April 18, 2025

Desert Ridge HOA Newsletter sent on April 18th to all HOA Residents
Desert Ridge HOA 
April News and Updates 
Hello Neighbors – It’s hard to believe that we’re nearing the end of April and May is  upon us. Many “winter visitors” have now left or will be in next few days. The upcoming  summer period is very quiet here on the Ridge as well as most other HOA’s in Green Valley. As I mentioned last month, if you’re an owner that will be leaving, please decide to have your property monitored for trimming and eradicating weed growth at your  home in your absence. A home watch person or engaging the SAV to monitor your  home for any problems or security issues can bring great peace of mind. Be a good  neighbor and make sure your property stays presentable to everyone! 
GVC News – Jan Morgan, our Green Valley Council rep attended the April meeting  today. They informed the attendees that Easter Weekend is the busiest weekend of  the year in Madera Canyon. They asked all to consider picnicking, hiking, walking or  camping somewhere else. It will be very crowded, and they will turn away visitors once  they reach maximum numbers. Also: 
The DEA is having a "take-back" medication round-up at Walmart 18680 S Nogales  Hwy, Green Valley on Saturday-4/26 from 10am to 2pm. Medications can be placed  in plastic bags and will be properly disposed of by the DEA. They do not want any  pill containers, and they will not be taking any injectables, liquids, creams, or epi  pens. 
Board News – At Our April Board Meeting, we had two representatives from Green  Valley Fire and Forestry give a presentation about a program called Firewatch. Simply put, this is a program of awareness and prevention of wildfire risk in our Green  Valley community and our HOA community. We have engaged them to return for an  inspection of Common areas and hillsides to assess our actual fire risk within Desert  Ridge. They will help us understand ways of eliminating wildfire risk and in time, this  program will be certifiable, which could help us in some ways. This a service also – free  of charge!
Maintenance – All projects are mostly completed, and our maintenance company will  be starting the regular summer schedule which will include weekly spraying for weeds  in common areas. They will not be spraying individual yards. This needs to be taken care of by owners as mentioned earlier. We hope for a wonderful monsoon this year.  Dave Ward noted to me today that everything is tinder dry, to the point of being scary!  Keep that in mind with all your activities involving fire (burning pits etc.). One more  note: Maintenance has asked that people occasionally sweep their sidewalks (If they  are able) adjacent to their properties to remove rocks. They work their way onto the  sidewalk surfaces and can be a bit of a hazard. 
Architecture Committee – You likely saw the notice that was sent out to all  homeowners regarding a proposed change for color requirements on HVAC systems  and duct work. In past years, HVAC systems came in many different colors, depending  on the manufacturer which prompted the Architectural Committee and the Board to  adopt a requirement to paint all systems in “Desert Tan”. Research has shown that  manufacturers now standardize colors to earthy tones or light gray, very  unobjectionable. Unpainted or reflective ducts will need to be painted to closely match  the color of the new HVAC unit in the proposed change. Based on feedback, this will  become a rule and regulation change in mid-May. 
New Business – We had good discussion surrounding rental homes within our HOA  at our April Board Meeting. One of the homes, recently for sale, was purchased by a  development company for the sole purpose of renting. There are other homes in Desert  Ridge that are being rented out by absentee owners. These scenarios are recent  developments and traditionally have not existed in the past. There are other HOA  communities in Green Valley experiencing similar situations, one HOA, having over 50%  of the homes now being rental units. This scenario obviously creates many dynamics within a community, one being spent time making sure our CC&R rules are followed by  owners of rental homes. Our CC&R rules specify age restriction (55 plus) and a  minimum 28-day rental. The last component is an owner/rental information form documenting that these rules are being followed along with some basic  rental information. VP Bill Keim and I attended a forum today presented by our HOA  attorney that gave us some insight into this topic and any changes to guidelines we  might make. There will be more information coming to you later. It has been suggested  that a survey sent to all resident owners will help the Desert Ridge board determine  your level of concern or thoughts on this topic. Stay tuned! 
Tidbits – With the warm weather, come the snakes. There are several reports around  Green Valley of snakes in the yards again. We have had 4 or 5 snakes in our yard since  moving to Desert Ridge in 2017. When it warms up, we check the yard diligently before  letting the dogs out, especially at night. Be on the watch! 
That’s all for now – see you on the Ridge!
​Mike Hubbard