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ICHA News, Summer 2022 • ICHA/Uhills Contacts

Your Maintenance Assessment Fees Help Keep University Hills Amenities Functional and Beautiful. Annual University Hills operating budget statements were sent to all homeowners yesterday (if you did not receive a budget statement, please check your email spam folder or contact ICHA Accounting at ichaacctg@icha.uci.edu). The Village of University Hills has among the highest park acreage and pool count per capita in Irvine. Homeowner maintenance assessments help pay for the upkeep and maintenance of all the wonderful University Hills amenities, including:

14 parks and picnic areas 3 dog parks 4 pools 4 themed gardens 3 tennis courts, 2 basketball courts and a sand volleyball court

EV charging station Vista points and open spaces World class Community Center facilities

Maintaining all of these amenities, along with common area lighting, landscaping and infrastructure, comes at a cost. This year, costs have increased along with national inflation, higher vendor labor and materials prices, increases in utilities and insurance costs. All of this comes in the wake of a one-year Maintenance Assessment freeze for 2020-21 in response to uncertainties surrounding the pandemic. Even with this year's increase, University Hills maintenance assessments are still among the lowest in the area. Comparable community HOA dues are shown in the table below: Monthly assessments for community facilities/common areas for detached Single Family Homes:

University Hills Eastwood Community Association Cypress Village Community Association Stonegate Community Association Woodbury Community Association Portola Springs Community Association Orchard Hills Community Association

$110 $125 $135 $135 $140 $166 $299

A Message From the Metropolitan Water District: We don’t have the water we need for 2022. We must cut use.

California is facing its most severe shortage ever this summer. Residents across Southern California are being called on to immediately reduce water use by 20 to 30 percent. About half of the water used throughout Orange County comes from imported supplies; the Irvine Ranch Water District, which serves University Hills, gets 17% of its water from imports1. The imported water comes from the Colorado River and Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta through The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). Most of Irvine's water comes from local sources, including recycled wastewater and groundwater basins. Deliveries of the imported water is what has declined dramatically over the past three years. So let's all do our part to help all communities in Southern California by reducing our water use, starting now. Please visit bewaterwise.com for water-saving tips, rebates and resources. For more information: Drought 2022 Addressing Drought & Climate Resiliency  1 Municipal Water District of Orange County website

Save Water, Use Mulch! Coming the last week of June: Leonard Chaidez Tree Service mulch donation ... look for future communications for specific dates and times. Mulch will be dropped at the Community Center parking lot, as usual. Why use mulch? Covering bare dirt with mulch:

Retains moisture Recycles green waste Controls erosion

Promotes the development of nutrient-rich soil Keeps weeds at bay Looks beautiful

The 2022 University Hills Community Survey has been completed (a special thank you to all Uhills residents who participated in the survey). The 2022 survey is the second we have conducted (the first Community Survey was done in 2019, prior to the arrival of Covid-19). View 2022 survey results by clicking on the links below.  We collected a great deal of data during the survey run, March 29 – April 24. Questions range from basic satisfaction of home design, size, location to how well you know your neighbors to how you managed the migration to remote work, and back. Our resident demographer Ken Chew, Professor Emeritus, Urban Planning & Public Policy, is analyzing the survey submissions and comparing them to 2019 data. Results will be shared with the entire community in a series of articles and graphics in these quarterly ICHA newsletters and of course published on icha.uci.edu. Thank you again to all who participated!

Homeowners Survey

Renters Survey

New Resident Portal Is Coming!

In the next month, homeowners should receive an email invitation to join the University Hills Resident Portal. The portal is a new tool we are implementing that features a new and improved process for making architectural and general requests. It will also allow homeowners to edit their own contact information. Look for invitations to go to uci.edu email addresses in the next month or so.

