History of Meridian Manor,
by Mark Bigaouette # 59 (original notes)
-->
Meridian Manor NEW resident orientation class
Tuesday
March 6th 2012, 10 AM & 7 PM
Intro – who Mark B. is I have been here every winter
since Feb. 1997, when my parents bought.
I do not represent the
Association board, or any committee.
Most of these groups will have upcoming meeting to explain about who
they are and what role they play here at Meridian Manor.
History of MM ( 3 phases, phase one is the oldest
) we are a 50 million dollar plus
development
Started in 1995 ? with paperwork, 1996 putting in streets, home sales
started in late 1996 ?
To buy in here at that time,
you visited a small office on Apache trail.
1st building here
was the office, now house # 108 (
opened spring of 1997 )
We had many different offices
of the years, including ; 109, 110, 111, 113, 67, 74, 1 - 4 ?
1st resident who
moved in here was : Ed & Delores Bauer – they built and lived at # 10
and they also built house # 8
– ( Dick and Judy Sweeney's home )
-
these are the only two homes
with a concrete star in the middle of the driveways.
Phase one has all the manufactured homes, they arrived
by truck ( some from California ) They came with siding and asphalt roofs; a
tile roof, and stucco was put over that. They have 2 by 6 inch construction
with double roofs, and walls. The county considers these manufactured homes
as “trailers” - so they pay a
lower property tax. ( call it anything you want, just lower my taxes )
Since the start of MM the
manufactured homes have had less problems with termites.
Termites are a issue here,
they can do serious damage to your home. The major ways to deal with them are;
with a annual contract ( fee ) and any issues are covered. You can have your home treated every so
many years ( higher fee ) and you have the option to do your own treating.
Longest living resident here
are : Tommy & Bobby Land in #
86. As far as I know, Tommy is the
only Arizona native living in MM. ( he grew up in Florance – just South and
East of here )
Our street names were chosen
by Rita Barney, wife of our developer
( she must like flowers ? )
our unique house numbering
system ??? ( good question ) some say the post office requested the system –
another that they were drunk ( but since they were Mormons ? ) Since the start of MM, people use house
numbers to state where you live. Clyde Barney
our developer, being a Mormon is why we have such wide streets - it is a tenet of the Mormon faith, that
the streets have to be wide enough to turn a wagon in.
This was planned as a totally
manufactured home development, ( no stick built homes ) Clyde told everyone he
was going to live in lot # 136, and the space in lots 423 through 445
was to be RV
storage. ( no homes – with just a tall block wall around RV storage ) Clyde made any deal he could – he took
in trades, of park models, RV's, homes in other developments. He would let
people bring in houses, but after one house came in, and the hole was dug, the
inspector found out the house could not handle a tile roof, and so it was dragged
out of here. Another house was too long for the lot # 61, and so a foot was cut
off the front. ( this house has no windows facing the street because of that
) people found out a year after
they moved in that they did not own the lot under their home. Sometimes they sold the same lot to 2 or 3 people ! Etc.....
Clyde played favorites, and
forgot the rules when it suited him, this is why we have some chain link fences
here, and many other quirks ! Sales Tax story – Leonerd Seitz & pop
Not many of the original manufactured home
owners from phase one are still here, about 30 ?
I call these residents “pioneers” = they went through heck for this
community.
The first stick built home in MM was built in late 1999.
We had a heck of a time
getting control of the association from Clyde, according to the by-laws he
wrote, he got 10 votes for every lot he controlled, it was a real fight. Our Association Presidents have had to
deal with all sorts of baggage and issues from our early days
Every part of the club house
was painted builders white, every room, every wall inside and out. Almost every
room had a sickly dirty green carpet.
Judy Benoit, a past Activities director and the Saffell's and the Bruss's made many of the changes you
see now. ( our current decorators are also very talented ! ) Every Activities director we have had
has left a mark on our community. Harold
# 62 bought a lot of the book shelfs for the library. For the first bunch of years, the current exercise room was
the computer room, like a private club, and locked up all the time. The exercise room was in the current
card room, we did not have a separate card room. The billiards room sat mostly un-used for many years, the
library was always the library. ( all these rooms started out completely empty
! ) Volunteers have
done and continue to do lots for your community, please offer to help continue
this progress !
