News

November brings us cooler temperatures along with a number of changes here in CRCA. The election was held with Bill Dawes, Marilyn Stimpson and Nick Westphal returning for another two years and Bill Cicala serving his first term. It also means that Peggy Bracken chose not to run after serving for six years. We will all miss Peggy’s presence and want to thank her for putting in as much time and effort as she did for those six years. CRCA is a better place because of your involvement Peggy- thank you.

November also means homeowner assessments are due, which supports the operation of the HOA. As I have noted numerous times it is really disturbing to see people ignore paying their HOA dues. While we understand that some people have financial difficulties we try to make every one aware we will accept a payment plan to help those people stay current. If a homeowner’s assessments go unpaid for a full year, it is turned over for collections and is out of our hands. Once it is turned over to collections, it costs $350.00 just for the attorney to start the collections process which the delinquent owner is responsible for. Please, if you are having financial difficulties, contact the office to make arrangements so we do not have to send it to collections.

Santa will be back once again this year, this time at the Windmill Park office on Dec 5^th. We hope you will bring a canned food donation or cash which will go to the food bank in Marana and have pictures taken with Santa. It is usually well attended and the kids seem to really enjoy it- Santa does too!

The splash pad was a great success this past year and was a good investment for the community. Windmill pool has seen a lot more families using the entire facility with the addition of the splash pad. With the pool closing on November 1^st the contractor will start on the remodeling of the Windmill pool restrooms. You should see a lot of improvements when it reopens March 1^st. The condition of those restrooms was deplorable and the Reserve Study only gave us enough money to cover about 1/3rd of the total costs. The BOD was able to plan financially to cover the extra costs with no increase in dues.

Have a great Thanksgiving and a merry Christmas.

With summer winding down we should start seeing cooler temperatures which will be a relief to our power bills as well as being outside. With summer coming to an end it also means that there will be an election for four BOD members. Ballots will be going out near the middle to end of September; so look for yours and make sure to return it. There are only four people running for four positions but we need to have a quorum vote to make it official. If not the BOD would appoint people to fill the vacancies. They are all qualified candidates with the intention of making CRCA better. Please return your ballots.

The BOD approved the budget for next year and has not had to raise dues again. We have some of the lowest dues of any HOA here in Tucson with more amenities than other HOA’s. The BOD has been very diligent in how and where monies are spent and has been successful in not having to raise dues and still maintain our amenities to a high standard. While some homeowners have not agreed with some of the cost saving items the BOD has undertaken, it has allowed us to not have to raise dues. With Reserve contributions increasing $10,000 to $15,000 a year, utility costs increasing 6% to 10% a year and vendors requesting increases, there will come a point when dues will have to be raised to cover these increases. The BOD is investigating a few options to possibly increase our revenue stream without increasing dues. We will keep you posted.

Have a safe fall season and we hope to see you at the annual meeting.

It was only a matter of time, but the triple digit temperatures are back. The 100’s in Arizona are like death and taxes- pretty much a sure thing. Try to keep hydrated and cool. It seems like a larger number of homeowners and their families are doing just that at the Windmill pool and splash pad. I don’t think I have ever seen it as busy as it has been lately. Please remember there are pool rules that are enforced so that everyone can enjoy the pool and splash pad. I just returned from a trip to Anchorage Alaska for my grandson’s wedding- what a difference! Highs were in the low 70’s and the sun didn’t set until midnight and was right back up at 4:00AM and the mosquitoes were out all hours.

The finance committee will be finalizing next year’s budget at their next meeting with the goal of not raising dues but still keeping things up to a high standard. The landscape committee is looking at replacing the irrigation at Windmill Park and the baseball diamond. It was installed over 20 years ago with some of the valves five to six feet deep along with serious flaws in the water distribution from the sprinklers. Some areas are receiving too much water and others not enough. The new plan should drop water usage 40 to 50% and give us even distribution.

The Fourth of July is coming, let’s celebrate this great nation’s independence and values that so many have sacrificed for over the many years this great county has been in existence. Have a safe and happy fourth.

The Easter egg hunt was a big success again! We had over 600 kids participate, and a crowd of over 1500 enjoying all the attractions we were able to put together at Windmill Park. We are seeing the demographics here in CRCA changing- with more families moving in and participating in the community. I have really enjoyed seeing the number of families enjoying the pool at Windmill Park the past couple of weekends. I’m sure the recent addition of the splash pad has something to do with the added people. I’m sorry to say our contractor neglected to apply for a permit with the Pima County Health Department and the splash pad has been shut down by Pima County until a permit is issued. The BOD is probably even more unhappy with this situation than the children who have been enjoying the splash pad, and we are working every avenue to get it reopened ASAP.

With the first of May comes one of the duties the BOD does not enjoy at all. That duty is sending homeowners in arrears of their assessments to collections. Anyone who has not paid for one year is sent to collections as it is our fiduciary duty to see that all homeowners are current on their dues. We send delinquency notices out, but a number of homeowners fail to respond at all. This really leaves us with no option but to send it to collections. If you are having financial issues please contact the office so some sort of arrangement can be made.  That way, we are not forced into having to send you to collections. Ignoring it will not make it go away and sending it to collections just adds attorney’s fees to the bill. The initial contact by the attorney cost an extra $150.00 and is added to the assessment due. Please contact the office so we do not have to send a past due account to collections.

Have a safe and happy May.

The annual CRCA Easter egg hunt will be held on April 4^th at Windmill Park for CRCA residents. If the past attendance is any indication we can look forward to a large number of children enjoying all the activities the Association puts on for this event. Make sure to get your wristbands before the day of the egg hunt so your children don’t miss their time for their age group at the egg hunt. We invariably have a large number of residents who show up the day the event and it takes time to make sure they are CRCA homeowners. This event is sponsored by the Association and is only for residents. If you don’t have children maybe you could consider volunteering to help for a few hours. It is very rewarding to see all the happy and excited children enjoying themselves.

The splash pad contractor failed to have it up and running by the March 1^st target – and failed again in not having it ready in time for spring break. We have been assured it will be ready for use by April 1^st. The office has received numerous calls from young children wanting to know if it was open yet. Trust me when I say that the BOD is just as anxious as they are to get it open and running for the kids.

In the first two weeks of Windmill pool reopening there were 7 pool key suspensions for rule violations. This is not something any of us like to do but there are rules that need to be followed. These rules have been the culmination of years of collaboration of the various pool committees. There is a reason behind every rule and they are not just arbitrary decisions. Pima County has a law prohibiting children under 14 in a hot tub- children’s bodies cannot dissipate the heat in a hot tub like an adult. Showering is required before entering the pool to get rid of soaps on swim suits and bodies- soaps destroy the chemicals in the pool required for sanitation. The list goes on and on. Please follow the rules while at the pool- we do not like turning off pool keys but have no choice so everyone can enjoy the pools.

Have a happy Easter and enjoy the facilities CRCA has to offer.