Greetings from the Board – January 2026

Greetings from the Board:

The Town of Oro Valley approved Ripple and Wyyerd to install “the last mile” of fiber optic cable last year and the VCA Board is in the process of negotiating a contract with both companies to protect our investment in the right of ways (plants, decorative rock and irrigation equipment).  We will vote on contract language at our January 29^th Board meeting.

The developer of Rancho Vistoso made a deal with the town (in the late 1980’s) to provide enhanced landscaping in Town right of ways.  We are obligated to pay for the maintenance of the plants, etc. but the Town is still the owner of the property. 

Wyyerd started boring through the right of ways last week so please be careful driving when they are in your area.  They are starting in the area around  Woodburne to Moore Road along RVB and once they have a good start on the main roads, they’ll move in to the adjacent neighborhoods.  In our conversations, it looks like it will take “about one year” or so finish all of Rancho Vistoso.  The sub HOA’s will have to make similar arrangements with the contractors.

The contractor will send out yellow post cards informing you of impending activity in your area.  The VCA will also send out email blasts with updates (we asked for a 30 day notice to give us ample time to prepare).  The contact information of the contractor will be in all correspondence, and they are the people you need to contact if you have a question and/or a problem.

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Matt Wood – VCA President

Did You Know – January 2026

New Year’s traditions vary widely by culture, including eating 12 grapes in Spain for luck, smashing plates in Denmark, burning effigies in Ecuador, and wearing colorful underwear in Latin America. Other traditions involve making noise with fireworks or bells, eating specific foods like noodles or round fruits, and making symbolic gestures such as jumping waves in Brazil or throwing water out the window in Puerto Rico. 

Did you know these New Year’s food and drink habits?

• Spain: Eat 12 grapes at midnight, one for each stroke of the clock, for good luck in the coming year. 
• Japan: Eat toshikoshi soba noodles for longevity. 
• Philippines: Displaying round fruits is believed to bring prosperity. 
• Italy: Wear red underwear for good luck. 
• Greece: Hide a coin inside a cake; the person who finds it is guaranteed good luck. 
• Turkey & Armenia: Throwing pomegranates on the doorstep symbolizes prosperity. 

Did you know these New Year’s rituals?

• Denmark: Smash plates on friends’ and neighbors’ doorsteps as a sign of good luck. Stand on a chair and jump to the floor at midnight to jump into the new year for good luck. 
• Ecuador: Burn effigies of famous people to burn away the old year’s bad luck. 
• Latin America: Walk around the block with an empty suitcase to ensure travel in the new year. 
• Puerto Rico: Throwing water out the window is thought to drive out evil spirits. 
• Scotland: The tradition of “first-footing” involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a home after midnight. 
• Brazil: Jump seven waves at the beach for good luck. 
• Japan: Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times to cleanse the 108 earthly temptations. 

Did you know these New Year’s decoratiing and clothing traditions?

• China: Decorate with red items, such as painting front doors red or hanging red lanterns, to bring good luck. 
• Philippines: Wear polka-dotted clothing, as the round shape symbolizes coins and prosperity. 
• Brazil: Wear white to symbolize peace and good luck. 
• India: Decorate homes with colorful rangolis and light lamps. 

Did you know these New Year’s traditions?

• Thailand: Firecrackers were once used to scare away evil spirits. 
• Australia: The most popular New Year’s tradition is large firework display. 
• United States: A well-known tradition is watching the ball drop in Times Square. 
• South Korea: Go to a high place to watch the first sunrise of the year.