the roads. If you come to snowmobile, please remember these things:

1. You must have a current Timber Lakes snowmobile sticker
2. Do NOT try to pull a trailer up or down Blue Spruce. It is too slick and you will endanger other drivers.
3. The only parking in Timber Lakes is in your own driveway, in the parking lot by the office, and at Duck Lake. If you are parked anywhere else, your vehicle will be towed. We have towed vehicles every weekend since the snow came. Do yourself a favor and don’t park on the road.
4. Once the parking areas are full, you must park somewhere legal in Heber Valley.
5. Please do not try to drive in Timber Lakes in a 2-wheel drive vehicle when the roads are snow packed or icy.

I know this may sound like the Grinch is running the show here. Let me take this opportunity to thank the vast majority of owners who follow the rules and never cause a problem. This is a great place to live and/or recreate. Thanks for making it fun to be here, sharing the mountain.

John Blickenstaff

We thank everyone who suggested a slogan for Timber Lakes. Some were pretty funny and we thank you for your humor. All the suggestions were appreciated. Here are your finalists:

• Timber Lakes – Above It All
• Timber Lakes – Four Seasons of Splendor
• Timber Lakes – Minutes Away. A World Apart.
• Timber Lakes – Welcome Home

Click on my name to send an email with your final selection.

John Blickenstaff

As of Wednesday, December 10, 2008, we have received approval forms from the owners of 1,006 lots. We are still 24 approvals short of being able to proceed with this project. We continue to call owners from whom we have not heard. Some of you have been helping by contacting your friends and neighbors. Please contact anyone else you know who owns property in Timber Lakes and remind them of the importance of the Fire Station to our subdivision. If we haven’t heard from you, please send your approval form in today. This is very important and we request your quick response in getting it to the next stage. Please contact John Blickenstaff, Ole Smith or Mike Durr if you have questions.

Fellow owners, there are some important things to know about life in Timber Lakes. While these are all posted elsewhere on the website, I would like to remind you again of some critical things that contribute to the quality of life on the mountain.

