Author: WWeb

While the BOD election only had three candidates running for the three positions we were not sure that we would meet quorum requirement. Our By Laws require 10% of the membership to participate in the election. The quorum requirement was 476 and we received 796 ballots. The three BOD members elected for two years were Connie DeLarge, John Lambert and Larry Lemieux. It is really disheartening to me that less than 16% of eligible homeowners took part in this election and even less participate in committees or attend BOD meetings. This Association is only as good as the homeowners who participate.The BOD met and elected officers the night after the annual meeting (October 21, 2010). The officers are as follows: President- John Lambert; First Vice President- Peggy Brachen; Second Vice President- Gus Lipins; Secretary- Connie DeLarge; Treasurer- Larry Lemieux; Directors- Marilyn Stimpson and Terry Paschen. They will hold their respective offices for one year until the next election.With the new fiscal year comes homeowner assessments or dues! We did not have to raise dues for the coming year but we always have people forgetting or having financial problems. If you are having financial difficulties- please contact the office and talk with Dale DeMen the manager to work something out. This Association is here to help you the homeowner- not penalize you.As most of you, I have been looking forward to the opening of the Twin Peaks interchange. I would like to commend the Landscape committee for the plantings they put into the median to welcome people to CRCA. It really looks good! They plan on attacking the areas outside the roadway with next year’s budget among other projects planned. They were able to do all the projects for 2009 and remain under budget. As I write this letter, it looks like CRCA as a whole was able to operate approximately $15,000.00 under budget for 2009. As your BOD we still have a number of issues that we are facing but will deal with them as we have over my last two year term on the BOD- with openness and transparency. We have nothing to hide from you the homeowners and only wish we had more participation. Have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy the cooler weather- along with not having to use Cortaro to get home at night.

You should have received your ballots for the upcoming election of Board members. Even though there are only three people running for the three open positions we are required by Arizona law to hold an election. Please return your ballots so we are able to achieve the required number of votes to establish a quorum. I have been approached by numerous homeowners as to why the BOD replaced the Groundskeeper as the landscaping company taking care of CRCA’s common areas. The BOD requested responses to a Request for Proposals from numerous companies. After reviewing proposals and touring properties maintained by the proposing companies the BOD decided unanimously to retain DLC Resources. Since DLC has taken over maintenance they have encountered numerous issues and concerns. One of these was the Rain Master Irrigation system. After bringing those concerns to me; I requested a meeting with the District Manager for John Deere Green Tech (distributor and supplier of the Rain Master system). As a result of this meeting and the District Managers inspections he wrote us:“As a result of some poor installations, several wall mount enclosures are not water tight. Some disc antennas need to be repaired or replaced. Repair all antennas that are not securely fastened to the enclosure.”During our discussions, he said that the wall mount enclosures were not stainless steel as required for outdoor installation but were instead intended for covered use. Also, the antennas should have been mounted inside the enclosures- and the hole for the antenna sealed with silicone (so as to not allow water in or tampering with the antennas). Most of the antennas were outside the boxes with the wire to them exposed to possible vandalism.The last BOD meeting resulted in an action by the BOD in approving a fine for any homeowners not having their dogs on leash in CRCA common areas and or not picking up their dogs feces. An announcement of this is elsewhere in the Windmill.I wish to thank all the members of CRCA who donate their time and services to make Continental Ranch a wonderful place to live. As we close our annual/fiscal year I can look back on several accomplishments:Hiring a new management companyHiring a new auditorInstalling a new accounting systemResearching and reducing DelinquencyHiring a new Landscape ContractorLighting the MonumentsResurfacing the Community Center PoolRedoing the entry to the Windmill officeUpdating the Reserve StudyPromoting the Town of Marana Concert SeriesNot raising the assessments for 2010-2011.Thank you, everyone, for a successful 2009-2010 year.