SCSH News

Desert Living Tip of the Month: Light Up the Desert Sky

With our extreme summer heat, we can still enjoy social gatherings in our backyards in the evening when the temperatures drop. String lighting is a great way to light up our desert sky for barbecues and night time swims. Many residents may be unaware of our community requirements for string lighting. Below are some tips to ensure your safety and string lighting enjoyment.

Approval Before Installation:

  • String Lighting requires prior written approval from the Design Review Committee.
  • String lighting on rear patios will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the DRC.

String Lighting Installation Requirements:

  • You can hang String Lighting only on rear patios.
  • You must install string lighting totally inside the structure’s covered patio.
  • You must attach the lights on the inside of the patio cover’s structure, so bare bulbs are not visible from neighboring properties, the street, common areas, or the golf course.
  • They must comply with 4.15.1 Exterior Lighting and may not exceed 450 Lumens total illumination for the entire backyard.
  • Must be outdoor approved lights only.
  • The only colors allowed are clear, white, or amber lights.
  • A maximum of 40 Bulbs is permitted, subject to the restriction of total illumination.
  • No lighting will be permitted, which causes glare to neighboring owners, neighborhoods, or any common area.

Once the DRC approves your string lighting and you have completed installation properly, it’s time to light up the desert sky and enjoy your evenings outside. Wishing everyone a starry, starry night!

UPDATE: Montecito Tennis Courts Closure

RESCHEDULED

All tennis courts at Montecito Clubhouse will be closed Monday, June 20 through Friday, June 24. We will be replacing all the broken concrete at the seating/gathering area by the courts.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. For more information, please contact the Facilities Maintenance Department at 760-345-4349 ext. 2401.

CVWD Storm Channel Project Update: Dust Control

CVWD and Sukut Construction (Sukut) understand the concerns with dust caused by high winds in North Indio where the North Indio Flood Control Project – phase 2 (Project) is under construction. Sukut can control dust and any associated air pollution within the project footprint by following applicable laws, rules, and regulations of the governmental entities having jurisdiction (City, State, etc.) as outlined in the contract documents.

The Air Quality Management District has inspected the construction site on March 18, March 28, April 11, and May 26 and did not find any violations causing dust related to construction activity.

Many communities in the valley are surrounded by undeveloped desert including North Indio and are susceptible to dust and sand accumulation from the season’s unusual high winds.

Here are the actions being done to minimize dust from construction activities, which also meet contract requirements:

  • Watering dirt piles associated with construction.
  • Applying a soil binder to stockpiles of dirt.
  • Watering dirt on trucks before they leave for transportation.
  • Sweeping and vacuuming sand from the roads near constructions sites even if caused by wind from undeveloped land.

CVWD and its contractors will continue to minimize dust associated with construction activities but are not responsible for dust coming from undeveloped land. We thank everyone for their patience during this important project.

CVWD Project Website:
☞ https://www.cvwd.org/NorthIndio

Fire Ant Treatment in Common Areas

Coachella Valley Vector Control will be on property to treat for red imported fire ants.

Treatment Service Locations: Landscape Common Areas, Phase 1 & 3 Dog Parks.

  • Phase 1 Dog Park will be closed on Thursday, June 16, 2022
  • Phase 3 Dog Park will be closed on Friday, June 17, 2022

Time: Technician should arrive between 6:30 am – 4:00 pm

If you have any pets (animals) please keep them indoors or in a secure enclosed area outdoors while the technicians are on property for safety precautions.

Product Information: Coachella Valley Vector Control has provided the following information regarding the treatment product: Control product are water soluble and will render ineffective when in contact with water. Control product are made at a very low dosage, enough to kill an ant and should not harm pets. If you have any pets, please keep them indoors while the technicians are on property for safety precaution.

If you have any questions, please contact the Association’s Facilities Maintenance Department, at 760-345-4349 ext. 2401.

Emergency Preparedness Tip of the Week: Retired Medical Professionals

Tip: If you are a retired medical professional: MD, Nurse, or EMT, the Sun City Shadow Hills Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) needs your help. Please consider volunteering. In the event of a major community incident, first aid centers will be set up for the injured. We need your help in these situations. If you are willing to help out, please get in touch with EPC Chairperson Jeff Kirkpatrick, epc@scshca.com.

Reminder: Irrigation Water Runnoff

Friendly reminder, please ensure every reasonable effort is made to restrict excessive irrigation water runoff.

Design Rules 5.5 Automated Watering Systems (Irrigation)
All in-ground landscaping must be maintained by a fully automated underground watering (irrigation) system. The irrigation system should be equipped with an appropriate shut off valve and an upstream pressure regulator. Sprinklers should be placed in a manner so as to avoid over spray on structures, walls, windows, hardscape and walkways. Every reasonable effort shall be made by homeowners to restrict excessive irrigation water running into gutters.

