The PINECONE REVIEW
Late Winter March 2005
News and Views from Pine Forest
Weed Control
Controlling noxious weeds is an on-going problem for all of us. Barnaby Thistle and its
relatives and Whitetop are the two most insidious of these invasive weeds. Although there is
considerable concern and rightly so, about the use of chemicals to control these weeds, there
are few other choices in some cases.
Barnaby can be hand-picked by each owner, although this entails quite a bit of work and needs
to be repeated annually to be effective. The weed is so common in the valley, that in spite of
all our efforts it tends to come back. The Forest Service has sprayed many areas around Pine
Forest and so the problem is not as bad as it used to be, but it is not gone completely by any
stretch.
Whitetop is a much more difficult problem and is spreading rapidly. We have checked and there
is no known biological solution. Only careful and EARLY SPRING spraying is effective against
Whitetop.
If you either know that you have a problem or wish Charlie Segale, our Manager to check your
property for these weeds, we ask you to do so quickly, so that measures can be taken this Spring.
His phone number is 509-996-3685.
Water System Loan
We have finally received our long-awaited loan to improve our water system. We will soon be in
the bidding process for the construction phases which we expect will take around 3 months to
accomplish. Work is not likely to actually begin until early August; however, much
behind-the-scenes work will be done in the meantime.
In addition to laying new delivery lines that will replace old and inadequate ones, we will be
adding some storage in anticipation of potential build-out in the future. We will be installing
water meters for homes that were built prior to last year, where meters had not been previously
mandated. The costs for those meters will be billed to individual home owners. At this time,
the cost is not yet determined, but we will have those costs to you as soon as possible, in
plenty of time to prepare. It is safe to say that the cost will not likely exceed $1000;
perhaps less, and we are discussing options to spread the cost over time if necessary. As we
get closer to the actual construction period, we pledge to communicate to all effected about
any disruption to your domestic service that may occur, so that you can make plans. Please note
that for those of you who have given us your e-mail address, this will be an effective way of
communicating with your individual situation.
Dog problems
There have been numerous complaints of consistently barking dogs on the property in the recent
past, so it is time to let each of you know that although dogs are certainly welcome as part of
many if not most of your households – nevertheless their presence is felt by everyone else if
they continually bark and disturb others seeking peace and quiet. So we ask everyone to control
your family pets and restrain them from barking at length.
Ski donations
We wish to thank those of you who contributed to the MVSTA grooming program this last season.
We rose over $1200, which goes a long way to offsetting the grooming costs. This year was a
tough one, especially for trail pass revenues due to the low snow year. Business was off quite
a bit, and so the costs of grooming loom as a much higher percentage of overall management
costs, and our contributions are extremely helpful. MVSTA extends their heartfelt thanks.
Water conservation and water levels
As you can imagine, with the very low snow pack, water levels are lower than normal in our
wells. We must look forward to making every effort to conserve this precious commodity all
year long. Please be thoughtful in your water usage, and make sure you report any problems to
Charlie Segale so that we don’t have leakage situations developing in your domestic supply.
Legal update
For those of you who are following our legal situation with the neighboring proposed
development, Pine Forest continued to prevail in the State Court of Appeals. The proposed
developer has indicated he will carry the appeals process to the State Supreme Court as we
expected he would. We have budgeted for the legal expenses for this action, but the good news
is that the anticipated expenses should be less than in previous years. It is our hope that
this situation will be finalized by year’s end, allowing us to go about our normal business of
managing Pine Forest’s normal affairs.
New Home Construction
As usual this time of year, we remind those of you who have building plans in the near future
to make sure that everything you do will meet the requirements as set up in the Covenants and
By-Laws, and meet the standards of the Architectural Committee. Therefore we ask you to check
the Pine Forest website www.pine-forest.org for rules and restrictions. Charlie Segale, the
manager, is available to answer questions. 509-996-3685 or cksegale@methownet.com
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