Yucca, July 2013

Calendar
FireWise chipping guidelines below.

Neighborhood Watch, 6:00 p.m., CSPD Gold Hill, no RSVP
• Wed., Sept. 18, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design
• Thurs., Oct. 10, Homeless Outreach Team

A Word from Ed Alyn, Board President
Our annual picnic was a great success! Joe Uveges, KJ Braithwaite and Jim Sokol played two hours of very enjoyable music that was appreciated by everyone.

For the second year, Gary Geiser of King's Chef Diner furnished hamburgers, hot dogs, buns, and cheese for our cookout. A big thanks to Gary!
Johnny Nolan of Southside Johnny's fame let us borrow a large grill and tables for a successful cookout.

With face painting, water tattoos, bouncy house, CSPD fire engine, and an ice cream truck, it all added up to be a very fun afternoon. Our Skyway board and committee people did a superb job and were the basis for our success.

Our association is successful only if you participate. The $15 annual dues paid from February to February is our only income source which supports the picnic and other projects for Skyway residents' benefit.

Please join us!

Thank you to our generous donors for Skyway Picnic door prizes!

abaTina, 1713 S. Eighth St., 471-2290, one $25 gift certificate.

A Finishing Touch Salon (Kelly), 1715 S. Eighth St., 630-1929, one free manicure.

Books for You, 1737 S. Eighth St., 630-0502, $10 gift certificate.

Canine Design Salon & Day Care, 868 Arcturus Drive, 227-7220, two gift certificates.

Consignment Gallery, 1505 S. Eighth St., 635-1746, $50 gift certificate.

ERA Herman Group Real Estate (Gayle Nichols), 331-3769, two car wash certificates.

Flipshak, 1789 S. Eighth St., 578-1006, one $60 gift certificate.

Little Nepal, 1747 S. Eighth St., 477-6997, one $25 gift certificate.

Lucy’s at 21st, 1672 S. 21st St., 434-8381, one $25 gift certificate.

Nails by Laura, 900 Saturn Drive #106, 471-9616, one free manicure.

Omelets Etc, 1616 S. Eighth St., 634-7321, two $15 gift certificates.

Rich Designs Home, 1731 Mt. Washington Ave., 475-1200, one $25 gift certificate.

Rubaiyat Hair Design (Sharon Hurst), 900 Saturn Drive #106, 471-9616, one free haircut and blow-dry.

Sovereignty Wines, 1785 S. Eighth St., 389-0906, one $25 gift certificate.

Walter’s Bistro, 146 E. Cheyenne Mtn. Blvd., 630-0201, two $25 gift certificates.

Wimberger Old World Bakery and Delicatessen, 2321 Bott Ave., 634-6313, one $10 gift certificate.

FireWise Chipping and Hauling August 5:
Mitigate to Eschew Wildfire, 633-4661
• Trim ladder fuel to eye level and deadwood
• Trim limbs that hang over your roof
• Cut limbs and branches only, up to 9” diameter
• No construction or building materials; no nails or wire
• Piles only; no bags
• No trash, weeds, grass clippings, leaves, or yuccas
• No root wads, dirt or rocks

Pile Guidelines
• Piles must be within 5’ of the roadway, stacked neatly with large ends facing the road by 7:00 a.m. chipping day.
• Please limit each pile size to 5’ x 5’ x 5’, but there’s no limit on number of piles.
• Piles must be out by the first day; crew will not double back to get additional piles during the week.
• Please do not combine piles with neighbors or haul in from other neighborhoods.

Remember:
If you’re instructed to evacuate, do it now!

Neighborhood Watch: National Night Out, Tuesday, August 6
What calls for service have occurred in my neighborhood?
See myneighborhoodupdate.net.

Staying connected via email throughout our entire Skyway area has significantly reduced crime in our area. When a resident reports crime-, fire- or wildlife-related activity to Leigh Westin (lower through upper Skyway), Don Turner (Polaris, Scorpio, Andromeda), Rose Bills (North Star/Milky Way), or Charlie Rollman (Skyway Heights), we communicate this information to each other and our email lists that comprise hundreds of households, if not more. By informing each other of smoke, fire, or crimes in progress, our chances of being burglarized or our houses burning are reduced.

