Spring Newsletter, 2026

Board Members

• Pat Cordova (President)

• Dan Sattler (Vice President, Secretary)

• Ted Craig (Treasurer)

Wind Damage

We have had more than our share of wind damage this year, taking a toll on fencing and trees.  A rule of thumb for homeowner fence damage is that if there is damage to a fence dividing homeowner yards, the homeowners work together to get that damage resolved.  Homeowners have agreed to either work together to make the repairs themselves, or if they hire a contractor, share the costs 50/50.  Please remember that the only approved stain is Seagull Grey and it appears that the only store capable of mixing the color correct is the Sherwin Williams on Harmony Rd, next to the Lowes store.  All fences are required to be constructed with cedar and follow the HOA Fences specifications.  Please check with the Management Company if you have any Questions.  The HOA has all of the outside Perimeter fence repaired at this point.  Over 12 properties were affected and a total of 16 6x6 treated posts were removed and replaced.  We also had 7 trees blown over and removed with the stumps ground out.  We have a total of 17 trees scheduled for planting this spring.

Budget Increase

At our last Board of Directors Meeting on April 9, 2026, the Board voted to increase our Fence Budget from $17,000.00 to $30,000.00.  We have spent about $15,000.00 so far on fence repairs and we still need to get bids for our ongoing 20% fence stain, repair program.  Hopefully with our trees filling out with leaves we’ll get a better wind break, but we could all use a little less wind this summer.

Bin Buddies

We received an email from the owner of Ram Waste informing us that homeowners are placing rocks, bricks, bungies… on their trash bins to try and keep the bins closed due to our wind issues.  He informed the Board that he will have his drivers pass cans that cannot be dumped without having to get out of the truck, however he has offered a solution that solves the problem.  There is a product called “Bin Buddies” that can keep the lid closed for the wind but allows the dumping of trash.  These are available on Amazon for $12.00 for a two pack.  I purchased these and tried them out.  They work great. 

Yard Waste Service  

Ram Waste Systems, (970) 226-3396, offers seasonal Yard Waste Service for about $25.00 per month for a large 95-gallon cart.  With a cart this large you could share the cart with a neighbor or two to save some money.  The service runs from April through the end of November.  Accepted items include grass clippings, twigs & leaves only (no branches or ground debris).  Materials should be left loose; bags are not allowed at the processing center. 

Please note that Ram is often in the neighborhood by 7:00 am to start picking up.  They require that you do not over stuff the trash can – the lid needs to be able to close to protect from trash blowing out.

Yard Maintenance

Buffalo Creek HOA has used Mother’s Day as the official start of summer season requiring homeowners’ yards to be into compliance after the winter dormancy.    Weeds seem to be an issue every spring, and you might want to consider talking with a landscape store for ideas on how to deal with weeds before they overwhelm you.  (They all have several pre-emergent products).  The Management Company is required to send Violation notices to homes that do not address weeds.  All dead trees need to be removed.  HOA Covenants require one deciduous tree to be in the front yard of each property so if your dead tree is the only one in the front yard, you’ll need to replace it.  Tree planting does require ARC approval.  

Fence Staining and House Painting

will be required on those properties needing to be brought into compliance. Please be sure to get competitive Bids.   We see house painting costs running $2,800.00 to $3,500.00 per house – or much more.  Remember to get ARC approval prior to starting your projects.

A good trick to save on your water bill this year for yard irrigation, is to set two watering programs into your yard irrigation system.  Set your watering schedule to do a short run in the evening, around 8:00 pm for 10 –15 minutes, which will cool down your grass and dampen it.   Then run your regular watering schedule in the early morning, around 4:00 am and this watering should allow water to work through your already moist, cooled off grass and get down better for saturation into the roots of the sod.  A full healthy lawn should be able to retain moisture, keeping the lawn in good shape without having to use a ton of water.  It’s important to get on your lawn early in the spring to get it into a healthy condition prior to the hotter months of fall.  You are allowed to water more after getting a yard re-seeded, re-sodded… so please do this early in the spring before the heat comes.  Watering on hot days with stressed yards will waste a lot of water through evaporation and not get the needed water into the roots.  If you do not have an irrigation system, you can buy a product like Orbits water timers that can fit on your hose and/or outside spicket.  You can put a splitter, (T), on your spicket then a timer on each allowing you to effectively run two different timed zones per spicket.  Some Orbits are available that have two hose connections and are timed separately for run times.  You can find them on Amazon or at stores like Home Depot.  (approx. $38.00)

Any Visible Property Change Requires ARC Approval

Any change that you want to make to the exterior of your house, property, and landscaping needs to have Architectural Review Committee (ARC) approval. Give a few weeks prior to your project to get the approval process completed.  

Go to the website: www.buffalocreekhoa.com, find the ARC form, fill it out and email or mail it back to the ARC Committee.  The ARC committee will go over your request to make sure that everything falls within the HOA Covenants and Site Restrictions.  (This is our way of helping make sure that you do not end up investing time and money in a project that is not allowed under HOA guidelines.)  The ARC Committee is there to help you, so you do not have to read through a hundred pages of documents to determine if your project is approvable.    

ARC forms are on website at; www.buffalocreekhoa.com or Email;  arc@buffalocreekhoa.com  and include singewald@aol.com  in the address bar to make sure we get you a fast response.

Safety

Homeowners have noticed that we have a lot of children outside playing and have expressed concern about seeing so many people driving a little too fast.  Children can come out fast from between parked cars.  The Board agreed to put this reminder into the Newsletter and we all hope everyone takes care.

Projects for 2026

In 2026 we will continue to replace dead trees in the common area, make repairs to the perimeter fence and schedule several sections of fence for staining.    Please continue to send email notices to Management for anything you see needing attention: sprinklers, broken fence, broken tree branches…  This spring we have 8 deciduous trees and 9 conifers on our planting list.

Buffalo Creek HOA

All correspondence, payments and ARC requests can be sent to the HOA.  All payments for dues are by Annual Payment, however the Board has authorized monthly payments by ACH. Buffalo Creek HOA,  PO Box 1182,   Wellington, CO   80549      Website:  www.BuffaloCreekHOA.com

Management Company

Buffalo Creek HOA is being managed by Buffalo Creek Management and can be reached at; PO Box 1182, Wellington, CO  80549.  Phone (970) 568-3170 or email at: singewald@aol.com  

Share Your Ideas

We are continually working to keep Buffalo Creek a community you can be proud of.  We like keeping you informed and are always happy to get suggestions.