Items of interest

NEW RULE:  Based upon the Covenants and Bylaws, your Board adopted a rule at their June 29, 2022 meeting to provide a process for the effective enforcement of the Covenants which all of us accepted as binding when we purchased our homes. Although the Covenants do have provisions for enforcement including mediation, filing of liens, and lawsuits, the Board believes that this new rule will act as an interim step to help address compliance issues without going to the expense, delay and difficulty of mediation and filing liens and lawsuits.

BURN RESTRICTIONS LIFTED: The Colorado Springs Fire Department announced that burn restrictions in effect since June 3rd were lifted on 25 July. This means there is no longer a ban on open fires, open burning, or outdoor smoking. A guide to provide clarity as to what is and is not allowed can be found here. 

BEST CURB APPEAL AWARDS: Summer is on us, flowers and shrubs are blooming, grass and trees are green, and that means it's time to recognize some of our beautiful Discovery properties with “Best Curb Appeal” nominations. These annual awards serve two purposes: recognition for properties that directly contribute to Discovery’s well-deserved reputation as one of Colorado Springs’ most beautiful and desirable neighborhoods; and, rewards for the thought and work of our neighbors who develop and maintain those properties. Please take a moment to nominate a beautiful property or two (maybe even yours?). Details of the program are available here.

2022 FAMILY SOCIAL EVENT: After a 2-year absence, over a hundred of our neighbors gathered at the Foothills Swim and Racquet Club on the evening of 7 July to socialized with old friends, meet new neighbors, enjoy great music and partake of fine food from 'Lil Howard's Pit BBQ. The weather was beautiful, the pool was popular, and a good time was had by all!

TREE SERVICE CONTRACTORS: We've had a lot of inquiries regarding trimming or removal of trees that were damaged in the recent storm. The Colorado Springs Fire Department is currently overwhelmed with their scheduled Firewise chipping commitments, along with the help they must give to clean up "city" spaces, e.g., thoroughfares, parks, city facilities, etc.. They will be back the week of 10-14 October for our second chipping opportunity (see below). If you can't or simply don't want to wait until then, some of our neighbors have given us referrals for tree service contractors with whom they have had positive experiences. Those referrals can be found under Tree Services in our Contractor referral area.

FIREWISE CHIPPING: We'll have two Firewise chipping events once again this year, courtesy of the CSFD.  The first was during the week of 9-13 May and the second will occur the week of 10-14 October.  Don't forget, YOU MUST REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE AND YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR THE OCTOBER CHIPPING SESSION IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE, EVEN IF YOU PARTICIPATED IN THE MAY SESSION.  Details on the Firewise chipping program can be found here. 

FIRE PITS: We fielded a question earlier about whether fire pits are allowed in Discovery. The short answer is, "YES," but if you want to enjoy your fire pit in the coming days, you MUST cover it with a screen or other means of controlling rising embers.

WATERING RESTRICTIONS: We remain under the Colorado Springs Utilities water conservation measures limiting the conditions and frequency of watering we may do on our lawns, shrubs and trees, and the rules are again more restrictive. Details of the water conservation program can be found here.

LOCKING MAILBOXES: Based on the popularity of our locking mailbox program, your Board approved Phase V and we now have mailboxes in-house. However, as with most everything else, our purchase price increased significantly. The Board agreed at their April 2022 meeting to absorb a portion of the price increase to continue to be able to continue to offer locking mailboxes to our members at a substantial savings. Details are here.

CHANGE TO OUR DNA  PROGRAM: At their January meeting, your Board approved a trial change to our Discovery Neighborhood Assistance program for 2021. We are aware of situations in Discovery which could benefit from the program, including such things as home maintenance, landscaping, snow removal and just simple economic hardship. Those are the challenges that our voluntary contributions are intended to address. For whatever reason, we have had very few occasions in the recent past to help address those challenges. Therefore, your Board agreed to set aside DNA funds to encourage "neighbor-to-neighbor" inputs to help meet those challenges. If you are aware of a Discovery neighbor who could benefit from a little help from our DNA program, please go here for details and instructions. 

SIDEWALK OBSTRUCTIONS: As mentioned earlier, some of our mature shrubs (particularly junipers and pines!) extend over our sidewalks and thus interfere with clear passage. City Ordinance 3.4.103 requires:  "Every owner and occupant of real property within the City shall keep the public sidewalks which abut or are adjacent to their real property, or public sidewalks located upon real property subject to a public easement or right of way, in a clean condition free from projections and obstructions across the surface, debris, litter, or dangerous conditions not involving the structural integrity of the sidewalk."  

In addition, our Covenants require that you maintain your trees and shrubs at intersections in a manner that ensures a clear sight line of oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, we have received a number of complaints. Please check your shrubs and trees and trim them back as necessary so you won't be surprised by communication from the Board that someone else has noticed your "obstruction" and complained. If you cannot trim them back for whatever reason, please contact our Administrator (Rick Midtbo, 719-964-4122) - we can help!

Sheds!

We are aware of the presence of a few storage sheds in Discovery. Some were approved…and some “magically appeared.”  No further violations of ARC Approval will be permitted. Any future sheds discovered to have been constructed without ARC approval will be subject to relocation or removal at the owner's expense.  Please review the information on sheds in our FAQ area before you decide if you need a shed in your yard.


Your Spring 2022 Newsletter is now available in the Documents area. We hope you find it both interesting and useful.