Committee News
Election Committee Report By Alex Darroodi SRCA Election Committee Chair
Scottsdale Ranch Community Association’s (SRCA) Election Committee oversees the SRCA Board of Directors’ election process to ensure fairness and integrity. As you may know, any homeower living in Scottsdale Ranch can run for an open position on the Board. The only requirement is that you are in good standing having paid your annual assessment. The 2020 election and annual meeting started off like any other year, then COVID-19 hit. Many will remember, the annual meeting and election had to be postoned and all were unsure when we would be able to have the meeting and election. Finally, in June, with Covid—19 widespread, it was decided to hold the meeting vitually. In the end, it all worked out well and the SRCA 2020 Annual Meeting and Election was a success. It was a good lesson in ingenuity, f lexibility and thinking outside the box. For the 2021 election, there are four open seats for the Board of Directors. Seats held by myself and Barbara Sarwar have served the maximum number of consecutive terms on the board (three 2 year terms). The two other seats held by Mark Shimelonis and Joe Dawson are also open. SRCA has received six candidate applications for this election. We are lucky to have these residents who are willing to volunteer their time to serve our community. This year, the ballot will include several Bylaw and CC&R ammendments to be voted on by the membership. These were available for your review when you chose to vote through our electronic voting system. These amendments are also available on our wesbite at www.scottsdaleranch.org. SRCA will continue to utilize the electronic voting option this year but it will be a little different. This year, SRCA is introducing an SRCA Homeowner Portal and electronic voting will be an option through this new portal. All homeowners should have received a letter in mid-March to sign up for the portal and information on the voting process. If you have not received this letter, please contact the SRCA office. Paper ballots are also available, through the SRCA office, to any homeowner who does not want to utilize the portal and the electronic voting. Once again, as an added incentive to encourage members to vote, we will be holding a raff le drawing for five $100 gift cards to be awarded at random from those members who cast a ballot by April 12, 2021. All you need to do is vote to be entered! With the pandemic still an issue, SRCA has determined that the 2021 Annual Homeowners’ Meeting will be held via Zoom. Information on how to register for the meeting is located on page 19 of this magazine. Thank you for taking a part in your community by casting your vote!
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April/May 2021
Lake Committee Review By Matt Metz SRCA Lake Committee Chair
Lake Serena remains arguably Scottsdale Ranch’s most impressive asset. The lake provides scenic beauty, fishing, boating, kayaking, and a venue for many social gatherings. Sadly, some of the events which would have allowed our residents to enjoy Lake Serena had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Parties, weddings, dinners, and other social gatherings which would have been held at the Community Center with a view of our beautiful lake were cancelled. And our annual Fishing Derby and Lake Fest of course could not safely take place and also had to be cancelled. Fortunately, many residents were still able to enjoy fishing and boating. But the responsibilities of maintaining and improving the lake were not ignored. The Lake Committee still worked to ensure Lake Serena stays healthy and attractive. We of course continued to stock the lake with fish, and we continued the ecological monitoring of the lake to keep this sometimes-fragile ecosystem of fish, plants, and people in balance. Two very significant special projects were evaluated and will be starting this year. First, as a major part of the Maricopa County Flood Control District, Lake Serena receives tons of water runoff from upstream, including the McDowell Mountains. These inf lows bring organic materials as well as a lot of dirt and silt, which settle to the bottom. Eventually, silt builds up, especially at the two primary entry points: one near the community center and another at the northeast corner of the lake between Lakeview and Via Linda. This has now accumulated enough materials on the f loor of the lake in these two areas that we must remove some of these materials by dredging. This is complex and expensive, and there are only a few companies that can do this. We have contracted to have these two areas dredged during the first quarter of 2021, helping to ensure clearance for boats owned by residents and the Association. But over the 40 years Lake Serena has been here, literally several feet of organic material has accumulated on the f loor of the lake over its entire area. This is an enormous amount of sludge, and it’s not practical to remove this using mechanical equipment. Fortunately, one of our committee members discovered a natural microbial treatment that has been used safely and successfully to remove this build-up. In 2021, we will begin periodic treatments. This treatment has been proven both safe and effective. We look forward to the same success stories experienced by scores of other large lake communities across the country. With any luck, we will see the pandemic come under control, allowing more of us to take advantage of the beauty and recreational opportunities of Lake Serena. In the meantime, the Lake Committee encourages you to enjoy our beautiful Lake Serena – safely!
