SCSH News

President’s Report – October 2022

As published in The View, October 2022:

John MacDonnell
President

Sun City Shadow Hills Charity Golf Tournament

I am excited to share some great news about our Second Annual Sun City Shadow Hills Charity Golf Tournament. This year, Animal Samaritans has been selected as the local charity to benefit.

Animal Samaritans was founded in 1978 by local animal lovers determined to end the suffering, abuse, and unnecessary death of local shelter animals plus to educate the pet owners of tomorrow on responsible pet ownership. After more than four decades of service, Animal Samaritans has grown to become the desert’s largest, most-comprehensive animal welfare organization by adopting out more than 10,000 homeless dogs and cats; rescuing more than 14,000 adoptable, at-risk shelter animals; and spaying and neutering more than 200,000 pets. Animal Samaritans views all living creatures with compassion and respect, with a primary focus on dogs, cats, and the people who love them.

Sun City Shadow Hills Charity Golf Tournament will be held on Sunday, December 4, 2022, on our South Course. The event format is a four-person scramble. Please register at www.shadowhillsgolfclub.com. Registration began on September 19, with 144 player spots available. The registration deadline is November 18. You may register as a foursome or as an individual. The registration fee of $175 per player includes:

  • Golfer’s grab-and-go breakfast
  • Putting contest
  • Event prizes
  • Awards Luncheon at the Montecito Clubhouse Ballroom prepared by Executive Chef John, our fabulous new chef at Shadows Restaurant

Agenda:

  • 6 am                Player registration opens
  • 7 am                Putting contest
  • 7 am                Golfer’s grab-and-go breakfast (cash Bloody Mary bar will be open)
  • 7:30 am           Shotgun start
  • 12 pm              Awards Luncheon (cash bar will be open)

This year, the Awards Luncheon will include a silent auction providing all participants with a great opportunity to bid on something special while benefiting Animal Samaritans.

Contact the author at john.macdonnell@scshca.com.

Finance Advisory Committee – October 2022

By Robert “Bob” O. Jester
Finance Advisory Committee Chair

As published in The View, October 2022:

Question of the month: Is it important to have the Finance Advisory Committee (FAC) conduct an annual insurance review for the Association?

The short answer is, of course, yes, but the real question is why is it important? When we discuss an annual insurance review, we are not referring to shopping for insurance or comparing insurance quotes. We are referring to the true need of reviewing the HOA’s current insurance coverage and getting a basic idea of what is insured, how it is covered and what insurance coverages might be missing as the needs of an HOA change with time.

Proper insurance coverage is an absolute necessity for a HOA, since without it, the assets of the HOA are exposed and at the same time the residents have potential financial exposure, since they fund the HOA with their monthly assessments. Most CCRs, including Sun City Shadow Hills (SCSH), require an annual review and the charter of the FAC requires it to conduct an annual review. In addition, it is necessary to make sure the coverage of the HOA meets all the required state law requirements.

The FAC and the Board must also ask “did the association make significant improvements or upgrade its property?”, which requires more coverage, or add new equipment to a department like maintenance, which again requires more coverage. Another question is always, has the HOA allowed a new unsafe condition to exist, whether it is temporary or permanent, that will present liability exposure in the coming year. In addition, we must always be concerned about “Mother Nature” and what she may throw at us that will cause damage to HOA property, notwithstanding our continuing concern with potential earthquakes.

All of these questions and concerns speak directly to the Board’s primary fiduciary responsibility to “protect, maintain and enhance the HOA property” and not having proper insurance coverage is a violation of that responsibility. Thus, the Board always must choose an insurance agency that “specializes” in HOA insurance coverages for our region.

California state law requires that an association maintain a minimum Directors & Officers insurance policy with a limit of $500,000 (Civil Code 5800) and a General Liability policy with a limit of at least $3 million (Civil Code 5805). Because the California legislature revises our laws almost yearly, the insurance broker, the Board, and the HOA’s legal counsel must be constantly on the watch for these changes so as to comply with the law and not expose the Board to personal liability for a failure of fiduciary duty. Plus, insurance policies of HOAs must comply with the other constantly changing guidelines of financial institutions, regulatory agencies either federal, state or local and certain outside vendors like Associa.

