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Current Blog Posts

Friday Update – 2pm

Friday Update – 2pm

by | Sep 11, 2026 | ,

The Avondale/Goodyear post office tells me that they have sent someone out with the Hold Mail — someone who does have the correct key — and that the Hold Mail should now be in your boxes.

Please send me a brief email if you can verify that Hold Mail is indeed in the box… no need to tell me if the answer is “no, not in the box yet.”  I’ll assume that total silence means “no”.

However, they did say that our specific carrier does not have the correct key yet, and they are working with the Phoenix office locksmith to get the correct one for our carrier.  That probably means that the current day’s mail isn’t going to get into the box quite yet.  I’ll continue to call them until everything is working as it should be!

Reminder: I’m planning to be out at the mailbox Saturday September 12 from 11:30am to 12:30pm to hand out more keys.

Friday Update – 2pm

Update for Thursday Evening

by | Sep 10, 2026 | ,

Thanks to those of you who came by and picked up your mailbox keys Wednesday.  A few people have called me asking about keys and I’ve hand-delivered a few today/Thursday.

Sorry to say that the Hold Mail is still not yet delivered.  I’ll be calling my contact at the Avondale/Goodyear post office in the morning and asking “what’s up with that??”  In case you didn’t hear, the postal carrier has the hold mail ready to deliver, but he does not yet have the correct key to open the units so he can put them in the appropriate mailbox slot.  With some luck they will have the key tomorrow/Friday!

I will be at the mailboxes Saturday from 11:30am to 12:30pm for anyone else that wants to pick up their keys.

You can email me if you want to pick up your keys from me tomorrow/Friday, but I will be without transportation, so you’d have to stop by my home to pick them up.  Please email and I’ll give you the address and confirm my availability.

Friday Update – 2pm

Tuesday Update – September 8: UPDATED 2pm!

by | Sep 8, 2026 | ,

Updated 2:40pm Tuesday September 8

First, a quick reminder: Do not use the old keys to attempt to unlock your mailbox (or anyone else’s!).  You risk damaging the lock.

We got lucky… the main Phoenix post office completed their prep of the mailbox units today!

I just spoke with my contact at the Avondale/Goodyear post office, and he tells me your Hold Mail will be delivered tomorrow/Wednesday in your new mailboxes!

I’ll be out by the mailbox units (probably across the street in the shade) with keys and forms to sign Wednesday from 12:30pm-1:30pm and 5:30pm to 6:30pm.  Please bring some form of proof that you are the person authorized to receive the key. Any form of proof with your name and Rio Crossing mailing address will be fine.  I’ll have a form for you to sign to confirm receipt of the keys.

There are 3 keys in a small white envelope.  I will not need the old keys, so please dispose of them to avoid any confusion of which key to use — always use the shiny new brass-color keys!

Ray Harwood, Board Member, Association VP

Friday Update – 2pm

New Mailboxes Are Installed — But Not Ready for Use!

by | Sep 5, 2026 | , ,

The new mailboxes are installed!

But your EXISTING keys will not work in them.  Please DO NOT TRY to use them, as you will risk breaking your existing key in the lock.

There is a process for putting the box in service.  It can take a week to 10 days, and I have no control over it — just doing my best to move the process along.  It doesn’t help that Monday is a holiday.  Happy Labor Day!

I am attempting to set up a quick mailing list of everyone affected, and hope to be able to send you emails so you’re immediately aware of any changes.  In the meantime, come back to this site to look for updates… but don’t expect any news until at least Tuesday.

Ray Harwood, Board Member, Association VP

This sign is affixed to one of the units:

Mailbox Unit Update – Saturday September 5, 2026

Mailbox Unit Update – Saturday September 5, 2026

by | Sep 4, 2026 | , ,

Important note: The image here is AI generated.  This is not a true representation of the mailbox units being installed.

Good News!  The Rio Crossing Homeowners Association has contracted with a local company to replace the Cluster Mailbox Units at the corner of Devonshire and 123rd Drive!

Even better news: The company has these in stock, and will be installing them Saturday September 5, 2026!

Slightly less good: The process of getting the mail slots keyed, and the distribution of the new keys, will likely take a week to 10 days.

Here’s what I have heard from the USPS.  Keep in mind things can change!  I have no control over the process, but will do what I can to make it as simple as possible.

Last I heard is that the keys will be held at the Avondale Goodyear office at 875 S Estrella Parkway.  You will have to go there and pick up any held mail, at which time you can obtain your keys for the new box. You will be required to show ID and proof of address.

You can pick up held mail any time, but please do not expect to get your keys until the USPS has confirmed that the mailbox unit is serviceable and ready.

Come to this web site for any updates, and look for any notices posted on or near the mailbox units.

Eblast for September 3, 2026

Eblast for September 3, 2026

by | Sep 3, 2026 | , , , , ,

Subject: Mailbox Units at Devonshire & 123rd Dr & Brief Storm Update

 

Important information if you get your mail from the Mailbox Units at Devonshire and 123rd Dr.
Still interesting information for all community members.
Ray Harwood, Board Member, Association VP

Brief Storm Update

I’m sure most Rio Crossing residents are aware of the damage to homes, walls, trees, and a set of mailbox units during the storm around August 9. First of all, we’re all grateful that there are no known injuries reported during the storm. Homeowners with significant damage are dealing with insurance companies and contractors for damage remediation, as is the Association.
I’ve spoken with several of my neighbors regarding roof tile damage on their homes, and so far each of them has been aware of the damage and working with their own insurance to get fixed up. Please continue to look for damage on your own home and on your neighbor’s roofs, and be sure to check in with any neighbors whose homes appear to have roof damage to ensure they are aware.

