November 2

Good Morning:

Remember Hamburger Nite on November 10. Usual time, usual place, usual fun evening.

Winter pool hours (7am to 7pm) began yesterday. From now on, the pool and spa covers will be used at night, and the covers opened in the morning, in order to conserve heat. On some days when in the judgment of the Board weather conditions require it, the covers may remain on all day. The cost of natural gas to heat the pool and spa is the second largest line-item in the HOA budget, and we need to be prudent with it. No one is allowed in the pool enclosure during the closed hours except at a Board sanctioned activity. We ask for your cooperation in this regard.

An item on the agenda for the Board meeting November 16 will be a discussion and possible implementation of a rule requiring the pool to be kept closed any day when the temperature fails to reach a certain level, or wind conditions are such that opening the pool is not warranted. Comments will be solicited at the meeting from any resident who wishes to offer an opinion on this topic. This is strictly a cost saving measure, and is being considered for the common sense reason that there is little to be gained by opening the pool on a day when climatic conditions are such that it will receive little or no use. Our HOA spent nearly $12,000 on natural gas this past year, and needs to do what it reasonably can to limit this expense. These funds are paid from our annual dues, and controlling costs allows controlling the dues.

　The EE Board ad hoc budget committee (Joan Moreaux, Bruce Liljegren, Ben Sheffler, Eunice Dolan, Dean Hess, and Tom Cooke ) met this past Tuesday to formulate the new HOA budget for 2010. There will be no dues increase. With what the Board believes to be prudent management--and with a lot of help from our Enhancement Team and volunteers-- we have been able to hold the line on expense items, and maintain and make improvements as well. Watching out for expense items that can be controlled, such as the pool natural gas expense, is critical. Many thanks are due our Treasurer, Joan Moreaux, for all the time she spent both on budgetary matters and with the HOA archives, digging out financial information from past years records to get a handle on our capital expenditures.

Our HOA is financially on sound footing, with no debt and reserves which are reaching an appropriate level of prudence. Budgetary changes for next year were made where warranted to both the line-items for operations, and capital expenditures. The proposed 2010 budget will be available at the November Board meeting, where it will be considered for adoption as required by the CC&R’s of the subdivision.

Two new desert trees have been planted on our Esperanza Blvd. strip, to replace the two dead and dying trees that were removed. It appears sponsors have been found for each, who will water the new trees until they become established.

It is anticipated that the committee working on changing the streetlight lamps will reconvene within the next month and take up the matter once again. The committee work was terminated last fall when a couple of its key people became unavailable. This project will be move forward and begin when the final details are worked out and the cost and labor issues are determined.

This past October 23 our Enhancement Team held a very successful garage sale at 821 Napa, and raised approximately $1800. However, never ones to snooze or stand on their laurels, the Team will also be holding its annual spring Patio Sale at Sunset Ramada, and are preparing for it beginning now. They will need donations for the sale, and are asking all residents who have surplus items and articles that are in reasonable condition and salable to donate the same for the spring sale. All sale proceeds go toward improvements for Esperanza Estates, so donating for the sale is like donating to yourself, and helps all of us. A pick up of your items can be arranged with just a phone call to Bev at 625-7741, Barb at 867-8067, Geri at 777-4972, or Denise, 399-3312.

Pickleball players and those wishing to learn the game, come to the tennis/pickle ball court at 8:30 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Our instructor and coach, Gary Beatty, is back for the winter season and will be there to assist. There is no charge for lessons. Pickleball is fun and addictive, and great exercise.

Kudos to Stoney Brown and Bob Hunton, who spend their own time regularly to help keep our common grounds in an attractive state. These two guys find a new project every week to help out in some way.

The common area on the south side of the quad at the corner of Portillo and the EE Walking Trail was fixed up pretty spooky for a party held there Halloween night. There were gargoyles, jack-o-lanterns, skulls, bats, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, monsters, spirits, will-o‘-the-wisps, witches, vampires, banshees, and other scary things everywhere, including a skeleton trying to claw his way up out of a grave. We suspect Joe and Barb McCalpin must have called up the supernatural to arrange this array of paranormal beings. Took quite a bit of alcohol before we were all not scared anymore.

Welcome back, webmaster Craig Surprise and Cynthia!

Have a good week. Hope you had a happy Halloween.