The Boy Scouts Got It Right
David Brinkley got me hooked on the news back in the early 80s and I’ve been an avid reader and follower ever since. In more than 45 years of reading headlines, I don’t think I’ve seen the word “uncertainty” used nearly as often as it has been lately. Back when Jody Powell and George Will were scrapping on Brinkley’s show, girls weren’t allowed in the Boy Scouts, but if they had let me in, I’d have been a good one. In the face of uncertainty, GVR staff have all become honorary Boy Scouts and I couldn’t be more pleased with their efforts. We may not know exactly what the future will bring, but focusing on what we can reasonably predict, we are doing our best to be prepared for supply chain disruptions and the cost increases that tend to come with them.
The Amado Room at Canoa Ranch has been temporarily repurposed as a warehouse for the supplies, equipment, and materials needed to keep GVR facilities and programs in top shape through the remainder of the year. Staff charged with procurement and inventory controls have been working double time shopping for the best posted prices, negotiating discounts, and managing the distribution of supplies to the staff in the centers. Division heads have reviewed their standard operating procedures to identify alternative approaches they can take in the event the usual tools or
materials become scarce. The process started slow but is at this writing a hustling bustle of deliveries and packing slips. Cleaning supplies, spare tennis nets, conduit and wire, pool heaters, gloves, saw blades, flux and fittings, wheelbarrow tires, ceiling tiles, HVAC filters, spa pumps, windsocks, hand soap, door stops, shower curtains---the list goes on and on.
This scramble started as GVR’s first quarter financials were being reported. Like 2024, 2025 is shaping up to be a slow real estate year in Green Valley. With nearly 20% of the budget funded by new member fees associated with home sales, the possibility of another year-end revenue shortfall looms. The administration challenged the staff again: tell us where we can save money. With awards and prizes offered for winning ideas, the staff came through with a sharp and thoughtful list of suggestions, none of which included getting rid of the Operations Chief (thank you, dear colleagues)! Converting to motion-activated light switches was the most popular recommendation by far. A proposal to install bidets was accompanied by such an extended and detailed cost benefit analysis it will surely be a contender for the “most ardent suggestion” award.
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CONTACT US — 520-625-3440
Operational matters hotline@gvrec.org
Board policy matters board@gvrec.org
Customer Service 520-625-0288
RECREATION SERVICES
The following centers are open daily from 5:30am–9pm
MAJOR CENTERS
Canoa Hills
Canoa Ranch
Desert Hills
East Center
Las Campanas
Santa Rita Springs
West Center
3660 S Camino del Sol
5750 S Turquoise Mtn Dr
2980 S Camino del Sol
7 S Abrego Dr
565 W Belltower Dr
921 W Via Rio Fuerte
1111 S GVR Dr
(520) 631-7151
(520) 631-0761
(520) 631-8060
(520) 631-8072
(520) 631-7068
(520) 631-8092
(520) 631-7909
JUNE
Center Operations Assistants (Yellow Shirts) 520-343-2440
SATELLITE CENTERS
520-549-9733
Abrego North Abrego South
Casa Paloma I
Casa Paloma II
Continental Vistas
Madera Vista
Del Sol Clubhouse, 3355 S Camino del Sol, 6am–9pm Pickleball Center, 2612 S Camino de la Canoa, 6am–dusk
BOARD & COMMITTEE MEETINGS
FISCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Tuesday, June 17, 1:30–3pm, West Center Room 2 / Zoom
BOARD AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Monday, June 23, 1:30–3pm, West Center Room 2 / Zoom
BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGULAR MEETING—TENTATIVE
Wednesday, June 25, 2–4pm, West Center Auditorium / Zoom
Any change in meeting status will be announced on the GVR website calendar.
BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
In a regular meeting on Wednesday, May 28, the Board of Directors took the following actions:
• Awarded the contract for design/build services for the Lapidary Club expansion – unanimous.
