Have you noticed some road construction in Eagle Crest? Well Zion's Bank hired Utah Homes to do the needed repairs so the city will take over the roads in Eagle Crest. Now its been noticed that they are working on the clubhouse now. The pool is all cleaned out, landscaping going in, and working in the inside. In order for the clubhouse to get its occupancy permit it needed to finish those same things. I haven't heard nor has SunCrest management if Zion's plans to open the Clubhouse. It sure would be nice, but nicer if they did it when we could actually USE the pool. Oh, and Utah homes plans on taking that ugly trailer above the market when they are finished.
Amy Baird
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tunnel under Traverse Ridge?
New information: The tunnel and land acquisition was voted and approved by not only Salt Lake County Council, who funded the money, but Draper Councilmen, Walker, Summerhayes, and Stenquist. Ms. Davis and Mr. Colbert voted against the deal. This was all approved in July 2009. The April 2010 meeting about the tunnel was to vote to ask for grants to cover the cities tunnel expense up to $190,000. No grants have been received as of yet. As for the winter ice build up over the tunnel. I was told that their should be enough utilities and material between the tunnel and road that it wouldn't freeze over like a highway overpass would.
You may have been wondering about all that construction going down the mountain on Traverse Ridge. They are actually building a tunnel for a trail system. Remember last year Salt Lake County helped Draper purchase 141 acres for $2.75 million from South Mountain Developer, Terry Diehl. A condition in the settlement was that Mr. Diehl provide access to link the newly acquired acres called Little Valley for a trail system. Below is the Draper City council minutes from April 20, 2010. There is also a resolution 10-21 talking about the little valley tunnel. It states Draper city will pay up to $190,000 for the tunnel. (If you click on the pictures they become larger) Well sorry I didn't catch this during discussions in April so you could be notified and make your comments to the city council. I guess its the LITTLE VALLEY TUNNEL part that didn't catch my attention. I sure hope they plan on putting some kind of heat tape on the road going over the tunnel, because the wind sure does whip snow through there in the winter. I would think black ice would develop causing major problems for US who have drive down the mountain. I sure hope the deer get some use out of the tunnel instead of crossing the street :-)
Amy Baird
You may have been wondering about all that construction going down the mountain on Traverse Ridge. They are actually building a tunnel for a trail system. Remember last year Salt Lake County helped Draper purchase 141 acres for $2.75 million from South Mountain Developer, Terry Diehl. A condition in the settlement was that Mr. Diehl provide access to link the newly acquired acres called Little Valley for a trail system. Below is the Draper City council minutes from April 20, 2010. There is also a resolution 10-21 talking about the little valley tunnel. It states Draper city will pay up to $190,000 for the tunnel. (If you click on the pictures they become larger) Well sorry I didn't catch this during discussions in April so you could be notified and make your comments to the city council. I guess its the LITTLE VALLEY TUNNEL part that didn't catch my attention. I sure hope they plan on putting some kind of heat tape on the road going over the tunnel, because the wind sure does whip snow through there in the winter. I would think black ice would develop causing major problems for US who have drive down the mountain. I sure hope the deer get some use out of the tunnel instead of crossing the street :-)
Amy Baird
TRSSD Town Hall meeting
There is a notice in one of the Draper Newspapers about a town hall meeting on August 31st for Traverse Ridge Special Services District. This meeting has been canceled and will be scheduled at another time. Hopefully in September. I will notify you as soon as I get a date. If you have any questions about the tax please email us at suncrestresidents@gmail.com. I can find out the answers before the town hall meeting. If your interested on being on a TRSSD advisory committee (if it gets created), please let me know.
Amy Baird
SunCrest Resident
Amy Baird
SunCrest Resident
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Updates on SunCrest
I met with Draper City today about the TRSSD. Here is some of the information we discussed.
-Town Hall meeting in SunCrest about TRSSD. Waiting on confirmed date in August or September. Worked on an agenda so we could be able to answer all the residents concerns.
-TRSSD Committee. Checking to see if City Council is still interested in forming a committee of residents to do research on items related to TRSSD.
