by Jim Wellman
Lakeview Center / Viewpoint Lake / Duffeeland
• Eric Swanson, RCSC Viewpoint Lake consultant, and all the wonderful RCSC volunteers have now completed the scheduled habitat for 2015. Eric is hoping to secure several hundred trees after the holidays to construct habitat called “Christmas Tree Clusters” in early 2016. Cardholders may still volunteer for construction of future lake habitat by calling the RCSC corporate office at 623-561-4600.
• Duffeeland Dog Park closed for construction on June 17, 2015. To date, designated trees have been removed and surveying work is completed. Grading and dirt removal will begin on the South side of the dog park as soon as the dust control permit is obtained. Split faced block and steel for the new walls has been ordered. Since more dirt must be hauled away than previously estimated and a new irrigation system is needed for the many trees in the park, the cost of this project increased from the amount previously estimated. Contractors are Wadsworth Construction, Double R Masonry, B&C Tree and Sav-on-Fence. (Cost – $136,213)
• The deteriorated vinyl siding on the second level at Lakeview Center will be replaced with new vinyl siding beginning Monday, June 29, 2015. Contractor is AAA Siding. (Cost – $16,700)
Sundial Center / Lakes E/W
• Installation of the new Verizon cell tower and equipment building at Sundial Center continues to move forward. The monopalm-type tower will be erected on the NW corner of Sundial Center. The associated equipment building will be hidden from view by masonry walls, which will appear as an extension of the Sundial Center. The project is expected to be completed in about six weeks.
• The women’s shower room at Sundial Center is progressing nicely with most of the tile work now completed. Installation of new LED lights and final installation of shower doors, soap niches and changing room benches remain. Contractor is Robert Porter Construction. (Cost – $171,175)
• Asphalt pulverizing, paving and restriping at Lakes E/W golf parking lot is underway with all the old asphalt removed. This project was to be completed in three phases; however, due to wet sub grade issues encountered during first phase construction, the RCSC elected to remove the remaining areas of asphalt and postpone paving for a couple of weeks while the soil dries out. At this time, it appears that the subgrade in the West lot is drying out the fastest and paving of that area should commence in 7-10 days. Contractor for this project is Regional Paving. (Cost – $185,700)
Bell Center
• On June 10, 2015 the Bell lap pool was closed for some warranty deck repairs. The lap pool was reopened on Sunday June 13, 2015. The pool was again closed on June 22, 2015 for more warranty deck work as the contractor failed to complete his previous work properly.
• The Bell walking pool was closed on Monday June 15, 2015 for re-piping work, new filters and routine maintenance inside and around the pool. Contractor is Aquatic Builders and RCSC staff. (Cost – $24,375)
• Since the timing was right with the closure of the Bell walking pool, the Bell outdoor spa was also shut down for a new filtration system, re-piping, plumbing repairs and a thorough cleaning. Closure of the pool and spa also allowed the decking contractor to come in and do warranty repairs to the cool deck. Contractors are Aquatic Builders and RCSC staff. (Cost – $20,250)
• A door was installed in the concrete precast wall which divides the two racquetball courts. The new doorway will allow players to go from court to court without walking up and down the ramps in the breezeway. Contractor was Ken McIntyre Construction and Starling-Madison-Lofquist Engineering. (Cost – $3,373)
North Pro Shop
• The tile roof at North Pro/Snack Shops is being removed so the deteriorated underlayment can be replaced with a heavy gauge peel-n-stick product. The deteriorated roof felt underlayment was discovered when the new patio roof was installed in 2014. Contractor is Reliable Roofing. (Cost – $38,000)
Fairway Center
• Contractor bid proposals are being requested and an application for a building permit has been submitted to Maricopa County Planning and Development for installation of artificial grass and construction of a shade structure at the Best Friends Dog Club training facility. Once contractor bids are received, a bid packet will be submitted to the RCSC bid commission for approval.
Mt. View Center
• The Mt. View swimming pool closed Tuesday May 26, 2015 for renovation work. Currently all the interior plaster has been removed and new rope anchors, water line tile, step edge tile and lap lane tile have been installed. Repairs to the cool decking and installation of new handrails and ladders is underway. The final part of this project will be repainting the decking and application of the pebble sheen finish inside the pool. Contractor is CDC Pools. (Cost – $102,090)
Riverview Pro Shop Building
• The Riverview pro shop patio and building renovation project is progressing well. The fire line to the building is now completed and the interior fire sprinkler system piping is nearing completion. The concrete patio slabs have both been poured and the structural steel and decking over the patio roofs is completed. Curbing for planters on the East side of the patio has been installed and planters on the South side relocated and poured so the South driveway can be widened. Electrical work is underway and acoustical ceiling work will commence soon. Contractors include Ken McIntyre Construction, Accel Electric, Regional Paving and CCBG Architectural. (Cost – $524,236)
Skilled Trades Department
• The RCSC Skilled Trades Department completed 122 work orders during the last two weeks of May 2015 and the first two weeks of June 2015.
Centers Operations Report
• It is a known fact that the population of Sun City decreases during the summer months. March is generally the busiest month for the centers and the slowest months are June, July, August and September. Here are some interesting facts about center usage:
• Cardholder and guest check-in for monitored activities at all the centers in 2014 totaled almost one million. This does not include Sundial shows, Sunbowl shows, club activities or special events. If you take these activities into account, we total well over one million visits at our centers each year. This is quite a number for a community our size.
• Marinette Center partially opened on March 23, 2015 and didn’t fully open until April 15, 2015. There was more usage from opening through May 31 than the last 6 months of 2013. Pickleball usage from opening until the end of May 2015 was up 256% from 2013. Fitness usage was up 280% in May 2015 versus May 2013 and outdoor track usage was up 545% in May 2015 versus May 2013.