News May 2020
HRCA and the CoVid-19 CRISIS
At the time of publication, HRCA facilities remain closed as a result of the mandatory closure of gym facilities by the Governor. In addition, all programs that would normally be held at our recreation centers have also been canceled and all events through the end of May have been either canceled or rescheduled in order to keep with the guidelines for social distancing set by the State.
Message from Jerry Flannery, HRCA CEO and General Manager Hard to believe that May is here, and we are on the edge of summer. Typically, we are entering the busiest time of year for HRCA - gearing up for summer events and programs, getting ready to start our summer camps, and preparing to open the outdoor pools. Instead, the recreation centers sit empty, the fitness equipment is idle, and there are no sounds of children running through the buildings. All of us at HRCA miss our members. We are hoping to open our doors in a limited capacity as soon as we are able to adhere to socially responsible guidelines to protect the health of our staff, members and community. As we continue to navigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to take a moment to shed some light on how your HRCA staff is keeping the facilities, projects, and administrative duties operating. At the facilities, a few essential employees, (wearing masks and practicing safe social distancing), continue to work on large scale maintenance projects that we would normally do during our annual closures, alleviating these weeklong closures for each facility after we reopen later this year. Programming and event staff are developing ways to keep you active in a virtual environment (be sure to check out our new HRCA at Home webpage) and planning for the future. We are even seeing an increase in our residential improvement services with many members submitting applications for home improvements. Our primary functions continue just on a virtual basis. Above all, we are committed to getting back on track as soon as it is safe. We have received questions from a few members as to why they have had to continue to pay assessments while the facilities are closed to the public. We are mandated by our governing documents to charge assessments and are not allowed by those documents to provide refunds for any reason. We realize that some may perceive this as a "windfall" for HRCA - saving up the assessment income during this challenging time and not experiencing financial hardship. This is an understandable misconception, however, revenue generating classes and programs such as Aquatics, Sports & Fitness, Backcountry, Arts & Education, and Community Events are all canceled along with the facility closure. With this significant revenue stream (that is estimated at $400,000 per month) no longer coming into the HRCA, there are financial ramifications. We are very fortunate to have been fiscally responsible and have been conservative and transparent in our budgeting each year while looking and saving for the future. Our reserves are strong and because of that we are able to keep our organization in good financial standing even while closed, rather than filing for bankruptcy as many other organizations unfortunately are forced to do. With that said, we still have ongoing expenses just like every homeowner, such as, utility and service costs, employee payroll, and regular facility maintenance with our equipment and pools.
HRCA at HOME - Staying Active HRCA is here to keep you active and engaged while you are at home! The new HRCA at Home webpage has classes, events, virtual work outs, and many more fun activities appropriate for the whole family! New content is being added regularly, so be sure to visit www.HRCAonline.org/HRCAatHome to see what's new!
the 2020 Virtual TASTE OF HIGHLANDS RANCH As many of you know, the Taste of Highlands Ranch is a community tradition that has become a staple. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 we had to cancel this year's live event. While the Taste is canceled this year, it doesn't mean that we can't continue to support our local restaurants that have been supporting us at the Taste of HR all these years! So, the Taste of Highlands Ranch is going VIRTUAL! Support our local restaurants and have some fun while doing it! Join us by playing the The 2020 Virtual Taste of BINGO the week of April 24 - May 2. Visit our web site for more info, get your BINGO card and get tasting! www.HRCAonline.org/VirtualTaste.
(continued on page 2)
See Summer Camps Information on pages 6-7!
Jerry Flannery
HRCA|news is published monthly by the Highlands Ranch Community Association, Inc.
HRCA|Event/Weather Line 303-471-8888
Board of Directors 303-471-8958 Jim Allen Scott Lemmon Brock Norris Melissa Park Krystal Woodbury
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES at Eastridge 303-471-8958 9568 University Blvd. M-F: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
RECREATION CENTERS 303-791-2500
Recreation Center at Northridge 8800 Broadway M-Th: 5:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. F: 5:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Sa. & Su: 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
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Recreation Center at Eastridge 9568 University Blvd. M-F: 5:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Sa: 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Su: 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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Recreation Center at Southridge 4800 McArthur Ranch Rd. M-F: 5:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Sa: 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Su: 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Copyright Š2020 Highlands Ranch Community Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission is required to redistribute, reproduce, modify or republish information from Highlands Ranch Community Association, Inc, in print or electronically.
