Category: Home beautification

Moving right along, so to speak!

Posted on by Terry Wall in Annual Meeting, Candidate Forum, City Council, Civic Activity, Community Action, Community Beautification, Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Fire Department, Costa Mesa Police Department, Family Fun, Home beautification, Mayor's Race, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership, Newport Mesa Unified School District, Parks & Recreation Commission, Parkway Trees, Safety & Security, School Board

Greetings, Mesa Verde!

To say that we’ve just gone through a year of hell would be an understatement! Which is why I haven’t posted as often as I otherwise would have. But here we are…March 11th marked the 1-year anniversary of the Coronavirus Pandemic. It has NOT been pleasant and many folks that I know – including Laurie and I – were infected. The good news is that nearly all of us made it through that gauntlet and we’re witnessing a huge uptick in vaccines getting into the arms of our citizens. And happily, the ‘powers that be’ have seen fit to move us into the more relaxed “Red” status where we can start returning to “normal.” And THAT is good news, indeed!

From time to time, I and many of our board members are asked, What IS Mesa Verde Community, Inc., and what do you do? These questions have been answered, but with so many moving into the neighborhood recently, and to serve as a refresher for some of our “legacy” residents, I thought I’d share a few of the things we do.

  • Host City Council/Mayor Candidate forums every other year
  • Conduct Annual Meetings featuring presenters of interest to our neighborhood
  • Advocacy
    • One Metro West
    • Bikeway & Walkability Committee’s initiatives (Tanager Drive bike trail, Canary Drive bike ramp to Fairview Park)
    • Tanager Park pool initiative
    • Small Cell tower initiative
    • Various issues with CMPD (speeders through the neighborhoods)
    • Parkway (easement) tree program (under Beautification)
  • Ongoing interaction with CMPD, CMFD and NMUSD
  • Supporter of Mesa Verde Living magazine, distributed monthly to 3,000 households in Mesa Verde
  • Manage, restore and replace Mesa Verde community signs in a timely manner
  • Redesigned community website
  • Created social media presence (Facebook, Nextdoor)
  • Community newsletters, email blasts and surveys
  • Several “Info Nights”
  • Community picnic in 2018 and 2019
  • …and so much more!

As was mentioned earlier, the pandemic created a huge distraction and one of the things that may have “fallen through the cracks” is membership in MVCI. Membership has always been voluntary, and this includes the MVCI Board of Directors. Membership dues are the lifeblood of the organization and without them, none of the activities would be possible. Dues are only $20 a year…less than a few trips to Starbucks, and we need your help so that MVCI can continue its 50+ year record of service to the community. Please join or renew today! The membership app is on this website and PayPal is available. Also, feel free to share your input with us at admin@mesaverdecommunity.org.

MVCI is continually looking for “new blood” to participate, including joining the Board of Directors and we encourage residents to get involved. I will be stepping down at the end of March, as is “President Emeritus” Bob Juneman. We haven’t been able to hold an Annual Meeting for two consecutive years due to the pandemic, but the remaining board members have agreed to remain in place until elections can be conducted. The board has also unanimously selected Robin Leffler as President.

Although I am stepping out of my role as MVCI President, I will be staying on as the organization’s technical advisor. To that end, I want to express my gratitude for all the kind words and graciousness that have been sent my way.

See you around the neighborhood! ~Terry

 

Mesa Verde Community, Inc. Annual Meeting — 2020

Posted on by Terry Wall in Annual Meeting, Civic Activity, Community Action, Community Beautification, Home beautification, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership

Greetings everyone! The MVCI Annual meeting is coming soon. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. Our featured speakers will be distinguished executives from Mesa Water District, including Director Jim Fisler, General Manager of MWD, Paul Shoenberger, and Water Use Efficiency Analyst, Justin Finch.

Come join us!

