IronOaks Board of Directors

Presidents Message for April, 2015

Many of our Homeowners are about to make their way back to their home states or their warm weather retreats for the summer of 2015. Some of us will be traveling this summer to avoid the desert heat. Those that will not be staying in IronOaks for the summer need to make the necessary arrangements to protect and maintain their homes.

Here are a few tips to ensure that your home will be in great shape when you return from your summer get "aways":  

• Do not tell everyone on your social networks that you are gone. This is a red flag and will be noticed.
• Have a neighbor pick up any newspapers and the Splash from your driveway. (Stop the papers. It will save you money. (AZ Republic; 602-444-1000, Wall Street Journal; 1-800-568-7625)
• Make sure IronOaks has your forwarding address if you reroute your mail during the winter.
• Go to our Patrol Office and fill out the necessary "Vacation Watch" form. The Patrol will, with this notice and the minimum charge, walk your property on a regular basis. This precaution will give you that extra peace of mind and protect your property.
• Preparing to leave includes making sure that you have adjusted your irrigation system to a summer schedule. Your plants will appreciate this. Some homeowners turn off the main water supply to their homes.  Please make sure that the main valve to your home is located after your irrigation valve to accomplish this. If not, you may turn off the entire system and starve your vegetation.
• Have timers on your internal lighting to address the "always dark home" issue.
• Keep your air conditioner on, but at a higher temperature.  Allowing your home to reach temperatures in the 90's is not recommended.  You will dry out seals on sinks, toilets, and garbage disposals, and cause your refrigerator to run excessively.
• Leave your dishwasher door open.  Dishwashers have been known to explode when started after long periods of time.

Our Community is struggling with the costs of maintaining our amenities. We are not in jeopardy of defaulting or having our assets go into disrepair. We are struggling with which ones we are spending our hard earned money on. We are about to launch another construction project on one of our 45 holes of Golf, the Lakes 9. I am supporting this project. I have said this in the past. Our Courses must be in playable condition to continue to attract players in this very competitive market.

I do not think that we would have the conflicts if we were about to launch a major project to repaint all of our clubhouses and proshops in IronOaks.   We expect to see a building that we can be proud of. Yet, when we attempt to maintain one of our most valuable assets, we get push back.  

The cost of bringing the Courses back to a playable, competitive condition is not cheap. Although, we have been able to do the first, Palms 9, and now the Lakes 9 without an assessment, that would be considered unreasonable. The planning that has gone into this, starting with the financial plan approved in 2013, the funding for the Courses has held down the special assessment impact on our pocket books. I know we took a hit on our Reserves, but as I indicated, we are not going to default or go into disrepair.

 Our Community has choices? 

1. Slowly build up our funding for the Course repairs, maintenance and cost controls?
2. Go to the Community for a special assessment large enough to not impact our reserves?
3. Do nothing?

Number one would be a "kick the can down the road" method. This would drag this out for years and we would inevitably lose revenue.  

Number two would most likely not have passed a vote for the $400.00 plus funding special

Number three, this is not an acceptable or responsible option.

Looking at the path we are taking it is the most responsible.

What do our Homeowners expect?
Looking at the results of our 2015 "Homeowners Satisfaction Survey", (soon to be published) we are, overall, about where we were last year.

What has happened to date to improve on the findings?

We have a strong, astute, confident General Manager, Faye Stone. Faye has taken on the responsibility of rebuilding our fractured Management Staff.

She is pulling the Team together and we are seeing languishing projects get completed.

We are beginning to realize improved revenues at increased margins in our F&B facilities.

We are seeing a focus on cost controls and accountability.

Faye is working on improving the Communications from Management to the Community.

Your Board is speaking with one voice.

The Board has instituted a Workshop program to ensure that our discussions and deliberations are visible to our Homeowners and our Management.

The Board is working to improve the management process we work under, by creating a compilation of policy and communication tools.

We are bringing more information to the community through our open debates and discussions.

We have instituted an improved Committee process. This process allows management the latitude to better utilize the committee resources that they require to analyze and complete projects and tasks more efficiently.

I am aware that there are some that do not agree with our direction. These voices are not ignored. I consider the input of all, and bring discussion to the Board that will further our goals and objectives. I will continue to lead with an open mind and a focus on Value and Quality of Life in our Tremendously Fortunate Community of IronOaks.

Respectfully,

John Porter

IronOaks HOA #3

Board of Directors President

IronOaks at Sun Lakes

General Manager's Monthly Report to the Board of Directors

April 2015

• Golf-Palms Pump Station at Oakwood: Pima Utilities began work on the Palms pump station on March 9, 2015, which included the restrooms. The project has now been completed.
• F&B-Banquet Linen: On April 18, 2015, we purchased a bulk of linen (chair covers, table clothes, etc.) from a catering company that was going out of business. This purchase will save us future rental fees and will more than pay for itself in the first year.
• Common Area-Halley Fountain at Ironwood: The plumbing is working as designed and pumps water to and from the lake. The blue paint has been removed and the base has been painted a neutral color.

