December 2021 by Toscana of Desert Ridge

toscana LIVING KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW

DECEMBER 2021

Our Staff. Community Manager Nicole Careaga ncareaga@toscanaliving.net Assistant Community Manager John Raabe jraabe@toscanaliving.net Lifestyle Director Mark Gatchell mgatchell@toscanaliving.net Concierge Director Katie Lucas klucas@toscanaliving.net Administrative Assistant Wade Longworth wlongworth@toscanaliving.net Maintenance Supervisor Charles Koba ckoba@toscanaliving.net Maintenance Technicians Juan Magana Submit Work Orders at ToscanaLiving.net Night Managers Jackie Hernandez, Saffron Caudle 480.861.0875 Gate House Staff Chet Sanders, Joshua Oakley, Laura Taylor, Todd Davison 480.513.0602

ASSOCIATION OFFICE 5450 E Deer Valley Drive Building 2 Phoenix, AZ 85054 480.585.0808

AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY 602.234.9288

toscanaliving.net

BUILDING COMMUNITY

FOREMEN NEEDED Save the Date: February 9, 2022 Toscana 14th Annual Meeting of the Members

WANT TO BE ON THE TOSCANA TRANSITION BOARD OF DIRECTORS? Help build and shape your community as Toscana transitions from Developer- to Resident-Control. Your 2022 Board of Directors will consist of 7 members; 4 members will be Toscana Property Suites/Golf Casitas owners, and 3 members will be The Luxe owners.

Your Association needs 4 reliable, innovative, and passionate Toscana owners to join your existing resident Board members in the new year. 1 Toscana Property Suites/Golf Casitas member, and 3 The Luxe members. If you think you'd make a great Board member (or know someone else who would), please reach out to jraabe@toscanaliving.net for an application. Nominations are due no later than noon on December 28.

Board members must be listed owners in good standing with the Association.

Nicole's

Noteables by Nicole Careaga

In my article this month, I want to go over some topics presented at our November Finance Advisory Committee Meeting and Fireside Chat. As we move closer to transition, a lot of information is being shared and many of you have questions. Please be sure to stay up to date by attending meetings, reading emails or by just coming down to the office and taking some time to meet with the team or myself. We want to ensure that all residents have complete and accurate information as we move through this exciting time. During our Finance Advisory Committee meeting held on Friday, November 12, the committee appointed a new member, Roseanne Elson. Her appointment will be presented to the Board at our January Board meeting for their approval. The Committee also discussed concerns regarding reserve funding and the large number of projects slated for future years. During 2022, the committee will work to create a plan for practical spending of the reserves, ensuring only the necessary projects are completed. Another discussion item was the ADHOC Committee Charter. This charter will allow the Board and Finance Advisory Committee to create ADHOC committees that will be assigned specific projects. These committees will complete research, provide cost comparisons if necessary, and then will disband once the project has been completed. There was also a little conversation about the Luxe and their budget. Based on the questions asked, I am planning to have a Luxe/Toscana FAQ Class to explain the PAGE 3

benefitted parcel, and how we will now operate with two budgets. The Fireside Chat held on Monday, November 15 was fantastic. We had a great number of residents attend, who asked some great questions. We discussed concerns with some outstanding maintenance issues. Please be sure to keep an eye out for the Maintenance Monday eBlast sent on the 3rd Monday of each month. There was a lot of discussion about how maintenance responsibilities are divided between the homeowners and association, and concerns with the stack plumbing. Based on your feedback, you will see a heighted amount of communications sent out via email and placed on the website in the next few months. Also, be on the lookout for our 2022 resident survey. Coming in February, we will be looking for your input about possible future expenditures, learning about our everchanging demographic, and learning about ways you prefer to be communicated with. You will see reminders in your monthly statements, elevators and newsletter.

communityCONNECTION

by Katie Lucas

It's the most wonderful time of the year! If you're anything like me and have had your Christmas tree (or other winter holiday décor) up in your living room since November 1, you're probably looking to fill this December with lots of holiday-themed fun. Here are some fun events in the valley to bring a little sparkle to the season. ZooLights Phoenix's most cherished holiday tradition is back with millions of twinkling lights, dazzling animal sculptures and our Wildlife Lantern Safari, featuring 66 creatures — polar bears, mammoths, peacocks and more, all aglow. This year, there’s a NEW way to feel the magic. Cruise ZooLights, the drivethru experience that is not to be missed. With expanded trails and new sights and sounds, ZooLights is bigger, brighter and better than ever.

