Preparing for Winter

As you begin your fall preparations, here are some things to add to your list.

• Check your culverts.  Mud can fill culverts up with silt.  Grass and weeds can obstruct the openings.  Animals can build  nests in them.  You need to make sure they are totally clear so that water can flow unobstructed over your property.
• Weed eat your ditches.   If the grasses are short they will cause less drifting when snow comes.  The shorter grass also helps the road grader work the ditches easier.  It also prevents debris from washing down into culverts.
• Remove rocks from barrow ditches.  We have an ugly cycle where the road grader pulls the gravel out of the ditches...along with any large rocks that are present.  He deposits them on the roads.  People throw the big rocks back into the ditch...and we do it again next year.  
• Be Bear Aware.  Bears are looking for extra food to bulk up for winter.  Make sure that garbage cans, pet food, bird feeders and coolers are secured.  You don't want to attract the wrong kind of attention.
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Welcome to the Website for the Lazy HM Subdivision

The Lazy HM Subdivision welcomes you...

Our neighborhood is situated in the foothills of the Elkhorns, between Helena and Townsend, MT.  It is a lovely spot with great views of mountains, sunrises and abundant wildlife.  It has around sixty homes, that each sit on at least 10 acres.

It is a quiet neighborhood that welcomes families from all ages and stages of life.  It is a wonderful place to live.  There are several factors to seriously consider before moving here.

•  We do have covenants which we feel is important.  It keeps everyone on the same page.
• We have dirt roads.  They will always be dirt roads.  The subdivision has several miles of roads to maintain.  The maximum speed is 25 miles per hour.  Speeds over 20 damage the road bed , causing washboards, washouts and drainage issues as well as excessive wear on vehicles.
• Homes are heated with electric, propane, or wood.  Gas is not available in the subdivision, and probably won't be.  There are also no cable lines, so all internet and tv must be through dishes, phone lines or cell phones.
• The association provides road maintenance, but each driveway is the homeowner's responsibility.  In the winter, snow removal is the same way.  Each family is responsible for getting themselves clear out to the road.  The association is responsible for the main culverts, but each homeowner is responsible for getting the water from their driveway into the barrow ditches before it reaches the main roadways.
• Every Montana property has weeds.  As a landowner, you are responsible for identifying noxious weeds and removing them from your property. 
• Each property has it's own well and septic system.  Each homeowner is responsible for his own property.
• There are wild animals in this subdivision.  It is a urban/wilderness interface.  Most animals are shy, but you are responsible for keeping your pets and property protected.  
•  Wildfires are always a possibility. We do live at the base of a mountain range.   If you buy a property with trees, you are responsible for making sure you have fuels remediated.  You are also responsible for removing any trees damaged by insects.
• We are over thirty minutes from medical facilities and we are situated in a rural fire district, manned by volunteers.

I hope this is not too daunting a list.  Living here is well worth the effort, but it is better to come into this area aware of the difficulties.  It allows you to make a more informed decision and start in a better place.  I will try to add links to articles and websites that will help homeowners with some of these issues.