Leavenworth Real Estate

Archive for the 'Community News' Category

Lake Wenatchee Ski Report

Ski season at Lake Wenatchee is not quite here yet.

Here’s the latest from Rick Halstead, Park Manager at Lake Wenatchee State Park

Hello everyone -

We’ve taken a few calls from folks wondering what conditions are like here . . . and when might the skiing begin. Unfortunately we have no snow at this time, despite there being 30 – 40″ just 20 miles west of here at Steven’s Pass. Typically we get significant snow in mid – late December and have enough to begin grooming just in time for the holidays. You can check this link for a report which is automatically updated hourly. The gauges are located right here in the North Park.

We need at least a foot of reasonably dense snowpack before we can begin packing trails and creating a good base for grooming. A bit more is needed for grooming.

Everything is in place for another season – - grants, snowcats, operators and landowner permission. Special thanks to Longview Timber Company for their ongoing permission to groom all those great trails on Nason Ridge. They own the land – we are very grateful they open their gates for snowcats and skiers.

There has been a very significant increase in Snopark permit fees this year. A one-day parking pass is now $20; a season pass is $80 (basic Snopark pass $40 plus “Special Groomed Trails Sticker” for another $40).

Attached is a Snopark program Q&A we’ve created to help explain the program, how it is funded, and where / how permit funds are spent – and the need for the fee increase. Some of you represent businesses which sell these permits – I encourage you to print a copy to share with all staff who might sell permits, and any customers who are particularly curious . . .

Thanks for all you support,

Rick Halstead, Park Manager

Lake Wenatchee State Park

(509) 763-3101

(509) 763-1029 fax

Winter in Leavenworth

The snow has begun to fall in Leavenworth and this sign is a reminder what that means in town.

 

Snowplows need to be able to do their job to clear the streets so don’t forget to park off the street overnight. (For your benefit, I have done some “research” in this department, and yes, the Chelan County Sheriffs Department DOES issue tickets.)

The folks at LakeWenatcheeInfo.com have a good reminder about winter parking up at the lake:

“Every year there are the same reports of people parking on the traveled roadways of North Shore Drive, South Shore (Cedar Brae) and other roads….The sheriff WILL ticket vehicles parked in the roadways in ways that can impair passage of traffic and larger emergency vehicles. Providing for parking for yourself and your guests is part of being here in the winter so please don’t park in other peoples plowed areas or have the snow from your driveway dumped on your neighbors drive or property.”

As most folks know, if you don’t plow or snowblow your own driveway, the best solution is to get a seasonal contract for plowing.

I know Leavenworth Electric and Excavation (509-763-2000) handles snowplowing at Coles Corner and some neighborhoods near Lake Wenatchee.

Who else is handling residential plowing this year? Please add your favorites in the comments section.

Leavenworth Property Rights Fundraiser

The Following is a Guest Post

Allow me to introduce myself and steal a moment of your time. My name is Tabatha Hargis, I own a property over in the Lake Wenatchee area which we spend time at regularly with family and friends. We come into the Leavenworth Village often and love all the wonderful shops and eateries. In addition to enjoying our cabins personally, we also rent them out on the weekends when we are not using them. This allows us to afford a second home and ultimately be able to continue enjoying this beautiful area. We are one of several families who use their cabins in this manner.

In the past year a few members of our home owners association in Chiwawa River Pines have voiced that they do not like the vacation rentals in their neighborhood since they have decided to retire and live there full time. Once our development started taking steps to disallow vacation rentals, several other individuals in surrounding neighborhoods are talking about trying to follow suit.

This is becoming a huge concern not only for the hundreds of home owners who have been renting their cabins out for decades, but also for the surrounding small businesses that rely on tourism and vacation rentals in that area. It has also become a growing problem for Realtors trying to sell houses in that area. When the market is already down, this is just one more deterrent for potential buyers.

I come to you today asking for your support in our endeavor to preserve our fundamental rights as property owners. We have had no choice but to enter into a lawsuit against our HOA in order to stop them from changing our covenants and banning these short term rentals.

As you can imagine, this process is very expensive with the legal fees, not to mention extremely trying on many of us in an already trying time. A large group of owners have banned together to put on a fund raiser dinner and silent auction in hopes of raising funds to continue our fight.

Mt. Springs Lodge has generously offered their facilities to us on Jan. 23rd to hold our fund raiser. Any donation items that your business can contribute to our silent auction table would be greatly appreciated.

