- Blue Mountain Newsletter -
Blue Mountain Property Owners Association Fall 2005
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The President's Corner
By Jim McManaway
The only paving project that we scheduled this year, the part of Cliff Road which created demolition derby-like sites in snowy conditions, has been finished. Wanda Williams did the preparation and water removal part -- and I have not seen a better job. RNJ Paving us ed the new “super” asphalt for the topping that has double the life expectancy of regular asphalt. Paved sections of Cliff as well as Indian Lookout and Old Log will be treated with calcium chloride laced grit if they get slick from ice or snow. We have not decided which road or roads will be paved next season but tend to base the decision on the roads that are the hardest to maintain and clear of snow.
Over the last six months, Board member Jon Morrison and Emily Ford led a group of volunteers who brought our Lodge to life again by giving it a beautiful facelift in time for their wedding there on 1 October. Many thanks to all of you who worked so hard to clean, paint, patch and fix decades of neglect. It is beautiful and solid, with the possible exception of the roof which has been patched and may now last to the end of the decade.
Executive Board
President
Jim McManaway 635-7630
1st VP
Kathy Murphy 635-6637
2nd VP
Nynette Rourke 635-6381
Treasurer
Pete Plourd 636-3657
Secretary
Cathy Berger 635-1259
Directors
Tom Higgenbotham 635-4577
Jonathan Morrison 636-8349
Jack Davis 636-6517
Chuck Campbell 635-3848
Email:
Board Meetings will be held the 2nd Monday of the month from 6-7 pm at the Linden United Methodist Church. Property Owners are welcome and encouraged to attend. Check for updates.
It seems that we have put out most of the fires that were burning our ankles on Blue Mountain and the Executive Board can now begin looking more to the future. Pete Plourd and Jack Davis have been working on a multi-year budgeting process which will set aside designated funds for specific large cost projects, e.g. Lodge roof replacement.
Nynette Rourke has initiated an effort to assemble policies, procedures and other documents for the day-to-day operation of the Association into a manual that will serve as a guide for future boards and committees. The board as well as other volunteers is working on this manual. When that "Book" is completed, we will no longer have to depend on the recollections of dinosaurs like me and fewer things will fall through the cracks.
All things considered, I am exceeding happy that I made the decision twenty-five years ago to buy a cabin and move to Blue Mountain. Though many others are now making the same decision, everyone has something to offer and our challenge is to channel those talents into keeping Blue Mountain as delightful, though perhaps in a somewhat different way, as it always was.
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Emily Ford & Jonathan Morrison Wed
Our delightful neighbors Emily Ford and Jonathan Morrison celebrated their wedding vows at the Blue Mountain Lodge on Saturday Oct 1. The ceremony took place near the cliff at sunset and moved into the Lodge for the reception. With the help of many friends, the couple had been renovating the lodge for six months for this very event as well as to return it to community use. Friends also helped in preparing, decorating, catering and performing live music for the event, which turned into a gala that spanned the entire weekend. Approximately 100 attended the ceremony. The happy couple is honeymooning in Portugal. Our heartfelt thanks and best wishes to both for a long and happy future!
Status of Bylaws & Covenants
Amended Bylaws were approved at the August annual meeting and have been posted on our website ( Proposed changes to the Covenants coming out of that meeting were mailed to each property owner in late September. Included were a ballot and pre-addressed and stamped return envelope.
A few property owners incorrectly believe that these documents are new or do not apply to them. With no exception, every property owner signed documents at settlement accepting the "…provisions of the Restrictive Covenants…and all other easements, conditions and restrictions recorded in said Clerk's Office." To ensure the stability of this community and to protect property values; the Bylaws and Covenants were created by the developer in the 1950's, are cited in your deed, are legally enforceable, and have been amended by the membership before -- the last time 14-years ago. The amendments being proposed now are not extensive, are four years overdue, and are needed for reasons stated in the package you received recently. At least 100 additional ballots are needed to avoid costly remailings so please return your ballot as soon as possible. Each remailing takes several hundred dollars from your Association's budget. If you have misplaced your ballot, please email the board for a replacement.
Gravel Roads Maintenance
Kathy Murphy Co-chair Roads Committee, 1st V.P.
