On the live feed of the Mountain View/triArc presentation last night, I asked if the Board would repeat the number of dollars that the PIF allocates to the project. The reply was $28M. I also asked when this number had originated and if it could be changed. The answer was last year, and yes, it could BUT..... President Foster adamantly stated that he is a "numbers" guy and a "stickler" type of guy who prefers to stay within a stated budget. Going one step further, I researched the minutes of the Board from 2024 -- the November 1, 2024 meeting where Director Kise presented a recommendation from the Long Range Planning Committee with the stated PIF figures and the December 19, 2024 meeting where the wording was changed slightly but was passed by a vote of 8-1 (McAdam voting no). The following are the figures regarding Mountain View: 2025 -- Mtn View Renovation -- $1M 2026 -- Mtn View Renovation -- $9M Performing Arts Center -- $1M 2027 -- Mtn View Renovation -- $4M Performing Arts Center --$9M 2028 -- Performing Arts Center -- $4M Total $28M Why are we looking at 5 proposals that are ALL over $28M?? Jean
Easy and was explained all-be-it in a less than good way. My first thought when i watched the presentation last week was "huh?" Then it dawned on me, they asked the stakeholders what they wanted. Human nature, being what it is, saw no one interviewed dumbing down their requests to what they needed. Last night we heard the explanation from TriARC as being their "dream list." As i went through the presentation i kept scratching my head, is anyone realistic enough to be practical? Nope, not how it works, i guess. And the calls to not worry about how much it costs, is nonsense. Mountain View is a small (6.5 acre) piece of property. There's only so much they can do and there's only so much money to be able to do it. Nice (i guess) for those who just want what they want, but that's not how this should work. TriARC has done a good job letting everyone dream big, now is the time to pare things back and make whatever they do, fit both the needs and the budget.
I, for one, think that this whole exercise was a complete waste of Member's time and patience; it's like showing a toddler an ice cream cone and saying, "sorry, you can't have this cone because it costs too much." Why let all the stakeholders "dream big" if all the results are over the amount that you already have decided to spend ($28M)? So - what is the Board going to bring forward to us at the Board meeting on September 25th? Is there suddenly going to be a 6th plan that stays within the PIF budget? Do you think that they might be willing to switch out some of the other PIF monies (2025 Bell Indoor Spa Repair, $1M; 2026 All Golf: ADWR North, $2.5M, Riverview Maintenance, $2.5M, North Bunker Redesign, 775K or Willow Bop Golf, $1M) to make it possible to provide the dreams that they dangled at Members last night? Email the boardoffice@suncityaz.org Jean
Why not go with the flow? Let the BOD know your preferred option. Decide which option is preferred and then start working to lower the cost. I say eliminate the lawn bowling, scale down the PAC, scale down the fitness area, scale down the pool amenities(no additional pools), and eliminate tennis at MV also. I want to add how nice it was to be able to watch a live stream of the presentation and questions. Well done by all concerned!
I support option six at an estimated cost of $25.5M Mountainview - Option 6 – The Grand Compromise I appreciate all the work that has gone into the Mountainview center renovation planning. Tom Foster indicated the board will vote in 8 days to move forward with one of the five options presented. Since all options include the Player’s wish list, we are left to assume the theater has a slanted floor with fixed seating which makes it unsuitable for anything but performances. There is a far superior option for the “performance space” that the data on actual usage fully supports. The usage data for Mountainview shows the auditorium was only used by someone 36% of the time it was available. The Player’s Club used the space 68% of the time, movies were shown 26% of the time and Dance For fitness used the auditorium 2.6%. During May, June, July, and August the auditorium sits empty for almost all of the time but still needs to be air conditioned. (2022 data supplied by RCSC) The 900 or so Pickleball club members would love to have some place to play in the summer which is out of the scorching heat. Unlike tennis, portable pickleball nets and barriers are used quite often on multiple court surfaces. They are easy and quick to set up and dismantle. Many of the newer 55+ communities are touting the use of tall ceiling structures to play pickleball in. So how can we get the most bang for the buck out of the Mountainview renovation and meet the needs of as many members as possible? Having a flat floor with retractable theater seating makes the building much more usable by a much greater number of members, including pickleball players who want to play in the summer. I estimate that at least 4 temporary courts with portable nets could fit in the building and be set up in about 15 minutes. All that is required is to have the lines painted on the floor. In addition, flat floor buildings can be used by dance groups like line dancing, annual holiday parties, craft fairs, and many more things while still being quite suitable for performances. And in the “disaster case” where the Players club disbands the building can be repurposed. This is what I call option 6 and I am certain it can be even less expensive than any of the other options. My vote is for option 6.
Well said Tom, this is on task and should finally come to a conclusion. Mercifully. I think your assessment is close to what you will see. The whole point of an outside company carrying the water was from a credibility standpoint. The board’s constant stops and starts over the past 15 years had become toxic. I have no problem with them asking what the stakeholders wanted. Dreaming big is fine but the end product has to fit the financial parameters of what we can afford. This notion to just spend whatever is nonsense. Pare everything back and get it done. TriARC made a lot of strong statements regarding building costs, let’s see them deliver.