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CEO and General Manager (continued from page 1- Jerry's Message) Assessment revenue pays for the maintenance and up-keep of the recreation centers, administration functions, principle and interest on our bonds and sets aside funds into our reserve accounts for current and future capital projects. These funds are critical to the overall health of the organization, and without the assessment revenue there would be serious financial ramifications for the entire organization. Over the last month our leadership has been diligently working on financial projections impacted by the postponement of programs and events, estimating reduced income due to financial uncertainties, and weighing the options we have as a not-for-profit entity. We have taken cost saving measures to ensure the financial stability of the organization including: placing part time and some full time staff on furlough with partial wages, freezing not essential expenses, salary freezes and a hiring freeze, canceling events with no associated revenue, and postponing planned capital improvement projects. Budgets are being evaluated continuously, and if the closure continues there will be more cost saving measures put into place. I feel this information is important so that you, our members, can better understand where we are during this uncertain time and why the need for assessment fees continues. We rely on assessments to continue maintaining our facilities and the financial strength which we have developed over the past 39 years. Also, we need to be a fully functioning organization and be ready to hit the ground running so that you can enjoy the facilities again, but we can only make that happen if we have assessment revenue coming into our facilities. Please remember that HRCA is a not for profit organization. Even though our governing documents do not allow for refunds of assessments, a hypothetical refund of one quarter of the recreation portion of the assessment would amount to $4.4M. A refund of this magnitude would put HRCA millions of dollars in the red and force us to deplete our reserve accounts to fund operations. Drawing on reserves for operations would take funds from critical capital replacement and repair projects. Refunding a single quarter would significantly harm our ability to function, put the organization in a harmful financial situation and alarm our bond holders. Any refund would need to be made up with a future special assessment to recoup the dollars that were refunded. In conclusion, we know there are many people suffering in our community and we are following federal guidelines and being more lenient with our members that might already have delinquent accounts. Please know that if you are experiencing a hardship case and will have trouble paying your quarterly assessments, reach out to us - we will do everything we can to work with you to help you during these difficult times. More information on this can be found at www.HRCAonline.org/COVID-19. Stay safe, stay healthy, and we look forward to seeing you in our recreation centers soon!
KEEPING YOU INFORMED For the latest HRCA facility closures, program and event information, be sure to visit www.HRCAonline.org/ COVID-19. The site also has community resources including a link to the Douglas County COVID-19 web site which has valuable information including public health, human needs, economic recovery, and volunteering.
volunteer appreciation HRCA would like to recognize the following volunteers for their service from May 2019 to April 2020, representing these committees: Aquatics, Architectural, Backcountry Planning Areas, Board of Directors, Cultural Affairs Association, Delegates, Development Review, Finance, Community Relations Ranch Hands, Scholarship Fund, Sports, Therapeutic Recreation, Tribunal, and other miscellaneous volunteer teams. Without volunteers, Highlands Ranch would not be the great place it is today. Even more importantly, these volunteers help set the direction for tomorrow. Join us in thanking and recognizing them for their outstanding contribution. Interested in volunteering? Go to www.HRCAonline.org/Volunteer.
Joseph Aden Jim Allen Laurie Allred David Alpert Homar Alvarado Woody Anderson Tanya Anderson Louise Ansari Laurie Atkinson Katie Atkinson Paula Bacheller Greg Banks Susan Bastine Chrissie Bayee Savannah Beccerril Michael Becerril Vicki Leigh Becker Jennie Benson Heather Blake Andrea Bohney Al Bonneau Lori Boxler Crystal Bryant Woody Bryant Tom Buehner Bill Buettner Karen Burch Cheryl Burk Wendy Burke Sheila Byrnes Zell Cantrell Clinton Cave Susan Coleman John Coryell Sheri Coryell Daniel DeBacco Michael Deviney Mark Dickerson Jerry Dilley Alexandra Dilley Lisa Dragseth Sue Eley Jim Ellingson George Elliott
Dominick Esposito Jeff Feldman Doug Flin Susan Foppe Scott Forman Chris Fruchey Keith Glenn Karen Grewell Carolyn Groom Amit Gupta John "Jake" Happs Gillian Harman Patrick Hellner Julianne Hennings Laura Hennings Greg Herman Mark Heydt Justin Hill Teri Hjelmstad Jeanne Hoffman Rob Hoskins Kurt Huffman Frank Impinna Jack Jacquart Scott Janson Andy Jones Ken Joseph Pat Kaptain Clay Karr Erynn Kay Tammy Kelly Roy King Victor Kolev Todd Landgrave Sharyn Landis Sara Lebofsky Sue Leidolph Vicki Leigh-Becker Scott Lemmon Derek Long John Mackowiak Ariel Madlambayan Linda Mallette Tiffany Malone
