Vote Now

Please consider either dropping off your mail-in ballot (can be done anytime between now & Election Day) or voting early (can be done until this Friday). Arapahoe County has all the info on your voting options as well as info on voter registration, polling locations, etc.

If you can't locate your copy of the blue book, you can download it here. In addition to containing info on all of the ballot initiatives, the blue book also contains recommendations on the retention of judges.

Please do your homework prior to voting. There are ten amendments on the ballot. Four amendments (53 & 55 - 57) have been withdrawn. There are also four referendums on the ballot. The blue book contains the arguments for & against each amendment & referendum, but you may find it necessary to do some additional research on your own.

Notes from the Annual Meeting

We had 14 homeowners, five board members, & Brenda Tate & Kathie Paradisa from MSI in attendance.

Lisa gave the following updates:

• Pool: The board had the drain grates in both pools replaced (as required by law?). The board thanked to the Pool Committee for making 800 pool passes.
• Fence: The board had the fence repaired, replaced, & painted as needed. The board had the landscaper spray the grass by the fence to kill it. The board has requested bids from two companies for maintaining the fence next year. The board intends to continue maintaining the fence for eight more years (after that, the board plans to have it replaced).
• Vault & aeration system: The board decided the old aeration system needed to be replaced. It was 15 years old & the board determined it was undersized (it was what the board decided we could afford at the time). The old vault had been patched, but was leaking & water was coming through the electrical system. The board determined that due to the lake's age it needed more oxygen to prevent fish kills & algae blooms. The board stated that everything w/ the new vault & aeration system is working as expected. We may notice bubbles in seven or eight places on the lake.
• Landscaping: The board decided to put landscaping on hold while the vault & aeration system was being replaced. The board intends to replace trees & xeriscape next year.
• Dumpsters: The board is considering discontinuing the annual dumpsters. This year, the board had to block off the dumpsters after they were full to prevent them from being filled to the point of overflowing.
• Garage sale: The board felt the annual garage sale went well.
• Neighborhood Watch: The board stated that it has been quiet (crime-wise). The board requested that homeowners call their block captains if they witness a crime or anything suspicious.
• Playground equipment by the basketball court: The board had previously repaired the equipment but has determined it is old & needs to be replaced.
Social Committee: The board thanked the Social Committee.
• Thanks: The board thanked everyone who helps out.

Lanna & Connie's terms are up & both want to continue serving on the board. Bruce Chambers threw his hat into the ring & the packets homeowners in attendance received included the questionnaire he'd completed. Connie stated she has lived in the neighborhood for six years, has served on the board for three years, & has not missed more than two meetings. Lanna stated she has lived in the neighborhood since 1995 & wants to continue contributing to the board's accomplishments.

Homeowners asked the following questions:

• A homeowner asked about the perimeter fence, which is leaning, by his property. The board instructed the homeowner to call Lisa.
• A homeowner mentioned the boys who shot a duck & goose w/ a bow & arrow. The board mentioned the boys were confronted by homeowners after which the boys hid their bow & arrow & fled.
• A homeowner asked about graffiti. The board stated it has work orders in to clean, paint, or replace signs w/ graffiti. The board also instructed homeowners to call MSI about graffiti.
• A homeowner asked why there are no swings @ the playground by the lake. The board responded w/ something about age (my apologies, I didn't quite get the response).
• A homeowner asked about the $131K equity operating fund. The board stated the fence would be the next large expense.
• A homeowner asked about transfers from the operating fund to the reserve fund. The board stated this was normal.
• A homeowner asked about the $71K in overdue fees. The board was not sure how much it can expect to recoup. The board stated that many homeowners who are delinquent had 100%+ mortgages. The board stated that ten homeowners make up the majority of the delinquencies & that the majority of those ten have moved. The board mentioned that one homeowner had filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy & that it may hire a process server for another. The board mentioned it is trying to work w/ new homeowners to avoid delinquencies. The board confirmed that after three months delinquency, it files a lien. The board mentioned delinquencies are a common problem for associations. The board stated that 18 months ago it used an attorney & only recouped about $500 (per delinquent homeowner?) after attorney's fees. The board stated that using a collection agency allows them to recoup more money than foreclosure does. The board mentioned the pool passes generate money since passes are not issued to homeowners who are delinquent. The board stated that Moeller Graf is its attorney & RSI Enterprises is its collection agency.
• A homeowner asked how responsibilities are distributed among board members. The board stated all members help, Gary has a banking background, & Lisa goes above & beyond.
• A homeowner asked if the reserve study was current. MSI stated the study hasn't been updated for a year. The board mentioned concrete replacement, pool cover replacement, & pool furniture are projected expenses for next year. The board stated the fence is projected to be the next major expense (in 2012) & is estimated to cost $100K. MSI stated there is $365K in the reserve fund as of Aug & it is being funded @ a rate of $1,500+/mo.
• A homeowner asked whether our dues will increase. MSI stated our dues will likely increase by 2.8% (CPI). MSI also mentioned this was not much of an increase & the board could rightly go back & increase dues for every previous year they weren't increased. The board mentioned they do not plan to do this.