• Approved a three-year contract with R&A CPAs – unanimous
• Approved an amendment to the lease agreement with the GVR Foundation – unanimous
• Approved the Desert Hills I Townhomes CCR amendment –unanimous
GVR BOARD
1601 N Abrego Dr
1655 S Abrego Dr
400 W Circulo del Paladin
330 N Calle de las Banderolas
906 W Camino Guarina
440 S Camino del Portillo
GVR BOARD OFFICERS
President: Kathi Bachelor
Vice President: Candy English
Secretary: April Hasson Hillard
Treasurer: Nellie Johnson
Assistant Secretary: Bart Hillyer
Assistant Treasurer: Steve Reynolds
DIRECTORS
Dave Barker
Beth Dingman
Marge Garneau
Bev Lawless Lanny Smith
GVR BOARD COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Audit Committee: Bev Lawless
Board Affairs Committee: Candy English
Fiscal Affairs Committee: Nellie Johnson
Investment Committee: Lanny Smith
Nominations & Elections Committee: April Hasson Hillard
Planning & Evaluation: Steve Reynolds
Email: board@gvrec.org
Can’t attend a meeting in person?
Scan this QR code for ZOOM meetings.
Did You Know?
Summer begins on June 20 which is also the longest day of the year. Here are a few suggestions for how to spend the day.
With an average high of 101 degrees, you might want to get an early start to your day. Sunrise comes about a quarter of an hour before the centers open at 5:30am, you can jump out of bed to a fun recreational activity. Canoa Ranch has half-court basketball for you to get your heartrate increased while sinking some hoops.
As the afternoon rolls on you may want to try some gentler pursuits like bocce at Canoa Hills and Las Campanas or horseshoes at Abrego South or Casa Paloma I. Or, how about a cook out at one of the grills available to members at Canoa Hills, Casa Paloma I, or Madera Vista?
An evening swim could be just the finisher for a wonderful, full day with our pools open until 9pm and sunset around 7:30pm, you can take a dip to get some of the desert heat off of you from your full day.
Children’s Pool Hours
West Center
Weekdays: Noon–9pm
Weekends & holidays: ALL day
Abrego South Daily: 4–6pm
All other pools Daily: 11am–1pm AND 4–6pm
No guest pass required for kids!
Children 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Children six and younger must have an adult in the pool with them at all times.
Letter from the President
Members, the hot topics for the Board this month are oldies but goodies: cost saving (see the cover story) and guest policies. Keep in mind, GVR is a Private Recreation Club, not an open-ended resort.
Currently, guests under age eighteen are welcome at GVR with or without a guest card when they are in the company of an adult card holder. Members who wish to host as many as four adult guests have four options:
1. Obtain an unlimited-use, one guest at a time, complimentary guest card provided to those members who are the sole persons listed on the title of their home.
2. Buy an unlimited-use annual guest pass, for up to four guests per use.
3. Buy a short-term guest pass activated for specific dates
4. Buy a paper same-day guest pass good for that date only (member must accompany guest to provide gate access)
In all cases, a guest is defined as a temporary visitor who resides more than twenty miles beyond the GVR boundary. This means that non-members who live or are renting in Green Valley are NOT authorized guests. Nor are the residents of Elephant Head, Sahuarita, Quail Creek, and Tubac. The reasons for this are simple:
1. GVR facilities are funded by member dues and should not be available to everyone in the general area on a regular basis.
2. Limiting authorization to those who live more than 20 miles beyond the GVR boundary gives prospective residents a reason to choose a GVR home. If one can choose a non-deed-restricted home and still enjoy the GVR facilities using a friend’s GVR guest card, the incentive to join the organization and pay dues, as members do, to support the facilities and programs is greatly reduced.
Sadly, abuse of guest cards is common. AirBnB and VRBO owners leave them for their tenants. (NOTE: Tenants have the right to purchase cards based on the time they will be renting). Members have been providing them to their neighbors and nearby friends so they can meet up at GVR centers. Others hold onto long-expired passes and wave them around near gates until a neighborly soul lets them in. (NOTE: if their card doesn’t work, there is a reason, and they need to go to the Administration Office to determine why).
A solution that addresses card abuse and provides conscientious members with convenient means to host guests is harder to land on than one might expect. The Board Affairs Committee would like to hear from our members on the matter. Watch for an email survey in the coming weeks. It will be as brief as possible, so when it arrives, I would appreciate your time to respond on this subject to protect your member status wishes.
Thank you,
GVR Board President Kathi Bachelor