October is always a rough month to make road repairs due to the last bits of hurricane weather. This summer we made major improvements to the intersection of Rocky Springs and Rocky Boulder, and a small repair on Lonesome Pine. I am waiting until the end of Oct to assess storm damage and allocate the remaining roads money. We have to plan for possible snowstorms and I am leaving money for that. We will continue to fill potholes as weather permits and, if there is enough money, add a thin layer of gravel to those roads that are down to dirt since they will turn to mud after the snows melt. In the spring we will be positioned to begin adding layers of stone and gravel and roll them with a compactor.
The newly paved sections are holding up well. However, driving off the pavement could damage the edges of these paved roads. Specifically, the corner at Tranquil and Old Log is already being worn away by vehicles going off the pavement to make the turn. It appears that the paving should have been wider there and we intend to do that the next time we have paving equipment up here. Until then, please attempt to stay on the paving to prevent that corner from breaking away and using up precious maintenance money. Similarly, the paved turnouts were created to allow passing rather than both passing vehicles having to veer off the pavement. For many years, the convention has been to give uphill-bound traffic the right of way. That courtesy is needed now more than ever.
I am noticing missing street signs again. Please call or email the board if signs are missing in your area, I will be placing an order mid-November.
Water Issues
Jack Davis
To quote a State professional employee in the County Sanitation Office, "Blue Mountain has good water. The problem is, there isn't much of it." For our first 40 years, most cabins were used seasonally and had buried 2,500 to 5,000 gallon cisterns. Drinking water came from the Lodge well and a spring that fed Deer Lake. There was no lawn watering, car washing, or inflatable pools. Clothes washers were rare. Less than a dozen cabins were occupied full time and most of those had wells. The deepest well was the Lodge's at 400 feet with a 60-gpm yield. We had plenty of water.
No one anticipated it, but inevitably rising housing costs to the east and increasing growth and job opportunities in the Valley began to make Blue Mountain an increasingly attractive bedroom community. We now have at least 325 houses on 725 lots and we are already feeling the impact on our wells as more and more cabins turn into year round homes occupied by families. This fall, several wells were not refilling fast enough to keep up with even limited demand. This year, some new wells had to be drilled to about 1,000 feet and are yielding as little as a quart or two per minute. Things are not going to get better.
In addition to more wells and more demands on them, increasing numbers of driveways, roofs and lawns shed water too fast for it to percolate down through what little earth we have and into the rocks that feed our wells. (Part of our increasing road maintenance costs are the result of faster runoff and erosion when gravel is washed into ditches and clogs culverts, forcing water down and across roads.) Unlike wells in the valley, every drop of water in our wells comes from rain and snow that falls here and slowly finds its way down into the small cracks and crevices that hold our entire water supply.
Solutions? It is unrealistic to expect that anything will slow development in time to make a difference. We have to adopt both individual and cooperative measures to ensure we will all continue to enjoy a dependable and safe supply of water – and avoid depreciating property values. Those solutions must include conservation as well as the enforcement of our Covenants as well as County regulations regarding land clearing, pools, and disposal of hazardous substances. More on that later.
Cisterns: Another long-term solution will involve a rediscovery and greater use of cisterns. They can be a big help but they have to have periodic attention. Most have been abandoned because they, and the gutters and downspouts feeding them, have not been properly maintained. Several of us holdouts are comparing notes on what has worked to keep mice, leaves, and other organics out and good rainwater coming in. We have also learned about purifying techniques, screens and filters, suction pumps and preventing leaks and freezing. If you would like to receive a copy of what we have learned about keeping a cistern working properly, email .
Property owners with cisterns have a quiet but growing physical safety problem with wooden cistern covers, almost all of which were built decades ago. Every one of those original covers that I have examined is rotten to the point of collapse. We have a growing number of children living and playing unattended up here and if a small child should clamor atop one he/she could easily fall through into the cistern and possibly drown. All property owners need to examine or replace their cistern covers and lock them before we have a major tragedy. This is a personal liability problem for the property owner and is not a liability for the Association.
