Fire Department and Maricopa County inspections were scheduled for Dec. 23 with the certificate of occupancy being received on Dec. 24,” she stated in a Dec. 23 email. “Clubs are currently being notified that work is now complete. However, RCSC cardholders are being advised to contact specific clubs directly regarding open hours due to the upcoming holidays.”

JoeLyn Higgins, Recreation Centers of Sun City communications and marketing coordinator

Bell Recreation Center
16820 N. 99th Ave.
Sun City, AZ
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By Rusty Bradshaw
Twitter: @SunCitiesEditor

Power to the craft area at Bell Recreation Center, 16820 N. 99th Ave., is restored, but the clubs housed there are still waiting for the go ahead to return.

The clubs lost their spaces in October when an issue was discovered with an electrical cable, according to Chris Herring, Recreation Centers of Sun City assistant general manager. The power outage to the area began Oct. 8 due to an event in a conduit feeding electrical service from the entry on the south side of the bowling alley to the clubs area severely damaging the service feed, according to Mr. Herring in his Oct. 31 report to the board. Clubs affected include Stained Glass, Silvercraft, Lapidary and Sewing/Quilting. Power was shut down to the clubs area Oct. 29 to allow for removal of electrical cables from the conduit. The conduit will then be examined by camera to determine the extent of the damage.

In his Dec. 19 report to the board, Mr. Herring stated excavation in preparation of conduit installtion located a spare conduit running between the two power locations. The additional conduit was scoped Dec. 9 and found to be intact without any water intrusion, he added.

“The availability of this conduit allows for a less complicated installation requiring the installation of new conduit paths,” he stated.

A new transformer was received and installed Dec. 12 and the following day feed cables were pulled through to the clubs distribution closet, he explained. However, due to production delays, crews had to wait until about Dec. 19 for a panel to terminate the power feeds and that part was installed Dec. 20, according to Joelyn Higgins, RCSC communications and marketing coordinator.

It was uncertain how long it would be before clubs could relocate into their spaces.

“Fire Department and Maricopa County inspections were scheduled for Dec. 23 with the certificate of occupancy being received on Dec. 24,” she stated in a Dec. 23 email. “Clubs are currently being notified that work is now complete. However, RCSC cardholders are being advised to contact specific clubs directly regarding open hours due to the upcoming holidays.”

The outage came at a time when clubs were preparing for the fall festival and the evacuation of the area did not give them access to their projects and materials.

Mr. Herring said some supervised access was granted and there would be opportunities for additional access. In addition, other clubs shared their space in the meantime.