A Few Tips:

  • Ensure the irrigation system and irrigation controllers are thoroughly checked routinely.
  • Minimize the time duration per station and slightly increase the start times.
  • Try to irrigate at night as the evaporation is slower at night.
  • If possible replace old nozzle on sprinkler heads.
  • Irrigate only as needed and consider the weather.
  • Level any uneven areas on your turf ground cover.

Try to avoid compaction with minor aerification.

Shadow Hills Golf Club Aerification Dates

Aerification dates:

  • July 5, 6, 7 – North Course Closed
  • July 12, 13, 14 – South Course Closed
  • August 9, 10, 11 – North Course Closed
  • August 16, 17, 18 – South Course Closed

Also as a reminder please be courteous to other homeowners. If your ball causes damage step up and admit it to homeowner. Also, do not go into residents' property for your golf ball; that is private property.

Thank you,

Terry Ferraro, PGA
Head Golf Professional

Security Staff Uniform Transition

Please be aware that security staff has transitioned over to their summer uniforms. All officers will be seen wearing the Allied Universal green polo shirt and tan pants.

Flag Notification

Fly the United States Flags at Half-Staff
Monday, May 30, 2022 From Sunrise Until Noon
in Honor of Memorial Day 2022

Memorial Day Flag Display

Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday of May, commemorates the men and women who died while in the military service. In observance of Memorial Day, fly the United States flag at half staff from sunrise until NOON , and then raise it to full height from noon to sundown.

The flag, when flown at half-staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then slowly lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. On Memorial Day the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff.

Click here to see the entire US Flag Code.

Other Ways to Observe Memorial Day

  • Attend a Veteran's Day Ceremony
  • Visit a Veteran's Memorial or Museum
  • Donate to a Veteran's Organization
  • Thank a Veteran
  • Wear a Red Poppy

Double Dump Trucks on Avenue 40

The CVWD North Basin project and the CVWD Avenue 40 storm drain projects are requiring a massive number of 18-wheel double-dump trucks to haul away the excavated dirt. The trucks use Avenue 40 both east and westbound and travel fully loaded at high speeds passing all Avenue 40 gate entrances, and the Shadows driveway entrance, and when crossing Jefferson Street. Please USE EXTREME CAUTION when entering the Avenue 40 roadway from any location to avoid a collision with one of these trucks. This will continue for several more weeks or months.

President’s Report – June 2022

As published in The View, June 2022:

Kathy Lindstrom
Vice President

It is with great pride and honor that I address our Sun City Shadow Hills community as your newly elected HOA Vice President. The long campaign is over and now it is time to begin the work that our community has entrusted the five members of your Board of Directors to do.

The day-to-day decisions your Board members make range from feral cats, to speeding, to insurance and beyond. Throw in the Coachella Valley Water District Storm Channel, the five-acre parcel, and a budget that will be hit with 8%-plus inflation, and there will be many long and difficult decisions to bring to our community.

The members of this new Board must address these and other challenges in a cohesive manner that ensures each decision will benefit the good of our community. We must work cooperatively for our homeowners and put aside the personal agendas which might have been present during the campaign. We must move forward in a manner respectful to our fellow board members, as well as our residents, in order to maintain the premier status of our Sun City Shadow Hills Community.

This is a wonderful community in which we live with excellent resident volunteers. I am privileged to be the Board liaison to the Health and Fitness Advisory Committee, the City Development Coordinating Committee, and the Food and Beverage Advisory Committee. I have also worked closely with members of the Finance Advisory Committee and the Facilities Advisory Committee.

Each of these committees has such talented individuals in their areas of expertise. We have outstanding individuals who do the fact-finding for the Board and the community at large. They provide the checks and balances for decisions made by the Board. We could not have any better system than advisory councils. These advisory committees enable early identification of problems or concerns, plus support effective discussion and actions by the Board to advance the successful running of the community overall. These volunteers are exceptional in their dedication to our community.

It is my commitment, as your HOA Vice President, to be an active listener to our community members and advisory committees in order to achieve the continued betterment of our community. It is the obligation of your Board to “reason together” to make the necessary decisions entrusted to us by the homeowners and the Governing Documents.

If you have any concerns or would just like to chat, please join me on Thursday, June 9, in the Capistrano Room in the Montecito Clubhouse. I will be there at 3 pm for a Meet and Greet as one of your new Board members. I hope to see you there.

Contact the author at kathy.lindstrom@scshca.com.

