Wouldn’t It Be Easier

United We Thrive

Bob Bulakowski

23 Feb 2022

Because of the RUA (reciprocal use agreement) SaddleBrooke residents remain rather comfortable knowing they have full use of the facilities and amenities of each HOA. Even the real estate brokers and agents have confidence in the marketability of homes in either association primarily because of the RUA. They can avoid having to explain what amenities can be used and what cannot be used if there were no RUA in place. With no RUA they would need to explain the differences, in detail, of the two associations to prospective buyers. Nothing is permanent.

With split associations residents have to wonder if there will ever be a time that the HOA’s will not be dependent on one another for them to experience the fullness of what SaddleBrooke has to offer. The RUA should be seamless year over year as long as the two HOA systems of government exists.

Speaking of being dependent on one another, there is a little-known contract between the HOA’s that is a perpetual agreement. Seamless, if you will. It may seem insignificant, but it involves a most prominent aspect of our SaddleBrooke experience. The document is titled “FRONT ENTRANCE AGREEMENT FOR SADDLEBROOKE HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS.” Both associations entered into the agreement on November 9, 2021, and it covers the respective responsibilities pertaining to the maintenance and care of the so called “Oracle Monument”. Item 3 of the agreement covers the term, and it reads:

“This agreement shall remain in effect as long as SaddleBrooke One and SaddleBrooke TWO exist or as otherwise agreed by the parties.”

The cost of maintenance is to be shared equally by each association and HOA 2 is to bill HOA 1 for their equal share in the maintenance costs. The Fall and Spring color, irrigation repair, water usage, and electrical repair are obvious shared expenses. Nothing, however, is specifically itemized in the contract other than HOA 2 is to present to HOA 1 a budget for the expenses prior to October 1, of each year. “The budget shall be subject to SaddleBrooke ONE’s approval… ” Additionally, “SaddleBrooke TWO shall provide to SaddleBrooke ONE, invoices and/or other documentation of expenses incurred for the maintenance in a timely manner.”

These are some highlights of the contract which is located on the HOA 1 website (www.saddlebrooke.org) members’ page. I do not know if the contract is on the HOA 2 website as I do not have access to it. I encourage you to look it up for yourself to see the loose nature of the contract and to conclude for yourself if agreements like this one or the RUA should be replaced with a United SaddleBrooke model. One HOA form of governing ad infinitum for the ultimate SaddleBrooke lifestyle.

For more information on the United SaddleBrooke organization please visit www.unitedsaddlebrooke.org. Register as a subscriber or, if inclined, join as a member. The details are listed on the website. Nobody said it will be easy, but it will be worth it.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE TEE BOX

By Bob Bulakowski

2 February 2022

The following blog is meant to offer a possible advantage to the unification of HOA #1 and HOA #2. It was originally written and submitted for the www.unitedsaddlebrooke.org website and is reprinted here with permission from the United SaddleBrooke board of directors. I urge all of my readers to log on and read what United SaddleBrooke is all about. Please consider registering as a member and help spread the word. I am the author and a member of the United SaddleBrooke BoD. Please feel free to comment and share our vision to make SaddleBrooke bigger, better, and brighter for all our residents.

Like many SaddleBrooke residents, I don’t golf. But my friends and neighbors do. As we work to bring SaddleBrooke together, we certainly must take into consideration that golf is literally at the heart of SaddleBrooke. No merger will ever pass that is not acceptable to the golf community. But, we also need to remember that our sprawling golf courses are incredibly expensive and affordable only because they are greatly subsidized by many non-golfing homeowners.

Discussions about uniting SaddleBrooke frequently involve questions about how to handle golf policies and expenses. As an active adult community, we must offer multiple ways for our residents to participate. As such, we must recognize that changing demographics and changing physical abilities need to be accommodated.

There are 63 holes of golf in SaddleBrooke. SaddleBrooke One is responsible for 27 holes and SaddleBrooke Two maintains 36 holes. Because golf is such an integral part of SaddleBrooke, merging into one HOA would involve many decisions: private vs public issues, scheduling systems for tee times, staffing concerns, fee structures, rules regarding dog walking, golf cart rentals, maintenance facilities, and equipment. Entering into a serious discussion about the impact of a merger on golf would also provide an opportunity to re-imagine how those 63 holes can best be utilized.

