New Management Selected

The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the selection of MSI as our new management company effective August 1, 2011.  This decision to change management companies was made for several reasons.  Shortly after the new Board was elected in January, the Board Members held a series of meetings with Dorman Real Estate to discuss the service we were receiving from them in comparison to the service we received from McGinnis Property Management (the predecessor to Dorman).  Dorman Real Estate since the time they took over from McGinnis was only providing our HOA with accounting services.  This did not comply with the contract that was transferred to them when they took over from McGinnis, which provided our HOA with a higher level of management services for the same cost.  When the Board requested for Dorman to fulfill the additional management services stated in the contract, Dorman admitted that they did not have the resources to fulfill the McGinnis contract, nor the experience to fully manage an HOA, as we were the only HOA they managed.

Dorman's response to our repeated requests to provide the services as stated in the contract was to insist that the Board sign a new contract with them at a $125.00 per month price increase for the accounting services alone, and if the HOA required additional management services, the cost would have been substantially higher.  The Board decided at this point to investigate other management companies and compare their services and costs.

After carefully analyzing our Association's needs the Board interviewed multiple management companies and selected MSI because they have the knowledge, experience, motivation, other HOAs recommendations and resources to help make our community a better place.  In the short amount of time they have been acting as our management company, they have already helped us get back into good standing with the Secretary of State for the first time since 2003 and have already provided the Board with substantial guidance; including giving us a detailed list of the essential documents that we must develop, publish and maintain in order to put our HOA in good legal standing with state and federal guidelines.

In addition to taking care of the accounting, MSI will actively pursue late HOA dues, oversee the work done by contractors, publish semi-annual newsletters to keep our owners informed, hold our Annual HOA Meeting, prepare minutes for quarterly Board of Directors-only meetings, help the Board in the completion of projects, and enforce our rules and regulations.

Due to MSI's encompassing role in managing our Association, which provides the enforcement of our rules and regulations, the Board decided we did not need a duplication in management services and terminated our contract with the on-site property manager, John Moore.  This decision was not easy as John did an excellent job and went above and beyond to make our community better.  We have high hopes for the future of our community now that we have a qualified partner in MSI.

Automatic Assessment Withdrawal

MSI is pleased to offer an alternative method of payment to all homeowners, where your assessments are automatically deducted from your checking account and transferred electronically to the Association.  Enclosed is the ACH form needed to take advantage of this payment option.  If you would like to use this service, please complete the form and mail it with a voided check to our offices.

You will receive a coupon book in the mail prior to the initiation of ACH (if you have elected automatic withdrawal as your method of payment).  Please use the coupons until the ACH is activated, at which point you may discard the coupon book.

Assessment Payments

Please use the enclosed pre-addressed envelope for mailing your payment.  Please make your check payable to Antelope Trails Association.

If you use “on-line bill pay” (internet banking), please be sure to use the following address for all payments:

US Bank
c/o MSI, LLC
PO BOX 54136\
Los Angeles, CA 90054-0136

If you do not receive the coupon book before your first payment is due, please send your payment to our corporate office at MSI, LLC, 390 Interlocken Crescent, Suite 500, Broomfield, CO, 80021-8041.

Be sure to make your check payable to your Association and have your property address listed on the check, due to the fact that your bank cannot send a coupon with your internet payment.  This will help in identifying your payment and posting it accurately. 

MSI Inspections

As everyone knows, Antelope Trails  Association is a Covenant-controlled community.  The Community Manager from MSI checks the area for possible Covenant violations.  When a violation is noted, it is monitored closely.  If it is not remedied within a short period of time, a letter is sent requesting the homeowner to comply with the Covenants.  Many times a violation occurs because a homeowner is unaware of what the Covenants state.  A copy of the Covenants should have been included in your closing papers at the time you purchased your home.  It is important to know what the Covenants allow.  If everyone adheres to the Covenants, Antelope Trails  Association will remain a beautiful area in which to live, and property values will be maintained as well.
 

Who Do We Call???

Effective August 1, 2011 please contact your Community Manager at (719) 260-4541.  After business hours, contact MSI at (303) 420-4433.  This number serves as an emergency line after hours.  Calls are monitored continuously and any emergencies will be promptly addressed.  Normal MSI business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday with Customer Service & Support available for clients via phone from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Saturday.  Exceptions are New Year's Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  

For police issues, whether they be emergencies or non-emergencies (such as noise complaints) contact CSPD. 

For emergencies dial 911; for non-emergencies dial (719) 444-7000.

By Laura Moss, MSI Web Support

Soon, our Association will be online to provide you with more convenience, a wealth of online services and opportunities to share information, news and announcements, access to the online Resource Center for important Association documents and forms, and much more.  We're excited about offering online Association services and consider the service a valuable amenity for our Association.  Below is an overview of the service and a few ideas as to how it can help save you time and get you connected with our community.

Simply go to www.anttrailshoa.com  to access our online Association services.  If you are new to the service, be sure to complete the Sign Up information to set up a user name and password to the private and secured portions of the site.

Resident Services: Puts our management office online to provide you with more convenience and an office that never closes.  You can fill out Information Requests, Accounting Requests, Report a Violation, and other common forms. 

Stay Connected: Find the latest scoop on community news instead of waiting for the newsletter for up-to-date announcements.

Calendar: Find out instantly what's happening in the community with our online community calendar.  Whether it's the next Board Meeting, the community garage sale, or other special event, it will only take a moment to glance online at the calendar and find out what's going on. 

Resource Center: The Resource Center offers a secure, easy-to-organize, centralized location for important Association documents such as Covenants and Bylaws, Association governance policies, financials, Board Meeting minutes, and more.  Our Association information is in one place, online and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Be sure to use the search capabilities to help you easily find exactly what you are looking for―no more paging through documents when it’s online and easy to find.

