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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | MARCH 2020 | 3 From the President's Desk By Sandra Moyer This month I would like to give you a summary of the refresh project and why the Board felt it necessary to do a change order on the carpet. The project was developed in late 2018 to refresh the Main Clubhouse. This included flooring, painting, window dressing, and furniture. Through review with the community, which included display of paint and carpet color panels and renderings, the Board approved moving forward on the project in May 2019. The project started off with Deana Ries who was chosen from a pool of three designers for her cost and experience with HOA and government buildings, including Sunnymead Ranch HOA and the University of Redlands. When it came to the flooring, samples were looked at from Masland carpet manufacturer, which has a good reputation in the industry. The board worked for over a month to try and find a design that wouldn't make people dizzy by looking at it but with enough design to hopefully hide minor stains. The ribbon design was picked since it was a modern design that wasn't too outrageous. The color of the carpet was another long process with multiple tries. The color that was picked was a neutral color that would help in brightening up the rooms and the Clubhouse. This sample was then configured into a display board that was posted along with the paint colors, furniture, and window dressings for display at the Main Clubhouse for a month with comment cards. After reviewing the comment cards, it was found that there was a split between those who liked it and those who didn't. With over 6,000 residents, the Board realized that there is no way to please everyone. After speaking with the manufacturer and discussing with them the concerns of stains, they assured us it would withstand the traffic and scotch guard could be applied that would combat stains from adhering to the carpet fibers. The Board felt good about the carpet and moved to approve Deana to engage flooring installers. Deana contacted multiple contractors, walked and measured each area with each flooring vendor, and issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) packet to each vendor so that an apples to apples comparison could be made. The RFPs came back in a sealed manner and were opened by the Board at the same time. Three vendors turned in their proposals with the cost of installing flooring for 17,061 square feet. The Board chose Smith flooring who came with a cost right in the middle at $159,500. They have a good reputation and did a great job with the install of the old carpet in 2010. They also have knowledge of Sun Lakes and what is expected. The scope of this work was to include carpet throughout the Clubhouse, Restaurant and Sandwedge. At this time, the Board heard from a number of residents that they wanted to see a danceable surface put in the Sandwedge for when the Lounge music is moved into there. After speaking with the installers, they agreed to change the flooring from carpet tiles to the LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile), which is in there now at no extra cost for materials. Upon installation of the carpet, it was noticed that glue was coming up from some of seams in the carpet. This was addressed with Smith Flooring's Project Manager. That issue was remedied at that time. Additionally, once the carpet was laid, the carpet cleaning company that the manufacturer uses came out and coated the carpet with scotch guard. Following this, a week or two later it was noticed that the design was not camouflaging the smaller stains and in the high traffic areas the carpet was already looking dingy. Immediately a claim was filed with the carpet manufacturer by Smith Flooring on behalf of Sun Lakes Country Club. At the end of November, the carpet manufacturer representative came out to look at the carpet and to take a sample for them to test to see if there were any defects with the carpet. Two tests were conducted to see if there was an issue with the cut of the carpet fibers causing it to look worn and dirty. It was also at this time that the Board decided to hold off on installing the carpet in the south wing of the Clubhouse. The Board had requested that we be credited for some of the carpet since it was not what they expected as an end product and were not happy with it. In January 2020 we were informed by the manufacturer that the carpet was free of defects. At that time, the manufacturer relayed to us that they would pay to have the carpets deep cleaned and have another coat of the scotch guard put on the carpet. Once the Board was informed of the outcome of the test, they chose to look at different flooring options for the south wing. In looking at other flooring options for the south wing, LVT flooring was presented to the Board. This material has twice the life expectancy that carpet does and it requires a lot less upkeep and maintenance. Furthermore, a number of new-build communities like Altis and Del Webb Rancho Mirage are using this type of product for their clubhouses as well. One concern that the Board had was the noise that a hard surface might cause. The Board was able to observe the sound in the Sandwedge as well as both the North and South Clubhouses. Finding that the sound would not be an issue and after speaking with the Shaw (flooring manufacturer) representative as well as the Smith Flooring Project Manager, the Board decided that this would be the best option for the Clubhouse. In turn, the Board received a proposal from Smith Flooring to install this flooring in the south wing for $66,150 which covers 3,835 square feet. Since this was a change order to the original contract, the cost for the install of the carpet in the south wing was credited back to Sun Lakes in the amount of $5,400. This credit, however, was used toward the flooring in the Sandwedge. The reason for this was that when the carpet in the From the President's Desk, continued on page 5

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