Lanna & Connie were both re-elected.

The meeting was adjourned.

Annual Meeting

We just left the annual meeting. It was over in about an hour & there were fourteen homeowners in attendance. We'll post our notes, but wanted to promptly hit the high points:

• Lanna & Connie were both re-elected.
• Our dues will likely increase every year by not more than 2.8% ($97 in Jan?).
• The fence is scheduled to be replaced in 2012.

We'll have detailed notes w/in the next day or so. Please stay tuned!

Junk Mail, Part 1

When I receive unsolicited mail, I contact company that added my name & address to its mailing list w/out permission. Over the years, it's made a real difference in the tonage of mail the Post Office delivers to me.

Recently, I decided to tackle the junk mail that arrives addressed to Resident. I'm sure many of these mailings contain something of value to someone, but since none of the senders contacted me to request my permission to send their mail to my address, they have no way of knowing I don't open unsolicited mail. I've long resented the imposition of disposing of a continuous stream of unsolicited mail & have long been bothered by the wastefulness of it.

When contacting these companies, I used a disposable e-mail address. It was probably unnecessary, but I didn't want to chance getting spam for my trouble. I sent the same brief message (Please remove me from your mailing list immediately & please cease sharing or selling my info.) & made sure to include my address exactly as it appeared on the mailing.

None of the companies, except for Red Plum, acknowledged my communication, but the mail did stop after a few weeks.

Here are the ones I've contacted so far:

Community Marketplace info@monarchpublishinginc.com	Money Mailer jlimon@moneymailer.com
Pocket Coupon Directory	Red Plum
Spotlight Magazine info@spotlightmagazine.net	Val-U-Ads art@valuads.com
Valpak

I'm interested in your suggestions for dealing w/ junk mail. I'll follow up w/ another post on additional steps you can take to stop bulk & junk mail.

Annual Meeting & Thank You

Our annual meeting is now just two weeks away. Two of our board members terms expire this year. I'd like to thank Lanna & Connie for their service to date.

Lanna has been on the Board of Directors since 2003 when she first served as a director then in the spring of 2004, she became our Vice President & has served in that position since.

Similarly, Connie has been on the Board of Directors since 2005 when she first served as a director then in the spring of 2006, she became our Secretary & has served in that position since.

We are lucky to have two such dedicated ladies serving our community. I don't know if either would like to continue serving on the board.

When You Just Gotta Have A Tasty Burger...

We don't want to turn this blog into a commercial for local businesses, but Michelle and I are very excited about the recent arrival of a wonderful hamburger joint in Aurora -- Five Guys, located at the Aurora Promenade at the corner of Iliff and Parker Roads.

When we were stationed at the Pentagon in the late '80's, the original Five Guys store was just a few minutes away. All you had to do was say "Five Guys" in the office and you would immediately be surrounded by coworkers with their cash and their order requests. "Five Guys and Some Fries" was -- and still is -- a little slice of fast-food heaven, and our return visits to the Washington D.C. area always include a pilgrimage to Five Guys for a burger fix.

The Five Guys menu is pretty simple -- burgers, hot dogs, and fries, prepared with all fresh ingredients, right in front of you. A double cheeseburger will cost you $4.99, and you'll get free refills on drinks and ample peanuts to snack on while you watch your treat being prepared. Fries come in regular or cajun style, deep fried in pure peanut oil.

