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Road
Update
March
1, 2005
Greetings
Here we go
again, it's March and we are just getting the end of year newsletter out.
And this one is a big one. Look for the following hot items:
- Dues
Statement
- Gate Combo
Change
- Road Directors
Election
- Road Work
- Dues
Increase
Gate
Combinations
The gate
combinations will change on Sunday March 6, 2005. The new combinations
will be as follows:
Front Gate:
****
Big Iron Gate: **** call for combos
Please make
a note.
Front
Gate
We have not
heard many complaints about the front gate recently, although there were
.comments about it being left unlocked during deer season. Additionally
we have heard several complaints of poaching at the Front Ranch and it
has been suggested that poachers were guests of Wickersham Ranch owners.
We have not verified this, but we hope that all Owners are very clear
with their guests regarding the ownership of all property over which the
road traverses. This is regular reminder about use of the Road. Please
share this with all guests and vendors.
- Always
lock the gates, regardless whether it was unlocked when you got there.
- Make sure
the combo is NOT left on the lock or the lock will not lock. Spin the
numbers before locking and test the lock to make sure it is locked.
- Please
advise all of your guests regarding the importance of locking the gate.
- If you
wish to leave the gate open for a car that may be following, please
wait at the gate while it is open.
- Please
advise your guests regarding Road Etiquette including basic driving
methods for rural roads and basic courtesies such as saying Hello and
identifying who they are and who they are visiting.
- Please
advise guests not to litter the area around the gates. (I pick up trash
there almost every time I enter. This is not road trash but it came
from people using the gate.)
- Please
pick up litter and debris that does not belong on the road.
- Please
remove rocks or trees that have fallen onto the road. (If you remove
a large tree or perform other substantial work in keeping the road open,
please advise the Committee so we can say thanks.)
- Please
advise guests that they are traveling over private property and that
they should respect the privilege to do so. It is not appropriate to
stop for sightseeing or personal relief on other's property.
- Please
get permission from the owners of the front ranch to park cars inside
the front gate.
Contact: Dean and Kelly Falkenberg (707) 838-8804 dktfalken@aol.com
For those who do keep the gate locked, the road clean and always have
a smile when passing, thanks from the Committee and from the owners
at the front ranches.
Dues
Due
For those
who have not already sent in their annual Maintenance dues, now is the
time. This year's dues remain at $300.00 per parcel. Please remit per
the enclosed invoice.
I am also
enclosing an overall status of Road Dues accounts in order to offer the
membership a perspective on how much (little) is actually collected each
year and how critical dues are from each parcel. Additionally we have
enclosed a spending report for the 2004 fiscal year.
Dues should
be sent to: Wickersham Ranch Road Association c/o CSS Architecture
1103 Juanita Avenue Burlingame, CA 94010
Recent
Road Work
Recent Work
on the road occurred in November and December and represented the first
segment of our Long Term Maintenance Strategy. This work represents a
current minimum of work for a given section of road for long term maintenance
that will reduce annual maintenance on that section over the service life
of approximately 10 years. Important components of the recent work included:
- The manufacturing
of rock in a suitable mix to bind and stabilize without excessive compaction
and water application (a cost factor)
- Preparation
of adjacent Road surfaces for transport of rock and equipment to he
work sire for the purpose of minimizing damage to other parts of the
road (as well as to road equipment)
- Transport
and placement of rock
- Adjustment
to shoulders to accommodate changes in grade elevation
- Removal
of berms and stabilization of remaining shoulder surfaces.
Additional finish work will be required in spring to trim out the surface
after winter compaction has occurred. This work will occur at an additional
charge.
The recent work on Snot Hill represented approximately 8% of the length
of the Road. Costs were approximately $12,000.
The cost of this work is reasonable both in comparison to previous road
projects and in relation to current construction costs for similar work
in this market area.
Work was performed by: Schmidt Family Garden Service Zack
Schmidt 707 321 1874
Thanks are also in order for the following Owners for their help
in realizing the recent work:
- Art Viramontes
- Peter
Beall
- Dave Schaeffer
Dave provided the excavator used in the quarry at cost and Art and Peter
subsidized the cost of the excavator.
