Back in Town for the Season?

From Your Architectural Liaison

By Diane Botica SRCA Architectural Liaison

Happy Fall! Now that the weather is cooler and we are spending more time outside, it is the perfect time to take an audit of your exterior environment.

How is my paint looking? If I run my hand down the exterior side of my house, do I have a chalky residue on my hand?

If the answer is yes, it is time to submit for painting. Stop by the office at Scottsdale Ranch and check out a paint book to see all the colors in one place, your home. If you need help deciding on colors, the people that work at Dunn – Edwards and Sherwin Williams stores have all the approved Scottsdale Ranch paint colors in their system and can help you decide. Just bring in a picture of your house.

Don’t forget to submit for approval before painting any colors whether existing or new.

How can I dress up my house without breaking the bank? Maybe I should change my walkway and entryway to pavers instead of concrete?

If this sounds like a good project for your home, a submittal is required.

My air-conditioning bill was very high this summer. Do I have the same original single-pane windows?

It may be time to get some pricing for new windows. First, check in with Diane at Scottsdale Ranch to find out what the window requirements are for my specific neighborhood. All communities have different window specifications (color, frame size…). A submittal and approval is always required.

My front door is old. It’s the same door I’ve had for 20 years. Maybe I should get a new iron door to dress up my entry?

Oil rubbed bronze iron doors are the style now. Be sure to submit as an approval is required before installation.

What about my landscaping?

Has most of my granite disappeared?

If so, it is time to replenish the granite. If using the same color and size of the existing granite, no submittal is required. If wanting to change granite color, a submittal is required.

How are my plants looking? Do I have sparce areas without plants? Is it time to completely change my old tired front landscaping?

If the answer is yes to either one of these, it is time to submit an application and plan for landscaping. It seems that not all

of my plants are getting water from my irrigation system.

Have your landscaper check your lines and replace any old broken dried out lines. This will save you money on water and plants. No submittal is required. ��

Remember… When in doubt, reach out! Please submit!

Important Assessment Reminder!

By Ricki Stamos SRCA Bookkeeper

Annual Assessment invoices will be mailed to all property owners in Scottsdale Ranch in mid-December. If your mailing address has changed, it is your responsibility to provide our office with your updated address so please contact our Bookkeeper, Ricki Stamos at rstamos@scottsdaleranch.org or 480-860-2022, by December 1st, to ensure you receive this invoice. All assessments are required to be paid whether you receive an invoice or not, but that extra reminder will help to assure your payment is made in a timely manner without any additional late fees.

Simplify this process even more by signing up for our automatic withdrawal service! This secure, stress-free payment method will save you time, postage, checks and ensure your payment is made on time. All payments will be automatically withdrawn in mid-January. To have your annual assessment automatically withdrawn, please complete and submit the form on our website at www.scottsdaleranch.org under Resident Resources → SRCA Documents and Forms → Assessments → Homeowner Authorization Agreement for Direct Payments. When returning your completed form, please make sure to include a voided check.

Fall Landsaping

By Randy Zellers SDL, Director of Operations

We’ve made it through another brutal summer in Arizona and time to enjoy the cooler temperatures that fall brings to the desert. Nighttime temperatures start to drop into the 60’s and our base grass of Bermuda will start to go into dormancy. If you want your turf green throughout the winter, now is the time to prep your yard for overseeding with Rye seed.

The first step is to lower your mowing heights to your turf by a quarter of an inch each mow. This will remove the excess grass blades and ensure that the rye seed will make good contact with the soil. After seeding at 12 pounds per 1,000 square feet, keep the seed moist with multiple start times from your irrigation system to prevent drying out of the seed. For better coverage, seed in two directions at half the rate to get even coverage of seed. If your lawn area has slopes, you’ll need to adjust run times to prevent run off into the street. After 7 to 10 days, you’ll notice a nice green haze starting to emerge in your lawn. If there are bare spots, throw additional seed in those areas and adjust irrigation to be sure it is getting coverage. You should be able to run three start times per week at 5 minutes per run time throughout the winter and keep your turf a lush green color.

Plants and shrubs will react nicely to the cooler temperatures as well. Water deeply and infrequently throughout the fall months to encourage the roots systems of the trees and shrubs to seek deeper water sources in your landscape. This will help to flush salts through the root zone and prepare them for next spring. Later in November, you’ll be able to do a rejuvenation prune on your Texas Sage and Bird of Paradise to flush new and fresh growth come spring. For best results on Texas Sage, choose every third plant for renovation as you’ll leave some mature plants in the design and not have it look like a moonscape.

This is the time for installing your winter annuals. Remove summer annuals from beds or pots and prepare the soil with new potting soil or amendments for a fresh start. Check your irrigation system and add new laser tubing if damaged during removal. It is best to change the tubing every other year under normal circumstances. Geraniums are a good choice as they will bloom throughout the winter and provide a nice contrast to the rest of the landscape. Geranium prices have gone through the roof in the last several years, but well worth the investment for their hardiness. Pansies and Petunias are good choices as well but will require some more work to keep thriving throughout the season. Dead head the blooms weekly to produce more blooms throughout the winter months and they will provide great color through April of next spring.

