Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why don’t we have backup generators for when the power goes out?
A. Power to the Methow Valley was terminated on July 18, 2014 by the Okanogan PUD as a precaution, when it became apparent that the transmission lines over Loup Loup Pass would be impacted by the Carlton Complex fire. Power was off for about 8 days in Edelweiss, including 3 days without water. Residents at the time requested consideration of purchasing or renting generators to power the system.
The staff researched costs and other factors and determined backup generators were expensive and the risk was low that it would occur again for such a long period.
- Costs in 2014 dollars – Rental costs approach or exceed $6,000 for a week while purchase price was approximately $42,000.
- There are costs to maintain back-up generators not in use.
- There is more redundancy in the power system now than there was in 2014 and it is less likely that power would be impacted for long periods.
Source: August 25,2014 Board meeting minutes with attached reports by Craig Hook and Dick Volkmann.
Q. Why don’t we pave our roads?
A. There are several reasons we do not pave the roads beyond the entrance.
- Lack of public support – A vote to pave was conducted in 2014 and only 4 people that voted supported paving the roads in Edelweiss. Because of the apparent lack of support the 2020 roads plan recommended revisiting this issue in 5-10 years. In 2022 a membership survey was conducted it asked members if critical sections of the main roads in Edelweiss should be paved. The result was: Yes 42 (31.8%) No 74 (56.1%) No Opinion 16 (12.1%)..
- Excessive Costs – Costs to pave were estimated in the 2018 Reserve Study for $482,872 per mile. Before paving all utilities including telephone, water, power, sewer and fiber optic, should be upgraded thus increasing costs further.
- Maintenance considerations – Our roads are narrow and large vehicles will run on the edge at times, crushing the pavement. Paving contractors are hard to find particularly for small maintenance jobs.
- Upgrade considerations – Utility stub outs will have to be made for each lot.
- Speeding – Paving will likely increase speeding. This is a danger to pedestrians, other cars, pets, bicyclists, etc.
Q. Why can’t we pave in front of our house or just at the Highland and Homestead Road curves?
A. Paving in small areas would leave a lip at each end of the paved section that would catch the blade of the snow plows and graders and be torn up. This would then become an additional financial burden for Edelweiss.
Q, What is the policy for plowing and sanding roads?
A. We contract with Palm Excavating to plow Edelweiss’s roads. Normally, we call out the plow trucks when the snow gets to 5” in depth overnight. We make every effort to have at least one lane cleared by the time people have to go to work or school. However, if it is still snowing hard by morning, the clearing may take longer. Typically, when it has been snowing through the night, the plow trucks are operating by 6AM.
Edelweiss in the winter is a hill with snow on it, and sometimes that snow can melt, refreeze and turn to ice. Edelweiss has only one part time maintenance employee to address the conditions of all the roads in Edelweiss. Therefore, it is incumbent on each resident and/or guest to be aware that road conditions may not be optimum at all times. The right equipment and slow careful driving can go a long way toward mitigating bad road conditions, but keep in mind that it is not always possible to keep up with rapidly changing conditions.
When we sand – Under icy conditions we try to have the roads sanded in the morning as people are going downhill to work or children and parents going to meet the bus. As the day warms up, afternoon melting may occur. This will turn into a film of ice as temperatures drop during the evening. Icy conditions may result during the night, and conditions could deteriorate. Caution is necessary as the sanding truck is not in operation 24 hours a day.
Sand is not a miracle substance. There are some conditions in which it will not be effective. If the surface is soft (fresh snow, slush) the sand will get pushed down by your tires and be worthless. Conversely, in single digit temperatures, the sand grains cannot penetrate the surface and will just roll around on the surface, giving no traction at all. We are always monitoring the weather. If it appears that it will be snowing soon, we will not waste the time or money to sand; as little as one half inch of snow will render the sand useless. The bottom line is – When and where to sand will always be a judgment call. Other options have been examined, primarily salt. Due to the costs to the environment during runoff and wear on vehicles this option is not supported.
Source: Dick Volkman letter to members
Q. How long are campers allowed to stay in common area of campground?
A. The Board passed a motion in 2015 that states guests of members can stay in the common area campground a maximum stay of 7 days. After 7 days they have to move out of the campground.
Source: June 8th, 2015 Board Meeting Minutes
Q. Does EMC have any regulations regarding parking?
A. Yes, on October 15, 2018, the Board unanimously passed a resolution regarding parking as summarized below.
1. Homeowners and their family members, employees, visitors and other invitees, tenants, and agents shall not obstruct any Common Area or any road within Edelweiss or cause an obstruction of, or cause any physical hazard to be placed on, any Common Area or road within Edelweiss. Each of the roads within Edelweiss is an “Association road” in these rules and regulations.