The FAC plays an important role in the annual insurance review by confirming what property needs to be insured and is the property insured for common hazards i.e., fire, water leakage, etc. The FAC looks at the exclusions and their impact on the needed coverages and reviews the applicable deductibles. The FAC must also ask does the coverage limits comply with the law, is there coverage for the Directors & Officers, has the HOA provided the required coverage in the contract with its administrative vendor, i.e., Associa? So, as you can see, there are a lot of questions which require careful annual reviews of the HOA’s insurance coverage for the protection of all of us not just the HOA.

I wish to thank our broker, Prendiville Insurance Agency, for their assistance in preparing this article, as they do specialize in providing insurance for HOAs and have the expertise that this association must have in this risk filled, litigious time for associations and their residents.

Contact the author at finance@scshca.com.

Townhall Meeting & Survey

Townhall Meeting
Thursday, October 6, 2022 • 9:00 am
Montecito Clubhouse • Front Half of Ballroom

Our Board of Directors will be presenting three possible amenity projects for the enhancement of our community and lifestyle here at Sun City Shadow Hills:

  • Development of Five-Acre Parcel
  • Montecito Café Renovation
  • Four Additional Pickleball Courts

After the presentation, the Board will be asking for your input on these projects.

☞ Click Here to Take a Survey

Paint El Paseo Pink: It’s Not too Late to Sign Up

It’s not too late to sign up for Paint El Paseo Pink on Saturday, October 8, to raise much needed funds for Desert Cancer Foundation and their fight against Breast Cancer. Get out your walking shoes for the two-mile walk. Your $35 registration includes a PINK commemorative t-shirt, but the more PINK, the better!

This year, we are sponsoring a team from SCSH called the Sun City Shadow Hills Steppers. We want to join together with our friends and neighbors in the fight against cancer. Your support and all funds raised will help provide for residents who need financial assistance with cancer care and treatment, for all cancer!

Go to: PaintElPaseoPink.org, select Join A Team, select Sun City Shadow Hills Steppers, and proceed with your registration under our team name. Let’s join together, because together, we are better!

T-Shirt Pick Up
At The Gardens, upstairs next to Tommy Bahama

73595 El Paseo Suite 2204, Palm Desert CA 92260

Store Hours:
Wed. 10/5, Open 1 pm – 6 pm
Thurs. 10/6, Open 10 am – 4 pm
Fri. 10/7, Open 12 pm – 7 pm

SCSH Steppers Meeting Place on Saturday, October 8
in front of Tiffany’s at 7 – 7:30am

Questions? Call Chris at 760-902-4498.

Fall Color Planting Selection Update

SCSH Landscape Advisory Committee
Fall Color Planting Selection
Update, 9/17/2022

Vintage Landscape will be removing the Summer Color Flowers in preparation for planting of the Fall Color Flowers. Once the Summer Color Flowers are removed, the soil will be tilled, the irrigation system checked and fertilizer will be added in preparation of the planter beds and pots for the Fall Color planting. Fall Color planting will occur in early October, weather permitting.

The selections for the Fall Color are geraniums for the inground planting and petunias for the planter pots.

Emergency Preparedness Tip of the Week: Pets

 

Tip: If you own pets, ensure an adequate food supply for them. Also, consider having them “chipped.” Microchips are tiny transponders, about the size of a grain of rice, that can be implanted in your pet’s skin by veterinarians and animal shelters. Microchips are a good option for pet identification. The Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) has a chip reader to identify your pet in an emergency.

Desert Living Tip of the Month: Trash Talk!

Has your trash can ever disappeared on garbage collection day? No worries. It was not kidnapped and ransom is not required to replace it! We contacted Burrtec Customer Service and learned that occasionally as the trash container dumps its contents into the truck, it slips from the mechanical arm and slides into the vehicle. Drivers cannot retrieve the cans until they empty the trucks at the waste collection center. However, Burrtec will replace the trash can free of charge. Below is the least messy way to resolve this issue and information regarding trash collection in our community.

Trash Container Replacement:

  • If it’s a windy day, check nearby streets to see if your trash can has rolled away.
  • If you cannot locate the trash can, call Burrtec at 760-340-2113 and explain what happened.
  • Burrtec will deliver a new trash or recycle container for free.

SCSH Trash Collection Information:

  • All trash, recycling materials, and green waste must be kept in proper Burrtec containers.
  • Burrtec is the company responsible for waste disposal and receives payment automatically through your property taxes.
  • Residents must store all containers so they are not visible from the street, common areas, or golf courses and should be concealed behind a solid wall or in the garage except on scheduled trash pick-up days.
  • All containers can be placed curbside no earlier than 4:00 pm the day before collection, and you should store them properly no later than 10:00 pm on pick-up days.

