These past couple of months in SunBird, the summer temperatures and conditions have been very hot and humid, but many of the planned improvement and maintenance projects have been completed or are still in progress.
Check our new SunBird website at sunbirdhoa.com. This summer, we have been working on revamping and updating our website. The site has some beautiful, large community photographs and is easier to use and navigate. One of the major changes made was to have a members-only section for the owners of SunBird to access. This section will provide information intended only for the owners to view, such as budgets, monthly financial reports, annual audit reports, board of director meeting minutes, and other types of information. This prevents contractors and others from viewing what amounts are budgeted for future projects, already knowing what is anticipated and/or reading the board meeting minutes to gain insightful information for them to bid on jobs. Overall, we are really excited for this new website and hope it will become a more useful tool to communicate and inform our membership.
Sport courts 1 and 2 have been completely demolished and removed. New post-tension concrete was poured on July 26, and a large boom truck to pump the concrete was anchored to the ground with 20 skilled labor workers and 21 trucks delivering concrete to finish this portion of the project. Although the work started at 1:00 a.m., the temperature was still 92 degrees. The new poured concrete has now cured after four weeks, and the finishing work has begun. The courts are anticipated to be completed before the end of September.
The clubhouse also has had a lot of work this summer. New stair handrails have been installed at the east and west ends of the clubhouse. These new handrails are ADA compliant and add a fresh, clean look to the stairs. The stairs also received more anti-slip strips to improve safety. Thirteen existing double doors of the clubhouse that do not open or close correctly have all been replaced. Balcony railing along the south side of the clubhouse will be updated with the same type of railing used for the balcony extension constructed last summer. Clubhouse interior is currently being painted with lighter, brighter, and modern colors that will coordinate with the new flooring. The new flooring for most of the clubhouse is anticipated to be completed in September. The clubhouse barbeque area has been updated with additional electricity and been remodeled with a new refrigerator and several freezers. Clubhouse swimming pool filters have been changed out with new sand and two new circulating motors. The swimming pool patio furniture also has been refurbished.
Phase 2 of replacing the old irrigation system in the landscaped common areas is currently in progress and nearing completion. This project includes removing the old irrigation piping, valve boxes, and timer clocks as well as replacing all with higher-quality material and equipment. At one point, the contractor had 15 trucks out in SunBird working on this massive project. After phase 2 is complete, SunBird will have replaced over 35,000 linear feet (approximately seven miles) of irrigation lines, 72 valves stations, 14 timer clocks, and 5,000 water emitters.
SunBird’s main entrance is the first impression residents and visitors have as they enter into the community. The SunBird Garden Club has spent, over the years, a tremendous amount of time and effort to make this a great impression with beautiful landscape. The gatehouse at the main entrance has just had a facelift to modernize the look with a rock facade added to the walls of the building and a new flower/planter bed extending out in front of it. The front entrance looks excellent thanks to the efforts and generous donations from the SunBird Garden Club.
SunBird is hosting its second annual “911” or Patriot Day Tribute on Sept. 11. A parade with active-duty emergency responders, city of Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke, and Basha High School marching band will participate. The parade is planned to begin in SunBird at the bocce ball courts and continue on Championship Drive, then north to Waterview Drive, ending at the clubhouse. In the ballroom, we will have a short service honoring and remembering our many first responders. At the conclusion of this service, a live bagpiper will perform “Amazing Grace.” This will be a memorable tribute, and we hope that you will join us at this awesome event.
We truly appreciate all those volunteers who have helped in various ways with these many improvement projects this summer. A massive amount of work was completed and couldn’t have done without this help. We also want to thank the many SunBird clubs, groups, and organizations who made very generous donations to help fund these improvement projects. It takes great support in all these areas to keep, maintain, and improve SunBird every year. Last, but not least, we appreciate our full-time residents for being patient with the inconvenience that some of these projects entail. It’s usually only for a short time, and we look forward to continuing to update and keep SunBird an attractive and exciting place to live! SunBird is a great place because of the people! Thank you for your friendliness and support!