Thursday, Decmber 20, 2012

Road Condition Update

I walk the Forest Glen B/C roads twice/day.  Periodically I plan to take pictures to show the road conditions.  So far, so good.  After the 3 weeks of no snow, freeze/thaw, and dangerous ice, we received about 3-4 feet of light snow that has packed nicely for walking, skiing, and snow mobiling.  Paul Nell has done an excellent job blowing the road.  By blowing instead of plowing, the banks along the road are very soft.  So, concern about accessing cabins over the bank are, so far, unrealized. The snow is very light and you can walk right through the bank as many neighbors have done.  With our 4WD and snow tires we’ve had no problem driving to Brighton to enjoy the amazing powder skiing.  These pictures were taken 20 Dec.  We hope to see you all up here in Forest Glen.

Don Pickard 12325 Skyline View Lane

Safe Winter Traveling on Community Roads

This is a travel advisory. The entire top of the Canyon is experiencing a hazardous combination of no snow for 2 weeks and a diurnal cycle of freeze/thaw that has resulted in very icy conditions. We are suppose to get snow Sunday night, but if these conditions persist or happen again the following recommendations are provided:

Foot travel. We walk our (watershed) dog around the loop twice/day (with poop bags). We use Over Shoe Studded Snow/Ice Grips. They stretch over our boots and the studs grip the ice so well we don’t worry at all about slipping/falling. They can be purchased at many local stores, but Amazon.com sells a dozen different brands from $3.50 to $20. There was a suggestion to buy some and hang them on the gate for folks choosing not to drive in. Please let us know at forestglenbc@gmail.com if you are interested in this option.

Automobile travel. We have a 4runner and Rav4. Both are 4WD with snow tires. It’s been our experience that this combination is at least adequate for safely traveling our roads. Some folks have studded snow tires. With studs, folks have stopped in the middle of the Wildflower Lane hill to chat, and resumed travel without spinning. On the other hand, I’ve had two contractors come through the gate after they assured me they had 4WD and snow tires. Neither did, both got stuck, and I had to jury rig chains to get them out. 4WD is not good enough. New snow tires with 2WD are slightly better. 4WD with snow tires is the minimum safe combination. Studs are better. Chains are best. We keep a set of chains in our cars just in case.

Also,

Forest Glen Plowing. Paul has done an excellent job clearing our roads during the two storms we’ve had so far. If you have 4wd/snows, those of us that are paying for plowing (19 so far) invite all home owners to come in and check it out. If you like what you see, and decide to drive in again, you can talk to Paul about costs. It’s also recommended that you check out the conditions yourself before you invite guests to use the road. Use extreme caution when driving down the hill below the gate.

Guardsman Plowing. There was some confusion about whether or not the No Vote on plowing during the September HOA meeting included Guardsman. A message was sent to all cabin owners to determine if they still wanted plowing Guardsman and only one positive response was received. Given the confusion and believing that most of the HOA was tired of plowing emails, the BOD unanimously decided to continue plowing Guardsman with HOA funds. However, given the growth of our community, parking is very limited and there is no guarantee of a spot to park.

Lisa and I are extremely happy to be part of the Forest Glen community. Many days, it takes a long time to walk around the loop because there are many neighbors out and about willing to share friendship. Skiing at Brighton and Solitude has been exhilarating. Our neighborhood has incredible beauty.

Please note, these recommendations and comments are just my opinion and do not represent an official position of the Forest Glen BoD.

Don Pickard 12325 Skyline View Lane

Safe Sledding

The Windflower Lane hill has long been a favorite sledding hill for our community. In order to keep all the sledders safe, the Kelly's have helped out by marking an orange plastic road barrier with the words "Caution: Sledders" and stashed it at the bottom of the hill near the fire hydrant. If your group is sledding, place the barrier in the road to warn others. If you see the barrier, use extra caution when traveling on Windflower Lane.

