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Continental Ranch

We are far enough into 2010 now that I think I’ve adjusted to writing it on my checks, instead 2009. The New Year brought us much needed rain (I could have done without the wind) but the sun has come back and the snow showing on the Catalina’s reminds me why I left Anchorage, Alaska to live here.

The landscape committee had eleven responders to the Request for Proposals (RFP) they sent out in December for the landscape contract to maintain our common areas. They sent their recommendation of the top three proposals they had chosen while meeting their budgetary constraints to the BOD at the last meeting. The three chosen were: Groundskeeper, Northwest Landscaping and Complete Landscaping. The BOD and landscape committee will conduct a tour of properties maintained by the three chosen; on Saturday, February 6^th at 10:00 AM. Interested residents are encouraged to participate.  Tour reservations are needed in the office by Thursday, February 4^th so that adequate transportation may be arranged.

The Town of Marana staff (and hopefully the Mayor) will be at the February 10^th study session soliciting input from CRCA.  Below is an excerpt from an e mail received from the town council liaison:

“Just like you have to decide what to spend your household budget on when money gets tight, the town must also make decisions about what level of services can be funded when less money is coming in. With this in mind, Town Council and management would like to visit your neighborhood or social organization to discuss priorities for funding for the upcoming budget year. Money that funds town services continues to be affected by the economic recession, compounded by a state fiscal crisis that is expected to last for several years. It’s important that Council and staff receive comments from citizens as we begin to create a budget for next year that includes the services that reflect our community values.”

Please plan on attending this important meeting to supply input to the town as it prepares its’ budget for the coming year. Without our input they will not know what services reflect our “community values”. Remember – we are all in this together!

I have no new news on the Waste Management issue or the current status of the negotiations with our past collections attorney. As information becomes available we will provide it to the community.

The board meeting on December 16^th had a very special group attend the meeting.   The Daisy Scouts of CRCA performed three songs for those in attendance and helped set the holiday mood for all. I am sure I speak for the whole BOD when I say thank to those young ladies for their well done performance.

The BOD was presented with a number of issues relating to vandalism of CRCA property. A play structure at one of the tot lots was broken by vandals and would require over $1600.00 to replace. The BOD voted to remove the remaining piece of the broken item due to liability issues and also voted to follow through with prosecution of the vandals. We are awaiting a copy of the police report before proceeding. In another instance, twenty plants were replaced in a section of CRCA on a Friday.  By the following Friday seven of the twenty had been broken off to the ground by another group of vandals. This type of destruction of community property will not be tolerated by this BOD and we will pursue all legal means to seek restitution and prosecution of those involved. Please, report any instances you witness to the management office so we can stop this needless destruction of homeowners property within the association. Vandalism of CRCA property wastes the funds of every homeowner within the community.  We need to stop this before it becomes a bigger problem.

The BOD sent out a request for proposals (RFP) for maintaining the landscaped common areas of CRCA and requested that they be submitted by December 21^st. The landscape committee will be reviewing those proposals at two meetings in January with the goal of narrowing it down to the three best proposals. The BOD will then interview the top choices and select the best proposal to maintain the common area landscaping in CRCA.

VMS- the new software program for the association- is up and running and is within half of one percent from being current with all homeowner information. The few remaining updates left to complete are homes that have recently changed hands.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and we wish you all a prosperous and happy new year in 2010.

I would like to congratulate the new members elected to the BOD- Peggy Bracken, Gus Lipins and Terry Paschen; as well as the returning member Marilyn Stimpson. I would also like to thank the other candidates for participating and wish them well. I was re elected as president  with Chuck Stead- 1^st Vice, Marilyn Stimpson- 2^nd Vice, Peggy Bracken- Secretary and Connie DeLarge- 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.

We are still working on resolving the Waste Management issue- with no response from them since May 2009 to our proposal. Our attorney is negotiating with our past collections companies attorney and we will hopefully see this come to a conclusion shortly. The newly hired management company has VMS up and running with data entry being done to update all of our records. When complete you will be given an ID number and will be able access your records online.

What makes a community great? I’ve asked myself that and have come to the realization that it is neighbors that make a community a place others want to live. All too often, in today’s world, we do not find the time or desire to get to know our neighbors. What is a neighbor?  They respect each others’ boundaries but are quick to assist in a crisis. Great neighbors make for great neighborhoods, and it is well worth the effort. There are a million ways you can be a good neighbor, starting with something as simple as sitting on the front porch and saying hello. We are not all into block parties and socializing with our neighbors but maybe take the time to wish them happy holidays this season and get to know them. We are all in this together so why not make the best of it.

If you and yours are blessed this season please remember the Adopt a Family program the Association donates to. There are others less fortunate that can use a little help, especially in this economy. Any donation would be greatly appreciated. Don’t forget to visit the Walgreen’s at Twin Peaks and Coachline on Dec. 12^th and 13^th and get a free photo with Santa with your donation to the Marana community food bank. Have a safe and wonderful holiday season.