ParkVistaCarl.Com

Dear Neighbors,

My name is Carl Jackson. My wife Jodi and I have owned our home at 548 Desert West Drive since 2002. Before retiring I was a banker in New York City for over 30 years, where I negotiated, structured and monitored loans to ultra-high net worth individuals.

I think the current board has done an excellent job managing the phase through covid, high inflation and the 2023 club lease increase & extension and Hurricane Hilary. It’s been a challenging time.

To be clear, the board is covering all our expenses and we have a sufficient reserve fund for an emergency as well as near term capital expenditures.  The issue is, are we re-investing enough in our aging 50 year old phase to meet homeowner expectations, and are we thinking of creative ways to reduce unnecessary expenses?  

I’m running for the board because I believe we are at an inflection point that needs to be addressed:

• Our oldest roofs (flat portions) were last replaced in 2005, over 20 years ago.
• Some of our seven pools may soon need a full re-plaster. And to keep our utility costs down most pools are unheated, making them unusable at times despite the continuing need to pump and clean them.  In short, our phase is looking run down.
• To cut costs we reduced seeding; and by 2028/29 the state will require additional desert landscape which will have its own associated initial costs.
• In the reserve study for 2026 our reserve consultant recommends a $1.7 million reserve fund to offset our property's depreciation to get it back to its replacement value. While it’s true that reserve studies are conservative, this can’t be ignored. At present we have $150k in the reserve, half of which should be considered a bare minimum protection for unexpected events given the size of our 30-acre phase and 7 pools. 

My proposals are simple and balanced:

1. After a review & based on community input, establish a five-year special assessment plan beginning at the end of 2026 to raise up to $200k annually, or $1M over the following five years to mainly address roofs, painting, louvres, driveways, sidewalks, irrigation & pools. While this may feel like a financial burden it’s $3,226 per home on average per year.
2. Ensure that our regular assessments cover all our operating needs to visually improve our grounds.  The recent 10% increase in assessments is a good start. Whether a further increase in the regular assessment is needed is an open issue subject to community input.
3. Present the community the opportunity to consider converting 3 pools to community gathering areas (fill in pools) to save money over the medium term and ensure that at least 3 pools are always heated in the cooler months and in good repair. Converting pools will save electricity, pumping, chemicals & cleaning as well as the need for periodic re-plastering. We have three separate groups of pools: 1-3, 4-5, and 6-7. One pool from each group should be converted to demonstrate a common sacrifice while continuing to give all 62 homes pool access. This will require the support of at least 50% of all homeowners. If the community doesn’t want to convert pools, I would support spending the money to make all 7 pools attractive, more cost efficient, and usable.
4. Beyond pools, other lesser areas for cost savings are reducing or billing for unapproved EV use in common area garages and addressing old, leaky water pipes.

Reinvesting in the Association’s assets is necessary, but it needs to be done responsibly while eliminating unnecessary waste.

Regards,

Carl Jackson

548 Desert West Drive