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LODGE LOG Blue Lake Springs Homeowners’ Association November 2017
Holiday Brunch
Sunday November 26, 2017
11:00am Mimosas
11:30am-1:00pm Brunch
Menu:
Eggs Benedict
Scrambled Eggs
Salmon Milanese
Roasted Potatoes
Waffles
Bacon & Sausage
Assorted Salads
Orange & Cranberry Juice, Coffee &
Tea
Adults: $25.00
Children (6-10): $13.00
Children 5 and under:
Free
Goody bags will be handed out for Children 10 and under, and Santa will be available for photos!
Reservation Required. Payment is due at time of reservation and members will be charged the
full amount for cancellations after November 23, 2017 as well as no shows. For reservations
please call (209)795-2357
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2017 Calendar of Events
Tuesday Evening Bridge First & Third 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.
NEW OWNERS
Daniel & Kara Floriani Unit 13
Don & Giselle Alexander Unit 10
Adrian Vandervoort Unit 4
Jon Karpilow & Lori Cameron Unit 13
Rupesh & Samantha Garg Unit 11
Colin Fisk Unit 13
Clayton & Melanie O’Connor Unit 9
Monique Vandenberg & Joshua Erbes Unit 9
Steven & Pamela Bischoff Unit 5
Kenneth & Christi Cushman Unit 9
Dale & Vicki Yoshihara Unit 12
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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, 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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Hello Blue Lake Springs Homeowners,
November already and the holidays will be soon be upon us! October was a busy month for all of
our committees! Thank you to the Finance Committee for delivering the 2018 Budget a month
ahead of schedule. The Finance Committee is striving to make our Association fiscally stronger and
has recommended several policy changes to the Board. Details will be forthcoming with the annual
billing. The Events Committee had a great success with the Fall event “A Taste of Broadway”. The
event was a sellout and many people enjoyed songs performed from 23 Broadway musicals.
Upcoming events being planned are the Holiday Brunch which is the Sunday after Thanksgiving and
the New Year’s Eve Party which is always a fun time. Watch the Log Lodge for more details on these
great events. The Summer Recreation Committee met and reviewed our summer activities. Several
changes and recommendations will be made for next summer to make our summer program even
better. The Long Range Planning and Facilities Committee is always reviewing our properties for
current and future usage. Thanks to all our Committee members for their dedication!
The Association continues to receive calls and emails about bear activity in our subdivision, particularly when bears get into trash containers. It is unsightly to see trash scattered about our
community. Unfortunately, the Association cannot force our members to use the bear proof trash
containers. To enforce usage of bear proof containers would take a membership vote. With the
adoption of our Fining Policy in September 2017 we are able to levy fines against those members
who disregard our CC&R’s. We have sent letters to those members who don’t dispose of their trash
properly. Future violations will result in fines. Please continue to contact the BLS Homeowners
Office if you see evidence of bears or other animals getting into trash containers.
At the October Board meeting, the Board tabled the Fire Break Grant Proposal for further research
and development. More information to follow on this subject as questions pertaining to the grant
are answered.
In closing, I would like to thank our Veterans for their service on November 11th, Veteran’s Day.
Also, Happy Thanksgiving to all our members!
Chris Gosswiller,
President
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From the General Managers Desk
ATTENTION MEMBERS,
STANDING DEAD TREES
If you have not done so, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that each homeowner cuts down all dead trees on their property. Any dead tree standing can fall and hit a neighboring home, doing damage and can even be LIFE THREATING. If you have not done so remove your dead trees NOW! I know this seems a little harsh, but there are a lot of property owners who have still not removed dead trees that are now putting other owners and their property in jeopardy.
WINTERIZING
It seems that colder weather is in the near future. Please remember it is very important that you take the necessary steps to prepare your home for the coming winter season. Please visit the Blue Lake Springs Mutual Water Company Website at the following link http://blsmwc.com/tips/winterizing-home/. They give some very helpful hints to winterize your home for the season.
