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. It’s been a challenging time.

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

•  Our oldest roofs were last replaced in 2005, over 20 years ago.
• Many of our seven pools will 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.
• 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 a $186k reserve allocation is recommended of which $100k is for roofs and $60k is for pools. While it’s true that reserve studies are conservative, this can’t be ignored.  At present we have just $150k in the reserve which could 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. Establish a five-year special assessment plan beginning at the end of 2026 to raise at least $200k annually, or $1M over the next five years to mainly address roofs and 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; however, the HOA was $40k over budget. A 10%-20% increase in the regular assessment may be necessary in 2026 to maintain the grounds to the level homeowners expect.
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