Let me explain...

There is no question i will chat with Joe, if nothing else, regarding the historical significance of the Lakes Club. Beyond that, it could become the defining difference in Sun City's future. New communities have less amenities but almost always have a community gathering place. They develop a campus type feel which becomes the "town commons" for lack of a better description. The Lakes Club could be all that and so much more. Long before any further decisions should be made, pursuing that acquisition should be explored.

The bigger question is how do we get from where we are headed to where we should be going? Our history (Sun City's) should provide a road map, but the RCSC and the board obviously are blind to its importance. In all likelihood i will be on the Museum's board in 2020 and i am excited about the potential to help take it to the next level. If we come close to reaching the 5 year strategic plan we are looking at, the Museum could become a force in the community. Not from a political perspective, but from an all embracing educational one.

Sun City is such an amazing place to live, the tragedy is, it could be so much more.

 

I am thinking of doing volunteer work in the museum office when I stop working in 1.5 years. I love that house and history is important to me.

 

Best choice you could make suss. Way fun and educational as well.

 

Greetings, Bill and Carole, and everyone! My husband and I are considering a move to the original Sun City, and I have been reading your posts among other things, to obtain some insight on life there. We are an active retired couple aged 73 and 61, who enjoy hiking, gardening, camping, travel and social activities. In your posts I have read a lot about what has gone wrong and what can be improved in Sun City. What I’d like to ask you is, taking all the good and the bad into account, are you happy living in Sun City? Is there a good reason that my husband and I should move there, as opposed to moving back to Scottsdale where we lived for many years? We are currently living overseas). I welcome your comments and anyone else’s. I want to hear from the boots on the ground! Thanks in advance.

 

Welcome Leah!! we would love to have you come and join our side of the world. Yes, there is a lot of things which can be changed, with residents help and input. But living here is hands down the best place to be in Arizona.

It's interesting, as I caught your post just as I was looking at other adult communities, both established and brand new. Hands down, we stay in original Sun City. The amenities can't be beat, the people are some of the best, and we are a county island which means cheaper taxes and associated costs.

Soon, I hope to see a second dog park, and as a community, have had some small victories of our own! Yes, I still recommend the Original Sun City as a great place to live and enjoy an active lifestyle. Any particular questions I can answer, let me know and I will do my best.

 

Me too, welcome Leah. I've written millions of words on Sun City and given more speeches than i can count. I wouldn't trade Sun City for any other. I never say it's better; we are different, unique. Sun City was the first of its kind and the evolution since it opened has been a constant. Sun City West is really close, but even by 1978 (when they opened) had begun the transformation. It is a small detail, but clearly different. By the time Sun City Grand came around (mid 90's) the transition to smaller single entity governance communities was complete. Some may prefer that, but for many of us living in Sun City, we love the sense of community where there is an infrastructure where we run ourselves.

"Most amenities at the least cost" is another mantra we often repeat. If you go back through the 1000's of threads on here, most of the comments are positive. There are things that could be done better and that's part of our frustration. In 1999 they started the Preservation and Improvement Fund (PIF). In those 20 years they have collected $100,000,000 but had no long range strategic plan on how to spend it. They simply threw money at projects. We can do better. In the next 20 years we will collect 150 million dollars and many of us want to see a more targeted approach to addressing the concerns of the community.

All of that aside, most people who buy in Sun City love it. It's been that way since the day it opened on January 1, 1960. Rather than ramble on, if you have specific questions, posters are more than happy to answer them. One of the challenges is that people who want to and do buy here is this; once they move in they get more involved in the community and less involved on this site.

 

Every time I think about our losing Lakes Club I feel sad. I did not know there was a chance we could get it back, but if I'm reading Bill's posts right, there is still hope. So many people I know have spoken longingly about one day having a real community center like the Student Union of our college days, and there's no doubt that Lakes Club would fit that bill perfectly. Location, location, location. Not too long ago I walked around there and thought of what was, but maybe next time I can go and think of what still might be....

 

Damn girl you leave me sobbing and weeping when i see that LC (Lakes Club insignia). If only. We wouldn't own that property on Grand Ave. We'd have an awesome theater and an amazing setting on the lake. And. that's just for starters.

 

Bill, have you had the opportunity to follow up on the lead you got from your social engagement? One never knows what can be accomplished with a little small talk and a handshake.

