by Jim Wellman
Viewpoint Lake / Duffeeland
- Eric Swanson, RCSC Viewpoint Lake consultant and all the wonderful RCSC volunteers completed the installation of pea gravel beds in the shallow water around the perimeter of Viewpoint Lake. Eric Swanson had this to say about this particular habitat project, “With the help of RCSC volunteers we accomplished an amazing feat of moving 50 tons (1 million pounds!) of pea gravel into Viewpoint Lake over 9 days of work in March and early April. We exceeded our goal of 250 gravel beds, and ended up with 282. Altogether, we had 30 different volunteers assist with the gravel project accounting for approximately 950 hours of hard work! This completes this important project and meets all 5 year goals for spawning gravel enhancements. Special acknowledgement goes to Larry Klein for working 8 of 9 days and volunteering the full use of his pontoon boat each day. Also special kudos to the following volunteers who helped 3 or more days: Wally Brambilla, Ken Kehoe, Bob Howicz, Dick Holt, Jay McMichael and Terry Keliher.”
- On April 10, 2015 Viewpoint Lake was stocked with 1,500 Large Mouth Bass (4-6 in.), 1,400 Bluegill (4-5 in.), 1,600 Redear Sunfish (4-5 in.), 120 White Amur (12-14 in.) and 1,000 lbs of Channel Catfish 1-2 lbs each. Habitat projects commencing in May 2015 include 20 Bass Bungalows and 35 fish condos. The Viewpoint Lake habitat project continues to look for volunteers who want to make a lasting difference in Sun City by constructing the much needed fish habitat. If you are one of these people, please call the RCSC corporate office at 623-561-4600 and add your name and phone number to our volunteer list.
- Sub-contractor bids for the Duffeeland Dog Park renovation are expected to be received soon for RCSC review. After review they will be sent to the RCSC bid commission for final approval. The current target date for commencement of this project is May 2015.
Sundial Center
- In mid-March 2015, evidence was discovered which led the RCSC to believe water from the women’s showers had been leaking into the walls and rusting away at the metal framing structure. After preliminary inspections, this project was sent out for contractor bids based upon what the RCSC believed was the extent of the damage at that time. Bid commission approvals were completed on April 20, 2015 and demolition commenced on Wednesday, April 22, 2015. Contractor selected is Robert Porter Construction. (Cost – $86,885)
Bell Center
- The new Bell tennis facility is completed however, final inspections for the electrical work is requiring additional stamped engineered drawings. As soon as this information is accepted and approved by Maricopa County Building and Planning Department, occupancy will be granted and the courts will be opened for cardholder use. In the meantime, tennis benches, landscaping, court signage and other small details are being completed. Contractors include Lloyd Sports Engineering as architect and project manager and Sunland Sports as building contractor. (PIF Cost – $1,778,074)
- The new dart machines area at Bell Lanes opened to cardholder use on Tuesday April 8, 2015. Chairs for this area have been placed and appropriately sized Bistro tables will be ordered once the chair groupings are established. Contractors include: Jocoran Glass, Accel Electric, Ken McIntyre Construction and the RCSC Skilled Trades Department. (Cost – $35,000)
- An old 7-1/2 Ton heating and air conditioning unit (HVAC) was replaced on April 17, 2015 when it failed to operate due to compressor and motor problems. Contractor was Custom Cooling. (Cost – $10,258)
Marinette Center
- Marinette Center re-opened on Monday, March 23, 2015 but did not include the opening of the track, half court basketball or horseshoes areas due to application of the rubberized track coating. On Wednesday April 15, 2015 the remaining areas opened for cardholder use. Contractors for this project include: CCBG Architectural, Robert Porter Construction, Regional Paving and Aquatic Builders. (PIF Cost – $4,709,422)
- An old 5 Ton heating and air conditioning unit (HVAC) was replaced due to the high cost to replace the internal compressor. Contractor was Custom Cooling. (Cost – $5,947)
Riverview Pro Shop Building
- The Riverview Patio construction project is progressing a little slower than anticipated since during demolition, several former construction issues emerged, requiring additional changes to the approved construction drawings. These construction changes had to be submitted to Maricopa County Planning and Development for re-approval before work could commence. In addition, while Epcor did approve the fire line and connection to their water system, Maricopa County safety has had our submittal tied up for several weeks preventing fire system work from commencing. To keep this project moving along, the focus has now turned to the planned interior renovations while we wait on steel fabrication and plan approvals. As soon as these issues are resolved, the project will begin to progress at a good pace once again. Project improvements include new covered patios off the East and South sides of the existing building, a fire sprinkler system, parapet wall and roofing work, ceiling replacements, new lighting, new flooring and other interior renovations. Contractors include Ken McIntyre Construction, Accel Electric and CCBG Architectural. (Cost – $524,236)
Skilled Trades Department
- The RCSC Skilled Trades department completed 122 work orders during the last two weeks of March 2015 and the first two weeks of April 2015. Because the Skilled Trades Department devoted time to building cabinets for Marinette Clay Club and preparing Marinette for re-opening, they are now focused on catching up the backlog of work orders.