CenCON

 Monthly Reports by Sue Rosser

Because the Centennial Council of Neighborhoods (CenCON) doesn’t meet in December, this is an update for some items mentioned previously, and others that may be of interest:

The City of Centennial continues to replace the old span-wire holding up traffic signal lights with the more aesthetically pleasing and sturdy mast arms.  Of Centennial’s total of 87 lighted intersections, all but seven now have mast arms—six of those remaining to be replaced are at intersections west of I-25. 

The colorful art-wrapped traffic boxes scattered throughout the city are part of Centennial’s Traffic Box Art Wrap Pilot Program, implemented to celebrate Centennial’s 20^th Anniversary of incorporation in 2001, and to enhance community character.  Vinyl murals have been installed on 20 of the 85 Centennial-owned traffic control boxes across the city.  As funds permit, additional boxes will be wrapped in the future.

The city’s homeless outreach coordinator has not yet been hired; this position is funded until 2025. The coordinator will work to find and identify homeless individuals and families in the city and connect them with services, address concerns from businesses and residents about any encampments, and act as a go-between with law enforcement, as Centennial’s 3-year-old urban camping ban is enforced.

On December 5, the Centennial City Council unanimously approved an ordinance allowing construction and development in the district (formerly Jones District) of a mixed-use fitness complex with rooftop greenhouse.  Lettuce and other greens (no marijuana or mushrooms) will be grown hydroponically and marketed through grocery retailers throughout the front range.  This complex will be located immediately north of IKEA, with construction beginning very soon.

Centennial enjoyed a high (72%) voter turnout in the November 2022 General Election - 57,498 voters cast votes.  The only municipal issue on the ballot, the proposed 3.5% lodging tax, was defeated by 55.8% to 44.2%.

Despite winter weather delays, the Arapahoe Bridge over the Dry Creek Replacement Project, located immediately east of the Arapahoe Rd/University Blvd intersection, is still on schedule and within budget, and still scheduled for completion this summer.  Work hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., M-F, with one lane of traffic open in each direction.

Life Time Fitness is proposing to convert part of their existing athletic turf field on the southeast corner of their property (immediately north of Heritage Greens) to eight outdoor pickleball courts and an adjacent shaded viewing area. If approved by Centennial’s P & Z and City Council, the pickleball courts will be built this year.

The South Suburban Parks & Rec District is also building outdoor pickleball courts.  Ground has been broken for six new courts, a shelter, benches, and picnic tables along the south side of the Lone Tree Rec Center parking lot, with a June completion date scheduled.  Four additional outdoor courts are planned near the Cook Creek Pool.

Registration is now open for the new South Suburban pickleball league at the South Suburban Sports Complex for men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles. For more information contact Brian Cole, SSPRD Pickleball Coordinator at bcole@ssprd.org or 303-483-7031.

Rich Meredith, longtime CEO of The Hudson Gardens & Events Center on South Santa Fe Drive, has retired, and SSPRD assumed management of all HG assets and programs late last year.  SSPRD will develop an updated master plan for this community asset in 2023. (www.hudsongardens.org)

• The eighteenth Judicial District has announced that their 10-person team of prosecuting attorneys who obtained a conviction in June 2022 for the August 1981 murder of Sylvia Quayle has been selected by the Colorado District Attorneys’ Council as the 2022 Outstanding Trial Team of the Year.  This prestigious award recognizes one prosecuting team annually for exceptional work in solving challenging cases, out of the thousands of cases brought to trial each year.
• Captain Ken McKlem of the Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) reported that as part of Colorado’s RAVEN multi-agency law enforcement task force, personnel from ACSO, Aurora, and the eighteenth Judicial District have been investigating recent gun club burglaries, resulting in the confiscation of stolen guns and arrests being made - no specific details were given.
• The top crime committed in Centennial and throughout Colorado is auto theft and encounters related to these thefts are becoming more violent.  The Colorado Metropolitan Auto Theft Taskforce (C-MATT) now projects that 41,600 cars will have been stolen statewide in 2022, up 12% from last year.  For the second straight year, Colorado will again likely be the number one state for auto thefts per capita. Of all US cities, Denver, Aurora, Westminster, and Pueblo are ranked 2, 3, 8, and 9 respectively for per capita motor vehicle theft.
  

The main November CenCON meeting speakers were outgoing President, Jeff Kutzer, and President-Elect, Karli Phifer, of the Community Association Institute, Rocky Mountain Chapter (CAI-RMC).  CAI provides education and resources to the volunteer homeowners who govern community associations.  Willow Creek 2 HOA is one of approximately 7,800 HOAs (of 9,900+ total) that are members of the CAI-RMC in Colorado. 

• Their presentation centered around the passage of Colorado House Bill 22-1137, which was signed into law by Governor Polis on June 3, 2022. The law went into effect on August 10.  Parts of this new law will be revisited in the upcoming 2022-2023 legislative session to correct confusing and contradictory language and unintended expensive and paralyzing consequences for Colorado’s 9,900+ HOAs and other community associations. 
• HB22-1137 was created in late 2021, in response to the outcry from owners of 50 homes, out of a total of 4,600 homes within the Masters Homeowners Association (MOA), which comprise part of Denver’s Green Valley Ranch.  These 50 homes were foreclosed on in 2021 for various HOA covenant infractions, after accruing fines, added interest, and finally liens over more than two years, some totaling up to $20,000.  These homeowners argued that some violations for which they were cited were nitpicky and/or punitive; others said they had ignored numerous notices sent to them by the HOA, believing the correspondence was fraudulent.  The MOA stated that enforcement came only after much warning - that all homeowners were provided written notice of any violation and an opportunity to cure that violation, and only after repeated notices and nonpayment did legal intervention and foreclosure finally occur.
• Note: WC2 HOA has not foreclosed on any home in the nearly 50 years of our HOA’s existence.
• As the law is now written, it adds significant costs and seriously impacts all HOAs in collecting dues and enforcing covenant policies. These impacts have been discussed in detail over many months by our WC2 HOA Board of Directors and TMMC, our HOA Management Company, necessitating the revision of several of our policies to be compliant with the new law as it currently reads.   
• It’s worth remembering that out of the thousands of CAI-RMC members, our WC2 HOA earned their coveted “Community Association of the Year” award in 2020 for demonstrating excellence in all facets of association management, operations, governance, and volunteer leadership. Our covenants and other governing documents have served us well, but some changes have had to be made and the added costs will have to be dealt with to comply with this new law.