Recreation Centers
Of Sun City West, Inc.
INTER-OFFICE
MEMORANDUM:
Date: February 13, 2017
To: RCSCW Governing Board
From: Mike Whiting, General Manager
Subject: Weekly Activity Report – February 13, 2017
Projects:
- Running Construction has completed the concrete sidewalks and has set the fence poles for the 8 new Pickle Ball courts. Light poles are expected to be installed this week. Preparation for the asphalt work will begin toward the middle of this week followed up by the concrete curbing’s. Coatings on the courts are scheduled for February 27.
- Foresite Construction has laid out the competition pool and the walking pool. Some work has been completed in the boiler room. Excess dirt continues to be removed from the site. The Foundation crew will be on site this morning. Mason crew will begin next week.
- Running Construction has installed landscape lighting to the Meditation Garden at the Beardsley Facility except for the tree lighting. Once the trees have been planted, the tree lighting will be installed. The Landscape Maintenance crew has been busy with planting various plants in the area. Both groups are working together to coordinate trenching for conduits and water liners.
- Fabric Wall Concepts met with staff to go over several concepts for the installation of sound proofing of the Beardsley Aquatic Facility. Once a concept has been chosen by Cindy Knowlton and her staff, Fabric Wall Concepts will complete their drawings and submit their cost proposal to complete the installation.
Sports Pavilion:
- We continue to be busy on the weekends. Our Sunday Special brought in $679 in revenue and Tuesday’s Bowling Special brought in $267. There was another 300 game – Bill Poff. Congratulations Bill!
Recreation:
6. The Leadership Workshop for Chartered Clubs Officers is this Tuesday, 1 pm in the Lecture Hall.
Library:
- Wed Feb 15 in the Acacia Room the Developer and Founding CEO of the Arizona Science Center will discuss her new book Appetite which was named a 2016 Best Book Awards Finalist: Fiction.
- Wed Feb 22 in the Lecture Hall is a Dramatic Poetry Reading, a collaboration between the Library Poetry Group and Theater West. It will feature poems written by members of the Poetry Group.
- Tech Topics: Online Voting, 10 am Friday, Feb 24 in the Lecture Hall. Learn how to navigate through the online voting process so you are prepared to vote for your Governing Board Directors.
- Monday, Feb 27 is the Library Volunteer Breakfast hosted by The Friends of the Library.
General Services:
- Our plans for Online Voting are coming along well. Details regarding the online voting process will be available in the next issue of the Rec. Center News.
- We are looking into streaming Governing Board Meetings so those that cannot attend can view the meetings live from their computer/device. We are also looking at streaming the Public Budget presentations.
- A reminder that the Hometown Heroes Presentation will be made at our Governing Board Meeting scheduled for Thursday, February 23 at 9 am in the Lecture Hall.
- The LGBT Club information meeting went well with over 60 people in attendance. They are reviewing their option of becoming a chartered club.
Environmental Services:
- There is a little less than a month before the LPGA Legends Event takes place at Grandview Golf Course. We will be busy and have lots of preparation work to accomplish!
- Landscape Maintenance will be planting trees for the Meditation Garden this week.
Golf Operations:
- Revenue for February is up $30,000 over prior year and rounds are up over 1,000.
- The Denver Golf Expo went well. Attendance at the Expo was over 9,000 for the three days (Friday through Sunday).
- We are promoting a three-round special, Friday p.m., Saturday and Sunday for $149 through the end of April.
- The Tennis Club had a golfing event at Deer Valley Golf Course on Sunday, February 12. Over 80 players participated. The event ended with dinner at the Social Hall.
- We hired a new cart fleet mechanic to replace the mechanic who retired. The new mechanic starts next Tuesday.
- We are looking to finalize the hiring of Golf Course Manager at Stardust and Pebblebrook Golf Courses to replace Pete Roberto. We hope to have someone selected by mid-week
Facility Maintenance:
- We’ve received the 85 ft. lift we rented for the upcoming work on the Library Clock Tower to assist us in repainting, bee removal and other maintenance items. We’ve scheduled the maintenance projects so the main entrance of the Library would not be accessible today as the entire Library is closed on Monday’s. Remaining projects after today will not have an impact on the main Library entrance. The lift will also be used for replacement of the faces on the clock next week.