Bruce McFadden Ashley McGowan Patti McGuinness Grace McMahon Rob Mierau Leslie Miller Brandon Miller Morgan Miller Mike Millington Jennifer Mitkowski Menka Mittal Doug Morton Mark Moyer Krishna Narasimhan Ginger Nixt Gerd Noebel Gunnar Noebel Brock Norris Susan Obrien Erik Okland Melissa Park Mary Parker Kim Paul Nick Paytas Al Pelkowski Larry Perkins Tony Perrone Michael Petruccelli Daniel Pinette Sue Plummer Glenn Proulx Michelle Ratcliff Jean Rehnke Jerry Reichardt Michael Riley Chris Robinson Jesus Rocha Brian Rollins Jenn Rollins Connie Rosel Rebecca Rothwell Barbara Salisbury Dana Scantland Rob Schlenker
Larry Schwartz Jim Sebben Russell Shaffer Suma Shamasundar Aldis Sides Pal Sievers Ena Simanson Frank Simanson Melissa Smessaert Christina Smith Nancy Smith William Smith Bill Smith Chrissie Smith Deborah Spicer Grethe Stem Joe Stewart Elizabeth Strock Jennifer Tool Holladay Steve Trolinger Krista Tushar Sarah Tyson Dawn Vaughn Rolands Vilums Jeremy Vincent Bryan Walsh Larry Warner Monica Wasden Ron Welk Karie Westphal Mikell Wilcox Krystal Woodbury Don Woodland Mike Woodland
Spring is Here – Time for Home Improvements! As April quickly becomes May, we still find ourselves asking. Will today be a day for snow boots, rain galoshes or flip flops? The weather is slowly making the change and with the situation as it has been, property owners are more excited to get outdoors and tackle those home improvement projects. Never fear, The HRCA Community Improvement Services Department is here for you! Have a question? Inquiry? Need assistance to submit for your improvement? We are available by phone, Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. or email us at covenant@hrcaonline.org Want to build a shed? Landscape? Deck addition? All improvements can be submitted to the Architecture Committee 24/7 via our web site, www.HRCAonline.org. Do I have to submit? Do I have everything the Committee needs for review? We have some great reference tools for you. The Residential Improvement Guidelines (RIGS) and Basic Submittal Information located on our web site www.HRCAonline.org are full of information. When in doubt, just ask! Have a safe and healthy Spring!
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Ranch updates & PROGRAMS HRCA Election of board members Summer Concert Series We regret to announce that our Summer Concert Series has been canceled due to the circumstances arising from COVID-19. Canceling is clearly the socially responsible and appropriate choice. The health of our patrons, artists, concert crew, and staff is paramount. We want to thank our sponsor, Littleton Adventist Hospital, for their continued support of the series. We also thank everyone who is continuing to do their part to mitigate this crisis, and we promise to keep you updated to the status of other programs and events through HRCA. The difficult decisions we make today will result in a safer tomorrow.
Virtual Ageless Grace Work Your Body and Mind! Enhance your brain-body connection and join our Virtual Ageless Grace classes, a Brain Health Fitness Program designed to stimulate the brain through physical movement. The program consists of 21 Simple Tools for Lifelong Comfort and Ease™. These exercises are done while seated and address the five primary brain functions: strategic planning, memory and recall, analytical thinking, creativity and imagination, and kinesthetic learning. This class is great for people of any age or ability who want to stay physically active and mentally fit. Ageless Grace is offered on Fridays at 11:15 a.m. at www.HRCAonline.org/ VirtualFitness.
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At the March 10 Delegates Annual Meeting, the Delegates re-elected Scott Lemmon, Melissa Park and Krystal Woodbury to serve a two-year term. Congratulations on their successful election. These three directors rejoin Jim Allen and Brock Norris as the HRCA’s Board. For more information on the HRCA’s leadership go to www.HRCAonline.org/Leadership.
Scott Lemmon
Melissa Park
Brock Norris
Krystal Woodbury
Jim Allen
HRCA BRINGS WORKOUTS TO YOUR HOME Get up and start moving from the comfort of your own home with HRCA's NEW virtual workouts! Classes are taught by your favorite fitness instructors every day free of charge at 10 a.m. Videos are accessible for on-demand viewing on our HRCA Fitness Facebook account after the live class. Virtual classes will allow our participants to follow along with each fitness class in a group-like setting. Classes available via virtual workouts include cardio, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), strength training, Pilates, yoga, and more. Classes are limited to 100 participants on Zoom. Find the schedule and login at www.HRCAonline.org/Virtualfitness. Get ready, clear some space and prepare to sweat!
