The Grand Board Of Directors Meet & Greet
on January 8, 2024
Yesterday, Barb and I attended the Grand Board of Director Meet & Greet session held in the Kiva Ballroom at the Sonoran Plaza.
The event required preregistration (free) and was well attended. Representing Grand were the following:
The start time was 4 pm and the event was scheduled to run until 6 pm. The room was set up with two bars at either side of the entrance, stand up tables and building colour palette displays in the first half of the room and round tables and chairs in the second half of the room near the stage. They had a Grand resident playing music on a grand piano on stage. They also had a food station (free to attendees) put on by our new food and beverage partner, Westside Concepts. Westside Concepts is a west valley restaurant group and you can find more information about them in a two page article starting on page 32 of the January edition of Grand Lifestyles.
During the first half hour or so attendees kept filing in with some sitting at chairs and others taking the opportunity to talk to members of the Board and/or our GM. At about 4:30, Rene Mitchell started the informal remarks with a welcome and then each Board member had a few minutes to talk about their area(s) of involvement on the Board. The last to speak was Jeff Hochman. There was no formal Q&A but the Board and GM confirmed they would remain until 6 pm to talk to attendees one on one.
I had a lengthy conversation with Jeff Hochman before the informal remarks started and a follow conversation afterward. Key takeaways from those discussions were the following:
Dwayne Pyper
The event required preregistration (free) and was well attended. Representing Grand were the following:
- Rene Mitchell (President)
- Carol White (Vice President)
- Jeff Gibbs (Secretary)
- Tony Sparta (Board Member)
- Doug Brady (Board Member whose portfolio includes 'all things golf')
- Jeff Hochman (General Manager)
The start time was 4 pm and the event was scheduled to run until 6 pm. The room was set up with two bars at either side of the entrance, stand up tables and building colour palette displays in the first half of the room and round tables and chairs in the second half of the room near the stage. They had a Grand resident playing music on a grand piano on stage. They also had a food station (free to attendees) put on by our new food and beverage partner, Westside Concepts. Westside Concepts is a west valley restaurant group and you can find more information about them in a two page article starting on page 32 of the January edition of Grand Lifestyles.
During the first half hour or so attendees kept filing in with some sitting at chairs and others taking the opportunity to talk to members of the Board and/or our GM. At about 4:30, Rene Mitchell started the informal remarks with a welcome and then each Board member had a few minutes to talk about their area(s) of involvement on the Board. The last to speak was Jeff Hochman. There was no formal Q&A but the Board and GM confirmed they would remain until 6 pm to talk to attendees one on one.
I had a lengthy conversation with Jeff Hochman before the informal remarks started and a follow conversation afterward. Key takeaways from those discussions were the following:
- Top Golf is absolutely 'off the table'. The original concept was to provide something primarily targeted to residents. Since we are not a gated community we cannot exclude non-residents (ie - general public) but we can make it undesirable for them to use such a facility by pricing it expensively for non-residents. Either way, this is not going to proceed.
- A lit par 3 golf course was never 'on the table'. Jeff really couldn't understand how that rumour got started but admitted it was out there. He confirmed that it is not, nor ever was, a consideration.
- They are not planning to eliminate the putting green at Cimarron. They are considering some low level lighting at the Desert Springs putting green. The thought behind that is that people may use it in the evenings (with a beer in hand from Angelas) and/or they might put on some events there periodically.
- The Desert Springs and Cimarron greens and traps will be done soon, likely in 2026 and 2028.
- The change over to the new greens at North and South was primarily to reduce water requirements and reduce the down time between seasons as the greens themselves are not overseeded. They need a few years to build up enough organic matter (ie - thatch) in the soil to make them more receptive to approach shots. That is why the South greens were sanded earlier this winter and they fully believe the greens will continue to improve over time. I acknowledged we had no choice but to make the change given the severity of the ball marks on Cimarron and Desert Springs.
- Jeff agreed that Grand needs to cater to residents first and foremost and that we don't need to attract outside money from the general public. However, to the extent that we have excess capacity on our courses we are happy to have that influx provided it is at the right (ie - considerably higher) price.
- Regarding food and beverage, I commented that I was concerned about losing control by outsourcing. Jeff agreed that the 10 year contract with Compass was a disaster as we were paying them hundreds of thousands of dollars due to a contract that guaranteed them certain revenue levels. That is why it was terminated after only 3 years. He is against running our own F&B business due to associated liability issues, and the need to higher and manage such a large staff. He believes the Westside Concepts contract (5 years) will be great for Grand as it provides a guaranteed revenue stream to Grand in the form of rent. I reiterated my concern about increased prices and reduced service but he felt that Westside Concepts will do a great job for Grand.
