Snow Plowing Contract

Hi neighbors--
I hope everyone has stayed warm and safe this past week. It looks like we may have another storm coming in this week, and just wanted to share with you a little information about what is going on with the snowplowing.

As you may know, Lone PIne Spur resident Neal Keiper/Subsurface Contracting and his employee Abe Sanchez have been responsible for plowing ARR and LPS for the past several years, offering quick early morning service when we got 6" or more and a "good neighbor" rate of $300 per plowing. Last fall, Neal notified the board that he would continue to plow for winter 2010/2011 but after that would like us to find another contractor, although he does plan to continue as our primary road grading service if we wish.

Following the big snow in late December, however, Neal revised his "retirement" plan to be effective immediately, and the board has spent the month of January searching out new snowplow contractors and soliciting bids. We did not have anyone in place for the snowfall of last week, but luckily we did not get more than about 6".

We finally received three bids, ranging from $600 to $1500 per plowing on ARR and LPS.

We have settled on Ken Blake of Santa Fe Dirt Works, at a price of $600 for ARR and LPS. He lives in Eldorado which means we will have a quick response. He has also offered prices for the side roads, and that information will be shared with the residents of each of the side roads with the understanding that, in the event of a snowstorm when Ken is plowing in the neighborhood, they would need to make a separate call and make their own payment arrangements based on the bids he provided. ARPOA will only be responsible for paying for ARR and LPS, as always.

Plowing will be done on an on-call as-needed basis, and considering the cost we will stick with 5-8" as the minimum before we call. Again, residents of the side roads will need to make independent arrangements with him; your bids and contact info will be provided in a separate e-mail.

Also, please be aware that one resident has voluntarily chosen to plow the road when as little as 3" has fallen; he has rejected efforts on the board's behalf to formalize an arrangement with ARPOA and thus is not covered by the ARPOA insurance policy in the event of damage or accident. He also does not contribute dues. While many residents may appreciate his quick efforts at clearing the road of small snowfalls, his plow does tend to leave a layer of snow which quickly becomes packed and, in the event of lasting cold temperatures, frozen as well. Ken will use a commercial plow which will scrape closer down to the road surface without disturbing that surface. Ken will also be clearing the paved entry to our road and the mailbox area, two trouble spots which we are urging the NM DOT to take responsibility for (considering it is the state's property, not ours).

FYI, We are meeting with the DOT later this week to further discuss state action on the entry, including rehabilitating the buried culvert that runs underneath our entry, maintaining the bar ditches at the entry and including our entry when crews plow and cinder OLVH.

Thanks for your time and attention...and please remember to send your 2011 dues! The next newsletter will go out in March and will have a brief recap of this message for those residents who are not on the email list. Your comments and input are appreciated, as always.

Candelora

PS Casey Ryan of Lone Pine Ridge is available for driveway plowing; his number is 699-5068. Chris Mosconi is also available at 474-8448.

Stay warm, and please remember to drive with care on the road while it is snowpacked; it is still very slippery.

Candelora Versace, Apache Ridge Property Owners Association
ARPOAboard@gmail.com ~www.arpoa.blogspot.com
2011 Board: Candelora Versace, Kristin Ryan, Gustav Kocsis, Michael Jerry, Tim Davis and Booth Gallett
ARPOA, 44 Apache Ridge Rd, SF NM 87505