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LODGE LOG

Blue Lake Springs Homeowners’ Association APRIL 2018

Blue Lake Springs Homeowners’ Association Spring Event May 5, 2018

Join us for an evening of fun, food, and music!

Appetizers, Sangria and Beer will be available beginning at 6:00 pm.

Dinner to include a variety Mexican food,

Music and Dancing by Sweet Harmony Entertainment

$35 per person

Call 209-795-2357 for reservations.

Payment is due at time of reservation.

Last day for cancelations is May 2, 2018.

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2018 Calendar of Events

Tuesday Evening Bridge Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. Patty Enos 795–3875

Thursday Morning Duplicate Bridge Second Thursdays at 9:30 a.m.

Bev Vasquez 795-1356

Friday Morning Bridge Every Friday at 9:30 a.m. Debbie Kushnir 795-0600

Bridge Lessons 1st and 3rd Wed. at 1:00 p.m.

Bobbie Neely 795-7815

(Please note for all bridge groups,

please call ahead to save a spot)

Mahjong First and Third Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.

Leni Salayko 795-7166

Texas Hold’em: Second Thursday at 2:00 p.m.

(September 2017 through May 2018)

Brian Raley 795-2876

Potluck

Second Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.

(September 2017 through May 2018)

Dodie Raley 795-2876

If there is any member

who knows of someone

who may need a get well

card or sympathy card,

please call the Sunshine Lady,

Sheila Silcox at 209-795-5724

WELCOME HOMEOWNERS

Elizabeth & Michael Jensen

Unit 05

Kenneth & Christi Cushman

Unit 09

T. McAlister & E. Fraser

Unit 13

Lawrence & Christa Dodd

Unit 08

Michele Moreno Unit 03

Alan & Claudia Heckman Unit

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Mitchell &Shannon Lima

Unit 07

Richard Neve & Hema Parmar

Unit 05

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Snowflake Lodge Restaurant is open year round Friday and Saturday nights, to

members and their guests. It is a full service restaurant serving an extensive,

ever evolving menu featuring the finest food on the mountain prepared by Chef

Marc Kirby and his talented team. With a full service dining menu, and a more

casual Lounge menu that requires no reservation, you are sure to find your new

favorite! Although alcohol is not served, you are welcome to bring your own

wine with no corkage fee. Snowflake Lodge always offers complimentary soft

drinks. We hope to see you in the restaurant soon!

For Dinner reservations please call 209-795-2357. Walk-ins will be accommodated as

space allows.

SNOWFLAKE LODGE HOURS:

FRIDAY/ SATURDAY 5:00 pm - 8:30 pm (year round)

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BLS Homeowners,

Happy Spring! Crazy weather continues with late snows followed by warm weather and lots of rain. Never a dull moment with our weather.

As you probably are aware, Blue Lake Springs is looking for candidates to fill the three Board of Directors positions in June. Candidates are required to attend the monthly meetings which are on the third Saturday of the month, either in person or by conference call. It is not a requirement to be a full time resident of BLS and all are encouraged to apply. The deadline to submit an application and resume is April 20th.

The lot on Blue Lakes Springs has finally closed escrow. The closing was delayed due to the removal of many dead trees and inclement weather. The proceeds from the sale will be used to pay off a loan and a portion will be deposited in the Asset Reserve Fund account. One of our main budgetary goals this year is to build up our reserves as they have been underfunded for some time. The March Adams/Stirling newsletter addressed the need for special and emergency assessments by saying, “Too often, prior boards fail to adequately reserve for large-ticket items. They think they are doing everyone a favor keeping dues down by deferring maintenance and skimping on reserves. Doing so means subsequent boards are left holding the bag when the big ticket items fail and special assessments must be imposed on unhappy homeowners”. BLS did not have sufficient funds to cover the extensive weather related damage that occurred last winter. Lack of reserves resulted in an emergency assessment to repair the storm damage. Your Board adopted the revised policy 500A-17 to increase our reserve accounts to 50 percent over an 8 year period to achieve the asset requirement recommended by the Davis Stirling Act, which governs homeowners associations. Adequate reserves should help reduce the need for special or emergency assessments.

We are still slated for a court trial in the lawsuit brought upon a member disputing our assessment policies. The judge ruled against the plaintiff’s Summary Adjudication in March. The trial will be held in early May 2018.

