What would it take?

Back around the turn of the century (remember the pending collapse of the world when we were moving to next millennium) I began working with some folks who were networking and building web sites to bring people/workers together. Unions were like dinosaurs as they viewed technology but a handful of us understood the power of the net. We recognized we could empower average men and women with just a small amount of effort.

It was an exciting time as we reached folks and showed them they didn't have to rely solely on those in power, that they could generate dialogue and learn from one another. The challenge was everyone running a website wanted to dictate the purpose and point of its existence. Our own stubbornness was one of the stumbling blocks that kept us from being successful.

About three years into the process, one of the creators of several of the sites we built had what I would consider a stroke of genius. Unfortunately it never materialized; time, money and energy all were against us. He wanted to create a place where people of like minds could congregate (on the net). We argued over names, but his sense was to call it "the commons."

I loved the idea. We would take what was historically the gathering place from the 1700's and redefine it in the 21st century. Brilliant. If you think about life back when horses were the mode of transportation, life was wholly different. People gathered in the town's commons for the latest news, share stories and meet and greet. A very simple way of life.

While it never happened for us, I still see a commons within the walls of Sun City as an incredibly important aspect to our future. I see folks with all of their new technological tools and watch as they withdraw from those living next door. It's too easy for them to stay connected to the net and disconnected to their neighbor. We can help change that, but unfortunately I feel like I am alone (at least on the RCSC board) when it comes to this kind of forward thinking.

There's several things that have been mentioned on this site that I love; things I have talked about over the years. Sadly I feel as though I have been talking to myself and consequently why I feel myself losing interest in the process of governance on the RCSC board. Time will tell what I do, but I hate wasting what valuable years I left on this earth trying to change people who have no interest in moving aggressively forward.

 

Just curious, B, what do they have against it? Do they think there is already enough with clubs? I see a common meeting place as important. If not one common place maybe one in each phase as was mentioned. People could get to know neighbors better.

 

Technology could also be made to help, not hurt. A mass text or tweet or email to all saying...Where are you? The party has started.

 

Message boards like this can help too. On our board in Colorado we arrange lunches and picnics about once a month.

 

Which is why you needn't buck it alone. Many of those who voted for you and signed the petitions to get you on the board share your dreams, but they haven't been mobilized in any way. This is why I kept hoping for some gathering over the summer, a breakfast, whatever, but it seems the timing was bad for you because of renovations. Don't give up, but we need to be kept informed of what might be on the agenda so we can rally. Folks rallied to save the Sundial, the snack shops, and some other things, but we didn't even know the Lakes Club was up for debate or lotsa other things until after the fact. This forum is certainly one way to do it and others have been suggested.

 

Jack is right.......don't give up....Sun City will move forward, but it will take a group of dedicated people to drag the SCRC board kicking and screaming into the next chapter of it's existence. I hear a lot from my neighbors (the older ones) that if it ain't broke don't fix it.....But I can't get them to see that while not broken, Sun City will change over time and I would rather see the residents direct that change rather than just let whatever happens, happen. There was a plan for the building of Sun City....and I believe we now need a plan for it's future beyond just doing what has always been done. But yes, it is a hard sell, and may take a few turnovers of the board to accomplish even the formation of a plan much less implementation.

 

Great minds do think alike gang and the oddity is as I pondered a response, that old adage did come to mind archer. The vast majority of folks I have known over the years have subscribed to the "if it ain't broke" theory and one reason I've always been a square peg in a round hole.

I've never been satisfied with maintaining the status quo. Let's be honest; Sun City is sitting pretty right now. There's more than enough money to do both the things we need and want. Homes are selling at a blistering pace and that looks to be the case as we move forward.

Most look at that and say, don't rock the boat, stay the course. I look at it and say, now is the time to plain kick ass. If we make the right moves in the next 5 years, we could position ourselves to transition into the whole next generation of age restricted communities. The key is to preserving the tenets that made Sun City great and to evolve into the kind of community boomers long to live in.

The trick is, we need identify the kinds of people who will find Sun City attractive. Transparency, equality and openness will drive those types of people to love and live in Sun City. It won't happen by staying the course. I'm just tired of working towards that end only to be voted down 8 to 1. I understand that's the process, but I have zero interest in wasting my time trying to move the mountain myself.

I do get it scj, but my fear is given the timing and the folks gone for the summer, it will be you and I having coffee. It's all good by me, if it's just the two of us, but we need a bigger grass roots movement than the pair of us.

 

You can fix that problem by having the meeting in the fall...please don't discount the winter residents, for the most part we care just as much as full time residents what happens to Sun City....we all realize that we will be full time residents in time.

 

Oh I didn't mean to discount the winter residents by suggesting a casual mtg in July or August. I was just trying to utilize those months as some tinder just to get a bit of a fire going during the slower months when the usually scheduled mtgs and many activities cease. Everybody seems to go into high gear in Sept. after the summer slump and before you know it they are all caught up in holiday frenzy and then you have to wait until spring....
I wasn't thinking it would be just us forum folks anyway, certainly not just tea for two Bill LOL :teapot:but open to all who want to throw ideas around. Open forum to solicit input, dreams, just like a good ol' brainstorming session where people could list ideas--no judgement, then once geared up maybe small groups to foster follow-through.
I don't see why it can't even be built into one of the RCSC mtgs--a session similar to what happened at the last annual mtg. Heck, there wasn't enough for a quorum, but we still had hundreds of people. When people started getting up and using the mic in the afternoon, it was wonderful yet that was at the end and was cut short. A open mic session called "ideas" could be added so it doesn't get overrun with "concerns." At least it helps give people the feel they are being heard. Next step is to mentor these folks so it's not just an exercise. They need to know how to get something considered as an agenda item, how to follow through on a request, etc....And gather their contact info, invite them for follow-up meetings, etc.

 

I would happy to join you in October. Gone until mid-Sept.

 

Include me -- I am around all year long ---- A Tea Party in the fall would be nice.....EVEN a HOT-Chocolate party in the winter months (burr-cold for us that are here all year around) -- would be splendid !

 

I guess I view the winter differently because I am a snow bird....we are so busy during the summer months, I look at our timeity as an extended winter vacation....time to relax, and enjoy the warm, and sometimes cool, weather. With a lot of time on my hands, I am always looking for projects to dig into.