Sun Lakes – Cottonwood Palo Verde at Sun Lakes

From the President

Mel Rasmussen

Welcome back to our homeowners who traveled these past months. We have been busy here in Sun Lakes with lots of projects to beautify the area!

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Employee of the Month for September, Facilities Assistant Manager Jaime Chavez-Bazan. Jaime has proven time and again to be an invaluable member of our staff. During the Facilities Manager’s absence, Jaime stepped in and handled the job and responsibilities without a glitch. Jaime is taking the initiative to attend the refrigeration school in order to become certified, allowing him to be more of a value to the Association. Keep up the good work, Jaime!

As you know, we are in the midst of a very important decision regarding whether or not to move forward with a new Fitness Activity Center. Please read the letter from the Board of Directors in this issue of the Splash and please remember to vote.

The Board of Directors look forward to another active and exciting winter season for our homeowners.

Upcoming events

All tickets for Cottonwood Palo Verde shows and events can be purchased at our Homeowner Services location.

Upcoming “TAD” Concerts:

“Those British Girls” – Tuesday, January 9

“Mark Preston” (the last Letterman) – Tuesday, January 30

“Reba” – Tuesday, February 13

“The Orbison Years” – Tuesday, February 20

“Rhinestone Country” – Tuesday, February 27

Second Annual Fun Walk for All Sun Lakers

Our Second Annual Fun Walk will take place on Saturday, November 11, at the greenbelt across from the Cottonwood tennis courts. There were 140 walkers last year, but we’d love to have more. Like last year, there will be three different walking categories to accommodate everyone. We will be hosting a Pep Rally for all paid participants on Friday, November 10, in Cottonwood’s Saguaro Room, the night before our walk (November 10). There will be hors d’oeuvre platters of cheese, fruit and vegetables along with cake. Everyone who signs up for the Fun Walk will receive a raffle ticket that night for some great door prizes. The cost is the same as last year, $20 per walker. You will also receive a t-shirt with Fun Walk logo and a goodie bag. The profit from this event will be given to the Cottonwood Palo Verde Foundation which helps everyone here at Sun Lakes. Applications are available at the Cottonwood Administrative Office. You can also download the application at www.cottonwoodpaloverdefoundation.org. The deadline for applications is Friday, October 20, 2017. For more information, call 384-4065 or 384-4066.

Second Annual Veterans Day Celebration (FREE)

Mark your calendars now for Friday, November 10, as we proudly honor our United States of America’s Veterans. The event will start at 2:00 p.m. in the San Tan Ballroom. The East Valley Young Marines will present the colors. There will be music by bagpiper Ford Dudley, special guest speaker Julian Pickens and the singing of our beautiful National Anthem by Dr. Maddy Paschal. Cookies, coffee and iced tea will be served. Please join us in acknowledging our brave men and women of this great country who have kept and will continue to keep all of us safe and free.

Assured Imaging – Health Screening Event (www.assuredimaging.com)

This is healthcare in motion! On Friday, November 17, from 9:00 a.m. to finish, this state-of-the-art mobile coach will be located in the east parking lot in Cottonwood by the Arts & Crafts rooms. Available services will be Mammogram Screening and Osteoporosis Bone Health Exams (DEXA). Exams are covered by Medicare, and all major insurances are accepted. Affordable self-pay pricing also available. There is a sign-up sheet in Cottonwood’s Homeowner Services. A minimum number of exams/participants is required for event to occur.

Christmas Golf Cart Parade and Show (FREE)

Christmas is just around the corner, and we wanted to give you all plenty of time to think about decorating your golf carts. AS always, our Christmas Golf Cart Parade and Show is the first Friday of December (December 1). We will start at Palo Verde at 5:00 p.m. with FREE hot turkey soup, crackers and hot drinks. After the judging of the golf carts, singing a number of Christmas carols and watching Santa get his picture taken with all the little children and families, we head over to Cottonwood. We will be escorted by our dedicated men and women of the Sun Lakes Sheriff’s Posse. There you will receive FREE cookies, hot coffee, hot cocoa and hot apple cider. The Christmas Show will start at 7:00 p.m. Be sure to bring your cameras.

Cary Long – Top Comedian

Cary will be here in the San Tan Ballroom on Wednesday, November 8, 2017. Show time is 7:00 p.m. with doors opening at 6:00 p.m. with a no-host bar. Tickets are $15.00. Some of Cary’s television appearances include The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, MTV’s 1/2 Hour Comedy Hour, An Evening at the Improv, the Arts & Entertainment Channel, Showtime Comedy Club Network, Showtime and Comic Strip Live, Fox Network. Cary’s act is full of everyday situations that we all experience. He combines accents, cultures and nationalities into a rib-tickling performance. If you like to laugh, he is very funny, clean and a must-see!

