LA ULTIMANEWSLETTER Vol. 1-14

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1 LA ULTIMANEWSLETTER Vol Editor: Noriko Edrich, Unit 12; President: Robb Baillargeon, Unit ; Treasurer: DeAnne Williamson, Unit ; d.williamson1@cox.net Secretary: Kristie Grande, Unit ; kristie.grande@gmail.com The first few months of this year have flown by and spring has already arrived with higher than average daytime temperatures. The new Board of Directors has been busy this year learning the processes, planning for 2014 and beyond and meeting with our current vendors to improve services and reduce expenses. We have a great mix of current Boards members with a variety of experience, goals and strengths. We all have the common goal of keeping La Ultima, which many realtors would agree, is a charming 18 unit complex of single family homes. There is an influx of homes in the area being sold, remodeled and flipped with dramatic price increases. The neighborhood is changing for the better and that benefits all of us at La Ultima. Items we have accomplished in the first quarter of 2014: A new budget that establishes a reserve fund Electronic payment method for paying monthly dues (details in Newsletter) Reduced expenses without impacting the appearance of the complex Established the La Ultima website New La Ultima and No Trespassing signage SRP has painted transformer boxes Sprinkler repair and replacement Curbs painted Imitation camera installed to reduce unwanted visitors Upcoming items Roof inspection and repairs if necessary Cox Communications will clean up cable wiring Trim trees Touch up the paint in select and visible areas Reduce feral cat population Test a lawn with desert landscaping

2 WHAT S HAPPENED Our new Board has started off this year with a bang. Our pool is completed and is ready for swimming just in time for the weather to really start heating up. We comply with the Federal mandate for dual drains and have passed the Maricopa County inspection. The surrounding pool area is entirely covered with a new acrylic surface which replaced the old deteriorating Kool Decking. The interior pool surface is now a Pebble Sheen surface, which should last us many years, instead of the old plaster finish. There is also new tile on the perimeter. The signage has been updated to comply with current Maricopa codes, including the posted signs and imbedded No Diving tiles in the deck. There is a new La Ultima street sign on the communal entrance lawn making us much easier to spot for our visitors. A second sign will be added for the north side. Also, there are now two Private Drive signs at the entrance to reduce unwanted traffic into our neighborhood. Robb installed a faux camera and a cactus in the visitor parking lot by the transformer box to try eliminating school children from hopping our wall as a shortcut home. If you see anyone hopping the wall, please speak up and ask them not to do so. La Ultima has established a website which you can access at There are photos, an upcoming events calendar, an archive of current and previous newsletters and more. Please visit and feel free to leave your feedback on the website for the Board. CHANGES TO HOA MONTHLY PAYMENTS HOA monthly payments/checks now go into the La Ultima mail box identified as La Ultima Internal. The mailbox is located in the same unit as your USPS mailbox. This will allow for a more secure method of receiving your checks. We can now accept your HOA monthly payments electronically through Chase Bank using QuickPay. You will need to go to the Chase Bank website and, if you re a current Chase Bank customer, activate your QuickPay feature or, if not a customer, set up a QuickPay profile at: La Ultima Newsletter, March Vol

3 Chase Person-to-Person QuickPay, allows you to send money to nearly anyone using their address or mobile number. As long as both of you have a U.S. bank account and at least one of you has a Chase checking account (La Ultima), you'll be able to send or receive money. Set up QuickPay payments using La Ultima address: laultima@cox.net ternet/@inter/@dept/@pubworks/@ garb/@bulk/documents/web_content / pdf OR Go to and type in the search bar Bulk Trash Pickup Schedule. Click on the first result and when the page loads, click on the Flier PDF. Please note we are located in Area 6. Next Placement Begins On Saturday, March 29, 2014 WHAT S COMING UP HOA Meeting Saturday, April 5th Next Collection Begins On Nearest Transfer Station* Monday, April 7, th Ave. Solid Waste Management Facility There will be a quarterly homeowners meeting from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM in our brand new pool area. Some of our goals this year are to reduce expenses without impacting the complex s appearance and to keep monthly dues at $200 per month while establishing a reserve fund. Please attend to hear more upcoming plans for our community as well as to give your input. NEXT BULK TRASH PICKUP Monday, April 7th For additional information go to: Placement is on the other side of 36 th St opposite the complex entrance. *Transfer Station hours are: Monday Friday 5:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Saturdays 6:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and holidays. SRP AC CHECKUP $66 Feb. 15 Apr. 30 With Phoenix's scorching summers, it's no surprise air conditioning units are the No. 1 energy user. By keeping it working properly and efficiently you're reducing your energy usage La Ultima Newsletter, March Vol