County health officials tend to discourage cisterns mainly because of the reasons stated above and because some owners who have both a well and a cistern have attempted to tie cistern plumbing and well plumbing together in ways that could allow cistern water to get into a well which could contaminate all wells in the vicinity.
Because of our limited ground water and increasing growth, we need to keep what cisterns we have and maintain them properly. The county does not permit or inspect cisterns but will work with citizens to encourage their safe use. If you have continuing interest in any water issues, please contact me.
Inoperable and Unlicensed Vehicles
Increasing numbers of inoperable vehicles were discussed at the August and September Board Meetings. The Covenants Enforcement Committee was tasked to drive our roads and assess the situation. A surprising seventy-two clearly inoperable or unlicensed vehicles were seen at 39 addresses. (Four and five were seen at several addresses and 11 were seen at one.)
Warren County officials were contacted who suggested some solutions. The best solution is for the owner of these vehicles to voluntarily help us by getting these vehicles licensed again or to call a local towing company to have them removed. One garage that cooperates with the County is Tharpe's Garage and Towing in Front Royal (635-7359) who will tow it away for a modest fee. Besides these cars' being a visual blight to the community, Warren County officials are seriously concerned that, as these vehicles rust and seals dry out; antifreeze, transmission fluid, brake fluid, battery acid, motor oil, etc., will ultimately leak out and find their way down into our water wells becoming a serious health hazard -- as well as reasonable grounds for civil suits for damages against the vehicle owner. For this reason alone, owners of inoperable and unlicensed vehicles are strongly encouraged to remove them, or have them removed, as soon as possible.
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Announcements
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Blue Mountain History
About a dozen property owners have expressed interest in learning more about the history of Blue Mountain and the surrounding area. In the last month Dick Long and his unpublished manuscript and video on Blue Mountain have been located. We hope to show the video for those interested. We are particularly interested in identifying individuals who have early photographs and stories about the early development of both the mountain and the subdivision, or those just interested in the subject. Please email to be included in updates and notices of events.
Fall Clean-Up Day November 12
On Saturday, November 12, 2005, the County of Warren and the Front Royal-Warren County Anti-Litter Council will sponsor the fall clean-up day from 8:00 am until 2:00 pm. The county needs volunteers to assist in this effort helping some citizens unload into large containers. Please let a board member know if you can help so your name may be forwarded to the deputy county administrator. The location this year is the VDOT Park n' Ride area, about 1/3 mile down Dismal Hollow Road past the Linden recycling center. At the spring cleanup 38-ea. 30-yd containers were filled at County pick up locations.
Water Testing Bargain
In September, the board approved our membership in the local nonprofit, Friends of the Shenandoah River (FOSR). One advantage of membership is that FOSR has a professional and state-approved water quality laboratory and extends one free water quality test per year for members. We will use that opportunity to test the water quality of the Lodge well. You may join FOSR for a modest $20 a year and enjoy the same advantage. Private testing labs charge $60 for this test. See:
Winterizing Your Plumbing
In the next few weeks many of us will be winterizing our homes and cabins against freezing. Using new or used automotive antifreeze to protect sink, tub, and shower drains or toilets is illegal. It is poisonous and poses serious environmental risks, as it will end up in your septic field and ultimately into our wells. Use of Recreation Vehicle antifreeze is about ½ the cost and poses far fewer environmental consequences. Most local auto parts stores handle it.
Help Needed:
A huge Thank You to all who helped in planning, organizing and participating in the fun “Sunset Evenings" held at the Lodge over the summer. These gatherings were the first to be held there in many years. Since the Lodge has now been beautifully renovated, with volunteer help more events can be planned for next year. However, we still need volunteers to coordinate events and schedule use of the Lodge and the recreation areas. If you will help us with all or part of this job, please contact a Board member.
Dangerous Curve
Since our spring newsletter a surprising number of drivers have lost control of their vehicles on or near that first sharp curve to the left coming up from Linden. Although it is not in our immediate Community, the Board wants to warn our members to be particularly careful in that area especially as wet and icy conditions are upon us. We plan to petition the State to study the situation and consider better signage.
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Blue Mountain Property Owner's Association
P.O. Box 114
Linden, Virginia 22642
Address correction requested
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