Burglar-proof your home this summer. The UCI PD shares tips and how-tos. While You're Away Request a patrol check of your home while you are on vacation or away from home for an extended period of time. To submit a request, call UCI Campus Police Dispatch at (949) 824-5223 or complete the form. Vacation Checklist Lock all windows (including the bathroom) Secure sliding glass doors Lock door between the garage and the house Bolt the garage door from the inside Click here for the full checklist you can print out! Safety Tips Ensure that all doors and windows are locked. Do not prop doors open. Never leave electronics, wallets, and other valuables in plain sight. Dial 9-1-1 for emergency or in-progress events. Non-emergency call (949) 824-5223. https://www.police.uci.edu UCIPD blotter

ICHA & University Hills Has Been Nominated for the 2022 Integrated Pest Management Achievement Award. Each year, the California Environmental Protection Agency recognizes communities that adopt techniques that increase the benefits and reduce the risks of pest control. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) achievement is evaluated according to eight specific categories reflecting community-based problem solving:

Value Effectiveness Innovation Leadership

Outreach Organizational Education Research Support Sustainability

ICHA Rodent Control Best Practices   ICHA has a long history of integrating sustainable practices in managing rats and other pests. ICHA does not use anti-coagulant rodenticide products commonly found in household rat treatments. As a member of UCI's Integrated Pest Management Team, ICHA has advised the campus on organic herbicides and pesticides it has used successfully. In addition, ICHA has supported community initiatives such as the HOOT Group, which led an effort to install owl nesting boxes in University Hills. Owls are natural predators that help control rodent populations. For more information on rodent management, click here. Congratulations, ICHA Community Management!

One of the three nesting boxes that have been installed in UHills.

Tennis Reservations Info & Etiquette The Urey and Gateway Park tennis courts are among the most-reserved amenities in University Hills. We love that so many resident tennis players are making use of the courts and reserving them on uhills.org. Just a few reminders:

The uhills.org reservations system has been tweaked recently to improve the reservations experience. Thank you to residents who provide specific feedback that helps to implement these changes. Click the links below for more resources: uhills.org>Facilities & Reservations>How to Use uhills.org on a Mobile Device uhills.org>Facilities & Reservations> How to Make a Reservation Video

Please be respectful of your fellow players and do not book the courts every day at the same time. Many residents want to reserve.   Residents who show up more than 10 minutes after the start of their reserved time forfeit their reservation. No formal instruction is permitted at Gateway Tennis Court - tennis instruction is allowed at the Urey courts. Any instruction requires registration with ICHA. Full rules and regulations are listed on tennis court reservation pages.

Still need help? For reservations, contact reservations@uhills.org. For technical help, contact barbara.correa@icha.uci.edu

Pickleball, Anyone? Management has received a request from a group of residents to modify one of the Urey Tennis Courts with an overlay of striping that would allow both tennis and pickleball to be played on the same court. For the last six months, a group (35-40 residents) has been playing by utilizing temporary court markings, which is not optimal. The play group has also petitioned the HRB with their request. Management is researching aspects of converting the court to include design, materials, noise, schedule of play, cost, paddle design and other general conditions associated with the possible use. A group of both tennis and pickleball players, adjacent residents and an HRB and ICHA liaison will meet to discuss the concept in July. Any interested resident is invited to share input on the possibility of a single court configuration. Please email your thoughts to info@uhills.org. Once discussion concludes, the HRB and ICHA will determine whether the request can be incorporated into the network of recreation amenities serving the community.

Beware the Wiley Coyote. To you, your pet is your most cherished companion. To a coyote, your pet is lunch. Do your part to keep pets safe and reduce coyote-human interaction. Click here for more resources from University Hills residents.

Enjoy Your Community Pools! Pools and spas are heated and open at all four University Hills community facilities: Coltrane, Los Trancos, Gabrielino and Urey. See locations and photos at our Recreation Amenities map

The Centers for Disease Control estimates there are about 3,500 unintentional drownings in pools and spas across the U.S. ever year. Please stay safe at the pool.

Pool & Park Etiquette  PLEASE... Remember to stay OFF the pool lane lines. Sitting or leaning on floating lane lines damages them and disrupts lap swimming. Glass containers are prohibited in all community pool areas.  If your event produces overflow trash, please take responsibility for hauling it to your home. Extra bags can be found at the bottom of each trash receptacle. Please handle outdoor umbrellas with care and close after use.  No animals in pool areas.

News You Can Use

Maintenance Reminders Check summer irrigation schedules approved by IRWD.  Check and replace air filters ahead of seasonal A/C use for maximum efficiency. Braided hoses on washing machines should be replaced every five years. Water pressure regulators need to be replaced every five years.

ICHA reserves the right to send to an unsubscribed e-mail certain important communications such as construction notifications or emergencies. The unsubscribed status will be respected for all other ICHA or HRB communications.