4 while keeping your home cool and comfortable. SRP customers, take advantage of a discounted HVAC checkup for a cool $65.95 (tax not included). Call to schedule an appointment with an SRP Certified Contractor before this deal ends. See website for details: heckup.aspx NEXT PEST EXTERMINATION June, TBD The next extermination will be offered sometime in June. There will be a $15 charge if you want them to treat your interior. The exact date has yet to be decided. LANDSCAPING Ongoing Vares Landscaping is working on the shrubs and bushes in the complex to get them more manicured and uniform. We are exploring ways to economically maintain the trees in the complex. Remember the green bin is for TRASH and the tan bin is for RECYCLING. Not all plastics are acceptable for recycling. The tan bin has a list of what can be recycled on the front. Common things that are NOT recyclable are: plastic grocery bags, chip bags, packing foam, pizza boxes, laundry detergent boxes and any dirty or contaminated plastics and papers. Putting the wrong things in your recycling hurts the efficiency and greatly increases the expense of the program. When in doubt, throw it out. Also, please be sure to break down any boxes before placing them in the recycling bin so we can continue on this schedule and reduce expenses. Recycling trash pickup is now twice a month and not weekly. We are estimating a $300 savings per year for this change. LANDLORDS MUST REGISTER On August 6, 1999 the Arizona legislature enacted the Residential Rental Property Registration law. Pursuant to A.R.S. Section , an owner of a residential property located in Arizona is required to file a notification form with the county where the residential property is located. La Ultima Newsletter, March Vol

5 The notification form contains the following information: the property owner s name, address and telephone number, the street address of the residential property and the year the property was built. Owners who do not comply with this requirement after notification and a ten (10) day grace period are subject to a civil penalty of $1,000 plus $100 per month for every month the owner is not in compliance with this notification requirement. To obtain a rental property registration form, go to: Click on Forms, then on Residential Rental Property. At Gaslight Square 36th Street & Indian School Road: Jennifer s Marketplace for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. Nook is a restaurant and bar that serves lunch and dinner. An old favorite is Acacia Café for breakfast and lunch. PARKING REMINDER There is No Parking in the visitor parking area from 6:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Tuesdays. NEW LOCAL RESTAURANTS Steak 44 is opening mid-april. Serving dinner for fine dining, it is the old Cork and Cleaver located just north of Camelback Road and 44th Street on the east side. Essence Bakery for breakfast and lunch at 3830 E. Indian School Road. Jewel's Bakery & Café for breakfast and lunch at 4041 E. Thomas Road. WATER SAVING TIPS - Limit showers to 5 minutes to save 12,000 gallons of water yearly. - An unrestricted garden hose flows at a rate of 12 gallons of water per minute. Add a nozzle to the hose and save. - Front-loading washers use 35 to 50 percent less water than standard models. - Installing some high-efficiency showerheads can cut water use La Ultima Newsletter, March Vol

6 by up to 50%, yet they keep the water pressure high. - Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl instead of under running water. - Run dishwashers and clothes washers only when full. It could save up to 1,000 gallons of water a month. - Fixing leaky faucets throughout your home could save 140 gallons of water a week. - Toilets are the biggest water users. Water-efficient toilets can save about 15,000 gallons of water a year. WINDOW INFO Unit 9 has installed new windows with the Board s approval and they look great. Anyone interested in this style of La Ultima approved windows may contact Lowe s to get information and obtain an estimate through: Tim Coulter Lowe s Project Specialist - Exterior Work: Cell: timothy.r.coulter@store.lowes.com La Ultima Newsletter, March Vol