No one ever likes to admit they failed. Most often we are more comfortable just moving forward without that internal reflection on how we did. Damn, not built that way, i'm always trying to figure what i did right, what i did wrong and how i could do better next time. I think it's called learning from our mistakes. If you noted, i posted a thread called A Blast From The Past a few days ago. Stumbled upon it accidentally while reading 55Places. As i am want to do, i went back to reading some of the 100 posts i did on the backside blog of the museum called Sun City Today. At the risk of sounding a bit trumpish, damn it was good stuff. The problem of course is it forced me to face the realities of what i had hoped to accomplish while serving on the RCSC Board. As i read, i saw how much of what i felt was important just fell by the wayside. Worse yet, those heartfelt words from 6 and 7 years back had so much potential to make Sun City a better place. Tragically, virtually nothing came from them. Seeing as this board is painfully slow these days, i have decided to revisit many of my articles. I will start threads and add commentary that may encourage people to join in, or simply just read. In the end, the one goal i have always held is for Sun City to grow into a more transparent, more self-governed setting. While that may sound foreign to some, once you read what i wrote, it will become more clear.
Exactly C and why i think reviving these old posts from Sun Cities Today makes sense. Little has changed in how strongly i feel about Sun City becoming more grounded in enhancing our sense of community. And this next article is the perfect segue into why i have been so disappointed in the all golf all the time PIF budget.Just off-setting one of the golf course renovations would have gotten us where i think the community would have been better off. Here's the article from Jan 2011, i think it becomes abundantly clear my vision from back 7 years ago and why i feel i failed: A Sense of Community The other day a friend said she was confused by the concept of a “community living room” and could i better explain it. It was the perfect segue into a brief historical perspective of the community and why in the 60’s and 70’s there was such a strong sense of community. Obviously the DEVCO corporation used it (the residents) as a marketing tool. Who could better tout this new way to live better than those experiencing the joys of it on a day-to-day basis?. It was brilliant. Think back; in the first 8 years, there was only 2 rec centers and everyone living in Sun City came from somewhere else. It was a close-knit community and Community Center (now Oakmont) and Town Hall (soon to be the newly completed Fairway) were the hub of virtually all activities. The quickly growing population gathered at each for weekly pot luck dinners and opportunities to meet and greet new residents. With DEVCO assigning ownership of those amenities to the community, the residents needed to work in concert to build an infrastructure that oversaw them. They also quickly came to understand that ownership meant they needed build a self-sustaining structure of governance and support units. Truly, an amazing time. As noted in earlier blogs, there were internal struggles. Through it all, for the most part, people were able to work out their differences and work together. I would argue the sociability and sense of community were the tenets that pulled them through. Of course it didn’t hurt to have DEVCO’s helping hand on site to push things along. By 1968 when Mountainview rec center opened the community was running smoothly and in 1969 when they moved across Grand Ave, Sun City was on the fast track to national fame and acclaim. If there was and still is a problem with Sun City, it is its size. With 43,000 residents, 27,000 homes and the sprawling 7 mile long and 3 mile wide community, it is almost too vast for the small town sense of belonging. One of DEVCO’s earliest promotional pieces touted Sun City “as a metropolis in miniature with a small home town feel.” As we grew out, some of that was lost. Add in today’s technologies that allow residents to stay connected to the family back home and there is most certainly a difference from the early 60’s when we more needed each other. With that said, there is no reason we can’t set our sights on finding ways to bring the community back together. Without question, the 50th anniversary gave us a start. It would be a shame to lose the headway we made by reverting back to a fragmented community where people only cluster in their own clubs, churches and at the nearest rec center. The perfect solution would be a single gathering place, a central location where residents could drop by for a cup of coffee, read a newspaper or chat with friends. For lack of a better term, someone coined the term “community living room.” The phrase was intended to impart a sense of being comfortable, of feeling at home. Conceptually there are details to work out, but it could be a book exchange, wifi hotspot, televisions mounted on the walls, free coffee, local newspapers, comfortable chairs, sofa’s and tables for playing cards or just socializing. We would have a community bulletin board where residents could post items for sale and clubs could promote events. Best of all, it would be one of the places realtors would stop by with potential buyers to get a feel for the community and why residents love Sun City. Let’s be honest, there are no guarantees this would work or that people would use it. Many of the newer age restricted communities are building these suggests they are popular attractions for the coming boomer population. We know from the history of Sun City, there were a handful of items that helped both shape and sell the community. Only a fool would ignore those techniques, because the one thing that would help Sun City the most is a strong marketing program. By selling the value and the values of Sun City, we would begin to rejuvenate home sales while at the same time, build a stronger sense of community.
Maybe it’s not just the size of SC but the big streets that need crossing. I wonder how many people tend to stay within their phase, except to shop, because of those streets. Events in the Sun Bowl, Sundial, and Lakeview do bring the community together, but those aren’t community living room activities. An SC residents-only restaurant might do it (with limited hours so people would need to gather at the same time). And the book exchange, cards playing etc you mentioned could be a part of it. Events bring people out, but more informal events in so people must socialize. People don’t socialize when bands play...particularly when “no talking” is announced.
Spot on B & C. The popular spot of yesteryear was the town square, still is in some Midwest towns. Barnes and Noble has a popular spot for coffee, etc. and reading. Starbucks are usually popular, but way too expensive for my taste. The common denominator seems to be a place to gather that has a little something for everyone... and hopefully the cost is decent. These days too many are on the go, but even some of the new communities for the younger generation are touting closer knit community and gathering places. Seems the gathering place is growing in popularity.
You get it C; if you go to Festival you will find a quite spectacular bar/restaurant/gathering space in the heart of the community. Stop by Sun City Grand and you will see their main rec center is massive and is central and well visited. My frustration most lies in my inability to get the board/staff to understand the value of community involvement. I've never claimed my ideas were right or best, but the community getting involved with the ownership/direction would enhance how we made the right decisions. The classic example is while looking at the Lakes Club was to keep it quiet, don't tell anyone. God forbid the community would have gotten excited and behind a project of this scope. I have learned the hard way over the years, the more people involved in the process the the better the chance to get it right. When a handful work in a vacuum, it may be faster, but all too often is becomes short-sighted based solely on the vision of those select few who may be right or, may be wrong. This in yet another opportunity to study our past; they did everything in the light of day and with full community airing. We need return to those days.
Yes as we all know...the Lakes Club would have been perfect. Such a waste. Do the student nurses who have that place even rotate at Boswell?
No idea on the nurses C, but here's the oddity. This piece was written the beginning of 2011, long before i was on the board and the Lakes Club was available. We had just finished the 50th anniversary and had about 50 K available and suggested we could use it to turn the 100 person plus meeting room at the Lakes East/West golf course into a "community living room." Nope, no interest.
Obviously i wasn't picked because they had better, more informed candidates. I can live with that as long as the folks they pick and the board members chairing it actually produce something tangible. This communities future is way too important to be left to a hope and prayer that golf makes a miracle recovery and makes the 40 million dollar investment into a sound decision. By the way; if any former or present board member wants to dispute that 40 million dollar number, feel free to jump online and let's have a go at it.
