Category Archives: Default

2019 Garage Sale

Annual HV Garage Sale — Saturday, May 4th

It was a another great year of selling! Thank you everyone that had a sale this year!

It’s that time of year once again! The Hidden Valley Garage Sale will take place on Saturday, May 4th. The advertised hours will 8 am – 4 pm, but as most of you know – there will be early shoppers. This is a great opportunity to clean out the closets, basement, and garage. Residents run their own sales, but no need to advertise individually. We get great traffic through the neighborhood because of the history of the quantity and quality of the sales. Happy selling!

See the garage sale link for more details on items for sale and to add your own!

2018-09-24 Meeting Minutes

HIDDEN VALLEY HOME OWNERS ASSOCIATION September 24, 2018 

MEETING MINUTES

 

Call to Order:

  • Meeting called to order at 7:00 pm by President Brian Bluhm  
  • Attendance:
    • Board members; Brian Bluhm, Dave Thiede, Rick Fryar, Chris Corporaal and Administrator – Carissa Erie.

Dues (Dave Thiede)

  • The meeting started with Dave informing the board about how many overdue association dues there currently are.
    • There are 25 overdue association dues currently.
  • The association plans to send out emails to the houses who are overdue first, then will follow up with letters in the mail if they fail to send in their dues.

72nd Street Monument (Brian Bluhm)

  • Brian gave the attendees an update on the 72nd St. Monument.  
  • Dave informed the board of a design from SDDI for a monument with a cost of $6407.45.
  • Brian suggested contacting the company Timberline for a design and quote.
  • The board then discussed options and preferences on how the monument should look; possibly one with a faux boulder to look similar to the one on 73rd street.
  • The board members concluded that the new monument should be constructed in a way that it blends in with the other monuments, so that the neighborhood has a cohesive design.
  • Brian informed the board that they still need to obtain a vector and has a contact to reach out to.

Mailboxes (Brian Bluhm)

  • Brian discussed the process of getting the mailboxes done with the board members.
  • The mailboxes need their slabs replaced.
  • The board is considering getting mailboxes that look similar to the new ones in the Villas of Hidden Valley neighborhood.
  • Brian informed the board about the resident responses from the mailbox survey:
    • Most liked the mailboxes with stone at the base.
      • A problem with that is that there seems to be a lot of wear on the stone in a very short amount of time based on the condition of similar mailboxes after only one year (getting ruined by snow plows).
    • Brian would like to contact the companyTimberline for a quote.
    • Brian tasked Carissa with contacting the Postmaster to find out the timeline and process for them to install temporary mailboxes and distribution of keys.
    • There are 20 locations that need to be replaced; the board would like to have 6 locations done a year.

Landscaping (Brian Bluhm

  • Brian told the board members the cost of two islands:
    • Island 9 cost $6600
    • Island 10 cost $5800
  • Brian informed the board that there are 10 islands that still need to be redone.
  • The finished ones are islands 3, 4, 5, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18.
  • Brian told the board that they still need to get a quote for island 12.
  • 2-3 islands will be done each year.
  • Brian updated the board on the status of the removal of an unauthorized bonfire pit in the island on Hidden Valley Ridge South.
    • He received a quote on the cost to fixing that from Elegant Landscaping; which will then be sent to the residents of Hidden Valley Ridge South if they do not remove the fireplace themselves.

HVHA Homeowner Violations (Brian Bluhm and Carissa Erie)

  • There have been 10 violation notices sent since the last board meeting (Carissa Erie).
  • All of the violation notices have been resolved.
  • Brian informed the board that there is a RV on the street at Hidden Valley Lane South and that it will be dealt with by the city since it is on the street.
  • There is a home for sale that has a shed on its property, the board discussed if this is a HVHA issue or a city issue due to where it is.
    • Brian said he will check to see if it is on private property or city land.
  • Brian informed the board that there may need to be an additional meeting to discuss a requested fence on Hidden Valley Lane South.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:45pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Carissa Erie

Administrator

2018 Garage Sale

What a great selling weekend we had this year! I hope everyone got their garages cleaned and a bit of green in their wallets!

