Robert Polich, a Frisco man convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Hamilton Creek Metropolitan District, was sentenced to seven years in prison during a hearing at the Summit County Justice Center on Tuesday afternoon……In 2014, Polich was arrested on a similar embezzlement case, in which he stole about $160,000 while working […]
Repeated Vandalism Puts Highlands Ranch Art Encounter Program At Risk (CO)
A program in Highlands Ranch, meant to promote the arts, is having the costliest year in its history – thanks to vandals. Now, the program’s director fears its future could be in danger if more pieces of art are damaged. Read the article…………………………
Gold Canon association, Westover Homes reach settlement (CO)
A trial was vacated last week in the case launched by the Gold Canon Subdivision Property Owner Association against Westover Homes, LLC, in May. The Gold Canon Subdivision Property Owner Association, which was formed to bring suit against the Colorado Springs-based Westover Homes, filed a complaint May 20, alleging Westover Homes had delivered portions of […]
Wildfire ember severely damages condo in Pueblo (CO)
The Pueblo Fire Department says a condo was severely damaged Sunday from an ember from a wildfire. Six agencies battled the wildfire Read the article………………………
Residents evacuated after roof catches fire at Steamboat condominium complex (CO)
A fire at a condominium complex near Steamboat Resort sparked the evacuation of about 30 people on Tuesday afternoon. Just after 2 p.m., Steamboat Springs Fire Rescue firefighters received a report of flames on the roof at the Bear Claw II condominium complex in the 2400 block of Ski Trail Lane. Read the article………………………
Aspen Mountain Lodge fight over HOA board, money goes to district court (CO)
A dispute at Aspen Mountain Lodge has spawned dueling court actions regarding who has control of its funds and homeowners’ association. On one side are developers and brothers Aaron and Michael Brown and their business associate Harris Berlinsky, who are behind three limited liability companies that own 20 of the lodge’s 38 units. Read the […]
NFPA learning from Red Rock Ranch on fire mitigation (CO)
On a day when fire danger is the last thing on the minds of many, a Monument homeowners association helped establish a standard on fire mitigation. The Red Rock Ranch HOA hosted a meeting and community tour for top-ranking officials from the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado State Forest Service and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) […]
Marriott opposes $2.6M settlement between Ritz owners, Aspen condo association (CO)
The Aspen Highlands Condominium Association and timeshare owners at the Ritz-Carlton Club have reached a $2.6 million settlement agreement over a disputed affiliation with Marriott Vacation Club Destinations, but not if the hotel giant can help it. Read the article……………………..
It’s complicated: S’mass officials, locals struggle with vacant condo (CO)
In the 1300 building of the Creekside Condominiums in Snowmass, there is a unit that does not look like the rest. “Harmful hazardous conditions exist,” a sign taped on the unit’s door says in all caps, hanging next to a piece of fire line caution tape. “Do not enter this Creekside unit without contacting the […]
Power struggle at Aspen Mountain Lodge lands in district court (CO)
A power struggle at an Aspen lodge has prompted a bank to freeze its financial accounts and seek a judge’s clarification on whom should be able to access the operation’s money. Read the article…………………………In the meantime, checks have bounced to employees and vendors of Aspen Mountain Lodge, a 38-room condominium-hotel on the 300 block of […]
What Management Companies Can Do About Check Fraud (CO)
A local banking institution recently issued a warning that thieves have been targeting landscaping companies in the Front Range, stealing checks from their mailboxes. The checks are then deposited with forged signatures and/or the checks are reprinted for additional fraudulent transactions. Once the account number on the check has been compromised, the account must be […]
Meetings weigh funding options for Briargate Special Improvement Maintenance District (CO)
The first of four community town hall meetings designed to find budget solutions for the Briargate Special Improvement Maintenance District received mixed reviews from residents. Read the article………………………..
