Enough is Enough!
By Mike Whiting
General Manager, RCSCW
“Enough is enough!” – an oft used phrase which is also a good introduction to this article.
For a very reasonable fee, the Recreation Centers of Sun City West provides recreational services for more than 28,000 members. Our facilities include four large community centers, seven golf courses, 30 bowling lanes, a library, racquetball, tennis, a woodworking shop, a metal shop, walking tracks, softball field, a theater, outdoor park, lawn bowling, bocce courts, dog parks, etc. The list goes on and on. Here’s a little known fact: We maintain 3,203,897 square feet of asphalt on Rec Centers’ property.
Sun City West is the finest retirement community ever conceived, and none compare to the quantity or quality of recreation facilities that Del Webb built here. So do we have enough? My answer is yes! We have enough!
From time to time a member will come to my office proposing an improvement. These ideas are usually good, and a good justification is often presented. But what are frequently forgotten (or under-calculated) are the operational costs. My goal as General Manager is simple: Maintain the original Del Webb concept. Most everyone here agrees we must maintain our facilities to a high standard, and when we refurbish, we should use modern materials. It’s a pretty simple concept!
Should we update our facilities from time to time? When club membership declines, when interests change, yes we should. Some good examples of this are the addition of the RH Johnson Library Data Resource Center. (The Friends of the Library funded $350,000 of that improvement.) The Stardust Theatre Council funded the $160,000 addition to the Theatre, and the Softball Club has funded $450,000 of improvements to the softball facility over the years.
Del Webb also wisely set up our community Bylaws to allow 9 elected officials to govern the Rec Centers. The Board also appoints several committees to give advice to the Board. You will find this Board to be extraordinarily interested in your opinions, and they meet frequently to get your input. They listen!
The Board adopts an annual budget that includes funding for capital projects and capital equipment. About 70 percent of these funds are spent on equipment and maintenance of parking lots, roofs, renovation, etc. About 30 percent is spent on major projects or renovations such as the Beardsley Fitness Center, Palm Ridge Pickleball Courts or the Library renovation.
Now, occasionally someone proposes something that costs a bundle of money (my estimate is $2.5 million to $3.5 million), like for instance a gymnasium. This topic was hotly debated at the September Governing Board Meeting. So the Board listened to both sides. Just because they listened doesn’t mean they agree! Most of them don’t agree and I would be very surprised if they approve this project!
For the record: I do not support this project. Enough is enough!
Roger Baker (above) said it very well. “If a majority of the membership wants it–”
I am coming to the opinion that “new” facilities of substantial cost should be put to a vote of the membership.
Obligating the entire membership for the cost of new facilities could be likened to a special assessment, without a vote.
We need to keep our existing facilities in superior condition and of course make changes with the times, remodeling, re-allocating space to reflect current usage etc. But “new” should be put to a vote of the membership, I believe.
I completely agree with Mike Whiting’s article “enough is enough’ and Dave Moeller’s comment “show me the money’. This is neither the time nor the project SCW should be considering at this time. There are a considerable number of members who are having a hard time meeting the existing annual dues and I am afraid that there are those among us who simply may be defaulting on their dues now. If SCW should proceed with this ill-conceived idea, look for a considerable increase in the dues, commensurate with the cost of the project. There is not only the initial cost, but it now has to be added to the schedule of the properties for maintenance.
Someone in today’s Sun City West Independent suggested “if planned correctly, it must not cause dues to increase”. If such a plan can be devised, I would sure like to see it. I have worked with numbers all my life and understand there is no money tree and there is no free lunch. All costs, no matter how they accrue are going to be reflected in the annual dues we pay.
The fiscal state of SCW is good at this time. Why would we want to do a project to accommodate a few members at the risk of throwing our association into bankruptcy, or attempt to raise dues to a point where more members default on the dues or find ourselves in a position where we need to defer maintenance on existing assets because we don’t have the resources to properly maintain them. At this time, with a shaky economy, we should put our resources into maintaining our existing properties in tip-top condition.
I agree Sun City West is the best retirement community anywhere. Maintaining the many facilities and activities currently available should be the main goal of our budget. It is a senior community and does provide facilities for entertaining family and guests. I truly feel it will continue to be appealing to new retirees without the addition of a gymnasium.
Roger, I don’t think Mike Whiting is saying “Enough is Enough” to proposed items that come before the board. I think he is saying ENOUGH because a few individuals make it out that the board already approved the project. Dave Moeller did a good job of posting in his blog about the approval process and our bylaws.
There is a great quote, “Perception is reality”. Rarely do any of the residents look at both sides of the story or take the time or have the desire to weigh all the facts. We just “perceive” and see what we want to see and that is an error of human nature. I wonder how many residents even take the time to read the GM weekly report, minutes from the various governing board meeting, attend board meetings, budget meetings, etc.?
The basic issue with the gym is “Show me the Money”. The realistic estimates on the proposed facility would add just over $100 to each member’s rec fees. In this economy placing that burden on our members is not being fiscally responsible. I agree with the sentimnet of keeping our Association current and the need to attract new home owners; at the same time we must place our priorities on what the Assocaition needs.
Are you saying that projects should not be approved if they cost a lot of money? Rather than a knee-jerk reaction, why not look at the merits of the project? If a majority of the membership wants a gymnasium and would approve the funding, why would it not be a good idea?
Don’t get me wrong… I’m very tight with my money and would not support a project that would cost me a lot of money with little benefit. But times change and our membership changes, and maybe we should look at how the rec centers can best serve the members. I hope Sun City West can continue to attract enough retirees to enable maintenance and new construction. If a gymnasium would help in that regard, we should look at how we could fund the construction and maintenance. We should not dismiss the idea with a blanket statement that “Enough is enough!”