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Dakota Ridge Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
May 24, 2022 at 9:30am via Zoom

Present: Holly Van Deursen, Ron Lemieux, Scott Prochazka, Carrie Hayden, Bill Noyes,

Others Present: Andrea Wilhelm (Commercial Property Group), Brian Len (NWCC)

Andrea started the meeting with some brief introductions and welcomed the new Board members. She asked Brian Len from NWCC to summarize his findings in the updated NWCC Road Report dated 4/21/22. Brian said that in general, the drainage condition of the pavement in Dakota Ridge had not changed dramatically since his previous evaluation in 2019. He estimated that it would still be 8-10 years before any major remediation or reconstruction of the asphalt was necessary as long as proper crack filling and sealcoating continued in the meantime. He did note there had been increases in the width of the some of the cracks and said the mastic used the prior summer was more effective on those cracks than tar; he recommended continued annual usage of that product on cracks greater than 1”. Sealcoating was also suggested and is scheduled for this summer and Brian noted that all the excess tar and asphalt from cracks should be removed before the sealcoat.

Next, he summarized the Upper Trail Ridge Road Evaluation Report dated 3/8/22 which recommended drainage improvements – including ditch cleaning, slope reductions, and culvert additions – followed by reconstruction of the asphalt mat via FDR (full depth reclamation) or chip sealing. The Board members asked a variety questions about the timing and priority of each project. Brian agreed the drainage issue should be addressed first in order to minimize the water flowing over the road whereas the reconstruction could likely wait a few more years given the minimal traffic on that section of the road. He also suggested that a survey of the slope above the road might determine whether the slope could be reduced without encroachment but Andrea shared a map showing that property clearly belonged to the lot 71 owners.

Next, Brian answered some questions about the total cost estimate of $3.1M for new pavement of all roads (except Upper Trail Ridge) reflected on page 9 of the full road report which includes labor. He reported that United Asphalt costs are increasing another 10-15% next week and had already increased 12% between fall and spring for a total 25-30% increase in one year. Brian said the current cost of asphalt is $120/ton whereas his report was based on $170/ton allowing for another 30% increase between now and the time of the repave which may be understated.

Then Brian addressed the chip sealing alternative mentioned on page 10 of the report in lieu of roto-milling the existing asphalt adding a new 4” overlay. He said although it wouldn’t address structural improvement, it would provide protection from water at a much lower cost and possibly provide 5-7 years of lifespan. He further indicated that there was very little subgrade damage throughout the neighborhood and the patches done by RMA on Aspen Ridge Road last year were holding up well. Other pros and cons of chip seal were discussed including increased traction - especially with 5/8” chips vs. 3/8” - yet a bumpier ride for cyclists. Ultimately there were questions about whether chip seal should be considered on some of the side roads in Dakota Ridge with less traffic and the Board felt Upper Trail Ridge Road could be a good test area for this product given the slope and shade of the road.

Holly asked about the soiled nailed walls to help erosion control which were estimated at $250k in the 2019 road report and whether this was still needed. Brian responded that the section where it was originally recommended was the same location where RMA had patched last summer. Due to the fact that Brian did not observe any movement or sliding in that area this year, he felt that could be removed from the budget and/or that additional patches may be more cost effective than soil nailed walls.

Last, some Board members inquired where they could view examples of chip seal around Steamboat and Brian directed them to either the north side of Big Valley Ranch near the red school house (not the south entrance on 35) or on Route 44 at Elk River Mountain Ranch. He said the first section to the cattle gate at Elk River Mt. Ranch was done years ago for protection and the section just past the gate was done last year. Highway 40 was also chip sealed last summer along with parts of 129.

The Board thanked Brian for his time and asked Andrea to follow up with him to draft and solicit an RFP for Native to address ditch cleaning, culverts, and associated patches this year on Upper Trail Ridge Road. They also asked for bids for both chip seal and overlay on the same road section. Andrea and Brian said they would make an effort to attain those but given that there are only two asphalt contractors (RMA & United) who may be fully booked for the summer, they would likely decline to provide a bid at this time due to unknown asphalt prices next year.

After Brian left the meeting around 10:20am, the next order of business was the appointment of officers and chairs to oversee Water, Roads, ARC, and Wildfire Mitigation. Scott made a motion to elect Carrie to join and Chair the ARC, Bill seconded the motion and all were in favor. The Board collectively decided on the following appointments and/or responsibilities:

• President: Ron Lemieux
• Vice President & Treasurer: Holly Van Deursen
• Roads - Bill
• Water - Scott
• ARC - Carrie
• Wildfire Mitigation – to be determined at the next meeting

Due to time constraints, the topic of the Articles of Incorporation restrictions brought forth at the Annual Meeting was postponed until Andrea could schedule another Board meeting with the association’s attorney, Paul Sachs. She said she would follow up with a date for that meeting and forward a recommendation from him in the meantime to research how many lots in Dakota Ridge are currently financed with a first lienor/mortgagee. Following the meeting, Andrea provided the cost estimate of $5/lot for each title search which was approved by the Board via email.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:45am.

Recorded by,
Andrea Wilhelm
Commercial Property Group