FAQ - Home Owners Assn.
Here are our most asked questions. You may always email us if you need more information.
Q: Why is the Water District not part of the HOA?
A: The Turkey Creek Ranch Water District (TCRWD) Board and HOA Board are separate and distinct entities and have separate and distinct charters, authorities and responsibilities, although both serve the same community.
The TCRWD was created to manage the administration and maintenance of water sources to the Piñons of Turkey Cañon Ranch lots and home owners under the rules of the Colorado State Water Decree and Ingersoll Stipulation. See page 13 of decree, case # 94CW6. Article IV of the Piñons Conditions, Covenants, Restrictions and Easements reference the decree and stipulations. The actual decree may be downloaded at the Colorado Judicial Branch website. It is important to understand that this water use restriction is a court-ordered decree; it is not within the authority of the TCRWD or the HOA to grant waivers from its restrictions.
This decree mandates strict usage restraints of water for domestic, in house use only. Water reserves are sufficiently abundant; however, usage is limited per the decree not allowing water use outside of the home unless obtained, at owners’ expense, from other legal sources. Water is metered and fees applied per a usage scale established by the TCRWD.
The TCRWD is managed by a Board of volunteer property owners’ within the development. The Board meets each month to discuss and report on the condition of the district. Board meetings are held at 6:30PM on the third Wednesday of each month at the Bob Weller fire station located at 15580 Cala Rojo Drive at the Piñons. The meeting is open to the public. For more in-depth information concerning TCRWD read the WATER DISTRICT page on this site.
Q: How do I landscape due to the provisions of the Water Decree and Ingersol Stipulation?
A: Waterwise or xeric landscaping is a must due to the provisions of the Water Decree and Ingersol Stipulation which states that “there shall be no outside use of water for washing cars or other vehicles, the watering of livestock, noncommercial animals or any usage for lawn and garden. Outside faucets and sillcocks are allowed for fire emergencies only”.
Drought defiant native plans and wildflowers thrive with little or no watering. Visit the Colorado Springs Utilities Xeriscape Demonstration Garden located at 2855 Mesa Road for inspiration and education. Their web site is a valuable resource and includes the online Xeriscape Plant Database.
Don’t be tempted to dig plants up in the wild. Many of them have deep root systems, and you’ll just kill them. It’s also against the law in Colorado to pick or dig up wildflowers on public lands. Plant your own from seeds or nursery grown transplants.
Noxious Weeds
Wildflowers are beautiful, but it is wise to know that not all plants growing here are desirable, and in fact, there is a list of plants that must (by law) be eradicated and or managed. Interestingly, some of the weed species that are considered noxious in Colorado are much admired for their flowers, medicinal use, and nutritional value in other parts of the world. Others on the list are poisonous to humans and/or domestic animals. Below are links to sites providing valuable information on weed identification and control/ suppression.
Note that Colorado legislation requires property owners to eradicate “List A” weeds and control List B weeds. Many of these plants are common within the Piñons.
1. This is the GO-TO site if you need a quality picture to assist you in identifying a plant. Plants are grouped in 3 lists according to the level of threat the plant poses to our Colorado environment, economy, and health.
2. El Paso County website profiles the 11 noxious weeds found in El Paso County that must be controlled. You’ll find a picture and a very through description of the plant and its growing characteristics as well as the methods you need to take to eradicate or control the plant. This web site also has a downloadable fact sheet on the pine beetle.
Q: What school district services this development?
A: The school district which serves our area is:
Fremont District RE-2
719-784-6312
403 West 5th Street
Florence, CO 81226-1103
www.re-2.org
The Colorado Department of Education has a very complete website with any information someone might want to know about local schools.
It is http://www.cde.state.co.us/
Answers to most questions can be found quickly including topics such as Education Regions with links to information on them and a regional map showing the districts, Schools of Choice which includes information about going out of district and the laws regarding that plus lots of other pertinent information that parents may be interested in.
Q: How can I get access to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) area located to the west of the Turkey Cañon Ranch Quarry?
A: Please take advantage of the wilderness area located just out our backdoors. It is a great place to hike, commune with nature, and enjoy the solitude of a pristine land.
Directions: The entrance to the BLM land is secured with a lock for which we have the combination. It is the same combination as the lock at the extreme North end of Cala Rojo and the quarry entrance. The locks, after you put the code into them, may need a gentle push down on the curved mechanism to get them to release. Before you go, you must obtain an access pass and combination number by emailing a request — go to the Contact Us portion of this website.
The BLM Access Pass is in accordance with the perpetual agreement between the Piñons of Turkey Cañon Ranch Homeowners’ Association and the Turkey Cañon Ranch Homeowners’ Association that grants Piñons HOA members access to the BLM land located west of the Turkey Cañon Ranch Quarry.
This pass shall be displayed on the dash of any vehicle used to access the BLM land or parked on BLM land. Vehicles shall not be parked on private property en route to the BLM land or in such a manner that restricts passage of vehicles on BLM land.
This pass grants passage through the gates and via the roads en route to and on the BLM land, but does not grant unlimited access to the private road system throughout the Turkey Cañon Ranch development or adjacent properties. Piñons members shall lock all gates when entering and exiting the property.
Piñons members shall abide by any restrictions posted or imposed by private property owners along the route, the Turkey Cañon Ranch Quarry, the Bureau of Land Management, the Forestry Service and state or county authorities.
Rules:
“Should we lock it behind ourselves after we go in?” YES.
“Can we share the code and entrance with others?” NO. The P/TCR homeowner must be on the trip.
Do not park on the right side of the road near the small house after the cable, near the hard left turn up the BLM road. If you park on his land, the guy who put up the cable and the signs might tow you. The signs he has out are accurate as it relates to his land. The area across from those signs would be a potential area to park if you do not have a 4-wheel drive vehicle and want to walk into the BLM land.
There is an area about ½ a mile up the road where motorized vehicles are not allowed. If you tried to enter the BLM land a few years back during the fire hazard, that cable is no longer there.
History of BLM Access: The "Agreement for Grant of License" that lays out the initial agreement for this access (and was filed with the county) was signed by the TCR and Piñons HOA officers in November 1996. There is another document, "Clarification of Agreement for Grant of License", signed by Tom Birkeness, then President of the TCR HOA, and Bill Sheaves, then President of our HOA, which clarifies some matters that our board was concerned about. Both have been reviewed by our attorney. His interpretation is that this is a legal and binding obligation on both parties (HOAs), that the License is perpetual ( that is, we are both obligated for perpetuity), and neither party has the right to back out of the Agreement.
Under the terms of this Agreement, the P/TCR HOA pays the TCR HOA $5 per month for each occupied lot within the Piñons. The funds generated by this fee are applied toward the cost of road maintenance within the TCR development, which are private roads and are not maintained by the county.