Seemingly No End to the Very Busy and Productive Work for Sun City and Sun Citians

With each passing day, I find myself less inclined to post my thoughts. That's a really good thing as it means with each passing day, the new RCSC board of directors is headed in the right direction. What's even more curious is, in spite of the sea-change by them, there are more pressing agenda items now than at any time in our recent past. Here's just a quick snapshot of what is going on; hopefully you are paying attention.

The Survey, Focus Groups, and Woking Group Results Released:

It's no secret many of us, including me, were really disappointed by the ASU $56K survey that was sent to members. 

• It was long, repetitive, and didn't appear to get to the meat of the multitude of issues facing our much-loved community. 
• The really great news is, more than 5000 hard-core members plowed through the nuances of the poorly crafted piece and managed to convey their wishes, wants, and expectations. Both the number returned and the quality of the comments and data extracted was exceptional. 

You can find those results by clicking here.

The better piece of the puzzle, the one I personally enjoyed and helped justify the cash outlay can be found in the followup body of work. 

• The ASU team created focus groups of members, RCSC staff, and board members to try and identify specific areas of need along with action plans to work on over the next 1-3 years. It is an impressive list. 
• Added to that gem was the working group that was formed and spent nearly three hours pounding out a laundry list of suggestions for all the things that ailed Sun City. 

You can find both those two reports by clicking here. Get your popcorn, they are long.

The May Exchange; problems still linger:

While many/most of you are well past the May Exchange meeting, we would be remiss in not providing the link to the YouTube video of it; click here. 

• No point in wasting a lot of ink on the lengthy meeting other than to say, there was no more a hot-button issue than outsider full-play golf passes being a controversial topic. As pointed out in the video, this has been a sore spot for most of Sun City's golfing population (roughly 12%) and after a year and a month of promised fixes by management, the problems still linger. 
• Yes, they have raised the cost of the passes; no it solved nothing. 
• Perhaps the most chilling comment came from the director of golf in his focus group goals was to suggest he needs to find ways "to balance inside and outside play." 

Nope, sorry, there is no such thing as balance when it comes to the members' rights to schedule tee times ahead of non-members.

The SAC Working Group:

There may not be a single more interesting process going on right now than the Strategic Alternative Committee (SAC). Some would argue it ranks right up there with the 1999 Board of Directors passing the Preservation and Improvement Fee (PIF). I would be one of them. 

• They meet every Friday at 2 pm at Oakmont Rec Center. Sessions are open to the public (space allowed) and also can now be watched online (great decision).

Most of you are aware the board has suspended the 40 million dollar, 8-year Mountain View remodel. Most recognized the bloated price tag would be devastating to Sun City's future had they stayed the course. While some were angered by their decision, they committed to a fast, fair, and open process as they try to find reasonably priced solutions. 

• Stakeholders were identified and invited so the table is filled with a variety of opinions and ideas. Better yet, is this easy-to-grasp idea that data will drive decisions. 
• At last Friday's session, two really good presentations were made and were truly informative. No one is claiming perfection, but as former board member Norm Dickson said; " I wish we had this type of information 20 years ago." 

So do I. You can watch the meeting here.

Last and certainly not least, is the next RCSC Board meeting:

There's been a change in the board's demeanor over the past couple of months and it has been refreshing to watch and attend. The arrogance many of us felt coming off the stage and from management, many of us felt in 2021 and 2022 is long gone. To be really clear, the nine-member board doesn't always agree with one another, but they are always respectful of each other's positions. 

• The next RCSC board meeting will be on Thursday, May 25 starting at 9 am at the Sun Dial auditorium. If you want to speak for or against motions, you should be there before they pull the signup sheets.
• There is one motion we are truly delighted to see its first reading. The motion is to reduce the quorum from the current 1250 to a much more reasonable and attainable 500 members for the annual membership meeting to be held at the end of November. 

Some of you may recall the members made that proposal at our last membership meeting but weren't allowed to vote on it, even though our Articles of Incorporation gave us that right. 

• There are several other motions and you can find the agenda by clicking here.

Sorry for the length of the blog, but there is lots going on and we know you may have missed some or all of it. The Sun City Advocates are committed to helping keep you informed and updated on what is happening.

Just one man's opinion.

Bill Pearson. Sun City Advocates and Sun City Historian