-Roads. I wanted to know status of city taking over Eagle Crest roads and re paving of Deer Ridge.
-Snow Plow services. Will research and discuss pros and cons of outsourcing the snow plowing this winter.
SunCrest Fire Station status: The city can't use the TRSSD funds to pay for any part of the fire station, because its not included in the orginal contract of the TRSSD. The SunCrest residents would have to put it to a vote to add the fire station to the TRSSD.
SunCrest Developers? There are currently two in state developers working with the city on purchasing SunCrest. They have presented development plans and the city is working with these developers to make it happen. So hopefully good news coming in the next few months.
Help needed from Residents: Tell me what questions you have about the TRSSD so I can have the city get answers ahead of time before the town hall meeting. I also want to know the good and bad about snow plowing this past winter. Please tell me if it was the city drivers or Zion's contracted guys. If your not sure, then tell me which road your talking about. This will help on the deciding if we should outsource snow plowing.
Please submit any questions or concerns to suncrestresidents@gmail.com
I will keep you updated as I find things out.....Amy Baird
-Town Hall meeting in SunCrest about TRSSD. Waiting on confirmed date in August or September. Worked on an agenda so we could be able to answer all the residents concerns.
-TRSSD Committee. Checking to see if City Council is still interested in forming a committee of residents to do research on items related to TRSSD.
-Roads. I wanted to know status of city taking over Eagle Crest roads and re paving of Deer Ridge.
-Snow Plow services. Will research and discuss pros and cons of outsourcing the snow plowing this winter.
SunCrest Fire Station status: The city can't use the TRSSD funds to pay for any part of the fire station, because its not included in the orginal contract of the TRSSD. The SunCrest residents would have to put it to a vote to add the fire station to the TRSSD.
SunCrest Developers? There are currently two in state developers working with the city on purchasing SunCrest. They have presented development plans and the city is working with these developers to make it happen. So hopefully good news coming in the next few months.
Help needed from Residents: Tell me what questions you have about the TRSSD so I can have the city get answers ahead of time before the town hall meeting. I also want to know the good and bad about snow plowing this past winter. Please tell me if it was the city drivers or Zion's contracted guys. If your not sure, then tell me which road your talking about. This will help on the deciding if we should outsource snow plowing.
Please submit any questions or concerns to suncrestresidents@gmail.com
I will keep you updated as I find things out.....Amy Baird
Monday, July 12, 2010
Covenants Committee
"The Covenants Comittee needs two new members:
The recent departure of two members creates a need for two replacements. What is the Covenant's Comittee? We are the human "face" of the SunCrest Bylaws, Appeals and Adjudication process. We meet once a month, or every other month as required by workload, and listen to resident appeals regarding fines, assessments, or rules. We make recommendations concerning the same, and from time to time, address specific Rules in the SunCrest Rules that can be improved or updated. We are officially empowered by SunCrest Bylaws Section 4.12 as "The hearing Tribunal." We also provide feedback and support for CCMC, our Homeowners Association Administrators.
We generally meet the second Thursday of the month at 4PM.
If you are interested, contact Larry Nilssen at larrynilssen@comcast.net."
The recent departure of two members creates a need for two replacements. What is the Covenant's Comittee? We are the human "face" of the SunCrest Bylaws, Appeals and Adjudication process. We meet once a month, or every other month as required by workload, and listen to resident appeals regarding fines, assessments, or rules. We make recommendations concerning the same, and from time to time, address specific Rules in the SunCrest Rules that can be improved or updated. We are officially empowered by SunCrest Bylaws Section 4.12 as "The hearing Tribunal." We also provide feedback and support for CCMC, our Homeowners Association Administrators.
We generally meet the second Thursday of the month at 4PM.
If you are interested, contact Larry Nilssen at larrynilssen@comcast.net."
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
TRSSD Budget Approved
Here is my version of Budget Approval meeting at City Hall. I got a chance to speak at the public hearing comments and the city was very accommodating at answering all of my questions.