Trash Talk Extras.:

  • Burrtec observes 6 Holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
  • When a holiday falls on or before our pick-up day, Tuesday, trash pick-up will occur on Wednesday.
  • Burrtec provides a bulky item pick-up service. Call their office at least 48 hours prior to regular pick-up for this service.
  • Vacation hold is unavailable to our community, and refunds are not available since residents pay Burrtec through property tax bills.
  • Contact Burrtec with any questions at 760-340-2113 or email customerservice@burrtecdesert.com

Now that the “Case of the Missing Trash Can” is solved, we wish all SCSH residents a clean and healthy year.

Flag Notification

Fly United States Flags at Half-Staff
Honoring the Death of Queen Elizabeth II
Immediately Until Sunset on the Day of Interment

A Proclamation on the Death of Queen Elizabeth II

SEPTEMBER 08, 2022

PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was more than a monarch. She defined an era.

In a world of constant change, she was a steadying presence and a source of comfort and pride for generations of Britons, including many who have never known their country without her. Queen Elizabeth II led always with grace, an unwavering commitment to duty, and the incomparable power of her example. She was a stateswoman of unmatched dignity and constancy who deepened the bedrock Alliance between the United Kingdom and the United States. She helped make our relationship special. The seven decades of her history-making reign bore witness to an age of unprecedented human advancement and the forward march of human dignity. Her legacy will loom large in the pages of British history, and in the story of our world.

As a mark of respect for the memory of Queen Elizabeth II, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, on the day of interment. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-seventh.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Flag Notification

Fly the United States Flags at Half-Staff on
Sunday, September 11, 2022

Patriot Day 2022

Sunday, September 11th, 2022 marks the 21 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in suburban Pennsylvania. Patriot Day serves as a remembrance of the lives lost on that September morning.

By a joint resolution approved 12/18/2001, (Public Law 107-89) has designated September 11th of each year as "Patriot Day" which also directs the flags be lowered to half-staff for the entire day on September 11.

A section of the law is below:

''§ 144. Patriot Day''(a) DESIGNATION.-September 11 is Patriot Day.''(b) PROCLAMATION.-The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation calling on-

''(1) State and local governments and the people of the United States to observe Patriot Day with appropriate programs and activities;

''(2) all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States and interested organizations and individuals to display the flag of the United States at halfstaff on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001; and'

'(3) the people of the United States to observe a moment of silence on Patriot Day in honor of the individuals who lost their lives as a result of the terrorist attacks against the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001.''

 

Santa Rosa Pool Deck Resurfacing Project

The cleaning and resealing of the Santa Rosa Pool Deck is schedule to commence on Monday, September 12. The Santa Rosa pool will be closing Monday, September 12, and reopening on Monday, September 19. The closure will ensure that the cleaning and resealing of the pool deck can be completed as quickly, safely, and efficiently as possible. During this time, the Montecito Pool will be opening during regular operation hours.

Santa Rosa Pool
Closure: Monday September 12
Reopening: Monday, September 19

Montecito Pool Hours of Operation
5:00 am – 10:00 pm

Any updates to this timeline will provided via on-site notices and notifications on the SCSH website.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. For any questions or concerns, please contact the Facilities Maintenance Department, at 760-345-4349 ext. 2401.

HOA Office Labor Day Closure

The HOA Office will be closed on Monday, September 5, 2022, in observance of Labor Day. We will reopen Tuesday, September 6, at 9:00 am.

Have a Safe and Happy Labor Day.

Emergency Preparedness Tip of the Week: Personal Go Bag

Tip: Everyone in your family should have their own “Go Bag” that contains a minimum of 72 hours’ worth of essential supplies, including medicines. If you own pets, don’t forget pet food and water for your four-legged family members.

These kits are collections of supplies needed when an earthquake strikes, or an emergency evacuation is ordered. Personalize kits and keep them where they can easily be reached – at home, in the car, or at work.

View Delivery Volunteer Needed in Phase 2

The opening has been filled. Thank you!

A volunteer is needed to deliver The View magazine in area #2, near Calle Ebano in Phase 2.

Volunteers are notified at the end of the month when the magazines for their area are ready for pickup at the Santa Rosa Clubhouse.

If you are interested in volunteering, please email view@scshca.com or call 760-345-4349 ext. 2204.

 

Sun City Blvd & Avenida Sombra Street Re-striping Project

The re-striping of the street lines for Sun City Blvd (Phase I, II, III) and Avenida Sombra will begin on Monday, August 29, and is scheduled to be completed on Tuesday, September 13.

