September 10, 2026

Dear Members:

As we move through the year, I want to take a moment to recognize what truly makes Picacho Hills special: the people who call it home. Membership in the Picacho Hills Property Owners Association is more than a formality — it’s a commitment to keeping our community welcoming, attractive, and connected. Your participation allows us to maintain landscaping, host events, and support the neighborhood traditions that make this such a great place to live.

Being a good neighbor is at the heart of our mission. A friendly wave, a quick check in, or simply keeping our properties tidy goes a long way toward strengthening the sense of community we all value. When we look out for one another, we build a neighborhood that feels safe, respectful, and engaged.

We also have several events throughout the year that bring us together. Whether it’s our social gatherings, educational programs, or community focused activities, these events are designed to help neighbors meet, learn, and enjoy the best of Picacho Hills. I encourage you to join us, participate, and help shape the future of our community.

Best Regards,

Allen R. Potter

President, PHPOA

Visit PHPOA Website to see upcoming calendar events, buy memberships, sign up to volunteer and much, much more.  Here's what you need to do:

• Go to PHPOA Website - https://www.picachopoa.org/.
• Click on the Log In button or the Registration button.
• Select "Create Account" and fill in the name, email, and password information.
• Click "verify my email" and then check your email for a link to complete the process. The link expires in 2 hours. If you do not receive the email, check your spam or junk folders.
• Once you have verified your email address, log back in and finish the registration process.
  • Complete the Member Information.
  • Complete the Directory/Publish Preferences.
  • You’ll also see forms for Volunteer Opportunities. 

Once the Primary Account is set up, the Primary User can "invite" other email addresses to access his/her account.  This allows the Secondary User to have their own login information but still have access to the family account (if you want to set up this feature, we can email instructions).

Please Note:  All New Contacts Require Approval - all new contacts/user accounts will be reviewed and approved by a PHPOA Admin. This means that ALL NEW user accounts require approval by an Admin before new users can access PHPOA site or Open Forms. This may take 1 – 2 business days.

Questions? - Please don't hesitate to contact us at phpoanews@gmail.com

We welcome our new members that have join us since April!

Darius and Imre Balogh - Via Emma

F.G. and Sue Rose - Chimenea Place

Kathy Sessions - Degas Drive

Stephen and Stephanie Thomas - Calle Estancias

Ed and Theresa Yauk - Via Campestre

You are cordially invited to attend this year’s Membership Drive.  This is a great event that will be held again at The Amaro Winery located at 402 S Melendres Street in Las Cruces. 

Last year we learned from the winemaker all about the different wines we tasted.  Not only was it yummy, but it was educational on the different techniques used to make the wines.  Not something to miss.  It is also a great time to renew your membership for 2027 and save a stamp by bringing a check for $75.00 to the event.  

We are working on some items that will make this year different from last year but keeping it fun and exciting.  Plus, it is a great venue to be with your neighbors and catch up with a glass of wine or any other drink you might like.  There is a full bar, beer and sodas available.

In 2026 we dropped a little in our memberships, as we only reached 304.  If you know of any of your neighbors who are not members and you think they would like to experience the many benefits of being a member, such as the Lunch and Learns, Merchant Discount Program, Holiday Soiree, please bring them with you.  All Picacho Hill Residents are welcome to this fun event.

For a nominal fee of $10.00, which will be collected at the winery by them, you will have a chance to partake in a delightful wine tasting accompanied by snacks.  Of course, you can stay later and have a glass of your favorite beverage. 

This unique setting is in our backyard and is a member of our Merchant Program.  Let's support them!

Cooperation is always better than confrontation. That is the approach the PHPOA has always taken in dealing with its various stakeholders, such as the Picacho Hills Country Club and the Dona Ana County Road Department. In this Newsletter we highlight another collaborator and a particularly good neighbor, the Zia Natural Gas Company.

There has been extensive work near the natural gas regulation station at the northwest corner of Picacho Hills Drive. The work includes a new natural gas supply, and equipment upgrades within the rock wall enclosure adjacent to the Picacho Hills entry monument. This area was landscaped and maintained by the PHOPA for many years. Not surprisingly, the PHPOA Board of Directors was concerned about potential damage to the aesthetic improvements made in the past. So, we were pleased to observe that Zia Natural Gas Company is committed to being the best possible partner in our community.

Construction in the area of West Picacho Avenue / US 70 was a major effort paid for by Zia Natural Gas Company. The purpose is to ensure a ready and reliable source of natural gas, for appliances, heating, and natural gas generators, for all residences and businesses in Picacho Hills and surrounding areas. The new natural gas supply will help ensure that no resident is without natural gas in the event of an extreme cold spell. The original system designed by Rio Grande Natural Gas Company may not have been able to deliver due to the original sizing of lines and the growth of Picacho Hills over many years. Zia Natural Gas Company preferred to be proactive rather than reactive in taking care of the community that relies on clean, efficient, and affordable natural gas.

