The header is taken from one my favorite country artists, George Jones. The song never got anywhere near a number 1 hit, but the title always struck me as intriguing. After the last several months of expended energy, some of us attended or watched on line the Mountain View TriARC presentation last night. As a self-proclaimed Sun City historian (tip of the hat to Ben Roloff for the titles we embraced), i often wonder how much members know, understand or even care about our history? I used to chide those taking leadership roles having a basic understanding of our history, the idea was never well received. I raise the point because as we prepare for whatever the board does at MV, how Sun City was built and evolved should play at least a passing role. I fear it won't. Let's plow ahead with some "Cold Hard Truths:" * When Sun City opened, membership in the one rec center was voluntary. Roughly 60% of those buying homes paid the $40 per unit fee to use the center. * Home sales were so brisk that as DEVCO planned the second rec center, they had put in play a facilities agreement that was signed at closing and the mandatory fee was $12 per person. * The company plan was to turn over the centers/golf courses to the community. They had no interest in running or owning them. They were in fact paid for through a point of sale figure owners never saw. The golf courses were paid for via the golf course lot up-charge. * By the early 60's the federal government (IRS) levied a tax on the Centers akin to a golf course country club. DEVCO's attorney fought hard and got the higher tax removed. Had they lost the fight, Sun City would have died due to the much higher tax rate. * Phase 1 was wildly successful, so much so the company in 1968 made plans to cross north of Grand Ave. When we look back, the move changed DEVCO's philosophy. Rather than smaller neighborhood rec centers, larger facilities would prevail. * Phase 2 has Lakeview, Sundial and Bell, all massive centers. * Phase 3 has 1 center, Marinette, and only because the members threatened to sue the company. Meeker responded and threw up a cheaply built, small center. * Every rec center was deeded to the members/organization quickly after opening. Town Hall took three years with the others changing hands within a year of opening. * The golf courses were a different deal. 7 of them finally were transferred to the RCSC in 1977 with the 8th (Quail Run) a year later. It took a long time for them to take ownership with DEVCO sweetening the pot several times to make it happen. * From the day Sun City opened golfers paid to golf. When the bowling alleys opened, ten pin bowlers paid to bowl. They were structured that way because of the cost to maintain them. That was how they were transferred to the RCSC. * All of other clubs charged fees to join, but they have always been minimal. Some of the clubs who hire instructors ((Yoga, water aerobics, zumba etc) charge member fees to pay the instructor each time they attend a session. For some, these facts are unimportant, especially when wanting to argue for whatever they feel is in their best interest. History has value helping us understand how we got here and why. For some of us, it is a blueprint to follow, others may see the value in discarding it. I'll come back with some further points in my next post, but let me conclude with this summary: Sun City was built to make money for DEVCO. Turns out by the time they left for SCW they had turned a profit of more than 170 million dollars. Not bad, especially if you do the conversion to today's dollars. Most importantly, when DEVCO deeded everything to us (organization/members) the deal was never that we should become a profit making arrangement. In fact, just the opposite; we exist under the IRS as a non-profit corporation. The true beauty of the structure can be seen in our first year of existence: $40 per property for those who voluntarily paid to use compared to $12 per person on a mandatory basis. We flourished because every one paid their share, whether they used any amenities or not. We became the blueprint for the 3000 age restricted communities that followed. Virtually nothing we do here makes a profit. That's not why we exist. Our founding documents make that abundantly clear, the RCSC exists for the membership. End stop. Some clubs have treasuries with lots of money, and every time they buy equipment for their club, it becomes the property of the RCSC, not the clubs. The design was intentional. The purpose was for those buying and living here to enjoy their retirement and the RCSC's job was to insure they do that by providing well kept venues and clubs for everyone's interests. From my perspective there-in is a fascinating challenge we face as the Mountain View project moves forward. We can explore that in my next post.