Clyde was a VERY poor
business man, and with-in about 3 years things went to heck, he had to sell house lots to
outside builders, and some “stick built” homes were built here and there. ( but dealing with Clyde was sort of
like playing the lottery, a few people had no issues – they were winners, most
were losers – with issues ) Then
larger blocks of lots to other developers. In total 6 different developers, and a few
individuals built homes here in Meridian Manor. This explains why “phase three” was called “White Dove
Ranch” - Kaufman homes choose not to use the name Meridian Manor, everyone now
lives in Meridian Manor. In the
end we are not your typical cookie cutter development, and have quite a variety
of homes ( good !) All the
drama and trouble we had - is
history now ( but makes for some great stories ! ) no worry now, everything is
good, we have a great community.
Clyde used to have residents
help him with just about everything, staff the office, take people around in
golf carts, etc. His main helper was Leo Houle # # 22. Clyde used to have dances in the
clubhouse. He paid for the bands,
and my parents ran the dances, $ 2 or $ 3 for admission, popcorn, set-ups etc,
just like todays Jam sessions.
Clyde had a run in with the
first owner of house # 55 ( Gene & Pegs house now ) He was quite shrewed, every time he
went to the office with a issue, he made Clyde sign and date a paper that he
was there for at that date and for that issue. ( he forgot to build his garage
larger ) When Clyde did not take
care of that, he threatened to go to court, so rather then to have that happen,
Clyde bought him out. This is the
only home with a large shed in the back yard. ( it is stuccoed and has a tile
roof ) My dad took away
Clyde's license to sell real estate, due to not finishing our home.
Phase 3 Explain, Clyde tried to separate phase 3, and
sell it as non-55 +, this is why he built the North exit, put up the wall
between phases 2 & 3, etc... he invested all that money, then he went to
the city, which turned him down, and told him to stick to his original plan.
What really shot him was that we would have had younger people, kids in
everything, and the big cheese was where was the run off water going to go ???
( in phase 1 & 2 ) he even was
going to put a iron fence across the streets leading into phase 2 from phase 3.
My number one suggestion
: GET INVOLVED !!! As most of you know, this is a wonderful place to
live. Don't sit in your house waiting for the world to come to your door. ( unless you are having a party !
) Join our many activities, or
request to start a new one that interests you ! A fairly new resident told me; living at
Meridian Manor is like being on
a cruise, the weather is great, and there is so much to do all the time
!
MM is like a extended family,
they will be there for you when you need them. I know, when my mother was terminal with cancer, this
community was great to us. However you need to get around, and become known -
attend at least some of our many wonderful activities. We have something for every
interest, if not start another !
You have many different ways
of keeping informed ! We have a coffee meetings every Tuesday morning starting
at 9 AM ( but seniors get to everything at least 30 minutes before ) This is
where you find out what is happening in your community. MM also has a newsletter - paper copy
is delivered to your home, provided you have a basket or holder attached to
your mailbox. You can order them in the office for $ 8 or see Bill Goyman at
home # 347, or install your own.
They do email this newsletter out as well, and we have a web site also.
Our Homeowners Association
job is to keep our community in wonderful shape, most of this is done by
volunteers ! Some things are hired out, one of which is a management company.
Called “Brown Management”, they collect our dues, send out letters, and advise
our board. They work for our
Association, the Association runs our community.
Architectural review
committee ; in general you need to get permission for a whole lot of things
that you would like to do to your home or yard. They approve over 95 % of what
comes in front of them. Forms are
at the MM office, or ask a board member who you should talk to.
Social activity committee ;
in general run most the social events in our community.
If you have any idea's,
thoughts, or a possible new activities please feel free to contact them.
Library : We have
a wonderful community library, come in and grab a book or two, you do not need
to sign them out. Please think about library, donate books you have,
bring some back from your summer home. I have gone out a few times and bought
books and donated them to our library. Also drop off your magazines, or take
one with you. Our magazine rack is in memory of my mom, Marcy. We also have two computers you can use,
and wireless Internet, so bring in your lap-top to check your email.