Christmas at the Princess Rediscover the magic of Christmas this winter as the Scottsdale Princess resort transforms into an enchanting holiday wonderland. Go ice skating and watch colorful light shows. Roast marshmallows and make s'mores together. Get your picture taken with Santa Claus and meet cute holiday characters. With kidfriendly activities and entertainment all season long, it's the perfect destination to make magical memories before the year comes to a close. PAGE 5

Skate Westgate Even though we don't get snow, it doesn't mean you need to miss out on ice skating! All skill levels are welcome to partake in the timeless holiday tradition of outdoor ice skating at Westgate. Skate Westgate hosts 3,500-square-feet of real ice in the heart of the district’s plaza in Fountain Park. Onsite tickets and skate rentals are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the ticket booth, singleuse and season passes are available. Scottsdazzle Scottsdazzle is the City of Scottsdale’s popular holiday extravaganza that brings a variety of festive activities and fun events to residents and visitors alike. The season starts off with the signature Sing-Along & Tree Lighting Ceremony, during which an all new “dazzling” holiday tree will be unveiled, bringing even more beauty and light to the season! Activities and events take place at various locations around Old Town through December 31.

Make your Mark by Mark Gatchell

Say it isn't So! Here we are kicking off December, and it feels like it should only be July. How quickly this year has flown by with all of the challenges we have all endured. This time of year, we discover if we have been naughty or nice, and hopefully, we can all say we have been way nicer than not. We have 31 days to make sure we end this year all being nice! I'm sure many of you are excited to see this past year in your rearview mirror. I know I am excited to see what next year will bring and what new challenges we will face, but I want to start by thanking every Toscana resident that was supportive, encouraging, and always there to support our events. Things looked very different at the start of this past year, but we have slowly gotten back into in-person events and larger groups gathering together. In January, our "soothe your mind" gourmet tea kits were a huge hit and sold out in less than two days. Throughout the year, we worked closely with Bruster's to bring you everything from strawberry ice cream day to hot fudge ice cream kits. February brought you cherry pie day along with a chili-themed mixology event to help spice things up. April gave us our wildflower growing challenge, while May kicked off our summer pool party season with our Summer Lovin Pool Party! We were off to the movies in June for a classic Raiders of the Lost Ark movie-going day while we all melted away at the food trucks each night. July kicked off with National Hot Dog Day packed with happy faces, leading to another Bruster's ice cream treat! August was a hit with our putting through summer pool challenge along with our first of two brunch bars, and of course, we handed out our essential Toscana golf kits to so many of you! September brought back our Dave & Busters bowling nights and the return of the popular mobile blood drive with many of you donating to save lives. October was amazing with our newly redesigned Halloween Bash, themed "Dead Men Tell No Tales." The event was hosted inside the Palazzo Grande pool area and catered with an Island flair of food. Over 90% of our attendees dressed in a costume, and it was, of course, an almost impossible job to pick the costume winners! And what can we say about November! Our annual Friendsgiving was spectacular, with over 100 residents celebrating with their friends, family, and neighbors! The delicious food, live entertainment and of course apple and pumpkin pie! 2021 has brought us many changes and redesigned events, and I'm sure 2022 will once again challenge us to rethink and redesign our events again, but we are up for the challenge! Thank you again for being amazing Toscana friends, family, and all-around amazing residents! PAGE 7

12 D E C E M B E R SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

SAT

OFFICE CLOSED @ 1PM

Association Events

*AFTERNOON BINGO* 2PM

FOOD TRUCK PG 5PM

*90-BALL BINGO* 2PM

*CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST* PG 9:30AM

OFFICE CLOSED

FOOD TRUCK PG 5PM

*HOLIDAY BOWL* D&B 3PM

*AFTERNOON BINGO* 2PM

BOARD NOMINATIONS DUE 12PM

OFFICE CLOSED

*OFFICE CLOSED MONDAY, JAN 3*

*REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED* RESIDENT- RUN CLUBS BILLIARDS CLUB - MONDAYS 5PM, WEDNESDAYS 1PM - PG BOOK CLUB - WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 8 6PM - B10 COFFEE CLUB - TUESDAYS/THURSDAYS 9AM - PG