  We will be distributing a flier in the upcoming weeks all around Leavenworth/Plain/Lake Wenatchee area and selling tickets to the event. If you would like any more information on this issue, the law suit, or would like to help in any other way, please do not hesitate to contact me. 206-902-8396.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

 Tabatha Hargis

 Property Manager Fish Lake Cabins

Ponderosa Estates to Ban Vacation Rentals?

The Chiwawa River Pines neighborhood’s discussion about prohibiting vacation rentals has been a hot topic on this blog and a heated discussion at the association meeting has recently turned into a lawsuit.

It seems that the Ponderosa Estates neighborhood aka the Ponderosa Community Club is considering doing the same.

Bill Griffin, current President of the Ponderosa Community Club writes in the September issue of the Needler, Ponderosa’s online newsletter:

I submit that short-term rentals are not good for the Ponderosa because they destroy the members-only character of our community by introducing an element that has little or no understanding of our needs, that have no vested interest in maintaining the properties they are using or in preserving the peace of the neighborhood. They move in for a brief time, enjoy themselves and move on to the next place. Their neighbors do not know who, how many, or for what purpose these transient users will occupy the residence next door.

The message from the Vice President of the Ponderosa Community Club, Ann Ashford reads more like a public notice:

Hello Members!

This note is meant to invite you to a very special member’s meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to talk about rental houses and their involvement in the Ponderosa Community Club. We would like to talk about the negative and the positive experiences that you have had with renters, landlords, and rental properties.

We would like to discuss how they benefit our community and change our community. Please think about the experiences you have had personally, and come ready to discuss and share your concerns and praises. We would really like to hear from full time residents, part time residents, rental landlords and any members of the Club who have opinions.

This is meant to be an open time to discuss everything that is happening with rentals, without the time constraints of a board meeting. The Board has a lot of decisions to make regarding the rules of the Ponderosa Community Club and we need your help to understand where we should focus our time, and which issues are not as big of a concern to the members. Please remember that each member has a right to do whatever they choose with their own property. We, as a Board, cannot change that. We just need your input to steer us towards the real issues at hand.

Thank you so much, and we look forward to speaking with all of you at the meeting.

October 10th 1 pm at the Ponderosa Community Clubhouse

I don’t know if members of the general public are welcome at the meeting, but I certainly suggest that anyone who owns property in Ponderosa attend this meeting. I certainly know that home buyers considering purchasing in the Ponderosa neighborhood are anxiously awaiting the outcome and I know that folks who currently own vacation rentals should go and make sure they are part of the discussion.

Leavenworth Train Service Begins!

The City  Leavenworth WA announced today that we will once again be a destination stop for Amtrak’s  Empire Builder’s route on the train service between Chicago, IL and Seattle, WA!  The inaugural run begins Friday, September 25th, 2009.

The festivities begin at King Street Station in  Seattle  3:15-4:15pm  with music and speeches from local dignitaries involved in the process of bringing train service to Leavenworth.

At 4:45 the Leavenworth dignitaries and their guests will depart King Street station and travel over the Cascade range arriving in Leavenworth at 8:12 PM.

In Leavenworth, there will be music and food starting at 7pm at the Icicle Station platform on North road.  State Senator Linda Evans Parlette will give the opening remarks and will perform the ribbon cutting ceremony with Leavenworth Mayor Rob Eaton.

The addition of a Leavenworth station is the first in many years and more than 8 years of effort and partnership building have been diligently tended to by the City of Leavenworth, Amtrak, BNSF and funding agencies.

“We have been working for some time with our partners at Amtrak and BSNF Railway to make Icicle Station and the return of rail passenger service to our community a reality. Our community has a long history with railroads and train service and we are truly thrilled to welcome Amtrak to Leavenworth and have the ability to offer passenger service to both our residents and our visitors,” said Leavenworth’s Mayor Rob Eaton.

Partners in the project include the Port of Chelan County, Chelan County Commissioners, Senator Linda Evans Parlette, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Projekt Bayern and the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce along with Amtrak and BNSF Railways.

“This is an exciting day for Leavenworth and a big step forward in showcasing one of Washington State’s best destinations. Bringing Amtrak to Leavenworth is going to help create local jobs, build their tourism industry, and make travel more convenient for local residents,” said Senator Murray. “I’m proud to have worked to provide federal funding that helped Leavenworth build Icicle Station and open their community to new visitors and economic opportunity.”

Regular service to Leavenworth begins September 26 and tickets can be purchased starting today via Amtrak.com