Did You See Our Survey?

In the last Eblast we asked for your help with a brief survey. If you have not yet participated, please click this link.

Update on Mailbox Units

Affected residents: Please share this information with your neighbors who might not receive or read this notice!
Just after the storm:
Now:
Sometime in the last 2 days (Tuesday/Wednesday) the USPS has picked up the damaged mailbox units at Devonshire and 123rd. When I discovered they were gone, I reached out to the USPS for more information. They don’t make it easy to speak with anyone!
I was told that all of the mail in the mailbox units has been collected and transferred to the Litchfield Park Post Office. They will continue to hold mail there, and residents can stop by and pick up their mail during normal business hours.
USPS Mail Pickup Location: 875 E. Estrella Parkway, Goodyear AZ, major crossroads are Estrella Pkwy and Yuma Rd.
I know that this situation is not ideal, and the need to go to the Post Office to retrieve your mail is inconvenient.
Initial reports from the Avondale USPS staff was that the main post office was ordering new mailbox units, but that it could be as long as several months before they were installed.
With that information, at the board meeting last Wednesday we asked our community manager to obtain proposals from mailbox unit vendors to determine the lead-time and costs to replace these units. This research is still underway, but a proposal is expected in the next couple of days. Once we have the information, the board will need to discuss how to proceed, either at the September board meeting or at a Special Meeting at another time.
I just learned this morning that the postal service will not be replacing these units, and so the Association will handle this replacement.
I’ll continue to provide updates as we learn more.
Eblast for August 31, 2026

Eblast for August 31, 2026

by | Aug 29, 2026 | , , , , ,

Greetings, Rio Crossing Owners and Residents,
It’s been a little over three weeks since the big storm that caused damage to a number of homes in our community. Winds swept in a northerly direction between 60 and 80 mph and caused some damage throughout the community, some of it severe.
I wanted to give you an update on several related items, and would appreciate your time in reading this newsletter.
Ray Harwood, Board Member, Association VP

Damage to Roofs

I want to quickly note that many homes in our community had some amount of roof damage. If you have not yet done so, please take a close look at your roof tiles to ensure that they are all appropriately in place and protecting your roof and the interior of your home. Look especially along rooflines where tiles may be out of place, from an inch or two or even missing.
Please also look at your neighbor’s homes, and if you see damage there, reach out to your neighbor to ensure that they are aware. Don’t know your neighbor? Now is a good time to connect!

Damaged Mailbox Units

The mailbox units at Devonshire and 123rd were severely damaged by the stormwater drainage pipes that blew in from the neighboring construction site south of Rio Crossing. It’s amazing what a 60-80mph wind can do!

I spoke with the USPS Avondale postal office a day after the storm, and they sent someone out to review the damage. Of course, they were quite surprised at what they saw and referred the situation to the main Phoenix postal office.
 Last week I called USPS in Avondale to get an update, and they were pretty clear that (a) the Phoenix office doesn’t keep them in the loop and (b) sometimes the replacement process can take months. This past weekend I called the Customer Service hot line for USPS and filed a complaint/inquiry to get a status update, since my efforts to get this information directly from the Avondale and Phoenix offices were unsuccessful.
 At last week’s board meeting, the board asked our community manager to get estimates for the Association to do the replacement. Once we have cost information and an update from the USPS on their efforts, the board will make a decision whether or not to proceed with this replacement by the association.
I’ve had a couple of discussions with affected residents and will do my best to keep everyone in the loop as we learn more, make decisions, and potentially undertake this project directly.
If you are affected by the damage to these units, we especially need your input on the survey!

Damaged Walls

Several walls were damaged throughout the community which are “party walls” — walls located on the boundary between two property owners. Damages to party walls is shared between the involved property owners. In the case of three of these walls, they are shared between a lot owner and the association.
Our community manager has been collecting several proposals from licensed contractors to repair these walls, and here is a picture of the most severely damaged wall provided by one of the contractors:

At last week’s board meeting, the board approved a plan to hire a contractor to do the repairs, pay the contractor for the repairs, and provide documentation to the affected property owners regarding their half of the expense, as well as file with the association’s insurance carrier for this and other damage borne by the association, which included significant tree damage, and may include costs of repairing the mailbox units mentioned above, if the USPS can’t replace them in a timely manner.

Damaged Trees

As happens with every storm, there was damage to quite a few trees on common areas. A few were totally uprooted, and a number of them had severe limb damage. Following the major storm August 9th, we’ve had a few other times with significant wind which typically blows down a few more limbs weakened by the bigger, previous storm. And of course many trees on home lots were also damaged or uprooted.

Survey Reminder

Please take our brief survey. It has 3 small sections that are important to me and the board:
  1. It lets us know whether or not anyone ever actually reads our Eblast email news.
  2. It asks for impact information from those who are affected by the damaged mailbox units.
  3. It asks for your input on how often you would like to see association and community updates, and topics of interest for future newsletters.