HAND AND FOOT - TUESDAYS/THURSDAYS 6PM - PG MAH JONG - MONDAYS 10AM - PG POKER CLUB - WEDNESDAYS 6PM - PG

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SAVE THE DATE

BUILDING COMMUNITY 2022 Toscana Annual Meeting

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 6PM DAVE & BUSTER'S AT DESERT RIDGE Join us for a fun and exciting recap of the last year, as well as a look toward our future as we transition from a declarant to fully-resident Board of Directors. We are excited for Toscana residents to continue to build community within their home.

JOHN'S JOURNAL

by John Raabe

Trash Talk Well it’s the holiday season, once again, and with that comes a lot garbage. Through heartwarming holiday gifts, hearty home-cooked meals, and just getting your home ready for guests (whether just a quick clean-up or a full-on renovation), your trash rooms fill up fast this time of year. As we come up on some of the biggest dumping days of the year, I wanted to send out some friendly reminders of proper refuse disposal here at Toscana.

In closing, just be respectful to everyone and let’s try and keep Toscana looking beautiful in every way possible. I hope you all have a happy and wonderful holiday season.

When disposing of your trash, please be respectful of your neighbors and make sure you are doing it the correct way. Make sure you are properly closing your garbage bags so that the cranberry sauce does not come flying out on the garbage room walls as you toss it in the bin. If you are throwing away the box for the 80” TV you got under the tree, please set it to the side of the recycle bin so it does not cover up the bins at the bottom. For the smaller boxes, please make sure you are breaking them down before putting them in to save room for others. If your garbage room is completely full, instead of adding to the mountain of garbage that will undoubtedly fall when the porter hooks it up, please walk over to your neighboring trash room and see if there is room in there first. The garbage bins are usually taken out in the mornings. If you notice your bin is almost full in the afternoon, please call the office and let us know so we can have it emptied so we are not dealing with a huge mess the next day. We will be getting the large trash bin placed over by Building 15, once it gets closer to the end of December. This will mainly be for Christmas trees, but if you do have a lot of boxes or wrapping paper garbage that you are worried about fitting in the parkade trash room bins, please feel free to utilize this bin to save our porter some hassles. This bin is sitting outside and somewhat close to the casita building, so please do not throw away food or anything that could rot and cause rancid smells for those units. PAGE 12

WADE'S WORLD by Wade Longworth

As the year comes to a close, it is essential for all of us to reflect on this past year's successes, failures, and everything in between, including making sure we have your updated contact information. For those longtime residents, it is most important to do a year-end review on our community website DwellingLive to make sure that your emails and phone numbers are correct. The same goes for our newest residents because we want everyone to have access to all of the great features offered in this community, including the video call box system ButterflyMX. Correct contact information is crucial because we are voting for new resident board members. We use VoteHOANow for the election process, an online voting service specifically for owners associations. For us to register you as owners for that service, all residents must have a current email so we can get you the information to vote. Each owner will get one vote per unit, and tenants can't participate in the ballot. Hence, it is of the utmost importance to get your correct email to the office to vote, and once complete, you will receive no more emails from the Vote HOA Now. ButterflyMX is a great feature that all residents have loved since being installed last year. Features like the mobile app that includes swipe to open, virtual keys, and PINs allow for many different options for letting in your visitors are all used daily. Don't worry about leaving your key fob at the unit and being "locked out" because with the swipe to open feature, go to the app's home screen and swipe to open the door to grant you access. Another great feature this system offers is a virtual key, which is perfect for allowing visitors access to your building on certain days and times of your choosing. It is an ideal way to enable, for example, a recurring babysitter, a vendor like a plumber, or even a party guest access to the unit at set times of your choosing. The four-digit PAGE 13

personal PIN comes with each registered account. It is a fantastic option for people in your life, like trusted friends and family, to give them access at all times. Also ideal for us "forgetful" people that might leave essential fobs/phones behind always to have access. As a gift to our staff, please update your contact info (phone numbers, emails) with the office and stay off the "naughty" list this year. Please get your correct information to the office as quickly as possible to make sure that you get a vote and that you get to use the excellent online features we have at Toscana. Here is to wishing you and your family the best holiday season filled with joy and plenty of memories!