Ken Block

Ken will give his performance on Wednesday, January 24, 2018, in the San Tan Ballroom at 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:00 p.m. with a no-host bar). Ken Block has become one of the most versatile comic impressionists on the scene today. Each show contains over 100 impressions, spanning over 50 years of singers, comedians, politicians and show business luminaries. You will laugh, you will cry, but most of all, you will be entertained. Tickets are only $15 and worth every cent!

ReVoiced Concert – Tickets go on sale Wednesday, October 18, 2017.

ReVoiced will be appearing in the San Tan Ballroom on Friday, February 23, 2018, with the show starting at 7:00 p.m.; doors open at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $20. Their show is nonstop, high-energy. ReVoiced performs 100% live with zero instruments. They embody the full sound of a band using only their five voices. They have crisp movements, tight harmonies, witty banter and powerful stage presence. Whether the moment calls for inspiration, emotion, excitement, motivation, side-splitting laughter or simply jaw-dropping entertainment, they will leave a lasting impression!

Annual Impersonators Show -Tickets go on sale Tuesday, November 7, 2017.

On Wednesday, March 7, 2018, starting at 7:00 p.m., the impersonators show will take the stage in our San Tan Ballroom. This year’s (2018) theme is called “New York, New York – What A Wonderful Town.” The impersonators will include Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand. What a great combination. As always, ticket will be $20. This show sells out pretty fast, so don’t wait too long.

Upcoming Food & Beverage Events

Tuesday, November 7, Celebration of Golf PV; $60

Thursday, November 23, Thanksgiving Buffet PV; $36 plus tax and gratuity

Saturday, November 25, Buffet and Bonfire CW; $19

Sunday, December 31, New Year’s Eve PV and CW

FREE Skin Cancer Screening – Starting Again in October

Dr. Joseph Allgeier of Radiant Complexions Dermatology Clinic will be conducting a Free Skin Cancer Screening in Cottonwood’s Phoenix Room (A-9) from 8:00-11:00 a.m. on the second Wednesdays. All Sun Lakers are invited. No appointment needed. The doctor will see you on a first-come basis. Dates are November 8 and December 13, 2018, and January 10, February 14, March 14 and April 11, 2018.

FREE Exercise Equipment Classes

Personal Trainer Deryk Garmanian and his assistant/homeowner Brenda Waara will be instructing, at no cost, a Weight Room and Equipment Orientation Class at the Ladies Fitness Center from noon to 1:00 p.m., for both men and women (at this time) on the following third Wednesdays: November 15 and December 20. Please sign up at Homeowner Services. If there are less than four students, Deryk will cancel the class and contact those who have signed up. 2018 – January 17, February 21, March 21, April 18, May 16.

Healthwaves Lab Screenings and Testing

Healthwaves will be available for testing in Cottonwood’s Paint Room (A-7) from 8:00 a.m. to noon on second Mondays: November 13 and December 11, 2017, and January 8, February 12, March 12, April 9 and May 14, 2018.

Rover’s Rest Stop

Mark your calendars and tell all your friends that Rover’s Rest Stop’s Meet & Greet Adoptions will be held on the second Saturday of each month (they will either be on the greenbelt in front of the Admin. Office, on the greenbelt across from the Cottonwood tennis courts or in Cottonwood’s A-6 Dance Room, per weather conditions), from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Here’s a great chance for you to bring home an adorable new family member. For more information, call 480-600-2828. Remember, a little dog will be there waiting desperately for a place to call home.

Upcoming Traveling Tours through “Free Spirit”

To book any of these trips, call Free Spirit Vacation at 480-926-5547 or email [email protected]. Please remind them that you are a Cottonwood Palo Verde homeowner. Event information flyers can be found at Cottonwood’s Homeowner Services or CW Library.

2017

11/9 Sedona

11/15 Mystery Tour

11/20-11/24 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

11/21-11/24 Thanksgiving in San Diego

12/30 Rose Bowl Parade Family Getaway

12/30 Rose Bowl Parade Four Day Getaway (includes Volunteer Opportunity)

12/31 Rose Bowl Parade Mini-Getaway

2018

1/28-2/1 California Dreamin’

2/16-2/18 Lake Havasu Pyro Fireworks and Laughlin

2/25-2/27 Line dance on the London Bridge/Laughlin

Cottonwood Palo Verde has an important decision to make

Dear Cottonwood Palo Verde Homeowners:

Our current CWPV fitness facility has aged to the point of needing major attention. It is virtually “as-built” 30 to 40 years ago. It is over-crowded, under-equipped, both in depth and breadth, for a variety of usages and it is non-coed. Our facility meets neither our standards nor the needs of most of our current residents. We have the baby-boomers, for whom “going to the gym” is a fixed lifestyle routine, or our older, less agile seniors who need exercise. It is too small to contain the proper space that the various fitness disciplines require.