CULVERTS
It is important that you clean out the drain culvert that runs under the driveways. This will help to keep the water flowing in the drainage ditch where it belongs. Last year there was several areas in the development that were over flowing with water due to the culverts not being kept clean. If you do notice that drainage ditch require cleaning, you can call the Calaveras County Public Works Office at 754-6402 and report it. Please also call the Association office so that we can keep track.
Living with Bears
As you may or may not be aware, the Association is having problems with bears getting into garbage, and in some cases homes. This can be very dangerous and annoying to say the least. Please make sure to read the flyer in this month’s Lodge Log regarding bear safety. It gives helpful hints on living with bears.
Thank you, Tony Abila General Manager
If you encounter a bear in your home: Do not approach the bear.
Remove yourself from danger.
When safe, call 911.
Do not block any exits that the bear may use to escape.
Homeowner’s & Renter’s Guide to Living in Bear Country
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
WHEN TO CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFEIt’s not uncommon to see bears in and around communities located near bear habitat. A bear sighting alone is not a cause for concern.
If a bear causes damage to your home or property, contact your Department of Fish and Wildlife Regional Office.
CDFW will provide strategies to make your property less attractive to bears, explain the depredation permit process and may conduct a site inspection.
Remember prevention is always the first step. It’s up to all of us to help keep bears alive and wild for generations to come.
TO REPORT A BEAR PROBLEMContact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife regional office nearest you:
Northern Region (530) 225-2300North Central Region (916) 358-2900Bay Delta Region (707) 944-5500Central Region (559) 243-4005South Coast Region (858) 467-4201Inland Desert Region (909) 484-0167Sacramento Headquarters (916) 322-8911
Alternate communication methods are available upon request. If reasonable accommodation is needed, contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife, (916) 322-8911 or the California Relay Service serving deaf and hearing-impaired residents using TTY/TDD phones, and speech-impaired callers at (800) 735-2929.
IF A BEAR ENTERS YOUR HOME
If you encounter a bear in your yard:Slowly back away. DO NOT approach the bear.
Allow the bear plenty of room to pass or withdraw.
Once you are a safe distance away, encourage the bear to leave by banging pots and pans or making other loud noises.
A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear
Once conditioned to human sources of food, bears will seek them out, creating conflicts with
humans. Attracting bears to urban areas can also increase risk of vehicle collisions, harming
both humans and bears. The bear’s behavior will not stop voluntarily,
and unless the nuisance behavior can be corrected, bears may be killed to ensure public
safety. In order to avoid these deaths, food sources must be removed.
People have a responsibility to the wildlife whose habitat
they are sharing.
Never Feed a Bear!For more information visit,
www.keepmewild.org
Visit your local home improvement store for supplies and information.
Bears are attracted to anything that is edible or smelly. Use the checklist below to help bear-proof your home:
Garbage problems can be solved with the purchase and correct use of a bear-proof garbage container. Save money by sharing one with a neighbor! For bear-proof containers and where to buy them visit www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/products.html.
Wait to put trash out until the morning of collection day.
Don’t leave trash, groceries or animal feed in your car.
Keep garbage cans clean and deodorize them with bleach or ammonia.
Harvest fruit off trees as soon as it is ripe, and promptly collect fruit that falls.
Avoid using bird feeders. They are a powerful attractant.
Don’t leave any scented products outside, even non-food items such as suntan lotion, insect repellent, soap or candles.
Keep barbecue grills clean.
Keep pet food and pets inside.
Securely block access to potential hibernation sites such as crawl spaces under decks and buildings.
Keep doors and windows closed and locked. Scents can lure bears inside.
Consider installing motion-detector alarms, electric fencing or motion-activated sprinklers.
Remove all food from homes and cabins that will be unoccupied for an extended period of time.
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BLS Homeowners,
On Wednesday, November 1st, I had a meeting with PG&E representatives, Jojie Martinez, Contract Vegetation Program Mgr., Wood Mgt., Kelly O'Flynn, ISA Certified Arborist with Phillips & Jordan, Mark Heffley, Area Manager for Phillips & Jordan, Tobi Harvey, and our General Mgr., Tony Abila.
