January 2022 by Toscana of Desert Ridge

toscana LIVING KEEPING YOU IN THE KNOW

JANUARY 2022

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 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

MEET YOUR BOARD CANDIDATES LIVE STREAMING Q&A VIA ZOOM 17 JANUARY 2022, 6PM

PRE-SUBMIT QUESTIONS TO NCAREAGA@TOSCANALIVING.NET BY 5PM JANUARY 13

CANDIDATE BIOS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON TOSCANALIVING.NET ON JANUARY 11

Nicole's

Noteables by Nicole Careaga

Over the past year, we have been providing the residents with facts and knowledge about Toscana, HOAs and transition. This month is no different; I thought I would use my article as an opportunity to dispel many rumors and provide some education on the documents we use to manage the association. During this article, I will explain the Bylaws, CC&R’s & Policies; or as we like to call them: "Governing Documents"; and touch a little bit on State Statutes. I hope that I have made this information easier to understand, however if necessary, please do not hesitate to reach out and we can meet and go over these items more in person. With that, let’s start with the Bylaws. The Bylaws are our roadmap that guides us through the frequency and requirements for meetings. For example, our Bylaws require us to hold at least one meeting per year. This meeting, as we know it, is the Annual Meeting. As such, we hold this meeting in February each year, and moving forward will use this meeting to conduct our election and announce our new Board Members. The Bylaws also control the number of Board members, how they are appointed, and the steps taken should a Board member resign or be removed. The Bylaws also provide guidance to the Board by granting the power to create rules and regulations, contract with vendors and make all decisions in the management and maintenance of Toscana. This document explains that when you elect a Board of Directors, you have granted the power to that group of people to execute contracts and make all of the decisions on behalf of the community as a whole. The Bylaws also grant the power to the Board of Directors to impose fines for violations and to create committees and appoint members. PAGE 3

Having a committee, and who is on that committee is at the full discretion of the Board. In most cases, the Board will utilize committees to assist them in complete projects, grant them the authority to approve Architectural Applications, and work with residents on upgrades and event ideas. The Bylaws are necessary for those residents that want to understand the association, be on a committee, or run for the Board. The CC&R’s are the next document that should be at least perused by all residents. To make the CC&R’s a bit easier to understand, we have created the Toscana Living Guide. This guide is provided to all new residents and is available on our website. We like to call the TLG the “Cliff Notes” version of the CC&R’s. The items located in the TLG are some of the most important items those living in Toscana should know. Today, however, I am going to focus on a few of things that are used by the team and the Board on a regular basis. The CC&R’s are our guide to how the community should be managed. For example, we reach for our CC&R’s often when working on maintenance responsibility. This is where we find that the balconies are a limited common element and that the association is only responsible for their maintenance when there is a structural concern. We are

not responsible for day-to-day maintenance or cleaning of the balconies. Article 5.1 Section D is an area we refer to often, as it provides us with guidance on how to handle a plumbing concern. This provision highlights which areas are the responsibility of each party. However, one of the biggest things we get questions on, and hear concerns about, is how the CC&R’s are changed. During the time of Declarant control, changing the CC&R’s is fairly easy. The association just has to contract with the attorney and work together to make the necessary changes prior to having the new document recorded with the County. After Declarant control, though, this project gets much more tedious. While not impossible, the requirements for change, as described in Article 10.4, is a vote of the unit owners (Members) in which 67% of Member households approve of the amendment. In the case of Toscana, with the completion of the first two Luxe buildings we will have 742 units. This would mean, we need 497 Member households to vote, and all vote in the same way. For a point of reference: each year, our election process only brings in about 150 votes. Getting at least 497 units to vote, and have them all vote the same way, is a major undertaking.

