The Verde Villages, once Cottonwood’s junior neighbor, is now home to 13,000 people and has become the larger of the two towns.
Construction of the villages began in the early 1970s in the face of issues such as inadequate utility access caused by the neglect of the developers. The Verde Village Property Owners Association was formed to combat this negligence and remains active to this day, albeit in a different form.
Aislinn Maldonado, president of the Verde Village Property Owners Association, is working to reconnect those in the village and to create an even greater sense of community.
Maldonado has lived in the Verde Villages since June and has been president of the association for a little over a month. She tries to clarify the misinformation that surrounds what the association does. Many residents think it is like a homeowners’ association, but it has no covenants, conditions and restrictions, doesn’t enforce codes and doesn’t resolve disputes.
“I have discovered that my role is first and foremost trying to reconnect people and get us back to empathy,” Maldonado said.
When she read the VVPOA’s bylaws, Maldonado discovered that the association’s mission was to connect and serve the Verde Villages.
“I thought that mission was amazing,” Maldonado said. “COVID did a great job at dividing us. What better way than an organization to come alongside them and teach them again how to have some empathy, have respect and have a way to connect with one another and a neighborhood and community.”
Maldonado stated that she can’t go anywhere without seeing someone that she knows and whose story she connects with.
“There’s an exchange of the human condition and it feels amazing. I don’t think I would do this if it wasn’t for the unique community that Verde Villages has,” Maldonado said.
“This is the type of town where you can know your neighbors,” Maldonado added. She is getting to know all of her neighbors, knocking on their doors and seeing if they need help or just trying to connect with them in some way. “I think that a lot of people have lost that,” Maldonado said. “I have this probably really naive world vision that if we are good neighbors and we can coexist together, then that spreads. That can spread and that can heal across the country. It can heal across waters if you fix what’s in your backyard. If you connect with those around you and try to problem-solve and be respectful and considerate of one another. I think that that’s something that can spread because we move and that can translate.”
Maldonado also discussed some of the issues the Verde Villages is currently facing, the largest of which is its need for a water source for Del Rio Pond. Maldonado has met with the Verde Valley Fire District and others to investigate a solution to the problem, which is ultimately financial. It costs thousands of dollars to maintain the pond. Maldonado reiterated that the VVPOA is not like a homeowners association and does not receive a certain amount of money from each home. Its memberships are voluntary. The community pool is likewise poorly maintained and requires constant attention due to the financial situation.
A feasibility study is being conducted to determine if there is a beneficial way to convert the community’s septic tanks to a sewer system and if there is a way for the village to provide its own water source for the pond.
Maldonado said that while there are not many plots left for new construction, she is still encouraging people to move to the Verde Villages.
“It’s a step back and it’s a chance to heal because of the nature and the people,” Maldonado said. “It’s a really great place. The houses are nuanced and the houses are expensive, but there’s community helping to make them livable and sustainable. I think that that’s one of the important pieces that I want to bring to this position in the Verde Villages … There is a heartbeat here and we can all connect to it.”
The VVPOA holds a general meeting on the second Tuesday of each month. Upcoming events in the Verde Villages will include the community garage sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 6 and a presentation on fire prevention on May 9.