President’s Corner — August, 2019

Posted on by Terry Wall in Annual Meeting, Candidate Forum, City Council, Civic Activity, Community Action, Community Beautification, Home beautification, Mayor's Race, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership, Neighborhood Survey, Newport Mesa Unified School District, NMUSD, Parks & Recreation Commission, Parkway Trees, Safety & Security, School Board, School District, Volunteers

Greetings Mesa Verde! As a result of the board’s unanimous vote, I have been appointed to be MVCI’s president for the next two-year term. The last two years have seen significant progress in the endeavors of the organization and can be seen in Bob Juneman’s final message to the community, the July “PC.” While I’m at it, I want to sincerely thank Bob for his marvelous stewardship, and only hope that I can be as successful in the upcoming term.

Going forward, there will be several things I’d like to see us accomplish as your board. But for the purposes of this first message to the community, I want to focus on one issue: Membership! As has been shared several times by Bob and all the members of the board, membership is our lifeblood. We are not a homeowner association in the sense most people understand. There are no mandatory CC&R-based (covenants, conditions and restrictions) HOA fees for common areas, external building surfaces, roofs, pools, etc.

Think of MVCI instead as more of a civic association. All board members are volunteers and all dues collected are also voluntary. The funds the organization takes in allow us to advocate on behalf of the residents with the City Council and the various city commissions, Police and Fire Departments, School Board, Water and Sanitation Districts, to ensure our collective voices are heard. These dollars also help to defray the costs of our Annual Meeting, the MVCI City Council Candidate Forum, newsletters, surveys, the MVCI website and projects associated with beautification, like the entry signs to the community.

I want to appeal to every homeowner in Mesa Verde to join MVCI! With roughly 3000 homes in our community, there is no reason that we can’t get twenty percent membership. If you’re a member, ask your neighbors. I have seen dozens of new homeowners move into the “Upper Bird” streets just in the last few years…ask them! Membership is only twenty bucks a year…4 or 5 visits to Starbucks!

What’s it gonna take to get you to participate?

As part of this task, I will be producing a video, with the working title, “This is Mesa Verde” to help tell the story. We will create a YouTube channel to help communicate with internet-savvy folks. We just formed a partnership with the new magazine, Mesa Verde Living, which is mailed monthly to the aforementioned 3000 homes. To simplify signing up and renewing memberships, we are looking at online methods and will have a robust solution chosen in the next 60 days.

Are you with me? According to a few of our veteran board members, our membership roster has been as high as 500, so the 20% ask (which would be around 600 members) should be “do-able.”

Let’s do this! To get to the membership application, click here.

See you again next month!

~Terry

President’s Corner — July, 2019

Posted on by Terry Wall in Candidate Forum, City Council, Civic Activity, Community Action, Community Beautification, Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Fire Department, Costa Mesa Police Department, Family Fun, Home beautification, Mayor's Race, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership, Neighborhood Survey, Newport Mesa Unified School District, NMUSD, Parks & Recreation Commission, Parkway Trees, Retail Shopping, Safety & Security, School Board, School District, Tanager Park

 

Hello Mesa Verde, welcome to the dog days of summer. Every year about this time I wonder why we haven’t installed air conditioning in our home. Then, about the time I get ready to make the call, the beautiful Fall weather arrives, and another year goes by.

On occasion I am asked, “what exactly is Mesa  Verde?”  Our Board of Directors defines Mesa Verde as bounded by the River on the west, the 405 Freeway to the north, Harbor Blvd on the east, and the north edge of Fairview Park and the public golf course on the south, including Mesa Verde Collection, 27 Seventy Five, Longwood Greens, and Azulon. More importantly, it is our home, a wonderful community in which to enjoy our lives in comfort and harmony. A treasure to be protected and cherished. We hope you agree.

As I mentioned last month, Karla Stagman, has joined us as our Beautification Chair. Karla and her husband bought their home on Alabama Circle in 2000, and love life in our beautiful community. “I believe that with neighbors working together, Mesa Verde will continue to be one of the top neighborhoods in our area.”  Karla sees her role as an opportunity to collaborate with all of our members to bring a voice to all of Mesa Verde. As a local realtor, Karla sees the “power of true community to enhance the beauty and value of our properties.“ If we raise consciousness about community appearance, it will keep Mesa Verde economically viable and “Beautification will become a fun project.”

