Aspen Creek Community
Advocating for reforms, legality, integrity, transparency, and a better architectural process.**We reached quorum (70) in 2023, with exactly 70 members participating. Please get involved next year! **
NOTE: This website is not affiliated with the HOA or Board of Directors, but is to encourage homeowners to vote and participate. Please, please read the FAQ
Nov 2023 Update from Lilith
Since 2022, the Board of Directors has made significant improvements. Among these changes, board meetings are now open to to members (and I have attended almost all of them). Although I cannot attend executive sessions, I've been encouraged by the direction the board has been taking. In addition, the Board has promised that future ballots will comply with Page 3 of the bylaws. This should increase the likelihood of quorum being achieved as members do not have to endorse a particular candidate to contribute to meeting quorum.My suggestions to the board1. Advocating for homeowner rights and for a crucial shift towards kinder interactions. Requiring transparency from the management company around this is important. Given the new Colorado laws limiting fines, the HOA will depend increasingly on goodwill and voluntary compliance.
2. We need to make the architectural change request system fast and easy to use, or people won't use it. Currently, most don't (see the survey results).
3. We need to improve e-mail reach within the community to get better participation and awareness. Homeowners need easy and accessible guides to both their rights and the community regulations. E-mail sign up needs to be a QR code, not a manual process.
4. We need better common area maintenance, especially the mulch. The new landscaping company will hopefully change this situation, but photographs of work completed should be a deliverable in future contracts to help reduce issues.
5. We should regularly survey homeowners and make decisions that reflect what matters to the community.
Reform
Bringing our HOA into compliance with Colorado law benefits us individually and as a community. Board meetings must be be open. Elections must be accessible. Records must be available. Members must be informed of rights provided by Colorado law and the Aspen Creek bylaws. Policies around fines, collections, foreclosures, signs, records, and meetings must be compliant with Colorado law. Policy changes should be promptly communicated to owners.Our HOA should bring value, not misery. Periodic homeowner surveys should be an essential tool to help direct the Board's strategic vision.Also, let's fix what's broken - like our architectural improvement request process.
Frequently asked questions
Why did you choose aspencreekhoa.org?
I believe the HOA should have a website. Given how frequently there are issues with the portal, we need a place to access stuff easily, and memorably. I'd like to help improve the digital side of our HOA.I'd also like to see a separate website managed by a transparency committee, which could be a subdomain such as (transparency.aspencreekhoa.org) if the board establishes a plan for the website.As the clear notices everywhere should communicate, this is not affiliated with the board. I've used the term "Aspen Creek Community" in lieu of a better term. I don't want to make this a "Lilith River & friends" site, but rather a place maintained by a committee from the community.There is certainly no intent to deceive or trick anyone.
Does this site contain misinformation?
If you notice ANYTHING incorrect on this website, please e-mail help@aspencreekhoa.org immediately. It's understandable that this website has made certain members defensive, but claims of misinformation must be backed up by specific examples.If you feel our evidence is insufficient for any claim, please let us know.
Is this website affiliated with the board of directors?
Every email and every webpage has always clearly stated in either large or normal text that this is a homeowner initiative and is not affiliated with the Aspen Creek Board of Directors.Who manages this website?
Lilith River is the primary site administrator.Are there issues with the 2022 online ballots?
All 14 fields can be easily and equally changed, there are no fixed selections in the ballot. However, we ARE seeing issues on certain devices where some checkboxes default to checked instead of unchecked. On the admin side, the settings for these checkboxes are set to "unchecked" (see screenshot), but when viewed from certain devices still default to checked. The theory is that the first time the form is filled, the defaults are populated for all future users.This does not affect the ability of the checkbox to be checked.Is there a ballot where you can't change some selections?
There used to be (in 2022), but it was relegated to a less prominent button and labeled clearly. It appears only 1 use has ever been registered. You can see a picture of what it looked like below:
What is your agenda?