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Annual HV Garage Sale — Saturday, May 5th

It’s that time of year once again! The Hidden Valley Garage Sale will take place on Saturday, May 5th. The advertised hours will 8 am – 4 pm, but as most of you know – there will be early shoppers. This is a great opportunity to clean out the closets, basement, and garage. Residents run their own sales, but no need to advertise individually. We get great traffic through the neighborhood because of the history of the quantity and quality of the sales. Happy selling!

See the garage sale link for more details on items for sale and to add your own!

Upcoming Prairie Site Burn Nearby

The City of Cottage Grove intends to burn prairie sites at Oakwood, Hardwood and Hamlet Parks this spring. Once established, prairies are relatively carefree. Prairies are primarily managed through periodic prescribed burns to remove undesirable woody and weed species, provide rich nutrients to the soil, enhance native habitat and boost the ecological environment for plants, animals and birds.

The prescribed burn will be performed by the company of Minnesota Native Landscapes and/or Stantec. They are both professional native landscape management companies and have performed many burns throughout the Midwest for many years. All applicable licensing and permits are applied for by the contractor and authorized by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

The city understands that fires of any type can be scary for homeowners. However, prescribed burns are a common method of management throughout municipals county, state and federal park systems. The safety precautions taken are time tested and minimize any risk to the adjacent neighborhoods. Such things as choosing ideal weather conditions, establishing burn breaks, keeping thousands of gallons of water at the site and having professionals of the industry perform the work make this method of management the most efficient and effective for the city.

The type of fire used is quite often not what people may envision. The fire is kept very low to the ground and rarely rises above 18 inches in height. The fire crew works in stages and does not move more than 10 feet ahead without assuring the fire is completely extinguished behind them. The crew works very fast and most sites in Cottage Grove will be completed in two to six hours. If you wish to further educate yourself on the type of work being performed you can find some good generalized information on prescribed burns on the MN DNR website at the following address:
http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/assistance/backyard/privatelandsprogram/benefits_prescribed_burning.pdf

The end result is a durable and complex grassland that displays beautiful color throughout the seasons, adds character to the landscape, protects against soil erosion, improves water quality and enhances ecological habitat.

If you have any questions or concerns with this work, please contact Zac Dockter (Contact information on the attached PDF)

2018 – 01 – 23 Annual Meeting

HIDDEN VALLEY HOME OWNERS ASSOCIATION JANUARY 23, 2018 ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES

 

Call to Order:

  • Meeting called to order at 7:00 pm by President Brian Bluhm
  • Attendance:
    • Board members; Brian Bluhm, Dave Thiede, Rick Fryar, Chris Corporaal, Kelley Dawn, Dana Frey and Administrator – Carissa Erie
    • Resident attendance: Per visual count, ten residents attended the annual meeting.

Welcome (Brian):

  • Brian opened the meeting with general comments regarding the “state of the hood” and said that the Association needs Board Members and that the Association would like to start working on Social Events.

Website (Rick):

  • Rick discussed the usage of the website and stated that the majority of traffic comes from Google Chrome and mobile devices.  He said that about 50 residents view the website each month.
  • Rick notified the attendees that the website is now integrated with Facebook for Login and that there is now a HVHA Facebook group.
    • Events will be posted on this Facebook group.

Financial Report (Dave):

  • Dave presented the Financial Report. There is currently $41,000 in the association account; which includes a $7000 surplus.
  • Dave informed the attendees that the largest expense is maintenance on the islands and that the electricity bill for the monuments is also expensive.  He said we can lower that cost by moving to solar lighting and more efficient bulbs.
  • A question was asked about how many unpaid dues there are currently.  Dave informed the attendees that there are 8 unpaid dues.
  • Dave asked if there is anything new we would like to budget for; such as:
    • A summer picnic?
    • Pictures with Santa?
  • The association is not raising dues this year.

Landscaping, Mailboxes and Lawn Care (Brian)

  • Brian informed the meeting that three islands will be redone this spring.
  • The mailboxes need to be redone.
    • The association is working with the Postmaster on the mailboxes with surrounds.
    • It was noted that some residents are requesting locked mailboxes.  This may be controversial due to the large size of locked mailboxes that would have to be placed in some residents’ yards.