My concerns with the bark in the ditches and alongside our roads were answered by Kelly O'Flynn with his statement that PG&E was not going to remove it. In many areas, the bark has been removed from the ditches and piled up alongside the roads. When we get snow, it will just be pushed back into the ditches by the snow plow. I asked if they would come back to remove it, O'Flynn said “no”. That is when Mark Heffley stepped up and said that Phillips & Jordan will clean up the bark alongside the roads. He later advised me that there would be crews in BLS on November 6th to expedite the bark removal.
On my walk yesterday, I noticed one of the contractors removing logs from the ditches and they were scooping up the bark and putting it on the homeowner property to alleviate leaving it in the ditches. You will be responsible for cleaning this up on your property. That's the way it going to be.
Regarding the logs on your properties.....this is your wood. It belongs to you and not PG&E. If you haven't already contacted PG&E about the wood, you will
need to. There is a program for removing the logs. The information is on our website. The link is below:
https://www.pge.com/pge_global/common/pdfs/safety/yard-safety/
powerlines-and-trees/Wood-Management-Program.pdf
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As I've mentioned before, PG&E Debris Disposal Program was revised as of May 30, 2017. Call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. State that your calling about tree
mortality in Calaveras County. Be persistent, you will eventually get to talk to a real person. If you have any difficulties, contact the following individuals:
Jojie Martine... [email protected]
Kelly O'Flynn... [email protected]
Our HOA CC&Rs require that we keep our properties in compliance with CALFIRE
PRC4291 (100 foot defensible space around all structures). Our Board of Directors has enacted a Violation and Fining Policy for homeowners who do not
comply with our CC&Rs. This policy was published in the October Lodge Log.
You need to start thinking about making arrangements for hiring a lot cleaner for next year to get on their lists. We have a list of approved lot cleaners available on our website that was distributed by the Ebbetts Pass Fire Department. Our first CALFIRE VIP (Volunteers in Prevention) Property inspection will be the week after Memorial Day weekend. If your property has not been cleaned, you will be in violation with our HOA CC&Rs and subject to the Violation and Fining Policy. The only exception will be if you have a contracted lot cleaner scheduled to clean your property according to the
CALFIRE PRC4291 requirements. You will need to notify [email protected] by
the first of May. I will be in the Lodge office on Tuesday's to respond to emails. I am also asking you to be conscientious in cleaning your lots from pin to pin, in
the ditches and alongside the road.
As of now, Gene Miller will be accepting pine needles with NO ROCKS. Once
CALFIRE determines fire safety, they will allow us to burn pine needles.
Call 209-754-6600 for burn info.
If you would like to get involved and be a CALFIRE VIP inspector, please let me know. We'd love having you help us out.
Jimmy Cooke, BLS CALFIRE VIP Coordinator
Taste of Broadway
The Fall Event took place on October 21, 2017 at the Snowflake Lodge. The Community Theater of Linden put on an amazing show, treating our guests to songs from 23 different musicals. Chef Marc and his staff prepared an amazing
dinner that included New York Steak Diane, and a scrumptious New York Cheesecake prepared by Karen. A big thank you to Louise Cooke and Linda
Penney who hosted the event. It was a smashing success!
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POTLUCK 2017 “LET’S GET SPOOKY”
We celebrated “Let’s Get Spooky” for October’s Potluck with one of largest turnouts
ever. We had 84 confirmed guests, and received close to 20 more surprises. A big
“thank you” to our callers Kaaren Babb, Kathy Enea, Anne Evans, Linda Penney,
Sheila Silcox, Bev Vasquez, Dana Weir, and Michele Stahlberg who not only did her
own calls, but she covered for Maureen Dinnocenzo, also.
Our kitchen committee, chaired by Linda and Bruce Utter, with help from Bobbi and
Larry Haskell and Harriet and David Johns, did a fantastic job of getting all the dishes
out and keeping the long line moving.