Robert Polich pleads guilty in Hamilton Creek embezzlement case (CO)
Robert Polich, a man accused of embezzling more than a half-million dollars from the Hamilton Creek Metropolitan District, pleaded guilty to charges of theft and embezzlement of public property during a hearing at the Summit County Justice Center on Tuesday morning. Polich, 66, served as the system administrator between 1995 and 2015 at the Hamilton […]
‘This loan was not normal’: Chinese nationals who invested in Vail condo project sue developer, lender (CO)
Condo project Solaris claims on its website to be “Vail’s premier address.” But 13 Chinese nationals who put up millions toward the project see it somewhat differently, saying they invested in “a Roach Motel designed to extract value from foreigners.” The phrase appears in a lawsuit filed by the individuals Wednesday against Solaris developer Peter […]
Centennial lawsuit still has legs after appeals court ruling (CO)
The Colorado Court of Appeals this month affirmed a lower court’s ruling in the case brought by the owners at the Centennial apartments in Aspen, who are grappling with issues related to water intrusion in their buildings. That ruling tossed out most of the claims in the homeowners’ lawsuit but keeps alive an argument that […]
Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood votes against dropping its name (CO)
Property and business owners in the Stapleton neighborhood, named after a Denver mayor who was once a Klu Klux Klansman, have opted against nixing the title. Of the nearly 3,600 people who cast ballots in a referendum held by the Stapleton Master Community Association, about 65% voted to keep the name, according to results posted […]
Aspen woman sues housing authority over keeping her deed-restricted condo (CO)
An Aspen woman has filed suit against the local housing authority, arguing its board of directors exceeded its jurisdiction and abused its discretion when it voted last month to force her to sell her unit for not complying with the rules. Read the article……………………….
Incumbents reseated in Lazy KV election (CO)
Two incumbents were reseated on the board of the Lazy KV Homeowners Association (HOA) Saturday, Aug. 3, following the airing of contested election issues that played out on Facebook and other social media platforms. Read the article………………………
Residents Go 9 Days Without Power In Middle Of Summer Heat (CO)
It’s been nine days without power for dozens living in Denver’s Bowling Green Condominiums. Those with no choice but to stay, aren’t sure they can continue to take the heat. Read the article………………
Compromise in the works in the Castle Pines water controversy (CO)
A month after a water conflict inside one of Colorado’s most beautiful and exclusive communities, it appears the two sides are nearing a resolution. Back in June, a Contact7 Investigation uncovered the sale of pristine Castle Pines Village drinking water to a construction company that was dumping the water on dirt in neighboring Elbert County. Read […]
Residents fight to ensure greenway preserved in new Longmont subdivision (CO)
Residents along Heatherhill Circle in the new Somerset Meadows subdivision in southwest Longmont were shocked when they awoke Tuesday morning to find a backhoe digging up the small stream that supports a greenway butting up to their properties. By the end of the day, roughly 30 square yards of the greenway were leveled. Having not […]
Housing board kicks Aspen woman out of deed-restricted condo for non-compliance (CO)
After a somewhat heated exchange with the Aspen-Pitkin County Housing Authority board about whether she qualifies to live in her deed-restricted condo, Sonya Bolerjack was told this week that she must sell and move her family out of the unit because she failed to prove she works the required amount of hours in the community. […]
JeffCo homeowners turn to Problem Solvers amid neighborhood rat infestation (CO)
A neighborhood rat infestation in the Littleton area has homeowners turning to the FOX31 Problem Solvers after they say their HOA has not done enough to help. The infestation has been reported along West Berry Avenue near South Simms Street and West Bowles Avenue. Rick Foster and Steven Moore, who own a home in the […]
Judge halts further construction by Westover Homes, LLC (CO)
A district judge issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday, halting any further construction by Westover Homes, LLC, in the Gold Canon Subdivision until the matter goes to trial in July. The Gold Canon Subdivision Property Owner Association, which was formed to bring suit against the Colorado Springs-based Westover Homes, filed a complaint May 20, alleging Westover […]
Castle Pines announces water manager has left as residents demand answers (CO)
After our Contact7 Investigation revealed water from Castle Pines was being sold and shipped to construction sites for dust mitigation, the Metropolitan Water District announced the manager is no longer employed there. Over 30 residents attended a meeting Monday night. They learned 7 million gallons of their drinking water was not sold to a community […]
