Tollgate History

1973

The Annual Meeting was held at the Gallery Restaurant.
Dues were $84 a year and lots were selling for $2,950 to $4,300.

1974

The Annual Meeting was held at Black Butte Ranch.
The average attendance was 10 property owners and lasted 30 minutes.
The roads weren’t paved, the speed limit was 15 mph on main roads and 10 mph on cul-de-sacs
A security gate was proposed
Only 10 homes had been constructed
Shuttle busses provided transportation to Mt. Bachelor
Association Dues were $84 a year. Water fees were $9 a month
There was a $15 fine for dog at large
Lot 23 sold for $3,50 ($169,500 in 2005 dollars)
There wasn’t a fence around the pool; last one to use the pool each day was to add 2 cups of chlorine. Dogs would occasionally take a few laps around the pool
Tennis court was installed
The Rec Hall was left unlocked
Santa would pass out gifts to the kids at the annual Christmas party
There was a Tollgate Ski Club, Tennis Club, Cooking Club
The Tollgate Tailgaters would take several trips a year caravanning in their motor homes
Telephone service was finally installed
The majority of the lots had mountain views, and it was not uncommon to have cougar sightings
The office burned to the ground sometime after 1974.

1975

Furniture for Rec Hall was purchased – couch, loveseat, coffee table, 2 game tables, a floor rug and ping pong table.

1980

Pool house roof fire on Memorial Day caused by the heating system
Tollgate petitions to become a part of the Sisters Rural Fire Protection District – taxes would be $1.98 per thousand.

1981

Dogs running loose were such a problem that Deschutes County Animal Control was patrolling Tollgate.

1982

A committee was formed to establish a playground area
A Fuel Management Plan was developed to reduce natural fire fuels.

1983

Eighth addition was completed.
Property-owners could contract the association tractor for $15 an hour
Representative Troop was receiving numerous letters from property owners requesting a solid-yellow no-passing line at the Tollgate intersection.
There were dust problems due to our graveled streets.
Fire number signs were installed on all developed lots.

1984

Special Assessment of $89 per lot for the left turn lane
800 trees were planted by Tollgate volunteers alongside the Tollgate entrance road
144 square feet of oak flooring was donated to Tollgate – anyone know where it went?
Santa and elves showed up at the Christmas party
A payphone was installed in the postal box area as few residents had phones.

1985

Tollgate would plow your driveway for a fee
A Neighborhood Watch Program was established
Tennis court was resurfaced for $2,590 – in 2007 it was $5,600
Children under the age of 13 were charged a user fee of 50 cents if they were not accompanied by an adult when using the pool.

1986

Property-owners were charged a $20 user fee for the pool season or $1 per visit.
Bridge and pinochle were played in the Rec Hall on Friday afternoons
Special assessment of $40 per lot for pool repairs was passed
50% of the lots had houses on them
Newsletters were delivered by hand to Tollgate residents.
Sisters Rural Fire Protection District leased common area for fire equipment substation
A $20 special assessment to pave ½ mile section of Lariat was passed. The ballot heading read – “Will the Tollgate dust bowl finally end”?

1987

Purchased Tollgate Water Company for $105,000
Discussed purchasing a generator for $30,000 – the generator was not purchased until 1999 for $29,210
Tollgate Tailgaters had their first expedition to Beverly Beach
The Rec Hall remained unlocked for residential use
Raised funds for a piano for the Rec Hall – where is the piano?
Received 1,000 ponderosa seedlings.

1988

Purchased solar heating for the pool for $11,000
Tailgaters went to Diamond Lake and Leavenworth
Fire on the common area of Lariat and Buggywhip
Gray Toppers Luncheon Group met on the third Thursday of each month
You were charged $10 for use of the chairs when renting the Rec Hall.

1989

Tailgaters go to Portland visiting the Portland Zoo, OMSI and go shopping. Later they went to Big Lava Lake for fishing and the Cascade Locks KOA.
Adult swim aerobics class was organized
No-burning regulations were implemented during the summer months
Cul-de-sac paving program was approved – Tollgate would pay for base rock and property owners paid for asphalt
Babysitting Co-op, Rec Hall book exchange, Youth Activities Group, Art & Craft Group and Horseshoe tournament were established.

1990

Cross Connection Program was first discussed
Newspaper boxes were installed by the fire numbers
Board started negotiations with cable supplier.

1991

More trees were planted in our common areas
Dumpster was placed by office for residents to use during spring clean-up
Postal boxes were installed in a room attached to the Rec Hall bathrooms – rental price was a one-time fee of $30
Tollgate Families United Group was established.

1992

Tollgate fine for unlicensed dogs was $250
Ponderosa seedlings were again planted in the common areas.

