From Stu Struker, HOA Board President
1. New Bender Board. You may not have noticed but, some time back, your Board approved the replacement of all our bender board mowing strips with concrete. Bender board only lasts so long before it has to be replaced. Concrete mowing strips look much better and last decades longer. So, everywhere in our community where there is a dividing line between flowerbeds and turf, there are now concrete mowing strips. Take a look, it’s a nice upgrade.
2. Santa Rosa Pool Decking Enlargement. We have redesigned and enlarged the pool decking at the Santa Rosa Clubhouse. There is now much more seating space available. In addition we have added more chaise lounges and umbrellas.
3. New Pickleball courts. We have also approved the construction of four additional Pickleball courts adjacent to the existing ones, alleviating the need to use tennis courts for cross-purposes. The additional courts should sufficiently accommodate one of the nation’s fastest growing senior sports.
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4. Shadows Refurbish. As you probably know, we also refurbished Shadows restaurant in a much more current design. There is more seating capacity, the restaurant is now under new management, and we are looking for good things in the fall.
5. Ballroom Refurbish.This month, we are refurbishing the ballroom in the Montecito Clubhouse: new paint, new wall coverings on the moveable panels, new carpeting, and new sheer draperies. The carpet will change from a rust shade to a rich blue.
6. Snack Shop. The Snack Shop at the south golf course now has a new granite-topped bar area along with bar stools. The bar area has increased seating, and the drop-down step – a safety issue – is now gone.
7. DwellingLive Gate Access System. We have now worked out most of the bugs in our new and better functioning guest and vendor Access Control System. On behalf of the Board, thank you, fellow residents, for your patience during the changeover. You can now go online to request entry for all your visitors and much more, including text or email notifications when your guests come through the gate. Look for "Front Gate" in the upper right hand corner of the community website for more information.
8. TV Information at Clubhouses. We have a new upgraded TV monitor in the Montecito Clubhouse lobby. Look for new and informative broadcasts in the near future.
9. Emergency Prepredness. We have freed up space for all our Emergency Preparedness supplies next to the Santa Rosa pool. The space is air-conditioned, so supplies will last much better.
10. Homeowner's Association Office Expansion. We are also going to expand the Home Owners Association office. The lobby will be enlarged, two offices will be added, and there will be a new meeting room that will free up more availability in the La Jolla Room.
11. Dog Park Upgrades. There will also be a few upgrades to the dog park. We will be cementing in some new parking areas within the compound, adding an additional walk- way in the large dog section, and planting some
shade trees there as well. We will also be planting some additional plants and vines for a nicer look.
12.Street Slurry Coating. Finally we will be using a new process for the slurry coating of our streets. This new product is not an oil-based product but a synthetic base. What that means to us as residents is that you will be much less likely to track it onto your driveways and onto the striping in the streets, so our crosswalks and other street markings will stay white longer. This product uses crushed black lava, so the streets will also stay black much longer rather than turning grey. Its life expectancy should be twice as long as current technology, thus causing less disruption for our homeowners because resealing will be necessary only once every seven to ten years instead of every three to five years. It will take us several years to complete the entire community. The initial cost is substantially more, but it should save us money in the long run and our streets will look better longer.
All of the above projects have been managed by Ceasar Larrach and our management team.
Stu Stryker, HOA Board President.