1. Increase homeowner participation in board elections
2. See more transparency and communication between homeowners and the board
3. Advocate for homeowner rights and education
4. Modernize the Architectural Improvement Request system
5. Ensure a committee of homeowners exists to survey and report on homeowner concerns and board compliance with the bylaws and state statutes.
6. Have the board adopt a clear Code of Conduct
Won't fixing the AIR process be expensive?
The software costs associated with a new system would (most likely) be less than 1% of the annual budget.
Hiring a designer to work with homeowners on more controversial or complex projects would be more expensive, but may also save the HOA and community money in the long run.
Are you a disgruntled homeowner who has ignored the architectural review process?
No. I (Lilith River here), have not ignored the architectural review process. I have submitted many AIR forms and had many approvals. My work here has nothing to do with my own architectural requests, but the difficulties I experienced did lead me into conversations with other homeowners, where I realized how prevalent the dysfunction is. A major concern is how often the HOA will try to retract approval for a project after it is complete or under construction. That is an expensive and horrifying development for homeowners who have correctly followed the process and obtained written approval for changes.Modernizing the AIR process will hopefully reduce miscommunications and errors, and I am working with the ACC to make that happen.While delays can be somewhat expensive, having the HOA retract permission can be extremely expensive, and is generally prohibited by state estoppel law. The statutes regulating HOAs are far from onerous, even inadequate, so there is no good reason for this to be occurring.Per the bylaws, HOA board decisions are final. In 2021, I received unconditional approval for a playset in my backyard. I then contacted the office and described a deviation required for the playset to be structurally sound and safe. The office suggested it didn't need to go through the AIR process. Then, I received a violation and C&D letter, so construction paused over winter. I appealed to the board with a detailed report of changes to make it better. They sent this approval letter (read it) and I adhered to it. Although I received no homeowner complaints, I apologize to those who had to see construction for a year instead of a month; it was not under my control. Following the (very explicit) approval and request for urgent completion (which I started), the board waited a month to send another letter attempting to retract their prior written agreement and has neither met with me or responded to further letters from me.Based on discussions with other homeowners and the survey results, this is hardly an isolated occurrence.
Sign up for reminders to vote
Please sign up to receive a reminder to vote , notification of board candidates, and surveys to determine the most pressing issues with the HOA.Note that this will NOT sign you up for the occasional official HOA announcement - for that you will need to e-mail amanda@vistamgmt.com.If you are receiving e-mails and didn't sign up, your e-mail address was provided to us by the HOA. All e-mails include an unsubscribe link.
Community Survey
Please help us bring light to the most pressing issues facing our community by answering a few questions before midnight Nov 6th. If you encounter issues, email help@aspencreekhoa.org
ISSUES
We should adopt HOA best practices such as:- Making board meetings open as required by law, allowing homeowners to sign up for notifications and providing them 72 hours notice with a meeting location or videocall link.
- Either providing accurate minutes and agendas, lifting the recording ban for meetings, or using an automated transcription service such as otter.ai.
- Complying with state laws such as the CCIOA, non-profit regulations, and the Homeowners' Association Board Accountability And Transparency Act
- Implementing the recommended 2 term limit for board positions
- Streamlining the proxy voting process and sending out email/text reminders to members to vote
- Updating the 2014 financial audit and 2016 reserve study
- Making the record request form comply with CO law.
- Reducing the cost of records requests (currently $350)
- Residents should be educated yearly about their rights and responsibilites as required by CO law.- We should streamline and digitize the architectural request process
- Let's not require forms for simple to-match-existing repairs repainting, seasonal decorations, etc. [NOTE: The ACC may issue clarifications on these]
- Eliminate snail-mail from the middle of the process
- Hire a point-of-contact to help homeowners navigate the process and prepare/proof AIR forms - perhaps even an exterior designer, which would help reduce the burden on the Architectural Control Committee by ensuring more requests have sufficient information and have been guided toward harmonious designs.