The Five Guys in Aurora has seating, but with the ambiance of any typical fast-food restaurant. So grab 'em for take out and bring your burger home to enjoy. That little grease stain on the bag may not look that great, but when it comes from Five Guys, its the sign of a burger that is fresh, tasty, and ultimately satisfying.

So, when you absolutely gotta have a burger, try out Five Guys -- you can't go wrong!

Why Join the Lake Shore E-mail List?

We have three great reasons:

1. Easy to subscribe & unsubscribe: To subscribe, send e-mail to onlinelakeshore@gmail.com. At the bottom of every e-mail to the e-mail list is a link to unsubscribe.


2. Low volume/no spam: Unless subscribers have something specific to announce or discuss, there is no e-mail. Whenever there is an announcement or discussion, only subscribers can send e-mail to the e-mail list. This ensures the subscribers are not spammed.


3. Valuable, timely info: The best example of this was during the winter of 2006/2007. The streets had become impassable unless you had four-wheel drive & the trash hadn't been picked up in several weeks. The subscribers discussed the situation & shared the info they were getting from the board, the property manager, & the trash removal company.
   
   When the board & property manager were unable to help resolve the predicament w/ the streets, a couple of subscribers took the initiative to contact our City Council representative & the Manager of Public Works Operations to find out what we could do.
   
   The Operations Manager responded that that due to the severity of conditions, the community would have been permitted to hire a private contractor to clear our streets. She was quite pleased by their desire to help find a solution & the very next day, city plows made an unprecedented appearance in the Lake Shore community, enabling all of us to get out & get on w/ our lives.
   
   & because we had the Lake Shore e-mail list in place, we were able to notify subscribers of what was done & about the positive response & outcome from the city.

Convinced? Then join right now.

The Democratic National Convention

The last time the Democratic National Convention was in Denver was 1908. A century later, it will take place from 25 to 28 August, w/ some of the festivities beginning as early as the 22nd.

I work downtown & am both curious & nervous about the convention. Although my company has made arrangements for its employees to work elsewhere that week, I'm planning on braving it. I take light rail into downtown & get off @ 18th & California (hopefully far enough away from the eye).

I've heard that other, nearby cities are also bracing for the convention. Will you be affected by it? If so, are you planning to avoid it altogether or to deal w/ whatever inconveniences come w/ 50,000 descending on downtown that week?

Announcing the Lake Shore Neighbors' Blog

We've been thinking about starting this blog for awhile. We hope it grows into a useful forum that helps us to stay connected w/ one another; a place where neighbors w/ thoughtful, divergent opinions can have frank discussions.

We welcome your comments, criticisms, feedback, ideas, & suggestions.

Now that you're here, what can you do?

First, please check out what we've posted so far, especially the beautifully written post by JP Morris. As you read, please leave your comments (anonymously, if you prefer). There's a link after each post for comments.

We're also conducting an informal poll on whether or not you're planning to attend the annual homeowners meeting on 18 September. Please take a moment to let us know.

If you'd like to put up your own posts, we can add you as an author on this blog. Just send an e-mail request to onlinelakeshore@gmail.com.

Finally, if you'd like to receive e-mail whenever this blog is updated, subscribe to it by entering your e-mail address in the Get E-mail Updates field & clicking Subscribe.

Thank you for your interest!

What Makes Lakeshore So Special? (After 8 years of living here, I think I figured it out)

Eight Years ago in the spring of 2000 during the Real Estate Boom, we bought our home in Lakeshore. We had admired the neighborhood for years and thought it would be out of our price range. We were delighted to find we could afford our lovely home on Baker Place and we moved in.

This community is so special and we knew that even before we bought a home here, but we really appreciate it 8 years later. We love the peaceful grounds of the Lake. I walk around it all year long and enjoy seeing the changing of seasons. In winter, it can be a snowy wonderland with the Christmas lights on the gazebo and the Canadian geese crowding around what little water hasn’t turned to ice.

In spring we always look forward to the little baby ducklings that inevitably appear swimming behind their mommy in a perfect, single-file line. This has become an annual tradition in Lakeshore. Neighbors come out of their houses and begin to greet one another again after the long winter. Kids start riding their bikes.