Amy: I brought up the admin. fee. The cost of $100,000 is excessive and that is about the salary of two full time employees. I understand its a fixed rate of 15% but why not charge it off the actual expenses we incur and not off the revenue. For example this ending fiscal year our expenses were down and we ended up with about an extra $246,000 put into reserves. Why should we have to pay an admin fee to handle the money going into reserves? That would save us about $36,000 if we paid admin fee off the expenses instead of revenue.
City Manager: The percentage is off revenue. Besides you will eventually spend all that money in reserves so it would work the same in the end.
Amy's Thoughts: So we just paid how much in admin fee for the snow blower and stop signs?
Amy: Is is legal that we should be paying benefits to employees that work seasonal for us? (This discussion was answered by several people and I kept saying I understand the salary part, but why should suncrest pay full benefits when those employees work for city too.)
City: Your getting a deal paying for only 3 lower paid salaries. With that comes paying the benefits. We can't just fire and hire people every year. Besides sometimes your getting more help and more experienced and its not always the same people. The salaries equal man hours they put in for SunCrest. So if your paying full time salaries its the law you must pay their benefits too.
Amy's thoughts: I guess what they mean to say is like a school teacher. Paid full time with benefits but gets summer off. Still stupid reasoning because its still only about 30 days out of 365!
Amy: I want verification that the city won't touch our reserve balance and use it toward the SunCrest Fire Station.
City: Right now we don't plan on using it but we haven't really finished discussing the Fire Station issue yet.
City Manager: The reserve funds are to be saved up and used for such things as a salt dome or maintenance facility. If the road issues aren't taken care of it may need to be used to repair some roads. Until we get a new developer up there we don't know how those funds will be spent.
Summerhays: We can use that money for the fire station. I read it in the contract. It states right in the contract we can make you pay for the fire station.
Amy Thoughts: Ah, when is Summerhayes up for re election?
Amy: What happened to the TRSSD committee idea I presented to the council. I have never heard anything else about it. Is that still up for discussion.
Mayor: That really isn't a budget item to talk about.
City Manager: Its still up for discussion as far as I know.
Amy: I want to know if that is a final decision made about the making TRSSD paying for the stop signs? Because those of us that live in SunCrest ALL know those stop signs are there, even in fog. We go through them everyday. Its the non-residents that run the stop signs because they don't see them. So why should SunCrest have to pay for signs that non-residents don't see.
City: Yes, that was decided by unanimous vote by the council to charge the full amount of the signs to the TRSSD. At the time the residents wanted the sign it was said because of fog and weather conditions the sign was needed.
Summerhays: Of course you should pay for the signs. I have lived in high altitudes and even higher than SunCrest. I know what kind of weather you get. Think about that little bit of cost you just paid saved a life.
Amy Thoughs: I think everyone feels the same way as me.
Amy: What happened to the open house you were going to hold for SunCrest residents. Do you still plan on doing this. I can offer my help on planning it.
City: Yes, we still want to do one, maybe in July or August. We just had to get through this budget month.
My comments where finished and Bill Colbert had a comment. He was via phone.
Bill: I think the council should look into privately contracting out the work and see if its cost beneficial.
Summerhays: They already did that once and it didn't work out.
City: It has never been outsource in SunCrest.
Summerhays: Well I mean that Zions contracted it out and we got all kinds of complaints from residents about the crappy work they did and we had to send our guys up to fix it.
Amy Thoughts: Really, hmm, because the city won't set a foot on zions property. Besides it was more like western was plowing the city streets to get through to the ones they had to plow.
Amy: I brought up the admin. fee. The cost of $100,000 is excessive and that is about the salary of two full time employees. I understand its a fixed rate of 15% but why not charge it off the actual expenses we incur and not off the revenue. For example this ending fiscal year our expenses were down and we ended up with about an extra $246,000 put into reserves. Why should we have to pay an admin fee to handle the money going into reserves? That would save us about $36,000 if we paid admin fee off the expenses instead of revenue.
City Manager: The percentage is off revenue. Besides you will eventually spend all that money in reserves so it would work the same in the end.
Amy's Thoughts: So we just paid how much in admin fee for the snow blower and stop signs?