There is a new order of things in Costa Mesa. Last November brought a “sea change” to   how our city is governed. Our City Council increased from five to seven members. We changed from an “at large” to a six-district voting system, with an “at large” Mayor. We are finding that the costs of running a growing city are increasing faster that the revenue to pay for it, exacerbated  by the exploding unfunded pension liability, now close to $300,000,000. To quote from the 2019-2020 budget message, “The past six years have marked unparalleled prosperity for Costa Mesa and the recovery from the Great Recession has continued, becoming the longest period of economic growth in history. During that time, the City has also been faced with challenges such as addressing homeless issues and defending itself in lawsuits filed by sober living facilities.”  What this all means is that we need to be prepared for tougher times ahead and be patient.

5G technology is coming, and with it some new concerns. Our Board member and Treasurer, Carri Lang, has been “Bird dogging” this issue for us…click here to see her update and to see the actual letter sent to the City Council under my signature, click here.

Finally, as my term as President expires soon, this is my final President’s Corner. At our August Board meeting we will elect a new leader. Looking back over the past several years, the first thing that comes to mind is how fast time flies! What has our Board of Directors accomplished and how has our association grown? Let’s take a look:

~ We increased our Board from 9 to 11 members.
~ Established the position of Data Manager
~ Initiated videotaping of our annual meetings, viewable on our website HERE
~ Sponsored our traditional Candidate Forum in 2018
~ Initiated our Annual Neighborhood Picnic in 2018, continued in 2019
~ Held first public information meeting jointly with the Newport Mesa School Board and local school principals.
~ Replaced or reconditioned our Mesa Verde gateway signs
~ Advocated in support of the Tanager Drive neighbors to help arrive at an equitable solution to the proposed bike trail
~ Established a Mesa Verde Bulletin Board on our website for the use of our residents
~ Established a close working relationship with our police department to reduce speeding and traffic violations in Mesa Verde.
~ Completed several neighborhood surveys and reported results
~ Enhanced our website and broadened our social media coverage to include Facebook (check here) and Nextdoor (go here).
~ Published four newsletters, mailed to over 3000 Mesa Verde residents
~ Established our “Lifetime Membership.”
~ Initiated our Mesa Verde Volunteer Group (If you have a little extra time to devote, please consider volunteering)
~ Created our first self-guided “Water Wise Garden Tour”

Alas, my biggest disappointment is that we have not significantly increased our membership. We’ve added several new members, including seven lifetimes, but quite a few old members have not renewed. Why not? That’s a question we need to address. And, we will!

As I trust you can know, most of this costs money, and your membership dues and donations are our only source of revenue. Can you guess what I’m asking you to do? Click here and go directly to the membership app.

My thanks to our Board of Directors for  granting me the honor and privilege of serving as your President these two years, and to all of you for your support and encouraging words. A special “well done” to the tremendous help from our volunteer group.

I know that you will accord our new President your continued support.

Respectfully,
Bob

President’s Corner — February, 2019

Posted on by Terry Wall in Annual Meeting, Civic Activity, Community Action, Community Beautification, Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Fire Department, Costa Mesa Police Department, Home beautification, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, MVCI membership

Don’t miss Costa Mesa’s biggest event of the year: Our MVCI ANNUAL MEETING, March 26. Come cast your vote for the re-election of four of our Board members, plus a discussion of membership opportunities and our avenues of communication. Then sit back and listen to Mesa Verde’s own Bill Burke thrill you with his record setting mountain climbing exploits.

March 26th
Mesa Verde United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall
1701 W. Baker Street, Costa Mesa (Corner Baker and Mesa Verde Drive West)
6:30 Refreshments, meet and greet.  7:00 Meeting

Calendar it now! You won’t want to miss this one.

On February 5th, we held our first joint meeting with the Newport Mesa Unified School District, to inform Mesa Verde residents about what’s going on in our schools.  Board President Charlene Metoyer moderated a panel consisting of five of our school principals, discussing what their schools are offering our students. Thirty or so brave souls ventured out despite the rain, State of the Union address, City Council Meeting, and maybe even a hangover from the Rams’ Super Bowl loss.  Our first attempt; if demand calls, we’ll give it another go next year. Let us know.

