The Outlook Newsletter

The Outlook Newsletter visit online at outlooknewsletter.com March 2008 Quarterly - Vol. 1, Issue 1 Your Neighbor in The News! Dan Smith made the front page of the October 26, 2007 Daily Camera. As a Red Cross volunteer, and a member of the Boulder County Disaster Action Team, he was one of around 4,000 Red Cross volunteers to fight the California wildfires. To read the whole article, visit the newsletter website at www.outlooknewsletter.com, and click on "Dan Smith". Inside this issue... Front Page . . . . . . . . . - Dan Smith in the News - Landscaping This Summer? Page 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . - Trash Day Tips - Recycling - Broomfield Earth Day Page 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . - How Violations Work - How to Report a Violation - Public Disclosure Statement Back Page . . . . . . . . . - Outlook Spotlight - Free Outlook Classifieds - Sitters, Shovelers and More Newsletter Sponsors Board of Directors Landscaping, Painting, or Building This Summer? Summer is just around the corner. If you have landscaping plans, are going to paint your house, or make any sort of exterior renovations, be sure to get the approval of the Design Review Committee. For more information, or to submit your plans, contact Vista Management by phone at 303-429-2611, or by fax at 303-429-2632, or via the web at www.vistamgmt.com Outlook Homeowner's Association c/o Vista Management 8700 Turnpike Drive, Suite 230 Westminster, CO 80031 POSTAGE Mailing Label Check out the new format! Trash Day Tips One of the great things about living in The Outlook is the trash service. Seriously: how many neighborhoods do you go to and a quarter of the houses have trash cans out? It keeps The Outlook looking neat, because on every day (except Friday) there are no trash cans out on the street. Even so, there are some tips you can follow to make the neighborhood even nicer: Put your trash cans out the morning of trash day, not the night before. Take them in the same evening trash is picked up. Put your trash cans at the end of your driveway so that you don't block the sidewalk. Tuck loose trash under heavy items, or better yet, tie them up inside a garbage bag along with other trash. Or put a lid securely on your trash can. That way you don't end up picking up your neighbor's Wendys bags the day after trash day. Trash day is Fridays, except for when a weekday holiday occurs during that week - then it is Saturday. What's Wrong With This Picture? Loose plastic bags should be tucked away so they don't blow away in the wind. Cans and recycle bins should be put at the end of the driveway, so they don't block the sidewalk. Recycling in The Outlook by Karen Bergh, Eco-Cycle Block Leader We are very lucky to have curbside recycling included with our garbage pick-up. Recycling is collected every other week by BFI on trash day. Just put your bins out as you do your garbage - it's that easy! If you need bins, getting them from BFI is free and easy: 1. Call BFI at 303-287-8043 and request 1 or 2 bins. 2. Bins will be delivered the next day recycling is collected. 3. Start recycling! Recycling Basics: Separate your paper items from your commingled items in 2 separate bins. Some accepted paper items includes newspapers, magazines, opened junk mail, posters, cereal boxes, and phone books. Accepted commingled items include plastic, aluminum and metal cans, and glass bottles and jars. For a complete list of items that are accepted, visit the newsletter website at www.outlooknewsletter.com and click on "Recycling FAQ's". City and County of Broomfield Earth Day Events in March There are some cool events that the City is hosting coming up over the next few months. Visit the newsletter website at www.outlooknewsletter.com, and click on "Broomfield Earth Days" for details. Sat & Wed (ongoing) - Tree Limb Recycling Dropoff March 1, 6, 13, 20, and 27 - Xeriscape workshops April 7 - 11 - Arbor Day Tree Planting April 19 - Earth day Program for Kids May 7 - Non-toxic housecleaning Workshops May 17 - Household Hazardous Waste Collection June 25 - West Nile Virus/Pest Management Various - Waste Motor & Cooking Oil Recycling Apr 26, May 3 & May 10 - Spring Clean-Up We Need Your Ideas, Pictures, and More! We need your ideas, your articles, and your pictures! Do you know a neighbor that should be recognized? A business that would like to help sponsor the newsletter? Have children that could put a listing in "Sitters, Shovelers and More"? Let us know at www.outlooknewsletter.com, or by fax at 303-464-0543 and we'll get it in the next newsletter (to be published June 1, 2008). How to Report a Violation The covenants are in place to protect all of us, and to preserve our property values. They are there for a reason, and we should all encourage them to be enforced. What do you do when you see a violation? The first line of defense is to talk to your neighbor about it. It may