Image Up Advertising & Design

| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | SEPTEMBER 2023 | 3 Autumn has arrived, arguably the best-loved season of the year, and her beautiful colors are at their height this month. October is known as the harvest month when traditionally, entire communities come together to gather and prepare the crops for winter. It's a time of kinship, cooperation, and support as well as joy and gratitude. This community exhibited that kind of collaboration as it came together to help each other during our recent crises. Thank you to Linda Spaulding and Marsha Midgett for coordinating the sandbag brigade in preparation for tropical storm Hilary as well as all the residents who came out to help fill sandbags and deliver them to residents on Breckenridge. Thank you to Pete Peterson and friends for reaching out to the golfers to help our staff clean up the Championship course after Hilary. They had over 50 people show up with rakes and garbage bags to pick up the debris from the winds so that the golf course could reopen in a timely manner. Without their help, it would have taken our limited staff a couple of days to do what this huge group of people did in a couple of hours. And finally, a big thank you to the Banning Police and Fire Departments, Securitas, our Administrative staff, EPAP, and our residents for the great job they all did during both the Highland fire and tropical storm Hilary. This collaborative spirit is at the heart of Sun Lakes and is one of the many reasons so many of us make our home here. The new Sandwedge Bar and Grill is open and offering a variety of exciting perks. Breakfast is available on Saturday and Sunday starting at 7:30 am with lunch following at 11:30 am. And if you like football, weekends at the Sandwedge is the place to be! College ball is offered all day on Saturdays with five separate TVs able to broadcast all the televised games so you won't miss your team. Sunday is all NFL with your favorite football snacks and drinks to keep you satisfied. And, of course, the Sandwedge is home to Monday Night Football. See you there! The shuttle to Morongo started on Sept. 18 and runs every Monday with two departure times, 10 am and noon and two return times, 4 pm and 6 pm at NO CHARGE to our residents! This is an opportunity to go out for a spa day, hang out at the Lazy River, spend a little money at the tables or just go have lunch with friends as our Restaurant is closed. Be sure to sign up at the reception desk in the Main Clubhouse. Sign ups are available for that week only — no advance reservations will be taken. Seats are limited and they will fill up quickly! As we come into the last quarter of the year, we have many things coming together. The Board is in the final stages of planning the budget for 2024 and will have it completed by the end of this month. The new budget will be presented at the open session on Oct. 25. We are excited at the increased attendance for the open sessions. Thank you to the "silent majority" who have stepped forward to let your voices be heard. Your comments and support are valued and appreciated. The seeds we plant now will determine the harvest we reap in the future. Along with the budget, one of the crucial concepts for next year is the proposed CC&R change called the "Reserve Replenishment Assessment" which will be voted on towards the end of this year. This assessment will NOT cost anything to current homeowners but WILL positively affect everyone who lives here. How? By contributing funds to the Reserves, the Repair and Replacement (R&R) account, which is used to repair or replace existing assets within Sun Lakes such as the HVAC and water heaters in the Main Clubhouse or resurfacing the pool and spa at the North Clubhouse. This assessment, if passed, would be paid only by a new home buyer within nine months of purchase and would be equal to six months of the monthly HOA fee at the time of purchase. As of this writing, that would be $2,076 per new buyer. On average, about 20 homes are sold to new buyers every month. With this proposed CC&R change, that could bring into the R&R Reserve account over $40,000 per month, or $480,000 per year. This is a one-time assessment only for new homeowners and will help replenish this fund that has been hit hard with the inflated costs of repairs. There will be a town hall meeting this month on this proposed amendment. "Nature herself does not distinguish between what seed it receives. It grows whatever seed is planted; this is the way life works. Be mindful of the seeds you plant today, as they will become the crop you harvest." ~ Mary Morrissey ~ Bob Walter, Randy Robbins, Beverly Simmons, Lori Hazelton, Gary Burkel From the Master Board

• Cover