HELLO SWIMMING FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS HRCA is offering NEW and FREE online resources for swimmers! We invite you to join our "Interactive HRCA Swim Family" today by visiting HRCA at Home-Aquatics. There are separate program categories that are updated frequently, focusing on fun, videos and dryland activities to remind all of us why we love swimming! Show us your HRCA H2O Spirit! Send us your pics & videos with completed coloring pictures, practicing dryland exercises or other swim fun. Stay tuned for updates on existing and exciting new programs for this Summer!
Upcoming events HRCA Outdoor Pools At the time of publication, a date for the opening of the HRCA outdoor pools has not been determined. Visit www.HRCAonline.org/COVID-19 for the most up-to-date information.
Virtual Mother’s Day 5K During these times staying on top of your physical and mental well-being are very important. That is why we created the Mother’s Day Virtual 5K! We want to offer the community the chance to get outside and stay active while eliminating large gatherings and practicing social distancing, so sign up, run a 5K before May 11, and submit your time. All runners will receive an awesome custom made finisher medal! Age group awards will be distributed. For more information and to register visit www.HRraceseries.org.
Farmers' Market The HRCA partners with the Metro Denver Farmers' Market to bring our farmers’ markets into Highlands Ranch. HRCA is working to determine when a safe and socially distancing market can safely begin in May. Check our calendar at www.HRCAonline.org for updates and information. Sundays in May - Wear your mask! • 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. • Town Center South
Highlands Ranch Beer Festival – Postponed The COVID-19 virus has changed our world and definately has had an impact on our events. We are sorry to announce that we have postponed the June 6th Highlands Ranch Beer Festival. We feel it is in the best interest for our community, residents, and the breweries to postpone it until Saturday, August 29, 2020. Ticket sales will begin on June 16 at 10:00 a.m.
Thank you
to Littleton Adventist Hospital for their ongoing and generous support.
Saturday, August 29 • 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. • General Admission $45, VIP $60 (includes entrance one hour early and a T-Shirt) • Civic Green Park, 9370 Ridgeline Blvd.
Community Partners The HRCA’s ability to bring events to Highlands Ranch is made possible in part by our Community Partners, the Highlands Ranch Cultural Affairs Association (CAA), and the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD).
Purchase tickets online at www.HRCAonline.org/Tickets. All tickets are subject to service fees.
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If we ever have underestimated the value of having 25 miles of trails and three archery ranges within the Backcountry Wilderness Area (BWA), life during this Coronavirus outbreak has made it crystal clear how fortunate our community is to have them. The BWA trails and archery ranges remain OPEN as an outdoor recreation refuge for our community. With that in mind, social distancing guidelines along with regular trail etiquette and safety rules must be followed to keep all trail and range users safe. Additionally, there needs to be an abundance of respect and kindness from everyone for one another and for the property. For details, visit www.HRCAonline.org/ COVID-19 for trail use and guidelines. Regarding our three archery ranges, please visit www.HRCAonline.org/ Archery for maps, details, and day pass information. Though many of our community programs and events have been altered, postponed, or canceled, we assure you that as soon as restrictions are lifted, we'll be ready for your return to the BWA. Rest assured that our staff is busy thinking through all of the various scenarios and options and will be ready to adapt when and if necessary to bring back our programming. Team Backcountry
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We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty around summer plans, but when you sign up with HRCA, you can register with complete confidence. HRCA is currently working on plans for summer camp implementation, in alignment with recommended responses and the developing situation related to Covid-19. Please check HRCAonline.org/Camps and look for communication regarding preliminary camp plans on or around May 4, 2020. All registrations will be refunded in the event that a camp is canceled by HRCA.
Make Fun Summer Memories! Take an HRCA Summer Tennis Camp! Send the same old summer camp packing - take a fun tennis camp instead! These camps are designed with beginners ages 7-13 in mind! All camps include swimming and a snack time, so please bring swimwear, a towel, water and a snack. Morning camps are five days at Westridge from 9:00 a.m. - Noon. June camp dates are: June 1 - 5; 8 - 12; 15 - 19, and 22 - 26. Afternoon camps are three days at Southridge from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. June camp dates are June 2 - 4; 9 - 11; 16 - 18, and 23 - 25. For more information contact Marianne McCauley at 303-471-8940 or marianne.mccauley@hrcaonline.org.
HRCA Summer Sports Camps
Are you kids itching to get back in the game? Are you looking to try out some individual sports? Wanting your kids to learn lifetime sports? HRCA has you covered! From basketball to volleyball, fencing to golf, we have a camp for you! All camps are taught by experienced instructors with extensive sports backgrounds. From a former fencing Olympic gold medalist to a high school basketball coach, we have it all! These camps are sure to keep your child entertained, socialized and having fun. For more information, please contact lisa.sheley@hrcaonline.org or call 303-471-8838.
