President’s Message August 2013
The Finance committee has come up with a balanced budget recommendation for our next year with no dues increase required to fund the same amounts required to meet the needs of CRCA. The Board will finalize the budget at our next meeting. The pools, landscaping, management fees etc. will receive the same funding as before so you should see no change in the maintenance and care of all the facilities and common areas in CRCA. The reserve study calls for reserve contributions to increase $10,000 – $15,000 each year. Due to planning by the Board, the monies to cover the Reserve contribution increases were available from careful spending over past few years and will cover those increases for each of the next two years without having to raise dues to meet the added expenditures.
While the housing bubble affected everyone there are some bright spots here in CRCA. According to information from the TARMLS (Tucson Association of Realtors Multiple Listing Service), CRCA has seen home values increase 17% in the last three years. While things still haven’t fully recovered, it is nice to see increases in our values. The most impressive change was the number of days a house is “on the market” which has averaged 38 days this year – the LOWEST since before 2005. The other interesting fact from TARMLS is that the total number of homes sold in the first half of 2013 is the most we’ve had in 8 years. It looks like we’re definitely headed in the right direction.
The Reserve study calls for replacing the kiddy play structure at Windmill Park next year. Rather than having a bunch of us “old fuddee duddees” decide what should be in the new structure I am hoping for some parents of the younger children who use the structure to volunteer to investigate and make recommendations as to what should be included. Please contact the office if you would like to be involved in this upcoming project so that we can have a structure that satisfies those who use it.
It was nice to see that a few younger homeowners have decided to become involved and are running for the BOD this year. They bring new and fresh ideas with a different perspective on things. What is sad to me is that only five homeowners attended the first nominating committee meeting when they interviewed the first half of the candidates and only one homeowner attended the second interview of the remaining candidates. Ultimately, those candidates who get elected will set the tone and way this association operates; it is unsettling to see homeowners take no interest in something that affects this community so greatly and has very definite impacts on each and every resident living in CRCA.
It was brought to our attention by a homeowner that anyone with a wheelchair would have trouble accessing the grass at Windmill Park from the west parking lot because of the loose gravel used in the landscaping which separates the field from the parking lot. Our Association’s landscape company heard about this and has volunteered to supply the bricks and help grade and place them to provide access for those needing help. Any additional volunteers who would like to become involved in this project would be greatly appreciated. Again, contact this office if you would like to help make this happen. We want to make this a community donation that doesn’t cost the Association any funds.