The Great American Clean Up – April 13
Please join your neighbors in participating in the Great American Clean-Up on Saturday, April 13th. We will be gathering at the McKay’s residence at 1380 Via Norte at 8:30am to sign up, pick up our work gloves and bags, and enjoy a cup of coffee and water, before taking off to clean up what the wind has always brought in.
This year we have three dumpsters provided by South Central Solid Waste Authority and Mesilla Valley Disposal. One will be located on Barcelona Ridge, the second on Via Norte and Vista Hermosa, and the third behind the tennis courts near the PHCC club house. Please feel free to rid yourselves of all unwanted goods (NOT food stuffs or chemicals) but mostly join us in cleaning up our neighborhood.
Art in the Garden – May 5
From the Artists of Picacho Hills:
Art in the Garden is coming on Sunday, May 5. Homeowners who love their gardens invite you to visit and get ideas for your home. Master gardeners will be present to answer questions and share plant information. The garden selection committee look for variety as they choose the six gardens, so you may find flowers, fruit, vegetables, herbs, cacti, agave, etc.
There will be 17 artists displaying work in a vast array of media so that you might find the perfect complement to your décor. The participating artists are: Steve Bailey, Judy Bess, Greta Burger, Larry Felhauer, Lyndon Fruit, Cherie Gamboa, Marilyn Hansen, Linda Lee, Michelle Marshall, Paul Maxwell, Rosemary McKeown, Lana Payne, Jan Severson, Lori Shalett, Mike Shalett, Wanda Sparks, and Jan Thune. There will be paintings (acrylic, encaustic, oil), glass, ceramic, pastels, reed weaving, fabric art, quilling, quilting, woodworking, jewelry, indoor, outdoor, Excel generated pictures, metal. In other words, quite a variety.
Maps will be available in the commercial plaza on Picacho Hills Drive the day of the event. The maps show the garden locations and list the location of the artists in case you are looking for a particular one. Red flags will mark the open gardens.
Preview pictures of gardens and artwork on Facebook for: Artists of Picacho Hills. We hope to see you there for a beautiful day of art and gardening!
The Latest from Picacho Hills Country Club: A letter from Southwest Golf Management to PHPOA
March 14, 2019
It’s a new day at Picacho Hills Country Club! The new owners, Jim Bellows and Todd Barranger with Southwest Golf Management (SWGM) and their partner, Richard Holcomb, took over day-to-day management of the club on March 1st. SWGM will officially finalize purchase of the club once they have secured a new liquor license, a process which normally takes about three months. In the interim, SWGM is managing the club under an operating agreement with the current owner.
While major changes will be on hold until the sale is final, several positive changes have already been made, including hiring a new Food and Beverage Director, Bob Crane. Bob is laser-focused on training, food quality and developing a culture that will deliver the best possible dining experience. Plus, he’ll be introducing an entirely new menu on April 1st!
Chris Ortiz (former Director of Golf at Red Hawk) has joined the team as the new Director of Golf and Assistant General Manager (working under General Manager, Todd Barranger). Chris is a PGA Certified Golf Professional and will be offering lessons to those who need a tune-up as golf season gets into full swing! He’ll also be working together with Todd to improve and enhance the golf and overall club experience.
Todd will be spending a significant amount of time onsite at PHCC to address the short-term changes that will take place while setting the stage for larger projects once the sale is final. He’s especially looking forward to meeting and getting to know both current and new members.
Remember that the club is offering new membership packages, with several options ranging from full family to social memberships, some of which are transferable. You will receive a 10% discount on your membership if you apply before March 31st. There are great benefits that go along with this limited-time offer, including the assurance that your dues won’t increase for four (4) years!
Spring is here and it’s time for golf… and some great dinners! Stop by PHCC and welcome the new SWGM team, 100% committed to making PHCC a vibrant, active and enjoyable destination for each and every member.
PHPOA Note: Any questions about membership packages should be sent to Rebecca Reyes, the membership contact at PHCC – 575-523-8641 or rreyes@picachohillscc.com.
Thanks for attending our Annual Meeting
Our Annual Meeting for members took place on Thursday, March 14, at 6:00 PM at the Picacho Hills Country Club. Sixty-nine properties were represented. Neighborhood Directories were handed out to all present. If you were unable to attend, yours will be either hand-delivered or mailed to you in the next few weeks.The Minutes have been emailed to all members. They are also available here. We still need volunteers for our committees. Please help us carry out our projects to make Picacho Hills a better place to live!