1. We have posted speed limits in Timber Lakes. These are maximums, not minimums. Weather and road conditions often make it unsafe to drive at the posted level. Please slow down and be careful. Severe injuries and loss of life have occurred here by driving too fast for the conditions.
2. If you are building, and your contractor or subs are caught speeding, they will not be allowed to drive into the subdivision. Please tell them you expect them to slow down and obey the rules.
3. There is no parking along any road in Timber Lakes. If you park along the road, we will tow your vehicle. You may park on a first-come, first-served basis in the lot on the side of the TLPOA office. You may also park at Duck Lake. These spaces are not adequate for heavy use weekends or holidays. If there is no place to park, you will have to arrange to park somewhere else (that is legal) in Wasatch County. If you do park in the office parking lot, you need to get a parking pass from security at the gate.
4. If you get stuck or have some kind of emergency where you park on the road, write your lot number and cabin phone on a paper visible on your dashboard. This allows us to contact you before we tow your vehicle. However, remember that we usually tow first and ask questions later. Our primary concern is safety and we must keep the roads clear of parked vehicles.
5. There are times when the roads are not safely passable. If you choose to drive during these times, you are putting yourself, your passengers and anyone else you encounter at risk.
6. We do not allow trailers to be pulled up or down on Blue Spruce during the winter. The roads are often too narrow for two vehicles to pass in opposite directions. All roads on the upper mountain are often icy and very slick. Every year, traffic is blocked and vehicles wreck because someone believes they can pull a trailer up (or down) Blue Spruce. Blue Spruce is too steep and too dangerous for trailers in the winter. Don’t do it.
7. Wasatch County prohibits short-term rentals in Timber Lakes. You cannot rent your cabin out unless it is a long-term rental (more than 30 days). We are cooperating with Wasatch County’s efforts to prosecute owners who allow overnight rentals. If you are renting your cabin on an overnight basis, you are on the list of owners who will be prosecuted.
8. The State of Utah considers Timber Lakes Estates one of the most at-risk fire locations in the state. Next spring and summer, please clear the undergrowth and dead timber from your lot. You may not have an open fire or flame of any kind for any reason outside your cabin, even on your own property.
9. We no longer have a place where you can dump your dead brush for chipping. It has become increasingly difficult to arrange for a chipper, we have not had adequate volunteer help from the owners to use a mobile chipper and many owners and their contractors used the chipping site as a place to dump construction trash. Each owner must now take care of the dead brush and trees on your property. (We are chipping the current pile at Duck Lake as soon as the weather permits this month.)
10. Please do not tailgate through the gate behind someone else. You do not have to let the gate close all the way, but stop and use your remote opener to reverse the gate direction when another vehicle has passed ahead of you. Almost every month we spend money to repair the gate because someone tags along to run the entrance before the gate closes. Let’s save our money for fixing the roads or some other good cause. When we have a security person in the gate house, your remote will not work. Slow down and identify yourself so they can let you in.
11. If you are building, please be aware that we have to close the roads to heavy construction vehicles during the winter. This means that you cannot have materials delivered to your lot when the roads are closed to construction traffic. If temperate weather allows an emergency exception to this policy, you must obtain permission in advance from the Vice President of Operations (the Road Guy). The Road Guy is a member of our board of directors and contact information is provided on our website. However, when the roads are closed to large construction vehicles and trailers, they are CLOSED! Please do not ask for routine exceptions. It is not an emergency just because it is your construction project.
12. Our agreement with the Heber Valley Camp for snowmobile access through their property provides access only for Timber Lakes Owners and their accompanied guests. You cannot send your guests to snowmobile; you must take them with you. All snowmobiles inside Timber Lakes must exhibit a Timber Lakes snowmobile sticker. Only owners may purchase stickers. We do not allow snowmobiles without current stickers into the subdivision.
13. If an owner is renting a snowmobile, the owner must purchase a Timber Lakes snowmobile sticker and show it in person at the gate in order to get the snowmobile into the subdivision. If you are renting multiple snowmobiles, you will need one sticker for each machine you want to bring past the gate.
14. We have received approval from the owners of 995 lots for the fire station project. We need an additional 75 approval forms. We are calling owners from whom we have not heard. If you are opposed to the fire station, please be nice to the person who calls you. You do not need to justify your decision or yell at the volunteer. Some of you are mad at the water company and President Bush and so you are opposing the Timber Lakes fire station. While these reasons provide us with a good laugh, you are not required to be unkind on the telephone.  Just tell them you are opposed and they will thank you for your time. If you are one of many owners who have told the telephone volunteer you will send in the approval form, please follow through by mailing us your signed form.
15. Your Board of Directors is trying very hard to address the quality of life issues that affect every member of the TLPOA. We are all volunteers, doing our best. Thanks for being patient with us. We welcome and desire your input on issues. Contact us and we will try to help.

John Blickenstaff

I know this is not an extrememly crucial topic, but I’d like to request your help as we update our image. In our board meeting last night, we selected a new, updated logo for the association. It’s not quite ready for prime time yet, but after a few tweaks we will roll it out. As part of this update, we’d like to select a new slogan for Timber Lakes. Some examples of slogans from other property developments in the area are:

• Wolf Creek Ranch – Your Land. Your Lifestyle. Your Legacy.
• Red Ledges – The nature of luxury.
• Victory Ranch Club – Welcome to Western Living.
• Maple Ridge Ranches – “The Experience Starts When You Cross The Bridge”
• Promontory Ranch Club – Four Seasons. One incomparable place to enjoy them.

Compare these with our current slogan:

• Timber Lakes Property Owners Association – a private non-profit Utah corporation.

Our slogan is informational but quite boring. Please assist us in selecting a new one. Email me your suggestion. Here are a few that we have kicked around:

• Timber Lakes: Welcome Home!
• Timber Lakes: Mountain Living, Comfortably Home
• Timber Lakes: A Utah splendor
• Timber Lakes: Where the mountain meets the sky

I think we can do better than Timber Lakes Property Owners Association – a private non-profit Utah corporation. Please let me know what you think.

John

Last night, Gary Hume and I attended the public budget hearing for the Timber Lakes Water Special Services District (the Water Company). There were four other property owners present. Part of the proceedings included an amendment to the Water Company’s 2008 budget to raise water rates by $15 per month per lot effective on the November 2008 bill. The Water Company Board explained that the purpose of the $15 rate increase is to pay off most or all of the construction loan interest that will be accruing between now and the time the construction project is completed. They estimate that this small increase now, will save us, the property owners, approximately $1 million over the life of the bond. This savings occurs because we will pay off the construction interest instead of rolling it into the bond and paying interest on interest for twenty years.