There isn’t a vital and vibrant Active Adult Community in the state, likely the entire U.S., that doesn’t provide for its members at least one well-equipped, coed fitness facility with proper space for each fitness discipline. The Task Force visited many like communities around the Valley, and in each instance, these communities either had just built a new facility, expanded and updated an existing one or were in the process of doing so. It is important to the future of Cottonwood Palo Verde that we be at the top of our game and competitive. While there are several commercial fitness centers nearby, none are specifically designed with the proper space, flooring and equipment, or for the needs of a community of our size and demographics.

The Health & Wellness Task Force was formed in 2014. Its mission was to assess the problems and limitations of our current fitness center and develop plans to revitalize this facility. The Task Force was composed of homeowner volunteers that included people with technical, engineering, construction and business skills. After two years, a set of conceptual plans was defined, recommended to the Board of Directors and adopted. After numerous meetings/workshops, the Board of Directors received a mandate from the homeowners requesting additional options allowing them to select which one would best fit the needs and wants of our community.

We are now coming to you, the owners of all our facilities, asking for your approval and support to move forward with this important improvement to our community – one that will provide current and future members with a spacious, bright and well-equipped fitness center that meets the needs of our Community and one that we can be proud of.

In order to aid our homeowners in making an informed decision, several workshops were provided in September and October, in addition to details provided on the website and in The Flyer. The ballots have been mailed, and the deadline for receipt of your vote is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 15.

Cottonwood Palo Verde has a very important decision to make. We urge all of our homeowners to vote.

Sincerely,

Cottonwood Palo Verde at Sun Lakes Board of Directors

Board of Director meeting minutes – unapproved 9/27/17

Roger Beagle, Secretary

Directors Present: Roger Beagle, Bill Greer, Don Hicks, Woody Neiman, Mel Rasmussen and Gay Zawatski.

Directors Not Present: Anne Montgomery

Also Present: General Manager Steve Nolan

Call to Order: President Mel Rasmussen called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m. in the Saguaro Room. He stated that the meeting was being recorded for the accuracy of the minutes.

Pledge of Allegiance: Secretary Roger Beagle gave a short biography of the military and professional career of Paul Rogers. Mr. Rogers led the Pledge of Allegiance and was thanked for his military and community service.

Approval of the Minutes of the August 30, 2017, Board Meeting: President Rasmussen called for the approval of the August 30, 2017, Board Meeting Minutes. Woody Neiman made a motion, seconded by Bill Greer, to approve the August 30, 2017, Board Meeting Minutes.

The floor was opened to Board and homeowner comments. There was no discussion. Motion carried unanimously.

President’s Message: President Rasmussen thanked homeowners for attending today’s meeting. He gave a recap of the Fitness Center vote schedule and announced the Fitness Center Workshops will be repeated for homeowners on October 11 at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. in the San Tan Ballroom for those homeowners who were unable to attend in September. He wished past Board member Ethel Wagner well as he shared news of her recent move to the Renaissance.

Employee of the Month: President Rasmussen announced that Jaime Chavez-Bazan of Facilities Maintenance was chosen as the HOA Employee of the Month for September. He read some of Jaime’s accomplishments and his successful handling of Jim Miller’s duties while he was gone during the summer. President Rasmussen congratulated him on being selected Employee of the Month.

Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Woody Neiman presented the August 31 Financial Summary. A detailed report will be available for viewing in Homeowner Services.

Roger Beagle made a motion, seconded by Bill Greer, to approve the August 31, 2017, pre-audited Financial Report.

The floor was opened to Board and homeowner comments. There was no discussion. Motion carried unanimously.

Committee and Task Force Reports:

Architectural Compliance Committee: The report was given of their meetings held on September 14 and 26. Among the subjects discussed at the meeting were 46 applications were approved and 2 denied. They are constantly updating the ACC Guidelines. It was mentioned how important it is to provide complete information when filling out ACC applications and to remember to apply before starting project. Their next meeting is October 3 at 8:30 a.m. in the Paint Room.

They have no recommendations for the Board or for Management.

Audit & Finance Committee: The report was given of their meeting held on September 7. Among the subjects discussed at the meeting were the various management and Board Liaison reports; the A&F audit procedures for vote counting in the Election Committee guidelines, which were approved with no changes made. Their next meeting is October 5 at 3:00 p.m. in the Saguaro Room.

They have no recommendations for the Board or for Management.