• Common Area-Office remodel at Oakwood: Our maintenance staff began work in early April in the administrative offices to create a better working space for our F&B team.
• Common Area-Sustainable Landscaping: They removed winter flowers on April 20, 2015, and will be planting summer flowers before the end of April. They will also be spreading granite along the walking paths. Drop off areas will be raised and bare spots top dressed with granite.
• Common Area-Tripping Hazards: Tripping Hazards along the walking path have been addressed. Two locations are left, and will be demolished by the end of April.
• F&B-Banquet Hallway at Oakwood: Scheduled for April 26, 2015, all items currently stored in the banquet hallway will be temporarily moved to the ballroom while the floors are stripped and waxed and then moved back on April 27, 2015..
• F&B-Operations: New menus for Ironwood, Oakwood and Poolside will be in place May 1, 2015. New menus and pricing for banquets and activities will be completed before season begins. A employee training program is also being created for current and future staff.
• G&A-2014 Financial Audit: The accounting team has provided our external CPA firm with all requested documentation and a onsite visit is scheduled for April 27, 2015 through April 30, 2015. We are progressing quite well in comparison to previous years and are ahead of schedule.

Future Projects:

• Parking Space Survey for Oakwood: We hired a surveyor to work with us on determining what our current parking space situation is along with what impact future projects will have. A meeting was held on April 7, 2015, with our surveyor, our HOA representatives and the Maricopa County, who had 10 departments present to hear our proposals. We are currently waiting to for a response from Maricopa County.
• Golf-Lakes Course at Oakwood: The Lakes golf course renovation project was approved at the March 25, 2015, BOD meeting. A pre-construction meeting was held on April 15, 2015, and mobilization will begin April 25, 2015, with the project beginning construction on May 11, 2015.
• Golf-Lakes Pump Station at Oakwood: Earlier this year, the project was approved by the BOD, however, the project has been delayed due to the control panel. The delivery date on the panel is May 11, 2015.
• Common Area-Halley & Voax Pools at Ironwood: Southwest Gas Corporation's engineering blueprints and proposals were approved at the March 25, 2015, BOD meeting. We met with Southwest Gas on April 14, 2015, and were informed the work would begin the middle of May.
• On April 21, 2015, they were onsite and met with Ron Kotnik to determine the meter location for both pools.
• Common Area-AT&T Cell Tower: We have been informed the earliest the cell tower project will begin is the 4th quarter of this year. We are still receiving payments per our contract.
• Common Area-Pool Chairs at Ironwood: New lounge chairs are being presented to the BOD for approval of purchase on April 23, 2015. Once approved they will be ordered with delivery by the end of May.
• Common Area-RFP: An RFP was created and published for block fence and gate painting. In Oakwood it will be primarily the western side of the property and at Ironwood the north wall along Arrowvale drive.
• F&B-RFP: In March, an RFP was sent out to interested parties, who then met onsite on March 16, 2015. They prepared and submitted proposals on April 17, 2015, summarizing possible options for our F&B department in relation to operations and décor. The proposals will be presented to the BOD for review and comment.
• F&B-Ballroom Chairs at Oakwood: The ballroom chairs will be steam cleaned over the summer months so they will be ready for season and then will be placed on a maintenance schedule to do every year.
• F&B-Ballroom Dance Floor at Oakwood: The dance floor in the ballroom will be stripped and waxed over the summer months. We will setup a maintenance agreement to have this done bi-annually.

Please come join us for the upcoming events in F&B:

            Music)

            April 26th-Sunday buffet at Oakwood ($10 all you can eat every Sunday)

            April 27th-BBQ, Bourbon & Blues at Oakwood (Live music in the Sunsets Dining Room)

            May 3rd-Wine dinner at Oakwood

            May 7th-Team trivia at Ironwood (every Thursday night throughout the summer)

            May 10th-Mother's Day Sunday buffet at Oakwood

            May 15th-Hold Em Poker at Ironwood (every Friday night throughout the summer)

            May 18th-Paint & Wine Party at Ironwood (3rd Monday of every month this summer)

            May 27th-Bunco Tournament at Ironwood (sign up required in advance)

We began our $10 Sunday buffet on April 12th and have seen great success. Last Sunday we served 451 people in the course of 6 hours with over $5,400 in sales. I will begin my monthly Meet and Greets with homeowners at 1:00 pm on the 4th Friday of the month. Our first one will be at Ironwood on Friday, April 24, 2015, at 1:00 pm with the accounting department managers. We will hold our 1st annual employee appreciation event this month. Your kind homeowner contributions in December will be used towards door prizes for the event.