The last thing I want to touch on are the Arizona State Statutes. We often hear, once transition is complete, “we can change that”, or “that will not happen anymore." Often times, what is being discussed are items that cannot be changed, as we are following the Statues that have been put in place as part of HOA law. Toscana is required to follow ARS. 33-1801, The Planned Communities Act; and ARS 33-1201 the Arizona Condominium Act. These statues regulate our meeting notices, resident account statements, violation timelines, and, in some cases, will trump our governing documents. The Arizona Statutes are available for view at all times at www.azleg.gov. Here you can also read what changes may be taking place during the upcoming legislative session. Each year, Representatives propose possible changes, and make recommendations and decisions based on feedback of Industry Professionals and residents of Homeowners Associations across the State. I know this was a brief explanation, but I hope it provided you all with some guidance about how Toscana is managed and some assurances that while transition is exciting and full of information, much of the day-to-day operations will not change much. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, or any member of the management team, for clarification.

These Governing Documents are legal documents that are recorded with the County. These documents are provided with all new sale disclosure agreements, are utilized by title agents and insurance companies, and are provided whenever there is a question as to who should be assisting with what. Along with these documents, the Board also has the ability to create policies. Policies cannot be created that contradict the CC&R’s. Their purpose is to assist residents in understanding an area of the Bylaws or CC&R’s. Policies are created to be more detailed, and provide guidance for things like violation enforcement and their fine schedule, codes of conduct, and parking violations. The Board has the ability to create and remove any policy with just a majority vote at an open-session meeting. Meeting agendas will always list any policy discussions. All of the current Toscana Policies, CCR's and Bylaws are located on the website for resident review at any time. PAGE 4

communityCONNECTION

by Katie Lucas

The New Year is a perfect time for a refresh! In 2021, Toscana went through multiple updates and upgrades, both on the physical property and on the web. One of the biggest digital upgrades that happened was the creation and implementation of your new Resident Website (same address - ToscanaLiving.net); I'd like to highlight some of the most-useful functions of this new site here for you all! As always, if you have any questions (or suggestions) please feel free to reach out. The website is constantly evolving with new information and to create a better user experience for our residents, so be sure to check back often. Community Sites Hub One of my favorite features of the new website is the ability for us to create a central "hub" of all the information sites our residents use on a regular basis. Each site has a brief description of their function, and links you to the proper place to get your tasks completed with ease. Residents can use this hub to quickly get to sites for Gate House guest lists, front door access, accounting, and more! As a reminder, each website does have its own login information.

Forms Another great feature of the new ToscanaLiving.net website is the more-userfriendly forms section. Currently, residents can submit Moving Passes, Architectural Request, Information Updates, and Work Orders through the site. These forms are easily tracked for completion and updates by our residents by visiting the "My Submitted Forms" page, as well. Some forms do require a follow-up call/email, so be sure to keep an eye out for any contact!

Association Documents Of course, one of the most useful features of the website is the ability for resident to access their community documents at any time. This allows residents to quickly few financial updates, rules and policies that govern your association, and more! My favorite section in the Association Documents, though, is the Quick Resources - these are documents made to help you quickly access things like parkade maps, technology user guides and more.

Photo Gallery Who doesn't love re-living all the fun Toscana events over the years? This great new section allows us to post photos and for residents to comment and interact with their neighbors. Additionally, we encourage residents to submit their own photos capturing all the lively community programs they have enjoyed. There's nothing better than a little nostalgia and some visual reminders of why you all love to call Toscana "home." PAGE 6