- Kuentz pool will be closed Thu 2-16, 6 am – 10 am to repair a leak in the bulk head connection near the filter. Palm Ridge Lap Pool will be closed Tue 2-28 from 5 am- 10 am to replace broken lateral inside filter.
Upcoming Events:
FEBRUARY 2017
Every Tue at Kuentz SO YOU THINK YOU HAVE TALENT! 11 am at Kuentz Courtyard.
Join us for our sixth season highlighting many new acts and all of your old favorites! Join us in the Kuentz Courtyard starting at 11 a.m. Tuesdays for an hour of fun. Our lineup for February is:
Feb. 14: Singer/keyboardist Bill Ciccone
Feb. 21: Singer Cheryl Wagner
Feb. 28: Singer/Guitarist Jody Yeoman
Mon Feb 13 JAM SESSION, 1-3 pm, Kuentz Courtyard. Join us from 1 to 3 p.m. for two hours of entertainment in the Kuentz Courtyard. Join in or just sit back and relax and enjoy the music. This starts our third season. If you play a string instrument or other similar instruments join in on the fun. We supply sound and chairs for the musicians. This is open to SCW residents and guests. For questions or information, contact Dori Miller at 623- 544-6193.
Wed Feb 8 & 22 HAPPY HOUR, 6-8 pm Kuentz Courtyard. This event is free and is for residents and their invited guests. Bring your own beverage and snacks. Ice and Coffee are provided. You can also bring your own chair.
Feb 08 – Jan Petrie Band
Feb 22 – Touch of Grey
Mon Feb 13 ABBAFAB, 3 & 7 pm. Palm Ridge Recreation Center, Both shows are SOLD OUT!
Fri Feb 17 SCARBOROUGH FARE , 7 pm Palm Ridge Recreation Center. This event is SOLD OUT!
Sat Feb 18 US AIR FORCE JAZZ BAND-THE COMMANDERS, Beardsley Park, 1 pm. This event is free and open to the public. Please bring your own chair. Soda, hot dogs, chips, popcorn and ice cream will be available for purchase at the event. The Commanders, a newly revived ensemble coming from the U.S. Air Force Band of the Golden West, carries on the American musical tradition of the great big bands, yet offers a lot more than the big band sounds. This energetic group of highly trained, professional musicians formed from 18 airmen and delivers the full gamut of jazz music – traditional jazz, cool, bop, swing, Broadway favorites and patriotic music
Thu Feb 23 WINTER DANCE PARTY, 3 & 7pm, Palm Ridge Recreation Center, John Mueller’s “Winter Dance Party” is the official live and authentic re-creation of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper’s final tour and the only show endorsed by the Holly, Valens and Richardson estates. Tickets are $25 each and can be purchased online at Suncitywet.com or at our Box Office at the RH Johnson Rec Center. Box Office hours are 8 am-3 pm Mon – Fri.
Sat & Sun Feb 25 & 26 Palo Verde Patchers 10th anniversary Quilt Show – Legacy of Quilts. 9 am – 4pm Palm Ridge Recreation Center. Free and Open to the Public. Each day will include a boutique, antique quilt walk, a spring bling exhibit, a quilt appraiser and a quilt raffle. The entry fee is $3 and lunch can be purchased. This show will feature Brenda Archambault as the guest Fiber Arts Quilter. She will exhibit some of her weaving and needlework along with a multitude of quilts and wearable art.
Saturdays URBAN TRAIL ESCORTED HIKES, 9 am. Join us on an escorted hike on one of our designated Urban Trails. The Urban Trail Guide is online at www.suncitywest.com or pick up a brochure at any Rec Center. Committee members who created the guides are excited to formally unveil the routes as they invite community members to walk with them beginning in January. All walks will begin 9 a.m. Saturday mornings, starting at the recreation center from which the routes originate. Members wishing to join the walking tours should meet up with the day’s guide near the fitness center of the designated rec center. There are expected to be two guides per walk, and the Rec Centers will provide bottled water to get started. The schedule of walks is as follows:
Feb 18 Praying Mantis Trail, Beardsley
Feb 25 Javelina Trail, Palm Ridge
We’re any other bids submitted for the sound proofing at Beardsley besides Fabric Wall Concepts?
Hi Dale, no bids have been submitted yet. The concept is not finalized yet. We typically work with one vendor to create a concept – we have to start somewhere so vendors have something to bid on – then we formally go out to bid. We cannot go out to multiple vendors to create concepts or else they will all come back with different concepts so their bids will not be comparable. We need to start with one concept. Then everyone is bidding on the same concept. Once this concept is final, we will seek the multiple bids.
