Hopefully you found time this summer to get away from the Phoenix heat. Here’s a quick update on the projects and issues we’ve focused on this summer.
New Board Member
The DRCA Board welcomes Brad Slager as our newest Board Member. Mr. Slager was selected and appointed from a record pool of 7 applicants and will serve a partial term expiring in April of 2013. We are grateful to all of the incredibly talented individuals who applied and for their willingness to serve our community.
Off-Duty Officer Patrol
Last December, the DRCA Board created our Off-Duty Officer Patrol program, which hires off-duty Phoenix police officers to patrol Desert Ridge in marked Phoenix police cars. This patrol does not eliminate the service provided by the City of Phoenix, but instead provides additional patrol officers in our community to prevent crime and dramatically reduce response times. While not even a year old, the patrol has become perhaps the most successful and popular program our Association has ever created. See page 15 for an update on the program’s recent success.
HOA Board “Listening Tour”
In an effort to better understand the wants and needs within our community, Terrance Smith, our Desert Ridge Community General Manager, and I have started visiting each of the ten Desert Ridge Community Homeowner Association Boards. This “listening tour” is the first of its kind and will provide your community representatives the opportunity for direct discussion on important community issues.
Desert Ridge Facelift
You may have noticed the new decomposed granite and the facelift of our sign monuments at Deer Valley Road and Tatum Blvd. Before summer is finished we’ll have installed over 8,115 tons of new granite, installed new lettering and freshened up the plantings around these important monument areas. Other large projects are scheduled including sidewalk and bridge repairs, wall reconstruction and erosion control.
Budget
We are pleased to announce that through June we are currently $145,000 under budget.
Cashman Park
The Cashman Park Exploratory Committee (CPEC) received input from over 600 surveys indicating community support for enhancing Cashman Park; however, several features, including the splash pad and amphitheatre, were not favored and have been removed from further consideration. CPEC is revising the plans in preparation for additional input from our homeowners.
On behalf of our entire DRCA Board, we thank you for your trust and support in making Desert Ridge the best place to live in Phoenix.
Doug Dickson
President
Desert Ridge Community Association
