There is no August 2019 meeting

Even though the May Meeting Agenda showed that there was going to be a meeting on August 3, there will NOT be one.  Sorry for the confusion.

Garbage

While "one man's trash is another's treasure" is often true, sometimes trash is just trash.  I have received some input that a minority of properties in the Last Frontier are becoming unsightly.  One of the benefits of owning property in the Last Frontier is that we don't have any compacts, covenants or restrictions (CCRs).  That means we don't have to worry about the scourge of the urban homeowner's association: the enforcement of appearance-centric rules regarding landscaping, garbage cans, paint schemes, Christmas lights, etc.  But with freedom comes responsibility.  We landowners are responsible for a number of things regarding our community and one of them that we are individually responsible for is keeping our properties from becoming a local nuisance.  Although Catron County has what I consider a terrible solid waste management plan, we still need to contain and dispose of our trash properly.  Obviously, with the high winds that frequent our area, open trash piles are not adequate, and trash needs to be contained in something more robust than plastic bags if it will be stored for any length of time.  In addition, Catron County has an ordinance that can be interpreted as making the dumping of your trash on your own property illegal.  Here is a link to the ordinance:

https://www.catroncounty.us/document_center/Ordinances/2013-2018/ordinance_001-2015_solid_waste_ordinance--new.pdf

For other questions about sanctioned trash disposal procedures, please contact the Catron County Solid Waste Office at


Becky Beebe, Administrative Coordinator
becky.beebe@catroncountynm.gov

100 Main Street
P. O. Box 687
Reserve, New Mexico 87830
(575) 533-6424

Don't freak out if your lot is listed in the previous post

There is at least one mistake in the list of lots that still owe dues.  If you know you paid already, don't worry.  I was trying to generate the unpaid lots list using an automated process, but I didn't take special situations into account.  I'll make sure that the "Past-Due" list that will come out about May 30th is correct.  Sorry for any alarm this may have caused anyone.

Last call for 2019 Dues

The deadline for 2019's dues payments is May 25, 2019 at the Annual Meeting.

The meeting is still at Gabriella Western Town (Larry Iams' Place) but will be held in the Saloon building rather than the Couthouse/Church because of construction work.  The meeting will begin at 1:00 pm and will feature a talk by Sal Zagra regarding the Horse Mountain Fire Department and its relationship with the Community.

For your reference, here is a list of LFLOA lots that have not paid their dues yet (as of May 12th).  Be sure to get your payment in before the deadline to avoid a $30 late fee per lot.

Unit	Lot	Suffix	Status
1	4		Due
1	8		Due
1	9		Due
1	10		Due
1	11		Due
1	12		Due
1	13		Due
1	15		Due
1	16		Due
1	21		Due
1	21		Due
1	22		Due
1	22		Due
1	33	A	Due
1	36		Due
1	45		Due
1	47		Due
1	50		Due
1	51		Due
1	52		Due
1	54		Due
1	56		Due
2	4		Due
2	5		Due
2	7	A	Due
2	8		Due
2	9		Due
2	11		Due
3	29		Due
3	32		Due
3	33		Due
3	39		Due
3	40		Due
3	49		Due
3	51		Due
3	53	E2N2	Due
3	53	W2N2	Due
3	54		Due
3	58		Due
3	59		Due
3	60		Due
3	63		Due
3	63		Due
3	66		Due
4	78		Due
4	81		Due
4	83		Due
4	87		Due
5	90		Due
5	91		Due
5	92		Due
5	94		Due
5	95		Due
5	99		Due
5	102		Due
5	103		Due
5	106		Due

If your lot is listed as due and you have paid recently, let me know and I'll keep an eye out for your payment.

November 2018 Treasurer's Report

November 2018 Meeting Minutes

The Last Frontier Land Owners’ Association held their quarterly meeting in the Western Town of Gabriella on November 3, 2018 at 1:00pm. Brad Hance, Jim McKennon, Bob Nelson, Jim Nelson and Joe Wolford were the Board Members in attendance. Landowners Steve Phillips and Cratie Sandlin also attended. 

A motion to accept the minutes from the August 2018 meeting was made by Joe Wolford and seconded by Steve Phillips.  The motion carried and the minutes were approved.

A motion to accept the agenda for this meeting was made by Cratie Sandlin and seconded by Joe Wolford.  The motion carried and the agenda was approved.

A motion to accept the Treasurer’s report for this meeting was made by Cratie Sandlin and seconded by Steve Phillips.  The motion carried and the report was approved.  The report is included as a separate post.

We normally get our road base material from Double H Ranch through Coy Craig. We would like to explore getting crushed rock from the quarry on NM 12 near the Green Gap junction.  Unfortunately, the owner of the quarry, Dick Wellborn, is difficult to contact by phone. Perhaps someone could contact him by mail or in person to discuss our proposal to buy rock. The A-1 road base that we previously purchased is working well, but too expensive for widespread use. It was put down in front of Sandlin’s place, covering the two turns near Scout’s Drive.  

Is there a standard we try to maintain our roads to? Yes, emergency vehicles must be able to pass (Ambulance & Fire).

