January 16, 2012 Comments Off
The HOA Board would like to remind residents that the use of the common areas (i.e., greenbelts, parks, pool areas, etc.) are reserved for the use of community members and their guests, and charging for services such as fitness bootcamps or swim lessons is not permissible.
Please refer to the community CC&R documents on this site (available via the Info-Docs link at the top of the web site on every page) for more information about proper use of common areas.
If you have any further questions or concerns you are encouraged to attend the monthly HOA meetings, the schedule of these meetings is available also on this web site using the Calendar link available on every page.
From time to time the members of the Cortina HOA Board of Directors have scheduling conflicts. As long as a quorum (4 board members are in attendance as described in the By-laws section 3.9 ) the meeting proceeds as scheduled. Unfortunately, there are times when less than a quorum will be in attendance which results in the regular monthly meetings cancellation or rescheduling. Due to scheduling conflicts for several board members, a quorum will not be available to attend October 25, however, because of the importance of scheduled agenda items including the Tree Replacement and Asset Protection Program we are issuing additional notifications for the meeting change. The regular October meeting has been rescheduled for Wednesday November 2, 2011 at the Cortina Elementary Music Room (7:30 pm – 9:00 pm). We apologize for the need to reschedule and any attendance issues this may create for you. Please make sure your opinions are represented as we do look forward to and welcome your comments.
To allow for the greatest exchange of ideas we are offering floor time request cards which will be available at the door for the November 2 meeting. Please be precise in your floor time statements and limit them to 3 minutes to allow for everyone to have a fair opportunity to share their thoughts. If you have any documents to present; please provide an advanced copy electronically to Renaissance Community Partners at info@cortinahoa.com to assure the documentation is available for everyone to view at the meeting.
As an additional note: Please make sure to mark your calendar for CortinaFest October 2011 Saturday October 29th 11 am until 4 pm. Come enjoy our community and grow friendships. Queen Creek is a great place to be especially this time of the year. Contact Rebecca Atlee if you would like to help out with this event or any other committees.
Again we apologize for any inconvenience or scheduling challenges this may have caused for you. Thank you for your understanding.
Click to view the document mailed to homeowners. Tree Information Mailer
Respectfully,
Cortina HOA Board of Directors
October 10, 2011 Comments Off
We want to thank all of the Cortina residents who have expressed great concern and appreciation for our community. It is an outstanding place to live, raise our families and enjoy the many qualities of life Queen Creek has to offer.
To treat everyone with respect that have voiced concerns in the Cortina tree replacement asset protection program and allow equal voice to all we want to encourage attendance of the monthly Cortina HOA Community November 2 meeting at 7:30 pm at the Cortina Elementary School to come and share in the conversations at that time. To better manage the conversations and show the greatest respect we will hold our comments until all interested homeowners are able to attend and express their individual concerns. Again thank you for your involvement to improve our community both for today and for the many years to come.
In preparation for the November 2 HOA meeting at 7:30 pm at the elementary school the Board wanted to share some further information to serve as background for discussion at the meeting. We look forward to your participation in the meeting and having a respectful discussion about the concerns of the community.
The tree replacement project has been temporarily suspended until after the November 2, 2011 board meeting where more information will be provided to homeowners.
This question above is on the mind of many Cortina Residents seeing that some mature Sissoo trees that were planted right next to community walls have been removed. Some 150 trees were planted in Cortina that are too close to community walls and foundations of homes. As these trees mature, they will reach more than 40 feet with very large strong roots that will destroy anything in its way. Over the last two years, evidence of the destruction has begun to manifest on community walls. We are not yet aware of any home foundations that have been cracked or lifted yet. Left unchecked, these trees would cause significant damage to walls, pools, and homes.
Why is the Association doing this now?
Rather than wait until the walls are significantly damaged, pools cracked, and homes destroyed the board felt the responsible solution is to deal with the problem before it’s too late. Some homeowners have reported there is currently no damage to their walls. This is true. The property damage does not begin to occur until the trees are mature and are reaching further distances for water. Once the board became aware of the impending danger to walls and private property, sound business judgment was used to prevent the damage by replacing the trees now instead of when costly repairs are required. The board has a responsibility to take a long term view of the community and do its best to seek the opinion of experts to help understand current and future issues. In this case, the board met with two Certified Arborists and discussed it at open board meetings for over a year before making this difficult decision.
There are over 4,600 trees in Cortina and 138 of them will be replaced with less invasive trees as part of this project. Please feel free to do any internet search on “Sissoo tree roots” and you will immediately discover why this decision was so important.
Why didn’t the board tell homeowners before the removal started?
Each month the board makes many decisions that affect the community. You may recall the decision to take responsibility for landscaping in the boulevards, granite replacement throughout the entire community, painting the metal rails on the common area walls, converting from keys to “key fobs” for pool access, re‐paint of all the metal roofs in the community, re‐surfacing the pool decking, replacement of thousands of plants and trees and construction of retaining walls and sidewalks, just to mention a few.
The board didn’t feel the tree damage remediation decision was any different than the decisions mentioned in the above paragraph. Once the board discovered that the community wants more
information about this decision, the project was halted to provide an opportunity for homeowners questions to be answered before the project continues.
What will the trees be replaced with?
Many trees will be replaced with 15 gallon Mexican Bird of Paradise trees which will not damage the walls and still provide beauty and some shade. You can see quite a number of them on Longwood Blvd, south of Ryan, on the east side of the street. Where possible, the board is investigating the potential use of other less invasive trees.