Finance Advisory Committee – June 2022

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

As published in The View, June 2022:

Question of the Month: What Is a Reserve Study, and Why Does the Association Have to Perform One?

A Reserve Study identifies major components of the facilities owned by an Association such as air conditioners, etc., that have a remaining service life of 30 years or less. The Davis-Stirling Act, which is the California law that regulates Homeowner Associations, requires an Association to perform Reserve Studies at least once every three years. The study is to be a report based on a diligent visual inspection of the accessible areas of Association components which the Association is financially responsible for maintenance, repair, and replacement. (See CA Civil Code sec. 5550.)

In addition to identifying the components, the study estimates the cost of maintaining or replacing the major components and provides a funding plan to meet these Association needs through the residents’ annual monthly contributions. The studies are also reviewed annually by the Association to determine whether events over the past year warrant adjustments to the reserve funding. The Reserve Study and the accumulation of the required reserve funds is designed to prevent the necessity of special assessments and/or loans to cover Association’s needs.

If the reserve funds are properly accumulated annually, the residents should feel that their investment in a community is jeopardized by special assessments or Association debt obligations. The latest Reserve Study conducted by SCT Reserve Consultations, Inc., confirmed that -- out of our current monthly assessment of $309.00 -- $51.23 is allocated to our reserves. It also indicated that the reserve amount that we presently have in our replacement fund is 77.37% of suggested total funding. Learned opinions have determined that this is excellent because it presents only a 1% or less chance that we would suffer a special assessment or loan.

As a resident-owner, you receive the Reserve Study Summary with your annual budget report; and you have the right to request an opportunity to review the entire Reserve Study.

The Finance Advisory Committee (FAC) assists in the selection of a competent reserve study consultant and makes that recommendation to the Board for approval. The FAC will also review the report regularly throughout the year, and the FAC has a voice in all proposed replacement fund expenditures in excess of $5,000 from the reserve funds. We at the FAC take this obligation in our Charter very seriously, as we continually work to keep our community financially healthy.

Contact the author at finance@scshca.com.

Flag Notification

Fly the United States Flag at Half-Staff
Immediately through Sunset on Saturday, May 28, 2022
Honoring the Victims of the Tragedy in Uvalde, Texas

A Proclamation Honoring The Victims Of The Tragedy In Uvalde, Texas

MAY 24, 2022

PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS

As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on May 24, 2022, by a gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, 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, May 28, 2022. 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 twenty-fourth day of May, 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-sixth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

2022 Directory Now Available

The 2022 edition of our Community & Telephone Directory is now available.

Pick up your copy at the HOA Office, Montecito Clubhouse, or Santa Rosa Clubhouse.

May 2022 Board Meeting Video Now Available

To see more videos, visit our Videos page by clicking here.

Emergency Preparedness Tip of the Week: Don’t Panic

Tip: In an emergency try not to panic. You will likely experience fear during an emergency, but good planning with factual information from credible agencies will help you respond more effectively.

Block Wall Painting Project (Phase 1)

On Monday, May 16, block wall painting will begin on Sun City Blvd in Phase 1, beginning with the main entrance at the Jefferson Gate.

We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. For more information, please contact the Facilities Maintenance Department at 760-345-4349 ext. 2401.

Flag Notification

Fly the United States Flag at Half-staff Until Sunset May 16, 2022

A Proclamation on Remembering the 1,000,000 Americans Lost to COVID-⁠19

Today, we mark a tragic milestone: one million American lives lost to COVID-19. One million empty chairs around the dinner table. Each an irreplaceable loss. Each leaving behind a family, a community, and a Nation forever changed because of this pandemic. Jill and I pray for each of them.

As a Nation, we must not grow numb to such sorrow. To heal, we must remember. We must remain vigilant against this pandemic and do everything we can to save as many lives as possible. In remembrance, let us draw strength from each other as fellow Americans. For while we have been humbled, we never give up. We can and will do this together as the United States of America.

In memory of the one million American lives lost to COVID-19 and their loved ones left behind, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and on 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 May 16, 2022. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same period 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 twelfth day of May, 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-sixth.

JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

Montecito Clubhouse & Fitness Center Entrance Restoration Project Update

The contractor has completed the pavers installation for the Montecito Clocktower entrance. The entrance walkway is now open for residents and guests. The third and final phase of the project is scheduled to commence on May 11 and is expected to be completed by May 27. The third phase consists of the Fitness Center front walkway entrance, from the parking lot to the main entry doors. Please use the Fitness Center breezeway entrance or the pool entrance to gain access to Fitness Center during the construction period.

Photos Taken May 10, 2022