PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP IN OUR ASSOCIATION

 Homeowners in San Ignacio Heights usually make great efforts to keep their homes and property in fine appearance as befits our Association. They exemplify the idea of pride of ownership.

 Both the CCR’s and the Handbook of Rules and Regulations state that “Each lot shall be maintained by the Owner in a neat and clean manner. . .”   Property owners have a responsibility for the upkeep of their property, not only of the home itself, but also the appearance of the grounds on their property.

 It can be quite challenging to keep up with the growth of weeds, plants and trees on our property, especially during the summer Monsoon season from July to early September. Many homeowners in our Association are not year round residents. Many are so-called “Snow Birds” who return to their home states during the summer season. Others are year round residents who enjoy extended travel and are gone for great lengths of time. Still others rent their property. Sometimes property owners neglect to make arrangements for the maintenance of their property during their absences or when their property is rented.

 Complaints are received throughout the year by the Association’s Common Ground Maintenance/Residential Landscape Committee about the appearance of properties on individual streets in our Association. These complaints include comments from neighbors not only about unsightly weeds growing in the front yards of their neighbors, but also about trees, plants and shrubs that need trimming on those properties.

Unsightly front yards detract from neighbors’ well kept properties. Safety problems also arise when sidewalks and entrance ways are covered with overgrown plants as well as debris and rocks that have been dislodged on owners’ lots.

All homeowners are urged to cooperate in the maintenance of their properties. This includes the removal of weeds and grass that grow between the sidewalk and the road in front of their property. The overall appearance of each lot in our Association is important as it truly shows that we all take pride of ownership within our San Ignacio Heights Homeowners Association.

DUMPING NOT ALLOWED

 When homeowners trim trees, plants and bushes along their walls or along perimeters that border the Common Area, they need to take care that no clippings are dumped on the Common Area or on adjoining properties. All clippings need to be picked up and disposed of properly.

Some people have been observed dumping ashtrays from their vehicles in parking areas within our Association.  This presents a very negative appearance to other homeowners and to visitors in San Ignacio Heights. When trash from vehicles needs to be removed, homeowners are urged to be aware of the environmental concerns of their neighbors.

BIRD FEEDERS

 All bird feeders must be kept within the walls or fences of property owners.  Seeds from bird feeders fall to the Common Area and in time grow into plants and weeds. The seeds attract rodents and other creatures that thrive on seeds. As rodents increase in numbers, the appearance of birds of prey and snakes increases as a natural control. However, pack rats and field mice do not always stay in the Common Area after feasting on seeds. They frequently inhabit garages and make nests in roof vents. If you currently have a bird feeder placed on the Common Area, it must be removed. Every homeowner’s cooperation is strongly urged in the use and placement of bird feeders.

AVOID FEEDING WILDLIFE

Most homeowners in our Association understand why they should never make food available to wildlife. Food should never be left outside on patios or on the outside of walls on any property. We live in an area that is inhabited and/or visited by many kinds of wild mammals, reptiles and birds that are either native to or have been introduced into the Santa Cruz Valley where we live. Care needs to be taken when we use outdoor barbeques. The aroma can attract coyotes or bobcats which have been known to snatch meat from the grill. Naturally this causes great consternation and even fear among homeowners in our Association. Take care while planning meals outdoors.

WIND PROBLEMS

San Ignacio Heights was built on a ridge overlooking the Santa Cruz Valley. Due to the topography of our area, winds and breezes are a natural event many days of the year. It is a rare occasion when we don’t have some sort of breeze.

The breeze is fine, but brisk winds present problems. This is when each individual homeowner’s help is needed, especially when organizing trash containers and recycle bins to be picked up by our Sanitation Service.

Make sure that everything you put out for collection is secure and will not be blown away from your property area. If you are using a plastic bin for recycling aluminum, plastic and paper items, make sure that a cover is snugly placed over the top of the bin. You might consider placing a heavy rock on top the lid of the bin. If you have large pieces of cardboard or other paper products, be sure to tie them neatly and securely.