The lovely summers are kicked off with the opening of our pool. It is such a luxury to have such a nice pool that is never crowded. Other communities share their pool with a thousand or more houses. I have been to these pools and seen the elbow-to-elbow crowds. We have only 245 houses to share all these lovely amenities and that makes these amenities beautiful and un-crowded. That is a rare phenomenon indeed!

When the 4th of July comes around it is a Norman Rockwell painting here in Lakeshore. The kids decorate their bikes and the local fire department leads the parade. What a wonderful slice of old-fashioned, Americana we have right here in Aurora. What other neighborhood can boast what we have? I believe we have the best neighborhood in Aurora bar none.

In autumn as the leaves burst into color, the kids get ready for trick or treating. There is always a house or two that really does it up for Halloween. What a wonderful community Lakeshore is for kids to grow up in. My kids know this and tell me so.

I am proud to live here. When people are proud of their neighborhood, it shows. I encourage all my fellow homeowners to join me in this pride that makes Lakeshore so special. When a neighborhood has pride, it shows in its homes. I realize that times are tough right now and there are a lot of sad, abandoned houses in our pretty, little neighborhood. This too will pass and we will rise again as the shining example of what an American slice of heaven looks like. Lakeshore is more than a housing development. It is a true community.

Pool Issues

Recently, there was a flurry of e-mail on the state of the pool. Residents expressed concerns regarding how the life guards have been performing. Specifically, there were complaints about:

• residents who are under 18 bringing in groups of friends
• pool parties being held w/out any additional life guards
• inappropriate language & behavior @ the pool
• the pool & area around the pool not being cleaned
• life guards not guarding the pool & not sitting in the guard chair
• adult swim going on for too long

I contacted Brenda, the Pool Committee Chair. Both Brenda & Lisa, our HOA President, met w/ Front Range Recreation to address these complaints.

Please be sure to let Brenda know if you continue to see problems @ the pool.

Speaking on behalf of the Lake Shore residents, thank you to the Pool Committee for all their efforts in maintaining our pool!

Vote Early, Vote, umm, Early

This year's presidential election promises to be quite exciting & Colorado is one of the battleground states (The Big 5: Picking the States That Will Pick the President). As important as voting is, I'm a bit worried about long lines on election day. Arapahoe County has plenty of info on mail-in ballots & early voting locations. Are you planning on standing in line in election day? Is this part of the experience?

I recently heard a couple of interesting stories on voting. One discusses how we may choose our neighborhood based, in part, on our desire to live among like-minded people ('The Big Sort': Red & Blue Divide Neighbors, Too). I don't know that I agree w/ this contention, but it did get me to wondering about the possibility that bumper stickers, car models, & landscaping make us feel more or less comfortable in a particular neighborhood. What do you think?

Another study discusses how our polling place may affect our vote (Study: Your Polling Place Affects How You Vote). Again, I'm not certain I agree, but perhaps there are many more folks who make up their minds on
election day than I realize. Thoughts?

Gas Prices

I just put $50 into my 12-year old Jetta's gas tank. It looks like I spent about $35 to fill it up @ the beginning of the year. It's not just gas -- groceries, dining out, & everything else has gone up. We've already gone though the exercise of figuring out what we can cut out in order to cut back on monthly expenses.

How about you? What changes have you made to reign in those monthly expenses? Are you car pooling, taking light rail, telecommuting, eating in, clipping coupons, shopping sales, foregoing you family vacation for a staycation?

There are lots of websites that have helpful advice. I particularly like this one for gas prices.

Annual Meeting

In the July newsletter, there was an announcement that the annual homeowners meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, 18 September @ 6:00 PM @ Vassar Elementary School.

I haven't been in a few years, but am planning to attend this year. I'm curious about what was discussed at the past couple of annual meetings. In particular, was there much discussion about our monthly dues increasing from $90 to $92 to $94.50?

Are you planning on attending the meeting? Why or why not? What questions would you like to ask @ the annual meeting?

BTW, we will be posting a synopsis of the meeting w/in a day or two of the meeting itself. Stay tuned!