As noted at the February 17th Annual Meeting, the SMVE community encompasses about 240 acres (zoned 1 lot/acre) by Pima County. With residential properties accounting for about one third (85) acres, the SMVE homeowners are unique in Tucson enjoying quite a lovely open green space in the Catalina Foothills. The governing documents of the SMVE planned community entrust the fiduciary oversight and organizational management of our Commons to the elected Board of Directors. Such common areas of about 150 acres include all recreational amenities, private streets, drainage throughways, utility easements, guest parking areas, plus about 50 acres of trimmed, irrigated, and beautifully maintained common areas we all enjoy daily.
In the last 5-6 months, the landscape committee and Board have actively addressed the need for major infrastructure projects to upgrade and replace drip irrigation lines; repair, replace, inspect and certify backflow valves; rewiring to code electrical pedestals at community intersections; replacing old irrigation timers with new to control water usage; and manage a major drainage project on both sides of Via Frassino. The latter was a month project with four different moving parts that required integration. I really appreciated Phil Mowbray’s advice and help plus Sue Vaughan’s help to sort the database for owners in the area and mail an Alert to affected Homeowners a week ahead of construction.
It’s also a pleasure to work with Mike Jump jointly to completely remove and replace deteriorated electrical lines, plantings, and leaking irrigation lines at the Sunrise/Paseo Otoño Entry area. This six-week project has required careful coordination and on-site management of carefully selected vendors including Cherry Landscaping, United Electric, and Vann & Son Painting to completely transform the North Sunrise Entrance. Along the way Mike and I have been joined by Bill Page, Sue Vaughan, David Manning and John Marus to consult on the Fairfield sign refurbishment with stucco repair and painting, electrical fixture selection and procurement, and careful consideration of new plantings for xeriscaping. None of this project would have been possible without this great team of community volunteers working together in biding the project components, reviewing and authorizing expenditures, on-site inspections of work progress, and authorizing and delivering payments to each vendor by appropriate checks at various intervals. Jobs like such major replacement of deteriorated and obsolete infrastructure are impossible without excellent contractors. This project was successful because Board members and volunteer homeowners worked in unison and enthusiastically together with contractors. As a long-time homeowner and Board member, I am exceedingly grateful to lead a team of neighbors for the long-term benefit of our SMVE Community.
Finally, since becoming the Chair of the Landscape Committee last year, other members of the Board have stepped up to help me. One example: Bill Page and Joe Steiner assumed leadership in site visits with Homeowners to arrange trimming plantings in common areas by homeowner request. This successful program has maintained our lovely Commons for all HOA members as dictated in SMVE governing documents. Protection of the lovely Sonoran desert plantings for all to enjoy becomes the result. Thanks to Bill and Joe for their diligent effort.
✉ by Bob Vaughan, Chair, Landscape Committee
Ref: Spring 2014 SMVE Newsletter
