Side Streets ~ Neighborhood people and issues

Archive for the 'HOA Information and Resource Center' Tag

HOA BOSS COMING TO TOWN; GET YOUR QUESTIONS READY!

February 6th, 2011, 12:01 pm by
UPDATE !!!!
UPDATE!!!!
Aaron Acker has rescheduled his speech for TUESDAY, Feb. 15.
 
The luncheon is open to the public. It costs $25 for CAI members and $40 for non-members. Registration begins at 11 a.m. at the Colorado Springs Marriott Hotel, 5580 Tech Center Drive.

Aaron Acker HOA Information Officer on the summit of Mount Bierstadt

aron Acker HOA Information Officer and other mountain climbers in the Sangre de Cristos

Aaron Acker is excited about his new role as leader of Colorado’s brand new HOA Information and Resource Center.

It’s his job to register HOAs to determine exactly how many homeowners associations exist in the state and how many people live under their rule.

Education is a big part of his duties, as well as logging complaints about abusive HOA boards and property managers.

Another big part of his job, as directed by the 2010 General Assembly, is to compile all this information and report his findings back to lawmakers.

Good thing Acker is a mountain climber because he’s facing a tall challenge.

I suspect trying to get a handle on HOAs will be akin to herding cats.

Personally, I’d recommend he invest in an electric cattle prod.

Acker is the scheduled to speak at a noon luncheon on Tuesday, Feb. 15, as a guest of the Southern Colorado Chapter of the Community Association Institute.

The luncheon is open to the public. It costs $25 for CAI members and $40 for non-members. Registration begins at 11 a.m. at the Colorado Springs Marriott Hotel, 5580 Tech Center Drive.

For questions, call 264-0301 or email ericphillips@caisoco.org

Here’s Acker’s bio ,provided by the CAI: 

Aaron Acker was born in Montana and raised in Pennsylvania.  Aaron is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State’s Dickinson School of Law. He is a licensed attorney in both Colorado (2008) and Pennsylvania (2010).

Aaron began working for the State of Colorado in 2007, in the Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Registrations.  He worked in the Expedited Settlement Program, where he sought to settle, on an efficient basis, disciplinary cases before state licensing boards.  In that role, he communicated with licensees, their attorneys, licensing wards and the State Attorney General.

After his initial role in the Division of Real Estate, Aaron practiced law in Fort Collins.  As an attorney in private practice, he worked in civil litigation, criminal law, probate and appeals.

In 2009, Aaron rejoined the state as a settlement and enforcement specialist in the Division of Real Estate.  In this role, he conducted settlement negotiations on professional disciplinary matters with licensees and their attorney.

When Aaron isn’t performing his duties as HOA Information and Resource Officer, he can be found enjoying many of the activities that Colorado offers including fly fishing, mountain climbing and skiing.  During football season, though, he stays true to his roots and cheers for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Penn State Nittany Lions.

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For questions, call 264-0301 or email ericphillips@caisoco.org

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UPDATES . . . HOT UPDATES HERE!

July 14th, 2010, 5:20 pm by

It took three years, but the furor over the Great Wall of Cascade Avenue appears to be over and it has been lowered to comply with Colorado Springs building codes!

Disgruntled residents of homeowners associations, or HOAs, will soon have a state agency to turn to for help.

And the battle for control of the Crystal Park HOA rages on, even after a special meeting appeared to result in a recall vote ousting six board members.

First, the wall.

The wall around the Old North End home of Holger and Sally Christiansen has been lowered in response to a judge's order. The city granted the couple permission to let their decorative columns, called pilasters, exceed the maximum wall height of 6 feet. The chainlink gates appear to be temporary in this July 14, 2010, photo.

It’s been three years since a furor erupted in the Old North End Neighborhood, north of Colorado College, over Holger and Sally Christiansen‘s wall.

In July 2007, neighbors started complaining to the neighborhood association and the city. Public meetings were held. Hearings. Eventually, the dispute led to lawsuits filed by the city and the couple.

The Christiansens lost and were ordered to lower the wall to achieve compliance with city codes limiting it to a maximum 6 feet in height.

They complied. But they received one favor from the city. They were allowed to leave their decorative columns, called finials. They exceed the maximum by about a foot.

The three-year battle over the wall built by Holger and Sally Christiansen around their Old North End Neighborhood home seems to be over. The wall has been lowered, at a judge's order, to comply with city building codes which set a maximum height of 6 feet. This is a July 14, 2010, photo.

Here’s a link to an earlier story on the wall.

And this link will take you to prior blogs on the subject.

The HOA Information and Resource Center will open Jan. 1, 2011, thanks to action by the Colorado General Assembly.

Here’s a link to previous columns about the center.

And this link will take you to blog postings.

Lastly, Crystal Park remains in a furor over its HOA board of directors.

After months of campaining, dissidents in the private, gated community succeeded in gathering sufficient votes to oust the board.

They claimed 184 votes to recall the board. They needed 181 votes for a majority of the 360 members of the community above Manitou Springs.

Not so fast, said the existing board. It deemed the meeting and vote illegal.

I’m guessing this puppy ends up in court where only the attorneys will be the winners.

Here’s a link to an earlier column on Crystal Park.

Read my related blog post at this link.

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