2. Vehicles shall only be parked in garages and/or on private driveways. Parked vehicles shall not obstruct any Association road or any portion of an Association road or Common Area.
3. Vehicles temporarily parked alongside an Association road shall be parked safely, shall not obstruct the road or any private driveway, and shall not obstruct drivers’ lines of sight on the Association road alongside which they are parked.
Homeowners are Responsible for compliance. Removal of Obstructions and Hazards will be done at the Homeowner’s Expense. The Board of Directors may impose a fine of $50.00 for the initial offense and $25.00 per day for an offense of a continuing nature until such time as the offending obstruction, vehicle or physical hazard is removed or towed.
Please review the October 15, 2018 board minutes for a more complete description of the parking regulations.
Q. What is the Policy Regarding All -Terrain Vehicles in Edelweiss?
A. In 1998, the Edelweiss Board of Directors established regulations for the use of off-road vehicles which was reviewed and amended at a meeting of the Board of Directors on December 4, 2023. These regulations included:
1) Recreational Use: The Edelweiss community is not to be used as a recreational site for off-road vehicles. This includes the campground area, the meadow and other common areas, the community trails and the roads.
2) Use for Transportation: The roads are to be used by vehicles licensed for street use. When using any vehicle, please remember that many people walk and exercise on the sides of the roads, and the speed limit in Edelweiss is 15 mph Vehicles not licensed for street use may use roads only in emergencies (see below) and may not use the other areas of Edelweiss (common meadows, campground, community trails, etc.) for any reason.
3) Use in Emergencies: Off road vehicles may be used in emergencies on Edelweiss roads when a member must get from point A to Point B in an emergency and no other method is reasonable or available.
4) Use by Staff – Off-Road vehicles may be used by Edelweiss staff in the performance of their duties.
Source: 1998 Edelweiss Winter newsletter, Amended by EMC Board, December 4, 2023
Q. Why don’t we install more fire hydrants?
A. When the first water mains were installed in the 1970’s it was decided to place 2” standpipes at regular intervals to make up for the lack of a fire department in the valley. Nearly 50 were installed as well as 3 wooden stands to store fire hoses. Now we have a fire department, helicopters, etc. and so in 2009 EMC started removing the most useless standpipes and just kept those used for flushing. We now have 37 functioning standpipes. More will be removed in the future as water mains are replaced. For a time, we contemplated installing hydrants and we do have three. However, we no longer consider hydrants suitable for Edelweiss as they hinder plowing, are expensive and we have been told that in a really big fire the trucks will not come up here. It is also important to factor in:
1) Hydrants, to be fully functional, need a 6” main to supply enough volume. Edelweiss is segregated into pressure gradients and only the top gradient will have a 6” main.
2) The lower gradients are fed through pressure reducing valves (prv). The largest of these only has a 2” opening and are not designed for fire flows. The prv’s are sized to provide volume and pressure for household use only. The fire department will pull a lot of their water out of the river.
3) A new fire hydrant will cost at least $5000. A new prv vault will cost at least $20,000. Then you have to factor in the upsizing of mains and the associated fittings. [note these are old prices]
4) Hydrants will be inaccessible for at least 5 months of the year due to snow.
5) The District 6 fire chief said a fire truck needs a 16’ wide road to operate in. If two trucks are to work next to each other, that goes up to 22’. Our roads do not meet that standard.
6) Fire department personnel have indicated that in a big fire they will not operate out of Edelweiss for reasons of safety.
Q. Has Edelweiss ever tried speed bumps to slow traffic down?
A. Yes, they were installed on Highland and Homestead Roads in about 2010. Unfortunately, they were not effective for several reasons.
- They were maintenance intensive (needed to be dismantled for winter due to snow plows).
- Heavy truck traffic when crossing the speed bumps caused ruts
- Drivers figured out if you increased your speed you had a smoother ride over the bumps
Q. Why do we have water meters and how do they work?
Residents initially pay for the water meter and the meter transceiver unit (MXU) but they become the property of Edelweiss once installed. New home builders must buy a vault, meter and MXU at cost and hire a contractor to install. The meter is connected to the MXU via a cable. The Systems Manager’s tablet can connect to the MXU via Bluetooth.
The Washington Department of Ecology requires EMC to report water usage once a year. This requires a water meter at each house and a program to track water usage. Water use data is collected via Bluetooth by driving around and picking up the readings from the pump houses and meters at each house. The System Manager uses an AutoRead App on a computer and a tablet and collects and processes the information once a month. (The info is collected monthly, but only reported annually to the WA Dept of Ecology by January 31.)
Ferguson Waterworks is authorized distributor for the meter and Sensus is paid for support as needed. Sensus is paid $2,400 a year for support of the meter software.