Our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was held on March 22nd. Forty seven volunteers attended the event which included committee members from the Finance, Long Range Planning and Facilities, Events, and V.I.P. These volunteers help make a Blue Lakes Springs a great community. Many thanks to our members who volunteer their time and talents. We truly appreciate all you do.

Be sure to check out all the events that Blue Lake Springs has to offer. There are many activities to enjoy. Our next event will be the Fiesta Party on May 5th which promises to be a fun time with great food, music and dancing. Details are in the Lodge Log.

Chris Gosswiller

President

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VOLUNTEERS IN PREVENTION (VIP)

I'll get right to the point since we are coming into spring and fire season. Hard to believe since there is still snow on the ground in places. For those of you who have questions on what is required for property cleanup and maintenance, I am providing that information. Here goes...

CALFIRE PRC4291 REQUIRES HOMEOWNERS TO HAVE 100 FT. DEFENSIBLE SPACE AROUND ALL STRUCTURES YEAR AROUND.

I am including the information regarding PRC4291Common Clearance Issues for you to read, so you will understand what is required in having your property cleaned, either by yourself or a professional lot cleaner. A list of lot cleaners is available on our website. blsha.com

The VIP (Volunteers in Prevention) program is authorized by CALFIRE and the inspectors are acting as authorized agents of CALFIRE. (PRC 4119).

Our inspection dates will begin the week of May 29th. If your property has not been cleaned by this inspection, you are in violation of the Public Resource Code 4291 and BLS CC&Rs. You will receive a Correction Notice from CALFIRE and you will have 30 days to make the corrections. For those of you who have contracted with a lot cleaner that has not completed the work by the first inspection, you will still receive a correction notice. There will be no exceptions or extensions.

2nd inspections will begin the week of July 9th. At this time, all properties still not in compliance with PRC4291 will be for-warded to CALFIRE. The VIP program has been moved to the Arnold Battalion and is now local. The new Battalion Chief, Andrew Murphy and Fire Captain, Steve Hewlett will be working with us. Now that oversight of the VIP program will be local, there will be increased enforcement of the 100 ft. defensible space requirements by CALFIRE.

If you have not completed your property cleanup per code by the 2nd inspection in July, you will also be in violation of the Blue Lake Springs CC&Rs and subject to the Violation and Fining Policy (see link). Notices will be mailed out to property owners that have not complied with PRC4291 and our BLS CC&Rs.

http://www.blsha.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Violation-and-Fining-Policy-Schedule-of-Fines.pdf

Dead Trees & Logs on the Ground

It is your responsibility as a property owner, to contact PG&E to request to have dead trees on the ground removed. You should have a “Request for Wood Management” from PG&E or some type of contract with PG&E (1-800-743-5000) regarding log removal after the trees have been cut down. You have to be persistent, ask for specific dates for log removal and then follow up. See link to the Wood Management Program brochure:

https://www.pge.com/pge_global/common/pdfs/safety/yard-safety/powerlines-and-trees/Wood-Management-Program.pdf

This program may only be in effect for a limited time.

I have also contacted PG&E regarding this matter and am awaiting their response. A new supervisor has been assigned to the Arnold area. CALFIRE is aware of the magnitude of tree mortality and in the log removal backlog, however, there is a limit to how long the logs will be allowed to remain on the properties if they are not scheduled for removal. This is a violation of both PRC4291 and BLS CC&Rs. If logs pose an impediment to emergency access to your property, this may result in a citation.

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I have just heard from ACRT and from Nathan Holmen, PG&E Vegetation Management that they are projecting to

have all the logs that have been approved of and scheduled for removal, removed by May 31st. Phillips and Jordan

are now in the process of staging the logs along the road sides for removal.

If you have PG&E logs still on the ground and you have not requested to have them removed, it is imperative that

you do so immediately, or they will not be removed, since this is your wood.

Standing Dead Trees

If you have standing dead trees on your property that are not “PG&E” trees, you are in violation of PRC4291 and our

BLS CC&Rs. You need to have them cut down and removed. They are a liability to you and your neighbors

property. If a tree were to fall and cause damage to your or your neighbors property, there is a possibility that your

insurance may deny a claim since you have been notified of the situation on your CALFIRE Notice of Defensible

Space Inspection.