Colorado neighborhoods using license plate readers to reduce crime, raising privacy concerns
It’s not your typical neighborhood fixture, but people who live in the Bel Air Estates in Aurora believe the two towering light poles that stand watch over the entrance to their community will help keep it safe. Read the article………………………….“It’s the world’s first tool built for neighborhoods to solve crime,” said Garrett Langley, Founder and […]
Lazy KV Estates complaints ‘real’, contractor says (CO)
Following two successful court proceedings and a recent request to enforce a court order resulting from the second suit, Chester Havens Sr. and Chester Havens Jr., contractors living in Lazy KV Estates, call any defense of the subdivision’s HOA “bull.” The court documents from the lawsuits and the recent report of a violation of the […]
Concerns raised over mosquito spraying in Longmont area neighborhood without notice to residents (CO)
A mosquito spraying operation Tuesday night in an unincorporated Weld County neighborhood, just outside Longmont city limits, prompted one man to raise concerns about why he and his fellow residents weren’t notified in advance of the fogging. Meanwhile, the company in charge of the fogging said it was a precautionary measure based on the number […]
Golden eagles survive amid suburbia of Highlands Ranch, thanks to preservation of natural habitat (CO)
The clumped-together housing with bigger green space has led to coexistence with wildlife, including elk herds. Coyotes are common close to homes. Several bears and a few mountain lions are observed each year using 20 remote-controlled cameras. The golden eagles survive largely because “they have a 13-square-mile healthy ecosystem where they can hunt,” Giebel said. […]
Parker HOA asks neighborhood to give up 4th of July fireworks out of respect to STEM students (CO)
Residents with pets and those who care for the well-being of veterans with PTSD bring up the trauma that fireworks can have on their loved ones, but a recent letter from an HOA to residents in one Parker neighborhood have some divided over what should be done. Read the article……………………
Castle Pines residents irked after 7M gallons of aquifer water pumped, shipped to Elbert County (CO)
……So, it made little sense to Schofield and other neighbors here that for months, huge water tankers were pumping out that precious resource from a village hydrant on Happy Canyon Road six days a week – with each truck making up to 10 trips a day for four months. Read the article……………………
Access to Conejos River denied by homeowners and association (CO)
In yet another saga of members of a homeowner’s association has emerged. This time in Horca, 17 miles west of Antonito in Conejos County. Read the article…………………..
EDITORIAL: Private Roads, Part Three (CO)
I attended a public presentation on Wednesday evening, put on by local non-profit housing organization Pagosa Housing Partners (PHP). The organization has begun recruiting homeowners who have vacant bedrooms and who might be willing to make one or more bedrooms available to a member of our community’s work force, on a short- or long-term basis, […]
EDITORIAL: Private Roads, Part One (CO)
At the conclusion of their regular meeting yesterday afternoon, June 18, the Archuleta Board of County Commissioners — Ronnie Maez, Steve Wadley and Alvin Schaaf — came out of an executive session and voted unanimously to enter into a lawsuit concerning a Timber Ridge subdivision road known as Bristlecone Drive. The commissioners specifically requested County […]
Starwood HOA seeks $3.4 million over stalled home project (CO)
The owner of property in a gated neighborhood faces as much in fines for not completing his home as it would cost to buy a modest home in Aspen or a fleet of Range Rovers. Then again, the home has taken longer to build than the four years it took to construct the Golden Gate […]
Northeast Boulder condominiums without water for more than week (CO)
Two condominium buildings in northeast Boulder have been without water for more than a week after a main line break. Residents living in the four-story Stratford Park West buildings at O’Neal Parkway and 30th Street were notified May 28 of the break and told the water would be shut off until May 30, but water […]
BGPOA lawsuit heads to court (CO)
Last month, Baca Grande Subdivision resident Bayardo Reno Sandy filed an answer to a lawsuit entered into court records in November 2018 by the Baca Grande Property Owner’s Association (BGPOA). The court ruled on his answer Tuesday, denying Sandy’s motion to dismiss the case on the grounds it has already been filed in federal court. […]
The people of Stapleton will vote on changing the neighborhood’s name — but only the property-owning people (CO)
Stapleton property owners this summer will get a chance to vote on whether to rename the neighborhood — the latest chapter of a years-long debate over whether keeping it upholds a racist legacy. The Master Community Association is putting finishing touches on a referendum asking if the Stapleton name should be legally removed from a […]