be that they simply are unaware of the covenant (or violation). If you are uncomfortable approaching your neighbor, then simply file the complaint with the Outlook management company (Vista Management). You can either log on to the Vista Management website at www.vistamgmt.com to file a complaint online, or call Vista at 303-429-2611. How Outlook Violations Work by Cale Bergh, Outlook HOA Treasurer Just a few months after becoming a board member, we were faced with a request for a hearing. A homeowner had received a fine, and wanted to contest it. I suddenly realized that after living in the Outlook for ten years, I didn't know how our covenant violations process worked. Violations are Identified Violations are identified two different ways. A homeowner files a complaint, or the management company observes a violation during a routine tour of the neighborhood. If the violation is a homeowner complaint, the management company verifies the complaint is a violation of the covenants, and that the violation does in fact exist. If the violation is from the management company, then the board views the violation before a fine letter is sent out. Violation Letters The management company sends a letter to the homeowner notifying them of the violation. If it is the first letter for the violation, it is a notification with a request to correct the violation within 10 days. Fine Letters If the violation a repeat violation, and a letter has been sent out previously for that violation in the past year, then a fine letter is sent to the homeowner. The first fine letter is for $50, the second is $100. These fines are paid into the Outlook's general fund. Hearing Requests If the homeowner disputes the fine or the violation letter, they may request a hearing with the board. They present their case to the board, and the board has to decide if the violation and fines stand, or should be removed. And More... If a homeowner persists in their violations and/or refuse to pay the fines, things can get ugly. Homeowners Associations often have the obligation to file liens and/or lawsuits in order to protect the other homeowners. Nobody likes it when it gets legal, and that's why your board works hard to try and resolve things as early in the process as possible. We aren't the bad guys we're your neighbors with a responsibility. The Outlook HOA Board of Directors President: Vice President: Treasurer: Secretary: Blake Beyea Ren Anderson Cale Bergh Jeff Stamper Members at Large: Carol Bowers Donna Farrell Sharen Trunnell PUBLIC DISCLOSURE OUTLOOK SUBDIVISION Managed by: Vista Management Associates, Inc. 8700 Turnpike Drive, Suite 230 Westminster, CO 80031 303-429-2611 www.vistamgmt.com Covenants for The Outlook Subdivision Recorded 05/18/1987 at Boulder County Sitters, Shovelers and More Send in your credentials, and we'll list you here for free! Whether you are a babysitter, a snow shoveler, a lawn mower, weed puller if you live in the Outlook, we'll list you here and on the website for free! Register on the website at www.outlooknewsletter.com, This issue of the Outlook Newsletter is sponsored by Marc A. Monaco Broker/Owner The Monaco Group Inc. Office: (303) 439-7397 Mobile: (303) 523-5188 m.monaco@monacosells.com A local real estate broker that you can trust, Marc Monaco is an Outlook resident who understands the key selling points of homes in the Outlook. Why use The Monaco Group? Free Professional Staging Services assure you get top dollar for your home. A 89 day guarantee assures you sell quickly. If we don't sell your home in 89 days, we reduce our commission 2% (a savings of up to $6,000 or more) If you are interested in selling your home and would like a FREE Comprehensive Market Analysis of your homes please feel free to contact us. or fax to 303-464-0543. Listings will be per the following example: Babysitting CPR Trained Snow Shoveling Lawn Mowing Weed Pulling Pooper Scooping X X X X X Nam e Phone Susie Sample 303-555-1212 X X Johnny X Sam Sample 720-555-1212 303-303-3030 FREE CLASSIFIEDS Got some cool old stuff for sale? Do you offer excellent services that your neighbors need? List your classified in the Outlook Newsletter for free. How much it costs: Nothing. It's free. How it works: Listings submitted on the website at www.outlooknewsletter.com are listed on the website immediately, and will be published in the next upcoming newsletter. Listings submitted via fax (303-464-0543) will be published in the upcoming newsletter only. Please submit ads two weeks prior to newsletter publishing. (Next newsletter to be published June 1). Outlook Spotlight Do you recognize this house? These Outlook neighbors consistently beautifully groomed - winter and summer. If you think you know which house this is, enter our contest. Go to www.outlooknewsletter.com and click on "Enter The Contest". The winning entry will be randomly chosen from the correct answers, and will receive a $25 Home Depot gift card!