1993

Pool was resurfaced and new equipment installed – $23,288
Bike path from Tollgate to Sisters High School was defeated
CC&R Revision Committee was appointed
Tennis court located on the west side of the pool was converted into a basketball court
Right-turn lane was approved
Securing our water rights was a major concern.

1994

Lead and copper water testing implemented
A special assessment of $50 for pool and road expenses was passed.

1995

String-line survey was required for all new construction
Five-year plan was appointed for long-term financial planning
Large Tollgate signs were installed on the highway
Wellhouse 5 was upgraded, then catches fire two weeks later
CEC substation transformer catches fire
Recycling box at rec hall built by Gale Larson.

1996

Cross-connection policy was adopted
Cougars were a problem
Disaster plan was adopted
Well-house#1 is upgraded
20 fire hydrants were installed and new insurance rating of 5/9 was established.

1997

Road repair special assessment of $510 per lot was passed
Fire fuel removal was requested of all property-owners.

1998

Cross-connection program was mandated by the State of Oregon
Lariat loops were chip-sealed
Grant was received from Oregon National Guard to remove bitterbrush from our common areas.

1999

The proposed CC&R amendment of 1993 finally passed
Wellhouse #1 failed and was repaired for $9,000
Asset review study was completed and 10-year plan was adopted for future repairs and replacements
Received an additional grant from Oregon National Guard to remove bitterbrush from our common areas – total cost to Tollgate was $4,350
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Department had a special meeting addressing our speeding problem
No-shooting ordinance was established
Generator was purchased for wellhouse #1 in the amount of $29,210.

2000

Property-owners were mandated to remove fire fuels from their properties
Secured fire exit through the Forest Service off Wagon Wheel Road
Pedestrian/bike-path special assessment failed by 31 votes
Office gets first fax machine
Handicap parking was created around the rec hall and postal box area
CEC substation was vandalized
Noxious-weed eradication program was adopted
Postal shelter was built.

2001

Landscaped around tennis court
Animal allowed amendment ballot failed
Water System Master Plan was created
Tollgate Tailgaters is now a group of owners dealing with horse issues.

2002

Property owners were assessed $260 for a cross-connection valve installed at their curbstop
Received a grant from the Oregon Department of Forestry to thin the trees in 41 acres of our common area
Second attempt of pedestrian/bike-path special assessment failed by 38 votes
Feeding deer was banned.

2003

Oregon Forestland Urban Interface Fire Protection Act, Senate Bill 360, was mandated
Upper Lariat Loop renamed Lasso.

2004

Cross-connection device installation was completed
Pedestrian bike-path special assessment passed
“Tollgate Ahead” signs installed on Hwy 120.

2005

For sale or rent sign-board installed next to map sign
Birdhouses are allowed on the common area
Installed pedestrian/bike path.

2006

Tollgate quilt was started
Steve Mathews donated the benches for the pedestrian/bike path
Tollgate was evacuated due to the Black Crater Fire
Tollgate was commended for our Fire & Life Safety Program and our residents’ cooperation during the evacuation.

2007

Received Oregon Department for Bark Beetle Mitigation grant
Purchased generator for Well #5 – $34,910.

2008

CEC upgraded the substation
Senate Bill 360 compliance inspections
At the annual picnic $2,500 of donated gift certificates were raffled off.

2009

Pool was resurfaced and re-plumbed
Website was developed.

2010

Received a Project Wildfire Sweat Equity grant
When FEMA and Deschutes County Forestry inspected our subdivision they were impressed by the amount of fire fuels removed and property-owner participation
Received Deschutes County Safe Sidewalk Award
Adopt-A-Highway Program was organized thanks to Joe Gunterman.

2011

Received our Water Rights Certificate
CC&R Review Committee was appointed.

2012

42 lots – or 10% – of our properties have a structure with a shake roof
We have 23 undeveloped lots
Article 7 CC&R Proposed Amendment changes were amended
Playground Equipment Special Assessment failed
Started installation of the split-rail fencing on the entrance road.

2013

Replaced pool-house
Split-rail fencing installation on entrance road completed.
We became a Firewise community.

2014

We had epic snowfall in February – over 4 feet of snow in 4 days.
We were visited by 4 Black Angus steers from the Reed Ranch – I guess the grass did look greener from our side.

2015

Pool pass and monthly luncheon were reintroduced

2016

Replace the maintenance building
Sweat Equity FEMA Grant and Sisters Camp Sherman Fire Department inspected our properties for Project Wildfire and Senate Bill 360 compliance

So many things have changed in Tollgate, but two things remain the same each year… SPEEDING and DOGS.