- Send out satisfaction surveys to identify pain points and develop new strategies to reduce cost and frustration.
- Catch up on repair requests in the portal - we seem to be a couple years behind right now, although that could be a bookkeeping issue.
- Look into pool cleaning/maintenance improvements
- Add a security camera for the garden area to deal with vandals
- Update the flag policy to comply with HB21-1310.
Urgent call for new board members
Consider running for the HOA Board in 2023! There is a vacancy.
Thank you for voting!
We hope to see you at the annual meeting.Monday November 9th at 6pm
Broomfield Community Center
Elmwood Two Meeting Room
280 Spader Way
Broomfield, CO 80020
VOTING BY PROXY CLOSES 4pm NOV 9th 2023
If it's after 4pm and you haven't submitted your ballot, come to the meeting in person to vote.
When: 6pm Nov 9th 2023
Where: Elmwood Two Meeting Room
Broomfield Community CenterVote for Lilith River
To vote for Lilith River, enter Lilith River under the Vote for one (1): section of the ballot and check the checkbox. Currently there are no other announced candidates (as of 3pm Nov 9th).Deadline
Please make sure to either e-mail your signed proxy ballot to patti@vistamgmt.com by 4pm or fill and send the PDF online. If you haven’t, and you’re reading this after 4pm, please attend in person.
If you are on mobile, remember to pinch and zoom in to verify you've entered your name, address, and vote selections properly. Tap the signature area and tap Done when you've double-checked everything. If you have any problems, please email help@aspencreekhoa.org immediately.
Form submission delivery
When completed, ballot forms are automatically e-mailed to patti@vistamgmt.com, ballots@aspencreekhoa.org, and the e-mail address you provided.
If you issue more than one proxy vote, only the most recent proxy vote will be used. Proxy votes are revocable. It's a good to notify both Patti@vistamgmt.com and the proxy holder of an updated or revoked vote to prevent confusion.
An Update From Lilith
Nov 9th 2023, 3pmReflection on Board Progress:
Since 2022, the Board of Directors has made significant improvements. Among these changes, board meetings are now open to to members (and I have attended almost all of them). Although I cannot attend executive sessions, I've been encouraged by the direction the board has been taking. In addition, the Board has promised that future ballots will comply with Page 3 of the bylaws. This should increase the likelihood of quorum being achieved, as members do not have to endorse a particular candidate to vote on the budget and contribute to meeting quorum.Open Board Position – November 2023
As far as I know, there are no candidates running for the open position in November 2023. I plan on attending this year's meeting as well and will be volunteering for the position. I delayed putting my name forward until I knew my flight from Japan (today) was landing on time and I could make the meeting. If you are interested in serving, you should put your name forward as well during the meeting today.My priorities as a candidate
1. Advocating for homeowner rights and for a crucial shift towards kinder interactions. Given the new Colorado laws limiting fines, the HOA will depend increasingly on goodwill and voluntary compliance.2. We need to make the architectural change request system fast and easy to use, or people won't use it. Currently, most don't (see the survey results). If the company in the process of acquiring Vista Management doesn’t provide a better system, we should set one up ourselves.3. We need to improve e-mail reach within the community to get better participation and awareness. Homeowners need easy and accessible guides to both their rights and the community regulations. E-mail sign up needs to be a QR code, not a manual process.4. We need better common area maintenance, especially the mulch beds. This was the most common write-in complaint in the 2022 survey.5. We should regularly survey homeowners and make decisions that reflect what matters to the community.About me
My two children and I joined the Aspen Creek community in 2021, and I plan to stay at least a decade. I love my neighbors here and want the best for them! I have a lot of relevant experience for the position (contracts, maintenance, software development, running a business), and I'm sure I can help.Thank you for your support,Lilith River
HOA Records
To limit records access to those in our community, a secure link is e-mailed to those on the mailing list. You can also request a link by emailing help@aspencreekhoa.org