WINTER PARKING

A majority of the HOA members voted against using $22,000 of association funds for snow removal on the community roads and Guardsman Pass Road parking area. We as a board acknowledge that the BOD recommended resolution was to "expand the snow removal process from the Guardsmans pass parking to include plowing for our community road system" (ballot informational letter) , but it was clear from the HOA membership vote that people do not want to spend HOA monies on snow removal. In light of the membership input and the challenges that the snow removal issue has presented to our community the board has decided not to spend any HOA monies on plowing either the Guardsman's parking or community roads for the 2012/2013 season. We thank you for your guidance and welcome your further input at the next annual meeting.

Some HOA members are paying for the ability to park at their own properties and the roads leading to their property. If you are interested in this service and usage of the roads within the subdivision contact Carole McCalla/Paul Nell at 801.661.1879. Membership at large will still have use the road by walking/ski/snowmobile/snowcat.

HOA members that wish to park outside of the gate should do so at their own risk and at their own expense. Again, if this is your choice you can contact Carole McCalla/Paul Nell at 801.661.1879 for snow removal to meet your needs. It is important to remember that Guardsman Pass parking is not Forest Glen HOA common area and if you choose to park there, please follow the State laws. Basically that means parking outside of the white line (which is approximately 12-14 feet from the road center line). Please do not block the entrance to Skyline View Lane. Noncompliance may result in fines and/or towing by the UPD.

Please leave a placard with your name and phone number on your dashboard whether you park within the subdivision or on Guardsman Pass Road so neighbors can contact you if there is a problem (prior to towing!). We recommend making extra placards for guests.

We are hopeful that all who choose to use either the roads within the subdivision or parking outside the gate will contribute to the cost of this service in order to build positive community spirit.

If you drive into the subdivision remember that the roads will be covered with compacted snow and enter only at your own risk. Goodwinter tires or chains are required and having some knowledge about driving on snow packed hills that at times will be icy and slippery .Stuck vehicles = your expense. If you get stuck, you may call Paul Nell at 801.403.6186 for assistance.

Please consider the following criteria for entering our common areas/roads:

• No parking at the entrance to Skyline View Lane (cars, snow vehicles, etc.).
• No parking on the roads or pull outs (cars, snow vehicles, etc.).
• No parking in front of the fire hydrants (cars, snow vehicles, etc.).
• Short term (i.e., 24 hours or less) snow vehicle parking at large turn out by the gate. Be sure to keep small turn out and hydrant clear.
• Please no commercial vehicles of any type.
• No trailers
• Gate is to remain closed.
• Only authorized and winterized vehicles inside the gate.
• Road is multi-use so please SLOW down and watch for foot traffic.
• Look ahead as you approach hills.
• Down hill traffic has the right away.
• Obey the speed limit, as usual.
• Use daytime headlight so that you are visible to oncoming traffic.
• No salt or snowmelt to be used.
• Park only on your private property.
• We recommend that you sign up for Canyon Alerts and ForestGlenBC Alert to be aware of current road conditions before you arrive.

The Board would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation, consideration, and neighborliness. This is a work in progress; your constructive feedback is welcome.

We’ll keep you informed of any additional information that will help this winter run more smoothly.

To sign up for Canyon Alerts, sponsored by the Unified Police Department, go to http://updsl.org/services/canyonalerts.

To receive Forest Glen B&C updates as a text on your phone, text 40404 with the message “follow forestglenbc”. You can also view Forest Glen B&C conditions updates at our association website at http://forestglenbandc.blogspot.com/.

Neighborhood Condition Alerts

If you have a mobile phone that can receive SMS text messages, you can subscribe to the Forest Glen B&C feed to receive instant updates on road conditions and other important neighborhood alerts.

• To subscribe, from your cell phone text 'follow forestglenbc' to 40404.
• For help, reply HELP after receiving a message.
• To unsubscribe, from your cell phone text 'unfollow forestglenbc' to 40404.

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