Email Notification: This service makes extensive use of email to extend the reach and timeliness of our community information.  In other words, we'll use email to bring important information to you.  If you haven't already signed up and wish to help save our Association money by reducing the cost of printing and postage, go to My Profile and update your contact preferences today.

Check Your Account/Pay Online: View your account history and current balance.  (This secured portion of the site requires an access code, which is requested by you while on the site and mailed within 3 to 5 business days.)

Community Manager Our Community Manager for Antelope Trails is Shirley Haskew (719) 260-4541.  Please call your Community Manager if you have any questions or concerns.   Our Accounting Technician may be reached at (303) 420-4433.

Community Projects

The newly elected Board of Directors is working on many projects in various stages of completion to improve our community. We are proud to be able, for the first time, to share our progress with you and we are looking forward to completing these projects over time with the help of MSI.  Please understand that many of these projects are long term goals and will take a substantial amount of time to complete based on various factors, such as cost.  Your Board of Directors is open to any suggestions regarding these or future possible projects. 

Completed Projects

Update Articles of Incorporation - By updating the Articles of Incorporation and filing for reinstatement with the Secretary of State, we are now in good standing for the first time since 2003.

Update Rules and Regulation - The Board updated the Rules and Regulations, and distributed copies to owners and tenants.  Knowing the rules and having MSI as a partner to enforce them will result in a better community. 

Garbage Conversion - After securing several bids, we successfully converted from communal dumpsters to individual trash containers.  By converting to individual containers, we have saved the Association money, removed the eyesore of the old dumpsters, and eliminated the food supply for rodents and a mange-infested fox.  This also eliminated illegal dumping by the surrounding community which cost the Association several thousand dollars each year.

Fire Hydrant Testing - MSI had this completed and we now know that the hydrants are in good working order should the need to use them ever arise.

Contract with Local Tow Company - The Board signed a contract with a local tow company to remove vehicles that blatantly ignore our parking rules.  By having our fire lanes clear, CSFD will now be better capable to help in emergency situations.

Repaint Basketball Backboard and Hoop - Several children in our community wanted a basketball backboard and hoop that met regulations.  John Moore repainted the backboard and hoop with a durable finish that should last for years.

Graffiti Removal - We had a large problem with graffiti within our community.  We had a lot of graffiti in chalk on our playground and spray painted graffiti in the culvert along Austin Bluffs.  John Moore and the Board of Directors have repeatedly removed the chalk graffiti and have helped deter future graffiti by developing a good rapport with the children in our community.  We also contact the City’s graffiti removal crew any time we see graffiti on City property like the culvert.  This problem will never go way completely, but we've done the best we can so far.

In-Progress Projects

Addition of Parking Spots - As we all know, parking within the community is limited.  At our last Annual HOA Meeting we approved to have the Board work with an architect to draw up plans to add parking on the north corner of our community at the corner of Antelope Valley and Antelope Ridge.  The Board has met with the architect several times, and also with the City of Colorado Springs.  After a lot of work to formulate the ideal plan, we are now at the stage where we have given the architect orders to draw up plans that we can present to construction companies for bids.  We have encountered one major problem; a large drainage pipe is in the way and will need to be lowered three feet.  Once we have all our bids, the Board will present the plan to the Association to vote whether or not to proceed with construction.  This plan will replace four existing parallel parking spaces with sixteen perpendicular parking spaces.  In addition, more spaces will replace the existing dumpster locations.

Transfer Audit - As part of the transition to MSI, the Board has approved a full audit of our HOA finances during the time the HOA was managed by Dorman Real Estate.

Review of Association Documents -During the transfer process to MSI it has come to the Board's attention that several of our essential documents required by state and federal agencies are either missing or require a legal review to ensure that they are compliant.  The Board is working with MSI to obtain a legal review of all documents by attorneys well versed in HOA law.

Future Projects

Reserve Study - Recent improvements and repairs to our common areas (roads, sidewalks, lawn areas) have prompted the Board to review the current funds the HOA has in reserve for current and future improvements/repairs.  MSI has advised the Board to have a reserve study completed by a qualified party, so the HOA fully understands what the future expenses could entail compared to the current projected funds based on the HOA dues currently collected.  We hope to have the study done after the transition to MSI is further along.

Tree and Shrub Replacement - Our community has many dead trees and shrubs that need to be replaced.  We have bid the project out to landscape companies and the Board is analyzing the bids to formulate the best plan.  We hope to start planting replacement trees and shrubs in spring of 2012.

Grass Re-Seeding - We have a bid to reseed the dead spots of our lawn and hope to start reseeding this fall.

Fix Split-Rail Fencing - We have bids for this project and hope to get started on this after a few higher priority projects have been completed.

Speed Bumps - We have a large problem with tenants speeding through our community, and as a result we have had several occasions where children have almost been hit by vehicles.  The addition of more speed bumps, and the replacement of existing rubber speed bumps, should make our community a safer place for our children.  Our current speed bumps are not big or durable enough to withstand drivers within our community.  We are going to replace the rubber speed bumps with larger asphalt speed bumps that will extend all the way to the curb.  We are currently bidding this project.

Possible Projects

Communal Pot-Luck - We have thrown around the idea of holding a cookout/pot luck in the common area of our community. We feel that it would be a great event to help bring a better feeling of unity to our neighborhood. Unfortunately this idea has been put on the back burner because of importance of several other projects.

Pet Waste Stations - We have a problem with pet waste in the common areas and are considering the addition of pet waste stations.  If tenants are provided bags and a place to dispose of the waste, this may cut down the number of “mine fields.”