The History and Vision of Meadow Vale Farm Community

By Kathy Oliver, April 2003

In 1866 Rudolph Shobe homesteaded the area we now call Meadow Vale Farm. In 1926 my grandfather, Percy Hamm, bought this property as part of a larger farm. When my family needed to raze the old house located approximately at the site of the current machine shed, we discovered that the north most room was a prairie "soddie" partly cut into the hill. This homestead above the Saint Vrain River and in Colorado Territory predated Colorado statehood by 10 years!

My father, Richard Hamm, began managing this farm property in 1943. Sunday afternoons my favorite activity was to jump in the car with Daddy and go to the "country". Here I gazed at the entire front range of not far distant blue mountains and heard my first meadowlark. At the farm I felt an independence that could not be provided in town. Dennis and Joanne Adler came here to farm when they were a young couple. They have raised their two daughters here. Then as now, they projected an acceptance of life as it is and the ability to find the humor in our days. They are like family to me.

In the late 1980's and into the 1990's Floyd and I had a number of unsolicited offers to purchase the farm. We listened to the offers and ideas put forward but concluded that no one intended to do what the farm deserved. We were distressed by the density and urbanization others proposed and realized we wanted to make our own choices about what would become of this beautiful place. We wanted to preserve the opportunity to intermingle with nature and experience the sense of freedom that the country can offer. Therefore we elected to include 55 acres of open space and created acre sized lots, most of which back up to open space. (20% open space was the requirement of Weld County, however we provided 35% open space.) For the same reasons we selected the simple three rail fence. The trails were designed to allow people of all ages to harmonize with a life style of greater peace than might be characteristic of a more densely populated neighborhood. The trails were also intended to encourage horseback riding. We wanted children to have a serenity in childhood such as many of us remember.

Believing that it is essential to create a sense of community rather than simply "do a development" we donated 10 acres of ground to the school district to be used for an elementary school. We also donated a parcel of land to Weld County Library so that we can eventually have a library at the south end of the Edgewater cul-de-sac and adjacent to the corner of WCR 5-1/2 and Colorado 119. We asked land planners (BHA Design of Fort Collins) to include a mail center rather than simply provide the standard outdoor cluster mailboxes because we felt a mail center gave more opportunity to meet neighbors and provide a place for communication. We wanted school children and parents to have shelter when waiting for a school bus. Seeking a rural feel, our 20 foot wide streets were patterned after other country type sub-divisions that we looked at in the Fort Collins area. The curved rather than linear streets also were part of the intent to create a rural feel. The streets met the requirements of Weld County and exceeded those requirements due to greater asphalt depth and the fact that a twelve-inch application of fly ash was used prior to paving. The fly ash treatment should retard the effects of moisture on road deterioration. Since the development was completed in more than one phase, Weld County approval of a specific Meadow Vale Farm street can best be traced by the date for building permits for your home and that of your immediate neighbors. Weld County approval may have been as long ago as 1997 or even 1996. As would be expected, there have been changes at Weld County since that time. Our streets are privately maintained.

The upper pond was created to receive irrigation water from the Oligarchy Ditch Company. It also was treated with fly ash to prevent seepage. When the pond is full there is a 2 to 3 day supply of water available to operate the irrigation pumps. In typical years we generally have enough water in this pond to begin pumping irrigation water around April 15. In a typical year this pond also receives as much as 60 days of direct river run. In the summer of 2002 there was not even one day of river run. If you drive up to Lyons, you can see the condition of the St. Vrain River and the reservoirs along the way. The water level of reservoirs and the water in the river impacts when we get water in the upper pond as well as the amount of water we receive in the upper pond. This determines when we have water to commence pumping irrigation water here at Meadow Vale Farm. Irrigation water is untreated and is not safe for drinking.

The lower pond receives drainage water fed by underground drainage tiles as well as irrigation overflow and storm water. The water there belongs to JCK Farm by a 1988 decree. Before the pump house was complete some of that water was used for irrigation for our first few homeowners.

Left Hand Water District is our exclusive source of household water supply. They dictate the conditions upon which they grant water taps as well as the price of a water tap. In times of drought Left Hand Water District could find it necessary to regulate amounts of water used by assessing costly penalties for failure to conserve water. Since we have a dual water system that provides irrigation water for our landscaping, the cost of our daily use of household water is at a lower rate. Also our water tap fee was lower because we have irrigation water. Each home in Meadow Vale Farm had a water tap fee $15,000.00 lower than typical. This was a one-time savings, which reduced the price of your home by $15,000.00. We buy our household water through a master meter which has also been a cost saving for each of us. These aspects of our water system make it possible for those of us at Meadow Vale Farm to have our large lots without having water bills that prohibit gardens and landscaping. Our average neighborhood household water bill has been about $25.00 a month. Without the commitment made to the master meter that price would be 40% higher. The average annual cost to a household for irrigation water was $30.00 in 2002. In a nearby sub-division of equal size lots, irrigation water was $750.00 per lot in the summer of 2002 with a short season and water one day a week. For those in municipalities, the cost of city water for a house and lots of our size varies with the city but is quite expensive. Both our irrigation and our household water systems are privately maintained.

Each homeowner should have been given copies of the covenants and by-laws by their real estate agent and title company at the time of closing on the purchase of their property. If homeowners do not have these documents they should go back to the agent or title company to procure their personal copy. Important information is contained in these documents.

Meadow Vale Farm residents might be interested to know about the future of the JCK Farm property adjacent to the Saint Vrain River. About 15 acres of the property remains essentially unchanged by man in the last 200 years. Other portions of the approximately 136 acres have been mined for gravel and are now lakes. In one area there once was an old dirt road. Although the road is all but gone, the trees that once lined it have become a rookery of herons, egrets, golden and bald eagles as well as many other birds. White tail deer, raccoons, red fox, wild turkeys and many other wildlife species inhabit both sides of the river. Redwing black birds seem to enjoy the cattails and wetlands. The area is also dotted with potential building pads. Floyd and I made a choice. Rather than proceed with the opportunity for commercial development of the building sites and the more advantageous personal gain that would offer, we entered into a bargain sale with Colorado State Parks regarding the property east of the river. State Parks is also in the process of acquiring additional large parcels of land between Barbour Ponds State Park and us. These properties establish contiguous ownership for State Parks from the Saint Vrain River to Barbour Ponds State Park. State Parks is very excited about preserving as well as creating what they describe as the "crown jewel of the State Parks system". The visitors center for the nature preserve and the trailhead is projected to be located on WCR 7. Additonally, we have created a conservation easement on the property west of the river. The result of this action is that there never can be development in that area. We use it now for our horses but at the time of my death, that property passes to Colorado State Parks. Visualize this immense open space expanding east of Meadow Vale Farm.