Arthur von Boennighausen's blog

Thinking allowed…….

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Arthur von Boennighausen: Research Engineer, Author, Poet, Inventor, Alpinist, Storyteller, Scholar of Comparative Religion and Philosophy. Arthur has over 30 years experience in Residential and Commercial real estate development in the $200,000 to $10 Billion (nuclear power plant) range, in addition to both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering.

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International Building Code – ” The Devil is in the details…. “

Posted By Arthur von Boennighausen on October 10, 2017

Letter to the Editor:
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* I can not pass along 42 years of education and experience as a Engineer and Real Estate developer to a person who is not an Architect, Engineer, Constructor or Realtor through Letters to the Editor.  Sometimes being Smart is not enough.
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* If the IBC [ International Building Code ] is made mandatory, everyone will need to hire an Architect or Professional Engineer to create the construction drawings that honor the IBC.  Our Architects and Engineers from past projects charge $10,000 – $90,000 to create a IBC compliant set of construction drawings for residential homes in the $200,000 – $2 million dollar range.  This is just one part of the UP TO 24% increase in design and construction costs focusing on the design side.
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* Every residential home that has changed hands in Custer County has had a professional building inspector scrutinize the construction for the 16 years I have been a Colorado real estate agent.  Not a single home would have turned out better if the IBC would be mandatory according to the building inspectors. These are written reports with pictures that I am sent electronically.  We have sold residential homes that are over 100 years old during the last 16 years that have stood the test of time and the building inspection.
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* I  am afraid that the voters will think that making the IBC mandatory will somehow make every Architect, Engineer and Constructor ethical, schedule conscious, budget conscious and able to successfully apply labor and materials to the construction of residential and commercial buildings. Completing the project on schedule and within the budget has nothing to do with the IBC.  Being able to accurately project the cost of construction has nothing to do with the IBC.
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While some of the local Constructors claim they already follow the IBC, many in fact do not.
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Thinking allowed…..
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Arthur Gerard Michael von Boennighausen – BSIE, MSCS, MRE, Independent Broker, *

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Zen and the Art of Total Recall…..

Posted By Arthur von Boennighausen on July 11, 2017

Good Day:
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* I have just signed the petition to recall all three Custer County Commissioners.  Here are twelve failures that I am aware of in just the first six months of office:
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* Failure to take action concerning six major SDEC electrical outages beginning with Christmas Day 2016.
* Failure to take action when all of Custer County was put under a moratorium where no homeowners insurance could be issued because of the Junkins Wildfire.  This severely affected real estate sales.
* Failure to take action about the poor wireless service from AT&T after several public meetings were held.  This is a public danger and suppresses the local economy.
* Attempting to suppress the already weak economy in Custer County by starting the process to make the Uniform Building Code mandatory. This action will suppress real estate sales and residential construction and increase the cost of construction by up to 24%.
* Causing the firing of our popular Colorado State University extension agent without the due process of any negative entries or warnings in her personal file.  This situation is still not resolved when it comes to county weed control.
* Lack of Communication on important matters with the people of Custer County, Colorado.  With Internet technologies like email and Blogs there is no excuse for lack of Communication.
* Failure to set an example when it comes to a voluntary “ Pride Ordinance “ in Custer County.
*  Failure to honor campaign promises of giving up all or part of the salary of a Custer County Commissioner.
* Hiring away the Westcliffe “ Main Street Manager “ for personal monetary advantage at the Painted View Ranch. This will suppress the Westcliffe business community while increasing revenues at the Painted View Ranch.
* Failure to create and deploy a economic development plan even though this was a major campaign promise.  A picture of the County Commissioners on the cover of the Tribune ended the effort.
* Failure to accomplish much of anything except get your picture in the paper with state and local politicians claiming you are behind this project or that…
* Demonstrating childish and rude behavior to the local media during official Custer County Commissioners meetings.
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Thinking allowed…..
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Arthur Gerard Michael von Boennighausen – BSIE, MSCS, MRE, Independent Broker, *

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2008 BMW R1200 GS Adventure motorcycle for sale

Posted By Arthur von Boennighausen on March 13, 2017

Friends:

* After talking to the BMW motorcycle dealers in Colorado Springs and Denver I have reduced the asking price on my 2008 BMW R1200 GS Adventure motorcycle to $10,000 as they insisted all I could get was the Kelly Blue Book value.  Includes BMW GS tank bag shown in the image but not the aluminum panniers.  The image will enlarge if you mouse click on it.
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* I carefully followed the BMW break in procedures then changed all the lubricants then followed the break in procedures a second time then changed all the lubricants,  This bike will last a long time.
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* Here is the maintenance I performed myself on my 2008 BMW R1200 GSA motorcycle with 34,000 miles on the odometer.  This was the Spring of year 2016 maintenance.
- New front and rear tires
- New air filter
- New Battery
- New Headlight bulb
- New Spark Plugs
- Valves adjusted with new valve cover gaskets
- I balanced the throttle bodies
- New rear drive lubricant
- New Engine oil and filter
- New Transmission lubricant
- New Front and Rear Brakes
- Fresh gas with BMW fuel additive [ Techron ].

