The fall VDO Board Meeting will take place on Saturday, October 16th so please reserve time to attend. This will be the budget session for next year’s assessments, so you won’t want to miss it. (Spoiler Alert: Our roads are in geriatric stage, looking a bit long in the tooth, and may need some dental work.) Time, place, and agenda will be posted on the website in a week or so, stay tuned.

REMINDER: Those odd sounds you’re hearing are the weeds popping up in your yard, which coincidentally happens right around monsoon season every year. Our architectural guidelines specify that IF you have landscaping you are required to maintain it or face the wrath of the ninja Architectural Committee.

Thanks,

Lynn Mattingly
VDO President

 

 

 

The Stichas recently had a bee problem and made this recommendation:

“Gilbert Mills (520-459-0053) from Sierra Vista provided great service and even some entertainment in collecting the bees and taking them to his house, and all for only $150. He also sells honey.”

 

 

 

Undeliverable Parcels

Be a good neighbor and please remember to check your mail DAILY.

With more and more items being ordered by our Members the USPS is having trouble delivering.

For their part, they have added additional parcel-size lockers to our clusterbox but complain that we are not emptying these out promptly.

REMEMBER: These days, for every day (or two) that you do not pick up your parcel, one of your neighbors does NOT receive theirs.

 

 

Changes to Exterior Structures or Landscaping Need Prior HOA Approval

A friendly reminder that we all voluntarily purchased a home within two HOAs, and that means we must abide by the HOA rules. Before doing anything, be sure to pass your ideas by our volunteer Architectural Committee. It’s easy, prompt, and will save you a lot of hassle — including potential fines. Design Guidelines and approval forms can be found on the [Documents] Page.

Thank you,

VDO Architectural Committee

 

 

 

Scott & Sarah Sticha remind us of a couple recycling options available here in VDO:

They take their recycling to Bisbee and it costs $81 for the year, same as a Bisbee resident would be charged. Linked on the left is a cheat sheet for what is taken and where stuff can be dropped off.

And some folks in VDO are already using Bolstering Buffalo’s bi-monthly pick up service. Here is a link to their website with costs and what they collect. [LINK]

 

 

Ooooops! One of our Members just moved and accidentally took the CenturyLink modem, cables, box, power brick, password sheet, etc. … the whole schlemiel!

And that’s an OUCH!

An ouch to the tune of $150 gear replacement plus a $150 CL service call.

Please remember that the CL gear is part of our ongoing contract. When you sell and move, the new owner “inherits” the equipment and assumes one of our contracted 44 HOA Internet lines.

We’ve done well with the first several houses that have flipped but this time signaled we all could use a reminder.

So if and when you move, please save yourself $300 by remembering to leave the CL modem plugged in, with the box and all accessories (including the setup and password sheets) sitting next to it.

You are also responsible for returning the modem back to its original Admin Username and Admin Password (if you have changed them).

And if you haven’t changed anything, but are contemplating it, please don’t as (1) the modem already has factory-set unique identifiers that are provided and very secure and (2) it causes great angst for your friendly neighborhood webslinger (that’s me!).

Thanks,

Mark Doyle
Internet Committee Chair and Webmaster

 

 

Just a friendly reminder that although we all care about wild animals, we’re not helping them, or ourselves, by leaving food scraps outside to feed them.

Fruit, melon rinds, treats, and leftovers are a sure magnet for raccoons, javelina, fox, coyotes, etc. and these species are potentially dangerous, not only to yourself, but to the community and its pets.

Many now carry rabies and Cochise County warns us that rabies can be transmitted from wild animals to pets, and then to humans.

So please dispose of food properly … in your mouth or in your garbage can!

 

Subscribing to our VDO NEWS Feed

Want to be the first to know about something for sale or offered free here in the neighborhood?

It’s now pretty easy! With our new website tools HOA communications can come instantly to your email inbox.

This week there’s been free patio paint, a free window, a couple looking to buy bikes, someone selling a brand new Alexa Echo cheap, and even a good samaritan offering to shop for folks who can’t get out to the grocery store.

It’s also how you’ll receive HOA meeting notices and minutes, technical tips, wildlife alerts, and more!

Click [here] or on the page to the left for easy step-by-step directions … and welcome aboard!

 

 

 

Lucy’s Warbler Nestbox Project

This spring, a handful of VDO residents are piloting a Lucy’s Warbler Nestbox Project in conjunction with Tucson Audubon Society. Resident Clark Bloom kindly built some boxes to the latest specs. Lucy’s Warblers are one of the few cavity-nesting warblers and with the loss of available nesting sites in mesquite bosques, they’re now listed as a Species of Conservation Concern. We’ll keep VDO neighbors updated as we work to provide nesting homes for these adorable warblers!

You can read about TAS’s project here: http://tucsonaudubon.org/lucys-warblers-and-nestboxes/

 

When we moved in we asked some of the other folks here at VDO who they’d suggest for painting.

Montaño Painting’s name came back frequently and everyone’s recommendations were strong and unqualified.

Add us to the list!

Tom is the estimator, Manny and Amy own the business.

MON‭TAÑO PAINTING
(520) 459-1130

Mark & Diana Doyle (mark at semi-local dot com)