Manager Report November-2006

Manager's Report

November 7, 2006

Today we have 455 spaces full, 431 owners and 34 renters. We are somewhat ahead of last year at this time we had 365 owners and 24 renters for a total of 389.

      On May 10th, the Apache Junction Fire Department inspected the fire alarm system. We passed with flying colors. This is good news. It was a long haul, but now everything is working, as it should.

      Our summer projects began with checking the windows upstairs in the Library building to determine where they were leaking. We discovered that the water was coming in the windows in the Card room and the Arts & Crafts room. Maintenance took care of this problem. The Sewing room is leaking from the roof. We discovered a couple of broken tiles on the southwest edge of the roof. The Roofing Company replaced a 10 foot by 30 foot section of tiles on the south west side of the roof. We also have some broken tiles over the front portico of the main building. We will have to have these replaced too, so we won't have to worry about leaks there.

      Next came the painting projects. The Computer Club room, the Card Room upstairs, the Arts & Crafts room and the sewing room have all been painted. We changed the color in the sewing room to make it lighter so that there is enough light for the ladies to see the small stitches they use. We used the same color but mixed lighter. The billiards room matches the sewing room; the small card room is about the same as the Navajo Room but with a different accent wall. The old white cupboards in the Navajo room are painted to match the wall and really look super. The new cabinets in the small card room match the ones upstairs in the Library building. The Library upstairs is also sporting new blinds. They are very attractive.   The carpet looks truly wonderful in all of the rooms. Once again, I extend my compliments to the Design Team. I am having mats made from the leftover carpet pieces to place at the entrances to all the rooms with new carpet. Hopefully, these mats will help to give people a place to wipe their feet and serve as a barrier for dirt on the new carpet.

      Our refurbishing project is nearly completed. We have some carpeting to do yet in the Billiards Room and we need to install the new sink and faucet in the Arts & Crafts room.

      The new billiards tables are still not ready from the manufacturer. I checked yesterday, no news. As soon as they are ready, we will have our old tables removed (traded in), the carpet installed and then the new billiards tables can be delivered. If everything goes according to plan, this should only take a couple of days or a week at most. Coordinating different companies isn’t always easy.

      We drained the swimming pools, cleaned the plaster and tile and refilled. Pinal County recommends changing water every two years, so we are complying. The small pool was converted to salt water. We are pleased that it works so well and has received good reports. The salt-water pool has been a great success so far. No one has reported getting a rash or having any problems at all. I think it was a good move. Unfortunately we had to shut it down for a week because of a faulty heat exchanger. It is fully operational now.

      The cool deck by the small pool and around the hot tub was repaired and re-coated with cool deck material. The concrete on the west side of the pool under the roof was stripped and repainted. The pebbletech sidewalks surrounding the main building were power washed with a special cleaner and really do look a lot better.

      The lobby floor was cleaned and seal coated and really looks marvelous. I hope we can keep it that way.

      The Shuffleboard courts have been refinished. I believe the shufflers are pleased with the results. They look great.

      I am asking that no one hang anything on the walls until the Design Team has a chance to get here and make decisions as to what we should have. I still want to do the Art in the Park like we did last year. The Design Team has many wonderful ideas. So we'll all be pleasantly surprised when it is all finished.

      We've finished the palm tree trimming and had the streets swept. It even rained the day after the sweeper was here which really helped get the streets clean. What good luck!!

      This summer we had a lot of mosquitoes. We haven't really had that many in the past. I discovered that we might be able to treat for mosquitoes with a Pest company. We sprayed for mosquitoes last Monday. I haven’t seen or heard that we have any more. They treated the rocks, catch basins, and grass in the retention area and dumpster areas. Residents are urged to sweep away any puddles left over from washing off patios and park models. Please do not wash vehicles down by the dumpsters. Standing water only helps mosquitoes breed. Pinal County did have reports of West Nile Virus, so it does pay to be careful. You have probably noticed that we have not yet filled the fountain out in front of the building.

      We are already starting flu and pneumonia shots. You will be able to get your inoculations during the course of the fall.   Also, we are planning a new picture book for the 06-07 season.   Details are available in the Activities Office.

We have two new employees, Deb Tobiasson in the front office and Larry Martin as Compliance Manager. Deb is a delight to have around with her bubbly personality and friendly manner. If you haven’t met her yet, stop by the front and say hello. Larry Martin can be found in the ARC office that used to be the real estate office. Yes, you guessed it; the real estate office is located where the old ARC office was. Larry Martin is here to assist residents in their effort to gain permits for new park models, AZ rooms, etc. Larry is from Apache Junction and will be familiar to many of you. We are very lucky to have Larry here as part of our Golden Vista family.