steve4sca

[steve4sca]

Receiving the City of Henderson 2023 Water Conservation Award on behalf of Sun City Anthem. Presented on February 20th by Mayor Romero and members of the City Council in the Council Chambers.

[steve4sca]

Why should the SCA Board approve $36,245 to hire a Tennis and Sport Surfaces consultant?

What's the story?

Recent postings on NextDoor have called into question the need to hire a consultant to tell us what some members of the F&L Committee have told us to do and that the Board vetoed their good solution.  I want to set the record straight for you.

First of all, the Board is well aware of the F&L recommendation to put a rubberized surface on courts 7 & 8.  Second neither the Board nor management has vetoed this recommendation.  After thoroughly discussing the conditions of the 15 existing courts at Liberty Center and the 8 courts at Anthem Center, the Board asked management to develop a BAI to hire a consultant to do a study of the condition of all of our courts and to then make recommendations as to repair methods for all of these courts based upon an understanding of the soil that these courts are built upon.

There has absolutely been no decision as to how to go about and fix our aging courts.  The SCA eblast that was sent out Friday came about through a posting on NextDoor indicating that all we need to do to fix cracks is to do what Spanish Trails did and that is to install rubberized courts.  This may well be a solution for Courts 7 and 8 at Anthem.  However, we are going to have a community wide meeting of all tennis players to gain their input on playing surfaces.  Over the years we have tried many different solutions to patching and repairing sport court surfaces.  None of them have worked very well and in total we probably could have replaced a court or two with the money we have spent on repairs.  All of our sports courts represent at least a $4 mil asset for the community.  A prior F&L committee had identified the consultant, and the board will vote on contracting with him at our next meeting.  I feel that spending up to $36,245 depending on whether a soils engineer is needed is well worth the expense to know why our previous fixes have not worked and to test all of the courts and to then recommend solutions to repair each.  We are not out to waste money, but rather want to exercise our due diligence in hiring an expert to provide us with a range of recommendations that are based upon detailed knowledge about what the courts sit on top of.  I suspect there will be differences between Anthem and Liberty courts.  

We have an expensive amenity in all of our sports courts and the problem is that they are in many cases 25 years old and many of them have cracks.  Some may need to be replaced with post-tension concrete (the most expensive solution) and others may well be able to be fixed more inexpensively such as in Spanish Hills.  The consultant can also recommend other options.  We have had good input from F&L and now in order to move ahead we need to exercise “good business judgement” and carry out our due diligence to meet our fiduciary responsibilities.   I think that to make decisions about a $4 mil asset that spending up to $36,245 is not an unacceptable expense.

As indicated the consultant was recommended several years ago by F&L and the Board took no action to do that study.  We feel this study is necessary to fully understand what the full range of options are for either fixing or replacing the sports courts.  We want to make sure that what we do is based upon “sound business judgement”.  In saying this, I am not discounting the advice we get from the many volunteer residents who serve not only on F&L, but also on all of our other committees.  They are people who give excellent recommendations to us, and the board fully appreciates them. The committees are not window dressing as you suggest at all.  However, when it comes to making decisions, the board must exercise the use of the “sound business judgement” rule, and to base our decisions on experts who are current in their field, licensed, and have a focus on what we are looking at.

For example, we have amazing and very knowledgeable individuals on our Audit Committee.  We value their insight and recommendations.  However, we do not implement what they say but rather take them to Frazier and Dieter (the Audit Firm we have contracted with) and have them make the decision.  Sometimes the Audit Firm will disagree with our experts and in the end, we will take the Audit Firms recommendations.  In doing so, that is not to discount the advice of our Audit Committee members.

I have been in contact with the chair of the Tennis Club, and he is most favorable to the “cushioned” playing surface at SC Summerlin after having played on the surface at Spanish Trails. Cushioned courts surfaces for the tennis courts may well be what we do.  Pickleball and Paddleball are not played on the same type of rubberized surface.  However, the engineers on F&L as well as all the members of the Board are not experts on knowing all of the possible repair or replacement options for the range of sport courts that we have.  This is why the BAI is on the agenda for a consultant to perform the study of all of the courts.  It is my feeling that this is prudent in carrying out my fiduciary responsibility as a Director of the Association.

I want to make sure that we have the RIGHT solution to fix all of our courts and not just the cheapest or the most expensive solution.

I hope that the above gives you better information about the decision to hire a consultant and to clear up the misinformation being posted on NextDoor.

