Valley Ranch Newsletter
Spring 2022
Houses are Popping Up Like Flowers
Winter is behind us and with the warmer weather new flowers and neighbors have come to Valley Ranch. In addition to the three houses under construction on Valley Ranch Drive, there are two more in the planning stages at the end of Cayden Drive. There hasn’t been this many new homes being built in Valley Ranch for many years.
May 2022 Elections
The Board of Directors will have 3 vacancies at the end of May: Jim Wilkey, Julia Kinst and Troy Carter. Julia and Jim are not seeking re-election and will leave after the Ballots for new Directors have been counted and finalized. Troy Carter is seeking reelection and is included on the Ballot.
In accordance with the Bylaws, a Nominating Committee was formed in February 2022. The Committee was tasked with contacting as many Members as possible in order to identify and submit individuals for consideration and vote. The Candidate names were announced in an email sent to all HOA members on April 12th and ballots were mailed on April 20th. To date, we have received about half of the ballots, Please be sure to mail in your ballot well in advance of May 27th.
Nancy Meyers and her team will be in charge of counting the ballots and tabulating the vote on Tuesday, May 31st. If you would like to help or just observe the count please contact her.
Thank you to outgoing board members Julia Kinst and Jim Wilkey for all of their time and contributions to the Homeowners Association. Troy Carter is seeking re-election and we thank him for his time and contributions to the Homeowner’s Association.
Burn Permits
As of April 15, 2022 all residential burn piles will require a permit from CALFIRE. You can obtain a permit from their website - click here. Before you burn always call 530-258-2588 to make sure it is a safe burn day. Only 4 foot by 4 foot piles are allowed. When you are done please make sure your pile is DEAD OUT by dousing it with water.
Congratulations
The Graeagle Fire Department honored our own Troy Carter as 2021 Firefighter of the Year this past April. Troy was recognized for his high level of call response and participation in training throughout 2021.
Condolences
With a heavy heart we say goodby to two of our residents who recently passed away - Betty Rodrigues and Paul Cooper. Both will be greatly missed. Our sincere condolences go out to their families and friends.
If you have questions or ideas please Contact the Valley Ranch Board of Directors
Firewise Committee
First and foremost, we will address the long-awaited Mohawk Valley Hazard Fuels Reduction project.
We know that it has been a long haul and we do thank you for your patience. We are happy to report that there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. We are hearing that, optimistically, the Plumas County Fire Safe Council expects work to begin in Valley Ranch this summer – July/August!
The planning phase and the environmental (NEPA) report are complete. The Archeological survey is next. Some of you may have noticed a red truck and four individuals around Valley Ranch recently. This is the team working on the Archeological survey. The survey should be complete by the end of May. Once this is complete, the final report can be submitted and the project put out for bid.
Second most popular question this season “Will there be a chipping program this Spring?” We are pleased to report that, YES, the Plumas County Fire Safe Council has secured funding for a round of chipping starting in June. Valley Ranch is on the schedule for June 20 – 24. Please visit plumasfiresafe.org/chipping.html to complete an application and get the particulars on this program.
May is Wild Fire Preparedness month and your Valley Ranch Firewise Committee will be hosting a Firewise Demonstration/Work Day on May 20th from 8:30 – 11:00. We will meet at the VR easement. In accordance with Recommendation #3 of the Valley Ranch Hazardous Fuels Assessment done in July of 2019, we will continue work on the ingress/egress routes along Valley Ranch Drive. For more information on this Work Day please visit the Valley Ranch website Education and Events page under Firewise.
Last but not least, in light of the past couple fire seasons and the fact that over 60% of Plumas County was evacuated during the Dixie Fire, the Firewise Committee will be hosting another Evacuation Drill this year. We cannot sufficiently stress how important the evacuation process is. Knowing what to do to prepare for an evacuation, what to do in the process of an actual evacuation and, very importantly, how to ensure that you are notified in the case of an evacuation. Even if you attended last year, please join us this year. There is always additional information that comes out after each fire and we feel that it is most important to stay informed. The Evacuation Drill will be held on June 22, 2022. We will provide additional information via email prior to this date.
We would like to take this time to thank all of our neighbors who have worked so diligently on the defensible space around their homes. We have seen a significant improvement in Valley Ranch over the past several years. Thank you!
BREAKING NEWS! Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced new regulations to improve wildfire safety and drive down the cost of insurance. Look for the full details in an upcoming email!
Architectural Review Committee
Your ARC has been busy with construction underway on three new houses (Tomlinson – Lot 71 and Linden – Lot 25 and Eichele – Lot 61) and one additional house doing some preliminary work (Jarrett – Lot 47).
Summer is quickly approaching and with it the warmer weather. Along with the warmer weather our thoughts turn to “fire season”. Your ARC, along with your Firewise Committee, have drafted proposed changes to Section 7 of the Design Review Guidelines which would require ALL lots in Valley Ranch to be maintained in a firesafe condition. This would apply to unimproved as well as improved lots. The requirements are based on the CalFire defensible space requirements and would extend the 30’ to 100’, reduced fuel zone, all the way to the property line. Along with this the ARC has proposed increasing the size of trees being removed which require ARC approval from 6” to 12” in diameter. We hope to have a vote on the proposed changes this year.
If you have a house in Valley Ranch, there is no need to wait for the proposed changes to the DRGs. Removal of ladder fuels, dry brush and the limbing of trees is always encouraged by the ARC and the Friewise Committee. Even though we encourage this work some fuel load removal will require ARC approval. Please check with the ARC before you start your project. So, let’s all enjoy the warmer weather and get out there and do some Spring cleaning.
Valley Ranch Community Corner
Welcome New Owners
Joanne and Ken Williamson , Lot 4 • 1961 Valley Ranch Dr