November 2024 Newsletter

Hi Neighbors,

Deb Weinstein has made the decision to resign from the Board due to personal reasons, effective September 30th.

Over the past 3 years Deb has been a very active Board member. Most of you may know her as the 'Rat Lady'     having spearheaded the Rat Patrol Program that significantly cut down the rat population in our neighborhood. She also initiated and worked with the  City of Scottsdale Water Department to secure a $2,200 water rebate as a result of the front landscape renovations. The Board would like to sincerely thank Deb for her contributions to this community. We will all miss her.

We are therefore looking for someone to fill the 7th position on the Board. The position would be a     Director and the term is until the Board election in mid-March 2022. If ever you were considering serving on the Board but were unsure of the commitment, then this short term opportunity is an excellent trial run for     you. Of course if you decide to stay, you can then run for election next March.

Unlike the Board Officers, there are no assigned duties for Directors. Directors, depending on their     interests and skills, help wherever they feel comfortable, add knowledge to conversations and attend monthly meetings. In summary, there are no special skills required, just a desire to serve this wonderful community.

The process to add an interim Board member is easy. Once a volunteer expresses interest to join the     Board, then per our bylaws, the Board votes on adding the new member to serve until the next Board Election.   

If you would like to volunteer and/or have questions, please contact our Board President, Pete Marsden Pete0818@gmail.com.

In closing I want to stress that having a strong Board is essential to the community.  Maintaining 7 Board members not only allows us to accomplish more for the community, but also assures a succession plan so we can stay self managed. The reality is, in order to maintain our self managed status the community needs to keep fostering volunteerism among our residents so we do not need to employ a management company. It is because of the strong volunteerism and self management that we have been able to enjoy the lowest HOA dues of ALL 9 Villa Monterey communities.

Thank you,

Sheilah Edmundson

www.Villamonterey6.com 

Hi Neighbors,

I realize it has been a while since you've heard from me. The board has been on our usual hiatus for the months of July and August and will be returning to our regular monthly meeting schedule in September (more information below).  

It's been a relatively quiet Summer for the board, but not so much for our residents. While 2020 was near historically one of the driest monsoon seasons on record, 2021 saw the wettest July since 2013 and the 17th wettest on record. During the major downpour in late July, several homes in our community were flooded and/or suffered roof, carport and tree damage during the late evening. The morning light showed the extent of the damage. I was shocked to see all the downed trees and roof damage the storm had caused. That evening was quite scary to say the least, but the community really came together to help with the clean up and provide food and comfort to those in need. 

Thank you to all who helped, you are truly a blessing to us all.

On to the updates:

Landscape Maintenance Reminder

With our record breaking Monsoon rains this year along with high humidity, weeds are tending to sprout up seemingly overnight, therefore the ACC/Board is reminding homeowners that per the Community's rules and regulations, front yard plantings must be trimmed and weeds pulled/sprayed. 

Weed spraying tip: For a more natural alternative to the traditional weed sprays, try filling a sprayer with vinegar (add salt for more stubborn weeds) and dish soap. The vinegar and salt naturally dries out the leaves and the soap allows the vinegar to stay on the leaves longer.  Having recently tried this, I can honestly say it does work. Caution though, your yard will smell like a pickle, but not for long as the odor will dissipate. 

Here is a link to the DIY recipe https://www.wikihow.com/Kill-Weeds-With-Vinegar

Pool Closing

The Pool and Ramada area will be closed all day on Monday 9/13 until at least 5pm. Solar Safe will be installing our new pool cover that day and will need to use the entire area to sew the cover.

September Board Meeting

Our next Villa Monterey 6 BOD Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 14th at 6:00 pm in the  Ramada.  An agenda will be emailed to the community, posted in the pool breezeway and on our website. 

Let me know if you have any questions

Sheilah Edmundson - Board Secretary

http://www.Villamonterey6.com

Good evening neighbors,

I am passing along some sad news   regarding Peggy Downing.  

Peggy's daughters, Lori Wujek and   Cindy Danner, wanted to let everyone know that their mom passed away   peacefully on Sunday May 9th, Mother's Day after a long illness. 

Lori and Cindy wanted to thank all   of Peggy's friends and neighbors for their kindness.  Peggy loved living   here so much not only because of the area but because of the friends she made.