- I told him I had other specific questions for him but he had others that wanted to talk to him so I said I would send the questions to him in an email. Should any of you have specific questions or issues that you want me to include, please send them to me today as I plan to send him my email tonight.
- The Desert Springs redevelopment project will gear up again soon. There will be lots of time for input and feedback but the goal of the project is to improve socialization opportunities.
- Desert Springs will be undergoing a $4m to $5m irrigation system replacement in the next year or so. The current system is failing too often. The replacement system is expected to last 30 to 50 years. The other three courses will all have their system replaced as well, likely in about 2 year increments.
- We still have lots of areas on the courses where grass can be eliminated. One example would be excess areas of rough leading into the front of the fairways.
- If we are going to have further reductions in the acreage covered in grass, this will need to be considered when planning the irrigation system replacements.
- The bunkers on Desert Springs and Cimarron are terrible. They would like to make them a higher priority but they are likely to be done in conjunction with the change over in turf for the greens.
- I questioned the rule allowing more than two cards per foursome on the course. Doug felt it improved speed of play and we would likely continue to allow it. I disagreed, suggesting that education on pace of play is needed, not four carts per foursome. Doug agreed with that but felt this has been tried and that it remains a problem, especially with the men's leagues.
- I suggested that access to the fairways from the cart paths needs to be restricted in front of fairway and greenside bunkers to keep the dormant bermuda in those areas in better condition. He agreed and confirmed he would follow up on that.
Dwayne Pyper
Importing a Canadian Car into the USA
Ross Keating, one of our Canadian Friends has taken the time to share his experience (below) with all of you regarding importing their Canadian Car into the United States
Arizona Custom Brokers Expeditors International
602 273 0912 602 437 8877
Byrnes, WJ & Co Kuehne & Nagel
480 284 4747 480 448 1092
Radix Group DB Schenker
480 517 0030 602 293 2550
For more information please contact Ross & Joan Keating at: [email protected]
- Contact the manufacturer (not just the dealership) of car and ask for USA safety compliance letter for Importing a car: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and US Environmental Protection Agency emission standards (EPA). Car must comply with US safety and emissions and must have ALL recalls repaired.
- Get Emissions test done in Surprise (5 min. and no appt.) BEFORE ADOT appointment. I got this done for our new Hyundai Kona, but was told this step wasn’t necessary since it was a new vehicle.
- Book appointment at ADOT on 59th Ave in Glendale for “Vehicle Inspection Appointment” for Level 2 Inspection May take a couple of weeks to get appt.
- I went to Customs at the airport, and was told I MUST use a broker to handle the import. I was given a list of approved brokers… see attached. I used Charles M Schayer & Co. at 602 233 3855. They were excellent. Charge was $250. They also billed me for duty ($866 based on Kelley’s Blue Book value), and $465 for “Surety Bond/Services”. This process took only about a week.
- Complete HS-7 Form and EPA Form from website (I did this but suspect this service would have been included by the Broker).
- Go to your appt. at ADOT (#3) and bring all Broker’s documents, plus letter(s) and Emission test report.
- Go to the back of building, check-in and wait until they call you. Inspection is about 5 min.
- Then in same building, register the car and get a temporary license plate. Final plate and registration will be mailed.
Arizona Custom Brokers Expeditors International
602 273 0912 602 437 8877
Byrnes, WJ & Co Kuehne & Nagel
480 284 4747 480 448 1092
Radix Group DB Schenker
480 517 0030 602 293 2550
For more information please contact Ross & Joan Keating at: [email protected]
The Grand Canadian Seminar Summary
Living and Owning Homes in the USA
The Grand Canadian Seminar regarding living and investing in Real Estate in the USA was held last Wednesday (February 1, 2023) to help educate and assist us Canadians of the details involved when we sell our USA homes. The seminar was about 3 hours long and in my opinion was time well spent.
Bob Garwood and Mike Holloway with Realty One Group hosted the event which also included the team they work with consisting of Susan Langford, Branch Manager with the Navi Title Agency and Clint Gould with CPA Accounting Services. Extremely helpful people and very well informed on our needs as Canadians when selling our homes.
I am not going to go into great detail of the information they presented as they have supplied their presentations (attached) for you to review yourselves. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any or all of them. Their contact information is as follows:
Bob Garwood: [email protected]
Mike Holloway: [email protected]
Suzanne Langford: [email protected]
Clint Gould : [email protected]
The team they have assembled in my opinion allows us to have a “one stop shop” for all that is needed when we sell our USA homes. Please take a moment to review the information and save it for future consideration.
