Image Up Advertising & Design

4 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | APRIL 2024 | By Beverly Simmons, Master Board 2nd Vice-President DID DID YOU YOU KNOW??? KNOW??? Did you know that Sun Lakes is an amenity-based community? When we purchased our homes, we all agreed to support, through our monthly HOA dues, all the amenities which are a service or feature that the HOA provides to their members for their enjoyment and convenience. Some of these amenities have come under fire in the past six+ years with new members who believe that amenities need to be profitable. Unfortunately, 'amenity' and 'profit' don't align. The golf courses, perhaps our premier amenities, are an amenity that is under fire. These prominent amenities drive our home values. Where else do you get acres of magnificent landscape to enjoy, that you don't have to physically maintain? In 2023, our monthly homeowner HOA contribution to golf course maintenance was $42.36. This is a whole lot less than any of us pay our gardeners per month to maintain our front yard. In 2023, this department came in under budget (better than budget) by more than $35,000. The Golf Shop (Operations), which includes all golf-related endeavors such as greens fees (including annual memberships), cart rental, club rental, lessons and retail sales came in under budget by over $31,000 and this amenity has been under budget for the past three years. Applause to these departments for the tight management of their resources and funds and the accountability they show in managing their portion of the overall budget. Did you know that there is more to Sun Lakes than what's inside the Main Gate? Across the street and next to the Lakes, we have the north side with 368 homes, the new state-of-the-art pickleball courts, a clubhouse with a gym that includes ellipticals, stationary bikes, free weights, machines, and more, a library and pool, bocce ball courts and a very challenging 18-hole Executive Golf Course. The north side is also where the RV storage lot is located with space for over 200 recreational vehicles of all shapes and sizes with a space rental cost that is far below anything you'd pay on the outside. There's a waiting list for this amenity so if you're interested, contact Administration. As a resident, you are welcome to use all of these amenities, FREE OF CHARGE, except for golf greens fees and RV storage rental. Take a drive to the "other" side and experience some of the best of what Sun Lakes has to offer. Did you know that the Capital Improvement Reserve (CIP) account hasn't been funded since 2017? This fund was initially established by the builders who had the vision and awareness in the late 1980s to understand that Sun Lakes was in its infancy and still had much that needed to be built. CIP was used to expand the original Main Clubhouse Lobby area to include things that hadn't yet been conceived let alone built, including the current Ballroom and Arts & Crafts Room, the original Sandwedge, kitchen, Restaurant, and all the common area buildings on the northside, just to name a few. Beginning in the late 1990s, this CIP account was funded by the one-time $950 membership fee that all new buyers pay. In 2017- 2018, this distribution was changed by the sitting treasurer who reallocated that money into the operating fund. Since then, there has not been any funding deposited into the CIP fund.

• Cover