High Desert Residential Owners Association Website

Community. It's not just where you live, it's how you interact. Here at High Desert, we believe communication is the number one way to build our community: communication between neighbors, among homeowners and with management.

This website is designed to keep every High Desert resident informed and up-to-date on the vital issues that affect us as homeowners. Here, you'll find quick access to our governing documents, policies and procedures, calendars of upcoming community meetings, copies of our latest newsletter, home improvement information, links to Village news and the e-mail addresses of your officers and directors.

We hope this information will provide High Desert homeowners with what they need to know...and when they need to know it.

For the latest news, scroll down. Click here to see more articles on the News and Information page.

(Photo: An Open Space trail adjacent to High Desert.)

High Desert Office Needs High Desert Art For Walls

The High Desert office needs High Desert art on its walls. Photographers or artists who would like to donate or loan their framed pictures of High Desert for display are encouraged to contact Dave Janik, Community Association Manager, at David@hoamco.com, Rita Stafford at Rita@hoamco.com or 314-5862.

"Our new office has plenty of white, blank space," said Dave. "We've had comments from visitors who suggested we solicit High Desert photographers or artists to display their work on our walls." The art will not be purchased by High Desert, but the name and contact information of the artist can be included in a small note card attached to the photograph or painting if a viewer wishes to contact the artist.

The High Desert office is located at the Spain Professional Building, 11005 Spain NE, on the corner of Spain and Juan Tabo.

Watch Out For Rattlesnakes!

High Desert residents should keep a sharp eye out this summer for rattlesnakes near their homes. A resident of Quaking Aspen reported this week that he and his neighbors have spotted several rattlesnakes this year, including a 30-inch rattlesnake with six rattles stretched out near his garage door.

The Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) is a thick snake with a triangular head. There are two dark diagonal lines on each side of the face running from the eyes down to the jaws. It has dark diamond-shaped patterns along the back. The tail has black and white bands just above the rattle. Rattlesnakes in New Mexico can grow up to seven feet long. Snakes may be found in cool, dark places around your house, including firewood piles, old lumber piles, in gardens with heavy mulch, and in tall vegetation.

If you encounter a rattlesnake, don't corner it. Rattlesnakes will usually try to avoid trouble if they don't feel cornered. If you are bitten, seek medical help immediately.

High Desert To Host 14th Annual Run For The Hills Race on Sunday, September 26:
Sign Up To Race or Help As A Volunteer

September just isn’t September in High Desert without the annual "Run For The Hills" (RFTH) race. This year will be no exception as the Race Committee prepares for the 14th annual race to take place on the streets of High Desert and adjacent Open Space trails. Hundreds of runners from throughout the state participate each year.

Interested runners can download a pdf of the 2010 race entry form by clicking here.

This year, Run For The Hills has a presence on Facebook. Updated information, links, race times and contacts can be found by clicking this link.

Volunteers Needed!
Tom Murdock, Race Committee Director, called on High Desert residents to step forward and volunteer to help out on the day of the race.

“It takes 120 volunteers to put on Run For The Hills,” he said. “We need people to man the water stations, hand out snacks, record runner’s times, help with packet pick-up, direct traffic and direct runners on the course.”

Sponsors for the event are also needed. The budget to stage RFTH is about $35,000 with $7,000 planned as a donation to the Rio Grande Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The Committee hopes to raise $20,000 from corporate sponsorship through cash contributions or “in-kind” donations such as food, products or services. The balance will be collected in race fees.

Tom also urged High Desert residents to consider donating to "Friends of Run For The Hills" (FORTH) this year. “Donations can be made beginning at $25 and are greatly appreciated,” Tom said. If you are interested in volunteering, donating or becoming a sponsor, contact Tom Murdock at 822-9410 or by email at murdock@swcp.com.

Race times are as follows:

• 10K All Terrain Run: 7:30 a.m.

• 5K All Terrain Run & 5K Fitness Walk: 9:45 a.m.

• 1K Kids’ Fun Run & 1K Fitness Walk: 11:00 a.m.

Although the 10K and 5K races start on Academy, just east of Cortaderia St., the 1K Kids Fun Run begins at High Desert Park where all the races conclude and announcements are made. The 5K run and fitness walk are combined. Both start on Academy and finish at the park.

High Desert residents will receive information via mail about the event and can sign up to run with a resident discount. Registration information can also be found online at: www.active.com or at www.nmsportsonline.com.

Everyone is welcome to attend the event.

Back-to-School Safety Tips

By Nancy Winger, Crime Prevention Committee Chair

It’s about time for school to start and time to review the practices and procedures that will promote safety in our community.

SCHOOL BUSES
All drivers must stop when the red lights on a school bus are flashing. This means a complete stop whether on the driver’s side of the street, the opposite side of the street or at an intersection the driver is approaching. Drivers are not required to stop if the bus is traveling towards them and the street is separated by a median or barrier.

After the school bus’s red lights have stopped flashing, drivers must be alert and know that children are not always aware of their surroundings and assume that drivers will stop for them. Drivers slow down and observe posted speed limits. Children can dart into the street without looking first for traffic. Teach children to arrive at the bus stop early, stay out of the street, wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before approaching the street, and watch for cars.

GETTING CHILDREN TO SCHOOL
Before you walk or load up the children for the trip to the bus or school, lock your doors and windows. The time spent securing your home, even if you will be gone only a short time, can deter a burglar and prevent some major problems later.

Watch for cars driving slowly through the neighborhood and/or suspicious individuals. They might be sizing up potential targets. If something or someone doesn’t look right, call the police. Many burglars strike during the daylight hours when they believe all the occupants of a house may be at school or work. Make their life harder by taking basic crime prevention measures. Walk the route to and from the bus stop with your child and point out safe places to go if they are being followed or need help.