Also in attendance was John Foster, Executive Vice President with the Canadian Snowbird Association however his presentation is not attached as all his information is available on the Canadian Snowbird Association website at: https://www.snowbirds.org/
John Foster Email: [email protected]
Please note this is NOT an endorsement from The Grand Canadian Friends Group, it is just an informational review of this Canadian Seminar.
Enjoy the read,
Brian Gray
Bob Garwood and Mike Holloway with Realty One Group hosted the event which also included the team they work with consisting of Susan Langford, Branch Manager with the Navi Title Agency and Clint Gould with CPA Accounting Services. Extremely helpful people and very well informed on our needs as Canadians when selling our homes.
I am not going to go into great detail of the information they presented as they have supplied their presentations (attached) for you to review yourselves. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any or all of them. Their contact information is as follows:
Bob Garwood: [email protected]
Mike Holloway: [email protected]
Suzanne Langford: [email protected]
Clint Gould : [email protected]
The team they have assembled in my opinion allows us to have a “one stop shop” for all that is needed when we sell our USA homes. Please take a moment to review the information and save it for future consideration.
Also in attendance was John Foster, Executive Vice President with the Canadian Snowbird Association however his presentation is not attached as all his information is available on the Canadian Snowbird Association website at: https://www.snowbirds.org/
John Foster Email: [email protected]
Please note this is NOT an endorsement from The Grand Canadian Friends Group, it is just an informational review of this Canadian Seminar.
Enjoy the read,
Brian Gray
realty_one_group_and_cpa_accounting.pdf | |
File Size: | 832 kb |
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firpta-navi_title_2023.pdf | |
File Size: | 3680 kb |
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NAME TAGS
For your Grand Canadian Friends Name Tag
Please email Mikey Hodgson at [email protected]
Give him the following information in your email:
"Your Name, Canadian City and Province"
Include your phone number in the email as well.
$8.00 per name tag and they are ready in one week
When it's complete you pick it up at his house in The Grand
Please email Mikey Hodgson at [email protected]
Give him the following information in your email:
"Your Name, Canadian City and Province"
Include your phone number in the email as well.
$8.00 per name tag and they are ready in one week
When it's complete you pick it up at his house in The Grand
PARKS & SONS SERVICE
Helpful information of garbage pick up:
Seasonal service will allow one to start/stop at their convenience. Every time one reactivates the service you have to provide a start/stop date and it must run at least 30 days every time.This service bills out at approximately $30 for every 30 days you run it and will be billed for the full time frame all at once.
If you decide to switch back to the fulltime service there will be a charge.
You can choose to put a vacation hold on your services.
Helpful information of garbage pick up:
Seasonal service will allow one to start/stop at their convenience. Every time one reactivates the service you have to provide a start/stop date and it must run at least 30 days every time.This service bills out at approximately $30 for every 30 days you run it and will be billed for the full time frame all at once.
If you decide to switch back to the fulltime service there will be a charge.
You can choose to put a vacation hold on your services.
Baby Equipment Rental
www.babyquip.com
www.babyquip.com
TIME ALLOWED IN USA, how to track
The Canadian Snowbird Association is a worthy of it's membership. You will receive an occasional email regarding USA travel information alerts, magazine regarding cross border issues and very helpful information and experiences during members USA stay. It is only $25 per family. Here is their website: www.snowbirds.org/
There is another very helpful website that will also keep you in the loop and that is Snowbirdadvisor.ca. It is an on line service and they too will pass on very helpful information. They just recently sent out a controversial issue on the "30 day" rule... a very interesting read. Here is the link to this interesting read: click here. It is suggested to obtain your travel history of your I-94 visa which will inform you as to your exit date.
The Canadian Snowbird Association is a worthy of it's membership. You will receive an occasional email regarding USA travel information alerts, magazine regarding cross border issues and very helpful information and experiences during members USA stay. It is only $25 per family. Here is their website: www.snowbirds.org/
There is another very helpful website that will also keep you in the loop and that is Snowbirdadvisor.ca. It is an on line service and they too will pass on very helpful information. They just recently sent out a controversial issue on the "30 day" rule... a very interesting read. Here is the link to this interesting read: click here. It is suggested to obtain your travel history of your I-94 visa which will inform you as to your exit date.
Homeland Security website
Interesting website to see the number of visits Homeland Security has recorded on you.
Please use this link for the information: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/history-sear
Interesting website to see the number of visits Homeland Security has recorded on you.
Please use this link for the information: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/history-sear