Happy New Year! Wow, it’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone. 2017 was a great year for SunBird, and 2018 will be even better!
The clubhouse this season was beautifully decorated for the holidays. We appreciate the many volunteers and staff who helped with this huge undertaking. The month of December was a terrific month with several holiday events held almost every day. This year, SunBird had its second annual Holiday Home Light Contest showcasing some very nicely decorated homes. The golf cart parade toured the homes participating and selected the best decorated. Pictures of these homes can be found displayed at the clubhouse or at the SunBird website. We appreciate all those who organize and participate in these many wonderful events.
Thanksgiving dinner prepared by the Horizon Room was superb again this year! Over 640 meals were prepared and served, equating to 1,500 pounds of turkey, 800 pounds of mashed potatoes, 200 pies, 500 pounds of yams and all the other good food that accompanies. This surpassed last year’s (2016) record breaking service for Thanksgiving. Several nice compliments were made of the terrific food and service and noted this was becoming a family holiday tradition.
An inspector from the Maricopa County Health Department made a surprise visit to SunBird for an inspection this past month. The Health Department normally has three or four surprise inspections annually for the food and beverage operations. The Horizon Room received an “A” rating. The inspection includes kitchen equipment, cleanliness, refrigerator/freezer temperatures, food quality, employee operations and a review of permits. We appreciate the Horizon Room restaurant staff for their hard work and dedication even on their own holiday and for maintaining an “A” rating throughout the entire year.
SunBird is a gated community and, at times, the gates can malfunction, becoming inoperable. When the gates are not operating, the City of Chandler Fire Department requires that the gates be left in the open position for emergency purposes until repaired. SunBird has a professional contractor who conducts monthly preventative maintenance services at each of the gate locations in the community. SunBird also has a 24-hour emergency service agreement with them that requires immediate response to assess any gate malfunctions. Minor repairs are normally fixed at this time. Major repairs can take time to order special parts and sometimes even require fire department inspection before returning the gates to normal operations. SunBird is a gated community but, at times, especially with heavy traffic, things can break. We appreciate your understanding, and please know that repairing the gates as quickly as possible is our priority.
During the months of January and February, the SunBird’s year-ending reports, financials and tax statements will be prepared and completed. The annual financial audit begins in January with independent outside auditor to review the 2017 year accounting procedures, practices, bank statements and multiple transactions for compliance and accuracy. The final audit report will be complete just prior to the annual meeting this March, with the results to be presented to the membership.
The year 2017 had many improvement projects and fun activities. The year 2018 has more improvements projects and fun activities planned. We look forward to another excitement-filled year! Thank you for all of your help and support in making SunBird a great place to live!