Horse Peek wants us to buy road base for Frontier Trail and they want us to pay for one load for every one they buy.  But they insist on A-1 gravel (and its associated high transportation cost). We will offer $500 toward their project and they can get whatever they want.  The Board voted “no” on grading Frontier Trail for Fall (wait to see how winter weather shapes up).

There was a suggestion of locking well access with a combination lock for prevention of unauthorized water use.  Need access for Fire Department.  This proposal was tabled.  We haven’t had any water thefts since we started our surveillance program.

How much water per lot is allowed by bylaws?  Well rules in general?  The Bylaws don’t address a “gallons per lot” water limit.  Our two community wells each are allowed 3 acre-feet of water per year.  This equals about 2 million gallons per year for the whole subdivision.  If you take the total number of lots as 173, that works out to 11500 gallons per lot per year, or 32 gallons per lot per day.  If you’re just staying for the weekend, two 55 gallon drums of water would be a fair amount. If you live in the Last Frontier on a full-time basis, the Bylaws do require that you have your own well installed within two years of becoming full-time.  I don’t recall the Bylaws saying that the well must be producing any minimum gallons per hour though.

Nance well is currently working.  West Well needs to be used regularly to maintain water rights.

Gabriella Church is going to get sheetrock repairs, so might not be available until May.

In order to keep the Board going, we need people who are willing to run for election.  The elections are usually non-competitive (the number of openings typically equals the number of candidates, so getting elected is almost certain).  If we don’t keep the Board going, Catron County will take over road maintenance and raise taxes.

Joe Wolford made a suggestion to increase the amount we keep in emergency reserve. We are going to stay with the current reserve of $4000.

Brad Hance asked about someone to help with filing liens against delinquent landowners. Jim McKennon stated that there is someone located in Reserve that will file liens (for a fee), but didn’t have specific information.

Cratie Sandlin wanted to post the number of permanent residents and mentioned that if we have enough the Fire Station might qualify for a free defibrillator.

Meeting adjourned at 1:45 pm : 1^st  Philips, 2^ndJim Nelson.

Minutes from August 2018 Meeting

Aug 2018 Minutes

Called to order at 1:05pm Gabriella on Aug 4, 2018

McKennon, Hance, Smith, Jim Nelson, Bob Nelson present.  Wolford absent.

Forgot to take roll of audience.

Minutes from May 2018 meeting were approved (motion by Ralph Callaway; 2^ndby Mike Gibbs

Agenda and treasurer’s report approved (motion by Ralph Callaway, 2^ndby Bob Nelson) Attach report.  A-1 charges are not included in report (hadn’t been paid yet) 

Road base from A-1 gravel looks good, but not worth the extra transportation cost.  Makes more sense to use local material and save on transportation.  Nobody can ever get in touch with Dick Wellborn.  Who is in charge of contacting Wellborn? 

Roads look good in general.

Correction to previous wells report: West well still missing a blade

New valves (hose bibs) on storage tanks for both wells.  Surveillance cameras have been installed to monitor wells now.  

Someone is using too much water from Nance well (maybe an outsider)

Hance proposed having regular maintenance scheduled for wells rather than emergency repairs.

Nance well repairs: Bryant Electric invoice read to audience.  Three trips to complete repairs.  Attach invoice (or summarize).  Bob Nelson explains background story (about 19 min in on audio recording).

Liens will be filed against landowners who are three years delinquent.

Get details on how to file, how long they last, etc.

Public shaming (listing names) is not palatable to the Board, but listing delinquent lot numbers may work.

Bob Nelson will remain on the Board, but not as Secretary.  Thanks for his service.  Hance will act as interim Secretary.

Some members can request newsletters by mail.  Web page will be primary means of communication in future

Next meeting Nov 3 at 1 pm Gabriella.  McKennon proposed that we only have 2 meetings per year;  May & Nov.

Listing of Board members with contact information suggested by Sandlin.

What are the rules for changing Bylaws?

Meeting adjourned at 1:43pm (motion by Ralph Callaway; 2^ndby Jim Nelson)

Upcoming Board of Directors Election

I haven't received any new nominations for candidates for our upcoming election, so expect to see Bob Nelson, Merv Smith and Brad Hance on the ballots. I'll keep the nominations open until March 30 to see if we get any late entries.

There are three positions open and we have three incumbent candidates, but it would be nice to get some new people participating in the Association.

If there aren't any other interested candidates, I am still obligated to mail out ballots.  They should be arriving in your mailboxes by April 15, and will include a reminder about the Annual Meeting in May.

Lot for Sale

Posted on behalf of Kris Roberts:

Hello to the members of the Last Frontier Homeowners Association!  

I am reaching out on behalf of my step mother, Carol Evenson, regarding her property in Last Frontier.  Due to failing health (Alzheimers), she needs to sell the property immediately and the family would like to first offer it to any interested neighbors at a rock bottom price (as dictated by the requirements for her Elder Wavier program).     Here are the key details:  

• Last Frontier, Unit I, Lot 55 
• 11.24 acres 
• Names on dead: James R & Carol J Evenson
• Price:  $2,800.00   

Please contact Kris Roberts at 612-387-8957 by February 15th if interested.  Thank you.