Amy: Is is legal that we should be paying benefits to employees that work seasonal for us? (This discussion was answered by several people and I kept saying I understand the salary part, but why should suncrest pay full benefits when those employees work for city too.)
City: Your getting a deal paying for only 3 lower paid salaries. With that comes paying the benefits. We can't just fire and hire people every year. Besides sometimes your getting more help and more experienced and its not always the same people. The salaries equal man hours they put in for SunCrest. So if your paying full time salaries its the law you must pay their benefits too.
Amy's thoughts: I guess what they mean to say is like a school teacher. Paid full time with benefits but gets summer off. Still stupid reasoning because its still only about 30 days out of 365!
Amy: I want verification that the city won't touch our reserve balance and use it toward the SunCrest Fire Station.
City: Right now we don't plan on using it but we haven't really finished discussing the Fire Station issue yet.
City Manager: The reserve funds are to be saved up and used for such things as a salt dome or maintenance facility. If the road issues aren't taken care of it may need to be used to repair some roads. Until we get a new developer up there we don't know how those funds will be spent.
Summerhays: We can use that money for the fire station. I read it in the contract. It states right in the contract we can make you pay for the fire station.
Amy Thoughts: Ah, when is Summerhayes up for re election?
Amy: What happened to the TRSSD committee idea I presented to the council. I have never heard anything else about it. Is that still up for discussion.
Mayor: That really isn't a budget item to talk about.
City Manager: Its still up for discussion as far as I know.
Amy: I want to know if that is a final decision made about the making TRSSD paying for the stop signs? Because those of us that live in SunCrest ALL know those stop signs are there, even in fog. We go through them everyday. Its the non-residents that run the stop signs because they don't see them. So why should SunCrest have to pay for signs that non-residents don't see.
City: Yes, that was decided by unanimous vote by the council to charge the full amount of the signs to the TRSSD. At the time the residents wanted the sign it was said because of fog and weather conditions the sign was needed.
Summerhays: Of course you should pay for the signs. I have lived in high altitudes and even higher than SunCrest. I know what kind of weather you get. Think about that little bit of cost you just paid saved a life.
Amy Thoughs: I think everyone feels the same way as me.
Amy: What happened to the open house you were going to hold for SunCrest residents. Do you still plan on doing this. I can offer my help on planning it.
City: Yes, we still want to do one, maybe in July or August. We just had to get through this budget month.
My comments where finished and Bill Colbert had a comment. He was via phone.
Bill: I think the council should look into privately contracting out the work and see if its cost beneficial.
Summerhays: They already did that once and it didn't work out.
City: It has never been outsource in SunCrest.
Summerhays: Well I mean that Zions contracted it out and we got all kinds of complaints from residents about the crappy work they did and we had to send our guys up to fix it.
Amy Thoughts: Really, hmm, because the city won't set a foot on zions property. Besides it was more like western was plowing the city streets to get through to the ones they had to plow.
Monday, June 21, 2010
TRSSD Budget approval
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at 6:50pm (starts Before normal city council meeting)
Draper City Council Chambers
Public Hearing: Consideratoin of Resolution TRSSD No. 10-02, Adopting the Traverse Ridget Special Service District Budget and Certified Tax Rate for Fiscal yar 2010-2011.
Now is the time to show up and voice any concerns you have about the budget. I found out that at the council meeting on June 15th, it was decided by Stenquist, Walker, and Summerhayes to apply all of the $24,000 costs of the Stop signs to TRSSD because of our climate conditions. If we as residents continue to just sit back and not voice our concerns about the TRSSD the council members will just continue to tax us more!
On June 1st, I approached the city council during the public comments and presented again the idea of having a TRSSD committee board. I gave each of the council members a copy of the letter posted below. I am trying my best to get us some representation but I need the help of you, the residents to show the council you want to be involved in this special tax SunCrest residents have to pay each year. Please take 15 minutes of your time Tuesday night to the council members to show you have a voice and care about SunCrest.
