St Marys Glacier subdivision (Idaho Springs, Cripple Creek: how much, houses, neighborhoods)

[Wyomiles]

Hello all, I was wondering if anyone here owns land or knows someone who owns land up at St Marys , above Idaho Springs?
Just wondering what the covenants are like? Do people use their land for camping?

[glacierpaul]

Hello Wyomiles,
I live, own multiple properties, run 2 businesses, and am the president of the St. Mary's Glacier Water & Sanitation District, in the St. Mary's Alice sub-division. If you visit the property owners website it does have the covenants for the various units. Basically, you can camp on your property if you do not stay longer than 2 weeks, per county zoning regs. There is also the Timberline Talk community forum, where this topic has been addressed by other property owners. Those folks are going to be mitigating the beetle killed trees on their property. Camp fires can only be 12" in diameter without a permit from the fire authority, unless there is a fire ban established. No crazy parties or anything of that nature would be tolerated of course. Quiet family camping should not be a problem. Hope this info helps, if you need more info, you can call me at 303-567-1010.
Thanks,
Paul Johnson

[Wyomiles]

Thanks Paul, I found the St Mary's forum.
I just want a little place to get away from the city, put up my Tipi and relax on my days off. Not much of a party person.

[glacierpaul]

I have been getting heat for my responce. Folks with houses don't want someone "camped out" next to them, and that is why it is in the covenants as not allowed. A tipi would be against the covenants too, no structures, tents, etc. I have mixed feelings about this, but can understand the situation. We had a guy who was "camping" full time, on his lot, right behind one of the trailers. Those folks said he told them he liked watching their kids play, and they in turn called the sheriff. He was asked to leave and remove his camp set up. I have to remember that this is a sub-division, with covenants, not a campground. Sorry for any miss- information.

[Wyomiles]

No problem glacier paul, I am getting used to it living here in Colorado, where people think they have a right to tell others how to live. I understand that there are those out there who make things bad but there are many of us who just want to be left alone, as mature , hard working adults. I am just looking for a place where my "neighbors " will leave me alone ,on my property, in peace and freedom. It is to bad some of your neighbors automatically assume that everyone else is bad. They just lost a good neighbor in me.
The lot I was looking at has no houses around it. Probably never will due to not having water or sewage close by. Way up high and fairly isolated. I can guarantee that most people would not even know I was there unless they have nothing better to do than patrol every lot in the subdivision each day, looking for "evil violators".
You sound like a good guy, I appreciate you helping me understand what I was getting into . With neighbors like that who needs enemies?

[glacierpaul]

Wyomiles, was the lot you were looking at on Hillside or Hilltop? These roads are access for the USFS route to Kingston Peak, thru the James Peak Wilderness area, into the Indian Peaks Wilderness or Rollinsville or Central City. At any rate, there are thousands of atvs/dirtbikes/Jeeps and just ordinary folks tooling around, that use this route, I am one of them. Our sub-division has four USFS access points in it, with tens/hundreds of thousands of visitors yearly. I know this because I own the pay parking lot for the St. Mary's Glacier hike. It would not be as quite as you may think, besides the camping thing. I would in turn look into a mining claim in or around the area, then you would not have "sub-division" rules to contend with, or the visitors, per say. The old ski area is going to reopen at some point and the area will in turn grow some more, may be a good investment lot anyway, IMO. By the way, sorry I did not return your call, I am extremely busy during the day, and thought I could answer you this way.
Paul

[Pandorasfyre]

Wyomiles,
I live in St. Mary's and have to say, I do not like the replies Paul posted. The mere fact he states that parties will not be tolerated is a communist view point. While the residents here certainly do value our "quiet time" the truth is, he is in no position to state what he deems as what would "not be tolerated, of course".
Additionally, the subdivision rules, while in place for the good of residents, seems to hamper our rights while allowing the thousands of tourists basically free reign here in our own backyards. I have yet to see day-trippers restricted in ways even comparable to the ways residents are.
This is a tourist attraction, and the throngs of people who visit seem to have no respect for the residents. They speed through neighborhoods and do as they please, trespassing frequently regardless of posted signs.
I could be mistaken, but Paul was only president of the POA, and never St. Mary's Water and Sanitation District; it is run by AAA Water, a private corporation, who has the monopoly on this mountain. And a stern warning: the cost of water a month is astronomical. Last year it was over $90 a month, or $1200 a year, and it just went up. If I had to do over again, just based on the rates of water and sewage alone, I would never live here.
The high points are, it is beautiful. And quiet in the winter. Certainly not quiet in summer.
Good luck.

[glacierpaul]

Communist viewpoint??? Did you read all the posts? Or the covenants for the units in the sub-division? We are both in about the same position, answering a post about where we live. I am in the position of living hear for 13 years and was the vice president of the water distict for 8 years and president for 2, wife served on the POA about 4 years. The water district is run by a publicly elected board, AAA Operations is the firm who handles treatment, testing, compliance, and the day to day operations and repairs of this district, whom was hired and contracted by the board. We put out notices for bids for what AAA does, and for more than 10 years now, no other company has responded to doing work up here. Water and sewer service at 10+ thousand feet in elevation costs more than other places. Everyone forgets about flushing the toilet, this is where the real costs are for us customers, the treatment of sewage. On a side, if you were to purchase your 5,000 gallons of water allocated per month, at the store, how much would that run? Then there would be the cost of treating the sewage.
I only "deem" with my knowledge and history of the area I am not communist, AMERICAN all the way!!!

[rocky mountain american]

Hello Everybody,
I am looking into the lots available here at St. Mary's. I plan on building a rustic cabin for my family and want to make it off the grid. We just recently visited here and it's beautiful. I'm curious about how the winter roads are and if my wife and I can get to work and kids to school. If I get a lot in the un maintained roads I plan on plowing out and maintaining the road in myself. Small price to pay for being in a beautiful place. Do we work as a community to clear roads? Are there live springs in the area that we can go to. We'll carry in water if we have to. We have one here near Cripple Creek that is perfect and everyone goes there to fill up. Kind of a perk of the area. I plan on building the septic system and have to time it with the weather. Looks like lots of rocks to deal with so I have to adapt to that. Permit costs and regs are things I am trying to study. I'm coming back up and look again next week and hopefully I can talk with some of you there.
I am a custom painter of 22 years by trade with the airbrush and refinish cabins here in Cripple Creek and work for the historical society re-storing homes and the old buildings. I recently landed a nice position at a local mine as a lab analyst/assayer and laid off recently so I am looking into places I may get into another active mine. I love geology. We want to re-locate and was just wanting to know the neighborhood and meet people here. Get our work set up first. Learn. We're a quiet family and not problem children. Protective. We're low maintenance people and want a place to build a small hand carved cabin. Can this be a place for this? I would love to know more about this area and those of you who live here. You seem very lucky.
Thanks in advance,
Kevin

[wildernesskitty]

Hello. I am looking forward to buying land and becoming part of the community but I went to your website and I cannot find a copy of the Covenant rules and restrictions. I understand there are four sections - A, B, C & D?

How can I get these please?