By Gary T. Osier | Sun City
I have watched the progress of the Strategic Alternatives Committee trying to find a suitable and fiscally responsible solution for the Mountain View recreation center. The members were chosen because they had an interest, and it was hoped that they could intelligently discus the pros and cons of alternatives and come up with at least a couple of alternatives that could be presented to the community at large and the Recreation Centers of Sun City board for discussion and decision.
Unfortunately that does not seem to be the end product of this work. It appears that the final alternative, represents each participant’s own selfish emotional stand. Despite a multitude of data that could have been used to make a sensible decision where give and take could abound, and everyone would be shooting for the same end product “A better Sun City,” it seems like what we have is everything is fine as long as my ox does not get gored.
The Mountain View decision is really a momentous one, because it will set the tone for the future of Sun City. We are at a crossroads where we are transitioning from the old Sun City to a potentially new Sun City. This will determine where we go in the future. If we had a long range plan in place to give us the direction to be what we want to be, we could utilize the data to determine the amenities necessary to catapult us into the next decades. This requires vision to determine what Sun City wants to be.
Do we want to just be what we have been, or do we wish to be a leader among active-adult communities? Since we don’t have a strategic long-range plan, we are groping in the dark and appear to want to spend money we don’t have for the long haul like drunken sailors on liberty.
The decision to stop Mountain View was probably one of most intelligent moves we have made regarding our future since I came here 14 years ago. We are starting to realize that we do not have unlimited funds, and we cannot spend enormous dollars on amenities that are likely to be obsolete in 10 years.
We need to stop looking at our individual selfish wants to maintain the old and start making data-driven decisions instead of emotional decisions or we will wither on the vine of 55+ communities. The SAC should have been made up of individuals that had no vested interest in the outcome except to make the best long-term financial recommendation for the community. Even if Mountain View is put off again so a smart answer for Sun City can be obtained that ultimately could produce a what we need instead of the wants of a few.
