The following is the latest in a series of monthly messages from the RVR Master Association Board. The messages summarize recent Board decisions and discussions and are designed to bring RVR homeowners up to date on issues important to the community.
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Dear RVR Homeowners,
Many of you saw the recent articles in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent and the Sopris Sun about what’s happening at the RVR golf course. The stories were largely about what the course owner, Dan Coleman, wants to do with the golf course. The articles also talked about what the operator of the golf course, Red Cunningham, is doing to prepare for the 2019 season.
Red Cunningham is leasing the golf course and restaurant from Dan Coleman for the next few years. Red is responsible for the course and restaurant operations, and for providing and maintaining our water for community irrigation. The Board is pleased that Red is making positive changes, including operating the restaurant year-round. We hope RVR homeowners will give the Homestead Bar and Grill a try. It’s a plus for the community.
While the Board enthusiastically supports Red’s efforts with the golf course and restaurant, we remain strongly opposed to Dan Coleman’s desires to build a “boutique hotel” where the driving range is today. In last summer’s RVR community survey, and in all six of our recent golf roundtables, we found zero support for any further development of the golf course or the community. This lack of support is critical, as the Town of Carbondale requires at least fifty percent of all RVR lot owners to support any development plans before a property owner can even submit a rezoning application.
The Board feels, and we think the RVR community agrees, that a boutique hotel or any other development would change the nature of RVR from a charming residential community to a resort community with additional traffic and other growth-related issues. That’s not what we all signed up for.
We will continue to monitor Dan Coleman’s visions for the community. If he actually has a specific, concrete plan, we will share it with you, so you can evaluate it based on what you think is best for RVR.
As we’ve said consistently in recent months, the Board will evaluate any proposed changes on three key objectives:
Ensuring the long-term sustainability of the community
Preventing development that changes the nature of the community
Preserving RVR property values
We don’t think a hotel within RVR supports any of those objectives.
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Now, a few items from our Feb. 20 Board meeting:
Fine and Violation Plan: At our monthly Board meeting, we spent a fair amount of time discussing a new fine and violation plan to enforce our community rules and governing documents. This effort, led by General Manager Sterling Page, is a work in progress and we’ll keep you posted on our progress.
Short-term Rentals: The Board also discussed our desire to place some controls on short-term rentals, such as VRBOs. Our governing documents currently make it difficult to restrict how long someone can rent their home. We believe there is a benefit to defining an acceptable period of rentals. Should it be an hour, a day, a week, a month – or no restriction at all? The Board feels a need to make sure tenants follow our rules, in the same way, homeowners are obligated to. Areas of greatest concern include trash, noise, and parking. As mentioned in last month’s note, we are working on a survey to better understand how the community feels about short-term rentals.
New Board Member: We are happy to announce long-time RVR homeowner Cathy Cooney as a new Board member. She will fill the remainder of Ron Rouse’s term; Ron died in January. In recent weeks, Cathy has been helping us revise our employee handbook. She brings years of Human Resources and management experience to the Board.
Ranch House Activities: Looking ahead, there are many activities planned at the Ranch House. This March will be our first St. Patrick’s Day party. We hope you will all attend this potluck on March 17. Watch for more information on this event in the Friday RVR Weekly Newsletter.
Time to go Courting: It’s been a cold, white winter, but before long, tennis players will be back on our courts. And, as many of you know, pickleball is all the rage. We’re pleased that the Town of Carbondale is planning to allocate a permanent home for pickleball courts, adjacent to the high school.
Trash Changes: The Town of Carbondale is working toward having a single trash hauler for the entire town. We believe RVR will be a part of this plan. The change will have little impact on homeowners and will shift the burden of managing our trash from RVR staff to the town.
For those of us who enjoy cold-weather sports such as alpine and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and sledding, it’s been a great winter. Spring may be just around the corner, at least by the calendar -- but I will be sad to see a wonderful winter come to a close. All this snow has been terrific for our place in paradise.
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If you’d like to weigh in on these topics – or any others – we’d love to have you join us at our Board meetings. The next one is on March 20, at 5:30 pm in the Ranch House Board meeting room. Hope to see you there.
On behalf of your volunteer RVRMA Board,
Yvonne Perry
Board President
