[DRAFT TO BE APPROVED AT NEXT ANNUAL MEETING]
August 22, 2026 – 10:00 am MDT
Type of Meeting: Regular annual meeting of HWUA Membership
Location: Holiday Inn of Estes Park
Meeting Facilitator: Don Piepgras
Board Members Present: Don Piepgras, Ralph Turner, Jim Redman, and Beth Coulson
Call to order at 10:06 am by Board President Don Piepgras – 17 member properties represented
either in person or via Zoom. Quorum is established.
Agenda items:
- The board introduced themselves after the meeting was called to order. Once quorum was
established, a motion for approval of the 2023, 2024, and 2025 Annual Meeting minutes was
asked for. Mike Stultz made the motion to accept the annual meeting minutes from 2023,
2024, and 2025 as presented. Gene Barnett seconded the motion. Motion passed. - Treasurer’s Report: Jim Redman reported that there is over $350,000 in accumulated funds
over the past several years. Of the fees paid by the members, $1000 goes into interest bearing
accounts annually. There is also approximately $20,000 in regular bank accounts. Mike
Stultz made the motion to accept the treasurer’s report as presented. True Morgan seconded
the motion. Motion passed. - Water Line Lead Policy: Hondius Water Users Association, as a smaller district, is not under
the law requirements that were enacted a few years ago to have lead lines replaced. There
was an incident which identified the need for a policy to be put into place. The policy states
that if there is lead found in a water line, whether it is a main or service line, it needs to be
replaced. A copy of the actual policy was sent around the room. RH Water and Wastewater
regularly checks for Coliform, but they do not test for lead. If an individual homeowner is
concerned about lead, they should have their water tested. - Amendment 3 to the Bylaws: The quorum being met was changed to 20% of the total
properties needing to be represented. Also, the date of the Annual Meeting was changed from
being only on August 1 st to being allowed to be held in the month of August at such time and
place as determined by the Board. This was changed trying to get more people to attend the
annual meeting. A copy of the amendment was passed around the room. - Backflow: Jim Redman presented the backflow policy regarding a law passed by Colorado
several years ago. There are specific requirements in place to keep the Hondius Water Users
water from being contaminated by other water sources; cisterns, hot tubs, pools, etc. All
properties required to be tested, have been tested this year. Just waiting on one report to come
in. When properties sell, it is important that contact is made with the new owner to make sure
there are no issues created. An annual report is required to be prepared and is filed with the
State if any non-compliance is noted. We have no non-compliant properties. A certified
plumber needs to perform a backflow test annually if it is required on your property.
6. Update on Mainline and Tank Replacement: The process has been started to do a simple line
replacement at depth for annual water versus seasonal water. Additional funds would be
required in order to pay for new facilities. Rod Harr has started work on the project doing
preliminary design work. Once this is complete, the project will be sent to Larimer County
for approval. The new lines will be 5 to 6 feet away from the current lines. Once the line has
been installed, owners will have their service lines tied into the new deeper line. Rod sees
2028 as the earliest start time for construction. There has been discussion with Rocky
Mountain National Park about possibly moving the tanks. The park has suggested that a 30-
year lease may be possible with moving the tanks. The $7,500 tap fee was discussed since the
possibility of year-round water may increase the number of users. The number of users could
increase the number of tanks needed.
7. Board Election: The current Board Members all stated that they are willing to remain on the
board. The floor was opened for nominations. No one spoke up. Gene Barmett made a
motion to keep the board as it sits. Bill Rawsky seconded the motion. Motion passed.
8. Other Business: For those in attendance, they like the new venue for the Annual Meeting.
Arrangements will be made to secure 2027’s meeting for the 3 rd Saturday in August, 2027.
Zoom was helpful for those that could not attend in person.
Meeting adjourned: 11:05 am MT