BMW R1200 GS Adventure motorcycle

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Where do you put your ” Stuff “…..

Posted By Arthur von Boennighausen on March 5, 2017

Letter to the Editor:

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* In the last 5 years my wife Marty and Arthur have seen close to a zero demand for “ Tiny Homes “.  The one we have listed in Junkin’s Park is 364 square feet and has been on the market for years.  The Buyers tell us “ It’s just too tiny “ even though Arthur likens it to a “ Walden Pond “ lifestyle advocated by Thoreau.  I really like this place as it is in a beautiful Pine and Aspen forest on 35 acres.  I  have gone to the property on my BMW motorcycle  just to read many times.  It really does have a Pond!
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* Introduction of Tiny Homes in the quaint Village of Westcliffe, Colorado will devalue all the existing residential homes as they are nothing but glorified travel trailers.  Most HOAs do not allow tiny homes in Custer County.  To paraphrase the comedian George Carlin: “ Where do you put your stuff in something this small? “.
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* Many of us who are Real Estate Developers and Land Planners know of the ramifications of encouraging low income housing into Custer County when we moved here in 1996.  If you can only afford a tiny home you probably don’t have the financial resources, education and skill set to survive in Custer County.  And where do you put your stuff in something this small?
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Thinking allowed…..
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Arthur Gerard Michael von Boennighausen – BSIE, MSCS, MRE, Independent Broker, *

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The ” Broom of God ” sweeps Christmas Day 2016

Posted By Arthur von Boennighausen on January 1, 2017

Friends:

Katabotic winds sweeping down from the Sangre de Cristo mountain range left 2000 people without electrical service on Christmas Day 2016 in Custer County, Colorado.  This is the third time in the last 5 years that the same power lines have gone down causing outages.

Underground electric lines and surface mounted transformers installed 20 years ago are never affected by these strong winds and will continue to be maintenance free for their design life of at least 50 years.  Ironically the strongest winds are in this coveted ” West Side ” of the valley where residential homes in the $500,000 – $2 million dollar range prevail.  Level terrain, spectacular mountain views,  lush pastures, the proximity of the 266,000 acre Sangre de Cristo Wilderness and an abundance of underground water for water wells make this area most desirable.

Using the Imagination I invented a chair to motivate the CEO of Sangre de Cristo Electric to begin work on a design driven and cost effective approach to begin ruggedizing the electrical distribution system to withstand winds of 150 – 180 mph in Custer County, Colorado…. Look  here:

 

Invented on Christmas Day 2016

 

 

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Up In Smoke…. aka Polonium don’t drive me Crazy…..

Posted By Arthur von Boennighausen on December 14, 2016

Friends:

* The Tobacco plant extracts a radioactive substance called Polonium that when inhaled through cigarette smoking into the lungs causes Cancer.  My own Mother died of a heart attack at age 54 from smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.

* Here are some websites to make you aware of the effects of smoking provided by Catherine Trammell:

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Speaking of your page — I volunteered with two organizations last year, and I was wondering if you could support them on your page as well: QuitSmokingCommunity.org, who helps travelers become and stay smoke-free for their journeys and raises awareness on the dangers of smoking (https://QuitSmokingCommunity.org/), and the American Cancer Society, who also supports a smoke-free lifestyle(http://cancer.org/). They both are great organizations and I think would be a good addition to your resources list.
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QuitSmokingCommunity, for example, is being used by many educational and governmental organizations to better inform people about the dangers of smoking. You can find the examples at Indian Health Service (https://www.ihs.gov/california/index.cfm/for-patients/) and on Washington State University’s site (https://nursing.wsu.edu/faculty-staff/professional-resources/).
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Thinking Allowed…..
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Arthur Gerard Michael von Boennighausen

 

 

 

 

 

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Pareto 80/20 Law of Conservation

Posted By Arthur von Boennighausen on December 8, 2016

Friend Ben Lenth:

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* My wife Marty and I just received the Winter 2016 edition of the San Isabel magazine in the US Mail….. I thought it was a Good one.
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* I am still suggesting that only 20% of Custer County be developed with property improvements while 80% be left in it’s natural state.  This would honor the Pareto Law of Conservation….. Look here:
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* I have published my thoughts on the maximum population of humans that Custer County Colorado can support and still leave room for the Fish and Wildlife.  !2,000 people with 2400 [ 20% ] in the heavily developed Village of Westcliffe.
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* I honored the Pareto Law of Conservation as we developed our own 1640 acre Sierra Mojada Ranch.  While we could of made more money as real estate developers; we are still mult-millionaires and enjoy seeing all the Wildlife have a home on our Ranch. 

