La Cuentista 1 Homeowners Association Inc.
Board of Directors’ Meeting
June 2nd, 2026
6 PM
In person and on Zoom
Minutes
Call to order
The Meeting was called to order at 6:14 PM, by unanimous consent.
Approval of the March, April & May 2026 minutes
All Minutes were unanimously approved with corrections made to the April 21st Executive meeting minutes. Accounts receivables were corrected from $20 to $20,000 for doubtful accounts.
Financials
Financials as of April 30th. Operating account is $23,509.76; Reserve account holds $93,209.48. Total assets are $140,799.50. The reserve account balance is expected to decrease significantly due to upcoming water diversion berm costs.
Accounts totaling just under $20,000 from bankruptcies are not being written off to maintain a claim in potential collections.
- Action item: Identify specific bankruptcies as they near closure: Contact VF Law for updates.
Open space berms and water diversion project
An estimated $60,000 is needed for berms in the open space to divert water into existing drains, serving as the first step to fi the rain drainage system and prevent erosion.
The board decided to proceed with Bill Joiner’s quote despite only obtaining one bid due to the difficulties in securing engineering firms for competitive drawings. La Cuentista 2 had agreed to fund a portion of the berm costs with the remainder offered as a 0% loan.
- Action item: A walkthrough with Bill Joiner will be scheduled to go over the project site and to stake out project elements before the work begins.
Berm construction will involve clearing brush and vegetation, using on-site dirt, and creating berms “3 foot wide, 2 foot high” from La Mantista walls to the south side of the open space, leading to the drain.
Riprap, consisting of “6 inch rock and two layers thick,” must be placed on the upstream side of the berms to prevent washing away, which is a “big expense.”
The city will not provide financial assistance for drainage issues, only requiring a grate installation at La Cuintista 3; the HOA is responsible for maintaining and repairing the property despite a city easement.
Open space land donation & liability
The board is pursuing the donation of the open space land to Parks and Recreation to alleviate a “significant liability” for the HOA, as donating the land would transfer liability for the pond’s repair to the city.
A speaker stated, “I am all in favor of donating that. That sounds like a great idea. It’s brilliant. I can’t believe we didn’t think of that before. Just because we get rid of the liability for anything out there that happens.”
Donating the land requires a 75% “yes” vote from HOA members with notarized signatures, as stipulated in the CCNRs (paragraph 29). Board members cannot serve as notaries.
The berms are considered necessary even while pursuing land donation, as the donation process could take 1.5–2 years, and berms “buy us time” and demonstrate “good faith effort” to address erosion.
Landscaping, maintenance & future projects
Landscaping remains the largest HOA expense, with concerns raised about Yellowstone’s performance, including a lack of visible presence, ineffective weed spraying, and improper plant trimming.
- Action: Schedule a joint meeting with the HOA Board, Yellowstone’s leadership, and the landscaping committee to discuss performance issues and set clear expectations.
An idea was proposed to hire a landscape architect to develop a 5–10-year master plan for community open spaces, particularly along Kinnick, to guide future landscaping and improve aesthetics.
- Action: Obtain bids for a landscape architect to create this community landscaping plan.
A volunteer program is being developed to reduce labor costs for common area maintenance, with consideration for liability insurance for volunteers.
- Action: A letter will be sent to the community seeking 20–25 volunteers for “pick and shovel kind of work,” emphasizing that without volunteers, future projects may not be feasible at current fee levels, potentially requiring a special assessment.
Preliminary future projects include addressing dirt areas between streets and sidewalks (e.g., along Upkemock, Uraka, Rosa Park) by replacing crusher fine with rocks for long-term savings and removing three large dead trees in the moon-shaped open space between Comfrey and Camino de Paz.
Violations, rules & development
There are nine open violations, with next notices scheduled for May 15 for uncured items.
- Request: Future violation reports should include the specific dollar amount owed for each violation.
A homeowner reported a new neighbor on Camino de Paz with multi-colored, non-blinking string lights on their roofline and pergola that remain on all night, violating CC&Rs Section 19 (“no unshaded exterior light shall be permitted which project light more than 15ft from a dwelling”).
- Action: Sandra, Ben, and Cheryl will approach the neighbor to request the lights be turned off by 10 PM.
Three-story apartment buildings are under construction at the corner of Kimmick and Rosa Parks, and a proposed gas station with a liquor and convenience store is planned for the corner of Kimmick and Paseo.
These developments were “done deals” from three years prior, but residents were not adequately informed, and the Ventana HOA was not accepted for notices by the city.
Reserve study & administrative actions
The board needs to determine New Mexico’s requirements for HOA reserves and complete a professional reserve study, which has not been done in the past.
- Action: Investigate the cost of having a formal reserve study completed for the open space and plants.
Adjournment
With no further business, the meeting adjourned to Executive Session by unanimous consent.