Las Palomas

December 04 Comments

Jan 06, 2005

Las Palomas H.O.A.


Las Palomas ?“President?’s Perspective?”

To: Homeowners of Las Palomas
From: Ken Dry
Date: 1/6/2005
Re: Summary of December Meeting
For the minutes of the December 2004 meeting, please log on to our website at: www.neighborhoodlink.com/scottsdale/palomas/. Copies of the minutes will be available at the Las Palomas gate or office for homeowners who do not have e-mail service. We have mailed copies to out of town owners without e-mail access. Please remember that the following comments are the personal opinion of the writer and are not necessarily the final decision of the Board.
Happy New Year to everyone.
The December meeting focused on procedures to get homeowners to obey the rules and regulations that have been accepted by the members. There are a few homeowners who regularly break the rules. The majority of the homeowners comply with the rules and regulations. It was agreed to implement the system of fines that was approved by the Board in 2003. The three major areas of violations have been: improper parking on driveways and streets, failing to remove refuse containers from the curbs after scheduled pickups and picking up after pets. Management has been instructed to follow the following procedure that can result in fines:
1. First Violation; verbal warning, and recorded in incidence reports.
2. Second Violation; written warning to homeowner and recorded in incident report
3. Third through fifth Violations: $10 fine for each of the incidents.
4. Sixth through tenth Violations; $20 fine for each of the incidents.
5. Each occurrence after the tenth incident will be fined $100.
At the end of each calendar year, a new violation schedule will start. On January 1st of each New Year, the first violation will be considered the verbal warning and will continue to accumulate violations until December 31st.
Each car parked in violation of the rules will be considered as an incident. Each day is considered a new occurrence. Cars are not to be parked on driveways overnight unless the lot?’s garage is 100% occupied by other cars or the car belongs to a guest who is visiting for that night. Visitor?’s cars must display a ?“Visitor?” pass on their front dashboard and must be readable through the windshield. Cars not displaying the pass are subject to being towed. If a visitor?’s car will be in the complex for more than one night, the pass must indicate expected day of departure. Guest vehicles parking in the complex for more than two days are subject to the same regulations as the homeowner?’s vehicles. If a homeowner needs to park their car(s) in their driveway for a short period of time, they should obtain approval from the Board or the property manager. This temporary approval should not exceed 30 days. No cars will be allowed to park on the streets over night. The responsible person, who leaves a car on the street, after 2AM, will be called by the night attendant and instructed to move the illegally parked car or it will be towed.
If visiting vehicles do not display the proper identification, management cannot determine if there is a safety problem. They have no way of knowing if the illegally parked car presents any danger to the community or who to contact if the vehicle causes damage to other?’s property.
Scottsdale has been picking up our refuse in the latter part of the mornings or early afternoons. It is therefore, not necessary to put the containers out the night before pickup. However, we have allowed this in the past because they were picking up the trash and recyclables early in the morning. It would be preferable to put the containers out on the morning of the pickup. However, the containers should not be put at the curbs before 7PM on the night before pickups. They should be removed by 7PM on the day of pickup. Failure to abide by the rules governing the proper use of refuse containers will also be subject to the fine schedule above. If you need to deviate from the rules on a temporary basis, approval must be obtained from the Board or property manager. Containers must be stored out of sight from common areas at all other times. If you need assistance to meet the time schedule, notify Jim Purcell and he will make arrangements to get the container off the street. Also, make friends with your neighbors. They can be very helpful. Everyone seems to be concerned with appearance of the property to promote higher resale values. Leaving the containers out does not add to appearances of the complex.
Violating the rules pertaining to pets is a little harder to enforce. This requires participation from the community. If you are concerned about this problem, you should report any violations you see to management. If you cannot identify the owner of the pet, give us a description of the pet. Pet owners should be aware that their pets are damaging the property of others and that they are violating the leash laws of the City of Scottsdale. If you own a pet, you are responsible for it?’s care and maintenance. Cleaning up after them is your responsibility. If they ?“go?” in your house, I am sure you clean it up. We expect that you would do the same when it ?“goes?” in my extended living room.
Homeowners will start each New Year with a clean violations record.
We also discussed in the ?“Open Forum?” types of gravel and plants used in the common areas and on other landscaped areas. The intention of the Board is to maintain continuity to the property and yet allow homeowners some choice for personal taste that would not be inconsistent with the overall look of the complex. We are trying to choose plants that flower and stay green all year. We have been replacing biennials with flowers that do not need replacing every year. If you have ideas, please submit them in writing to the Board as we take these suggestions seriously and try to incorporate them into our planting schedule.
We would like to have some homeowners form an advisory committee to review the Reserve Fund requirements of Las Palomas. There must be some accountants and/or lawyers in this complex with some knowledge of the complexities of this requirement. We will be engaging a CPA to conduct a compilation of Las Palomas accounting for the state and our insurance carrier. We will be updating our assets evaluation list, which is necessary to establish our reserve levels and depreciation schedule.
We have contacted an agency to pick all the citrus trees in the common areas and front lawn areas of the lots. The citrus will be donated to the food banks. If you do not want us to clear your trees, you must notify Bob Wallace. If you want us to pick any trees in your back yard, you must make arrangements with Bob Wallace. We will post the schedule on the front gate bulletin board. If you choose to maintain your own trees, you will be responsible to keep any fallen fruit off the ground at your cost. If our crew has to clean up your property, we will charge back the labor cost to you. Las Palomas will continue to trim these trees under our current maintenance schedule.
Please, we need people to run for the Board of Las Palomas. Please send in your resumes. Electronic files are preferred. We would like to get them to the members with the January meeting minutes. The elections will be in February.
Have a good year ?– Ken Dry