Volume 2, Number 4 December 2011

Here’s how it works:

1. Decorate your home with enough lights and festive holiday decorations to help Santa see your house from Canada and guide Rudolph safely onto your rooftop.

2. Make sure your home is looking its best for judging the weekend of December 17th and 18th.

3. If your home is selected by our judges, you will receive a sign in your yard announcing you as a winner and receive a prize:

6 Runner-ups receive a $25 credit on their SRP bill

3 Grand Prize Winners receive a $50 credit on their SRP bill

If you are selected as one of the nine winners, your credit should appear on your January or February SRP bill statement. Also, please remember our Design Guidelines require homeowners to install holiday decorations no earlier than

November 15, 2011 and remove them no later than February 3, 2012.

The Farmington Park Homeowners Association proudly announces the return of its second annual

Trespassing Concern Unfortunately, holiday decorations are frequent targets for vandals and thieves. A trend we’ve noticed in Farmington Park happens to be the correlation between occurrences and school hours. Juveniles walking to and from school can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves. Talk to your school-aged children about respecting our neighbors’ property and to tell you if they see any of their classmates trespassing onto private property. You can report what your children witness to the police or school administration.

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ATTENTION ALL FARMINGTON PARK HOMEOWNERS!Our Annual Meeting will be held on Tuesday January 17, 2012 at 6:30pm.

Location: PLC Charter School 2504 S 91st Ave. Tolleson, AZ 85353

All homeowners are highly encouraged to attend!As a homeowner in our community, your opinions are valued and always welcome at one of our Board meetings. We hold Board meetings four times per year, and our next meeting is quickly approaching. The Annual Meeting, which is combined with our first regular session Board meeting, is especially important for homeowners to attend. We will hold an election for Board Directors and address any questions you have. Please mark your calendars for Tuesday January 17, 2012 at 6:30pm. We meet for approximately one hour at PLC Charter School on 2504 S 91st Ave. Tolleson, AZ 85353. Please refer to the Annual Meeting Notice mailed to you recently.

*** IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND ***You will receive a ballot in the mail for the Board of Directors election approximately 30 days

before the Annual Meeting. It is very important that you cast your ballot in order to help us meet our 10% quorum. If we do not meet quorum, we will need to reschedule the

Annual Meeting at an additional expense of another mailing to homeowners.

A number of residents in our neighborhood have complained about a scorpion infestation in their yards and even inside their homes. Interestingly, some residents have yet to witness a single scorpion incident in the years they’ve lived in Farmington Park. While we don’t have an explanation for this uneven distribution of scorpion populations, the thought of a neighbor having a serious scorpion problem is major concern to address to the entire community.

Let’s start with a brief background on these pests. Scorpions are nocturnal and mainly feast on insects, but they are known to feast on small vertebrates. A scorpion can survive 6 months without eating. Scorpions prefer moist, shady environments during the day to avoid evaporation of moisture from their bodies. The most common scorpion is the Striped Bark Scorpion, which is light brown in color and has two dark bands running parallel down its back. The Striped Bark Scorpion sting is very painful. If anyone in your home is stung by a scorpion, contact poison control or a health professional for advice on what you should do.

Scorpions glow under UV light, a popular tool to hunt scorpions with at night. There are multiple control solutions available, ranging from preventative measures such as keeping litter and scrap lumber out of your backyard, to various chemical solutions, traps, and even hand-held zappers. Some residents have a professional pest control expert they recommend as well. Have you discovered a miracle solution that you would like to share with our community? We would love to hear your solutions so we can recommend them to your neighbors in a future newsletter!

Scorpion Problem?

Prefer To Pay Your Assessment Monthly?Did you know the Farmington Park Homeowners Association offers our homeowners the option to pay their assessments monthly, instead of quarterly, when they sign up for Surepay? Visit our website, http://fphoa.wordpress.com, to sign up for automatic debit through Surepay to experience monthly payments!

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2011 Board of Directors and Contact Information

Here is an updated list of our current Board members and officers:

Lorraine Zolla – President

VACANT – Vice President

Abby Dunton – Treasurer

Denice Garcia – Secretary

For more information, questions, or comments, please contact our Farmington Park Community Manager:

Scott Ring

sring@aamaz.com

602-288-2636

You can also visit our website:

http://fphoa.wordpress.com

Interested in Making Decisions

for Our Community?