[steve4sca]

RE-ELECT STEPHEN ANDERSON TO THE SCA BOARD

RUNNING TO SERVE YOU

Information Flyer

If you want to ask me a specific question to address here, please email me at sa4sca@pobox.com. I ask for your support and will appreciate any level of support you can give to me.

Most People In SCA Have One Common Belief

Sun City Anthem is a great place to live! We are rated in the top 15 of the best 55+ communities and the reasons why are easy to answer.

It's not just the wonderful amenities we all share, but most importantly it's the people who reside here and the dedication they show by joining our 60 clubs and selflessly volunteering their time in so many areas to help others in enjoying their retirement years. In my mind, that defines the word “community” and I've been so proud to be a part of it for years, and even more proud to be a member of the Board of Directors and your President.

Your Voice

Being a Board member has its challenges, and believe me, in the last few years, we've had some that have created both praise and controversy. That means more than ever before in our community's history, being a good listener and trying to understand the positions and beliefs of all our residents is crucial to good leadership that combines the wants and desires of the people with sound financial management. It is a difficult path at times, and if you allow me to represent you for another term as your Board member, I will do my utmost to continue to successfully combine those objectives.

That dedication to listening to you has resulted in revitalizing the needs of our community, which to date, along with the cooperation of my fellow Directors, has resulted in a number of accomplishments which will further enhance our quality of our lives.

Upgrading the Bocce Courts and completing the long delayed new Liberty Pickleball Courts.

A new Yorktown Grill community restaurant striving to meet our lunch, dinner, Happy Hour, and catering needs that require time, patience, and understanding to succeed.

Expanding and upgrading both our community and professional entertainment through the modernization and the revitalization of Freedom Hall, bringing you the bi-weekly Sun City Anthem Variety Show hosted by Mark OToole and a small ad hoc resident group's dedication that has brought rave reviews and sell-out audiences for their professional productions of Nat King Cole and Andrew Sisters tributes, a Christmas Holiday show, with future shows planned in 2024.

Building Value for the Future

In addition to the past, I am also running for re-election to continue working on having a Board that is focused on our future. As our community ages, we must continue to build its value and work to maintain our amenities in a like-new condition. As new construction continues at a rapid pace in the entire valley and as new retirement communities continue to appear, "like-new condition" acknowledges that competition in the real estate market will greatly increase, and that this objective must be accomplished to maintain our property values.

I Have Been Active in Sun City Anthem and Resident Since 2010

Elected for two two-year terms to the Sun City Anthem Board of Directors, May 2020 to April 2024; President of the SCA Board, May 2021 to April 2024 

Computer Club Member, former Club Monitor, and former Treasurer

Covenants Committee Member – 2016

Member and Chief of the Community Patrol –2012 and 2017 (Chief 2015 and 2016)

Education

BA and Master of Social Work, University of Minnesota

PhD, The University of Texas at Austin

Working Career

More than 52 years as a social work practitioner, consultant, project manager, educator, and administrator at universities in the US and abroad.

Currently a Part-Time Instructor teaching at UNLV.

Service to Country

Minnesota Army National Guard

My Mission if Re-Elected

Advocate for You – I will be an independent-minded member of the Board who will listen to all residents with respect. Transparency in how decisions are made is important and all members deserve an explanation of the factors that go into making board decisions. I will continue to work on how the Board can better carry out effective communication with residents. If re-elected I will continue to hold Town Hall meetings and to support the work of the Communication Service Committee and Communications Department. Key to this is the development of a new and modern SCA website. Further, I will continue to encourage and respond to all resident inquiries and emails.

Truth vs. Half-Truths – I stand to tell you the whole truth about issues and to give full information about SCA business and the decisions the Board makes. It is easy to just tell part of the story and to then hurl innuendos at hard working people.  If you feel the budget for personnel has grown too much, then let’s sit down and talk about the number of employees in each department and what they do for you.  If you want to cut employees, then what services do you want to do away with?  This is a good discussion but must take place with full information.

Join with me in Building our Future - One aspect of effective decision-making is valuing community input and providing complete information. While some may disagree with a specific decision, they know that they have been heard and valued in the process. As Board President I have worked to lead a consensus building process on the Board and for solving issues in the community.  Let us work together to build for the future in a solid and fiscally responsible manner.

I humbly ask for your vote so we can continue to strive to make SCA the best that we can be, which is far ahead of the other 55+ communities in the state and top-ranked in the nation.