72nd Street Monument (Brian)

  • Brian gave the attendees an update on the 72nd St. Monument.  He stated that it will be redone with stone that matches the one off of Hardwood Avenue and with a similar theme.
  • The lighting will be switched to solar to save money.

ACC (Architectural Control Committee (Dana)

  • Dana told the attendees that changes to homes and landscaping requires ACC Requests.
  • The ACC has only received 18 ACC Requests, even though there have been more than 18 changes done in the neighborhood.
  • Dana and Kelley told the attendees the general purpose of submitting ACC Requests:
    • They keep the ACC informed, which in turn keeps neighbors informed and happy.

HVHA Homeowner Violations (Chris)

  • Chris informed the attendees that the main violations are trailers in driveways.  He said that once a resident is informed that they are in violation, they have 7-10 days to move the trailer.
  • Legal action on violations was discussed by the meeting.  Brian stated that the association has not taken legal action in a long time.
    • He also stated that the offender is responsible for all legal fees, not the association.

Neighborhood Events (Brian)

  • Brian discussed the fact that the association used to hold neighborhood events; such as a golf tournament.  The association would like to start that up again.  Some possible event ideas are:
    • An Easter Egg Hunt
    • A Neighborhood 5K
    • Resident Steve Weber offered to host a Santa Meet and Greet at his home.

Meeting was adjourned at 8pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Carissa Erie

Administrator

Annual Homeowner’s Meeting

HIDDEN VALLEY ANNUAL HOMEOWNERS MEETING
Tuesday, January 23th 2017 – 7 pm

Carbone’s Kitchen and Pub
7155 Jorgensen Ln S

Agenda

  • “State of the ‘Hood” address
  • Neighborhood Events
  • Election
  • Landscaping, Mailboxes and LawnCare
  • 72nd Street Monument
  • ACC Report
  • Violations
  • Financial Report – Budget review/preview
  • Annual Meeting – change date?

Come hungry as HVHA will provide the pizza and soup.
You get your own drinks.
Please plan on attending. We have many new homeowners in the neighborhood and it would be great to do some of the fun things we used to do.

It’s your neighborhood! Let’s all make it the best!

2017 Garage Sale

Thanks for an awesome garage sale year!…

Annual HV Garage Sale — Saturday, May 6th

It’s that time of year once again! The Hidden Valley Garage Sale will take place on Saturday, May 6th. The advertised hours will 8 am – 4 pm, but as most of you know – there will be early shoppers. This is a great opportunity to clean out the closets, basement, and garage. Residents run their own sales, but no need to advertise individually. We get great traffic through the neighborhood because of the history of the quantity and quality of the sales. Happy selling!

See the garage sale link for more details on items for sale and to add your own!

Proposed New Development Nearby

We wanted to ensure the neighborhood has information about a proposed development that may impact some residents of our association. The area in question is the south side of 73rd street along Harkness Ave. The board takes no position other than to inform the neighborhood about it. Mike Rygh’s proposed residential development plans for the Villas of Hidden Valley project is detailed below.

This project still proposes the platting of 19 lots for single-level houses. Each house would be constructed on a separate parcel of land. The street that will provide access to each of the 19 lots is proposed to be a private street. City water and sanitary sewer will still be constructed for each of the 19 lots. Mr. Rygh has modified the pre-treatment and infiltration storm water ponds, but said pond will still be mostly located on city-owned land north of the 19 lots. All the trees on this 4.76 acre site will still be removed and site grading will occur on the entire site.

The proposed retaining wall along the south property line of Rygh’s proposed development plan has been modified to a two-tier retaining wall design. A privacy fence along this retaining wall is now proposed to be installed at the top elevation of the retaining walls.

A public walkway to the existing 20 foot wide trial corridor that is along the west side of the Hidden Valley neighborhood is not proposed through Rygh’s project. Zac Dockter does not think a trail will be fully developed within this existing 20 foot corridor that is owned by the City.

If you have questions about the project, let me know. A copy of Rygh’s development plans that will be presented to the Planning Commission next Monday, February 27th can be found here.