Even though none of us wants to pay a higher water bill, this rate increase makes sound economic sense. Anything that can be done to decrease the amount we will have to borrow when the bond is issued, will save money for every Timber Lakes property owner. The Water Company also discussed other ways they are working to decrease or hold down the cost of the construction project.

We appreciate their efforts to be careful with our money and will continue to work with them to find ways to help both entities. After all, all the money for both of our organizations comes from the same pockets, yours and mine.

We also encouraged and invited the Water Company to let us post public notices for their future rate hearings on our website. The turnout last night was disappointing. Perhaps more people will attend if their meetings are also posted on our website.

As a reminder, if you have questions about your water bill or the current pipeline construction project, please contact the Water Company, not the Timber Lakes Property Association. We are posting this information here, as a service to our owners, but we are not the Water Company.

A very sincere thanks to those who came to help us plant the evergreen trees at the Vehicle Storage Building last Saturday. A special thanks to Steve Drew and his crew who saved the day with manpower and expertise. I would also like to thank Ole Smith, who obtained, transported and planned for the trees to get planted. Lots of people made this happen and each of you is appreciated for pitching in.

As a non-related reminder, tonight is the monthly meeting of the Water Company. Their board meets at 6:00 pm in the Wasatch County Building on the corner of Main and Center in Heber City. The public is invited.

The next meeting for the Timber Lakes POA Board is Wednesday, November 5 at 6:00 pm in the Wasatch County Senior Citizens Center in Heber City.

Due to weather we were forced to reschedule our tree planting activity at the new vehicle storage building. We will be planting trees there this Saturday, October 18, at 9:00 am. We need 15-020 volunteers to come help us plant 31 trees. Please bring your gloves and a shovel. We will have a backhoe and operator on site. If you have a wheelbarrow, it might come in handy. We will be planting the trees along the back (east side) of the building. If you can help, please email Ole Smith so we know how many people to count on. Thanks.

As of Thursday, October 2, 2008, we have received approval forms from the owners of 811 lots. We are still 213 approvals short of being able to proceed with this project. We would appreciate your help with this issue. Please contact anyone else you know who owns property in Timber Lakes and remind them of the importance of the Fire Station to our subdivision. If we haven’t heard from you, please send your approval form in today. This is a crucial matter and we request your quick response in getting it to the next stage. Please contact John Blickenstaff, Ole Smith or Mike Durr if you have questions.

Fellow owners:

We need your approval forms for the Timber Lakes Fire Station proposal. We have approximately half of what is required to approve this project. Please return your form. If you know other owners, please remind them. The returned approvals are critical.

Thank you for your support.

On August 25, 2008, I met with two representatives from the State Dept of Public Utilities and six employees of Rocky Mountain Power. We were also joined by a Timber Lakes owner, Ron Hazard. The meeting came as a result of complaints filed by myself, Ron Hazard and LaMar Hadley regarding the quality of electrical power coming into Timber Lakes.

I learned some interesting things in the meeting:

1. Our electricity is generated by Heber Lighting & Power.
2. Rocky Mountain Power is simply a customer of HP&P, purchasing the power and reselling it to Timber Lakes.
3. HL&P does not want to sell directly to us as they would have to service the mountain as well.
4. The State Department of Utilities has no control or influence over HL&P; they are only involved with publicly owned utility companies. HL&P is owned by Heber City.
5. If you have a power outage in Timber Lakes, Rocky Mountain Power has no way of knowing unless you call them.
6. They want you to call on every outage, even if it is a temprorary 3-5 second outage. This allows them to track the frequency of the problems and gives them data about which they can go to HL&P and request repairs and improved engineering.
7. Do not call HL&P; we are not their customers and they have made perfectly clear they do not care about Timber Lakes, except to collect cash from us through Rocky Mountain Power.
8. Rocky Mountain Power is attempting to work with HL&P on our behalf. In my opinion, they are doing a good job in this area.

If you have a power outage, please call Rocky Mountain Power at 877.548.3768 to report it.

John Blickenstaff

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.