Chuck Heitbrink, HOA Board Secretary
The board of directors met Sept. 26 for a regular scheduled business meeting. These are the approved meeting notes from the May meeting:
Members present: Steve Seel, Lisa Onyx, Jim Anderson, Dan Buescher, Dirk Close, Nancy Eckstein, Chuck Heitbrink, and Manager Layne Varney
The board reviewed the minutes of the April 25 board of directors meeting. Motion to approve by Dirk and seconded by Lisa. Approved 7/0.
The Treasurer’s Report was presented by Jim. He advised that the total cash on hand was $1,434,607. The various funds were reviewed, and he reported that current revenues of $1,093,275 exceeded expenses of $876,312. The board reviewed the treasurer’s handout and had no additional questions.
Layne presented the Manager’s Report.
Administration: Home sales continue at high pace, 23 for April and currently 6 for May, with a total of 60 year to date. Account status for 2022: Currently one lot is in litigation awaiting judgment for excess from the proceeds of the sale. He reported the status of the remaining 10 lots past due.
Horizon Room: Food, beverage, and all costs have been increasing drastically due to supply chain and shortages and inflation. Prices continue to be monitored and will be raised as necessary. A meeting is scheduled with the vendors to negotiate consistent and reduced prices if possible.
Activities: Several activities, Bingo and Trivia, continue with good attendance. The Rock Me Gently Concert had good attendance. Wendy is currently researching new concerts for next season. Water aerobics is going very well.
Clubhouse: Continuing to research video equipment for streaming events in the ballroom. A SunBird resident has been helping and directing our search for the proper equipment. Cordless microphones are still on order. Some of the pool furniture is out for repair and will be rotated during the summer to assure all have been repaired by fall. The swimming pools will be replastered beginning Sept. 19 with the large pool, followed by the small pool when the work on the large pools is complete.
Landscape Common Area: Tree trimming began in June, and the landscaping trimming cycle is 75% complete. Weeds continue to be a problem, and an irrigation valve was found restricted in the common areas.
2023 Budgeting Process: The process will begin this summer by reviewing historical data and review expenses and plan for record higher inflation.
Committee Liaison Reports:
Architectural Control: Dirk reported that 42 permits had been issued for April and 38 currently for May. Residents were reminded that permits are rolling until the work is complete, due to delays from manufacturers and contractors. Weeds are still a problem, and residents are encouraged to watch their property. All palm trees should be trimmed by Aug. 1.
Finance: Jim reported that the balance sheets have been reviewed. A review of the Reserve Funding is being evaluated to be conducted by an outside firm. The committee will bring their recommendations for this service to the board in the fall.
Project Review: Dan indicated that the shuffleboard awning has been installed. New patio awnings have been installed. The Laundry Room repairs are scheduled for October, and the retaining wall on the east side of the clubhouse is in progress. New signage after entering the property through the main gate has been installed, and the water aerobics instructors have requested an awning at the pool.
Rules: Nancy reported that the Rules Committee will be recommending changes in the Rules concerning plastic or metal bottles for hydration and the use of balls in the swimming pool later in the meeting.
HOA/Golf Board: Lisa reported the committee welcomed Nancy Eckstein to the committee. Advised the residents that Springfield is not interested in creating a gate between SunBird and Springfield. $20,000 was approved from the Capital Improvement Fund for the purchase of a new tractor. Both boards agreed to hire a civil engineer to review the drains, ponds, and retention areas. The boards will work together to determine the best candidate for the job. The Golf Board is in talks to construct a cell tower near the maintenance shed. This will provide an additional revenue stream for the golf course. The tower will be disguised as a palm tree.
The Project Review Committee recommended the following: Install new tile on the bar area of the Horizon Room. The estimated cost is $4,960. The motion to approve was made by Dan, second by Lisa. Motion approved 7/0. Install wind screens on the south and west sides of the sport courts. The estimated cost is $3,000. The motion to approve was made by Dan, second by Steve. Motion approved 7/0.
Steve proposed that Steve Fetterman for the Architectural Control Committee, Renee Seaman for the Finance Committee, and Juanita Harbut for the Welcome/Marketing Committee be approved as members. The motion to approve was made by Steve, second by Lisa. Motion approved 7/0.
Dirk proposed that Policy 10 under committee members be revised to include long-term renters to the following committees: Project Review, Rules, Welcoming and Marketing Committees. The board agreed to table this discussion until September and have the Rules Committee review the verbiage.
