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GUEST COMMENTARY

Lehrer: Analysis, paralysis and Mountain View

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ased upon the past few months of Recreation Centers of Sun City members repeatedly expressing their opinions, I feel it’s necessary that we all agree to take a break, enjoy summer and plan on returning to board business in the fall with the understanding that the Mountain View Center project has officially “left the station.”

The board has made its decision and determined that the process started years ago and is moving forward. Period. No one can predict that the economy will improve, and the longer we wait, the longer it will take to get work done and return to having first-class amenities at our Mountain View location.

I believe that after all this time, we have reached what I like to refer to as “analysis paralysis” — the inability to make a decision due to over-thinking a problem. There comes a time when an individual or a group of individuals can have too much data. The result is endless wrangling over the upsides and the downsides of each and every option — and an inability to pick one.

As most of you know, I have been a staunch advocate when it comes to consistent collection of utilization data for all RCSC club and monitored activities. It’s hard to believe I would be opposed to too much data, but in this case, we need to stop the second-guessing and move forward. Two town hall meetings, a year of evaluation and discussion on the Long-Range Planning Committee and an ad hoc committee composed of RCSC members who represented all activities and sports at Mountain View have all contributed in creating a recommendation for the design of Mountain View. The board approved the recommendation and an architect was hired to create a conceptual plan.

The conceptual plan was presented to the board and members, who commented on the lack and proximity of handicap accessible parking. As chairwoman of the Long-Range Planning Committee at the time, the lack of safety, security and access control in the architectural plan was also a huge red flag for me. These concerns brought forward by members were all legitimate. The plans went back to the architect for revision to address these issues.

Oh no! The revision to correct concerns of RCSC members now called for the rotation of a building to an area currently occupied by pickleball courts — and the rest is now part of our history. As a result, a small group of members has crafted numerous ploys and claimed a lack of transparency, all designed to delay or change the entire Mountain View project.

There has never been any secrecy or a lack of transparency around this project. There was only a design change that happened to interfere with the current pickleball accessibility. Acknowledging this, the board has been looking at options that would supplement the lost Mountain View courts. The Pickleball Club has been heavily involved in this planning and has overwhelmingly agreed with a potential court replacement solution.

Therefore, I respectfully ask that you trust and respect the process that has occurred and trust and respect your fellow members who dedicated their time and energies to determine what would be best for all. There may come a time when you’ll be involved in a similar project and will come to understand the investment and commitment made by these individuals who worked to serve the needs of everyone affected.

The Mountain View project is long overdue. It’s time to stop the “analysis paralysis” and move ahead.