Plain and simple, our community needs to determine how to best use its courses, open space, and water. While serving current residents, we need to remain desirable to future buyers. And, we need to be aware that residents’ needs and preferences change. Nationwide, there was a golf course building boom from 1986 to 2005, but every year since 2005 course closures have exceeded openings*. An estimated 800 golf courses have closed in the United States over the last decade**.

Let’s explore various golfing options and choose those with the best cost/benefit analysis for the combined community. For example, maybe we should open a nine-hole par three course for the golfers. Nationally, Par 3 courses are becoming more and more popular particularly for aging golfers, those having compromised physical ability and those who simply don’t have time or desire to play 9 or 18 regulation holes of golf. A Par 3 annual membership might fit nicely with changing demographics and interests.

Devising a way to create a Par 3 course among SaddleBrooke’s 63 holes shouldn’t be difficult given the golf experience we have in our residents and professional golf staff. It might be as simple as adding an additional tee box closer to the green on a course that is relatively flat with little obstructions in the field of play.

Additional revenue is something both HOA’s are striving for. Home sales, restaurants, Desert View Theater, and other ticketed venues provide some income. Combining the assets of HOA1 & HOA2 allows us greater flexibility in many ways from rethinking our restaurants to re-imagining our golf courses and other amenities. Let’s think outside the tee box when it comes to golf. A par three nine-hole golf course might just be an answer.

* https://www.golfpass.com/travel-advisor/closed-golf-courses-history

** https://www.npr.org/2019/06/05/730057491/there-arent-enough-golfers-to-keep-all-of-the-u-s-courses-in-business

Gaining Momentum

by Robert (Bob) Bulakowski

9 January 2022

Happy New Year to all our SaddleBrooke neighbors. My first ever New Year resolution came to mind this New Year. I have never made resolutions for New Years in the past, but this year I decided that looking forward and upward is the best approach to 2022. SaddleBrooke is helping out with the formation of the United SaddleBrooke Club. www.unitedsaddlebrooke.org.

In November 2021 the club applied to HOA #1 and HOA #2 for their official recognition as a club. HOA #2 in short order approved their application and on 5 January 2022 the HOA #1 Board of Directors likewise approved the club’s application. The significance of this is that both HOA boards now know the purpose for which the club was formed and who the residents are that are making the club a true and factual voice for unification.

Below is the vision statement quoted from the United SaddleBrooke website.

“SaddleBrooke is a single active adult community supporting the evolving needs of its residents insuring a safe, secure, and active community. The vision is to create and implement a plan for the unification of government, amenities, and resources to serve a single united SaddleBrooke community“

The United SaddleBrooke Board of Directors is taking on a lofty task but one that is not foreign to both HOA’s who, separately and collectively, in years past discussed the concept of merging. In January 2017 the Long Range Planning Committee of HOA #1 published a report with suggestions on how a merger will benefit the residents of the greater SaddleBrooke communinty. Five years hense and NOTHING! I urge you to turn to the United SaddleBrooke website and click on the facts tab to read the LRP recommendations included in the report. It seems the United SaddleBrooke Club is picking up the ball that was dropped, and they are running with it. In less than two months they have formed an organization, built a website, registered dues paying memberships, collected subscribers to their website (more than 700 unique visitors), held elections, and captured the ear of both Boards. Each board has on it, new electees that gave positive comments about merging during their campaigns. It’s now time to have meaningful discussions with them.

Back in September 2021 I wrote on this blog about the temporary nature of the RUA. That translates to periodic renegotiation with no guarantees that HOA #1 and HOA #2 will continue their minimal cooperation for the use of facilities. The United SaddleBrooke Club wants facilities guaranteed to all SaddleBrooke residents permanently. In my opinion, One SaddleBrooke will provide permanence, harmony, economy of scale, efficiency and one set of rules for every resident. Most importantly to me, one “government” running the management team.

