Progress Reports on Defensible Space Plan
for Chinquapin on Lake Tahoe
As reported by Ralph Coppola, Grounds Committee Chairman
December 2006
Work has been discontinued for the winter and is at about 40% complete. A Spring burn is anticipated for the slash piles that have not been sent to the biomass project. BMPs are almost complete and some early work has been done on those areas which have been approved to date. Chinquapin grounds are now in snow removal mode for the winter.
November 1, 2006
The clearing of the hill between Chinquapin and Dollar Point is continuing. The fire department is finding much more “fuel” than they anticipated, so the process will take longer. The Fire Department crew has completed about one third of the clearing scheduled for the uninhabited area of our property. This fire safety project is mostly funded by Federal and County money, but both Chinquapin and Dollar Point are also contributing.
July 12, 2006
Continuing to clear brush around the property. The Fire Department work on the large hill between Chinquapin and Dollar Point will commence in September or October.
May 27, 2006
Work to clear the hill between CHOA and Dollar Hill has been delayed due to personnel changes at the Fire Department. Once that is resolved, the work should proceed. Additional good news is that the Federal Government stepped in and offered three for one matching funds. This makes a total of $240,000 to spend on fire safety on the upper slope from the highway to the point. The fire district will hire a forester and get all the necessary permits and hire the Incline Fire Department to do the work.
April 5, 2006
The MOU (memorandum of understanding) is almost complete with the North Tahoe Fire District. Under the agreement, the Incline Fire Department will come in and use mechanical equipment on the large hill between Chinquapin and Dollar Point. The fire department can cut and grind the trees on site. CHOA will be getting $30,000 or more in matching funds for this expense from Placer County.
January 12, 2006
Ralph Coppola advised the Board that we have received a MOU from Placer County for $30,000 in matching funds to clear grounds for fire prevention. The County money will primarily be used to clear the large hill between our units
and the Dollar Point homes. Additionally, the County would like us to do more work in the area of the entrance road, to allow for entrance and evacuation in case of a major fire. Ralph is also working on a plan for this summer to continue our fire clearing efforts in other areas of our property.
October 26, 2005
Ralph Coppola advised the Board of the projects undertaken during the summer relating to Grounds. The Board reviewed the TRPA website permit regarding tree cutting. TRPA does not require a permit for removing trees less than 6 inch diameter at breast height not in the Shore or Stream Environmental Zones. But, requests for cutting trees must be coordinated through the CHOA Grounds Committee. In our continued effort to clear the property of fire hazards we will now take that new guidance into account. We have spent $40,000 on clearing throughout Chinquapin. Another $10,000 will be spent during the 4th quarter.
September 3, 2005
Ralph Coppola reported that he is trying to keep things as natural as possible. He thanked the homeowners who have given money to help pay for planting near their units. Dan Jones is about a month behind on several projects due to the late snow. WMC is currently working on fire prevention and clearing out areas for fire defense. Ralph & Ken recently attended a meeting chaired by Diane Feinstein to address fire prevention practices around the lake. There may be federal money for this purpose. The ridge between Dollar Hill and Chinquapin is a top priority for the North Tahoe Fire Prevention District. Fortunately, Lake Tahoe is also a high priority at the federal level.
July 2, 2005
Ralph Coppola reported that there have been several requests from homeowners for plantings around their units-paid for by the owners. There has been a homeowner request to clean up the trees along the back of the tennis courts for fire prevention. Dan Jones and his crew have also been removing fuel from around units 9-20. We need to remove as much debris as possible on the property.
May 28, 2005
Ralph Coppola reported that work is continuing on clearing the grounds to maximize fire safety.
April 7, 2005
Ralph Coppola reported that work is continuing on clearing the grounds to maximize fire safety.
November 4, 2004
Ralph Coppola gave a very detailed report of what the Grounds Committee has accomplished so far this year. The clearing of brush along all perimeters has been completed as part of the first phase of our fire protection plan. All trees deemed dangerous have been removed and additional trees have been marked for removal, monies permitting.
September 4, 2004
The primary goals of the Grounds Committee are fire defense, BMPs, and grounds beautification. The first phase of brush clearing and tree limbing from around buildings is about 80% complete. This will be an annual project. The next phases will focus more on the less populated areas of the property, including the hillsides, which represent a significant fire danger. The prolonged drought has allowed the beetles to attack and kill many trees. We are removing them as soon as they become dangerous.
July 3, 2004
Ralph Coppola reported the Grounds Committee has been busy and on target for grounds work. Work is being done on limbing up trees near buildings and specifically chimneys. Ralph suggested Homeowners be directed to the web site for grounds and maintenance concerns. He also noted that Homeowners could pay for maintenance if they request something ahead of schedule. Dan Jones will remove the tree stump in front of unit 23 and plant a new tree in its place.
May 29, 2004
Director Ralph Coppola presented the Grounds Committee budget expenditures for review. Starting with an initial budget of $50,000, the committee has about $12,000 left for additional forest management. Ralph presented the Board with the Field Review of Chinquapin=92s Healthy Forest and Defensible Space Plan. The main priorities of the plan are fire safe defensible space, maintenance of a healthy forest, the health of the forest between landowners, and the health of the shoreline. Our forester, Dan Scatena, and Ralph walked the property adjacent to Dollar Hill and discovered some improper limbing and a lack of defensible space in many areas.
"Keeping Chinquapin Homeowners Informed"
URL: http://chinquapinhoa.com/defensible_space_progress.htm
Last modified: 12/06/06
| 