Pool, You the resident should be at the pool if you
have visitors at your home. You should not just tell them to use the pool and
stay home. You do not need to go in, just be there with your guests. We do have
outsiders come in and use our pool and other amenities, sometimes doing damage,
which we have to repair with your Association funds. Everyone has to shower before entering either the
pool or hot-tub. Please make sure the grandkids behave, if things get out of
hand, restrictions will be the result. ( limiting the times kids can use the
pool, check around - this is the rule in most other 55+ communities )
Pets – are
allowed here at MM, however same story as the pool. If things get out of hand,
rules will come into
force. Please make sure your cats
don't roam. Please control the
barking
of your dogs. When taking
your dog on a walk, you MUST pick up after your dog ( poop ). Volunteers have
placed plastic bags in containers found on posts around the club house. Take a
bag if you need one. Please do not
leave dog dropping in these containers !
Take this to your home and dispose of it there.
Gates ; if you drive up, and the gate is closing – please
wait until it's completely closed.
Then hit the button, or put in your code. Doing this in mid-closing is
very hard on the gate machinery,
and will cause it to break
down. ( fixing it is costly = doing this will help keep your dues lower )
Parking;You are not allowed to park on the streets overnight,
unless you get a 3-day permit from the office. You can park up to 30 days in
our clubhouse parking lot. (permit required for this)
Do turn in a vacation slip if your going to be gone, ( get the form at the
office ) make sure the office knows how to contact you..... email, phone
number, alternate contacts, etc.
Be thankful for all the trees
and green in our community, when they started MM they scraped everything away,
we had nothing green here, no trees, no bushes, nothing. No birds, no wildlife, nothing but
dust, and a whole lot of dust !!
My poor mother about lost her mind cleaning.
Yard, almost everyone has a dip-system to water trees, and
bushes in your yard. Only native desert items can survive with-out
watering. Wrap or paint white the
lower part of the bark of new
fruit trees, ( the extreme sun and heat in the summer does great damage )
Weeds are a big issue !
I highly recommend you use a pre-emergent weed preventer. This can be sprayed on, or as a granular ( Preen, etc ). Or you can pay a service to spray your yard.
You will get a letter from our management service if your yard is a
mess. ( then a fine ! ) Watering
is much more effective when your tree or bush has a moat around it to keep the
water in. Frequent short watering
causes the roots to stay close to the surface, much better to water less often
and longer. So; 4 times a week for
15 minuets is bad, twice a week for 30 minutes is much better. Do check out your system before leaving
for the summer. It is very common for the spray heads to fly off, check for
leaks, etc.
Junking up your yard with
lots of stuff is against our Architectural guidelines.
All this stuff also attract
snakes and critters, so keep that in the back of your mind.
We only had two Canadian
couples living here for many years, both were very active. Archie and Pat
Petrone in # 52 started our steak fry dinners. Charlie & Jeanette # 88 have been involved in just about everything. They set a very
high standard for our newer Canadians, and every resident here !
If a tree in your yard grows
into the street, and someone can walk into it, please trim it. ( basically
follow our MM architecture guidelines ) The guy's who drive around in here
offering to trim things in your yard, do not always know what they are doing.
Many times they cut a tree branch with a sharp edge, and this can poke out a
eye. They should always be trimmed without this sharp edge, and as close to the
tree or larger branch as possible.
Pay attention to the rules
pertaining to the Billiards room, exercise room, etc.
Watching your home over
the summer; make sure you have
someone lined up to watch your place. Take care of your weeds, etc. We need
people to step up and get “Block watch” going again. They help keep a close eye on our
vacant homes, and this will help in preventing
break-ins. We had a rash of burglary's here about
4 -5 years ago. ( including my home )
Renting : Renters HAVE to prove they can rent here - age 55
+ in the office, the minimum rental time here is 30 days, NO less.
(when a community has too many short term rentals, home values drop) You have
to inform the city and county if you are renting your home, you then pay a higher rate of property taxes. You
are also required to pay sales tax on your rental amount.