I’ve just given you a cursory, but not hasty, look at the momentum that I see with this movement. It looks like a solid grassroots movement rolling downhill and picking up speed every day. Check it out for yourself at www.unitedsaddlebrooke.org or visit them at the Activities Fair on 22 January 2022 between 8am and 11am. They will be at booth 57. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Buzz Around Town

Robert (Bob) Bulakowski

January 3, 2022

Welcome to 2022 and my first blog post of the year. 2021 was a tumultuous year for many but toward the end SaddleBrooke Residents began hearing about a new club. A group of residents from HOA 1 and HOA 2 stepped up and started the UNITED SADDLEBROOKE club. For many of you, this is not the first rodeo for the merge concept. Back in 2017 the Long Range Planning committee (LRP) put out some recommendations for the next 10 years. That is five years from now and creeping up on the scheduled re-negotiation of the Recriprocol Use Agreement. Do we want to go through that again?

You may recall my posts about the temporary nature of the RUA and what challenges that entails given the fact that Robson Construction, Inc. will continue to develop HOA 2, (in The Preserve) which is already two times the size of HOA 1. A combined HOA 1 & 2 has the real potential to provide efficiency of scale, by operating as a single homeowner’s association with a single operations team, combined departments, and with a common set of CC&R’s, Rules and Regulations and Board policies. The members and BoD of UNITED SADDLEBROOKE, www.unitedsaddlebrooke.org, believe it can happen. Click on the link to the United SaddleBrooke website to learn more about who they are, their board, vision, mission and upcoming events that you can participate it.

A few members of the HOA 2 board, as candidates, expressed their willingness to discuss a merger. Now that they have been elected it is time for them to act on their willingness to share their thoughts to accomplish unification. The UNITED SADDLEBROOKE leadership will be encouraging this dialogue. The same goes for the HOA 1 board electees.

The HOA 1 administration in distributing a survey within the next month or two in order to gather the pulse of their resident homeowners regarding many aspects of the SaddleBrooke lifestyle. I understand questions regarding merger will be on the survey. My point is that for effective and meaningful results you must have your e mail on record in the HOA 1 administration office. Please don’t assume it is. If two people occupy the Unit and Lot on record then both e mails should be on file. This survey is important for the future on HOA 1 and the entire SaddleBrooke community going forward. Voting turnout is historically low in my opinion and an anemic voting turnout does not justify decisions made by the board because of the few that vote. Even if you don’t use the HOA 1 facilities, Food and Beverage, Golf courses, clubs and organizations or take advantage of the many events, your opinion counts. Lets make this a record year by everyone stating your opinion, on the survey and even on the UNITED SADDLEBROOKE website, www.unitedsaddlebrooke.org. Your SaddleBrooke future rests in the pencil you hold.

“THE NEXT BIG THING”

If you are reading this then you are in the right place at the right time to be part of the “NEXT BIG THING”. The UNITED SADDLEBROOKE club is having our first general meeting on January 10, 2022 Current and future members are invited. In just five days of launch nearly 600 people have shown interest by viewing the UNITED SADDLEBROOKE website.

www.unitedsaddlebrooke.org

I am always given positive reactions from my fellow “SaddelBrookers” when I bring up the concept of merging the two HOA’s into a single entity for all the residents of our beautiful community. Why is there a need for two HOA’s in the first place, I’m asked. Then they continue talking about it by sharing comments like, “I don’t get it”, “Makes sense to me”, or “It’s about time”. I’ll bet you have experienced similar responses. Well, the time has come to seriously explore the benefits of such a merger. That’s where you come in.

Please join us on January 10, 2022, 10 am, in the Saguaro room at the Mountain View clubhouse. Sign up in support of our mission. Become a member of UNITED SADDLEBROOKE and help shape the future of your SaddleBrooke community. Learn what we are about and how we started. Meet the Board of Directors and share your thoughts about moving forward to a bigger, brighter, and a more UNITED SADDLEBROOKE.

Most of us living in SaddleBrooke want harmony and community that is unified, not separated by who has what amenities and policies that are similar yet different. The ALC, Common Area Maintenance, and the Patrols first come to mind. The most relevant time for knowing if you live in SaddleBrooke ONE or SaddleBrooke TWO is when you write your community service fee check. United SaddleBrooke sees one check, one community, and one common future free to take advantage of what each HOA offers without exception. As the saying goes “We Can Do This” and with your support we will do this. Click on the link below to learn more about United SaddleBrooke: “THE NEXT BIG THING”.

www.unitedsaddlebrooke.org

If you cannot make the January 10 meeting, you will have another opportunity. You can visit us at the Club and Activity Fair on Saturday January 22, 2022. We will be at booth 57 from 8:00 am to 11:00 am to meet and greet each of you personally. You can ask your questions, pick up a flyer, and an application at that time. Excited about “The Next Big Thing”? you can join on the spot.