What other contractors/bids were consulted for these projects?
Hi Lynn, please see the response to Dale Manelski.
Dear Mr. Whiting,
I have been a resident of SCW for 17 years and was once an employee in Member Services. My husband and I love living here and believe it is the best place to retire and enjoy our golden years. However, we are becoming increasingly worried about the excess spending on projects that are questionable at best. Did we really need the new sign on Bell Road, couldn’t the existing sign have been painted and refurbished to make it stand out? Do we need expensive soundproofing at the Beardsley pool? It would seem that this will serve only a handful of people and the pool has served our residents for many years with no complaints about sound until now. A meditation garden is probably the most ridiculous waste of our funds to date. We have many parks, churches, etc., where we can go to meditate if we feel the need and this new garden will only cost more as time goes on for maintenance. I am writing because I know people who are trying to exist on Social Security benefits which have not increased while our rec fees continue to climb to pay for these unnecessary additions. I am shocked that the governing board that we elected is allowing these frivolous expenditures and that you are approving them. I would welcome your thoughts. Thank you
Hi Ms. Forsberg. Thank you for your service to the community during your tenure in Member Services! The sign on Bell Road was not replaced. In fact it was only refurbished and repainted. Replacing it would have required all new permits from Maricopa County, and we likely wouldn’t have been able to put up a new sign of that size because the existing sign is grandfathered. So we simply repainted and put new lighting on the existing sign to reflect our new logo. The soundproofing at Beardsley has been requested for years by the user groups at Beardsley. In fact, there have been many complaints over the years, we simply had other projects that took priority. Sun City West was built on a concept of something for everyone. We continue to maintain our community on that concept; not every project or improvement benefits everyone – but everyone can find something they like here. Residents moved here because there are many amenities, activities and services to meet a wide array of interests. When we budget, we keep in mind that we need to keep dues affordable, but we also need to maintain the type of community that people moved here to enjoy. We have to decide each year which projects make it to the top. It’s a difficult challenge, but one we take very seriously. We encourage you to come in and meet with the CFO or GM if you’d like to discuss this in more depth. Additionally, we have Candidate Forums coming up where you can ask questions of our Governing Board candidates, and we will be scheduling budget forums soon so you can ask specific questions about projects that will be scheduled in the next fiscal year. We would love to have your input at those sessions.
Regarding item #4, above, are there competing bids? And if so, what are they? Looking forward to your response. Thank you.
Hi, please see the response to Dale Manelski.
WELL…WHAT IS THE CONCEPT ? WE DONT KNOW UNTIL ITS PAID FOR?I AM NOT YELLING…..I LIKE CAPS !
Hi Jim. We’d be happy to show you the concept drawing. Please call Cindy Knowlton at 623-544-6114 to set up a time to visit the Admin offices and take a look.
With more and more people arriving in Sun City West via Deer Valley Drive, has any consideration been given to improving this entry? The Bell entrance is impressive, the East entrance is adorned with beautiful plantings and unfortunately, the West entrance is “lost” due to the railroad tracks and Grand Ave.; however, the Deer Valley entrance has been ignored and could be another impressive entry to possible residents when they enter from the adjacent 303 Hiway. Please encourage the Landscaping Committee to consider enhancing this area. Thank you for all the Board does! It is appreciated!Juli
Hi Julie. Thank you for your question. We have considered upgrades to all of our entrances. The Bell-RH Johnson was a natural because it was the most visible and easiest to do with just paint and lighting. As you point out, the RH Johnson-Grand entrance faces big hurdles with the railroad crossing and setbacks. We have seriously considered what we can do to improve the Deer Valley entrance off Loop 303 because, as you say, many more people are coming in that way and it will only continue to get more use. A future connection over the Agua Fria River from Deer Valley on the Peoria side to Williams on the Sun City West side will eventually bring more traffic that way as well. (That project is funded by Maricopa County and the city of Peoria.) The issue with putting signage on Deer Valley will be gaining rights of way and finding funding. It is on our radar and will be part of our budget considerations. We appreciate you showing your support for these kinds of opportunities. The more residents who show this is a priority for them, the higher it will move on our priority list when we have to pare down our capital budget lists. Thank you.
Thank you for your informative reply. Will look forward to seeing any future movement in this area.