Voting / Elections; here
at Meridian Manor : Your ballot will be mailed to you by
Brown management in January for you to vote, one vote per-household. ( you do not have to mail it in, and can
just bring it with you on the evening of the election ) Contact Brown
Management and give them your address down here at Meridian Manor, so your
ballot will be sent to your home here. ( and not stuck in some post office up
North )
Security Do
you part, look around - keep track of what go's on in your neighborhood,
check the street you live in
before you go to bed, and again if you wake up in the middle of the night.
( night would the time of
most issues )
Meridian Manor
NEW resident
orientation class
Page 1
Tuesday
March 6th 10 AM & 7 PM
First some history ! Meridian Manor or MM, is a
over $ 50 million dollar development !
We have three phases, phase
one is the oldest, phase three the newest. I always say phase one people are
the poor folks, and phase three is the Fountain hills of MM ! MM started in 1995 ? with
paperwork, in 1996 putting in
streets, home sales started in late 1996.
To buy a home here at that time, you visited a small office on Apache
trail. 1st building
here was the office, now house # 108
( opened spring of 1997 )
We had many different offices
of the years, including ; 109, 110, 111, 113, 67, 74, 1 - 4 ?
Clyde our developer would
sell the office, and move on to another house. 1st residents who moved in here were : Ed
& Delores Bauer – they built and lived at # 10 and they
also built house # 8 – ( Dick and Judy Sweeney's home), these are the only two
homes with a concrete star in the middle of the driveways.
Phase one has all the manufactured homes, they arrived
by truck ( some from California ), in 2, 3 or even 4 sections – as in the
Purdy's in # 58. They came with siding and asphalt roofs; a tile roof, and
stucco was put over that. They have 2 by 6 inch construction with double roofs,
and walls. The county considers these manufactured homes as “trailers” - so
they pay a lower property tax.
( call it anything you want, just lower my taxes ! )
Since the start of MM, our
manufactured homes have had far less problems with termites.
Termites are a issue here,
they can do serious damage to your home. The major ways to deal with them are;
with a annual contract ( fee ) and any issues are covered. You can have your home treated every so
many years ( higher fee ) and you have the option to do your own treating. (
cover things yourself )
Longest living resident here
are : Tommy & Bobby Land in #
86. As far as I know, Tommy is the
only Arizona native living in MM. ( he grew up in Florance – just South and
East of here )
Our street names were chosen
by Rita Barney, wife of our developer
( she must like flowers ? )
our unique house numbering
system ??? ( good question ) some say the post office requested the system –
another that they were drunk ( but since they were Mormons ? ) Since the start of MM, people
have used house numbers to state where you live. Clyde Barney our developer,
being a Mormon is why we have such wide streets - it is a tenet of the Mormon faith, that the streets have to
be wide enough to turn a wagon in. ( if you have been in Utah you have seen
that before )
This was planned as a totally
manufactured home development, ( no stick built homes ) Clyde told everyone he
was going to live in lot # 136,
and the space in lots 423
through 445 was to be RV storage.
( no homes – with just a tall block wall around RV storage )
Not many of the original manufactured home
owners from phase one are still here, about 30 ?
I call
these residents “pioneers” = they went through heck for this community.
The first stick built home in MM was built in late 1999.
Every part of the club house
was painted builders white, every wall, every room, inside and out. Almost every room had a sickly dirty
green carpet. Judy Benoit, a past
Activities director and the Saffell's and the Bruss's made many of the changes
you see now. ( our current
decorators are also very talented ! )
Every Activities director we have had has left a mark on our
community. Harold in # 62 bought a lot of the book shelfs
for the library. For the first
bunch of years, the current exercise room was the computer room, like a private
club, and locked up all the time.