Suit: Hyatt Grand Aspen timeshares dropped in value (CO)
More than 560 owners of fractional units at the Hyatt Grand Aspen have seen their timeshares drop in value because of underhanded dealing by Hyatt Hotels, Interval Leisure Group and Marriott Vacations Worldwide, among other entities. That’s part of the accusations made in a complaint filed by G.A. Resort Condominium Association, which has levied 13 […]
Judge removes man from condo board after lawsuit, citing threats and racism (CO)
A judge last month barred the man who developed the North of Nell condominium complex at the base of Aspen Mountain from serving on the property’s board of directors for three years and ordered him to have no contact with any of its employees, citing his history of threats and anti-Semitic and sexist comments. The […]
Manager Licensing Continues for at Least One More Year (CO)
The long awaited passage of HB19-1212 occurred late Friday evening, May 3, 2019, as the session wound down. The final version of HB 19-1212 recreated the manager licensing program for one year. In addition to the one year extension, a stakeholder committee was formed to make recommendations for future revisions to the law. The stakeholders, […]
Springs discrimination? HOAs can avoid proposed dwelling law, others can’t (CO)
Outlying neighborhoods that are organized as state-registered HOAs (Homeowners Associations) will be able to stay R1-single-family if City Council adopts an ADU law for Colorado Springs, but older neighborhoods closer to downtown will be forced to change to de facto R2-two-family zoning whether they want to or not. This will in effect create two unequal […]
New Flying W Ranch fence irks Mountain Shadows (CO)
A new wildlife fence under construction surrounding a portion of the Flying W Ranch is drawing concern and criticism from residents in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood, where 346 homes and the Flying W Ranch itself burned in 2012’s Waldo Canyon Fire. Read the article………………………
Jury exonerates Vail property manager in defamation suit (CO)
A Vail Valley property manager was wrongly accused, and the people who falsely accused him lost a defamation case. After a two-week trial, a jury awarded Dale Bugby $150,000 — $50,000 each from the three people named in the defamation lawsuit: Barry Coleman, his wife Jan Coleman and Brian Wilson, a board member with the […]
Hoevers resigns as manager of BGPOA (CO)
Amidst questions surrounding unaccounted for finances, which have remained unanswered since 2014, the most recent Baca Grande Property Owners Association (BGPOA) general manager, Ayla Hoevers, resigned last week. No official resignation notice regarding Hoevers or employment notice for a new director has been posted to the BGPOA official website as of press time. BGPOA board […]
Rockrimmon residents question neighborhood paving, development (CO)
Repair work made to streets on the south side of Vindicator Drive between Safeway and Eagleview Middle School has residents questioning the City of Colorado Springs’ paving and development priorities. According to Rockrimmon resident Joe Pelka, the City began repairing and resurfacing the streets prior to the holidays, having removed and replaced existing asphalt with […]
Lakota Canyon Golf Course owners file Chapter 11, but golf season still a go (CO)
Warrior Acquisitions LLC, owner of New Castle’s Lakota Canyon Golf Course, is currently undergoing a reorganization and leadership changes after the company and its affiliates filed for Chapter 11 relief earlier this month. Lakota Canyon Ranch Homeowners Association Board President Mark McDonald said the clubhouse and golf course will continue to operate this season, and […]
Whoop! There It Is: The Manager Licensing Bill (CO)
Over the last year, lots of industry professionals were wondering what would happen with manager licensing and whether it would actually sunset on June 30, 2019. Many predicted new legislation would be introduced in 2019 extending the CAM program, with perhaps a few tweaks. For those of you who predicted new legislation, you were correct. […]
Colorado keeps allowing developers to tax homeowners for infrastructure — and it’s out of control
Every year our local Colorado elected officials give millions of dollars of taxing and bonding authority to developers without blinking an eye, leaving many unsuspecting Colorado homebuyers paying the bills for decades. And those bills are steep, at times crippling, adding up to more in property taxes for the roads, water, sewer and parks in […]
Schrader: Colorado keeps allowing developers to tax homeowners for infrastructure — and it’s out of control
Every year our local Colorado elected officials give millions of dollars of taxing and bonding authority to developers without blinking an eye, leaving many unsuspecting Colorado homebuyers paying the bills for decades. Read the article………………………