Amy Baird
Letter to Draper City Council:
TRSSD Advisory Committee
Purpose of Advisory Committee is to work with the TRSSD Board and the Draper City Finance Director to review the TRSSD budget and the financials. Upon request from the TRSSD Board the Committee will research issues as needed. Research could be done on major purchases of the TRSSD and finding cost effective ways to use the TRSSD funds, such as snow plowing. The Committee will send all their recommendations to the TRSSD Board.
The Committee will have 3 to 5 members. The committee members must reside in the TRSSD district. The Committee members shall be on a volunteer basis. The Committee chair, appointed by the TRSSD board, shall recommend Committee Members. Committee member terms will normally be for one year. Members may serve two or more years based on experience, requirements, as decided by the TRSSD board of Directors. The TRSSD Board of Directors shall approve the Committee annually. The Committee shall serve under the direction of the TRSSD Board of Directors.
The Committee will meet once a month or as often as necessary. A copy of all the Committee Minutes will be sent to the TRSSD Board in a timely manner.
Reasons the Committee would be beneficial to the TRSSD:
• Give SunCrest residents an opportunity to be involved with the TRSSD tax.
• Once the city takes over the rest of the roads in SunCrest the tax could increase.
• Lots of creative and educated residents that could help find a solution to simplifying Danyce’s complicated tracking system of the snow plow drivers. Therefore reducing the administrative costs associated with TRSSD.
• We could find ways to benefit the TRSSD and city. The portable LED light could be rented or the city buys a portion so it can be used in summer months. Rent snow blower in lower draper.
• The city council members would be the main contact to the residents. The committee would just research and advise on budget issues.
• Research what is most cost effective and reliable on snow removal.
Draper City Council Chambers
Public Hearing: Consideratoin of Resolution TRSSD No. 10-02, Adopting the Traverse Ridget Special Service District Budget and Certified Tax Rate for Fiscal yar 2010-2011.
Now is the time to show up and voice any concerns you have about the budget. I found out that at the council meeting on June 15th, it was decided by Stenquist, Walker, and Summerhayes to apply all of the $24,000 costs of the Stop signs to TRSSD because of our climate conditions. If we as residents continue to just sit back and not voice our concerns about the TRSSD the council members will just continue to tax us more!
On June 1st, I approached the city council during the public comments and presented again the idea of having a TRSSD committee board. I gave each of the council members a copy of the letter posted below. I am trying my best to get us some representation but I need the help of you, the residents to show the council you want to be involved in this special tax SunCrest residents have to pay each year. Please take 15 minutes of your time Tuesday night to the council members to show you have a voice and care about SunCrest.
Amy Baird
Letter to Draper City Council:
TRSSD Advisory Committee
Purpose of Advisory Committee is to work with the TRSSD Board and the Draper City Finance Director to review the TRSSD budget and the financials. Upon request from the TRSSD Board the Committee will research issues as needed. Research could be done on major purchases of the TRSSD and finding cost effective ways to use the TRSSD funds, such as snow plowing. The Committee will send all their recommendations to the TRSSD Board.
The Committee will have 3 to 5 members. The committee members must reside in the TRSSD district. The Committee members shall be on a volunteer basis. The Committee chair, appointed by the TRSSD board, shall recommend Committee Members. Committee member terms will normally be for one year. Members may serve two or more years based on experience, requirements, as decided by the TRSSD board of Directors. The TRSSD Board of Directors shall approve the Committee annually. The Committee shall serve under the direction of the TRSSD Board of Directors.
The Committee will meet once a month or as often as necessary. A copy of all the Committee Minutes will be sent to the TRSSD Board in a timely manner.
Reasons the Committee would be beneficial to the TRSSD:
• Give SunCrest residents an opportunity to be involved with the TRSSD tax.
• Once the city takes over the rest of the roads in SunCrest the tax could increase.
• Lots of creative and educated residents that could help find a solution to simplifying Danyce’s complicated tracking system of the snow plow drivers. Therefore reducing the administrative costs associated with TRSSD.
• We could find ways to benefit the TRSSD and city. The portable LED light could be rented or the city buys a portion so it can be used in summer months. Rent snow blower in lower draper.
• The city council members would be the main contact to the residents. The committee would just research and advise on budget issues.
• Research what is most cost effective and reliable on snow removal.
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