Page 73 - October Sun Rays
P. 73
Our exquisite landscape is the result of thousands of hours of hard work. assist visitors with information about the
community, directions, and try to answer
improve the aesthetics of Sun City Texas. in rock. The judicious use of rock is both any question a visitor has. The Visitor’s
They are constantly monitoring the prop- pleasing to the eye and practical. Information Building is staffed from
erty, evaluating conditions and planning 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday
improvements. Plans are set months in To further Sun City’s conservation ef- and from 12:30–4 p.m. on Sunday. Under
advance and submitted to the CA Board forts, the irrigation system was revamped. the supervision of John Barnett (N35) for
for approval. Once approval is given and Hahn explained, “We studied the water the past seven years, volunteers sign up
funding is secured, often requiring several emitted from the sprinkler heads. It had for one or more shifts each month (9 a.m.
resubmissions, work begins. As the com- been a fine mist, but the wind would often to 12:30 p.m., 12:30-4 p.m.). Barnett ad-
munity has grown, so has their workload. blow it where it wasn’t needed. It wasn’t vised, “We are low tech, low rules and low
While it may be overwhelming at times, efficient, so we replaced the heads with maintenance.” When asked what makes
Hahn says “We love what we do. You can ones that put out droplets and the water a resident a good volunteer, Barnett said
see the fruits of your labor. Having resi- stays where we want it.” Conservation “You have to be friendly, outgoing, have
dents appreciate what you’ve done, that’s efforts resulted in water usage for com- some knowledge of Sun City and be will-
the most rewarding part.” mon areas and golf courses decreasing ing to help people.” He is proud of the
by 180 million gallons a year. In 2011, group and their service to the community.
Greatly expanded Level I areas aren’t Sun City drilled water wells, saving the
the only change Hahn and Mathis face. community $100,000 per year in water Sun City receives visitors from all over
With the demand for water increasing purchases from the City of Georgetown. the United States and the world. While
due to growth throughout Georgetown the Visitor’s Information Building isn’t
and periodic drought conditions, water Newcomers to Sun City often stop at the as busy as it was before adding two ad-
conservation has been a major factor in Visitor’s Information Building just inside ditional entrances, and the use of GPS cut
landscape decisions for the past several the entrance at Del Webb Boulevard. For down on those stopping to ask directions,
years. Plant choices are always Texas many, this is their first encounter with a staffers usually assist, on average, six to
native perennials and evergreens that Sun City resident, a first impression that eight visitors each day. Sometimes the
are drought tolerant and deer resistant. may determine whether they will move encounter is brief, and other times the
Hahn said, “We don’t want Sun City to here. The Visitor’s Information Building conversation continues for 15 minutes or
look like Tucson, but we don’t want it to is unique to Sun City. It is rare to find a more. Volunteers provide maps and copies
look like Florida.” To achieve this balance, volunteer resident-staffed building to wel- of the Sun Rays magazine to visitors and
shaded areas are not planted to grass, come and assist visitors in non-gated com- on Sundays, direct visitors to open house
but covered in rock, creating a decorative munities. Gated communities, if staffed, flyers kept on the side of the building. On
look while saving the community money usually contract with security firms that occasion, they assist disoriented residents
in water consumption and maintenance. do not provide the resident perspective our coming in for directions to return home
Ditch bottoms, once sodded and requiring visitors receive. safely. As one can imagine, there can be
ongoing maintenance, are now covered quite a bit of quiet time between visitors.
Sun City’s Visitor’s Information Building When not assisting others, volunteers can
ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG is staffed by 50 resident volunteers who watch Direct TV, play computer video
games or work on a hobby they bring to
the building.
The beautiful grounds and the warm wel-
come received at the Visitor’s Building
create a great first impression of Sun City
Texas, reflecting the pride and friendli-
ness of our community’s residents and
staff. It’s easy to see why Sun City Texas
is consistently recognized in national polls
as a leading active senior community in
the United States.
OCTOBER 2017 SUNRAYS | 71
