HOMEOWNERS SPEAK
Homeowner Comments
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General Comments From Concerned Homeowners:
Below is a selection of pertinent comments from concerned homeowners about happenings in our community.
These comments are from a cross-section of resident homeowners; i.e.; long-standing, newbies, year-rounders and part-timers. They prefer to remain anonymous due to potential harassment issues by the community and administration.
Note: These are the views and opinions of homeowners familiar with the happenings in Sun City, who are speaking out. This website is not held accountable for any statements posted.
"I am very involved in the community, volunteering on boards, teaching in the Artisan Center, creating art, using many other of our fabulous amenities and I don’t see the need to jump into projects one right after another. Most amenities are fine as they are. I wouldn’t even be commenting, except I believe there are many things needing improvement and a little time, money and/or energy given to those needed repairs and cosmetic updates that are less costly and make more sense to be doing.
The other reason I’m adding my two cents is, I’ve heard way too many gossipy remarks about a group of people that are pegged as “The Disrupters” for even ASKING QUESTIONS. What kind of behavior is that? It feels like junior high school bullying.
I love this community and area and all it has to offer, but I believe as those who pay the salaries of staff and for all the amenities we have here, it is our RIGHT to question and object when something seems out of line. And the big plans for rather grandiose expansions do seem very much out of line.
I offer this comment as a person who hopes we can do better. If it helps, I’ll be glad to put my name to these comments. Even if I am pegged as a "Disrupter."
"We are replacing things that don't need to be replaced and re-modeling things that were fine the way they were. Take a look at the amount of money for these projects. We are paying out for such things as salaries, contractors which costs us more.
I am all about management. I am all about keeping things working properly and making this a great community. But, I am also about keeping things under reasonable control and living within your means. Let us not forget who started this community. They are much older now and many are on fixed incomes. Is there an intention to force them out and make this a young only community?"
"As a professional space planner of over 30 years, I offered to create some concepts for the Artisan Center to solve their spatial requirements, which was welcomed. The contracted architect's design consisting of a high tower reaching the height of the clock tower, infringed 3/4's into the main courtyard. It had rear building extensions that measured higher than the existing roof line and had closed off a means of rear egress to the building. These plans were very elaborate and inappropriate for our community as well as too pricey to build. The higher you build the more money they make!
After personal discussions with each club representative to understand their spatial needs, I designed 3 plans and a 4th more finalized one, which was chosen after getting some feedback. The 4th plan was still flexible and changeable. That 's how the design process works: draw, discuss, redraw until it works best.
Then a newly assigned Chairperson took the plans and discussed them on his own with the committee WITHOUT my knowledge or PERMISSION, before I was scheduled to present them. (These drawings were considered my intellectual property, so he had no right to represent them.) Not knowing my full intentions or how they were designed to be flexible, he (deliberately?) dismissed the plans entirely. If I had been able to discuss them I could have listened to the feedback and sketched over the plans to explore further solutions, as the process works.
Another person in the Committee then wrote a disparaging letter addressed to me, which was cc'd to the committee members, attempting to degrade my background and ability to design. They wanted to 'pit' my designs against the architects in a special presentation, which I refused to allow. I was not contracted like the architect was, but merely offered my professional skills to suggest concepts for review, upon which if agreed, could have been explored further and drawn up by the architect. (Looking back, I ought to have insisted on becoming a member of that committee. Even so, it was apparent they did not want my professional assistance.)
it made me wonder why the new Chairperson dismissed my help and was disagreeable to exploring more affordable ideas that would have probably saved them half the money they had wanted to spend. To me, it was mind-boggling that this architect was given 'carte blanche' privileges on this project (as well as previously on the AC project). This means she was designing without a budget parameter - unheard of in the design/build industry. I admit, these actions in the matter caused me to suspect that some of them might have been getting 'pay-offs' from the project. The more that's spent, the more there is to go around. This is not uncommon. I wouldn't have doubted it happened on the AC renovation. That was probably why I was considered a threat by which all means needed to be shut down."