*   “ The day will come when Men such as myself will consider the killing of Animals the same as the murder of Men…… “ – Leonardo da Vinci
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* “ The Animals Love their lives as much as we do……  “ – Saint Francis of Assisi
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*   Since 1970 over 50% of Wild Animal populations and 76% of all Fish have been killed off because of the effects of Human overpopulation…..
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Thinking allowed…..
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Arthur von Boennighausen – BSIE, MSCS, MRE, Independent Broker, *

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All the World needs is more Love and Affection….

Posted By Arthur von Boennighausen on November 13, 2016

Friends:

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Thank you.

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Thank you for being a part of this campaign. We didn’t get the result we wanted, and of course we will always regret that. But when everything we believe in was on the line, we stood up and battled and gave it our all. I take great pride in that. I hope you do, too.

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If you’re still hurting today, that’s ok. You’re not alone. And no doubt there are many difficult days ahead for our country and the world.

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But I want to talk about where we go from here, because there has never been more work to do. The people we fought for in this election — working people looking for a better job or a fair wage; immigrant families who deserve to be treated with dignity; women who should have the right to make their own health decisions; Muslims who need to know that America has a place for them; little girls and boys who should know that they can be anything they want to be when they grow up — have never needed us more. They were dealt a setback on Tuesday. But the only way we lose these fights over the long term is if people like us get discouraged, instead of getting back to work.

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The dust is still settling from Tuesday’s election, and we don’t have all the answers yet. But for now, here are a few things to consider:

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Run for office. If we’ve learned anything from our candidate, it’s that the best way to make change is simply to go out and do it.

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Get involved in a local or municipal race, whatever it takes to be that change you want to see in your community.Get involved in your community in other ways. Join a board, help plan community days, volunteer with local progressive groups. Fight for Democrats. Democrats across the country need your support now more than ever. They need your votes, if you live in their districts, but they also need your time and your resources to keep going.

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Support women and girls. Reach out to the women and girls in your family and other circles and let them know that you value and support them. Ask them what their dreams are — then help them get there however you can.

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Promote Love and Kindness where you live. Hillary has lived her life with the words “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can” — and it’s up to us to carry on her work in our communities.This isn’t the end. Hillary has shown us every single day: The measure of a person is not whether you get knocked down but whether you get back up. As she said on Wednesday, “Let us have faith in each other. Let us not grow weary and lose heart, for there are more seasons to come and there is more work to do.”

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With deepest gratitude,

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Robby Mook Campaign Manager Hillary for America & Arthur von Boennighausen

 

 

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A Dog barks……

Posted By Arthur von Boennighausen on October 23, 2016

Letter to the Editor:

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* It was so quiet last Thursday night while we were reading the latest issue of the Wet Mountain Tribune at our Sierra Mojada Ranch I could hear a Dog barking at the Painted View Ranch ten miles away. “ Ralph, Ralph, Ralph “ the Dog barked.
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* The Hood family Dog is reminding us they are aggressive people from the East Coast who are Capitalists in the bio tech industry.  The Dog is reminding us they are like releasing Wolves among Sheep…….  To have their way they don’t mind stomping on people like Maureen and John G. Johnston who earn a living as Realtors and Innkeepers.  To the Hood family they are just the “ Little People “ who are in their way…… 

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Thinking allowed…..
Arthur von Boennighausen – BSIE, MSCS, MRE, Independent Broker, *

 

 

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Of Mice and Men rev 3.1459

Posted By Arthur von Boennighausen on September 24, 2016

Letter to the Editor:

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While Donna L. Hood’s latest political advertisement in the Wet Mountain Tribune name drops the Music Meadows Ranch, Bear Basin Ranch and the San Isabel Land Trust and makes the claim she is for protecting our Heritage, her own Painted View Ranch is heavily developed with property improvements.

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Using Google Earth and personally visiting the Ranch on several occassions I could see that much of the Ranch is covered with large buildings, roads, corrals, gigantic barns, loafing sheds, over grazed pastures and outbuildings.  If everyone followed Donna’s example our beautiful high mountain valley would look like a vast Agricultural Complex in a Desert setting.

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My own Sierra Mojada Ranch is a cluster housing development of 1640 acres that preserves over 80% of the Ranch in it’s natural state for future generations and honors the traditions of the New West. To me the Sierra Mojada Ranch like the Music Meadows Ranch, Maytag Mountain Ranch and the Bear Basin Ranch are preserving our Heritage not the heavily developed and commercialized Painted View Ranch event center.  These sort of large scale Agricultural Complexes leave little of the land in it’s natural state and are heavy users of precious ground water.  They also disrupt the Ecology that has been in place for thousands of years.  Wildlife habitat is ruined.

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You can Google these names and words in this letter to Learn more.  Look at all this on Google Earth also if you have the time or drive around these Ranches and look out the window at reality.

Thinking allowed…..

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Arthur von Boennighausen – BSIE, MSCS, MRE, Independent Broker, *

www.WestcliffeColorado81252.com

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