August 6 is our nation’s 30th National Night Out (Morning Star Drive’s 16th, www.natw.org). People turn on their porch lights and gather for a neighborhood event to discuss crime-related issues and, more important, to get to know each other better and work together to prevent crime.
My hope is to have a block captain on each block in Skyway!

Would you like to become a block captain? Contact Officer Sid Santos, santosis@ci.colospgs.co.us or 385-2117. If you’re not already receiving police and fire news, email leighwestin@gmail.com. I will continue to post more crime, fire and social information on skywayassociation.blogspot.com.

Architectural Control Updates: City Code
What are Skyway’s rules and regulations, a homeowner who plans to rent out his property asked?
Though common sense may dictate how a person treats their neighbors and property, City Code and Animal Law Enforcement cover most issues the association encounters.
Covenants the title company hands new homeowners at closing are most important if a lawsuit ensues and may vary from house to house on the same block.

What does the Skyway Association do for me?
Food, music, activities at the annual picnic, flagstone signage, graffiti removal, goat-grazing contributions, Yucca printing and mailing, and architectural control issues, primarily rental-property matters and too many vehicles parked on the street.

The association’s Architectural Control Committee (ACC, chaired by Steve Uveges) handles issues most would not want to deal with. Neighbors who appreciate a neat, clean, quiet neighborhood with no cars parked on the street are likely to call ACC requesting help with City Code compliance.

Marta Dubay, Code Enforcement Department, gave a presentation June 19 outlining City Code.
• Park on the street no longer than 72 hours (3 days).
• Set out trash cans only on garbage day, store on the side or rear of your property.
• Don’t park or store unlicensed or inoperable vehicles outside of an enclosed building.
• Park recreational vehicles, boats, and trailers in rear yard, when possible, or 10 feet from the inside of the sidewalk.
• Keep your yard free of junk (the list is long).
• Do not allow shrubs, trees, flowers, fences, sheds, or other objects to obstruct traffic or pedestrian visibility.
• Allow grass and weeds to grow no higher than 9 inches when they’re within 55 feet of a building or within 9 feet of a sidewalk or curb.
• See www.springsgov.com/Page.aspx?NavID=1688 re: other concerns, such as light intrusion, temporary signage, construction noise, and graffiti removal.

Speaking of Things That Grow
Plant grasses that require less water, such as rye, blue grama and buffalo grass, not Kentucky bluegrass or tall fescue. Keep the grass at a 3-inch height. When watering your greenery, saturate the ground to ensure the roots receive enough to survive. Winter-watering guidelines likely apply during our drought.

Place up to 4-inch-deep mulch under each tree's drip line, the area under the tree's foliage receiving less rain.
• Water to a depth of 12 inches below the soil surface.
• Water slowly to saturate soil within the drip line of the tree canopy. Move the hose around for large trees.
• Give the same amount of water year round—10 gallons per inch of tree diameter 1–2 times per month. An easy rule of thumb is to measure the tree trunk diameter at knee height and water for 5 minutes per inch.

And there are always dog issues: barking, dogs off leash, running wild. Call 473-1741
Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region’s Animal Law Enforcement Officer Rod Novotny explained at the April 24 Skyway Association meeting that barking and other dog-law matters are criminal offenses, an extension of the CSPD.

City Code 6.7.115: Novotny handed us all a document entitiled “Consequences of a Noisy Pet Ticket,” explaining the process of silencing dog barking, that concludes with “Please help us keep your neighborhood a peaceful and happy place to live!” Because the process of reporting barking dogs involves one anonymous report before requiring the complainant’s name, he offered the idea of having friends over for dinner and having them file complaints. The first penalty is minimal but can rise to $500, 90 days in jail, and an Order of Abatement to legally make the dog stop barking.

City Code 6.7.107, Duty to Restrain Animals: With dogs off leash, the most expeditious route is to photograph the dog, its owner and, if possible, their vehicle. Papers would need to filed at the Humane Society on Abbott Lane or mailed. Laws and Ordinances: www.hsppr.org/page.aspx?pid=965