CALFIRE has been receiving requests from insurance companies for verification of PRC4291 compliance before

they will issue an insurance policy on your property. I was not aware of the extent of these requests from

insurance companies until I spoke to Captain Steve Hewlett.

With the recent heavy, wet snows, we have had a lot of the cedar tree tops snap off and a number of the cedars

falling to the ground. There have a few instances of cedar trees falling on a house. This all has to be cleaned up in

compliance to the 100 ft. defensible space. Part of living in the forest.

Blue Lake Springs SRA Grant Money

http://www.blsha.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/SRA-APPLICATION.pdf

There is grant money available for partial reimbursement for the removal of standing dead trees that are not the

responsibility of PG&E. See the link above for the instructions and the application. This grant is effective for a

limited time, so the sooner the better to take advantage of this opportunity. This grant is administered by our HOA.

If, there are questions after you've reviewed the link, please contact the office or Tony Abila, or if there are

questions on reimbursement.

We live in a wildland urban interface (we live in the forest) and it is our responsibility as property owners to

maintain our forest properties in a fire safe manner to avoid a wildfire. This is a year-round responsibility.

Very different than living in a city environment.

Ditches and Culverts

Calaveras County Public Works requires that ditches and culverts that affect or alter water drainage patterns are

to be maintained and cleaned by the property owner. This means bark, needles, branches, and trees. (Calaveras

County Code Section 15.05.260)

https://library.municode.com/ca/calaveras_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?

nodeId=CALAVERAS_CO_CALIFORNIA_MUNICIPAL_CODE_TIT15BUCO_CH15.05GRDROR_15.05.260COWO

A wildfire knows no boundaries. I am asking you, as a conscientious property owner, to have your property

cleaned pin-to-pin.

I know this is a long article with a lot of information and I appreciate all of your cooperation to keep our community

fire safe.

Thank-you,

Jimmy Cooke

BLS CALFIRE VIP Coordinator

PRC 4291 COMMON CLEARANCE ISSUES

• First 30 feet (Defensible Space)

1. Remove all DEAD vegetation (trees. branches, brush, dry grass. leaves. and pineneedles) 30 feet away from all buildings.

2. Remove FLAMMABLE LIVE vegetation, including Mountain Misery/Bear Clover,30 feet away from all buildings.

3. Rake all surface fuels and remove Mountain Misery/Bear Clover.4. Remove all DEAD trees, branches, brush, dry grass, leaves and pine needles on

roofs. porches, decks and in gutters.5. Prune and limb trees 6 feet up, for smaller trees ( i.e. trees under 30 feet) prune

and limb 1/3lhe height of the tree

• 30' to 100' (Reduced Fuel .Zone)1. Remove all DEAD trees, branches, stumps, and brush

2. Remove allsurface fuel, dry cut grass, leaves and needles, greater than 4 inches

in height. Surface fuels under 4 inches are pennissible3. Mountain Misery/Bear Clover, etc. over 4 inches is permissible if trees are

pruned and limbed 15 feet or more.4. In grassland With no trees or brush, grass 18 inches tall is pennissible

5. Small trees (i.e. trees under 30 feet) With Mountain Misery, Bear Clover, etc

underneath, shall be pruned to 50% of the trees height6. Trees and shrubs shall be spaced apart

a. Thin trees and brush to allow healthy growth and survival during drought.

Rule of thumb "an average height person should be able to easily walk

through your property between trees and brushes without ducking".b. As a general guide, shrubs should be spaced apart 2 times the height of the

shrubc. As a general guide, trees should be spaced 10 feet apart

d. As a general guide, on steep slopes (20%-40%) separate trees and brush 20 feet

to 30 feet apart

• Chimneys

1. Remove all limbs within 10' of chimney2. Install a Ya" screen on chimney openings

• Propane Tanks

1. 1O' vertical clearance2. 10' horizontal clearance3. Very-low, well irrigated groundcover is permissible4. Fencing (lattice or solid) is permissible with clearance5. No bum piles within 25 feet

• Woodpiles1. Mova as far as possible from building, trees, and power lines.