Join Us
Tell your neighbors who aren’t members that there’s a lot going on! They can be a part of it by sending their check for membership. Here’s the form to fill out – Membership and Directory Form. This past year, the PHPOA sponsored two candidate forums, Spring and Fall Cleanups, continuation of landscaping projects from the Master Landscape Plan, added more merchants for our Merchant Discount Program, produced the annual Neighborhood Directory, and more. We are, as always, your Voice on the Hill, communicating about issues of importance to all Picacho Hills residents.
Don’t Forget about our Merchant Discount Program
Use your Merchant Discount card at over 50 merchants in our area. Yellow 2019 Merchant Discount cards were sent to new members in January. We have just added two new merchants – Desert Greens Landscaping and Kowalski Cabinets and Fine Woodworking. Check out our Merchants List so you can take advantage of every discount!
What’s New with the MASTER LANDSCAPE PLAN?
The Picacho Hills Master Landscape/Streetscape project began on August 29, 2017. Here is the latest report, prepared by Mike Slover, Landscape Chair, for the 2019 Annual Meeting.
The Master Landscape Plan project has come a long way since its inception 3 years ago. It wasn’t always easy, but we persevered and the project is now becoming reality. Before we could even begin with the zactual landscape installation, we spent a year interviewing and hiring an architect to design the Master Plan, preparing and submitting plans to Dona Ana County for approval, obtaining permission from Dona Ana Water to landscape on their property, raising money through donations from our residents, and hiring contractors.
Now the work is well under way with the landscaping having been completed in the late summer of 2017 at Well Site 15 located at the corner of Picacho Hills Drive and Fairway Village Drive. Another couple years of plant growth and the obtrusive fencing around the well site will be completely screened out. Following this, the other corner of Fairway Village Drive and Picacho Hills Drive was landscaped in the spring of 2018. It should be noted that these 2 areas are the only areas that have the benefit of an irrigation system. The balance of the project has been designed implementing water harvesting techniques.
In the summer of 2018 two more areas received attention where boulders and desert plant material were installed. The first area being landscaped was located along Picacho Hills Drive at lower Miramontes across the street from well site 15. Shortly thereafter, landscaping began in the area along Barcelona Ridge Road coming down the hill from upper Miramontes. A water-harvesting pond with boulders was constructed, grading was performed to form smaller water-capturing depressions, a 400-foot section of the walking path was installed, and plants suited to non-irrigated, desert conditions were installed.
From its inception, the Master Landscape Plan project was intended to be a multi-year project dependent upon the financial support of the community. Now that the money collected from the first fundraiser has been exhausted, continuation of the project will hinge upon future donations. Several donations were received later in 2018 that will allow us to extend the project approximately another 150-feet down Picacho Hills Drive this summer. This scope of work will include construction of another water-harvesting pond with boulders, extension of the walking path, and planting. Any additional work will be dependent upon additional contributions to the landscape fund.
Besides being responsible for the installation of the new landscaping, the PHPOA also provides for the landscape maintenance of the areas along both sides of Picacho Hills Drive from Fairway Village Drive to Via Norte. We recently had the area along Picacho Hills Drive between The Casitas and Via Norte cleaned up and have added this area to our regular maintenance scope of work. We also had the canopies of the trees trimmed up at the main entry near HWY 70 which will provide for greater visibility and a more attractive appearance.
Also on the PHPOA’s list of accomplishments over the past year, you may have noticed the new reflective markers that were recently installed by Dona Ana County at the corner of Picacho Hills Drive and Fairway Village Drive. Prior to their replacement, the old markers were 3 different colors, 3 different styles, and some were broken and in need of repair or replacement. By working with the County, the PHPOA was able to convince them of the need for new markers. We would like to thank the County for their positive response.
The PHPOA would also like to inform our membership that due to the pressure that we applied on Dona Ana County we were successful in our attempt to enforce the landscaping requirements of the Unified Development Code (UDC) as it relates to the screening of the chain link fencing around Dona Ana Water’s sewage treatment plant. As is usual for our water company, they attempted to install their fencing without obtaining the required permits from the County. By the PHPOA’s intervention with the County when the fencing commenced, a stop work order was issued the County until Dona Ana Water complied with the permit requirements which included a landscape plan and a guarantee of installing the landscaping which was supposed to happen in the fall of 2018. The PHPOA currently has a formal request into the County for an update on the landscape completion as it is currently behind schedule. An answer has been promised by the end of this week. Once again, we would like to thank Dona Ana County for their support.