The Farmington Park Homeowners Association is a non-profit corporation governed by the Board of Directors: a group of elected volunteers who are homeowners (name on the Deed to a home within the Farmington Park Homeowners Association) in our community. If you have the dedication, commitment, and desire to serve our community, consider placing your name on the nominating ballot for the Board of Directors. Enclosed with your Annual Meeting Notice, you will find a nomination form attached. If you are interested in joining the Board of Directors and placing your name on the ballot, please fill out the request and send it back to us promptly. For more information on getting involved with the Farmington Park Homeowners Association, please visit our website: http://fphoa.wordpress.com.

Next Month is WEED Season!Recommendations for combating the winter weed infestation

Weed season is approaching! The weeds usually start popping up around the second or third week in January. It’s best to treat your yard early, almost as soon as you see them emerging (take a good look, they’re difficult to see when

they’re young). Here are a few options to consider as we prepare for battle:

1. If you treat the weeds yourself using popular chemicals available in most home improvement stores, consider purchasing your treatments now. You might obtain them for a lower price before weed season kicks in, although your best bet is purchasing them during the summer when they go on clearance. The treatment solutions that come with a nozzle to attach to your hose are successful, very economical, and cover the entire surface of your yard. Spot spray with solutions that do not require a hose to target the weeds that escape the wrath of the first treatment.

2. If you use a weed extermination company, make your pre-emergent appointments now. Appointments fill up quickly closer to weed season, and it won’t help you much to bring them out after the weeds are reaching untreatable heights.

3. For a homemade organic option, research recipes that include a combination of vinegar (you will need a high acetic acid content, around 10%), orange oil, and dishwashing soap. Avoid grass and other friendly plants with this solution!

4. If you waited too long to treat your weeds and they are now taller than 6 inches…you’re in trouble. Unfortunately, the most effective method for removing tall weeds is mechanically: with a sharp hoe or individually by hand.

5. Although the spirit of the holiday season will be over, consider treating a friendly random neighbor’s yard. Instead of judging our neighbors, let’s be more considerate. Will you make it a New Year’s resolution to help a neighbor in need?

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Important Dates to Remember!

January 1, 2012First quarter assessments (enclosed with this newsletter) are due. Please remember to mail in your payment before January 1st to avoid late fees. You can also sign up for Surepay to avoid using a stamp at www.AAMAZ.com, or find the link from our website http://fphoa.wordpress.com.

January 17, 2012Annual Meeting at 6:30pm. As a homeowner in our community, you are highly encouraged to attend/participate! Location and details on page 2.

Farmington Park Block Watch ProgressBlock Watch Grant Update:

Have you noticed our signs at the entrances to our community? By announcing the presence of our Block Watch in Farmington Park, we expect these signs will help deter crime in our community and increase awareness among our residents of the Block Watch’s presence. Also, be on the lookout for a small goody-bag to be placed on your front door containing additional information, a Block Watch window sign, and a reference magnet. These projects were funded with 2011 Block Watch Grant money from the City of Phoenix. We are currently in the process of applying for 2012 grant money and hope to install flashing school crossing signs for the charter school on 91st Ave. and Lower Buckeye Rd. as well as lighting for our community mailboxes.

Today!Visit our website: fphoa.wordpress.com to sign up for e-mail notifications! Also join our Block Watch by visiting farmingtonparkbw.wordpress.com!

December 17-18, 2011Judging for the FPHOA Holiday Lights Contest! See page 1 for details!

We are strongly requesting that ALL residents sign up. Here is the website you need to visit to subscribe to the

Farmington Park Block Watch:

http://farmingtonparkbw.wordpress.com

Important Note to All Residents in Farmington Park:

We continue to urge residents to join this vital community network by educating themselves on the importance of participating in our Block Watch. Participation is extremely simple: enter your e-mail address on our website to receive instant notifications of crimes occurring in Farmington Park, as well as crucial tips and free resources for protecting your home and our neighborhood from crime.