I regret that I did not get the   chance to meet Peggy, but she clearly had an impact on others in the   community.  Sandra Galbraith fondly recalls "When I think of Peggy,   I think of a caring, helpful lady who gave you her full attention, always   helpful, generous and so positive with her can do attitude!  And of   course the best tangerine tree in the neighborhood! Peggy was a   beautiful, kind, caring person who gave a lot to this community. When I moved   here, she headed the food drive at the Ramada, which was always a huge   success!  A huge truck would pick up all the community donated food and   bring it to various charities. The agencies stopped sending a truck and the   food drive sadly stopped also. She is dearly missed! Her daughters are   caring thoughtful, capable women who are truly sadden and miss their   mom."

Attached is a write-up that Lori   and Cindy wrote about Peggy.  Also, if anyone would like to make a   donation in her memory she had a special place in her heart for Special   Olympics.

Sheilah Edmundson

http://www.Villamonterey6.com     

Hello Neighbors,

I am sending   tonight's newsletter on behalf of your Architectural Compliance   Committee (ACC) Chairperson, Linda Brown, who has some reminders and helpful   tips regarding the general landscape and property maintenance provisions   found in the Villa Monterey 6 CC&Rs (section 4.12) and Rules and   Regulations (Section II. Property Appearance and Maintenance).

These   provisions are in place to keep our community looking it's best, so please   take the time to read the following information and take the necessary   actions to maintain your property. If you need help in any of these areas,   reach out to Linda. Her super power is working with homeowners to find   solutions.

General Landscape   Maintenance - clearing out weeds and wildflowers

They’re   Here!!! Weeds and Wildflowers! They seem to pop up over night!  If   not sprayed right away they will go to seed and spread in your yard and into   your neighbor's yard. Your neighbor might work very hard to not have   any weeds or wildflowers growing in their front yards, so lets all be   neighborly and get them eliminated as soon as possible. Using the regular grass killers work, but if   you don’t want to use that, most nursery’s, Ace Hardware, Amazon, Home Depot   and Lowes carry extra-strength vinegar to kill your weeds. 

Please   note, if you leave for the summer your yard still needs to be maintained. Do   you have arrangements with someone to check your yard and carport for weeds   and debris at least once a month? During the summer is when plants grow the   most and can quickly become overgrown. Also, the monsoon season can be tough   on your yards with flying debris, leaves and palm fronds.  

Screens for   Garbage/Recycle Cans in Place by April 26th

The ACC has been   consistently reminding homeowners that per the CC&Rs, garbage and/or   recycle cans kept in the carport must be behind an ACC approved screen, yet   there are still homeowners in non-compliance. If you intend to keep   garbage/recycle cans in your carport, please take steps to submit a screen   design to the ACC for approval and have in place by April 26th.   Letters will be sent to homeowners in non-compliance which if not resolved in   a timely manner could result in fines.

Sidewalk Repairs

Does your sidewalk   need repairing? If so please email Linda Brown your address. If we get at   least 3 at the same time the City of Scottsdale will fix it for free!

A few   other important landscaping reminders

Fruit   Trees- Ripened citrus must be removed from trees by June   1st. This is mainly to prevent and detour "roof rats" in   the neighborhood. If you have questions or concerns regarding roof rats,   please Contact Deb Weinstein - Debbie.Weinstein@cox.net

Palm   Tree Trimming - Palm Tree Trimming must be done by July   15th.  It is imperative to trim your tall palms as they can   cause major damage to homes, such as clogging roof drains and flooding of   rooftops, especially during the Monsoon season. 

Lamp   Posts - Homeowners are responsible for the repairs and   maintenance of their front lamp posts, except the HOA will replace bulbs and   sensors at HOA expense.  If you notice a bulb is out, please contact   Chip Schneider, your VM6 lighting coordinator and he will check it out. Contact   Chip Schneider - chipschneider30@gmail.com

Thank you!

Linda Brown -   Architectural Compliance Committee Chair

Lindab_@outlook.com

www.Villamonterey6.com

Hi Neighbors,

In this Special Holiday Edition     newsletter, I am very pleased to announce that we had over 30 homes that     were decorated and judged for the Holiday Decorations Competition. Six     judges braved the cold and wandered the neighborhood scoring each home on     creativity, uniqueness, complexity and music. I want to thank all of you     who decorated and brought joy to our community in what has been a very     difficult time for everyone. 

Following are pictures and     stories of inspiration from our winners and honorable mentions. As you read their stories, I think you will find a     common theme that is deeply rooted in tradition, family/friends and wanting     to spread hope during these extraordinary times.

As a reminder, the winners     received a sign in their yard, featured in the prestigious special holiday     edition newsletter and     bragging rights ALL YEAR LONG!  Oh, and a box of chocolates for     winners and honorable mentions was involved as well.

