SUN CITY – First Service Residential has managed Sun City’s activities and property for seven years. They will continue to do it for five more.
The community association board of directors culminated a nine-month nationwide search on July 30 by voting unanimously to approve a new five-year contract with FSR beginning Jan. 1, 2015. Reflecting strong satisfaction with FSR’s service for the past seven years, the contract is similar to the one that is in effect now, plus some updates that reflect recent current conditions.
Retention of FSR was recommended by a seven-member committee of board members and residents, chaired by board member Bob Beaupre. It also included fellow board members Bill Bendick and James Van Fleet; and residents Sandy Frost, Larry LaBeau, Cal Meyer, and Jerry Cieciwa.
FSR was selected from among five nationwide adult-community management firms interviewed by the committee. A total of 10 firms were contacted and submitted proposals. The current contract with FSR expires on Dec. 31 of this year. FSR purchased Wentworth Management Company 17 years ago, and came to Sun City in 2007 when Wentworth was hired by the Sun City board.
“There are a lot of excellent firms out there who are very good at managing property, but the board continues to feel that FSR is the best choice to manage Sun City’s many activities and entertainment events in addition to its property,” said board member Bill Ziletti, who conducted the contract negotiations with FSR. “FSR offers us the lowest price and an excellent reduction in overall cost,” he said. “This is a fixed cost contract. There is no cost escalation clause in it.”
Ziletti also said FSR offers a considerable amount of resources that are required to manage Sun City’s large array of club activities, entertainment events, 2,700 acres of property, and a staff of more than 60. Sun City has 45 charter clubs, more than 25 special interest groups, a Neighborhood Advisory Council that includes representatives of more than 40 neighborhoods, and partnerships with Jameson’s Restaurants, Centegra Medical Group, and Billy Casper Golf. “We need more than just a property management company to manage all of the things we do here,” one board member said during the course of the project.
The committee initially developed a request for proposals after identifying more than a dozen possible firms. Representatives of 10 firms visited Sun City in April and toured the community.
In another major development at the July 30 quarterly meeting, it was announced that there are five candidates for four open positions on the board in the 2014 election that takes place this fall. Incumbents Bill Bendick and James Van Fleet are seeking re-election for the 2015-16 term, along with newcomers Larry LaBeau, Dennis O’Leary, and Eugene Rhodes. The Sun Day will publish more information on this topic in upcoming issues.
