I need to make a correction from yesterday’s Podcast. I said we will be having an Open Board meeting on July 29. Clearly, I don’t know what month this is, or as Bob Israel explained to me, I must have had one too many margaritas before the Podcast. He is probably right. Anyway, the meeting is this month is June 29. The deadline for filling out a speaker card online is June 26, at 4pm. You can use this link to fill out the form if you want to call in and speak at the meeting on June 29: www.scshca.com/speakerrequest
The County and State are opening facilities and we are reviewing the information with attorneys as quickly as possible. The Board will be meeting early next week to go over all the information to plan how to open given guidelines and restrictions.
I will give another Podcast this afternoon to explain any new information I get today.
I am proudly attaching a picture of my "sourdough success," a San Francisco - style loaf that I made with not just all-white flour. I substituted 25% of whole wheat. If I do say so myself, and Judy agrees, it has a nice sourdough "tang" with a rich, dense texture. And, before I sliced it up, it looked fairly pretty, too.
A public outreach virtual hearing with CalTrans and the city of Indio is scheduled for June 9, 2020, from 4 to 6:00 pm The purpose of the hearing is to keep the public updated about the Interstate 10/Monroe Street project. In addition, the Draft Initial Study/Environmental Assessment (IS/EA) is now available for review and download.
If you are unable to participate in the virtual hearing, and have comments about the IS/EA, please submit your comments in writing no later than June 22, 2020 to: California Department of Transportation, ATTN: Renetta Cloud, Senior Environmental Planner 464 W 4th Street, 6th Floor, MS 823 San Bernardino, CA 92401 or via e-mail to: Interstate10_Monroe_Int@dot.ca.gov. Please include “Interstate 10 Monroe” in the subject line. If there are no major objections, Caltrans will proceed with the project’s design.
To attend the virtual hearing, go to the City of Indio's website for a Zoom meeting link. To attend without internet access, use the following call-in numbers:
English - (253) 215-8782 and enter the Webinar ID: 953 6052 2503
Spanish - (872) 240-3311 and enter the Access Code: 126-113-853
The public review period runs from May 22- June 22, 2020.
The current estimated project cost is between $63-$65 million, and construction is scheduled to begin in late 2023.
I have been getting a lot of questions about the dog parks, specifically why can’t the dog parks open?
Why can’t we open our dog parks when other dog parks are opening including the City of Indio dog parks? I can’t speak to how or why other areas decide to open a dog park. I will give you the current information available to us as to the guidelines for dog parks.
Here is the State Order regarding dog parks and the link to the webpage:
You can walk your dog. You can go to the vet or pet hospital if your pet is sick. Remember to distance yourself at least six feet from other pets and owners.
Here is the link to the CDC webpage regarding dog parks:
Here is exactly what the CDC says about dog parks:
Walking a dog is important for both animal and human health and well-being. Walk dogs on a leash, maintaining at least 6 feet (2 meters) from other people and animals, do not gather in groups, and stay out of crowded places and avoid mass gatherings. Do not go to dog parks or public places where a large number of people and dogs gather. To help maintain social distancing, do not let other people pet your dog when you are out for a walk.
Given this information I can’t tell you why the City of Indio has opened their dog parks, but they may do as they wish. Given that the HOA is responsible for all Common Areas including dog parks, the Board has decided at this time the dog parks need to remain closed. The Board does not believe dogs can maintain the distancing requirement of staying 6’ apart from other dogs and/or people.
Hopefully, this answers your questions about dog parks for the moment. As soon as we get new information, we will review it and let you know. Please be patient, we can only move forward based on what the State Order will allow. I guess the good news is any dog owner may go the City of Indio dog park and use them during this time that our dog parks must remain closed.
I wish you all a safe and healthy day. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Photo Collage by Jerry Solomon
Could this be the last dance for the exquisite cacti florals? Met a neighbor this AM who seemed to know . . . he has one in his yard, which I have photo'd several times. He states that these wonders shrink from the heat and it is be to capture them with the light of dawn . . .
With all the financial questions about the HOA and how the “Stay at Home” directive has affected us, I thought it appropriate we take a moment to listen to our Treasurer, Bruce Marley, as he oversees the financial health of our HOA. Keep in mind this article was submitted on May 5, 2020. Please stay healthy and safe. And now, Bruce Marley’s letter:
Greetings, fellow neighbors of Sun City Shadow Hills Community Association (SCSHCA). The intent of this communication is to describe where your HOA is financially and to highlight the measures our management company, Desert Resource Management (DRM), and our onsite manager for Golf and Food/Beverage operations, Troon, are taking in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both DRM and Troon have already taken significant steps to reduce costs, while at the same time ensuring that our community is well maintained and ready for when this pandemic comes to an end. Please note that we continue to ensure resident safety by maintaining our security at full strength and to preserve the quality and ambience of our common areas, both deemed essential by the Board.
Entering this unprecedented challenge, our community’s financial resources were among the strongest in the valley! As of December 31, 2019, our financials show SCSHCA as having $2,158,205 of working capital on hand, equal to 2.80 months of Operating Fund monthly assessments. This is a good thing. Industry measures suggest from 1 to 3 months should be on hand. The 2.80 compares to 1.20 on December 31, 2017, and 2.05 on December 31, 2018. As you can see, the Board has worked to increase this key measure and, while no one could have anticipated COVID-19, we find SCSHCA in a good position to get through this challenge.
The 2020 budget preliminarily forecast year-end (December 31, 2020) working capital of $1,827,005, equal to 2.34 months. The decline is because the Board decided to reduce your 2020 dues to the current $273/month, from the balanced budget of $281. We made this decision because we had the ability to do so, and we wanted to keep dues reasonable while retaining our solid working capital position. This working capital will be used to offset increased expenses, so monthly dues are not expected to increase in 2020 as a result of the pandemic.
Adding to the ongoing financial strength of SCSHCA are two significant aspects of our structure. One, we continue to collect monthly dues of $273 from our 3,450 homeowners, which totals $941,850 per month. Two, we have over $13,000,000 in our Reserves/Replacement Fund. While the monthly dues may vary slightly if some homeowners are unable to make their payments, our current delinquency rate is less than 1%. As for Reserves, while these funds are set aside for specific Common Area replacement needs for many years to come, it is reassuring to know we have “money in the bank.”
So, with that in mind, here is what we are doing right now to account for the significant anticipated shortfalls for Golf and Food/Beverage (Troon) and to control costs in general (DRM):
Troon
At this very early point in time, Troon is forecasting that combined losses directly attributable to the pandemic will add over $300,000 to budgeted 2020 losses associated with these golf and food and beverage. If you might recall, the monthly budgeted subsidy for these two components was approximately $40/month per residence. This $300,000 equates to $7.25/month per residence, which will be paid for out of working capital as previously mentioned.
DRM
Our management company immediately made cuts to some maintenance areas like housekeeping, especially because both clubhouses are shut down, along with other areas that will not require ongoing attention. Additionally, there were cuts in the AV (audio visual) area, along with cuts in the Fitness Department.
Summary
I hope you have found this useful. Please remember three things:
All figures used in this article are subject to further review and audit. I intend to provide updates on an ongoing basis as we learn more.
These decisions by Troon and DRM have affected over 50 employees spread between those two companies. We are all in this together, and I ask that you think about all the employees of Troon and DRM who are struggling with the decisions that were made and consider supporting the local food banks and other such services.
Chances are we will be dealing with COVID-19 through May, given current “government” words and actions. We will be looking closely at all areas of expense as needed, while at the same time working to preserve and protect the quality of our amenities.
Please feel free to reach out to me or other Board members with your thoughts and comments