Greetings from the Board – September 2024

VCA Updates

I hope you enjoyed your summer now that the official start of Fall is only a few days away. This month I am providing a brief update on major activities happening in your Rancho Vistoso Community and requesting members consider taking an active role in the association.

Water Savings (Monuments project update)

The refurbishment of the VCA monuments on each side of the Tangerine and Ranch Vistoso Boulevard is underway.  The grass is gone and has been replaced by decorative rock and boulders.  The golden barrel cactus’s have been removed so the Rancho Vistoso signs are visible again.  The new lighting will make the gateway to Rancho Vistoso much more visible and welcoming.  This project is anticipated to save the Vistoso Community Association about 657,000 gallons of water annually.  We anticipate this will save the association about $46,000 per year.

Parking Legislation

The Arizona legislature passed House Bill 2298 last year and it has been signed into law by the governor.  As a result, the Vistoso Community Association is compelled to conduct a vote on whether we want to enforce our HOA rules of no overnight on street parking or have this enforcement authority default to the Town of Oro Valley.  Our VCA streets were designed with no overnight parking in mind, and they simply are not wide enough for cars, RV’s, boats, trailers, etc. to be safely parked on the street.  Emergency vehicles will have a difficult time navigating through all that congestion when “seconds count.”  We have reached out to the Town of Oro Valley and the Oro Valley Police Department to alert them to the impact of this legislation.  We will be scheduling a discussion with the Golder Ranch Fire Department soon.

While this law will only impact the public streets in our communities (private streets in gated sub-associations are excluded) all the VCA membership will be provided the opportunity to vote.  A ballot item on whether to continue VCA enforcement of overnight parking on public roadways in our community will be sent to all members prior to the March 2025 Annual Meeting.  I will continue to provide you updates as we get closer to this critical vote.

How about running for the Board and/or volunteering for one of our committees?

We are over half way through the year and looking forward to the 2025 election cycle.  We will have three single family director positions to fill and one other than single family position. You may call or email the office for more information.  Click HERE to access the board and volunteer forms.

Snapshot – September 2024

If you missed the August 29, 2024, Board of Directors meeting, here are the highlights of the Manager’s Report. The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for September 26, 2024.

Rancho Vistoso Blvd. Streetlights

Bids are being solicited to remove and dispose of the VCA owned streetlights along RVB. Proposals for this project are expected to be submitted by the end of the month. Staff is in the process of gathering additional bids for Las Colinas, Sunset Ridge and Vistoso Highlands monuments that were tied into the streetlighting system. The board has discussed with the Town of Oro Valley the conveying the two streetlights along RVB near Honeybee Park. The association attorney is drawing up an agreement for the town’s review and consideration.

Entryway Monuments

The lighting and irrigation phase of the project at the east and west monuments at RVB and Tangerine has been completed. AAA Landscape has applied another application to kill the turf. Gravel and boulders will be installed within the next weeks.

Capital Projects

Granite Replenish Project – The final phase of this project will be inspected the week of August 19. The project included 6,078 tons of granite that was installed on VCA common areas and right of ways maintained by the master association. This will assist in mitigating dust and erosion issues. The following locations were included in this project.

• Common areas bordering Innovation Park Drive between Rancho Vistoso Blvd & Tangerine
• Common areas bordering the perimeters of Bella Vista, St Andrews Ph1 & Ph2
• Eastern corner of Innovation and Rancho Vistoso Blvd
• Common areas tracts at Horizons & Vistoso Heights
• Common area tracts bordering streets (W Moore Rd, Rancho Vistoso Blvd, Arrowsmith, and Woodburne Ave) throughout neighborhood 7
• Wildlife Ridge Park
• Hohokam Park
• Sunset Ridge Park
• Woodshade Trail – Sunset Ridge Park to Rancho Vistoso Blvd
• Big Wash Park

Concrete Repairs – This project is coming to a conclusion as well and will have a final inspection within the next week.

Tennis Court Resurface Project – APEX has been repairing the tennis courts at Hohokam Park. We anticipate that this project will conclude on schedule. Third Degree Recreation will follow to install the tennis court nets and will install the new windscreens and bench shades when they arrive.

Playground Equipment – Wood chips for the playgrounds at Hohokam, Somerset and Sunset Ridge Park will be refreshed. Three playground panels will also be replaced at Hohokam Park.

Drainage Projects

• Big View Ct. Channel – Contractors have been requested to update their estimates based on the additional information provided by the association engineer, WLB.
• 27 Mile – Comparison estimates have been requested since the contractor’s bid was higher than expected as a result in the change of scope.
• Bridal Veil – Bogardus Engineering has submitted the revised plans to the Town of Oro Valley for review.

Builder Transitions

The Town of Oro Valley still holds the Pulte bond for the west side of Moore Loop Road. Pulte is working on the drainage area along Moore Loop Rd and inside Valley Vista neighborhood and will be addressing some of the public roadways prior to turnover to the town.

Reserve Study Report

The board will be reviewing the final draft of the reserve study for 2025 completed by AssociationReserves at the August 29th meeting.

2025 Budget

VCA staff and finance committee has started to work on the budget for 2025. Adoption of the budget is scheduled for the October 24 board meeting.

Fall Events The fall yard sale is scheduled for Saturday, October 19, from 7:00am until 2:00pm. The fall event will be held at Hohokam Park from 8:00am until 11:00am on Saturday, October 26. AAA Landscape will be sponsoring this community event.

Did You Know – September 2024

Interesting facts about Arizona:

The state motto is “God enriches”

If you ever get any official Arizona information papers, you may notice that the state has an official motto. “Ditat Deus” can be seen on the state’s seal.

The motto is written in Latin and means “God Enriches.” The saying has been the state’s motto since 1863. Though it’s not stated exactly where the phrase comes from, most US history buffs agree it’s likely a biblical reference.

Arizona is home to the Petrified Forest National Park

In Arizona’s northeast, you’ll find Petrified Forest National Park and an area full of colorful petrified wood that dates back 200 million years.

Though the territory today is grassy and dry, it was once a rich forest that has been remarkably preserved. It’s a protected area that aims to educate visitors about the state’s history.

It’s also known as the “Grand Canyon State”

When you don’t see the moniker “Copper State” around, you’ll likely notice Arizona’s other nickname, the “Grand Canyon State.” That’s due to it being the home of Grand Canyon National Park.

Due to its size, you can see parts of the canyon from Utah and Nevada. However, Arizona offers the best and most expansive views of this national landmark.

Arizona has an official state fossil

Because petrified wood has long been associated with Arizona, it was officially recognized as the state fossil in 1988. It may not be what you consider a typical fossil when you’re used to hearing about animal bones.