Forward-thinking for community betterment.
Did you know that the first Sun City Board of Directors was a hybrid? There were volunteer residents and paid Del Webb employees who sat on the Board together. On July 1, 1995, Del Webb left and the Board of Directors were all SCOV volunteer residents. So we have been running our own community for almost 30 years.
When Del Webb turned Sun City over to the residents in 1995, we had very little in financial assets. Operating fund cash on hand was $130,439; Asset Reserve was $139,430 and Restricted Funds were $104,128, for a total of $373,997. Boards since then have been fiscally responsible and have built our monetary reserves to a healthy, sustainable level.
Our community has had over 75 volunteer resident board members since 1995. The forward thinking that those 30 different boards had for Sun City has been remarkable. There are many things various boards have approved for the betterment of our community, and in many cases, with some resistance from residents.
Each elected board member since 1995 has had the betterment of the Association in all of their decisions. Their belief that when you focus on problems, you'll have more problems, but when you focus on possibilities, you'll have more opportunities has bode well for our community. They did not let their personal feelings or resistance from some community members deter them from making the right decision for our community.
In 2000, SCOV bought the $1.05M Welcome Center from Del Webb, even with pushback from some residents who were against the purchase. The next year, residents approved a $325 Special Assessment to cover the balance of the loan to purchase the building. Now think, what would we have done if we did not have the Welcome Center today?
In 2012, the Board had plans to renovate the Fitness Center. The Board listened to residents, made some adjustments to the original plans, and in 2013, the community approved a $385 Special Assessment to help offset the cost of the renovation. Now think, what would we have done if the Board hadn’t had the foresight to move forward with those plans. Now our Fitness Center is one of the best facilities of its type in the area.
In 2023, the opportunity to purchase the Copper Center building came to us unexpectedly. The Board took this unique chance to expand our footprint by over 22,500 sf within our limited SCOV boundaries. This building will ease the small spaces and overcrowding of the Artisan Center, limited space for the Library and administration areas, plus much more. This purchase was presented, voted on, and approved by the residents. There was no Special Assessment for this $4.5M acquisition.
Let us reflect on how the actions of these forward-thinking Board members over the past 30 years have transformed our community and be thankful for their decisions to better our Association for all residents to enjoy.