Enjoy the break in temperatures and look forward to our family and friends visiting during this time of year as the weather is much more suitable than in the Northeast or Midwest this time of year.

October 17th & November 14th SCOTTSDALE RANCH IS AREA 3

This Information can be found on the City of Scottsdale’s website at www.scottsdaleaz.gov.

The earliest items can be placed out is the Wednesday prior to the week of pickup and must be placed out no later than 5:00 am on Monday the week of the scheduled pick up. Residents, please be considerate of your neighbors - do not put your items out before the designated dates. Placing items out before this time can result in

hefty fines being assessed to your account.

Please be patient as the city has all week to pick-up in our area.

NOTICES FROM THE CITY OF SCOTTSDALE:

Please separate your brush and bulk pickup into two piles – one for green waste and one for everything else. The piles will be picked up by separate trucks during your designated brush and bulk pickup week.

*Please refrain from placing trash containers or bulk trash where it blocks the sidewalk and would prevent pedestrians or wheelchair bound residents from passing along the sidewalk.

SRCA Knitwits – Knitting & Crochet Group

Since last summer, the ladies from SRCA’s Knitwits have been working hard crocheting blankets to donate to Ryan House, ryanhouse. org, a home that provides care for terminally ill children as they navigate life-limiting journeys. These generous donations show comfort and compassion to those families going through difficult times. SRCA would like to thank these ladies for all they do!

Knitwits meets the 1st & 3rd Mondays, September - April (unless it falls on a holiday), in the SRCA Conference Room at 10:30 a.m. This is a small group of ladies from different parts of the globe that share ideas, techniques and will take the time to teach you how to knit/crochet.

This group is based on making new friendships and having some fun at the same time. If you have an interest in joining, please contact Loretta Colgan at ldcolgan@cox.net.

BACK IN TOWN FOR THE SEASON??

IMPORTANT - LAKE SERENA TEMPORARY CLOSURE

It is important for the SRCA office to have your current contact information. If you would like to change your primary mailing address from your summer address to your Scottsdale Ranch address, you may do so via the SRCA website, the homeowner portal, or contact Ricki Stamos via email at rstamos@scottsdaleranch.org, to have your contact information updated in our property management software. By doing this, you will be able to continue to receive important letters, mailers, invoices and the SRCA bi-monthly magazines.

Every few years, the Scottsdale Ranch Community Association (SRCA) conducts a survey of the fish population in Lake Serena. The 2022 study will be conducted October 12th and October 13th.

ALL OF LAKE SERENA WILL BE

CLOSED on both days and we ask that all residents NOT use your boats on either of these days, as nets and traps will be set during that time.

Any questions, please contact the SRCA office at (480) 860-2022.

The use of SRCA facilities and amenities are voluntary and at your own risk. Scottsdale Ranch Community Association cannot ensure that all areas are free of COVID–19 or other pathogens. The Association is not the guarantor of your personal safety if renting the community center, recreational boat rentals, or attending any groups, clubs or SRCA events.

For up-to-date information, please visit our website at www.scottsdaleranch.org or sign up to receive our weekly email blasts.

Living in the surrounding neighborhood for the past 6 years, we have walked, biked and driven through this beautiful Scottsdale Ranch neighborhood hundreds of times and fallen in love. For years we were searching for a house to remodel and make our own. Finding it in December 2021, we started on our journey to create our forever home. Overgrown and outdated made it an exciting project for us. As a professional designer, my objective was to make this home enjoyable and safe, both inside and out, for not only us, but our aging parents, grown children, and six grandchildren.

Low water usage (Xeriscape) landscaping in the front and back yard with desert plants and artificial turf for water conservation and low maintenance was a priority. A putting green was a necessity as well as a large open space for the grandchildren to run and play games. A new firepit and a large outdoor kitchen will be enjoyed by many. The pool conversion from over 10 foot to 6 foot depth along with a new Baja bench will result in a safer and more useful entertainment space as well.

Complete with a new roof and smooth exterior stucco, this wonderful home has been updated with a modern simplistic look. New state of the art energy efficient windows and doors, not only help with energy conservation but they also enhance the overall beauty of this project. The oversized front door is a gateway to a spectacular contemporary home. Raised ceilings allow for taller doors and custom cabinetry, along with a large waterfall island, making this home feel larger than ever. Updating every square inch including all electrical systems, the addition of fire sprinklers and updated plumbing has taken longer than expected, but, well worth it! We look forward to moving in the first part of October.

SRCA Resident, Donna Hunter

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT!

Honoring all Veterans and Active-Duty Members

Many of our SRCA residents have served or are currently serving in the military or have lost a family member while serving our country. Let’s honor them by proudly flying our nation’s flag this Veterans Day, November 11th! We love to see our residents show support on this very important day.