After attending our annual meeting for Suntree HOA, I have to give the board some credit. They almost have their crap together, still they are missing some fundamentals. Not to mention missing the financials and minutes from the ownership packets. We got budgets but that's it. The annual meeting is specifically to discuss how our money was spent.
As with most communitites, Suntree's single largest expense is landscaping, Making it a hot topic among owners at annual meetings. Meaning that any person seeking the landscaping chair, has to be as thick- skinned and prepared to be thrown in front of the fireing squad without taking it personally. I was however shocked at how our landscape director perfomed her presentation and focusing on money and not landscaping. I'm also disappointed how she behaved and ignored one owners very valid, cost effective, smart, reasonable, suggestion based on business judgement. Her level of excitement was more like someone having an orgasm then patting themselves on the back for it. It proves she is only about spending the money and hiding it from everyone. She has been the reason for almost $100k in spending over the last few years with no real impact on aesthics! She needs to spend her own money and stay out of ours.
As with most communitites, Suntree's single largest expense is landscaping, Making it a hot topic among owners at annual meetings. Meaning that any person seeking the landscaping chair, has to be as thick- skinned and prepared to be thrown in front of the fireing squad without taking it personally. I was however shocked at how our landscape director perfomed her presentation and focusing on money and not landscaping. I'm also disappointed how she behaved and ignored one owners very valid, cost effective, smart, reasonable, suggestion based on business judgement. Her level of excitement was more like someone having an orgasm then patting themselves on the back for it. It proves she is only about spending the money and hiding it from everyone. She has been the reason for almost $100k in spending over the last few years with no real impact on aesthics! She needs to spend her own money and stay out of ours.
Here is a perfect example of emotion based decisions. She got excited about spending $10,000.00 of taxpayers money on the easement along Hayden Rd.
Our Landscape Directors is looking in the right direction to save money, however she missed the boat. She is focused on renovating the irrigation system in the easement then in the community. I agree with one owner, Barry. Who said why are we even trying to maintain plants in the easement along Hayden. Mary Hatfield, our landscape director had the nerve to say she needed to give him a lesson on aesthetics. It was said jokingly, but Barry can give her a lesson or two in logic and reason. We don't live outside the community, we live inside it. We don't maintain landscaping behind the community on the north side, the southern most tip , or the golf course side. So, what does aesthetics along Hayden have to do with our community? Nothing, she just gets to spend money that is it. There is no other reason for us doing the work, planting new plants, paying for the water, maintaining a drip system, or any other expense incurred by maintaining the easement in this way. It does not increase the value of our community and the city isn't giving us a reduced water rate, tax rate, or any other discounts for doing this.
To justify this entire thing Ms. Hatfield made a big deal about the sprinkler heads not being the same brand. The shrubs are on a bubbler instead of a drip system and implied that repairs made with a rubber tube were incorrect. For one thing who cares if the heads aren't the same brand. The shrubs have been adequately watered for 30 years on bubblers and they are still alive. Maybe if the planters had rocks in them they would not loose so much water to evaporation. Lastly, she had the nerve to justify the need for sprinkler renovations because of repairs made with rubber tubing. Because they used rubber tubing it was now dry rotted and needed replacing. I just wanted to smack her for saying that. WHAT THE HELL DOES SHE THINK A DRIP SYSTEM CONSISTS OF!
A drip system only lasts about 5 years. With our hard water they get clogged with sand, rocks, calcium, is made of rubber or a rubber like material that does dry rot. Adding additional spouts maybe easy but as with everything else, splitting the line increases the risk of leaks. It also attracts ants and rodents because the water has to run for 2 hours or more.
We can remove all the plants and decorate with different colored rocks and design something that will capture rain water directing it towards plants that need it. There are lots of very beautiful things that can be done with rocks. Plus, how better to reduce water than to not use it. If we have leaks in the drip system it could be a week or more before anyone notices. It will cost us more in the long run to maintain that kind of system. The water we may save will be eaten up by having to replace it so often. Drip systems are not maintenance free. Another option is to not water the summer lawns. Let the soil rest and aerate it so that it has good air flow and drainage for winter. The biggest improvement we can make is to use colored rocks in the planters and other areas.
They need to reconsider the weather station. They aren't something that just anyone can work. They involve software and calculations. It is something for golf course superintendents. Plus, they are radio active and I really don't want that ugly thing inside this community. Besides I like my privacy and those weather stations put our community on websites like weatherbug. Just like Suntree East owners are displayed on the internet! Check out his article by the University of Arizona.
Sometimes smart people just don't think. She also suggested taking boulders from the golf course (we do not maintain or own) and placing them near the boundary walls. DO NOT PLACE LARGE BOULDERS NEAR WALLS EVER UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE ROBED. YOU MAY AS WELL GIVE THEM A KEY AND SAY PLEASE ROB ME. Thieves would rather gain entry through your back sliding glass door. They are easy to open and it can be done without anyone seeing that would report it. As it is; on more than one occasions (actually more than I can count) a friend has jumped my side gate (8' tall) during the day without anyone saying a word. I told them to do it, but the point is that nobody every said a word. People in here are home all day long, coming and going, contractors, etc. I would have thought that there is too much traffic for someone to not notice. But, they don't.
Our new landscapers that she thinks just because they give her a report after every time they mow that they are held accountable. I say prove it! There is nothing to say that the item wasn't failing before they mowed. Landscape companies have turn over problems and use day laborers. It's like in Tommy Boy, they slap a warranty on the box to give you a warm fuzzy feeling. A report means nothing if she isn't out there with them double checking their work before they leave.
Nothing is free and switching who gets the money isn't saving a penny. Giving $10K to the landscapers to install and renovate the irrigation system instead of the city for water. Doesn't save money. Eliminating the need for water saves money! It's like the state government having a $650 million short fall in the budget after "cutting spending" more like taking money from social services and education. Then causing residents to pay for it with their lives then on top of that, getting a loan to supplement the budget. If your short then getting a $650 million loan from Peter to pay Paul means now we owe Peter plus interest. The same conditions do not exist for Indian Bend Village HOA aka Suntree as they exist for Suntree East. Every community is unique let us stay that way.
For goodness sakes screen the pool from the street. Let us have some privacy, please!
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