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Esperanza Estates Green Valley, Az. Monday Morning Memo----------November 10th Good Morning: Remember Hamburger Nite tomorrow at 4:30 at Sunset Ramada. Hamburgers, cheeseburgers and veggi-burgers are available for the low price of just $4.00, including the trimmings. Rapid table service by pretty waitresses. Drinks (water and soft drinks) are also available. Bring you own alcohol. Come on down and enjoy some quality time with your friends. Remember as well Free Coffee and Donuts at the Ramada on Wednesday morning at 9:00. Free coffee, free pastries, conversation with friends. No meeting, no agenda, no axes to grind--just some fun time with your friends. Please join us. About 100 people attended a special Board meeting last Monday to discuss the recent rash of burglaries in EE, and to emphasize various security measures that can be taken to try and alleviate this threat. We are fortunate to have as one of our residents Karl Holmstrom, a retired law officer, who gave us a list of steps and preventative measures that hopefully will help out. The list was sent to all MMM recipients on Tuesday, November 4th, as a special supplement to the Memo. Also, a study is being undertaken to seek whatever common denominators might be present in all or most of the burglaries, with the idea this might lead to useful clues. In the meantime, be vigilant, use all the security devices at your disposal, and report anything suspicious. We will try to keep our residents advised as to anything new that may turn up involving any aspect of this situation. The following article was recently received: HOMEOWNER AWARENESS -- CRIME ALERT! During the morning hours of Wednesday, November 5, 2008, a burglary suspect was working the residential area of Placita Refinada in Portillo Hills II. The suspect rang several doorbells at the end of the cul-de-sac and asked if the occupant needed any yard work done. This was a ploy to determine if anyone was home. Shortly thereafter, he was observed by a resident on the back patio of an unoccupied home in the cul-de-sac attempting entry. Believing he was being observed by the neighbor (and he was), the suspect attempted to hide his activity by crouching down, apparently hoping the wall surrounding the rear of the home would conceal his presence. The suspect fled before the responding Pima County Sheriff's unit arrived at the scene. DESCRIPTION: Male Caucasian, approx. 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet in height, 180 pounds, probably muscular, short cropped hair. He was wearing a dark, long sleeved sweatshirt with some type of white writing/decor and dark pants. According to another neighbor, he had at least one earring. According to a sheriff's deputy, the suspect drives a white Nissan Titan pick-up with a trash can in the truck's bed. CAUTION: If you see this suspect working your neighborhood, do not attempt to apprehend. Call 911 immediately. A Special MMM supplement is appended to this edition of the MMM which provides some thoughts of an engineer/EE owner about our sliding door situation and vulnerabilities. About a dozen people showed up at the tennis court both Tuesday and Wednesday for pickleball lessons, and had a great time. Our teacher and coach, Gary Beatty, will continue with his clinics this week, on Tuesday and Thursday beginning at 9:00 a.m. Pickleball is total fun, and easy to play. If you are interested and want to know more about the game, go to www.usapa.org , where you can click on a link and watch a short video about the game. Gary is a really fun guy and great teacher, and the lessons are free. Everyone who attended last week loved it, and there is a really good opportunity to start a league in EE once enough players begin the game. This is a great opportunity to get into something really fun and which is great exercise, without being overly strenuous. Wear rubber sole shoes, and all needed equipment will be provided.When placing your trash cans for pickup, please put them on the parking strip and not on the sidewalk. Some complaints have been received about people leaving their trash can right on the sidewalk, which blocks walkers using the walk ways. Thank you for your cooperation. From the EE Enhancement Team: Last call to donate new and like-new
The HOA Budget Committee will meet for the final time Tuesday the 11th at 1:00 p.m. at Sunset Ramada. Final budget figures and estimates for the next year will be determined. Any interested resident may attend. Have a good week. Tuesday is Veteran’s Day--honor a Vet. This message has been blind-copied for your privacy The Monday Morning Memo is not an official publication of the HOA of Esperanza Estates, and is intended to be informational only and is distributed as a courtesy. Content is entirely determined by the editor. Email address of the editor: tecooke1@cox.netEditors phone number: (520) 399-0455 Esperanza Estates website: www.esperanzaestates.net
SPECIAL MMM SUPPLEMENT Tom, I was a part time resident of EE while my mother was sick and while eventually settling her estate. I still communicate with neighbors and continue to receive the MMM to get an idea of what's going on. The number of break ins in such a peaceful community is disturbing. I am an engineer. While some may consider the original EE patio doors to be "backwards," they were NOT installed backwards. They were installed as designed. The way the door tracks are designed, the slider must be on the outside or the sliding screen door won't work. The argument for having the slider on the outside is that it is much easier to prevent a driving rain from leaking into the house. At my mother's house, there were dings in the track, probably from a screwdriver, where someone had tried to lift the door off the track. This is a common "trick" among burglars. If the door is installed properly, it can only be lifted off the track when in the open position. All EE residents should check that their sliding doors cannot be lifted off the track when the door is mostly closed. Note that if the door can be lifted off the track, even an interior slider with a "broomstick" lock is not secure. The original front door locks in EE were likely all the same brand. This makes the whole community more vulnerable to a "bump key." If a "bump key" works on one lock, it may work on all of them. This is a technique that has been common for only a few years but both "bump keys" and videos on how to use them are readily available on the Internet. It only takes a few seconds to try and requires no normal lock picking tools or skills. Perhaps the Sheriff can provide some information on which locks are least vulnerable to this technique. A locksmith might just recommend the most expensive lock. Finally, there is one more potential "common thread" that was not on the list of possible sources for wayward keys. When having their cars serviced, most people just hand over their whole ring of keys. There is a method where clay is used to quickly make a mold of a key. A plastic key is made from the mold and this can be used to make a duplicate metal key by anyone with access to a key cutting machine. All it takes is one shady employee with a clay mold and he can get the name and address from the service ticket. In most cases they can even call to make sure no one is home. Personally, when having my car serviced, I only give them the car key. I hope this is of some help. Bill Petersen |