News

The BOD was able to move forward with a number of projects called for in the Reserve study for CRCA this past meeting. The reserves that the association has accumulated over the years allows us to maintain items within the community that have a useful life span and require replacement or updating on a planned schedule. This keeps the properties owned by CRCA in great condition without having to raise assessments to do so. We were able to update the lighting at the Community Center pool and parking lot last year to energy efficient LED lighting with a savings in electrical usage of around 30%- we approved updating the lighting at the Windmill pool and office at the December meeting to the same type of LED fixtures and expect similar savings. The parking lot at the West end of Windmill Park was also on the list for replacement and will be pulverized and a new lift of asphalt laid with new striping to give it a much needed face lift. A new AC unit for the office, sealing the flat roof at the office, redoing the deteriorated electrical wiring at both pools for lighting, sealing the office parking lot and numerous other projects listed under the reserve study were all approved at the last BOD meeting.

I would like to welcome Karie Westpahl as the newest member to your BOD. She was appointed unanimously to replace Gladys Pope who resigned with one year left in her term. Karie will be a welcome addition to the BOD and as a young mother will bring another opinion to this BOD.

With the holidays behind us I would like to thank all who participated in the caroling at Windmill park and the holiday lighting contest. A lot of work was put into the lighting displays and appreciated by a large number of people. The homeowners living on Victory Court did one better- they placed luminaries all along Victory Court spaced about four feet apart and were observed walking up and down the street with their charcoal lighters relighting the tea lights the wind blew out. Great job and a great idea by those homeowners.

Our landscape contractor- DLC Resources- has closed their Tucson offices and will no longer be doing the maintenance of CRCA’s landscaping. The Landscape committee interviewed three firms and recommended Titan Landscaping which the BOD approved at the last meeting. The quality of our landscape maintenance should not suffer as Titan was formed by employees of the DLC Tucson office and we will have the same crew and manager that were DLC employees here in CRCA. There should be no “learning curve” as these people are already aware of the nuances with our irrigation and landscape needs. As a side note- the Windmill Park grass has never looked better.

Have a safe 2013 and we hope to see you at one of our committee or BOD meetings. This association is only as successful as the people involved in decision making.

Hopefully everyone had an enjoyable and festive Thanksgiving. We are in the same predicament with the Activities committee as we have been over the past years. The last two members have resigned until more people step forward to participate. The BOD has again committed to personal support of the Christmas light contest and the Adopt a Family for this month. Given that there was no planning done for the Adopt a Family from CRCA by the committee we cannot put a wish list for donations to a family struggling at this time in this newsletter. If anyone knows a CRCA family who could use a little “help” with Christmas please contact the office with the information. A giving tree will be in the lobby of the office with “wishes” on the tree from the family or families we are trying to help at this sometimes not so joyous time of year for some. Please, try to find the time to try to help someone not sharing the blessings some of us have and make a wish come true for a neighbor by stopping by the office and picking up a wish.

It is with regret that we had to accept the resignation of Gladys Pope from the BOD. Gladys informed us she has “commitments that will take more time and make it impossible…to give the BOD the time and effort required.” Thank you for all the time and effort you put in Gladys- CRCA is a better place because of you.

I would like to congratulate the new member elected to the BOD-Bob Vollbrecht; as well as the returning members Connie DeLarge, Roxanne Ziegler and myself. I would also like to thank the other candidates for participating and wish them well. I was re-elected as president with Peggy Bracken- 1^st Vice, Marilyn Stimpson- 2^nd Vice, Connie DeLarge- Secretary and Roxanne Ziegler- Treasurer. With another election behind us and the holidays around the corner it is a busy time for all of us, but the BOD is still faced with a number of challenges.

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. Once your assessments exceed $327.00 it is turned over for collections and is out of our hands. Please, if you are having financial difficulties, contact the office to make arrangements so we do not have to send it to collections.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday.

I hope that you have been able to visit Windmill Park since the brickwork has been completed. It has made the picnic areas a lot more inviting and accessible to everyone now that the walkway is complete. The BOD approved redoing the grass surrounding the picnic area as there were high and low spots after the brick work was completed and it will level out the high and low spots. A number of BOD members have looked at the condition of the concrete pads in the picnic area as well as the picnic tables and have management getting bids improving those items.

There have been remarks heard within the community about there being too much money being spent on landscaping of the common areas (Windmill Park, entryways, Twin Peaks, etc.). I would first like to thank our landscape committee for working hard to present much needed improvements to the BOD and spending time actually touring the community to come up with their proposals. The governing documents require: “The Association shall use a reasonably high standard of care in providing for the repair, management and maintenance of the Common Areas…” The current budget for landscape is the same as it was before the current BOD was elected in 2008 and has not required an increase because of the hard work of the landscape committee, the BOD and management.

The ballots for the election of the BOD should have been received by you now and I urge you all to voice your choices for the direction CRCA takes. You have probably noticed that the process has changed a little. We were informed by our attorney that the State of Arizona now requires that all ballots cast can be identified to the person casting the ballot. You used to have to sign the envelope and your ballot was put inside with no way to identify who voted. With the new requirement the BOD decided to require the signature on the ballot but we also have hired a CPA firm to handle all counting of the ballots received by them. No one within CRCA will ever see who voted for whom under this arrangement. The ballots once counted will be sealed and held by the CPA- only to be released to the court if an election result is challenged. Please vote your choice.

I asked the homeowners attending the last BOD meeting to please let the office know if the lights at their entryways are not working. After touring CRCA on a Saturday night I noted that a lot of the monument lights were not working and had management look into why they were not. The electrician reported that the locks on the battery boxes had been drilled out and the batteries and controllers had been stolen. Mountain Shadows had both boxes drilled out but only one side had been vandalized. I can only assume that they were scared off by a resident entering the parcel. It cost the association over $90,000.00 to install the new lighting a few years ago and it troubles me to see this type of theft occurring. If you see suspicious activity, please call Marana police and report it. This type of theft not only affects the appearance of CRCA but it also costs all homeowners money.

The budget for next year (starting November 1, 2012) was approved at the BOD meeting on August 16^th. The Finance Committee did not submit a proposed budget for the next year to the BOD so the BOD discussed and prepared the budget at a study session. The budget for next year will require no increase in annual dues and still meet the requirements of maintaining our common areas and facilities to the high standard the BOD has set. Even with some costs increasing (the contribution for the reserves went from $143,000 to $160,000 for next year) we were able to have a balanced budget by careful consideration of all elements of the budget. CRCA has some of the lowest dues in Pima County and more amenities than most other HOA’s.

The new brickwork at Windmill Park is completed and will give better access to all homeowners as well as providing a bigger and nicer picnic area. It is a great addition to the park and the whole BOD hopes it will be enjoyed even more than in the past.

I urge you all to attend the “meet the candidates” meeting on October 2^nd. It is an opportunity to hear what each of the candidates has to offer and their ideas on how CRCA should be run. There are varying ideas being presented this year and it will affect how the association does business and interacts with you the homeowners! Please plan to attend.