As is evident, the PHPOA is ever-vigilant and working hard to protect and improve our community. If you like what we’re doing, please support our landscape beautification efforts by donating to the PHPOA Landscape Fund. These efforts will have a lasting impact on our property values and will provide a more attractive appearance along the roadways into our community. Donations of any size are welcome. The landscape committee thanks you for your past and future support.
Our plan is to proceed up the hill as funding permits. As you drive by, please notice your donations at work as we beautify our neighborhood. A huge thank-you to our donors!
Several HOAs have made significant contributions. Many individuals have already made donations, but we hope that all residents of Picacho Hills will consider how important landscaping is to their property values and potential saleability of their home. This is a multi-year project that cannot be possible without your donations. (We are registered with the NM Attorney General as a fundraising entity and all donations will be used exclusively for landscaping.)
Checks made out to PHPOA Landscape Fund can be dropped off at the Club or mailed to PHPOA, PO Box 51, Fairacres, NM 88033.
More About What We Do
The Picacho Hills Property Owners Association (PHPOA) is a volunteer association striving to make our community a better place to live and is open to all Picacho Hills property owners. Our goal is to enhance the safety, well-being, sense of belonging, and community pride of Picacho Hills. We work with County and local agencies on issues impacting the community and serve as a communications link with Picacho Hills Country Club, other active HOAs, and the community at large.
In case you are not familiar with this organization’s good work, here are some the projects completed in recent years:
- Redesign of the “Y” intersection of Barcelona Ridge and Picacho Hills Drive
- Repainting and improvement of landscaping around the monument at the entrance to Picacho Hills. Retention of landscape company to maintain landscaping
- Payment of cost of sign lighting, installation of cost-efficient lights
- Repair and reinforcement of tiled street signs and repainting of posts
- Repainting of Picacho Hills Country Club sign, as well as signs near the club
- Contact with the County re: safety concerns, causing the County to repair curbing on Picacho Hills Drive plus damage on other streets; restoration of reflective signs on the curve of Picacho Hills Drive
- Implementation of Neighborhood Watch program in cooperation with the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office. Payment for all Neighborhood Watch signs and their installation
- Involving the Town of Mesilla and County Fire Authority on improving Emergency Medical Response time
- 2017 Landscape Project – PHPOA paid for the Master Landscape Plan and collected donations for landscaping in front of the Doña Ana Water fencing at Fairway Village, up to the first cul-de-sac on the north side. Planned landscaping will occur this year at the corner of Fairway Village/Picacho Hills Dr. and the south side of Picacho Hills Drive
The PHPOA also provides these services:
- Maintenance of the PHPOA website (picachohillspoa.com)
- Three newsletters a year communicating PHPOA concerns and activities
- Welcome Bags to new residents
- Merchant Discount Program with participating merchants
- Communication with Doña Ana Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association (DAMDWCA) on issues concerning homeowners in Picacho Hills
- Safety meetings with Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office personnel to discuss community issues
- The annual April Great American Cleanup, arranged by the PHPOA with Southwest Central Solid Waste Authority, plus another Cleanup Day in October
- A directory of all Picacho Hills residents including names, addresses, contact information, updated annually
- Landscape maintenance of Picacho Hills Drive from Fairway Village to the triangle at Barcelona Ridge Road, extending north to Via Norte
The cost of a PHPOA membership is $70/year, a small price to pay for being informed about so much going on in Picacho Hills! A membership form is provided in each newsletter and on the website. Sign yourself up, or give it to your neighbor. Remember, send the membership form with your check so we have your updated contact information. And please write clearly so we don’t have to “interpret” your email address!
Thank you in advance for your support of PHPOA’s valuable work for homeowners in Picacho Hills.
Our Newsletter
The Winter 2019 Newsletter is now available. Look for articles dealing with a number of relevant topics including public safety, water company projects, the landscaping project, as well as updates on many other subjects. Click here to view the current copy.
Need more information? The newsletter is published three times per year–Winter, Spring, and Fall. It is distributed to PHPOA members via email. In addition, it is available for downloading from this website, and printed copies are available in the Picacho Hills CC clubhouse. If you know of anyone who is unable to access any of these outlets and would like to have a copy, please contact us through this website and let us know. We will make sure that a copy is available to them.