CHILD SAFETY
Be aware of where you put your child’s name especially if it is put on anything that is readily visible. This might allow a stranger to get on a “first name” basis with your child. Talk to your children about strangers approaching them and some of the schemes they might use. Teach children that it is okay to say “No” - to friends or adults. Tell children to trust their instincts.

When a child is going to be home alone:

Establish family “home alone rules.”
Remind children never to give the impression they are home alone if a stranger calls or comes to the door.
Practice possible responses that would convince a stranger that adults are around but just not available at the moment.
Teach children how to operate all door and window locks and security systems.
Be sure children know their home phone number, address, parents’ work numbers, the number of another trusted adult, and how to call 911 for emergencies.

Slurry Sealing Postponed Until September

Following several weeks of crack sealing by the city this summer, final slurry sealing of selected High Desert streets has been postponed until September. To see a pdf map of the streets affected, click here. The streets that will be slurry sealed are identified in orange.

A private vendor under contract with the city is performing the work; however, city employees are also involved.The initial work involved sealing cracks in the pavement prior to slurry seal application. Sealing cracks was accomplished on many of the High Desert streets approximately two years ago.

Weather has a major impact on the start and progress of the project. The city plans to start with the westernmost villages and work east. The project will likely take 17 to 20 workdays to complete, with approximately 12,000 square yards surfaced per day. Once the seal is applied, a minimum of four hours is required prior to allowing vehicular traffic.The process is described fairly well at the following web site: http://www.intermountainslurry.com/what_is_slurry_seal_UT.htm

Typically, notifications will be posted via signs on the street 48 hours prior to commencing work. If required, vehicles that are parked on the street when work commences normally will be towed to a nearby street. However, vehicles without a current valid registration, or for which an outstanding warrant may exist, will be towed and impounded by the Albuquerque Police Department. Vehicle recovery is the responsibility of the vehicle owner.

In order to be minimally disruptive, the city will stagger the streets undergoing sealing, allowing a reasonable flow of traffic. They will be working from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. on most days (Monday through Friday). Dave said he is hopeful that the High Desert office will be able to get updated information as it occurs. Residents may call 314-5862 for progress updates.

Canyons Hosts Block Party in Celebration of National Night Out

residents walk down street to block party

More than 100 Canyon residents attended a block party Tuesday, August 3rd as homeowners met to recognize National Night Out, the nationwide event that promotes crime-free neighborhoods and partnerships with local police.

Canyons Voting Members Kaelynn Dixon and Sue Whitaker and Alternate Member Joan Schueller organized the potluck gathering which met at the cul de sac on High Canyon Trail Tuesday evening. APD meets with residents

Residents brought potluck dishes and chairs to the event. Albuquerque Police Department Sgt. Liz Thomson arrived in her squad car and talked with residents throughout the night (see photo at right). block party

"It was a real success," said Liz Reding, Canyons homeowner and wife of Neighborhood Watch Block Captain Michael Reding. The Redings have lived in the Canyons since 2000.

For more information on forming a Neighborhood Watch program for your neighborhood, click here.

(Photos courtesy of Liz Reding, Canyons resident.)

High Desert Park Clean-Up Underway On Demonstration Garden

(Photo: Left to Right) Rick Held, Ray Berg, Erin King, Mary Witek, Hank Witek.

High Desert volunteers started cleaning up the Demonstration Garden in the northwest corner of High Desert Park on Saturday, August 7. park before The volunteers hope to clean up the garden area and restore it with updated plants that are encouraged for use in High Desert.

"Our first task was to start cleaning out the volunteer chamisa bushes and other undesirable plants that have established themselves," said Ray Berg, Chair of the Adopt-A-Park Committee. "Our next step is to do a final cleanup of the area,make improvements on the paths and then start replacing many of the plants with those on our Approved Plant list. This will give homeowners in High Desert a chance to see how many of the plants look as they develop in our local environment."

The photo on the left shows an overgrown area of the demonstration garden before volunteers cleared away piles of brush and debris. The photo on the right was taken after the debris was cleared away.

Before the High Desert Park was turned over to the City of Albuquerque, High Desert Investment Corp.(developers of High Desert) built a demonstration garden in the northwest corner of the park property. This garden had examples of many of the plants that are encouraged for use in and around High Desert. par afterwards They are native or selected non-invasive, low water use plants, and are compatible with our high desert environment. The park was recently adopted by High Desert volunteers under the "Adopt-A-Park" program. Volunteers meet regularly at the park to keep it clean and maintained. Updating and restoring the Demonstration Garden in the park is one of the top goals of the Adopt-A-Park volunteers.

"This will be a long term project to rehabilitate, maintain, and update the garden so it can be a resource for High Desert to show off plants that are encouraged for use in the development," said Ray.

If anybody has an interest in either helping to maintain the park or in working on the Demonstration Garden, you can get on the contact list by notifying Ray Berg at rsberg01@comcast.net or by calling him at 366-8104.

Going Away On Vacation? Call Guardsmark First!

Before you leave on vacation, don't forget to call Guardsmark, High Desert security patrol at 362-2314.

Guardsmark truck and officer

Guardsmark patrol officers will write down your vacation dates, important contact numbers, and keep an eye on your home while you are away. Guardsmark will now provide additional services to vacationing residents, including removal and disposal of newspapers and advertising/marketing materials, and (if requested) removal of any deliveries weighing up to 35 pounds. Guardsmark will take those packages to the High Desert office at 11005 Spain NE. (On the corner of Spain and Juan Tabo) where residents can pick them up after they return.

To see the complete list of Guardsmark vacation procedures, go to the Safety Tips page and scroll to the second article: "Tell Guardsmark About Your Vacation Plans Before You Leave."

For More News...

To read more about what's happening in High Desert, click here.