My mother lives in the Village Meadows Neighborhood and I am confused about your association.

What I am confused is about is the ''neighbor'' part of your name. I have witnessed your ''association'' members walking around with clip boards making notes of zoning violations. I stopped and talked with them to see what was up. They told me that they were cleaning up the neighborhood. I am involved in a Neighborhood Association in my neighborhood and we too have done this, however, we also went to these individual houses to see if they needed some help to get their ''violations'' in order. Amazing to find friends and neighbors this way. You will meet elderly people who are not healthy or wealthy enough to be able to take care of a overgrowing tree. And the fear that strikes them when they receive a ''violation'' notice from the city, because they really don't understand. You will meet the woman who for circumstances beyond her control had to have knee replacement surgery and hasn't been able to mow her lawn.

In short, I applaud what you are trying to do to make your neighborhood a better, cleaner, nicer place to live. However, wouldn't it serve you better to take the time to offer a hand than to make a phone call? Or at least make the call after you have offered the hand.

He's right!

We do need helpers and not tattletales.

I am one of the people this person is talking about. I live in the Village Meadows area. About two years ago I hurt my knee while at work. The damage was severe and I was only able to walk with the use of a cane. The knee required surgery and more than a year to heal.

During that year plus my home suffered due to my being unable to get outside and do the yard work and repairs that are necessary when you own a home. The grass became tall, some small bushes died from lack of care, and the place started to look a bit ragged. We didn?’t have the money to hire anyone to do the work, so we did the best we could.

During that time we received no less than 2 notes on our mailbox complaining of the long grass and one notice from the City of Phoenix telling us that we would be fined unless our grass was cut. I remember hobbling around the yard pushing the lawn mower while using it like a cane in order to get that grass cut. The pain was terrible and it set me back quite a bit, but it had to be done. (Pain pills are gooood...)

One neighbor (a real nice guy) helped us out a couple of times by cutting the lawn, and I really appreciated that. But every one else just assumed we were deadbeats. No one ever once asked if there was a reason why I wasn?’t keeping up with the yard work.

And I am sure that there are a lot of other people who have reasons why that grass might be long, or that wall un-painted, or that bush not trimmed.

Not everyone has the time or the money or can withstand the summer heat to get out and take care of that yard work or home repair.

Or maybe they hurt their knee.

There are a lot of good people in this neighborhood, but we sure could use more neighbors instead of tattletales.

Face The Facts

Hey, I know for a fact that the VM Association has offered to ''help'' those that are in need. They have provided paint, a $2,300.00 sprayer, and painting supplies for a minimum of 16 homes that were in violation. The VM Association, the Deer Valley Baptist Church, and VM Elementary School children have helped clean several neighbors yards, hauled trash to the dump, and even made provisions for clothing, food, and outside assistance for monetary help. The VM Association publically announces several clean-ups and actively soilcits for those ''IN NEED'', whether financially, physically, or whatever, to specifically help in whatever way needed. But hey, when NO ONE SPEAKS UP OR ASKS, how the heck are they supposed to know. AND, did you know that they also have a storage locker full of lawn and cleanup equipment available for use FREE OF CHARGE to any VM resident? And, there is only one thing to say about Zoning Violations: Either you ARE in compliance -or - You ARE NOT in compliance. There has been enough advertising and information put forth by the VM Association to the VM residents over the LAST 4 YEARS about Zoning issues that no one, I repeat NO ONE, shouldn't know what is or isn't permnitted, and they have had plenty of warnings. Hey, I myself have had 5 case files opened on my property, each by an anonamous complainer, and each was found not have merit. If a Zoning Officer is at one address for a Zoning Violation, and he/she see's another violation nearby, that property will also get a ''on the spot'' notice given to them. It appears there are more VM residents that wish to live in a clean and safe neighborhood, have some pride, and can call this square mile of realestate ''HOME''.

By High Paid Volunteer (NOT)

Give Me A Break

A word on Internet etiquette...

When you type messages, sentences or sentence fragments in all CAPS that is considered yelling. I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and believe that you didn't know this. I mean if you did and still did it, that would be further evidence as to why the VMCCNA has to go begging for volunteers and board members among the homeowners here. For crying out loud if we can't have an anonymous Internet bulletin board discussion without getting yelled at why in the name of God would we want to meet face to face to hash out differences?

Which is really what this message is about... compromise. Perhaps you've heard of it? Sort of a bedrock principle in a democratic society. I'm sure you've complained about the partisonship of the US Government, yet your message is the most partisan thing I've seen lately. You didn't take the time to look at the big picture, you simply ran off at the mouth or keyboard as the case may be.

Here are a few facts I've come up with in my 2 years as a homeowner.

• I did not know there was a ''storage locker full of lawn and cleanup equipment available for use free of charge to any VM resident''.
  
• This bit amuses me... ''The VM Association publically announces several clean-ups and actively soilcits (sic) for those ''IN NEED'', whether financially, physically, or whatever, to specifically help in whatever way needed. But hey, when NO ONE SPEAKS UP OR ASKS, how the heck are they supposed to know.'' So as I understand it what you are saying is that the VMCCNA will only offer help when it is a scheduled event that is convenient for the board? The rest of the year for those that may need assistance tough luck, so sorry and here's a letter from the city? Well get up on your cross you have helped humanity!
  
• Another good bit... ''there is only one thing to say about Zoning Violations: Either you ARE in compliance -or - You ARE NOT in compliance.'' Agreed, but did it ever occur to you to maybe offer help personally instead of running to the city to send out anonymous nasty-grams. What are you afraid of, the neighbors you so vehemntly defend in the last paragraph of your message who call this place home?
  

Here's another fact you either didn't notice or chose to ignore. All of the other messages in this thread have all said the same thing! Instead of running to the city and using scare tactics as if this were a police state, maybe you could actually be a neighbor and knock on the door and ask ''Did you know you were in violation of zoning laws?'' (Some people may have just moved in and have never owned before and don't know the zoning laws.) Then ask them as a member of the VMCCNA board if they need assitance in correcting the problem or if they can handle it themselves. If they refuse to take the corrective action then by all means sick the city on them. But by just calling the city all you do is create an atmosphere of anamosity and distrust with your neighbors. Now they sit in thier homes and wonder if the garden lady is bitching to the city about the dead rose bush in the front yard.

Do you see what I'm driving at here? Be a concerned citizen that's great, but also be a good neighbor and offer a helping hand everytime not just two or three time a year. Some people can't take care of problems that arise whether it is financial, physical or whatever. Getting the city after them right off the bat creates stress (I know I've gotten the letters) and a feeling of dislike and distrust for those around them. There is no community here, in my opinion the strong arm tactics of the VMCCNA have ruined any chance of community for the majority of us who are just trying to live our lives and I think that is in total contradiction to what a neighborhood association should stand for.

That's my two cents, if you think I'm wrong let me know.