July 4th Celebration
The EE Ramada is the place to be to celebrate our nation's birthday! There won't be fireworks, but there will be grilled sausages with onions and peppers, potato salad, and baked beans. Wine, beer, sodas, water and mixers will be provided courtesy of the Hospitality Committee. The cost is $6.00 per person and $3.00 for a second sausage. The party starts at 4:30. Our new state-of-the-art grill, generously donated by Paul and Kathy LaVanway, will be unveiled.

Movie Night -- A Blast from the Past
The small crowd of residents who attended last Saturday's movie at the Ramada had a splendid time. They laughed and sang along with the music, and those who were teens in the early 1960s said it brought back memories. The weather was balmy and comfortable and the new HOA equipment worked perfectly to project the film onto a large screen for easy viewing. The weekly event will take place every Saturday evening starting at 7:30. It's sponsored by the Arts Club and is going to become a very popular activity. If you have suggestions for future movies, contact Kevin Welsh at 231-838-6851 or welsh.kj@gmail.com.

Help Choose the 'Best of the Best'
Vote for your favorite photo from the Periodico's Photo of the Month Contest winners. The winner will be named Photo of the Year in September, and its photographer will be awarded a prize. Details and photos are included in the June issue of the Periodico (now available on the EE website, esperanzaestates.net, and in hard copy at the Ramada) and color photos will be displayed on the Ramada bulletin board. The votes have already started pouring in!

Coffee & Donuts
The season finale of our monthly coffee & donuts socials took place last Wednesday with 30 people in attendance. These popular events will return in October thanks to the generosity of Ken and Kay Miller. The sponsors have a special treat planned for July, but so far it's a closely guarded secret. Watch the MMM for details.

June Board Meeting Highlights
The newly formed Finance Committee reported it has identified several potential ways to improve the return on HOA funds in the reserves account without increasing the risk.
All common area tall palms have now been trimmed.
You can read the minutes of the meeting on our website at esperanzaestates.net.

Important Notice from the Board
The Board wishes to remind all EE owners who have a tall palm tree on their property that it positively has to be trimmed before the deadline of July 15, and should be trimmed well before that date.
This is a safety issue. A front page article in the Green Valley News on June 17 pointed out the danger of lightning strikes on untrimmed palms, and the resultant fires which occur every year. We have had this very thing happen in EE more than once, and it is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Should such a fire start, and burning fronds fall on a rooftop, we could have a situation resulting in serious loss of life and property.
Because of the serious nature of this problem, the Board feels that it is necessary to strictly enforce this requirement and we ask for your cooperation. Any homeowner with an untrimmed palm who fails to comply will have the palm trimmed by the HOA, at the owners expense plus a surcharge.
There are several firms in Green Valley that perform palm tree trimming, and homeowners can use any contractor of their choice. If you need a referral, or further information, you may call Dean Hess at 398-4829, Tom Cooke at 399-0455, or Boyd Morse, at 419-2489.

Restroom Construction Update
Progress continues on the restrooms at the courts. The doors now have handles and the plumber has been busy this week connecting the fixtures. Jim Lindberg reports that final inspections will soon be scheduled.
No word yet as to official openings or any planned celebrations. Perhaps a parade, a ribbon cutting, and a ceremonial first flush would be in order.

News for Residents Who Are Away
The Dispose-A-Med bins which were previously located at the GV Fire Stations have been moved to the Sheriff's office on La Canada next to the library.

In Memoriam
We sadly report the death of Florence Stone who was one of the original residents of Esperanza Estates. She and her late husband, Harold, built the little bridge across the arroyo from their house to the pool. Florence enjoyed living in EE and felt it was where she belonged. Our condolences to her family and friends.