The time is right, the time now. Click the link below to go directly to our membership application page and take action. Your support will help determine the future of SaddleBrooke.

Join Us Today

GOLF CARTS COME WITH GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

December 7, 2021

I have a golf cart like most of you. There have been many accidents involving golf carts over the years in SaddleBrooke. Not all have been the fault of the driver of the golf cart, but caution is required of the golf cart driver, the cyclist, the pedestrian AND the automobile driver to ensure a safe community. Nobody has the right-of-way without first exercising caution that what you are about to do is safe for the situation you are in.

While golf carts are intended to be used on the golf course, private communities like SaddleBrooke allow them to be used on the roads as a convenient mode of transportation within our community. Herein lies the responsibility. Your golf cart is small and quiet, slower, top heavy, limited in passenger capacity, narrow wheel base, open on all sides, only has forward, neutral and reverse gears, inadequate rear view mirrors, and made of “plastic”. What a recipe for injury should you have a collision.

What can result if you lose concentration or are just irresponsible while cruising around SaddleBrooke in your golf cart?

1. The narrow wheel base makes your cart unstable if you take a sharp turn at an unsafe speed. You will roll with a guarantee that you will be thrown out of your seat onto the ground. OUCH!
2. Your cart is so small and quiet that automobile drivers, pedestrians or cyclists may not hear you as you approach them. If they make an unexpected move into your path, BOOM! An accident and someone gets hurt.
3. Squeezing more people into your cart than is safely permitted will make your situation more at risk for accident and injury. The weight imbalance in a golf cart adds the instability on a narrow wheel base. BAM! Potential disaster.
4. Your cart is open on all sides. How safe can that be if a car or a truck kicks up a stone and it gets slingshotted at you? Stay far enough behind the vehicle in front of you. Your cart cannot brake as efficiently as a car so tailgating is not smart. SMACK!
5. Finally I want to point out that driving your cart on a public road is against the law. Desert Bluff traveling West on SaddleBrooke Blvd is ALL PUBLIC ROAD. To get to Neighborhood 24 you must use the Cart path that parallels the Mountain View Golf Course along the #12 green and the #13 fairway. There are access points to cross SaddleBrooke Blvd to get to Neighbouhood 24. Driving a golf cart on Catalina Hills Dr, where the guard shack is, is 100% prohibited. You can’t even get there in a golf cart legally.

The SaddleBrooke ONE and SaddleBrooke TWO Patrol departments need to do a better job educating our residents about golf cart road safety. The combined effort by both departments with voluntary golf cart registration is a great example of cooperation for safety. I see people in golf carts driving where they shouldn’t too frequently and that is what prompted this blog. This is another ideal opportunity for them to join together for the safety of our residents. It’s an opportunity to hold a golf cart safety fair and demonstration. Perhaps in the mostly unused parking lot at the Preserve Clubhouse. Like anything, it takes effort and consistancy.

What other areas do you find SaddleBrooke One and SaddleBrooke TWO joining together for a better overall community? A combined effort that helps the entire SaddleBrooke community. Maybe your suggestion will become the subject of my next Blog and Podcast. Just send me an e mail at Voicesfromthebrooke@gmail.com with your ideas or observations. Share this with your friends and become part of the solution for a safe SaddleBrooke future.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HANUKKAH

GET OUT AND VOTE

November 18, 2021

Within the last four months SaddleBrooke residents have had to cast their vote on very important issues that impact our everyday lives. For SaddleBrooke TWO the opportunity to voice an opinion through your vote happened first with an up or down vote on the RUA, Reciprocal Use Agreement. The second opinion vote is currently under way for the selection of five out of seven candidates vying for a position on the Board of Directors. I am not writing this to influence your vote for any candidate. That is entirely your choice. I am here to recommend that before you vote gather the important information about your candidate(s) that align with your vision for the future of SaddleBrooke TWO and perhaps, more broadly, the entire SaddleBrooke community. While the two SaddleBrooke HOA’s are administratively and legally distinct from each other, they are tightly woven together with the thread of the RUA. The direction that the Board of Directors of one HOA takes inherently affects the activities of the other. That is essentially why this election is so important to SaddleBrooke as a whole from the perspective of both SaddleBrooke ONE and SaddleBrooke TWO.