Our 50/50 raffle went to Kathleen Garmsen, and our Black Out Bingo game went to
Charlotte Hunt and Guy Pollak, who tied. In other games our winners were Chris
Gilbrech and Anne Evans who tied in our first bingo, with Mary Peterson and Chris
Fountain, who tied in our second bingo, and Bernie Tillotson and Dave Ryniec who
tied for our third bingo.
John Vasquez was asked back from a very brief retirement to cover for Kevin Andel
and he was assisted in pulling the bingo numbers by the very handsome Brian Raley.
Kevin will be returning for November’s Bingo. Maybe he will have some stories to
share from his European travels.
Thanks so much to Vernon for keeping us safe and to Thomas, for washing up all of
the potluck dishes (of which there were many).
Looking forward to seeing another big crowd at our next potluck, November 8, “A Time
to be Thankful.”
We love to have the big crowds, but please help us to set up for the crowds by making
sure you and/or your guests have been in contact with your caller. It’s very important
to get an accurate count to set up the room and to plan which potluck dish you will be
bringing.
Dodie Raley, Chair
Sue Pollak, Co-Chair
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Employee(s) of the Month
November 2017
Clayton Stanley, Quinn Stanley &
Mike Tyndell
Maintenance Staff This month we are honoring 3 members of our Maintenance team all
together. This past October, the Lodge hosted a large wedding and would
not have been able to pull it off without the help of these three. All of
them went above and beyond, and even helped in areas that they are not
accustomed to helping in and Management is truly grateful. Great job
guys!
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REMINDERS ABOUT THE SNOW SEASON
The Calaveras County Department of Public Works would like to remind the residents of the
County who live in areas subject to snow accumulation about the basic snow removal policies and
procedures. Snow removal services are provided on approximately 150 miles of County roads.
The State (Caltrans) provides snow removal services on State Highways.
The Calaveras County Department of Public Works has adopted the following policy regarding
snow removal and ice sanding on County maintained roadways.
Snow Depth. Snowplowing operations start when there are 4 inches of snow on the roadway.
Timing and Crowding. Once snow removal operations have begun, the County will continue to
plow snow and push it back to the shoulders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until removal is
completed and in preparation for additional storms. During snowplow operations, a berm of snow
is left in front of all driveways becoming the responsibility of the resident to clear.
Priority. During a storm, main roads that provide access to state highways and minor
connections, as well as school bus routes, have priority over other roads.
Sanding. The County does not sand snow. Due to the financial impact they have designated
certain roads which will be sanded in order to maintain the main traffic routes. These include
school bus routes and major thoroughfares.
Chains. Calaveras County Ordinance No. 2519 requires vehicles to have tire chains or traction
control devices whenever necessary in order for vehicles to maintain traction while operating on
County roads.
Parking Restrictions. Calaveras County Ordinance No. 2154 prohibits parking during snow
removal operations and reads:
“The parking or standing of vehicles on the right-of-way of any county road during snow removal
operations conducted by or on behalf of the County is prohibited. ‘Snow removal operations’ shall
be deemed to be ongoing whenever snow is present on the right-of-way of County road.”
This law provides for all such vehicles to be towed (at
the owner’s expense) so as not to interfere with snow
removal operations and equipment.
Ice. Ice scraping operations are done only in the
daylight hours when the temperatures are sufficiently
high and the snow becomes slushy. Attempts to shave
ice under other circumstances have proven futile and
have the effect of polishing the ice making it even
more slippery.
Do not shovel snow or put snow from driveways in the
roadway as this creates a hazard for other drivers, a
liability for you and is illegal.
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BUSINESS OFFICE
CLOSED
Sat. Nov. 11, 2017 Veterans Day Thursday November 23, 2017
Monday December 25, 2017 Monday January 1, 2018
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Administration
General Manager,
Tony Abila
Assistant General Manager
Amber Meyer
Snowflake Lodge Restaurant
Lodge Operations Manager,
Amber Meyer
Snowflake Lodge 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: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
Board of Directors Meetings
Third Saturday, 9:00 a.m.
Your Association welcomes letters from members and will
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 letter
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