 

Leah,

While this forum can be a bit of a complaint board it also shows that Bill, Carole and a several others are passionate about the bright future of our little slice of retirement nirvana Sun City. The original Sun City is one of the largest, if not the largest active retirement community and with that goes our unsurpassed recreation facilities and amenities that builders today would not even consider because of the lack of pay-back. My grandparents were early homeowners “Pioneers” and shortly after moving in the family joked that they needed to make an appointment to visit as they were so active. The same holds true today. If you’re looking for a truly active lifestyle this is the place and the low cost of living is just the icing on the cake.

Since you mentioned hiking, I would recommend the local hiking club www.suncityhikers.org to solicit some opinions on living the active lifestyle. Even better, join them for a hike!

 

Have often considered it, but they never seem to have any hikes other than morning ones. When the weather is pleasant why don't they gather at some time other than early mornings?

 

Yes Carol, that's what I'm hoping to hear so hope can really spring eternal!

 

Most of the people I've met in the hiking club have activities planned after the hikes. That said, they do have some overnight trips with longer hikes.

 

Thanks 3GenSCAZ. That explains it--I've always been on a different biorhythm than most folks since I'm the proverbial night owl so function very low level in the a.m.

 

I haven't Carole, only because there was a board member who had a file on the Lakes Club and it appeared there was some interest in pursuing it. I appears now as if nothing will come of it.

Sunday i will be a speaker at the POSSE open house. I will give a speech on "Sun City AZ, The Community That Changed A Nation". It's the first time i will use that talking point and tag line. In the coming months i will put together a marketing/publicity committee to shape recommendations to the museum board on suggestions to enhance visibility for the museum. Anyone interested should PM me on this site. I bring this up because as we reach out to those living here on the importance of our history, it is really all about an eye to the future.

I get excited when i see our (Sun City's) potential. The next 20 years will bring roughly 150 million dollars through the Preservation and Improvement Fund (PIF). If that money is spent wisely, all of the things we have missed can be accomplished (including the Lakes Club). We would be able to do what need be done with our lack of technology. Our current GM won't be here much longer and when she leaves, the key will be hiring the right person. Someone smart enough to understand strategic planning. Someone who is willing to invest in the future (sorry Brian, the future isn't golf). The courses will need to be maintained, but they won't be our bread and butter. As people live longer, the cerebral side of life will be as important as the physical.

I know we'll get there and one of my goals is for the museum to play a role in the education that will help lead the way.

 

The older I get the more I am forced to deal with those little infirmities that dissuade me from maintaining the active lifestyle I once took for granted. "Active" is both physical and mental -- and that requires that the RCSC provide both athletic facilities (physical) and craft/instructional (mental) amenities accessible to the membership. The ADA is 30-years old yet I still see members struggle to get a walker/mobility scooter/wheelchair amongst rows of tables/chairs in classrooms/craft-club rooms, struggle to get through narrow doorways and open doors with spring-loaded closers impossible to overcome by themselves, people in wheelchairs struggling to get over raised thresholds, etc. I know members who have stopped going to rec centers because it's too far to walk from parking to the door. I would hope some of that glut of money can be spent on more doors for entry, and technology allowing for more power operated doors. I would hope the RCSC would reorganize parking lots so handicapped parking is actually closer than golf cart and regular parking (eg, Fairway) and not an uphill struggle (eg, Bell). I would hope room setups would always include accommodations for members relying on scooters/walkers/wheelchairs. I would hope restrooms would see more grab-bars and ADA-height toilets, more accessible sinks, soap, towels, etc. Sure, this will cost money -- money golf claims it needs for whatever to make SC golf more "competitive". God knows they think they need it, but maybe it's time for golf to "make due" for awhile and let the other 30,000 residents be pampered for a change.

 

Amen IC. I had a bit of a struggle when I first suggested that water wheelchairs should be available at all rec center pools not just the indoor Sundial pool, but was able to get one for Fairway. Initial conversations with rec rep initially centered on some truly pathetic logic--it was something like "Remember this is an ACTIVE adult community, so if people are not, they belong in a care home." I had to stress that it is the most active ones that may be needing temporary aided accessibility because they need knee replacements and accompanying therapy, etc.....

 

Not sure what you mean here Bill. The board member with the file is not interested in pursuing the re-examining of re-acquiring Lakes Club, or didn't have the file after all? Are you not interested in pursuing it with or without the file or board member?

 

Here's info about an upcoming workshop you and the board/members may be interested in attending re: house museums.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rethinking-the-house-museum-tickets-98148431601

 

No, they had the file but i have unattached myself from the RCSC including committee work and going to meetings. I know they had the file, i just have no idea what they have done with it. If anything.