I realize the pictures are a little small,     so coming soon, you can go to our website to view these and all pictures of     the fantastically decorated homes on our website http://www.villamonterey6.com 

HOME DECORATIONS

Winner! - Paula and Rob's inspiration comes from a long tradition     of decorating for their children. Paula and Rob are very proud of their     children who are essential front line front line nurses and a son-in-law     who works the COVID ICU. The decorations are both old and new.      Rudolph, featured in the center, is over 40 years old (Rob has taken really     good care of Rudolph) and the blue icicles are a new addition     representing wishes we can make on falling stars. Along with the     decorations, Rob set calm and upbeat music meant to align with the     decorations, yet also reflect the seriousness of pandemic. Paula and Rob's     wish for all is to have a calm and hopeful holiday season. After decorating, Paula and Rob went virtual and sent a     video of the decorations and music to their children who of course loved it     as much as we do. Congratulations Paula and Rob!

Honorable Mention     - Karen Brosnan's inspiration     comes from her father, a Swedish immigrant who was very diligent about     working very hard at having the family's home be the most festive in the     neighborhood with lighting and décor for Christmas. He even fashioned     custom framing to keep the lights and foliage perfectly aligned in the     windows. He also honored the Jewish tradition with a menorah 🕎 in the front window as well. He felt that to be “good     luck” ! Karen thinks of him as she adds her own décor to her home. A     generational tradition she will continue until no longer able. 😍  And one other fun fact, Karen's Dad and Ulla     Withrow were both born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden. I think they have     the same philosophy on holiday decorating as Ulla's decorations are quite     beautiful as well.   

LIGHT POST

Winner! - Winner of the Lamp Post Decorations goes to new resident Suzie     Cary. If you look very close at the     base of the lamp post (forgive my lack of photography skills), you will see     the 3 deer who are the inspiration to Suzie's overall decorations. These     deer were given to her by her 'dear' friends who moved to Arizona from     Australia. When her best friends decided to move back to Australia, they     entrusted the deer to Suzie's care. While Suzie misses her friends, she is     comforted knowing they will forever be connected by the deer. Each year     Suzie lets her grand children place them wherever they want. I'd say her     grandchildren chose well this year!  Congratulations Suzie and what a     way to make a first impression in the neighborhood! 

Honorable Mention     -  Other than the traditional menorah in the window, Deb     doesn't usually decorate to this extent, but this year was different. In addition to the menorah in the first floor window, Deb with the help of her son Adam and his girlfriend Leah, wrapped the lamp post with the traditional blue and silver colors of Hanukkah. Deb's inspiration comes from wanting to spread joy in the neighborhood and     capture the meaning of Hanukkah. One of the cornerstones of celebrating Hanukkah is lighting the menorah each of the 8 nights of the holiday. Lighting the menorah can remind us that a little bit of light can dispel a     lot of darkness. I think Deb captured what she set out to do! 

I wish everyone Happy Holiday's and a Blessed New Year. 

My love to you all! 

Sheilah Edmundson

http://www.Villamonterey6.com

Good Evening Neighbors,

Are you ready for some rain this   weekend?!  I am! I forgot to put my usual stationary border around the   newsletter last week, so I'm making up for it today. 

If you haven't had a chance to take a look at the repairs on the pool/Ramada brick wall both inside and out,   you might be missing out. As you may recall, we painted the wrought iron last summer and now with the brick wall repair, it looks almost brand new.

The crew should be wrapping it up   this weekend. Soon after the landscaping renovations in front of the main   gated area will begin.  I will keep you updated on the progress there as   well.  

Attached is Monday's   Board Meeting Agenda.  

Please note: If less than 10   homeowners attend (including the Board) we will hold the meeting under the   Ramada, with masks on and social distanced at 6 feet apart.  However, if   more than 10 people are in attendance, we will ask the community to sit   outside the Ramada with the same mask and social distancing guidelines.    Masks will be mandatory, if you are not wearing a mask, we will ask you to   leave, but you may come back with one.  

Have a fabulous weekend.

Sheilah Edmundson

Villamonterey6.com

Hi Neighbors,

Fall is in the air and I for one have been enjoying our cooler mornings. With the cooler weather I look forward to many things such as baking cookies (which you all know I love to do), walking the dog in the afternoon vs. the wee hours of the morning, and especially welcoming back our snow bird neighbors. There is a lot going on with the community as we have changes to the Board and Pool and Ramada landscaping.  Read on for more detail.

Changes on the Board
Jim Villota has made the decision to resign from the Board due to personal reasons. The Board would like to sincerely thank Jim for his contributions as a Director and the ACC Chairperson. In order to maintain a 6 person Board, Linda Brown will be rejoining as Director and ACC Chairperson.   