Make your Mark by Mark Gatchell

A Fresh New Year Someone once wrote, "Another fresh New Year is here, another year to live, to eliminate worry, doubt, and fear; to love, and laugh and give a Happy New Year! 2021 presented all of us with many challenges, not only at work but with friends, families, and neighbors. At Toscana, we took on those challenges and turned them into new events and ways to gather and still feel like part of our fantastic community. We had incredible success with our "Dead Men Tell No Tales" Halloween event, which was located around the Palazzo Grande pool with all new decorations and some fantastic entertainment, costume contest, and of course, delicious food! Our redesigned bagels & brew, along with our newly introduced danish and donuts events, kept everyone safe while still giving you a chance to see your friends and neighbors. The Thursday food truck nights have been an enormous success, and we look forward to continuing the food trucks into the New Year. And, of course, our ice cream treats, desert kits, mixology nights, and virtual bingo draw large crowds to these events safely! And who can forget we ended the year with our largest gathering ever at our newly designed, outdoor Friendsgiving! I received a remarkable amount of emails expressing how much everyone enjoyed the event being outdoors and fully catered to this year! Of course, it was great to have the piano man live and in-person to provide our entertainment. We had a record turnout with 106 in attendance! And last but surely not least, our new "Holiday Bowl" event hosted by Dave & Busters was yet another huge success that sold out quickly! The night's event not only included bowling but an ugly sweater or tacky hat competition! And once again, the food provided was a smash hit! As we start the New Year, I look forward to continuing to bring the events you all love along with some recent events and redesigned signature events. We are making a few changes, or should I say bring back some guidelines when registering or canceling an event you have registered for. This year some events with catering will have a drop-dead date to register for the event. This helps us be more accurate when ordering food for events while preventing waste and will also save us money. Cut-off dates will be based on the number that can attend to a specific date to allow time to order catering. Of course, I understand some situations don't allow you to register in time, so please contact me for any event you would like to attend where the registration is closed. Thank all of you for making last year an incredible year, and I look forward to an exciting 2022! Happy New Year, Toscana! PAGE 8

01 J A N U A R Y SUN 2

MON 3

TUE

WED

THU

OFFICE CLOSED

Association

*ATERNOON BINGO* 2PM

MEET THE CANDIDATES 6PM

SAT

FOOD TRUCK 5PM PG

Events

FRI

VOTING OPENS

*HOT COCOA BAR* 11AM PG 20

*90-BALL BINGO* 2PM

*MORNING MUNCHIES* 9:30AM PG

FOOD TRUCK 5PM PG

FINANCE COMMITTEE 9:30AM

FOOD TRUCK 5PM PG

LIFESTYLE COMMITTEE 2PM 23

*ATERNOON BINGO* 2PM

BOARD MEETING 10AM

*TRIVIA NIGHT* 6PM B10

FOOD TRUCK 5PM PG

*REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED* RESIDENT- RUN CLUBS BILLIARDS CLUB - MONDAYS 5PM, WEDNESDAYS 1PM - PG BOOK CLUB - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12 5:30PM - B10 COFFEE CLUB - TUESDAYS/THURSDAYS 9AM - PG

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

BOARD Bulletins Bi-Monthly Updates from members of your Toscana Board of Directors.

Hopefully we all survived the craziness of the end of year celebrations and travels over the last few months. The holidays have now passed and hopefully this finds you all healthy, happy and with a positive attitude for the challenges we have ahead. The next hurdle we have is selecting those who answered the call to serve as new Board members. With the Declarant gone next month, Toscana will face issues of immense magnitude by this new group over the coming months and years and we will need all of us to lock arms and get us through transition and move forward in this beautiful but aging development. We have so many residents with expertise in the areas we will need most. Finances, architecture, landscaping, preventive maintenance, security and contracts are examples of areas where we may call on you talented people for help. So whether you threw your hat in the ring for a Board position or not, I encourage those not only with interest but more importantly those with expertise in the previously mentioned areas to volunteer their time to committees. A willingness to serve is great, but in the past we may not have always had the right people with the right qualifications to offer guidance. If you would like to volunteer for a committee, send a short resume to Nicole, ncareaga@toscanaliving.net as to where you feel your talents can be best applied and we will do our best to find a position for you. Toscana with eventually over 900 units is a beast which will continue to grow and evolve. We want Toscana not only to survive but thrive with the goal to be the premier development in Arizona. Anything less will be unacceptable. With resident control and as a resident Board member, we hope to see and show more efficiency, communication and transparency to issues than we have in the past and examine new avenues we are working on to react to concerns of residents as these get funneled through the management company where the resident Board will hold them accountable for both their actions and inactions. This is all our home and we must strive to do what is best for the entire community and not a select few or personal preferences. This is not only the right way to do things, it will be a “must way” as we move forward dealing with any new conflicts and concerns that will come our way. Thank you all for your efforts, keep smiling, saying hello to your neighbors and looking after every inch of the complex as it ALL is part of our homes and investments. If you see me on property or around the pool, I have been known by various surnames over the years by Walt, Wally or Doc. Please make a point to introduce yourself. Looking forward to getting to know as many of you as I can. Dr Wally Atkenson, Director