The exercise room was in the current card room, we did not have a
separate card room. The billiards
room sat mostly un-used for many years, the library was always the library. (
all these rooms started out completely empty ! ) Volunteers have done and continue to do lots for
your community, please offer to help continue this wonderful progress !
page 2
Clyde was a VERY poor
business man, and with-in about 3 years things went to heck, he had to sell
house lots to outside builders, and some “stick built” homes were built here
and there. Then larger blocks of lots to other developers. In total 6 different
developers, and a few individuals built homes here in Meridian Manor. This explains why “phase three” was
called “White Dove Ranch” - Kaufman homes choose not to use the name Meridian
Manor, everyone now lives in Meridian Manor. In the end we are not your typical cookie cutter
development, and have quite a variety of homes ( good !) All the drama and trouble we had
- is history now ( but makes for some great stories ! ) no worry now,
everything is good, we have a great community. ( our cable issue, is another gift from Clyde )
Clyde used to have residents
help him with just about everything, staff the office, take people around in golf carts,
etc. His main helper was Leo Houle
# # 22. Clyde used to have
dances in the clubhouse. He paid
for the bands, and my parents ran the dances, $ 2 or $ 3 for admission,
popcorn, set-ups etc, somewhat like todays Jam sessions.
Clyde had a run in with the
first owner of house # 55 ( Gene & Pegs house now ) He was quite shrewed, every time he
went to the office with a issue, he made Clyde sign and date a paper that he
was there for, at that date, and for that issue. ( he forgot to build his
garage larger ) When Clyde did not
take care of that, he threatened to go to court, so rather then to have that
happen, Clyde bought him out. This
is the only home with a large shed in the back yard. ( it is stuccoed and has a
tile roof ) My dad requested
the state of Arizona take away Clyde's license to sell real estate, due to not
finishing our home. ( they did )
My number one suggestion
: GET INVOLVED !!! As most
of you know, this is a wonderful place to live. Don't sit in your house waiting
for the world to come to your door. (unless you are having a party !) Join our many activities, or request to
start a new one that interests you.
A fairly new resident told me; living at Meridian
Manor is like being on a cruise,
the weather is great, and there is so much to do all
the time !
MM is like a extended family,
they will be there for you when you need them. I know, when my
mother was terminally ill with cancer, this community was great to
us. However you need to get around, and become known - attend at
least some of our many wonderful activities.
You have many different ways
of keeping informed ! We have a coffee meetings every Tuesday morning starting
at 9 AM ( but seniors get to everything at least 30 minutes before ) This is
where you find out what is happening in your community. MM also has a newsletter - paper copy
is delivered to your home, provided you have a basket or holder attached to
your mailbox. You can order them in the office for $ 8 or see Bill Goyman at
home # 347, or install your own.
They will email this newsletter out to you as well, and we have a web
site also.
Our Homeowners Association
job is to keep our community in wonderful shape, most of this is
done by
volunteers ! Some things are hired out, one of which is a management company.
Called “Brown Management”,
they collect our dues, send out letters, and advise our board.
They work for our Association, YOUR Association runs our community.
page 3
Architectural review
committee ; in general you need to get permission for a whole lot of things
that you would like to do to your home or yard. They approve over 95 % of what
comes in front of them. Forms are at the MM office, or ask a board member who
you should talk to.
Social activity committee ;
in general run most the social events in our community.
If you have any idea's,
thoughts, or a possible new activities please feel free to contact them.
Library : We have
a wonderful community library, come in and grab a book or two, you do not need
to sign them out. Please think
about our library, donate books you have, bring some back from your summer
home. I have gone out a few times
and bought books and donated them to our library. Also drop off your magazines, or take one with you. Our
magazine rack is in memory of my mom, Marcy. We also have two computers you can use, and maybe ?
wireless Internet, so bring in your lap-top to check your email. ( this could be changing ??? )
Pool, You the resident should be at the pool if you
have visitors at your home. You should not just tell them to use the pool and
stay home. You do not need to go in, just be there with your guests. We do have
outsiders come in and use our pool and other amenities, sometimes doing damage,
which we have to repair with your Association funds. Everyone has to shower before entering either the pool or hot-tub. Please make sure
the grandkids behave, if things get out of hand, restrictions will be the
result. ( limiting the times kids can use the pool, check around - this is the
rule in most other 55+ communities
)
Pets – are allowed here at MM, however same story as the
pool. If things get out of hand,
new
rules will come into
force. Please make sure your cats don't
roam. Please control the barking
of your dogs. When taking
your dog on a walk, you MUST pick up after your dog ( poop ). Volunteers have
placed plastic bags in containers found on posts around the club house. Take a
bag if you need one. Please do not
leave dog dropping in these containers !
dispose of it in your garbage at home.