Note: If you are thinking about exterior improvements (eg. painting, front landscaping, windows, or doors just to name a few), please contact Linda at LindaB_@outlook.com  she can help guide you through the ACC approval process.  You can also refer to our website, http://www.villamonterey6.com, for the ACC guideline and request forms.

Landscape Renovations    
In the upcoming months, the pool and Ramada landscape will be going through some renovations. You may have already noticed that the bushes lining the inside of the brick wall have been removed. The bushes were removed so that much needed repairs can be made to the crumbling brick wall. Besides showing it's age, the bricks are showing signs of water damage as well.  Therefore, we are also looking into renovating the landscaping at the main entrance (in front of the fencing) to be water conservation friendly.  We will provide more detail, including visuals, as plans get finalized.

Watch for HOA Dues Announcement
Watch for a very important email/letter announcement regarding Villa Monterey 6 HOA dues. The letter will be both emailed and hand distributed to all residents this week.  

October Board Meeting
Our next Villa Monterey 6 BOD Meeting will be held on Monday, October 12th at 6:00 pm in the  Ramada.  An agenda will be emailed to the community, posted in the pool breezeway and on our website. We will be keeping within CDC social distancing guidelines, wearing masks and sitting 6 ft. from each other.  If you are planning on attending bring water and a mask (recommended).

Sheilah Edmundson

Hello Neighbors,

The Board's Summer hiatus is coming to an end and overall it's been pretty quiet in Villa Monterey 6.  Which is a good thing considering what is going on in the world around us. I think we can all agree that it's been a very strange year and hope that next year will be better.  In the words of Edgar Allen Poe, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast." Hope is the belief one holds during difficult circumstances things will get better. Most days I do believe things will get better.  In some cases, for me, they already have. I call them my lemonade moments.  I've been spending more cherished time with my daughter and Jim is remodeling the upstairs bathroom. I've seen my family, who lives in Colorado, now more than ever.  Albeit over Zoom, but none the less I'm very grateful.  You might ask, "how do you know things will get better?"  My answer is, "I don't know how, I just have faith that it will." 

On to the updates:

ARCHITECTURAL COMPLIANCE COMMITTEE

New ACC Resident Concern Form

Listening to resident concerns is important to the Board and we needed to come up with a way to record a concern and track what the resolution was. The ACC has created a form for residents to voice their concerns regarding neighborhood compliance to the CC&Rs.  

You can access the form either from the VM6 website (www.villamonterey6.com) or the new ACC forms box located in the pool breezeway.  Once you complete the form, deliver to any board member, drop in the mailbox at the pool or mail to the address at the pool. Please note:  The ACC will only address written concerns.  All urgent problems affecting the safety, habitability or function of Common Area facilities or property should be communicated immediately to any Board member.

Concealing Trash Bins in Your Car Port 
According to the CC&Rs Section 2.7, garbage containers can be stored in your carport, but must be kept screened behind adequate planting or fencing so they are concealed from the view of neighboring lots and street. Below is just one example of a screen that can be built in your carport to hide trash bins.  All screens must be approved by the ACC.  An ACC request form can be found on the VM6 website. If you have any questions please contact Jim Villota (Nebraska45@hotmail.com) to explore your options. 

POOL UMBRELLAS TAKE FLIGHT

Please be advised that during the recent high winds and storms on Thursday, 8/20, the 3 tables and umbrellas blew over. Fortunately, there was no damage to the tables or umbrellas. In order to prevent any possible future damage, the Board decided to store the umbrellas in the Ladies rest room area. If you desire to have an umbrella up while at the pool, please make sure to take it down and return it to the Ladies Rest Room. We will keep the umbrellas down until the end of the Monsoon Season. Sorry for the inconvenience.

71 DAYS UNTIL ELECTION DAY

It's political season and according to our CC&Rs section 2.6.4, political signs are permitted, but cannot be installed earlier than 71 days before the day of an election and must be removed within three days after an election day. Political signs on an Owner's Lot cannot exceed nine square feet. Note: If you see someone stealing a political sign from your or your neighbor's yard you can call Scottsdale Police.  This has already happened to one of our neighbors and not only is it disappointing, it's against the law.  From my experience, the police do take complaints seriously in our neighborhood and will follow up.

SEPTEMBER 14TH BOARD MEETING

Our next Villa Monterey 6 BOD Meeting will be held on Monday, September 14th at 6:00 pm in the  Ramada.  An agenda will be emailed to the community, posted in the pool breezeway and on our website. We will be keeping within CDC social distancing guidelines, wearing masks and sitting 6 ft. from each other.  If you are planning on attending bring water and a mask (recommended).

Sheilah Edmundson