Many thanks from the committee as this kind of volunteer effort helps
us further meet the maintenance requirements of the road. The value
of the Excavator for the period it was used is estimated at $3,000.
Road
Maintenance Strategy
The recent
Road Work was consistent with our long term strategy for road maintenance.
Recall that that strategy includes the following components:
- Avoid
exhausting resources on Regular Maintenance by minimizing yearly surface
grading and water cuts.
- Retain
resources where possible for Long Term capital tasks that will provide
greater durability and reduced regular maintenance costs in the future.
- Define
projects to offer a service life of approximately 10 years. This means
that tasks should be done in such a way that we do not have to do major
work on a particular section for 10 years after a capital improvement
task is performed.
- Long Term
projects shall focus on short sections of the road so that all required
tasks for that section can be completed without requiring additional
work within the service life of that section. This means that we should
perform long term maintenance on sections that represent approximately
10% of the road length in each year.
- Additionally
we should be retaining Maintenance Resources for larger capital projects
as well as emergencies such as landslides or extreme local flood damage.
Road
Maintenance Costs / Dues Increase
The recent
Road Work cost approximately $12, 000. This represented retained resources
from 2003 as well as deficit spending for 2005 (funded by a short term,
no interest loan from CSS Architecture.)
The expenses
of this project alone exceed the annual resource income of the Road Association
which is approximately $10,000. As we have additional sections of road
that need this kind of work next year, we will not have adequate resources
to perform work of this quality or durability.
Alternately
we will have to delay further Long Term work until 2006.
This circumstance
also assumes that we will have little or no retention of resources for
emergencies and that any emergencies will have to be mitigated through
emergency funding and deficit spending.
Additionally
we should expect Maintenance requirements to increase with increased regulation
of water quality and related environmental impacts over the coming years
with the real possibility that we may be required to perform substantial
improvements to the overall road system on a one-time basis. This could
represent a capital expense of up to $250,000 based on my estimates. (Obviously
such an occurrence would cause us to seek supplemental funding via grants.)
Meanwhile,
out Annual Road Dues remain comparatively low not only for the length
of road we maintain (approximately 14 miles) but also in comparison to
the surrounding ranches. Currently annual dues represent a cost to each
parcel of $21.43 per mile of road. Even for the first owners who use only
the Front Ranch road, this represents less than $55.00 per mile.
Since these
small amounts are not currently covering the real costs of maintaining
the road even at the minimum levels we experience, we are recommending
an increase in annual Road Dues to $500 per year.
Based on
this recommendation, and by consensus of the Road Committee constituting
the three signatory requirement for placement of a measure before the
membership, we offer the following for inclusion in the 2005 Ballot:
Item 1
Should the Annual Road Dues be increased from $300.00 to $500.00 for the
purpose of providing required Regular and Long Term Maintenance for the
Road System?
Item 2
Should the Annual Dues Increase, if passed by a majority of voting parcels,
be placed in effect retroactively to include the 2005 Fiscal year?
These items
will be placed on the Road Directors Election ballot to be circulated
in March 2005.
Road
Committee Elections 2005 / 2006 Committee Elections
As all are
aware, Road Committee Membership occurs in two-year terms. The term of
the current Committee has lapsed and we are behind in holding elections.
The current Committee has continued to serve until elections are complete.
The following Owners have expressed interest in serving on the Committee
so far:
- Martin
Dreiling, Parcel 8, 9 (current member)
- Dave Schaefer,
Parcel 5 (current member)
- Gary Martinez,
Parcel 6 (current member)
If you
would like to nominate anyone else for the Road Committee (including yourself)
please send a note (or call) to Carol at:
CSS Architecture 1103 Juanita Avenue Burlingame CA 94010 650 696 1200
If you are
nominating someone, please provide your name and Parcel Number as well
as the Name and Parcel Number of the person you are nominating.
Resources
Ranch
Mailbox wranch@cssanf.com
Ranch
Website "http://www.wickershamranch.com"
Thanks to
Tami Bobb for her efforts in sharing space on her personal ranch site
for our benefit.
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