Gates ; if you drive up, and the gate is closing – please
wait until it's completely closed.
Then hit the button, or put in
your code. Doing this in mid-closing is very hard on the gate machinery,
and will cause it to break
down. ( fixing it is costly = doing this will help keep your dues lower )
Parking;You are not allowed to park on the streets overnight,
unless you get a 3-day permit from the office. You can park up to 30 days in
our clubhouse parking lot. ( a permit required for this )
Do turn in a vacation slip if your going to be gone, ( get the form at the
office ) make sure the office knows how to contact you..... email, phone
number, alternate contacts, etc.
We only had two Canadian
couples living here for many years, both were very active. Archie and Pat
Petrone in # 52 started our steak fry dinners. Charlie & Jeanette # 88 have been involved in just about
everything. They set a very high standard for our newer Canadians, and every
resident here !
Be thankful for all the trees
and green in our community, when they started MM they scraped everything away,
we had nothing green here, no trees, no bushes, nothing. No birds, no wildlife, nothing but dirt,
and a whole lot of dust !! My poor
mother about lost her mind trying to keep things clean.
Yard, almost everyone has a dip-system to water trees, and
bushes in your yard. Only native desert
items can survive with-out watering. Wrap or paint white the lower part of the bark of new fruit trees,
( the
extreme sun and heat in the summer can do great damage to your trees )
page
4
Weeds are a big issue ! I
highly recommend you use a pre-emergent weed preventer. This can be sprayed on, or
as a granular ( Preen, etc ). Or
you can pay a service to spray your yard.
You will get a letter from our management service
if your yard is a mess. ( then a fine ! )
Watering is much more effective when your tree or bush has a moat around
it to keep the water in. Frequent
short watering causes the roots to stay close to the surface, much better to
water less often and longer. So; 4
times a week for 15 minuets is bad, twice a week for 30 minutes is much
better. Do check out your system
before leaving for the summer. It is very common for the spray heads to fly
off, check for leaks, etc.
Junking
up your yard with lots of stuff is against our Architectural guidelines.
All
this stuff also attract snakes and critters, so keep that in the back of your
mind.
If a tree in your yard grows
into the street, and someone can walk into it, please trim it. ( basically
follow our MM architecture guidelines ) The guy's who drive around in here
offering to trim things in your yard, do not always know what they are doing.
Many times they cut a tree branch with a sharp edge, and this can poke out a
eye. They should always be trimmed without this sharp edge, and as close to the
tree or larger branch as possible.
Please pay attention to
the rules pertaining to the Billiards room, exercise room, etc.
Watching your home over
the summer; make sure you have
someone lined up to watch your place. Take care of your weeds, etc. We need people to step up and get “Block
watch” going again. They
help keep a close eye on our vacant homes, and this will help in preventing break-ins.
We had a rash of burglary's
here about 4 -5 years ago. ( including my home )
Renting : Renters HAVE to prove they can rent in here - age
55 or over, in the office. The
minimum rental time in MM is 30
days, NO less. (when a community has too many short term rentals, home
values drop) You have to inform the city and county if you are renting your
home, you then pay a higher rate of property taxes. You are also required to
pay sales tax on the rent you charge.
Voting / Elections; here
at Meridian Manor : Your ballot will be mailed to you by
Brown management in January for you to vote, one vote per-household. ( you do not have to mail it in, and
can just bring it with you on the evening of the election ) Contact Brown Management and give them
your address down here at Meridian Manor, so your ballot can be sent to your
home here. ( and not stuck in some post office up North ) They only mail out this one item, so it
makes great sense to list your address here in MM. Contact them this week and do this !
__________________________________________________________________________________
Class and handout by; Mark Bigaouette # 59. I have been here every winter
since Feb. 1997, when my parents bought the
house. ( both have passed away, and my brother Dean and I own the home now
) I do not represent
the Association board, or any committee.
Most of these groups will have upcoming meeting to explain about who
they are and what role they play here at Meridian Manor.