This project started September 27, 2011 and will last through the winter as there are close to 150 trees that will be removed, stumps ground and re-planted.
The replacement of the trees in the boulevards in front of homes will continue for those damaged due to the extreme heat or disease that has killed many Evergreen Elms in the community. However, those will be replaced with Southern Live Oak trees that are more immune to disease.
Thank you for your patience through this process.
-Cortina HOA Board of Directors
The Board of Directors has temporarily suspended the tree damage remediation project. At the next board meeting, November 2 at 7:30 pm at the elementary school, the association’s certified arborist will be there to answer questions from homeowners.
All those who are interested are invited to attend this meeting. This project has been discussed at board meetings for 18 months and the board has received multiple presentations from certified arborists before making the decision to proactively prevent private and public property by replacing the trees in question.
Please come and learn how destructive the trees in question are and why this is an important decision to protect the long term stability of walls and home foundations.
Some 150 trees were planted in Cortina that are destroying the walls. Sissoo, Mesquite, Pine, Elm, and Sweet Acacia trees were planted by the developer in very restricted areas that don’t allow for proper growth. As these trees have matured, they have begun to cause damage to the walls and will ultimately damage private property.
Broken wall due to tree growth
Rather than wait until the walls are significantly damaged, requiring assessment increases and hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair, the board voted in August to pro-actively replace the offending trees before it becomes a major expense. Trees will be replaced with 15 gallon Mexican Bird of Paradise trees which will not damage the walls and still provide beauty and some shade. You can see quite a number of them on Longwood Blvd, south of Ryan, on the east side of the street. This project started September 27, 2011 and will last through the winter as there are close to 150 trees that will be removed, stumps ground and re-planted. The replacement of the trees in the boulevards in front of homes will continue for those damaged due to the extreme heat or disease that has killed many Evergreen Elms in the community. However, those will be replaced with Southern Live Oak trees that are more immune to disease.
A map of the trees to be removed can be downloaded by clicking on this link (PDF).
Thank you for your patience through this process. Cortina HOA Board of Directors
June 13, 2011 Comments Off
About 24 months ago (June 2009) the Cortina Homeowner Association changed property management companies to Renaissance Community Partners (RCP). In a recent HOA meeting the board had a chance to review the financial state of the community and re-examine assessment fees. Changing to RCP, controlling costs and close vendor contract management has resulted in improved collections processes including reduced collection costs and changes to our vendors.
Currently Cortina is in a strong position with a very strong future and with RCP managing our property along with changes to our improved economic conditions and reduced vandalism has allowed the Board to approve an assessment reduction. We live in an ever changing economic world, however , because of current conditions the quarterly assessment is decreased from $262.50 to $250.00 effective with the July 1, 2011 payment.
Enjoy our community and please continue to take care of our neighborhood.
April 29, 2011 Comments Off
A quorom of the Cortina Homeowner Association was met for the April 2011 meeting and a new HOA Board of Directors was elected. The new officers are:
- Rebecca Atlee, President
- Skye Fagrell, Vice President
- Curtis Ryan, Treasurer
- Austin MacGillivray, Secretary
Tom Duford, Kyle Keane and Matt Gunn remain as board members as well.
A special thanks to outgoing board member and most recent President Kris Bailey.
December 11, 2010 Comments Off
During 2010 the board of directors took a vote of the members of the community to consider amending the CC&Rs to allow parking of RVs in rear yards. The vote required approval from 2/3 of all members allowed to vote. The vote fell considerably short of the number required to change the CC&Rs.
Since the amendment failed the rules in the CC&Rs remain the same:
No mobile home, travel trailer, tent trailer, trailer, camper shell, boat trailer or other similar equipment or vehicle may be parked, kept or stored on the Common Area. No mobile home, travel trailer, tent trailer, trailer, camper shell, boat trailer or other similar equipment may be parked, kept or stored on any Lot so as to be Visible From Neighboring Property.
Please ensure you are NOT parking RVs on your lot or the street except for loading and unloading purposes (24 hours). The Board of Directors has instructed Renaissance to enforce the provision of the CC&Rs by giving notices to all homeowners found in violation of the rules. Fines can reach as much as $200 per inspection for those found in violation.
If you have any questions, please contact our management company, Renaissance Community Partners, at 480-813-6788.
Thank you for your cooperation.
November 21, 2010 Comments Off
October 2010 the Board of Directors approved the use of artificial turf in the community with limitations and with approval from the Architectural Committee. Requests that that meet the constraints will likely be approved. Here are the guidelines:
Artificial Turf: Artificial turf may be used as a turf replacement provided the area to be covered does not exceed 300sf and the following conditions are met:
- Must be approved by the Design Review Committee and installed by
a professional licensed to install artificial turf (contract must be provided with application)
- Must be maintained to be free from weathering, fading, tearing, ripping, buckling, and any other condition that would detract from the appearance of the turf
- Lot owner is responsible to maintain the condition of the turf
- Quality must be the best industry standards. Minimum specs are
- Fiber mass min – 10800 dernier
- Face weight min – 50 oz/sq-yd
- Double layer backing – Primary min – 7 oz/sq-yd, Secondary min 9 oz/sq yd
- Total weight min – 68.7 oz/sq-yd
- Tuft bind min – 6 lbs – f
- Grab tear MD min – 200 lbs
- Grab tear CMD min – 200 lbs