The complexity and expense of construction could have emboldened Zia Gas to downplay the damaging impact of construction on the PHPOA-landscaped area. Instead, their workers repaired damage to the rock wall, installed tasteful security fencing, re-graded the soil, replaced decorative hardscape, re-planted and watered ruined plants. Zia Gas has returned the area landscaping to an equal or better state than when they started. The PHPOA Board of Directors expresses its sincere thanks to our “Good Neighbor,” the Zia Natura Gas Company

Paul Maxwell is a Picacho Hills resident, active community volunteer, and full-time fine artist based in Old Mesilla, New Mexico. A member of the Agave Artists Gallery co-op management committee, Paul exhibits his work both locally and nationally, returning to a lifelong passion for art after a decades-long career in science and international policy.

Paul’s former professional life spans higher education, government service, and international relations. Following graduate school, he served as a research professor, a science consultant to the U.S. Congress, and a Science and Technology Counselor in the U.S. Foreign Service, where he helped negotiate critical nuclear non-proliferation treaties across Latin America. He later served as the Vice President of Research at UTEP.

An active leader in regional governance, Paul has served on the PHPOA Board, the Doña Ana Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Association Board, and the Doña Ana International Jetport Advisory Board. Since 2018, he has organized the biennial PHPOA Political Forums and frequently volunteers at local election polls and neighborhood cleanup initiatives.

Paul lives with his wife, Janis, and their dogs, Abi and Oliver. In his free time, he is an avid golfer, traveler, and reader who has spent months in Florence studying classical art.

Our monthly (mostly) Lunch and Learn program is continuing this month with a presentation by Ken Steigman on Tuesday, September 8.  Ken will be speaking to us about a rare perennial spring near Picacho Mountain and the group of volunteers who have assisted in cleaning up the area and will present a slide show on the current status of the project.  The Lunch and Learn program will take a pause until next year as October will be dedicated to the Candidates’ Forum for the upcoming November election and the Membership Registration/Renewal event at Amaro Winery on Wednesday, October 21 from 4-6pm.  There will be entertainment, tasty snacks, wine tastings for a mere $10.00 per 3 glasses, door prizes and a chance to relax and enjoy.  Feel free to invite your non-member neighbors!  We will also have another “clean up” opportunity for members to dispose of any household items at the dumpsters that will be installed the weekend of October 17 – locations to be announced in next month’s Newsletter.  We will take a break during the month of November and then, the final event for 2026 will be the annual Holiday Party  - scheduled for late afternoon on Sunday December 13 – the details of which will be coming in November’s Newsletter.

Meanwhile we are working on lining up speakers for the coming year and will provide schedule and details in the coming months’ newsletters.  The next major event will be the Annual Meeting in March 2027.

We hope to see our members at all these events! 

Sponsored by the Picacho Hills Property Owner Association

&

The Picacho Hills Country Club

Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at11:00 am. 

PHPOA members enjoyed a presentation by Steve Morgan from the Black Range Museum in Hillsboro, NM. Steve introduced us to the museum and told us that this historic adobe museum was once Sadie Orchard's Ocean Grove Hotel and later the restaurant of Chinese American Tom Ying. He also reviewed both the Hotel’s and Restaurant ‘s history, plus reviewed the museum’s collections that highlights the lives of these fascinating people plus area ranching, mining, early medicine, and the Indigenous people who lived here before us.

Steve’s also presented the journey of the Mountain Pride Stagecoach from Lincoln County to the museum. In the Fall 2025 the Mountain Pride Stagecoach returned from the Lincoln County Courthouse, where it had been stored in exile from its home in Hillsboro New Mexico for decades. A key feature in Sierra County New Mexico history, it ran the Lake Valley, Hillsboro, Kingston line from 1889 up until 1915.  The Stagecoach is currently on display at the Black Range Museum’s Coach House.

The museum’s new COURTYARD space now connects the main Museum building and the Coach House and showed pictures of the final renovation. 

Steve invited the group to come and enjoy the beautiful grounds, plus plan to attend a Second Saturday program. He also asks everyone to come and visit the new Plants and People Gardens to learn more about our Black Range History.

It was a great presentation and over 45 members attended. We enjoyed a buffet consisting of cheeseburger sliders with pickles, house made chips and house salad with your choice of Vinaigrette or Ranch Dressing.  Yum!

We are your Property Owners Association, not an HOA

Photos By Tom Marconi

Members and others are encouraged to always report any suspicious activity in or around Picacho Hills, as well as any break-ins or trespassing, to the Sheriff’s Office promptly.

Doña Ana County Sheriff's Office - 575-526-0795

If you witness an ongoing crime, please call 911 immediately.

Picacho Hills Property Owners Association

P.O. Box 51

Fairacres, NM  88007

We are your Property Owners Association, not a HOA