The candidates for SaddleBrooke TWO are: Don Grimm, Chuck Kill, Judy Brauns, Mike Eckardt, Don Linegar, Joe Mudd, and Joe Reiman.

The candidates for SaddleBrooke ONE are: Bob Appelwick, Don Taylor, and Jo Ann Ellison.

There is no excuse, in my opinion, not to vote when each HOA allows for electronic voting and paper voting. Fifty of sixty percent of our population casting votes for these extremely imortant positions is unacceptable. I am urging all SaddleBrooke residents to cast you vote and make a difference through your participation in the process. Guide SaddleBrooke into your future instead of being handed a future you may not like. And then spend that future complaining about it.

I have a podcast on this subject and and you can listen to it by scrolling to the bottom of this page and click on the Voices From The Brooke Podcast link to hear it. It is listed on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Cast, and Anchor. Feel free to send me an e mail at voicesfromthebrooke@gmail.com to comment with your thoughts or ideas for future podcasts. I will arrange to podcast with you in an interview format to discuss your activities in clubs and organizations that you participate in. This way you can spread the word and inform other residents about how you are enjoying your SaddleBrooke lifestyle,

It’s A Journey of Love

Anyone who has ever had a dog knows that, like most things in life, there are ups and downs as you grow and develop with your new household member. I have always had a dog but never a dog like Gracie.

Gracie is a 4-1/2 year old Mini Australian Shepherd. Many in SaddleBrooke know Gracie because she is a Certified Therapy Dog with a mission to bring comfort to everyone she meets while doing her job volunteering for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona and The Senior Village at SaddleBrooke (www.seniorvillage.org) She has represented Senior Village at birthday luncheons where she meets with all the guests and shows off her talents as a gentle, polite and friendly participant.

Her training as a Therapy Dog began before I knew that was what I wanted for her. She didn’t know it either. The day she came home at eight weeks of age her first lesson, while getting used to her new surroundings, was to do so with a leash attached to her harness. I did not want a dog that acts like she is competing in a tractor pull contest where I am the tractor. So we continued for two years with the positive reinforcement approach at puppy training, intermediate training, advanced training, Canine Good Citizen certification, and novice trick dog training. Training a dog is a continuous effort on a daily basis that builds on each previous lesson. Note that all the training in the world that you think you are giving is fruitless without first creating a mutual trust and bond between you and your dog. You must be trained as much as, or more than the training you are giving your dog. It’s a team effort.

The Humane Society of Southern Arizona on Roger Rd in Tucson is a complete go-to place for animals of all breeds and the people who love animals. The facility is clean and organized staffed by friendly employees and volunteers willing to help with any animal need. There are veterinary services and of course adoption services, snake avoidance training, Colorado toad avoidance training, Therapy Dog classes, children’s programs and much more for the young and young at heart that appreciate the value dogs bring to us humans.

Through the HSSA (www.hssaz.org) Gracie is a regular visitor at Catalina Springs Memory Care on Oracle Rd. Cataline Springs is a private 56 bed Alzheimer’s facility. Here she has made a significant impact on the residents. She absolutely loves her job. Gracie visits Ironwood Ridge High School weekly where she interacts with students during their lunch periods. Senior Village is becoming a favorite for Gracie (she loves to party) as well as her visits to the Administration office at SaddleBrooke TWO. The Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain Resort has invited Gracie to their wellness day for employees and we hope to visit Dove Mountain more in the future. The University of Arizona School of Veterinary Medicine located across from The Home Depot in Oro Valley is a favorite. Gracie gets to hang out with the students, faculty and staff for a few hours providing them much needed relaxation from rigorous academic training. I once read a sign that read, “REAL DOCTORS TREAT MORE THAN ONE SPECIES.” That encapsulates the difficulty of a Veterinary education.