During events of high wind, plastic recycle bins and trash containers have been known to blow down the street and into neighbors’ yards and adjoining golf areas. Some containers appear to be lost forever because the owners don’t know where these have been blown!  Each owner is encouraged to use permanent marker to write their street address on the recycle bin and its lid and on the trash container and its lid, so that these can be returned to you later.

Association members complain about the appearance of litter on their roads during and after wind events.  Everyone is urged to take measures to prevent littering on trash or recycle pickup days. Of course, littering should be avoided on any day.

BEES ON YOUR PROPERTY?

It is not unusual for bees to swarm within the greater Santa Cruz River Valley where we live. We can never predict where the swarm will make its hive, but we need to be aware of how to handle the situation after the bees have invaded some part of a homeowner’s property within San Ignacio Heights.

Always use the services of a beekeeper, not an exterminator, when reporting a bee infestation on or near your property.  A very reliable source for removing live bees is the Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm and Ranch, a Community Supported Agriculture group located in Tumacacori.  They have at least two beekeepers in their organization who may be contacted to assist in removing live bees.

SAFETY AT HOME

Garage Doors. How many times have you left your garage open either while you were inside your house, out on an errand or had a medical or other kind of emergency? Usually leaving your garage door open for many hours at a time is when your neighbors get worried about you! In this day and age of loss of privacy and threats to your home and property, your homeowners association urges you to take care to shut your garage door whenever you are not physically present in that space. In fact this idea is contained in the Rules and Regulations distributed to all homeowners.

You are urged to become acquainted with neighbors on both sides of your home. Trustworthy neighbors are usually quite willing to keep a key to your house on hand while you are on travel or have a medical or other kind of emergency. They in turn could trust you with keys to their homes. Otherwise you could keep a key on file with your neighborhood Block Captain. This is always a matter of personal choice for you. Remember that we are part of a Neighborhood Watch area and our Block Captains are part of that safety campaign.

Other factors to remember when you leave your garage door open are the occurrence of snakes, packrats, mice, birds, spiders, scorpions, and insects. These creatures abound in our neighborhood and like to make themselves comfortable in your garage. It is not a pleasant sight to greet snakes, spiders and rodents in your garage, especially in the dark! No one in the early morning enjoys meeting a javelina or two wandering into a garage. That has happened, though seldom, so do take care of your garage space.

Speaking of Snakes. If you should ever encounter snakes in your garage, side yard or patio area, do not approach these reptiles. Instead phone 629-9200. A person from emergency services will send someone with a reptile cage and snare to capture any snake visiting your home. Snakes are removed from your neighborhood and transported to open areas of our Santa Cruz River Valley where they are let go, not killed. Frequently snakes are harmless such as the king, red racer, gopher, bull, and milk snakes. Dangerous ones include the so-called diamondback which is really the Mohave Rattlesnake. Just remember, don’t take chances with your physical safety. Let the experts handle these reptiles whether they are harmless or venomous.

Controlling Gravel Slippage. Are you tired of gravel slipping and sliding down your front yard slope onto the sidewalk? Here’s a simple way to control most of that slippage: First, rake loose gravel up the slope and away from the edge of the sidewalk. Then take excess small rocks from around your property and place then in two snug rows along your entire front sidewalk where the gravel ends. The appearance of rock gravel on the sidewalk is greatly reduced. Although these two rows of rocks help hold back the slippage you will need to periodically rake accumulated gravel away from these rocks. You could walk around your neighborhood to see how other people have used this rock technique. Controlling gravel slippage onto sidewalks is an important safety factor. The less gravel on our sidewalks the safer it is not only for us but also for our family and guests.

Heating and Air Conditioning. When was the last time you checked your air conditioner? Simple homeowner maintenance includes air filter inspection and replacement when dirty (inside) units and inspecting the cooling fins of your condenser (outside) units. If they are dirty, you can clean them with a garden hose spray nozzle. Both of the above will save you electricity as the unit will not have to work as hard. If inside cooling (or heating if you have a heat pumpt) is not up to your expectations, or the unit is over five years old, consider a preventive maintenance checkup by a professional contractor who can assess your refrigerant level among other things.