The Sun City West community is about to see a new way to get involved in Recreation Centers of Sun City West meetings.
With business continuing, RCSCW officials understand the community’s involvement in past meetings and the importance of hearing owner-member voices. Starting last week, RCSCW officials will begin recording meetings and making them available to the public with an opportunity to submit questions and receive answers via email.
Bill Schwind, RCSCW general manager, and Katy O’Grady, RCSCW general services officer, were guests on a KSCW radio show and shared information with listeners.
Mr. Schwind said a lot of positive feedback is coming in regarding closure decisions and social distancing procedures enacted by RCSCW leadership. Adding safety is of the utmost importance, he added.
“The way Sun City West is laid out and with people obeying the standards, washing their hands and paying attention to social distancing, I hope we are going to have a positive outcome,” he said.
Four separate committee meetings — Budget and Finance, Chartered Clubs, Golf and Properties — were conducted April 2 and they were recorded. Additionally, the budget presentation to the governing board will also be posted via the Sun City West website, so the community can stay abreast on some things RCSCW officials are working through.
“And that is all new to us,” Mr. Schwind said. “Katy O’Grady and the IT team deserve a pat on the back for all they have done to ensure committees and the governing board can stay connected and they have stepped up and hit the mark.”
Ms. O’Grady said while most people are familiar with video conferencing, getting a committee connected or even a governing board is one task, but taking it one step further to get the public involved is a much bigger endeavor.
“We can record and post the meetings online and people interested in asking questions can submit those at questions@suncitywest.com,” she said. “This is the best we can do for the emergency situation we are in now.”
Staffing is minimal with the closures in place. Mr. Schwind took care of the employees through March 30, but Ms. O’Grady said the team will be reevaluating what is going to happen moving forward using federal guidelines.
“Most of our employees are not working or working from home and we have managed to keep operations running smoothly, with the exception of the receptionist who typically sits up front and serve the owner-members,” she added.
The impact on revenue is positive for RCSCW. Mr. Schwind said the way RCSCW is set up, the organization deals with a lot of revenue coming in through membership fees, asset preservation fee, home sales and golf.
“These are our three largest revenue generators and we look at the budget from a fiscal and quarterly perspective,” he said. “Looking at COVID-19 and how everything is unfolding, we looked at our numbers and we are still hitting our marks, which is quite amazing. Memberships are continuing to bring in those dues owner-members are responsible for, home sales are still on-going and we continue to get a lot of inquiry on homes. This a direct reflection of what the end of the month will look as far as sales go.”
Mr. Schwind said beginning in April when RCSCW officials look at the month of March, if someone is having difficulty making payments, late fees will be waived. He said RCSCW leaders are implementing the procedure until COVID-19 subsides.

“Additionally, we have 104 clubs we deal with and user groups make facility reservations in April, but in lieu of coming in and making requests we are taking last year’s requests from clubs and implanting it into this year’s calendar,” he said. “Then down the road clubs can make adjustments if necessary. We will be contacting our clubs directly.”
Mr. Schwind encouraged the community to continue practicing social distancing and check on each other. Ms. O’Grady addressed the concern from some owner-members on COVID-19 cases in Sun City West.
“If you are looking for Sun City West cases you are not going to find it, and we don’t want people to assume there are none,” she said. “Maricopa County counts include some in Sun City West and Sun City and we know through anecdotes there are cases in our community. But we are going to get through this, and we need to continue to take care of each other and practice social distancing. Social isolation is difficult, so find ways to keep in touch and know you are not alone in this.”
Looking ahead, Mr. Schwind said RCSCW will continue to monitor the pandemic and follow the guidelines, which is in the best interest of the community.
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