We are still working with CMPD on slowing down the speeding in Mesa Verde. Please keep us informed of violations you observe, keeping in mind that the police need specifics to work with. All part of keeping Mesa Verde a safe place to live.

Last month we announced the creation of our new MESA VERDE BULLETIN BOARD, for your use in posting information of interest to MV residents. It will be up and running soon, so keep your eyes out for it. When it goes “live,” you will see a separate tab for it at the top of the page. In the meantime, if you’d like to share any upcoming activities of events, please forward them to admin@mesaverdecommunity.org.

We are looking for a volunteer Data Input Manager. Because of the privacy associated with handling these records, this incumbent will also be a Board member. The position requirements are detailed in the PDF that can be accessed by clicking this link: Membership Database Manager

Our membership count continues to grow, albeit slowly. Renewals are due by March 31st, so why not take care of it right now? You can download a membership application from this website (https://mesaverdecommunity.org/services/).  Also, please help us recruit your friends and neighbors residing in Mesa Verde. Our members are our assets, and the lifeblood of this association, and your dues our only source of revenue.

Finally, look for our March MVCI NEWSLETTER to hit your mailbox around mid-March. And thank you to our MVCI VOLUNTEERS who are joyfully preparing to help us with labeling and mailing. Would you like to serve your community as a MVCI VOLUNTEER? Please contact me at bob@juneman.com and I’ll be happy to explain what is involved.

See you at the Annual Meeting!

Cheers, Bob

PRESIDENT’S CORNER — JULY 2018

Posted on by Terry Wall in Civic Activity, Community Action, Costa Mesa, Costa Mesa Police Department, Family Fun, Home beautification, Mesa Verde, Safety & Security

Many of you were kind enough to complete our recent survey, so I thought I would summarize the most common themes, in response to the last survey question, “What would you like to see most from MVCI?”

1. Provide information on what is going on in town, especially Mesa Verde.

2. What is being done about the homeless and the sober living facilities?

3. Organize more community activities, I.e. town halls, etc.

4. Remind residents to keep their property presentable.

5. Stop the speeding in our neighborhoods.

6. Keep us informed as to what the city council is up to.

7. Do not engage in politics.

8. What are the benefits of membership in MVCI?

9. Why is crime increasing?

10. You’re doing fine-just keep it up.

Of course, we wish all responses were #10, but then, we wouldn’t have anything left to do. Let’s look at some of these themes. #1: we will step up the pace. Please check our website, as we try to keep it fresh. www.mesaverdecommunity.org. Also, visit our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1083641171668836/), and sign up for our e-mail blast at admin@mesaverdecommunity.org. Our next semi-annual newsletter is scheduled for publication in late September. #3: we’re working on several town hall events during the Winter. We will be holding a candidate’s forum in October, our annual meeting in March, and our picnic in May.  #5: Would love to. We will notify CMPD of the concern in our community.  #7: We don’t. We are a non-political. Non-partisan association. #8: Great question! Please visit our website as to who we are and what we do.

We will work on a more persuasive statement, but keep in mind our mission statement “Inform, Protect and Beautify” Mesa Verde. These are the ends to which we strive, in our advocacy for Mesa Verde residents. Finally, #9, CMPD statistics indicate crime to actually be decreasing, but, if it happens in your neighborhood, ….. well, that’s different. We might suggest you consider forming a Neighborhood Watch group, sponsored by our Police Dept. We can help you with that.

We appreciate your participation in our survey, and we will be doing these periodically. If you have a specific problem, please contact us through our website. We will do our best to help you. We will release other survey findings in subsequent posts.

Thanks for tuning in.

Bob Juneman
President

President’s Corner **NEW FEATURE**

Posted on by Terry Wall in Civic Activity, Community Action, Costa Mesa, Home beautification, Mesa Verde, MVCI Board of Directors, Safety & Security

Someone once told me that the best way to start a new venture is to just begin. So, here goes. As your newly elected President, I’ve been thinking of ways to encourage communication between our Board of Directors and our membership. Both ways. So, I decided to begin this new posting, probably monthly. Let’s call it “President’s Corner.” Content will include timely items of interest to our Mesa Verde residents, actions taken or under discussion by our Board, and stuff we haven’t even thought of yet. That’s where you come in. Talk to us. Give us feedback. We want your ideas. We’re here to serve the Mesa Verde community. Go to MENU, find FEEDBACK, and you’ll see the format.  We want to hear from you.