The benefits that a Therapy Dog provides to humans is primarily emotional support. They ease the symptoms of depression, provide stability through routine visits and promote comfort and safety as a demonstrable outcome of therapy dog visitations. A Therapy Dog may be found in school guidance departments, hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, homeless shelters, and anywhere else where there is a need for a dog with traits of a confident personality, tolerance toward other animals, comfortable with strangers and small children, calm in public places, and strange surroundings.

If you are a SaddleBrooke resident and wish to have a visit from Gracie simply call the Senior Village at 520-314-1042 and leave a message for the “Friendly Contact” coordinator who will schedule your visit with Gracie.

As a Therapy Dog team, Gracie and I are grateful for the opportunity to serve. It truly is a journey of love.

Be Pro Active

Tune in to my podcast by scrolling down to Voices From The Brooke Podcasts and select my latest podcast by the same title as above. It relates to a personal experience in my neighborhood on Saturday October 16, 2021, The SaddleBrooke Patrol and a good ending. You can contact me at voicesfromthebrooke@gmail.com to comment or share some of your own experiences. Thank you for listening and ave a great SaddleBrooke Day!

It Happens In SaddleBrooke Too

October 2, 2021

There is much discussion recently about some not so pleasant happenings around SaddleBrooke. Imagine waking up one morning and finding all your yard art missing. I will not mention the people, or the units, or the streets where these events took place. Identities must be protected or, as in the case of writing about it, not made public without express permission. Outrage to say the least. Yes it happened in SaddleBrooke. Our quiet little community of retirees, yet active I must add, has become victim to theft and vandalizm. This is not what we signed up for when we decided to move from “there to here” and it probably wasn’t the case when you or I moved here. For me, it was 25 years ago and SaddleBrooke was mostly undeveloped. Now with all the growth and the changing times in society, we must start tinking differently and becoming more protective of our belongings. We need to watch out for each other.

Yard art and landscape lights seem to be easy prey for anyone who wants to make a quick hit. Landscape lights have been plucked from the ground like feathers from a chicken. Gone in 60 seconds to quote a 2000 action film with Nicolas Cage.

Yard art, landscape lights, and vandalism on residential property just adds to the menu of nepharious activity happening in SaddleBrooke. You wonder why your water bill is high? You may not even know it because you might be away for a few months, or until you get a phone call from the water company alerting you to excessive usage. This time someone seemingly changed the timer on the irrigation controller. Unusually high water consumption isn’t easy to identify unless you see water running down the street or a geiser shooting out of your yard. Just a few extra hours per day is costly.

Yard art, landscape lights, vandalism, and destruction of SaddleBrooke TWO property. The sign pictured bekow was posted at the SaddleBrooke Dog Park. It originally read SaddleBrooke TWO under the mountain logo but someone took it upon themselves to actually remove the sign and alter it by removing the word TWO. Then it was politely, under dark of night since nobody cought the vandal, replaced. This whole scenario is on it’s face pretty stupid. I assume the point being made is the dog park is for all SaddleBrooke residents who voluntarily choose to become members just like SaddleBrooke Senior Softball and Pickleball. And not to give the impression the SaddleBrooke Dog Park (as it is commonly known) is for SaddleBrooke TWO residents only.

It is a stupid act because: 1) the sign was paid for and installed by SaddleBrooke TWO, 2) the character and integrity of the person is lowered to the level of the yard art and landscape light vandals, and 3) now there is no sign to identify the dog park. I highly suspect that SaddleBrooke TWO will NOT be replacing it. Everybody is a loser because of one senseless act by a loser regardless of the motive.

I want to express how powerfully disappointing this is to me as the founder of the dog park and the founding president of the SaddleBrooke Dog Park Association. There is logic behind the message but the tactic was very stupid and immature. There is a process by which a change in signage, additional signage, removal of signage can take place. With a little thought and perhaps honest discussion with HOA #2 an argument could be made to effect that change. As I mentioned, SSSA and Pickelball are not identified as SaddleBrooke TWO. I would hope that anyone with knowledge of who destroyed the SaddleBrooke Dog Park sign would report the person to the Administration. SaddleBrooke residents must protect ourselves and hold the person(s) accountable for their infantile mischief.

The vandalized SaddleBrooke Dog Park sign