MAINTENANCE

report Here's what's happening at Toscana: PG Steam Room Update – The lowerlevel men's restroom has been reopened. The steam room and shower areas remain closed, as we await parts for project completion. B10 RUD – Antech and Miner, your access device vendors, are continuing to collaborate on repairs to this access gate; parts have been ordered, but are delayed due to nationwide shortages. B10 Door Readers - Antech is still awaiting parts for the three intermittently-working readers on Building 10. At this time, they are expecting parts to arrive for replacement by mid-December. Building Painting - Painting has resumed on residential buildings. Updates will be sent via email as CertaPro Crews work through the property. At this time, the project is expected to be complete by midDecember. Please see the latest paint update email for the anticipated timeline. Interior Directional Signage Directional signage has been installed at elevator junctions and building entrances to ease navigation of residential buildings. Sidewalk Repairs - Areas of concern have been marked with fluorescent paint, please use caution as you walk around the property and notify management if you see any additional areas of concern. The management team is working with area vendors to

obtain quotes on repairs to these sections of sidewalk in order to eliminate trip hazards. Parkade Cleaning - Reliable Maintenance completed routine parkade cleaning under Buildings 1, 10 and 11. 2022 schedule will be sent as it is created. Entryway Monument Lighting - We are gathering quotes to repair electrical for the lighting illuminating the Toscana monument outside our front gates. B10 Lighting - The team is working with an electrician to obtain quotes on replacing existing lights on the exterior of B10 with LED lights. PG Elevator - Otis, your Elevator Maintenance vendor, has been on site on multiple occasions to inspect the Palazzo Grande elevator in relation to an unpleasant noise occurring upon stopping. Please note: each inspection has deemed the elevator is safe to operate and parts have been ordered to stop the sound. Otis is currently expecting to obtain the repair part within the next two weeks, at which point it will be installed. B11 Water Damage - The Association is working with Titan Restoration in regards to repairs to water damaged areas near the west stairwell on the fourth floor. Inspections have determined there is no mold present and updates will be sent to Building 11 residents once restoration of this area has been scheduled. Loose Trash - In recent months, there has been a significant increase in loose trash being left around property. While your Toscana Maintenance team is working on an updated schedule to accommodate the disposal of this trash, please keep in mind that anyone caught improperly disposing of items will be subject to the violation enforcement policy. Please ensure you are properly disposing of trash in your unit and parkade garbage rooms and not leaving it around property. As a reminder, dog stations, building entryway and elevator vestibule trash cans are not to be used for unit trash. Your Maintenance Monday monthly Toscana maintenance update is sent out via email on the third Monday of each month. Not signed up for emails? Contact mgatchell@toscanaliving.net.

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lay of the land by DLC Resources

Happy Holidays from DLC Resources! With the calendar shifting to December, it’s a wonderful time to be outside in Arizona. With this in mind, we are continuing to manage and prepare your common areas for the winter months. We will also continue to care for your Bermuda grass that has now fallen dormant. The turf will remain blonde through the winter as it rests and stores energy to grow a stronger Bermuda crop in 2022! We are only watering the turf about once a week but recently shut off the water temporarily to allow for a dry surface for the painting crews. Maintenance crews will be continuing seasonal pruning on select shrubs in the coming months. Seasonal pruning trims dormant shrubs down to lower than usual heights to help promote growth and healthy blooms into the next season. This also helps to manage size as plants bloom and grow again in the spring. Our crews are also emphasizing detail work in your common areas through the holidays, making sure these areas are prepared to host your families and friends that gather for upcoming festivities. Postemergent is applied to keep weed pressure down as needed. Additionally, we are adjusting irrigation according to your community’s needs in the cooler temperatures. Irrigation for plants and trees will be soon turned off. Desert-adapted species are able to go from Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day with only natural rainfall. Of course, we will monitor your landscape and irrigate if needed. In addition, please be aware that some of Toscana’s trees are about to go dormant for the winter. They will lose leaves and appear dead, but the canopy will regrow in the spring. The Special Projects work to apply more than two tons of granite throughout the Community is now complete. They filled in bare spots to help the area look refreshed and well-cared for. Thank you for a great year, and we look forward to partnering with you in 2022!

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