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BOARD VOTING OPENS 01.18.2022

BUILD YOUR BOARD

WEIGH IN ON YOUR TRANSITION BOARD OF DIRECTORS. LIMIT ONE VOTE PER HOUSEHOLD. BALLOTS WILL BE SENT VIA INFORMATION PROVIDED ON VMS ACCOUNTING SERVICES.

JOHN'S JOURNAL

by John Raabe

Assessment Reminders Congratulations, Toscana residents, on making it through another year! With the New Year comes a lot of changes, and one of those is your monthly assessment. This year, we had a $10 dollar increase to the monthly assessment for Property Suites residents, and a $12 increase for Casitas. As many of our residents use various payment options, including automatic payments, we wanted to send a quick reminder to update your payment method and ensure you are taking out the correct amount in the New Year.

You may pay your assessments in advance, if you do not want to have worry about it. If you pay more than one year you will want to make sure you pay attention to your statements and budget mailers to ensure proper account coverage moving forward. To avoid late fees, make sure that checks or online payments are received before the last week of the month.

If you are setup with the direct debit through CCMC you do not need to worry about changing your payment, as the ACH system will update it for you. You can check your ACH status via your resident VMS portal here. Your login information is included on your monthly statement, or can be reset from the portal website. If you have issues accessing this site, please call our corporate office at 480-921-7500 and ask for VMS Resident Services. If you are signed up for recurring payments through Pacific Western Bank (formerly Union Bank), or your own banking institution, you will need to update your assessment amount and guarantee that your service is not about to expire. If you are one of our residents who paid several months in advance, you will want to pay attention to your account to make sure it does not run out sooner than you had expected. Arizona statute requires that we provide you with a statement every month. Residents are automatically signed up to receive these via mail, but we are encouraging residents to sign up for paperless statements to help save your Association funds. However, not receiving a statement does not mean you do not have to make your payment; the payments are still required every month.

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WADE'S WORLD by Wade Longworth

As I am sure you all know the real estate market has been on fire the past year and a half. With the demand so high everyone from first time home buyers to retirees are moving into Toscana which has seen a record amount of resales. This is a good time to provide valuable information to new residents if you have just moved into the community of Toscana. It’s helpful to know the information that is provided during out new resident orientations, and if you may not have done one it’s also a good reminder to schedule one if you are having any issues understanding the community. One big challenge we have here at Toscana is the limited number of parking spaces available on the surface. It is important to know many parking spaces come with the unit as we do not allow overnight parking on the surface for residents. This means no resident parking from 12am-5am on a nightly basis. A guest or visitor is defined as someone who resides at Toscana for three (3) days or less each week (which is defined as Monday thru Sunday, regardless of holidays). This individual is eligible for a visitor pass and surface parking privileges. A resident is defined as someone who resides on the community four (4) days or more each week and is NOT eligible for a visitor pass and surface parking privileges. We do patrol the surface and parking garage on a nightly basis and will issue citations if this policy is not followed which can result in the booting of the vehicle. Another important aspect of the new resident orientation process that people should know about is the short term rental policy. All of the buildings/casitas have a six month minimum lease requirement except for building 10 which has a 30 day minimum. The rental policy states an owner deemed to be in violation of the Policy shall receive an initial notice of violation, demand to cure and notice of intent to fine the owner $500 for the violation (Initial Notice). A second violation will result in a notice of $500 fine PAGE 13

and notice of intent to refer to legal counsel (Second Notice). One more policy that I want to be sure to mention is the pet policy as we have many fury friends around the property. Each unit is allowed to have a maximum of two animals, and although there is no weight restriction, we do have a list of prohibited dogs that buyers need to be aware of. A few of the most important things from the pet policy are they are not allowed to continuously make noise that affects other neighbors. They must be kept on leash at all times and are not allowed in amenity spaces. All waste must be removed by the owner and placed in a trash receptacle. Failure to comply with this will result in a $250 dollar fine the first and each subsequent violation. Finally only granite is allowed for pet elimination and they must be kept and a minimum of ten feet away from all patios. In conclusion if you are new to the community and have not gone through a new resident orientation, please reach out to me for scheduling. We all want every new resident to feel welcomed and know the rules here at Toscana.