2. Clear to bare soil 10' around wood piles

3. If woodpile is within 30' from buiklings or trees; cover with a tarp

(Fire resistive i.e. canvas tarp is preferred)

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From the Manager’s Desk

With summer just around the corner the entire staff is hard at work preparing both Lodge facilities and Fly-In Lake for your summer enjoyment! Make sure you check out the 2018 Summer Recreation Book on our website www.blsha.com. If you would like a paper copy sent to you, please call the administrative office and we will be happy to do so. With the beautiful grounds and amazing recreation calendar – this summer is bound to be fun!

Friendly reminder, with warmer weather the critters such as bears and raccoons will be roaming the neighborhood in hopes of getting into your garbage. To prevent this from happening and to keep our neighborhood beautiful, please make sure that you have adequately stored your household trash. Or better yet, take it to the Avery Refuge Station on your way home. They are open Friday to Tuesday and you can reach them at 209-795-3222.

Please note there are still standing dead trees throughout the development. It is essential that you remove all dead trees that are standing on your property, as these trees can threaten both your home and neighboring homes. If you have any questions about removing your dead trees please contact us.

Another item that has been noted is the excessive advertisement signage throughout the development. These types of signs can become very unsightly and is a violation of the Association's CC&Rs. Article III, Section 1, paragraph 2, Signage; No signs of commercial nature shall be displayed on any property. No more than one "For Rent", "For Lease" or " For Sale" sign of reasonable dimension (as determined by the Association) of job identification sign of a type usually employed by contractors, subcontractors or tradesmen will be permitted. All such signs shall be removed within ten (10) days following conclusion of the construction, sale or other activity. Please make sure that you remove signs once the work has been completed.

Thank you for making Blue Lake Springs Homeowners Association one of the most beautiful and fun places to live.

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Rec Ramblings

For the moment it may be Spring…hummm…..maybe not. This has been the year of really uncertain weather. Even with this in mind it hasn’t stopped us from getting ready for you.

Our annual Job Fair is coming up on Sat. April 7, 10 a.m. to noon. Pass the word; you may like to work or know a friend. We are looking to hire certified lifeguards, rec office staff, lake monitors, summer aides and snack bar staff. Come join our awesome team!

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us and summer is just around the corner. Remember you can download the summer recreation handbook and actually have a copy at home and one at the cabin. Take some time to educate yourselves on adjustments to the Family Pass fee structure, event hours and class times.

Basketball Camp is back by popular demand and you will be pleased to know Coach Tim Lilly will be conducting the class. Also, you can learn to fly fish with Jim Allday, enroll in a Jr. Lifeguard Class, or learn to play tennis. We definitely have something for everyone. Additionally, we are pleased to announce Veronica O’Boy has some creative art ideas for you. Word has it she may even teach an art class!

Please make a note our annual July 4th

Kids Fishing Derby is Saturday, July 7. Our dear friend Bobbie Owens will be in charge of the derby which starts at 6:30 a.m. Those 16 and under may fish. Please remember to carry your HOA member’s card as we will be checking. As a reminder make your reservations early for the BBQ and complete your day at the beach for our BLS Fireworks display.

Each of us here at Blue Lake Springs is looking forward to the summer and we trust you are too. We are happy to be of service and our wish is for you to say, “This was the best summer vacation ever.”

Judith A. Anderson, Summer Recreation Director

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Texas Hold’em Poker for Blue Lake Springs Homeowners and their guests.

All levels are welcome. Age: Adult

Check in 1:30 PM

Location: Snowflake Lodge

Date: 2nd Thursday for the Month

Come join the fun! Reservations required for seating,

email Brian Raley, bplaguna1999@yahoo.com

BEAR TERRITORY

The State of California’s position on this matter is: The bears were here first. Their antics are consid-ered to be a nuisance only, unless otherwise reported, and only under substantial circumstances would they take any aggressive action. The State does not have a trapping program and they do not relocate any animals. Listed are a few tips to stay safe and

Never feed the bears!! Secure all trash (the best storage is the garage) Keep all dog food indoors. Banging on a pot will generally scare a bear away! Secure all windows and window screens.

Blue Lake Springs would like your assistance in keeping the development safe. Should you have an

incident with a bear please report it to the business office at 795-2357. We will continue to notify theDepartment of Fish and Game regarding bear activity.

In case of emergency it is important that BLS be able to get a hold of members. If

you have a current change of phone number or address, please email

your current phone number and address to us at blsoffice@caltel.com.

