MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SHERIFF’S POSSE COMMUNITY

ROAD IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE DISTRICT BOARD

May 18, 2023, 5:00 P.M.

1.) The meeting was called to order at 5:00 P.M. In attending were Shanen Lacy, Laura Ross, Randy Loemker, and five other community members.

2.) Randy reviewed the FY23 YTD financials.  We’ve collected almost all of the budgeted tax revenue for the year, and anticipate receiving the rest by fiscal year end (6/30/23). Thanks to volunteer efforts, snow plowing expense was $1,400 under budget. Landscape was $1,300 under budget, and road maintenance was over budget by $163 (which was taken from the $1,000 contingency reserve).  The result is an anticipated year-end surplus (carry-over) of $4,246.

3.)  Reports by Randy and Laura of snow-plowing solutions for next winter centered on two possibilities: volunteer effort either combined with paid service by Luis Rojas or combined with paid service by Dan Brutinel.  Randy asserted that the latter worked quite well last winter.  Both are rendered much more feasible by Randy’s assessment that Leon Dame, when he’s here, will continue to plow from his house down at least to the intersection of Weekes Road and Hawk Road.

      Consensus was that favorable factors in making the final decision are:

        a) An hourly rate, with perhaps a minimum per deployment.

        b) A commitment that we’d be #1 or #2 on the schedule.

        c) A written agreement to help to lock in the commitment.

        d) Recognition that it’s more than just plowing.  There’s manual work required to spread salt and cinders, chip ice, moving rocks, etc.

        e) Multiple machines, as backup in case of failure

        f)  Flexibility.  Arrival of snow is unpredictable, often necessitating multiple deployments, and volunteer efforts will vary.

        Randy will follow up by talking to both Luis and Dan to obtain information for a final decision at a later meeting. Success will also depend upon Board communication to home owners of the challenges of the job, the unpredictability of the results, and the need for preparedness by the homeowner for possible periods of shut-in.  Homeowners will also need to make their own arrangements with the contractor for their individual driveways.

4.)   Discussion of road maintenance touched on the items in the minutes of 5/16 as well as the “v” depression on SPT near the Weekes intersection, but ultimately focused on three big items:

     a) The spring at SPT & Gentle Breeze must be remediated this year. Randy proposed a two-step approach.  First, do a deep cut alongside SPT and install some drainage pipes without actually cutting up SPT, for a cost of around $2,000 in the hope that monsoon rains will demonstrate where the water emerges and whether tins fixes it. This, added to an $8,000 repaving, could be a low-cost solution.  If monsoon rains fail to demonstrate that this is a fix, we’d proceed to a french drain at an estimated cost of $15,000 (possibly with blasting).

     b) The depression, cracks, and possible spring at the intersection of Weekes and Hawk.  This can likely be handled with a thick patch and chip seal, at least temporarily, for a cost of $5,000.

     c)  Butterly Ridge Road, which needs major hot-asphalt crack repair and shoulder bolstering.  This could cost $10,000, aiming to hold off a complete chip seal or repaving till that can be negotiated as part of a district-wide project.

5.)  A proposed budget was constructed with the road maintenance issues discussed above budgeted at $40,000, a portion of which will come from road reserves, and the rest from a bump in the tax levy.  This proposed budget was approved unanimously and will be found on the notice and agenda for a public hearing scheduled for June 8.

6.) A call to the public added no additional items

7.) The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 P.M.