Layne announced the members of the 2022 Election Committee. Barb Ott will chair the committee. The motion to approve the committee was made by Nancy, second by Dirk. Motion approved 7/0. The board thanked them for their willingness to serve.
Layne presented a review of the Cox Communications proposal for fiberoptic service to SunBird. He gave a short background of Cox’s affiliation with SunBird. He advised that Dirk, Lisa, and Chuck had joined him in an inspection of the installation process in Oakwood and advised that the cables would be buried under the ground and minimize any damage to the streets. The Cox agreement for SunBird has been submitted to our attorney for review. The board had discussion, and homeowner comments were included. The motion to proceed with the agreement, pending attorney approval, was made by Steve, second by Jim. Motion approved 7/0.
Each of the board of directors updated the board on the progress of their goals.
Goal #1: Digital Trends – Jim and Dirk
Implement system with ability to pay dues electronically with our new bank partner and evaluate feasibility of electronic voting systems for SunBird.
Jim advised that a test group would be in process for the December dues payments.
An application for voting online is being reviewed and has several favorable comments.
Goal #2: Evaluate Long-Term Needs and Wants of the Community given our change in demographics – Chuck and Jim
Establish a working group with ideas with community input, interface with our community, and present findings to the board and GM.
Layne and Chuck met with Jana Haffner and discussed the goals, and she is assembling a working group to further develop a plan.
Plans for the new SunBird resident survey were discussed. Possibly move to an electronic survey that would allow follow-up surveys after the residents have been established.
Revisit the SunBird app. This could provide more current information than the eblast.
Goal #3: SunBird Employee Succession Plans – Lisa
Establish succession plans of the SunBird Leadership team to ensure we are prepared and ready for replacements as situations present themselves.
The succession plan for all key employees was reviewed and updated with Layne.
A job description was added for a potential assistant manager. This position would report to Layne and assist in all areas of governance and operations for SunBird.
Goal #4: Resource Develop within SunBird – Dan
This would include both recreationally and for the community as a whole.
Dan reported that as recreational needs are identified, they are included in the monthly board meeting and acted upon.
Requests should be made through the comment sheets.
Goal #5: Educate SunBird Community on Committees and Engagement – Nancy and Dirk
Form a group made up of one board member and one current member of each committee to educate homeowners on exactly what each of our committees does and how they can get involved. This group is to have meetings at least once a year.
Implement a meeting with all the committee chairs and committee liaisons and continue regularly.
Review Policy and Code of Conduct for Committee members.
A template would be developed to assure all committees are providing the same information.
The first meeting is to be held on Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. The meeting will be communicated in August of 2022 to all committee chairs and committee liaisons.
Additional updates and finalization of the goals will be made in the fall.
Lisa reported that Dan, Nancy, and Lisa Kittridge had met to develop a draft of the CC&R Change Procedures. The draft has been sent to the board for review, and the attorney will review over the summer. The new procedures for CC&R changes will be voted on at the September board meeting. The draft policy will be posted on the website, and homeowners will have until Aug. 31 to submit their comments in writing in the comments box by the office.
Nancy presented the following changes to be made to the Book of Policy concerning swimming pool water bottles and clarification on exercise equipment:
Plain water in plastic or metal bottles for hydration is permissible during scheduled exercise periods.
Any type of balls is only permitted in the pool during scheduled water volleyball play, scheduled water aerobics classes, and other authorized scheduled classes.
A motion to proceed with the change in policy was made by Nancy, second by Steve. Motion approved 7/0.
Layne reported that the Golf Course Board had submitted a request for a letter requesting donations from the homeowners to help pay for the grass seed be included in the dues statement. This is the same request that has been allowed in the past. A motion to proceed with the policy that had been approved in the past was made by Lisa, second by Nancy. Motion approved 7/0.
Chuck reported on the progress on the Golf Course Drainage. SunBird has received hundreds of pages of documents from the City of Chandler concerning storm water drainage. After reviewing with the city, we were informed that due to the age of our community (SunBird was not part of the City of Chandler at the time it was created), we would have to review our CC&R to determine a plan. We have previously agreed to hire a civil engineer to review, study, and explain the storm water drainage responsibility. In anticipation of approval to hire a civil engineer, Layne has contacted three firms to see what interest they might have in assisting SunBird.
The comment sheets were reviewed by Layne. There were no homeowners’ comments raised at this meeting. Board members thanked the residents for attending and wished them a safe summer. With no further business, President Steve Seel adjourned the meeting at 11:43 a.m.
The next scheduled board business meeting is Monday, Nov. 21, at 10 a.m. in the ballroom. All are welcome to attend.