A TOT-ally cool Summer for Your 3 to 6-Year-Old! HRCA is offering several fun classes and camps for your 3-6-year-old this summer! Camps like Get Set, Get Wet, Monday Madness, Outdoor Campout, Wet and Wonderful, Wacky and wonderful Wednesday, Surf and Turf, and Red, White and Blue Camp are all great options that explore fun themes like Popsicles, Slime Camp, and Flip Flops. Children will swim and do fun crafts and activities that relate to the theme. Classes run two to three hours and are a great way to help your child develop independence, and exercise their gross and fine motor, social/emotional and cognitive skill building. With all this time at home this spring, now is the time to get your kiddos back out and meeting new friends! For more information, email hgoetz@hrcaonline.org or go to www.HRCAonline.org/Camps.
Spend a Summer of Fun with HRCA! Camps HRCA is Fun for Everyone
By the time summer rolls around, kids will be ready to finish home school and get back out and play with their friends - and parents are going to be looking for a safe, exciting place to take them! Well, look no further! Our full day Camp HRCA is a great place for children ages 5-12. All camps swim, use the climbing wall or batting cages, go to the park, do art and cooking projects, use the gyms and turf. Each week is related to fun summer themes like, Fear Factor, Gold Rush, and H2OHHH Yeah! and campers will go on theme based field trips like skydiving at iFly for the older kids and to Cave of the Winds for the younger kids. These programs run Monday - Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. We’ve made some fun changes this summer that will make it easier on families and will give you more options for care. Preschool Enrichment Camps (ages 3-5) are based at Eastridge and offer a great place for kids to spend their summer swimming and engaging in fun art, sport and summer activities! Eastridge Eagles Camp is for children ages 5-7 years old. Each week is themed, and children will go on a field trip on Tuesdays and host a special theme related guest on Thursdays. Westridge Falcons Camp is for children ages 7-12. Their theme related field trip will be on Thursdays with a special guest on Fridays. Westridge Hawks (formerly the Southridge Day Camp) is for children ages 10-12 years old. Field trip for this group will be offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays and they can join the Westridge Falcons for their field trip on Thursdays, making this a four day/week field trip camp. If there is a field trip your Hawk isn’t interested in, they can stay back with the Falcons for the day for a lesser fee. If you’re looking for five full days of camp for your Hawk, they can do the four days of field trips and join our Westridge Falcons on Fridays for our special guest. Get signed up today! Visit www.HRCAonline.org/Camps for themes and field trips, or email angela.munger@hrcaonline.org.
Summer Camp Central! This summer we are offering a variety of fun camps for children of all ages and interests! Our Art and Education camps are beginning to fill, so now is the time to get enrolled. Super Hero Camp, Star Wars Camp, Jewelry Making, and more will be part of our summer art camps and a new set of sewing camps has been added, sure to delight your creative one! Robotics, Engineering and Science camps are sure to challenge and amuse your child too! Popular camps run by IncrediFlix, KidStage, Talk to the Camera, YouthTech, Sew-It-All, Little Medical School, Playwell TEKnologies and Coding with Kids are also great options. From tumbling and gymnastics camps to drama camps, cooking camps and itty-bitty kid camps, there is something for everyone! Head to www.HRCAonline.org/Camps to register. For more information, please email angela.munger@hrcaonline.org.
Camp Backcountry Camp Backcountry, our youth outdoor camp, isn't being swept away by COVID-19 if we can help it. From the last day of Camp Backcountry in August until the first day the following May, our staff plans and concocts an 11-week outdoor adventure a kid will remember for his/her entire life. Our summer plans are currently in flux and we're rapidly adapting to mold a summer of fun and exploring based on all of the guidance we're given by state officials. We have plans A, B, C, and D all ready. Now, all we need is to add your kids, fresh Backcountry air, and maybe a goat session or two. We'll update the status of Camp Backcountry and registration at www.campbackcountry.org as well as on our social media and blog. We hope to be able to make decisions about the summer by early May. For now, we plan, wait, and hope for as close to normal summer as we can get. Beyond Camp Backcountry, we'd love to keep engaging all of you from your home base. Check-in with us on Facebook (@hrcabackcountry), Instagram (@hrca_backcountry), and on our blog (www.hrcabackcountryblog.org) for live chats on wildlife, nature education, and of course, wildlife trailcam photos. Until we see you all back out at Base Camp, stay healthy and stay wild!
Summer Camps registration is going on now! Register at www.HRCAonline.org/Camps. HRCAonline.org | 7