Letters of Support
Kaushansky Letter
September 04, 2006
494 Aspen Meadows Road
Nederland, CO 80466
Boulder County Commissioners
Boulder, CO 80302
Dear Commissions,
We are writing in support of Deborah and Greg Ching with regard to the current claims being made against them and their home. We have lived at the above address for over 16 years, live directly across the street from the Chings (across Aspen Meadows Road) and provide our full support for their current activities.
Our support is divided into three areas; the Pool House, the house concerts and the Chings as neighbors.
The Pool House
When the Chings first spoke with us about the pool house, they were extremely open with their plans and desired to understand the concerns of the neighborhood and minimize any potential impact on neighbors and the environment. The Chings located the building back on their lot so as to minimize the visual impact and kept all ancillary support for the building (i.e. the propane tank) out of view. In the case of the propane tank it is buried below grade -- by way of comparison ours is a typical mountain eyesore near the road.
As fire is a constant threat in the mountains we are very appreciative of the Chings allowing the water in the Pool House to be used for fire fighting purposes. This represents a considerable fire protection asset we would not otherwise enjoy had the Pool House not been built. Further, the Chings have used state of the art environmentally friendly building products which is very much appreciated. Again, I cannot say the same for ourselves or our neighbors. Finally, in recognition of the precious nature of mountain water, the Chings have water brought up for the pool and have very low use water fixtures in the building.
As to the traffic associated with the Pool House, this is a simple issue - it is an absolute non-issue. We live across the street from the Chings and can see when people park on their property. Colleen works from home and has a full view of the area the Chings use for visitor parking. The cars are infrequent, very small in number and the people very quiet and respectful of the space. Living where we do I am hard pressed to imagine anyone potentially more impacted by the visiting cars than us and we are not impacted at all.
The House Concerts
Colleen is a frequent attendee of the house concerts and Howard is very infrequent. However, for both of us, the concerts are of no impact and a benefit to the community. Once again, we live across the street from the Chings. Howard notices absolutely no sound coming from the house during the concerts irrespective of the time of year. Cars are parked on their property with very few, if any, visible from the road. The only evidence of the concerts is a handful of car headlights driving down the road when the concerts are over. Once again an absolute non-issue.
On the positive side of the equation, the concerts offer the community (both immediate and greater) the opportunity to get together beforehand and visit with one another. It is due to opportunities such as the House Concerts that we believe we know our neighbors much better than we would if we were living in Boulder. And, once again true to the Chings' dedication to the environment, everything is recycled and all toilets are very low volume for water conservation.
The Chings as Neighbors
Simply put, no one could ask for better neighbors. The Chings help start the local wireless highspeed internet service most of the people in the area use with pleasure. The Chings are on the volunteer fire department. The Chings are instrumental in arranging for annual chipping services. The Chings are active in our local organization, Puma. The Chings are vigilant in removing pine beetle trees. The Chings aggressively remove noxious weeds and participate in local weed pulls to keep these pests at bay. The Chings were instrumental in moving mailboxes off of Magnolia and onto local streets significantly reducing the danger of getting your mail.
We are hard pressed to imagine any of our neighbors (including ourselves) who have contributed more to our community and who are more sensitive to the needs and impacts of their lives on others. We, living across the street from them, and the entire Magnolia community are very fortunate to have the Chings as neighbors.
We would be happy to speak with the Commissioners at your convenience to provide more information to you in this matter. There is no question in our minds that the Chings should be permitted to continue to open their home for House Concerts and continue to allow people to enjoy the benefits of their Pool House as they currently do.
Sincerely,
Colleen Cannon
Howard Kaushansky
