DRAFT
The spoken and unspoken rules we live by are simple. They are grounded in common sense. That said, they can seem daunting written out as a registered legal document called Protective and Design Covenants: Master Declaration for Glacier View Meadows.
Over our history of fifty years, they have been adapted a single time in response to an observed need, but we’ve worked to keep them at a minimum. Our goal has been to have just enough order to preserve and protect our natural world, sustain our way of life, and guard the value of our homes and properties, always remaining in the background of our daily mountain lives.
We consider the word Covenant as a promise, as much moral and social as legal. It’s a bond willingly entered for the benefit of us all.
The larger community agrees to provide a safe, healthy, unobtrusive place to live; the residents agree in return to accept the necessary, commonly decided boundaries the community requires.
We live our lives enjoying the world we’ve inherited, without a thought of anyone looking over our shoulders, judging us, telling us how to live our lives or express our humanity and creativity.
From the earliest days of our history we’ve assumed the best of our residents, trusting them to abide by the Covenants on their own terms. We celebrate our diversity, and we expect our friends and neighbors to follow their dreams, live their lives fully. Many of our residents have waited a lifetime to create exactly the kind of home they’ve longed for. We want them to feel like Glacier View Meadows is where they can do exactly that.
It’s not in our DNA to go looking for residents or neighbors who stretch our limits. We have never charged our management team with the obligation to maintain 100% compliance with all rules and regulations, to the letter of the law. We have no intention of ever doing so.
We’ve been fortunate to have residents over the years who have proven their ability to respect the spirit of our world and our promises to each other.
Covenant Enforcement in Glacier View Meadows begins with an explicit expression of concern by a member of the community.
The Association is here to respond to the needs of the community, as a service to all.
Engaging the process
In the give and take of daily life as a community, it happens that some boundaries get bumped up against.
The Covenants being an expression of the needs of the entire community, the enforcement of their provisions requires an action from some member of the community to begin any action. If there’s a concern, someone must report it to the GVM Office.
This need not be in written form–a phone call can suffice, though a personal visit to the Office is much more helpful.
By common consent and as an element of the Covenants, the Board of Directors and the Management of the Association are charged with the responsibility to uphold and enforce their terms. The GVM Office is required to respond.
Some common issues:
- weeds
- domestic animals
- fishing abuse
- excess noise
- careless driving
- state of property
- lighting
Ground Rules. Everything to do with Covenant compliance and enforcement is governed by rules of strict privacy and confidentiality. Neither the reporting neighbor nor the responding neighbor are identified by name, ever, under any circumstance.
First Response. The GVM Manager responds to the concern by personally investigating the issue, onsite. If a visit with the neighbor in question is called for, it may take place at this time, along with a report that a concern has been expressed. This is an opportunity to educate and inform the neighbor about the Covenant issue in question.
Effects. The resident who has reported the concern will not be informed of the details of this conversation. This enters the stage where the privacy and confidentiality of the respondent becomes primary.
Our experience has been that frequently this visit from the Manager, and awareness of the respondent that there has been community concern expressed, is sufficient to effect a satisfactory resolution to the concern.
Requests for Active Enforcement
Any member of the community may at any time request a formal action from the Association on any matter of the Covenants.
The same ground rules for privacy apply, and the first steps are the same as happens with informal inquiry. The GVM Manager personally examines the issue and begins with the assumption that personally delivered information will be sufficient to manage the concerns.
Need for documentation. Your Association has learned over the years that these requests must be taken seriously. In the unlikely event they escalate into more formal legal matters, the process has been strictly defined for careful record keeping.
Equal rights. The Association takes no preliminary position on the standing of the concerned resident and the respondent. All parties are treated with equal respect and credibility, all being members of the Association with equal rights to be heard. The focus is on the Covenant issues involved, blind to the parties or their allegiances or their identities in the community.
Initiating action. The concerned resident completes a Complaint Form, available online here or at the GVM Offices.
The details of the concern are evaluated by the Manager, with consultation as needed from relevant members of the Board of Directors and Committees (for instance, the Architectural Review Committee.) Certain other rules as adopted by the Board of Directors apply.
With full review in Executive Session of the Board of Directors, a decision on the complaint is rendered and a course of action is determined.
The Manager implements the action. If a violation has occurred and not been remedied, action is continued according to the established Consolidated Policy for Enforcement of Covenants and Rules.
How to Appeal an Enforcement Decision
If you feel an enforcement decision or process were incorrect or not arrived at in a fair way, you may appeal to the Board of Directors for a review of the action.
Rules governing the Appeal process are on this page.
Followup for Filing a Formal Complaint
Privacy laws, respect for confidentiality, and preserving the integrity of our community prevent the Association from providing any further information to the resident who files a formal complaint.