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8 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | OCTOBER 2019 | By Joe Formino, Chairman, District Delegate Assembly About 33 years ago Presley Construction Company planned and began building Sun Lakes Country Club. The plan was magnificent: private homes, clubhouses, pools, golf courses, tennis courts and a wide-open style that was very pleasing to the eye. The centerpiece of the entire plan was the golf courses that separated the homes and gave the whole complex a "park-like" appearance. Everything belonged to the homeowners except the golf courses and the RV parking lot. The builder maintained ownership of these entities for the revenue, but promised to turn them over to the HOA upon completion of the complex or at least by 2007. Subsequently, Presley Construction sold its assets to Pulte Company. The golf courses and RV lot were placed in a Trust Fund Account, but Pulte, as had Presley, collected a $28 per home fee from our monthly assessment to maintain the entities. Toward the end of 2004 the last home was sold and the Board of Directors requested the Trust Fund Account be dissolved and the entities turned over to the HOA. After some hassle, the properties became ours. For years after, our accounting system collected the $28 each month from the homeowners to maintain the properties. Approximately one third of our community played golf. As turnover occurred in our complex, the golfing community dwindled, finally to about 10 percent. Some residents now see the golf courses as a burden on the homeowners and want the golfing group to shoulder the cost of operation. It should not be forgotten that Sun Lakes Country Club complex is planned around two golf courses for a reason — it increases our home market value dramatically, making our homes appear more beautiful in the park-like setting. Because of increased costs, it is now necessary to modify the golf courses to stabilize and reduce the costs of operations. With the plan for drought-resistant planting, we can now lower our most costly expense — water. When each of the homeowners purchased a home at Sun Lakes Country Club, they purchased the entire complex with all of its amenities, including the golf courses. Unlike the other amenities, tennis, swimming and others, golfers pay a fee to play. The fee should not be so burdensome that ultimately there are very few golfers. Our monthly assessment pays for our clubhouses, pools, courts, common areas, golf courses and restaurants — everything we own. We were aware or should have been aware of our obligations when we purchased our home and became part of this wonderful community. District Delegate Assembly Report

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