Welcome to the neighborhood.
We’re very pleased you bought your new home in our Homeowner’s Association (HOA). This letter provides background information on the area and invites you to participate in the HOA management.
You are actually now a member of as many as three HOAs. The Foothills Master Association has stewardship of all the common areas for the four sub associations between Alvernon and Campbell and between Windy Point and Skyline. The four sub associations pay their costs. The Foothills II HOA (the group that is writing you this letter) is responsible for the gate and all roads inside it, as well as the common areas along the roads. We get an annual assessment from each of the 72 lots inside the gate each January. You are probably paid up until next year.
If you live on the west side (Lots 192 – 213), you are also a member of the Windy Hills Estates HOA. They are responsible for the architectural and landscape CC&Rs for the 22 lots in the west portion of the area. Their costs are covered by an occasional assessment every few years.
Copies of the CC&Rs, Bylaws, and Articles of Incorporation as well as other information can be found under the Documents tab on our website (www.foothillsII.com). The Windy Hills Estates CC&Rs are there also.
Foothills II HOA Board meets in person or via phone conference call at least four times each year. All HOA members are welcome to participate. Meetings and directions are posted on the website home page. Annual meetings are usually held in December, and we would particularly appreciate your coming to that meeting, since it is the major feedback from the members to the Board.
Waste Management collects trash on Tuesdays and recycling on Thursdays. You are responsible for your own service bills.
Rural Metro provides fire, paramedic and ambulance services. Again you have your own contract with them. They also pick up snakes and change high ceiling smoke detector batteries. For an additional charge they will provide ambulance insurance (they will always pick you up but without insurance it costs more).
Please see the "Board & Other Contacts" page to contact the gate coordinator, who can provide gate codes for your family (to use 24/7), for pool cleaners and other service people (7-5, M-F), and temporary codes for special or after-hours events (3-day notice required). For our security, please limit distribution of codes. She will have your name added to the keypad menu. You must provide a phone number (land line or cell phone). This will allow people to call you from the gate, so that you can open it by pressing 9.
You may have received two RFID openers from your realtor. Please contact the gate coordinator to make sure the openers are activated. Batteries should be good for a couple years. New or replacement RFID openers can be purchased through the gate coordinator.
We have a Neighborhood Watch program, and one of the block captains will probably knock on your door soon to see if you wish to participate.
We hope you will join your neighbors in volunteering on the Board, helping with common area landscaping and maintenance, Neighborhood Watch, architectural CC&R review, and other activities.
For other questions, feel free to call or email me or any board member. Phone numbers and areas of responsibility are listed on the website.
Again, welcome to the neighborhood.
Sincerely,
Foothills II Board
See GENERAL INFO category for other important information.
Caution Information for New Homeowners
New homeowners, particularly those from outside the Tucson area, may not be familiar with some of the problems with living in the foothills that have been experienced by current residents.
High Water Pressure – Foothills II is in an area where Tucson Water has to boost the pressure to serve the customers above us. Most homes in the area were built with a pressure regulator on the house side of the water meter set to hold the pressure at around 60 psi. Several regulator failures have been reported, where house pressure exceeded 90 psi. Drip irrigation failures are often the first indication of a problem. The concern is dishwasher and washing machine hoses see the same pressure. An inexpensive gauge from Ace or Home Depot can be used on a hose bib to check your house pressure periodically. Regulator replacement is a job for someone with plumbing experience. A more detailed report can be found in the Documents section.
Wildlife – Several kinds of wildlife frequent our neighborhood. Deer, snakes, bobcats, coyotes, gila monsters, and javelinas are all fairly common.
- Deer enjoy eating flowers. They also are able to leap fences so it is difficult to protect against them.
- Snakes can be a problem. If you find a rattlesnake, call Rural Metro, who will remove and relocate it.
- Bobcats and coyotes are hazards for loose pets. Usually they will run away from people, but do not let your dog chase them. Several pets have been lost, usually when they run loose in the area.
- Gila Monsters are a hazard if you tease them. Although they are slow-moving, they are venomous and will bite and hold on if you get too close. Pictures should be taken from a distance.
- Javelinas can be very destructive peccaries that look like wild boars and travel in families. They eat and uproot flowers and decorative vegetation, and they may dig up irrigation systems looking for water. They are also known to topple trash containers, so please place your trash at the curb on collection day, rather than on the night before. Javelinas are protected and cannot be shot or poisoned. They cannot jump but can climb fairly steep terrain. Two different sets of new homeowners have lost several hundred dollars of unprotected landscaping.