I've been meaning to do this because, well, just because. I have long lamented Sun City's failure to properly plan for the future with any real strategic cohesive long range planning. We've simply bounced around like kids on a trampoline hoping it all worked out. Craziness in my opinion. You be the judge: Preservation and Improvement Fund (PIF) Budget Summary Spend by Project by Year Presented November 18, 2021 RCSC Board Meeting; *2022. Grand Avenue Center Building 2 $ 589,862 Mountain View Center Replacement - Phase 1 $ 2,000,000 Softball Clubhouse and Lighting $ 1,000,000 Viewpoint Lake Repair $ 2,000,000 Lakes East/West and Grounds Maintenance Facility $ 4,000,000 Total 2022 $ 9,589,862 *2023 Viewpoint Lake Repair $ 4,000,000 Mountain View Center Replacement - Phase 1 $ 15,462,458 Total 2023 $ 19,462,458 *2024 Mountain View Center Replacement - Phase 1 $ 7,065,391 Riverview Maintenance Facility $ 2,166,695 Total 2024 *2025 $ 9,232,086 AZ Department of Water (ADWR) 5th Management Plan Golf Course Water Reduction $10,314,652 Total 2025 $10,314,652 *2026 AZ Department of Water (ADWR) 5th Management Plan Golf Course Water Reduction $ 2,269,045 Mountain View Center Replacement - Phase 2 $ 2,788,100 Total 2026 $ 5,057,145. *2027 AZ Department of Water (ADWR) 5th Management Plan Golf Course Water Reduction $ 3,468,018 Total 2027 $3,468,018 *2028 AZ Department of Water (ADWR) 5th Management Plan Golf Course Water Reduction $ 1,565,276 North Maintenance Facility $ 2,376,005 Total 2028 *2029 $ 3,941,282 AZ Department of Water (ADWR) 5th Management Plan Golf Course Water Reduction $ 2,905,335 Total 2029 $2,905,335 *2030 Mountain View Center Replacement - Phase 3 - Pickleball Pavillion $ 9,417,774 Total 2030 $9,417,774 *2031 New Administration Building at Lakeview $ 2,255,145 Mountain View Center Replacement - Phase 3 - Lawn Bowls & ADA Mini-golf $ 2,943,680 Total 2031 $ 5,198,825 *2032 Lakes Patio Rebuild and Expansion $ 1,500,000 New Administration Building at Lakeview $ 2,255,145 Total 2032 $ 3,755,145 *2033 No Expenses Planned $ - Total 2033 $0 *2034 Lakeview Center Replacement $ 10,531,149 Total 2034 *2035 $10,531,149 Lakeview Center Replacement Total 2035 $10,531,149 Total PIF Budget $ 103,404,880. Not to be picky and to try and be fair, these PIF budget projections were done at the behest of the board and i think the long range planning committee. Looking at them i would argue they are undervalued from a cost perspective, which is neither here nor there for purposes of this discussion. What i am looking at and have argued, from 2023-2031, virtually every PIF dollar we are/will be collecting is dedicated to either Mountain View or golf course related items (including turf reduction and golf maintenance buildings). They have argued these figures are called "place holders," and the costs may well be higher than posted. We know the GM used soft inflationary figures so they in all likelihood will go higher. But again the point i am trying to make is the narrow focus of agenda items targeted on the PIF budget. Was it a smart allocation of resources to tie up this much money on an agenda that is so narrowly focused? Worse yet, the golf dedicated funds should be of concern when considering golf's pricing structure (especially for outsiders who contribute nothing to the ongoing infrastructure costs all of us as members are paying or have paid). When you think about it from the PIF cash outlay for the golf courses, it really becomes insulting to every member who is subsidizing outsiders cheap golf rates. If you understand nothing else from the RCSC data posted above, understand golf is going to continue to be a very expensive proposition going forward and that the golfing community needs to be involved in the pricing restructure. I know folks love screaming that all i care about is the past and our history. The reality is all of these issues have been addressed before and the board/membership always found workable answers/solutions. What we know hasn't worked is when the GM and a couple of board officers decided what was best for us. What's the old saying? "If you don't learn from the past mistakes you will be doomed to make them all over." Hopefully we are smarter than that. We'll see.
I'll be polite. It stinks and it's somewhat sickening. But we have absolutely no choice. Anything mandated by the ADWR comes first. Lake redo, golf course deturfing. No matter what those are the top priorities. What will be the price? It's not gonna be lower than the posted prices that's for sure. I have accepted that this is the way it will have to be for years to come because of the water situation. And no, I don't golf. Never have even tried it even after all the years we've been here now. Over the years, I have become better at not worrying myself sick over that which I have no control. (I said better not good, lol.) Hey, at least we have the money for the mandates without having to charge an assessment. That would be a horrible historical first. And our houses are still selling well here despite a crazy market everywhere. It'll be ok, Bill.
Regarding turf reduction, I understand the need to go to desert landscaping. In the case where the land is not close to any residences or recreation centers, can they just stop watering and not go to the expense of new landscaping? Perhaps I am just uninformed, but the issue here is water.
This is something I just learned that really surprised me. I'm not suggesting we do nothing, but read the following article from 2019: Did you know that, "the population of the state has increased substantially from just over 1 million in 1957 to more than 7 million in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Water demand and usage has fluctuated over the decades, climbing in the mid 70's and most recently in 2011, but overall, the average amount of water used each year has leveled out." "Although the state's population and demand for water has grown over the decades, it uses far less today than it did in the 1950s." https://www.azcentral.com/story/new...age-state-uses-less-now-than-1957/2806899002/
A lot more agricultural land in the 50’s than there is now. One of the biggest crops back then was cotton, a crop that requires lots of water.