Although I was just recently elected, the majority of our current Board of Directors has been together for about two years. At our recent meeting we had a brain storming session to discuss:

1. What have we accomplished so far?
2. Where are we now?
3. Where do we go from here?

Well, we wrote our Mission Statement, “To Inform, Protect, and Beautify Mesa Verde”, we re-wrote and updated our by-laws. We conducted a candidate forum for the last City Council election. We have held two annual meetings for the MVCI membership, featuring CMPD Chief Rob Sharpnack and City Manager Tom Hatch. Our next will be held in March. We have published several newsletters delivered to all residents of Mesa Verde. Hopefully you have read them. And, through the great efforts and talent of our webmaster, Terry Wall, we created this website. It is still a work in progress.

Where are we now? I believe we are in the growing pains stage, trying to decide what we want to be when we grow up.

Where do we go from here? Set goals, develop an action plan, and listen to what you of  the Mesa Verde community want from your association. A lot will depend on you and, we need to grow our membership. More on this next issue.

So, friends, just a taste of things to come. As Director  Bill Partnoff commented recently, “We have a wonderful community, but we have just scratched the surface of our potential”.

Stay tuned,
Bob Juneman

Handy Tricks & Tips — A New MVCI Website Feature

Posted on by Terry Wall in Community Action, Costa Mesa, Family Fun, Home beautification, Mesa Verde

FIRST ISSUE – GARDEN FUN! Attract more hummingbirds, plant water-wise flowers they love!

WATER-WISE FLOWERS HUMMINGBIRDS ADORE

Hummers love Salvia (sage).  A  few easy ones:

  • Salvia clevelandia, lavender-blue flowers, 4 ft tall and wide.
  • Salvia leucantha (Mexican sage), rose violet, velvety leaves, prolific bloomer. 3-4 ft tall and wide.
  • Salvia greggii (Autumn sage), red, pink, white and coral, several varieties, about 3x3ft. In bloom right now (June- August) on the Mesa Verde Drive medians!
  • Salvia spathecea (Hummingbird sage), A shade lover, needs full or part shade.  Rose red flowers,  2-3ft tall, 3ft wide.

Other hummingbird favorites: 

  •  Mimulus cardinalis (Monkey Flower), scarlet red, and aurantiacus, yellow/orange,  also called Sticky monkey flower.
  • Buddleia (Butterfly Bush) Pink, blue, purple and “Black Knight”,  a purple so deep it is almost black.  Grows  6′-7′ or more, there are also dwarf varieties. (Butterflies also love it!)
  • Leonotis (Lions Tail), orange flowers, 4′ tall.
  • Zauschneria (California Fuchsia). Small tubular purple-tipped red flowers. Low, loose mound.
  • Agastache (hummingbird mint, hyssop) Rose-red, pink, and violet flowers, a variety of foliage types, low to medium height.
  • Callistemon (bottlebrush), Not just your grandma’s Bottlebrush tree! Many new varieties, colors and sizes.

GENERAL ADVICE:  All the above like full sun unless noted, and require well-drained soil.  Most need  regular water the first season, then do well with water only twice a month. Some benefit from occasional pruning. Check with your local Nursery or landscape professional for availability,  planting advice, growth habits, care and water needs.

No green thumb? No room?  No problem!  There’s always the good old hummingbird feeder.  Here’s a new trick:  A friend got some sugar at the 99c store that was tan, like turbinado sugar.   She mixed it up and the feeder was mobbed.   It disappeared  twice as fast as ordinary sugar water!  Recipe: 1 part sugar to 4 parts water.  Stir or shake until dissolved.  Keep feeder clean to prevent toxic fungus build-up.

 

Contributed by Robin Leffler, MVCI Board Member