Power Pole Replacement and Relocation of Power Lines

If you have visited Keystone Point since last summer, you may have noticed some new power poles and power lines in the area. Here's a report from Dick Fisher (Cabin 85), written in November 2017, which provides details about what is happening:

Power Pole Replacement and Relocation of Power Lines
Forest Service and Bear Valley Electric

With no notice of any kind to cabin owners, the Forest Service and Bear Valley Electric System began construction several weeks ago on the first phase of a multi-year project to install new wood power poles on the SW Shore, and to move all power lines off of trees and onto the new poles.  The project is likely eventually to result in all telephone lines also being removed from trees and routed onto the new wood poles, in addition to the electric lines.
 
This initial phase of this BVES project is limited to a 12-cabin service area located just south and above Keystone Point Road.  It involves re-routing the main line downhill from highway 18 so that it runs between cabins 27 & 39, down to a point around the midpoint of Keystone Point Road.  From there the line runs downhill along the northern edge of the road, down to the Keystone Point turnaround near the existing pole there, from which it is routed in a southerly direction up the slope.  
 
The service connections to the three cabins along lower Keystone Rd (Nos. 16, 17, and 18) will be fed from behind the cabins rather than from the main line along Keystone Road. Other cabins involved at this time are Nos. 14 through 22, 25, 26 and maybe 73.  BVES has located the new poles as close as possible to roads and driveways to accommodate service/repair access. 
 
Dick Fisher and Steve Harbison, along with Bob Hritz, immediately after hearing about the work in progress, met on the job site with BVES management, walked the affected area and reviewed the project.  We pointed out some problem areas and requested that several of the new poles be re-located.  We were able to persuade BVES to re-locate several poles that would have run lines directly in front of primary views from cabin porches, including the top new pole along Keystone Point Road.  We were not able to get them to consider moving the new poles off of Keystone Point Road, but the three poles there are quitetall, so that the lines will run well above the direct views of the meadow and lake.  
 
BVES and the Forest Service have assured us in writing that for future phases they will consult with us during the planning phase, before finalizing plans. 
 
Most of the existing poles are at (or beyond) the end of their useful lives, rotted in the ground, and the attachments to trees are less reliable than to poles, so this project will provide more safety and protection against fire or electrical safety hazards caused by fallen power lines. But the project will no doubt continue to present challenges in terms of interference with views.  Our goal will continue to be to push for pole and line placements that minimize any damage to the views of the neighborhood or from individual cabins. 

(Note: Follow this link to a map of the area showing roads and cabin numbers.)

Annual Brush Clearance Project

Each summer our Association sponsors an annual Brush Clearance Project to gather and remove brush, shrubbery, tree limbs, slash, and other forest debris that constitute a fire hazard. Please pile those items in an easily accessible location on the uphill side of one of the tract access roads. When locating the piles, please do not to block parking areas or access roads. Our forestry contractor will either haul away the piles, or else chip and spread the material as ground cover, away from immediate cabin areas.

The chipping and/or hauling will occur sometime after Labor Day, so now is the time to start clearing your cabin area and creating your debris pile. We will advise everyone of the exact date and other details of the pickup as soon as the project is finalized.

The chipper can handle branches and small tree trunks up to 9” in diameter, so feel free to eliminate small white fir trees or other small trees that are growing beneath the overhead canopy of any larger tree, or that are crowding other more desirable trees. We encourage you to implement these forest maintenance practices not only in your immediate cabin area, but also in common areas nearby. Remember, however, that you must get prior Forest Service approval to cut trees with a trunk diameter of 9” or larger (at chest height). 

Finally, we again reiterate that this project does not include the removal of pine needles or unwanted cabin junk, so please do not include those items in the brush and debris piles.

Thanks, in advance, to all cabin owners, families, and friends for doing their part to clear brush and debris from their cabin areas to help keep our local forest healthy and safe. 

2017 Minutes of Annual Meeting

The 2017 Annual Meeting of the Southwest Shore Colony Association was held on July 1, 2017, at our usual meeting location on Keystone Point. For more information, follow this link to the 2017 Minutes of the Annual Meeting. 

National Forest Homeowners (NFH) Newsletter

The Summer issue of the National Forest Homeowners newsletter is now available both on our website, and on the NFH website. As you know, NFH is the nationwide organization representing owners and families of more than 14,000 recreational residence cabins throughout the United States. Take a look at the current newsletter as well as the NFH website to read more about what the NFH is doing, as well as some stories about other cabin owners like ourselves.

Aggressive Coyotes

Coyotes have apparently become more aggressive and emboldened in our Southwest Shore area. Geoff Migala (Cabin 57) sent the following message to be shared with all Southwest Shore families and friends:

"Coyote warning! While coyotes are common to our area in BBL, there was a pack this last week that attempted to surround and attack two larger dogs on our tract. Good news the dogs survived!  Please pass this message to other neighbors ahead of the holiday. For more info, please drop a line to me or Judy Ridgway. Was nothing like I've ever experienced. Care to all!."

If you have questions or comments, you can post them below in the Comments section, or you can contact Geoff or Judy directly:

Geoff Migala (Cabin 57) -- gmigala@pacbell.net
Judy Ridgway (Cabin 56) -- judyprinterslink@aol.com

Keep a close eye on pets and children as you enjoy the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

Exciting New Cabin Cam!

Ed Leonhardt (Cabin 39), our cabin cam-master has made some wonderful changes and additions to the Cabin Cam site. Rather than try to describe it here, we encourage to simply click on the image above, or click on this Cabin Cam link to visit the new site and experience it for yourself. Check out all of the new weather data, photos, and other informative links that are available there. Thanks, Ed, for all of your time and effort over the past many years since you first set up the Cabin Cam in 2004!

To help him decide what other changes and additions to consider in the future, Ed would like to know which aspects of the Cabin Cam site you use and enjoy the most, and what suggestions you have for additional features and capabilities for the site. Please make your comments below on this blog post, or send your comments, suggestions, and thank-you notes to Ed using our website Contact Form. Let's all tell Ed how much we support and appreciate the wonderful resource he is providing to us with his Cabin Cam.

If you would like see the old Cabin Cam site for comparison, it is still available for a limited time at the following link: Old Cabin Cam. Take a look at the old site to really appreciate all the wonderful changes Ed has made!