Good afternoon Pine Creek Village Homeowners!

We have some tree updates for the community, which we thought would be best conveyed by getting the word out as far as possible!

PCVA COMMON AREA TREE REMOVAL/DEAD TREES: The Grounds Committee and Board of Directors has coordinated the removal and stump grinding of over 115 dead trees in the community common area in 2021. The Grounds Committee is actively auditing any additional dead trees in the common area with the arborist to determine what is left to be removed and to obtain pricing for this additional phase of removals.

PCVA COMMON AREA TREE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM: The Association has contracted with Tall Timbers to perform routine pruning/trimming, insect and fungal spraying, and health monitoring of every tree in Pine Creek Village's common areas. This is an astounding amount of trees to care for, and this program is intended to ensure that all of the beautiful trees in Pine Creek have every chance at thriving. If you notice a common area tree in need of trimming, please submit a Work Order Request via your online homeowner portal, and Tall Timbers will trim it up during their next routine visit!
Portal login:  https://portal.ehammersmith.com/home_v2/login

PCVA COMMON AREA TREE PLANTING: The Grounds Committee and Board of Directors coordinated the planting of 77 new trees throughout the community. While that is A LOT of trees, the Association still plans to plant more in 2022, working within the 2022 budget.

HOMEOWNER TREES: There are many dead trees on the lots of respective homeowners in the community in which they are responsible for the removal of; if you notice a dead tree on your property, please submit a complete Design Review Request via your online homeowner portal. Once received, the Modifications Committee will review your request. A complete request would include:

1. A signed, completed "DRR" form
2. An image of the dead tree from streetview (or, if in backyard, from the house-view)
3. Specifications of the proposed replacement tree. Please select options from the Appendix A, Plant Materials Palette for all new trees.

IS MY TREE REALLY DEAD? This is such a valid question! Trees are an important and substantial part of any property and landscape. It is never an easy choice to remove one, especially if there are still leaves here and there. The Association's arborist has advised that if a tree is mostly bare branches, with sparse leaf-out activity and/or shooters or suckers stemming from the base of the trunk, this tree is on a spiral of decline that is unlikely to reverse. If in doubt, have an arborist confirm for you, expertly. 

*Please refer to section 4.13 of the Community Guidelines on more complete information concerning trees in yards and street-trees. Please preemptively attend to the dead trees to ensure you do not receive a courtesy notice from the HOA asking you to remove and replace it. We have had questions regarding an arborist discount program for Pine Creek homeowners; however, this is not possible at this time. Homeowners are encouraged to utilize the arborist and nursery of their choice when performing work on their respective properties.  We hope everyone is having a wonderful summer, and please reach out to us should you have any questions or concerns. 

Sincerely,
Hammersmith Colorado Springs Office on behalf of PINE CREEK VILLAGE ASSOCIATION
(719) 389-0700 | eHammersmith.com

Are you interested in helping Pine Creek Village Association (PCVA) continue to maintain its fiduciary responsibility to be fiscally responsible, maintain the community, and preserve home values?
  
The PCVA Board has two of five positions to fill this year.  PCVA residents who are interested are encouraged to submit a short biography describing who you are, how long you have been a PCVA resident, and why you are seeking a Board position; limit bio to one-half page in length.  Send your bio to our Community Manager at PineCreek@ehammersmith.com not later than 5:00 pm on Wednesday, October 27, 2021. Per the PCVA governing documents, “Candidates for director positions, who may also self-nominate, must submit their written application no less than 20 days prior to the meeting at which the ballots are counted.
 
Ballots containing information about all nominees will be mailed to each PCVA resident for the annual meeting. All nominees for the PCVA Board of Directors must be a homeowner living in Pine Creek Village with all accounts in good standing and in full compliance with the established PCVA Director Conflict of Interest Policy (https://www.pcva.org/uploads/7/8/8/7/78875826/pcva_director_conflict_interest.pdf ).
 
PCVA is led by volunteers at the Board and Committee levels, and November is our annual election period.  The annual election is held in conjunction with our Annual General Meeting on November 17th where we review the year's activities, highlight the upcoming year's plan, and approve next year's budget.
 
Board member duties include attending the monthly board meetings, conducting business via email coordination, and attending other meetings as necessary to address the day-to-day operations of the PCVA in accordance with Colorado Law and the PCVA governing documents to help guide the community financially and physically.
 
Please consider your time availability and interest in serving as a volunteer in PCVA.  We encourage you to learn more about the HOA and community leaders before making a decision.  Please see www.PCVA.org for more on our community.
 
Sincerely, 
The Board of Directors 

Whether children walk, ride their bicycle or take the bus to school, it is vitally important that they – and the motorists around them – take proper safety precautions.

Walkers

• Walk on the sidewalk; if there is no sidewalk and you must walk in the street, walk facing traffic
• Before crossing the street, stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming
• Never dart out in front of a parked car
• Parents: Practice walking to school with your child, crossing streets at crosswalks when available
• Never walk while texting or talking on the phone
• Do not walk while using headphones

Bike Riders

• Always wear a helmet that is fitted and secured properly
• Children need to know the rules of the road: Ride single file on the right side of the road, come to a complete stop before crossing the street and walk the bike across
• Watch for opening car doors and other hazards
• Use hand signals when turning
• Wear bright-colored clothing

Bus Riders

• Teach children the proper way to get on and off the bus
• Line up 6 feet away from the curb as the bus approaches
• If seat belts are available, buckle up
• Wait for the bus to stop completely before standing
• Do not cross in front of the bus if possible, or walk at least 10 feet ahead until you can see the other drivers

Drivers, Share the Road

• Don't block crosswalks
• Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, and take extra care in school zones
• Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians
• Never pass a bus loading or unloading children
• The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them to safely enter and exit the bus

Read more tips at www.nsc.org/home-safety/seasonal-safety/back-to-school

Pine Creek Village has several school bus stops throughout the Community, so let’s all work together to make school bus transportation safer for everyone by following these practices:

• When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school.
• When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch out for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking of getting there safely.
• Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in neighborhood.
• Watch for children playing and congregating near bus stops.
• Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
• Learn and obey the school bus laws in Colorado, as well as the "flashing signal light system" that school bus drivers use to alert motorists of pending actions:
  • Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.
  • Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.

(courtesy of nhtsa.gov)