  • Streets will remain open to thru traffic.
  • Please be aware that there will be some detouring, and crews working in the roadways.
  • Please note the site map below showing the roads affected.
  • Striping paint is a rapid dry pavement paint that will dry within a few minutes when applied to pavement.
  • Work hours are 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause you and we thank you for your cooperation.

For more information, please contact the Facilities Maintenance Department at 760-345-4349 ext. 2401.

Reminder: Pets on Common Areas

Just a reminder that due to an increase in reports regarding pets off leash while in common areas, homeowners must be aware that dogs or other pets must be securely restrained by a leash not exceeding twelve (12) feet in length. The owner or keeper of a pet shall not allow or permit the pet to run at large in any common area, except the pet park(s), or in rear yard. Pets must not be left unattended in the association's common areas, including the pet park(s).

Pets are not permitted on any golf course at any time. Dog walking at Avenida Sombra, where Avenida Sombra meets Sun City Blvd., behind hole number 7, is not permitted. In all other areas, you may walk your dog along the edge of the golf course as long as you and your dog do not walk beyond nine (9’) feet from the edge of the street. Pets are not allowed on the lot of another owner without permission and should not be allowed to soil another owner’s property. Pet owners are responsible for removing and disposing of their pet's litter from Association common areas, including the pet park(s).

We request your immediate compliance. Violators may be cited and be subject to monetary penalties and/or suspension of common area privileges.

Rules & Regulations, Section 2.20.4 - Responsibility of Pet Owners

☞ Rules & Regulations

☞ Schedule of Monetary Penalties

Thank you for your cooperation.

President’s Report – September 2022

As published in The View, September 2022:

John MacDonnell
President

The Road from Budget Meetings to the 2023 HOA Assessment

In my July and August articles, I laid out how our HOA functions, including an overview of our financial operations. That now brings us to “budget season,” which happens every year starting in August with meetings open to all homeowners. I strongly recommend, if you have the time, desire to be part of the process, or wish to comment on the process to your Board, that you attend all of the budget meetings. Or, if you would rather, you can watch the meetings from the comfort of your home as each video is posted.

What is the process? Spreadsheets are prepared for the Board to review, detailing each budgeted category and comparing this to what has already been spent and what will be spent by the end of the year. The Financial Advisory Committee reviews the data ahead of time for accuracy and reasonableness.

The Board uses this historical data as the starting point for the 2023 budget. Evaluating the new budget begins with looking at the 2022 proposed budget and comparing the year-to-date actual money spent in each category. This will show us how realistic our estimates were for 2022. Then, we go line item by line item and evaluate all the factors affecting the future budget. We rely heavily on data that has been gathered for us by the Advisory Committee Chairs, Desert Resort Management (DRM), Troon, and others.

It is only natural that there will be differing opinions about how the Board should spend the HOA’s assessment dollars. Because the outcome of the total dollars budgeted determines the 2023 HOA assessment (your monthly dues), the budget is not final until the Board votes on it in an open session in October. Up until the Board votes, all homeowners are encouraged to submit questions and suggestions to the Board. After all, this is your money.

This year, we as homeowners are already experiencing many cost increases in all aspects of your personal daily lives. During the budget process, your Board will have to deal with many similar issues on a much larger scale that reflect our common community expenses that we all share. The Board already knows that HOA insurance has dramatically increased in the second half of 2022.

Another example is the big increase in the cost of grass seed, included in Troon’s part of our budget. In 2021, the cost was $1.96/lb. In 2022 we paid almost $2.75/lb. And in 2023 we expect to pay around $3.00/lb. We use about 60,000 pounds of seed each year.

These are non-negotiable expenses. We must have insurance, and we have shopped for the best economically available policies at this time. All insurance rates are increasing exponentially. And it goes without saying that we must buy grass seed to protect our golf course and to safeguard SCSH home values.

I want to be upfront with you, as I have been in all my interaction with you, going into this budget season. I am committed to the hard work of scrutinizing every item in the budget. Last year we were fortunate to keep the assessment increase low, but that is not likely to be the case this year. I am asking that everyone, please, remember this when presenting any “wish list” to the Board at the upcoming sessions. Every $40K that we add to the budget in new spending adds $1 to each homeowner’s HOA assessment.

The Board will be weighing all options during the budget process and doing its very best during this difficult economic period for every homeowner.

Contact the author at john.macdonnell@scshca.com.