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POTLUCK 2018

We had a festive St. Patrick’s Day feast in March with so much cooperation from our callers,

Kaaren Babb, Kathy Enea, Anne Evans, Linda Penney, Sheila Silcox, Bev Vasquez, Dana

Weir, Maureen Dinnocenzo and Michele Stahlberg who made the many contacts with

members to attend our March Potluck.

Our kitchen committee, chaired by Sid and Chris Gilbrech, with help from Pauline Kramer

and Jimmy and Louise Cooke, all who did a fantastic job of getting all the dishes out and

keeping the long line moving.

Our 50/50 raffle winner was Patti Tillotson, and guest Jim Walton won the raffle for a gift

certificate for dessert at Blue Lake Springs. Our winners in Bingo were Bev Vasquez

winning Games 1 and 3, Dana Weir winning Game 2, Mike McAtee winning Game 4, and

Sue Pollak and Patti Pollock splitting the Blackout win.

John Vasquez emceed Bingo in fine humor and was assisted in pulling the bingo numbers by

Brian Raley.

Thanks so much to Vernon for keeping us safe and to Thomas, for washing up all of the

potluck dishes.

Looking forward to seeing another big crowd at our next potluck, April 11, “%#&* Taxes!”

bemoaning our hard-earned money being kissed goodbye.

Dodie Raley, Chair

Sue Pollak, Co-Chair

Come join us for Potluck every second Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. from

September 2017 through May 2018. Good food, good people and great times!!!

April 2018

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

Easter Brunch

11:00 am to 2:00 pm

2 3

Bridge 7:00 pm

4

Bridge Lesson 1 pm

Lions 6:00 pm

5

Mahjong 10 am

6

Bridge 9:30 am

7

8 9 10

Bridge 7:00 pm

11

Potluck 5:30 pm

12

Bridge 9:30 am

Texas Hold’em 2:00

13

Bridge 9:30 am

14

15 16

Arnold Angels Mailing

17

Sirs 11am

Bridge 7:00 pm

18

Bridge Lesson 1 pm

Lions 6:00 pm

19

Mahjong 10 am

20

Bridge 9:30 am

21

BLSHA Board 9am M

22 23

Arnold Angels

Fireman Mailing

Bunco 6 pm

24

Bridge 7:00 pm

25 26 27

Bridge 9:30 am

28

29 30

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Administration

General Manager,

Tony Abila

Assistant General Manager

Amber Meyer

Snowflake Lodge Restaurant

Executive Chef, Marc Kirby

Facilities

Facilities Manager, Mark Owens

Summer Recreation

Summer Recreation Director,

Judith Anderson

Assistant Recreation Director

Veronica O’Boy

Security

Vernon Nicholson

Production of the Lodge Log: Blue Lake Springs HOA Staff

Blue Lake Springs Homeowners’ Association

Office Hours

Tuesday-Saturday ~ 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Office Phone: (209) 795-2357 ~ Fax: (209) 795-4438

Email: blsoffice@caltel.com

Post Office Box 712, Arnold, CA 95223

Web Site: www.blsha.com

Snowflake Lodge Restaurant

Friday and Saturday 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Please Call for Reservation (209) 795-2357

Summer Recreation (Memorial Day to Labor Day)

Recreation Office Phone (209) 795-4009

Email: blsrecreation@caltel.com

Board of Directors Meetings

Third Saturday, 9:00 a.m.

Your Association welcomes letters from members and well

publish them in the Lodge Log on a space available basis. If

necessary they will be edited for style and shortened to 200

words. Letters will not be returned to author. Formal policy is on

file at the Association office. Members should request a copy of

the policy If they are considering submitting a Member to Member

Board of Directors

President, Chris Gosswiller

Vice President, Bev Vasquez

Treasurer, Guy Pollak

Secretary, Jimmy Cooke

Director, Bob Podesta

Director, Denny Clemens

Director, Bruce Utter

Blue Lake Springs

Mutual Water Company

Board Meetings: Second Saturday, 9 a.m.

Office Phone: 209-795-7025

Emergency: 209-795-7030

Post Office Box 6015, Arnold , 95223

Office is located next to the Arnold Post

Office at 1011 Blagen Road