CHARLES

in charge Welcome Charlie! We'd like to take a moment to introduce your new Maintenance Supervisor, Charles Koba. Charlie started at Toscana in early November, and has been settling into his new role. He has been with CCMC for about a year and a half and has a great working relationship with many of our Toscana vendors. Prior to coming to Toscana, Charlie worked at another CCMC property, Mulberry, as their Facilities Director.

Charlie is originally from Wisconsin and moved to Arizona in 2009. He has three grown children, Amber, Mackenzie and Chad; and three cute grandkids, Madelynn, Grayson and Raelynn. Prior to entering into Association Management, Charlie worked for the City of Mesa in the Environmental Management and Sustainability Department. Starting this month, all Maintenance Update emails will be sent from Charlie, so be sure to keep an eye on your junk mail and add ckoba@ccmcnet.com and ckoba@toscanaliving.net to your "Safe Sender" lists to stay in-the-know on important property updates. Shoot Charlie a quick email to say "hello" and welcome him to the team!

As we enter the new year, with a new Maintenance Supervisor, we wanted to give our residents a quick refresh on what areas of maintenance are resident- or Association-responsibility. Of course, if you have any questions on whether an area of maintenance is your responsibility or not, please be sure to reach out to our team! Resident Responsibilities UNIT MAINTENANCE: Typically all maintenance issues inside a Toscana condominium unit are the responsibility of the unit Owner. If you are the Owner of the unit, please refer to the VIP Program where many qualified vendors offer special rates for Toscana Residents. If you are a Tenant, you should first contact the Owner of your unit for direction on how to proceed with your maintenance item. If you rent your unit through Creel Management, please call Karen at 480-265-8100.

Need suggestions on a vendor? Check out the Toscana VIP Guide for some of your neighbors' most-used vendors. HOA Management Responsibilities COMMON AREA MAINTENANCE: Please feel free to contact any member of the Management Team regarding maintenance issues in any of the common areas. Common areas include the pools, amenity buildings, hallways, grounds, parking garage, or elevators.

Need to let us know an amenity or common area space needs attention? Submit a work order online. This is the best way to be able to track the progress of any submitted work order, and allows open communication between you and our maintenance staff, in case additional information is needed to complete a project. In case of an emergency concern (such as an active water leak), please always call the office at 480-585-0808 during regular business hours, the Night Manager at 480-861-0875 after hours, or the emergency answering service at 602-234-9288, if you are unable to reach onsite staff, for more immediate assistance. Happy New Year!

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lay of the land by DLC Resources

Happy New Year from DLC Resources! Now that we are in what is typically the coldest part of the year, we are moving forward with winter maintenance and projects. The on-site crew is focusing on seasonal pruning for plants to reduce the size, maintaining plant separation and enhancing bloom production in the spring and summer. Your Bermuda turf is now dormant and will remain mostly blonde through the winter as it rests and stores energy to grow a stronger Bermuda crop in 2022. The water to the turf is completely off, although we will monitor for weeds and address as needed. The irrigation to trees has also been turned off. Winter rains should be enough to sustain desert-adapted landscaping until February; we will monitor and add water if rainfall is too little. Thankfully, the rain received in mid-December has allowed controllers to be off for more than a week! We will continue to irrigate plants (in the absence of rain) as we recently installed new shrubs. Young plants need valuable water to become healthy and well-established. DLC installed a few new plants at various entryways to the Community as several shrubs had died since these areas were enhanced a few months ago. The plants were still under warranty from the nursery. Our crews have completed applying pre-emergent in the granite areas to help discourage weed growth. We look forward to partnering with Toscana in the year ahead!

PAGE 16

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