Just a quick reminder about the board/member exchange meeting tomorrow morning (5/11/15) at 9am at the Lakeview social halls. This is your/our chance to actually talk with board members about anything we would like; unlike the board meetings where they apparently feel they have a muzzle on. There are three motions that will be on the back table. In years past they read them at the meeting; the new format is to post them on the agenda and online and print them for your study. They will then be voted on at the next board meeting. The most significant of the three is yet another modification to the 5 year long range plan, this one now extending out to 7 years and having substantial costs added to it. I'll save any comments till after I hear what they have to say regarding it at the meeting. Hope to see you there, if not I'll be more than happy to share my thoughts and unbiased analysis.
I will await your "unbiased" analysis of the Board/member exchange and your thoughts, as I don't do meetings. I do read though, and the board has been acting in rather a rapid-fire mode in the last 10 weeks--validating their contention there is no need for a Long Range Planning Committee because they are on top of it. Let's review: 1. On March 28, 2015 Treasurer Kennedy offered a motion to to update the Long Range Plan and the proposed expenditures from the P.I.F. 2. At the April 30, 2015 meeting, the B.O.D. approved increasing the P.I.F. fee by $500. 3. Less than two weeks after the PIF bump was approved, Director Hoffer is offering yet another revision to the Long Range Plan and accompanying projected P.I.F. expenditures. In summary: 1.) The plan is extended by two years, 2. Willowcreek/Willowbrook scheduled for 2016 is moved back to 2017 and irrigation revisions at Lakes East scheduled for 2017 are moved up to 2016, 3. Replacement of the Pro Shop at South Golf scheduled for 2020 is moved up to 2017 and an additional $600,000 is added for golf car storage, 4. The $1,600,000 proposed to update Mountain View six weeks ago has been adjusted upward to $9,500.000 for a complete redo after demolition of the main building, and 5. although the status for 2021 remains at $0 in expenditures there now is a proposal to renovate Lakeview in 2022 at a cost of $8,500,000. Wow! That's a lot of planning in two weeks. Maybe all of this was discussed at those meetings I did not attend? There is a second proposal for the May Board meeting to transfer $3,000,000 from unrestricted cash accounts, which are in the neighborhood of $13,000,000 to the restricted Capitl Reserve account. That would bring it to the $5,000,000 cap proposed in an earlier board policy. Board policy further restricts any expenditure from that $5,000,000 to the exact same restrictions as expenditures from the PIF. That I find interesting. I have a two car garage and own two vehicles. If I park one vehicle in the garage and call it a "car" and the other next to it and call it an "auto," do I not have the same concept? Just asking?
Great points BR. I didn't want to bring the transfer of funds into the discussion, though it certainly does raise eyebrows. The biggest thing about it is there will be 3 million dollars more available from the PIF due that action. Curious. As far as all the moves you so well articulated to the LRP, I have been fairly well seething. Rather than acting out impulsively, I will go to the meeting, sit quietly in the corner and give the gang the benefit of the doubt. I already had a brilliant header for the thread: Ad hoc...my ASSbestos, but my sense of good taste and fair play prevented me from posting it. Stay tuned though, anyone with any common sense has a plan B.
One bit of brightness on the horizon, the long range plan is now 7 years instead of 5. Putting everything else aside this is a step in the right direction. I decided I'm going to look on the bright side of things this week.
I purchased a tee shirt at Walgreens that says SUN CITY THE ORIGINAL (PICTURE OF AMERICAN FLAG) ARIZONA I wear it when I volunteer at the Visitor Center. People are always asking me where I got it. Perhaps SCRC should consider making and selling tee shirts like you suggested. I think I will put a bug in their ear. BTW: I suspect that some day you will be on the Board!
The board/member exchanges have become quite popular, especially for those who see a need. Of late, the most often heard commentary is from clubs or members of a golf course who see what they have as being inadequate. We know the whole squeaky wheel theory is alive and well in Sun City; if you don't believe it, come to the next exchange meeting Nothing wrong with that, and frankly it should be expected given the board's recent actions. They have become the sole decision makers when is comes to who gets what, so where better than to plead your case in a crowded room before the board of 9? Last month we saw the Willowbrook and Willowcreek golfers impress upon the board the importance of better outdoor space. This month the Lakes East and Lakes West golfers did the same. It should be no surprise, given the success of the new North Course patio and the Riverview addition being incorporated to the remodel. I'll be the first to admit it, I love larger outdoor venues at the golf courses. People hang around and spend money in the snack shops, and I mean more than just golfers. That said, I struggle with the millions being poured into tee boxes that accommodate 4 tee markers (rather than 3) or greens that have more undulation. Seems to me those are the kinds of decisions that should be in front of the community. Today we heard from the Best Friends dog club (the second month in a row). They want a shaded area over their dog arena/training ground. To do so would take an artificial surface because shaded grass simply would die. It's too bad someone wasn't more blunt in telling them the likelihood of it happening this year are really slim. The RCSC just doesn't move that fast. They make a valid case for it being done, but by the time plans, costs, approvals and budgets get in place, next year will be upon us. And again we are hearing from the Duffeeland dog park club. While plans are moving forward by the RCSC, there are some concerns from club members. It will be interesting to see how that works out, given the list of wants and changes they presented at today's meeting. We had one gentleman repeat his request to replace the Lifetime Ab Crunch machine at Bell that had been moved to Fairway. Last month there were comments about the machine no longer being made, but anyone who knows fitness equipment also knows there's tons of it available on the secondary market. Sadly there was only one comment about last months increase in the PIF. One former director talked about the 3 million dollars being shifted from the capital reserves rather than from $500,000 per year coming from the PIF to build that 5 million dollar safety net. Ironically, it was the board member who initially proposed that fund and he was surprised to see the decision. I followed with the net result of that action was: it added 3 million dollars more to the PIF over the next 6 years. The meeting was mild compared to last months. There was still a good crowd, but as the board continues to raise more and more money, look for those wanting improvements to continue to come out of the woodwork.
