Yesterday we heard an explanation from the general manager that we (the RCSC) needed to give away our golf courses to non-residents for less money than we sell them to members for. Think i'm kidding? Watch the video and hear it for yourself. We told you before the meeting to listen closely to what management and board members would say. It's frightening. We went on to get an earful about the importance of running the RCSC like a business. We needed to be very prudent and treat everything we did as if they were intended to be profit centers. Really? At least the guy running bowling, when confronted by members who were bumped by outsiders, admitted it was wrong, a mistake and they would get it fixed. Members first he said. We got an ear full of how important these full play non-resident passes were. Then we were told it was only a tiny percentage of rounds played. To be very, very clear, it's 30-50 rounds per day (especially in high season) where these outsiders bump members from prime time tee times. It should be zero, zip, none. Alas, this thread isn't about golf or even tee times. We heard at the meeting the RCSC has been accumulating more than a million dollars a year above and beyond budgets. It's resulted in the largest surpluses in Sun City's history. Having money in the bank isn't a bad thing, unless you refuse to spend it on the things members have been clamoring for years. The reality is we know technology is 15 years behind. We know we are now arguing over a 40 million dollar rebuild at Mountain View rather than having built a 5 or 10 million dollar stand alone theater years ago. We know the dog owners are desperate for an indoor facility and we know the softball players have been lobbying for a new club house for years. We also know the priority was a 4 million dollar maintenance building at Lake East/West and all new maintenance buildings at Willow Brook and Willow Creek that exceeded 2 million dollars. Where, what are our priorities? By the way, let's not forget the 160K error when building the vintage car club for an undersized garage door. To cover that mistake, they took out air conditioning and felt a swamp cooler was good enough for them. Are you freaking kidding me? Watch the video and see for yourself. What is especially terrifying to me was the closing statement by the board president, "we need to run the RCSC" like a business." It was her closing shot. It went hand in glove with the general managers lament about making money...even though we've (the RCSC) has never had more cash on hand; never ever. Dare i ask what's next? How about if we start selling the rights to the outsiders who want to join the vintage car club. Let them buy into using that wonderful facility (if they get it air conditioned) for a couple hundred dollars a year. Then we can sell them a premium membership at $500 or $1000 where they will be guaranteed a lift any time they want, because well, you know, we need the money. The list is endless; swimming pool access, gym memberships, pickleball gold memberships, using our metal shops wood shops, craft clubs, lawn bowling. Everyone of them a potential revenue stream. Think about it, we would never again suffer an increase in rec fees. Of course the downside would be, we would only be able to use them when the non-residents didn't want to.
Don't get me started about running NPO's like a business! Yes....business principles when it comes to accounting STANDARDS, ethics, personnel policies, non-discrimination, etc. But, an NPO is a different animal. Who are they serving? The community and its members, first and foremost. It is not a forprofit money making center. They REALLY need to take a course in Board leadership, management and responsibilities. They and the GM are CLUELESS!
I'm going to ask Bill to hold from posting for a while on this thread (we'll see how that goes) so that I can hear from EVERYONE reading this if you agree or disagree with the selling of our facilities/amenities, and I'm going to ask you to share. Me first: I swim. I would not like it if I showed up at Bell and had to wait until the ASU swim team got done with a practice because management sold the time slot. (If the Graduate school had a women's team, maybe I wouldn't mind as much - but I digress). I would not like to have to wait in line for fitness equipment (that is now more rundown and sweaty) because they sold passes at a cheaper rate than any fitness center in the valley. I would not like to go to a free concert at Sunbowl and told I can't sit in first 30 rows because those have been sold to non-residents. Please share...
That's absolutely the slippery slope. I'm a swimmer/pool walker. The Bell pool is already crowded during peak times. With their current attitude, why wouldn't we be concerned?
Why is it even considered conceivable that a non profit be run as a for profit business? Since when is the RCSC facilities considered capital to be used as resources for generating revenue for golf, or for that matter, or any other amenity that is supposed to be here for the benefit of the membership? I, for one, am having a great deal of difficulty wrapping my brain around the concept of member sanctioned facililies of any kind, golf courses included, being offered up to any one outside of Sun City for a lower rate than that of what a member can and should be able to use these same facilities for. I don't use any of the facilities the RCSC has available, but I do want to know they are ALL being used by members ONLY! Sound selfish? Damn Straight! this is one of the privileges of membership. As long as I pay my assessment, I am a member in good standing. Key word there, MEMBER! There needs to be a clear line drawn in the sand and have it done immdiatelely. The RCSC is for the enjoyment od the membership, not those from the outside area, no matter the amenity. The general manager, who is going to continue to move forward in lock step with the former GM, needs to be removed, preferably by a new board who will seek a legitimate community manager who will search for ways to be inlusive of the members and their needs. The new board members need to be of a comunity mindset, and be willing to take it on the chin as things move forward. It could be an arduous journey moving forward, especially if this new board were to tackle the removal of this feckless GM. But it is a move that is needed sooner rather than later, as the longer this mindset is allowed to be prevalent, the more costly it is to the membership. I am not trying to tie up the thread, but feel it is extremely important for everyone to not become complacent about our facilities being given away right under our noses and not being able to have a say about it, courtesy of the GM and the board. There is a lesson in here and the need to learn from this lesson is now. We need a strong board and a competent GM. Please hear me now
I concur! The tenants of nonprofit fiduciary responsibility, oversight, management and overall competency to govern is a lesson is abject failure. It's a perfect case of "what not to do." I am hopeful that we can elect new leadership that takes this vast responsibility seriously.
When Bill Cook said in the 9/12 Member / Board Exchange that we must 'take care' of outside golfers who pay $2750 for golf privileges I wanted to implode. If he counts members' investment in the community, and RCSC for that matter, as the $496 assessment fee + their golf fees, whatever they may be and believes those that pay $2750 should be offered great benefits for their investment, he is sadly mistaken on our mission and our members' true financial investment in the community. We have to be very careful about not putting any outside visitors or guests above the needs and wants of paying members. This is our community, our retirement, our activity and our rec center lifestyle. I will be looking to vote for candidates this fall that recognize, Members Matter and take their fiduciary responsibility very seriously.
